Chapter 8
Fourth Week of Faire: Fantasy Weekend
Showtime came too quickly for Lilian. She left the store in Margo’s care and made a beeline to the theater. They would be starting exactly an hour after opening. It was plenty of time, but her nerves compelled her to be at the theater well before to make sure everything was in place.
She was surprised to see Alex and Logan already standing by the small wooden stage.
For once, the two weren’t scowling like they’d accidentally swallowed something.
They were talking quietly while staring at the script.
Logan sat on the edge of the stage, dressed in his usual black silk shirt and loose black trousers that mostly hid his leg brace.
Alex wore an extraordinary purple cloth hat decorated with large ostrich feathers.
A light purple corset cinched her waist above a sea of flowing skirts.
She was the first to notice Lilian’s approach. “Lilian! Ready for your debut?”
“Honestly?” Lilian took a deep breath and looked at the stage.
The prop department had been busy working to make their scene complete. It wasn’t much, but a large pink painted divider now separated the stage, with stools for each participant.
“Don’t be nervous,” Logan assured, eyes still on the script in his hands.
He seemed to be studying it intently while stroking his beard.
Once he finished the page, his bright blue eyes swept over the benches surrounding them.
“There likely won’t be anyone in the crowd. Consider this a light dress rehearsal.”
Alex sent him a withering look. “Thanks for that.”
“What?” He shrugged. “This is nothing to be nervous about.”
Maybe it was nothing to Logan, the pirate king. But to Ms. Bodice, the bookshop owner, it was everything. She closed her eyes, mentally running through her lines again for the hundredth time that morning.
David and Ian walked up soon after, followed by Mr. Berscotta. Then it was only fifteen minutes until the show.
“Time to get backstage,” Alex said, squeezing her arm reassuringly. “You’ll do great.”
“Thanks.” Lilian pulled her in for a quick hug and added, “And thanks for everything. For setting this up and for making it happen.”
Alex squeezed back. “It wasn’t just me,” she said, looking as if there was more to that statement before one of the stagehands called for her attention.
Lilian stepped back and followed the group of men to the back of the stage. It was more crowded than expected. With the leg injury, it was agreed that the pirate band would help carry their captain on stage. No one thought about the logistical issue until they were all crammed into the small space.
Luckily, it wasn’t for long. Lilian hugged the door frame. She would be the first on after Logan. Her heart was racing, banging loud enough that she was sure the entire room could hear it.
Behind her, the men were silent, waiting for their cue. She peeked through the curtain and watched as Logan took the stage, his men singing a jaunty song to grab the crowd’s attention.
No one was seated in the small theater yet.
Good… no, not good.
She wanted people to come to her shop. She wanted people to enjoy this thing she was trying so hard to make work.
A few passing guests stopped and listened as Logan lured them in. One couple. And a small group of women.
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
After the pirate gang stalled for as long as possible, Logan began the show.
“And now, without further ado, let’s meet our bachelor-wench!”
Silence stretched across the benches; not even polite applause echoed back.
Logan held his pose, one hand extended toward the curtain, ready for Lilian to appear.
She took a deep breath and stepped out before she could second guess herself.
The sun felt too bright as she took the stage, but her feet knew exactly where to go.
She walked, half blind with anxiety, to her stool and climbed on.
Her cheeks ached from the bright smile she wore. One that was too wide and probably too fake. Oh god, she couldn’t do this. The nerves tingled through her, making everything numb.
“Ms. Bodice,” Logan said, emphasizing the Ms. “I hear you own a bookshop at this faire.”
“Aye, I do,” she said, though her voice cracked on the accent.
Lilian took a moment to swallow her nerves.
She used the pause to channel the next lines with emotion, a trick Alex had taught her.
“But it's hard to run a shop by myself. I need someone to help me… and I would like to have a partner in this lonely life.”
“Arr, you are looking for a Mr. Bodice?” Logan asked.
“That would be nice.”
“Well, it just so happens I found three brawny men who are looking for the right bodice to rip.”
A whoop of agreement came from the ladies in the front. Finally, some affirmation! Lilian gave them a grateful smile before giving a dramatic gasp. “Captain!” She threw a hand to cover her bosom. “I’m looking for a husband, not a rake.”
