Read Online Goddess of the Green Room: (Georgian Series) by Jean Plaidy - Free Book Online

she made the acquaintance of some of the leading citizens, and in the seclusion of their houses to which the famous actress was asked as a welcome guest she spoke of ‘that creature Jordan. A loose woman if ever there was one.’ She did not think that gentlemen of Hull would wish their wives and daughters to see her perform if they knew the whole story. It was nauseating. The creature had been absent to give birth to a bastard – father unknown. Such was their Mrs Jordan!
    The ladies were duly shocked and declared their intention of staying away from The Fair Penitent in which Mrs Jordan was playing the part she had made famous – that of Callista.
    Some, however, were determined to make their disapproval known.
    Dorothy, who during her enforced absence had been longing to return to the stage, was immediately aware of the attitude of her audience. They were hostile. She had never before played before such a house.
    They seemed to have come to the theatre for anything but to see the play and when they should have been spellbound they chatted and laughed together. What has happened? wondered Dorothy. Can it be that I have lost the gift of holding an audience?
    The play was a disaster. When she died they applauded derisively. She caught sight of Mrs Smith’s delighted face in the wings and guessed she had helped to bring about this fiasco. Could she have carried her enmity to this degree? Yes, because people had crowded into the theatre to see Dorothy in those roles which Mrs Smith had reckoned to be entirely hers.
    Mortified, she changed into her simple gown and mob cap. Greenwood Laddie had never failed to charm them, yet it did on that night, and her voice could not be heard above the hissing and boos.
    The curtain came down. It was disaster. For the first time Dorothy Jordan had failed to please an audience.
    There was a knock on the door. It was one of the male actors.
    ‘Oh,’ he stammered. ‘I thought I’d look in.’
    ‘Why?’ demanded Dorothy.
    ‘Tonight… You shouldn’t let it worry you. You know who’s responsible, don’t you? It’s that confounded jealous woman. I could wring her neck.’
    He was moderately good-looking and a moderately good actor. She had always liked George Inchbald. He had shown her little acts of kindness often but tonight she felt drawn towards him because after her recent humiliation she was in need of comfort.
    ‘You don’t want to take any notice of it, Dorothy. It was arranged… deliberately.’
    ‘Do you think so, George?’
    ‘I know it. Why, she has been talking of nothing else for days. I’ve heard all the whispering in corners.’
    ‘How can she be so malicious?’
    ‘Because you’re a better actress than she is and because she’s jealous.’
    She knew it, but it was comforting to hear George say it.
    ‘Ignore it,’ advised George. ‘Go on playing as though you don’t notice it.’
    ‘Don’t notice what happened tonight!’
    ‘Well, go on playing then. She can’t go on turning them against you. They come to see a play well played and nobody can play better than you.’
    ‘Oh, George…’ She held out her hand and he took it suddenly and kissed it.
    She felt then that something good had come out of this unhappy night.
    George Inchbald was right. That night had been an isolated incident. The citizens of Hull wanted to see Dorothy Jordan in her parts and when she wore male attire no one was going to boo her off the stage. They liked to hear her sing; and in fact preferred her performances to those of Mrs Smith.
    Tate Wilkinson sighed over the tantrums of his company and deplored the fall in takings which had resulted from the absences from the stage of his two chief female players; but there was no doubt that Dorothy was a draw and all Mrs Smith’s malice could not alter that.
    As for Dorothy she was more light-hearted than she had been for a long time. Every morning when she awoke she remembered that Daly no longer had any power to harm her; that in