Chapter 6
On Thursday afternoon, Sylvie wrapped up her show to a smattering of applause.
As more of the summer amusements began to open in preparation for the busy month of June, Sylvie’s demonstration was getting less attention.
Compared to the week before, the crowds had begun to dwindle, and those who did attend seemed less impressed.
Even Mr. Miller had started looking at Sylvie with a hint of pity.
It didn’t help that Sylvie could only be at Cedar Point twice a week.
She was missing the chance to entertain more than half of the visitors who came through the resort, and that was no way to create a buzz that would set her show apart from everything the resort offered.
She couldn’t carve out time for more performances without her mother growing suspicious.
But if she couldn’t get the resort’s guests excited about her show soon, Sylvie’s opportunity to prove herself would be a dismal failure.
Exactly what her mother would have predicted if Sylvie had told her about it.
She couldn’t let Mother be right. Not with her ability to have a say in her own future at stake.
As Sylvie and Mr. Miller pulled arrows from the targets and prepared to move them back inside, she uttered desperate, silent prayers for God to do something, to reach out and show He cared about her dreams. She was so intent on those internal cries that the sound of a clearing throat startled her into spinning around.
Her heart dropped. Mr. Wentworth was back.
He wore a fine suit, more professional than he had been dressed the last time she’d seen him at the resort.
Had he come over during his work day? She caught herself before asking, heat rushing up her neck.
The lady archer didn’t know his name or what kind of work he did.
“My lady, it’s a pleasure to run into you again.”
His voice was as deep as she remembered from the dinner party the weekend before. It reverberated through her, leaving her feeling oddly relaxed. “Forgive me for the assumption, but I struggle to believe this meeting is unplanned, sir.”
His eyes lit up as she teased him. It was easier somehow when she could hide behind the cloak and mask.
She’d enjoyed talking with him at social events as well, but the heavy gazes of all those guests always weighed on her.
They judged what they saw without bothering to consider if it was any of their business.
At the resort, Sylvie was the lady archer, free to act however she pleased.
Mr. Wentworth raised both hands in surrender, the corners of his lips lifting. “I can’t deny it, my lady. I had to see your archery demonstration, and it was thrilling. You must hear it often, but you’re very talented.”
His words warmed her heart. While several guests had approached Sylvie after her shows to tell her so, and her archery instructors had always praised her natural ability, there was a weight to his statement that made it more than a mere compliment.
It almost left her at a loss for words. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear. ”
He opened his mouth to speak again, but the loud chatter of a group of ladies approaching interrupted him.
From the midst of the group, Sylvie heard a sound that could tempt her to turn on her heel and run for the safety of the nearest building.
“What a surprise to run into you here, Mr. Wentworth.”
Lucy Casburn, flanked by the same ladies she often surrounded herself with at social events back in Cleveland.
Most of them didn’t behave as terribly as Lucy, unless they were in her company.
Then they turned into a gaggle of pecking geese that wouldn’t leave a person alone.
Today, they flocked to Mr. Wentworth, monopolizing his attention with single-minded intent.
As they cornered him, Sylvie took the opportunity to slip away, grabbing a target and holding it in front of her as she walked so they would be less likely to notice her.
As much as she regretted not being able to spend a few minutes with Mr. Wentworth, it was a relief to reach the Coliseum without incident.
Even more so when Mr. Miller came inside with the rest of the props, meaning Sylvie could escape without needing to return to the lawn and risk catching the attention of anyone else she knew in real life.
Sylvie lingered in the storage area. Maybe if she waited long enough, the ladies would go off and find other amusements. Having members of her social circle at Cedar Point throughout the summer might turn out to be a bigger problem than she’d expected.
But Sylvie couldn’t give up the show due to the slim chance she’d be recognized. After all, she’d spoken with Mr. Wentworth twice now in costume, and he didn’t have the slightest clue who she was.
A little more confident that she was safe, Sylvie slipped out a door on the opposite side of the building from the demonstration lawn. She walked with purpose, wanting nothing more than to escape Cedar Point by steamer before anything else happened.