“Why not both?” Logan threw the audience a playful wink, eliciting a couple chuckles.
Laughter. That was good. Lilian relaxed a little bit as Logan called the bachelors to the stage.
From there things got easier. The attention focused on the three men.
The eyes of their female audience members never wavered from the bachelors.
As the show progressed, a few more people stopped to watch.
It helped that Logan’s pirate band stayed for the performance, acting as an unusual entourage of hype men as they cheered and booed. Their input fed into the rest of the crowd.
To keep her own nerves in check, Lilian focused on the row of small shops in the distance.
Alex stood behind the last row, watching like a proud pirate queen as the show went on without any major problems. Once, her eyes found the spot where Hawk had been sitting during their previous practice. It was empty.
Relief flooded through her, even as an unusual tightness cinched her breastbone. Or maybe that was her corset.
They ran through the play. Eliciting laughs and cheers from their small crowd.
The boys played it like it was a full theater, so Lilian did as well.
When they came to the end, she had a choice to make.
Their group agreed that she could switch up the winner of the show each week to keep things fresh.
When Logan eventually asked her who she wanted to be her Mr. Bodice, Lilian was free to pick. She’d been leaning toward David, simply because he was first in line and it made sense for her to fall for the “good guy” on stage.
But then she remembered Logan’s dejected face at rehearsal. She knew this wasn’t their pirate king’s ideal show, but her heart went out to him. It couldn’t be easy nursing a broken leg and a bruised ego.
She turned to Logan, leaning forward and making the best moon eyes she could. “I think you’ve convinced me to go for a rake. What do you say, Captain Devlin? Would you like to try a bodice ripper?”
The gaggle of women cheered loudly in approval, and she heard Logan’s pirate band let out their own whoops for their fearless leader. Alex’s face fell in open surprise.
Logan raised a brow at her but was unable to hide his smile.
“Ah, another woman has fallen prey to my charm. Sorry fellas, this one is mine!” he called out, before leaning in to give a polite peck on her cheek.
His voice dipped into a soft whisper that hung between the two of them. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise.”
“I have to keep you guys on your toes,” Lilian whispered back as they turned to the stage and gave a little bow.
“Thank you,” she said, louder for the crowd, “I hope you all come to our shop, Bodice and Brawn, and select a few saucy books from our collection. I promise, I have a couple spicy pirate tales for anyone interested.”
The women cheered, and with that, their first show was over. They’d done it.
They exited the stage. As soon as she stepped in the little dark changing room, her legs wobbled as if they were going to give out from beneath her. She managed to stand only because Logan was relying on her as a crutch.
“Well done,” he said. “We might make an actor out of you yet.”
“Thanks,” she managed before the other men joined them.
“That was amazing,” David cheered. “Though next time I won’t lose to some dastardly pirate.”
“Well, I guess I shouldn’t have expected it to work like magic.” Lilian sighed as she took in her empty shop.
Margo gave her a sympathetic look. “Don’t be disappointed. It’s the first one, and we both knew Sunday was a terrible time slot.”
True, but Lilian still couldn’t conceal her disappointment.
She’d worked so hard in hopes of bringing more customers in, but it didn’t seem to have any impact.
They were still facing the same trickle of visitors they’d had before, and their shelves were still full.
Even the fantasy novels she’d put at half price weren’t moving.
“I think I need to go for a walk.”
“Go,” Margo encouraged, eyes focused on the blank wall in front of her. She had been studying it ever since Lilian got back. A twinkle in her eye. “But seriously, don’t let it get you down. I heard you did great! We still have six more weeks.”
Lilian managed a small smile before stepping out of the shop. Six more weeks sounded like a lot of time, but it was only six weekends. Twelve days. That was nothing. She knew she should be concentrating on having fun, but Hawk’s words from the other day still rang in her ear.
She needed to be more business-minded. She was paying a lot to rent space at the faire, and if they didn’t at least break even and clear some shelf space, then this would all have been for nothing.
She didn’t need a long walk. Just a few minutes to get her head straight. She would finish out today, and then she would get serious about the bookshop. Both the one at the faire and her mother's in Tenison. If she didn’t, there was a real chance this would be the only year of Bodice and Brawn.