Read Online Death at the Theatre: Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate: Book 2 by Celina Grace - Free Book Online
Authors: Celina Grace
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as nervy as I am then.”
Verity snorted and then gestured for me to sit down. “Come on, it’s starting. We’ll be alright.” I sat back down and took off my cardigan; it got hot up here in the Gods. Verity added “Besides, now that we’re here all alone, it’s like our own private box.”
I smiled and tried to dismiss my anxiety. Of course, as soon as the play started, I forgot my nerves. Once more I was riveted by Caroline Carpenter’s performance. She was the first one to appear on stage – in fact, she was in almost every scene in the first act. Tommy and she had a wonderful sparring of wits in the first scene, which was both exciting and comical. I watched out for Aldous Smith, wondering if he would be much different from that first time I’d seen him. When he appeared in the second scene, I could see he was a little more relaxed on the stage, a little more convincing than he had been the first time we’d seen the show.
As we applauded the stage as the interval curtain went down and the massive chandelier hanging from the auditorium’s ceiling glowed back to life, I couldn’t help a nervous glance over to where the body had been found. Of course, there was nothing there, not even the chair he’d been sitting on.
Verity rummaged in her handbag and produced her purse with an air of triumph. She waved it at me. “Got enough for a couple of ices, Joan. What do you say?”
“Ooh, yes please.” A refreshment at the theatre was a rare luxury, but Verity earned more than I did so I was happy for her to treat me occasionally.
“Come on, then.”
The Gods didn’t have its own bar. We had to walk down a flight of steps to the bar that served the Dress Circle. It wasn’t very busy, unusually so for an interval. I wondered whether the murder had scared off the public and said as much to Verity.
“Maybe,” she said, rather cynically. “I would have thought the great British public would have flocked to the scene of a murder, just to gawk at where it happened. I thought Tommy said they had sold out for the next few weeks.”
Remembering the public furore over the Asharton Manor murders and the Merisham Lodge case, I had to agree. Perhaps it was just that it was mid-week and the cold and rainy night was discouraging people.
“I suppose it’s lucky that they didn’t have to cancel the entire run,” I said, as we found seats by the back of the bar and ate our ices.
“Yes, that’s exactly what Tommy was saying.” Verity licked her little spoon with relish. “He was frantic that the whole show was going to be cancelled and he was going to be out of work.”
“Will we see him afterwards?”
“Of course.” She paused and gave me rather a sly look sideways. “You’re rather keen on our Tommy, aren’t you, Joanie?”
“I am not!” I said, hotly. “I just think he’s a nice man, that’s all.”
“Oh he is, he’s lovely. But you know, Joanie, he’s not for you. He’s not that way inclined, if you see what I mean.”
Of course I knew what she meant. Did she think I was stupid or something? I said nothing but gave her a look, and then a poke with my ice-cream spoon for good measure, and she ducked away, laughing. The bell rang to remind us to retake our seats.
As we walked back to the Gods, up the stairs, I took note of the entrance. There was a small landing at the top of the steps, with a narrow corridor leading to the lavatories for this floor. The steps led down to the bar in which we’d just been and then onwards, down to the Grand Circle and finally to the stalls on the ground floor of the auditorium. As I walked into the Gods, I tried to think like the murderer would have. Had it been that woman I’d seen or someone else who’d crept in after dark? But then, how had the man been stabbed through the back of the chair if the woman had sat there and she hadn’t been the killer? I looked around, searching for another entrance, a hidden door or something like that, and even got up
Verity snorted and then gestured for me to sit down. “Come on, it’s starting. We’ll be alright.” I sat back down and took off my cardigan; it got hot up here in the Gods. Verity added “Besides, now that we’re here all alone, it’s like our own private box.”
I smiled and tried to dismiss my anxiety. Of course, as soon as the play started, I forgot my nerves. Once more I was riveted by Caroline Carpenter’s performance. She was the first one to appear on stage – in fact, she was in almost every scene in the first act. Tommy and she had a wonderful sparring of wits in the first scene, which was both exciting and comical. I watched out for Aldous Smith, wondering if he would be much different from that first time I’d seen him. When he appeared in the second scene, I could see he was a little more relaxed on the stage, a little more convincing than he had been the first time we’d seen the show.
As we applauded the stage as the interval curtain went down and the massive chandelier hanging from the auditorium’s ceiling glowed back to life, I couldn’t help a nervous glance over to where the body had been found. Of course, there was nothing there, not even the chair he’d been sitting on.
Verity rummaged in her handbag and produced her purse with an air of triumph. She waved it at me. “Got enough for a couple of ices, Joan. What do you say?”
“Ooh, yes please.” A refreshment at the theatre was a rare luxury, but Verity earned more than I did so I was happy for her to treat me occasionally.
“Come on, then.”
The Gods didn’t have its own bar. We had to walk down a flight of steps to the bar that served the Dress Circle. It wasn’t very busy, unusually so for an interval. I wondered whether the murder had scared off the public and said as much to Verity.
“Maybe,” she said, rather cynically. “I would have thought the great British public would have flocked to the scene of a murder, just to gawk at where it happened. I thought Tommy said they had sold out for the next few weeks.”
Remembering the public furore over the Asharton Manor murders and the Merisham Lodge case, I had to agree. Perhaps it was just that it was mid-week and the cold and rainy night was discouraging people.
“I suppose it’s lucky that they didn’t have to cancel the entire run,” I said, as we found seats by the back of the bar and ate our ices.
“Yes, that’s exactly what Tommy was saying.” Verity licked her little spoon with relish. “He was frantic that the whole show was going to be cancelled and he was going to be out of work.”
“Will we see him afterwards?”
“Of course.” She paused and gave me rather a sly look sideways. “You’re rather keen on our Tommy, aren’t you, Joanie?”
“I am not!” I said, hotly. “I just think he’s a nice man, that’s all.”
“Oh he is, he’s lovely. But you know, Joanie, he’s not for you. He’s not that way inclined, if you see what I mean.”
Of course I knew what she meant. Did she think I was stupid or something? I said nothing but gave her a look, and then a poke with my ice-cream spoon for good measure, and she ducked away, laughing. The bell rang to remind us to retake our seats.
As we walked back to the Gods, up the stairs, I took note of the entrance. There was a small landing at the top of the steps, with a narrow corridor leading to the lavatories for this floor. The steps led down to the bar in which we’d just been and then onwards, down to the Grand Circle and finally to the stalls on the ground floor of the auditorium. As I walked into the Gods, I tried to think like the murderer would have. Had it been that woman I’d seen or someone else who’d crept in after dark? But then, how had the man been stabbed through the back of the chair if the woman had sat there and she hadn’t been the killer? I looked around, searching for another entrance, a hidden door or something like that, and even got up
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