But she hadn’t gotten far from the building when her head was roughly jerked backward.
In shock, she registered the pain in her neck a second before realizing her hood was down and the ties on her mask had come loose.
She reached to recover herself, but it was too late.
None other than Lucy jumped in front of her.
“I knew it. There had to be a reason the marquess was speaking to a simple performer. Sylvie Bryce, what have you gotten yourself into this time?”
The smug expression on Lucy’s face was almost enough to bring tears to Sylvie’s eyes.
Was this it? Was she going to lose her chance to gain a shred of independence, and so soon after finding it?
If she didn’t have the money she hoped to save from these shows to allow her to stand up to her mother’s scheming, she might as well go home and let Mother arrange a marriage with Mr. Greene.
And it was all because of Lucy’s spitefulness.
A wave of anger strengthened Sylvie’s spine. No. She would not give it up so easily. “I’m spending my time this summer doing something I enjoy. What does that matter to you, Lucy?”
Lucy’s wretched smirk grew even as she narrowed her eyes. “Oh, it matters very much. Because there happens to be a marquess on the line. After Mrs. Templeton’s dinner party, I wasn’t certain how I was going to catch his attention again. But it appears a way has opened before me.”
Sylvie’s stomach began to churn. Whatever Lucy had in mind, it was not going to be good for Sylvie. “What exactly do you mean?”
“Ah, my dear girl. You don’t have the strategic mind I have, it seems.” Lucy began walking in a slow circle around Sylvie, raising Sylvie’s hood and situating it back into place with chilling nonchalance as she went.
“If I’m going to keep this to myself, you’ll need to stay far away from Mr. Wentworth.
I intend to make the match of the summer, and he’s the one to get. ”
Feeling woozy, Sylvie swallowed against the nausea rising in her throat.
Mr. Wentworth was such a kind man. It would be cruel to leave him at the mercy of a schemer like Lucy.
But if she didn’t, Sylvie would lose her chance to prove she could do something on her own, without her parents’ direction or help.
And it wasn’t as if she intended to marry Mr. Wentworth herself.
If her mother weren’t so interested in the match, perhaps she would have considered it.
But Sylvie refused to let Mother control this part of her life.
The person she married must be someone Sylvie chose.
Still, maybe she could find a way to warn Mr. Wentworth if she played along with this nonsense. “I have no designs on him, Lucy. But we have enjoyed several conversations, so he might listen if I encourage him in your direction.”
Lucy’s smirk melted into a surprised smile.
“Frankly, I didn’t expect you to be so accommodating.
That’s the perfect idea. You’ll direct all his attention toward me this summer.
If I see you stepping beyond our agreement and trying to charm him, you can be sure your mother will hear about what you do with your free time before you can even hope to explain yourself.
This is too important to me, Sylvie. I won’t hesitate to do whatever I have to in order to win. ”
As much as Sylvie disliked the idea of having anything in common with Lucy, she couldn’t deny that she understood the other woman’s determination.
In a world that denied them the ability to choose most things for themselves, the occasional chance to determine their own fate was worth fighting hard for.
But, despite the moment of solidarity with Lucy, Sylvie began to pray that she could help Mr. Wentworth keep from falling victim to the other woman’s schemes. And somehow also keep her own plans intact.
Miles watched Miss Casburn confront Miss Bryce from a secluded spot under a maple tree bowed over with heavy branches, where neither woman was likely to notice him.
His heart sank lower with each predatory step Miss Casburn took, looking for all the world as though she was stalking unsuspecting prey.
If he hadn’t approached Miss Bryce after her performance, Miss Casburn probably wouldn’t have taken any notice of the lady archer.
Instead, he’d given in to the urge to talk to Miss Bryce again, to tell her how impressed he was with her abilities.
And that attention had turned Miss Casburn’s venom on her.
By the time Miss Casburn finally sauntered away, leaving Miss Bryce standing frozen in the middle of the path, Miles had decided he must make up for his mistake. Now two people knew her identity, and one of those didn’t seem to be the kind of person who would keep her secret out of kindness.
What could he do to prove his deep regret for the part he’d played in that?