Read Online Death at the Theatre: Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate: Book 2 by Celina Grace - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Celina Grace
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A sort of mixture of relief, giddiness, and perhaps a tinge of melancholy that it was all over. For a moment, I felt envious. When did I ever get to feel like that in my job?
A door at the back of the room opened, a door with a golden star painted on the front of it. Caroline Carpenter appeared in the doorway’s empty frame, a languid vision in a cream silk dressing gown, an ebony cigarette holder in one hand. I saw her gaze move about the room until it rested on Tommy and Aldous.
Aldous looked up at the same time, as if his gaze was subtly attuned to Caroline’s. Caroline made a beckoning gesture, and as Aldous moved forward, she called out, “Tommy, darling, I need you in here.” The way Aldous’ face fell was almost amusing. Caroline must have relented because she said “Oh, and you too, Aldous. And, Verity Hunter, is that you? Why don’t you bring your little friend in for champagne?”
Verity and I looked at one another and moved as one towards Caroline’s dressing room. Champagne! I had never tasted it before, and the chance to drink some with a famous actress – fairly famous, at least – was not one to be passed up lightly.
Chapter Nine
If I could have described the inside of Caroline Carpenter’s dressing room in one word, I think I would have chosen ‘exotic’. I mentioned this to Verity on the way home and she’d chuckled in a dirty manner and said, “I think mine would have been ‘bordello’,” which made both of us laugh very loudly. Anyway, it was very plush, with lots of red velvet and gilt and with a chaise-longue in crimson silk, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling that was a tiny baby of the one in the main auditorium. An enormous dressing table was filled from side to side with boxes and pots and bags, and electric lightbulbs framed around the edge of the enormous mirror. It was like being in something from Arabian Nights.
Verity and I sat down rather self-consciously on two low stools. Caroline lay back on the chaise-longue, modestly arranging the cream silk of her dressing gown to cover her legs. She had a pair of the most elegant, gold, high-heeled shoes on and her toenails were painted bright scarlet. Dorothy would have been green with envy. The engagement ring on Caroline’s finger caught the light from the chandelier and flashed like fire.
“So, my darlings, weren’t we just wonderful? Aldous, do the honours, will you?” Caroline gestured to the silver ice bucket that stood on a small table behind the chaise-longue.
She and Tommy began a spirited discussion about their respective performances. I listened to them whilst watching Aldous open the champagne, which he did fairly dextrously. There was still a loud bang and Caroline shrieked as the cork ricocheted off the ceiling, narrowly missing the chandelier.
“My God, darling, mind the glass. That’s all we need, to be killed by a plummeting chandelier.”
“That’s right,” Tommy said, gaily. “We’ve only just seen the last of the police as it is.”
Verity and I exchanged glances. “They’d been questioning you all, then?” Verity asked.
Caroline put a hand to her chest and rolled her beautiful green eyes. “Every day they’ve been here, asking their questions and poking about in corners. It was a real distraction, wasn’t it, Aldous?” She bestowed him with a dazzling smile as he handed her a glass of champagne, beaded with condensation.
He didn’t reply as such but muttered something with his head down, suddenly returning to the rather sulky young man we’d met before. He remembered his manners though and fetched a glass for Verity and myself which we took with eager gratitude.
As Caroline went on to elaborate the myriad annoyances of the police presence, I took a tentative sip of champagne. The bubbles went straight up my nose and I had to quickly stop myself from sneezing. What an unsophisticated idiot. Luckily, nobody had seen my faux-pas . They were still listening to Caroline and
A door at the back of the room opened, a door with a golden star painted on the front of it. Caroline Carpenter appeared in the doorway’s empty frame, a languid vision in a cream silk dressing gown, an ebony cigarette holder in one hand. I saw her gaze move about the room until it rested on Tommy and Aldous.
Aldous looked up at the same time, as if his gaze was subtly attuned to Caroline’s. Caroline made a beckoning gesture, and as Aldous moved forward, she called out, “Tommy, darling, I need you in here.” The way Aldous’ face fell was almost amusing. Caroline must have relented because she said “Oh, and you too, Aldous. And, Verity Hunter, is that you? Why don’t you bring your little friend in for champagne?”
Verity and I looked at one another and moved as one towards Caroline’s dressing room. Champagne! I had never tasted it before, and the chance to drink some with a famous actress – fairly famous, at least – was not one to be passed up lightly.
Chapter Nine
If I could have described the inside of Caroline Carpenter’s dressing room in one word, I think I would have chosen ‘exotic’. I mentioned this to Verity on the way home and she’d chuckled in a dirty manner and said, “I think mine would have been ‘bordello’,” which made both of us laugh very loudly. Anyway, it was very plush, with lots of red velvet and gilt and with a chaise-longue in crimson silk, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling that was a tiny baby of the one in the main auditorium. An enormous dressing table was filled from side to side with boxes and pots and bags, and electric lightbulbs framed around the edge of the enormous mirror. It was like being in something from Arabian Nights.
Verity and I sat down rather self-consciously on two low stools. Caroline lay back on the chaise-longue, modestly arranging the cream silk of her dressing gown to cover her legs. She had a pair of the most elegant, gold, high-heeled shoes on and her toenails were painted bright scarlet. Dorothy would have been green with envy. The engagement ring on Caroline’s finger caught the light from the chandelier and flashed like fire.
“So, my darlings, weren’t we just wonderful? Aldous, do the honours, will you?” Caroline gestured to the silver ice bucket that stood on a small table behind the chaise-longue.
She and Tommy began a spirited discussion about their respective performances. I listened to them whilst watching Aldous open the champagne, which he did fairly dextrously. There was still a loud bang and Caroline shrieked as the cork ricocheted off the ceiling, narrowly missing the chandelier.
“My God, darling, mind the glass. That’s all we need, to be killed by a plummeting chandelier.”
“That’s right,” Tommy said, gaily. “We’ve only just seen the last of the police as it is.”
Verity and I exchanged glances. “They’d been questioning you all, then?” Verity asked.
Caroline put a hand to her chest and rolled her beautiful green eyes. “Every day they’ve been here, asking their questions and poking about in corners. It was a real distraction, wasn’t it, Aldous?” She bestowed him with a dazzling smile as he handed her a glass of champagne, beaded with condensation.
He didn’t reply as such but muttered something with his head down, suddenly returning to the rather sulky young man we’d met before. He remembered his manners though and fetched a glass for Verity and myself which we took with eager gratitude.
As Caroline went on to elaborate the myriad annoyances of the police presence, I took a tentative sip of champagne. The bubbles went straight up my nose and I had to quickly stop myself from sneezing. What an unsophisticated idiot. Luckily, nobody had seen my faux-pas . They were still listening to Caroline and
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