nodded. “Attending the theater in London seems to me to be a very informal event. People come and go as they please and frequently converse during the performance.”
Charlotte scanned the other boxes and noted several familiar faces in the crowd. Sebastian and Lord Ashdown were in a box across and up from the Chadwick’s. Her stomach fluttered when Sebastian turned her way. He bowed in acknowledgement and returned his attention to the lady he was speaking with. Charlotte didn’t recognize the woman. Was she a relative? A marriage prospect? Lady Marley raised her fan in greeting and Charlotte waved back. The curtains moved, and she turned her attention to the stage.
Charlotte was mesmerized from the moment the curtain rose. The design of the theater amplified the music, enveloping her in her own magical world. It was as if the music was a part of her. The scenery was equally spectacular. It must have taken a great amount of effort to create it, but she was equally stunned by the detail and thought that went into how the scenery moved and the singers interacted with it. Her favorite scene featured a harbor with ships that bobbed in the waves.
When the curtains closed on the first act, Charlotte slowly came back to reality.
Anna touched her arm. “You seem to be enjoying the performance.”
“Very much so.” She was disoriented, as if she had woken from a dream. Elizabeth and Richard were still behind her, engaged in conversation with the duke and duchess. She searched the boxes across the theater, but was unable to locate Sebastian or Lord Ashdown. Lady Marley slumped in her seat, her eyes closed.
“Are we permitted to leave the box during the intermission?” she asked Anna.
“Certainly, but for a lady, it is generally preferable to remain in your box and wait to see who will seek you out.”
Before Charlotte could reply, Lord Hudnall, the heir to the Duke of Abney, entered their box. After paying his respects to everyone, he made it obvious the purpose of his visit was to court Anna.
Charlotte stepped away to give them a modicum of privacy, though the box wasn’t particularly spacious.
“Are you enjoying the show, Miss Lightwood?” Sebastian said from behind her.
Her neck prickled at his nearness. “Very much, thank you.”
He moved beside her, heat emanating from him and disbursing his familiar scent of sandalwood and citrus. She turned toward him, noting Lord Ashdown in the back of the box, conversing with Richard.
“I remember the first time I attended the theater. It was a play rather than the opera, but the experience was memorable. The sounds and scenery, the talent of the players. It’s an experience not to be missed.”
A pleasant warmth spread through her at his understanding of how she was affected by the performance. “This is my first visit to a professional theater. My niece and I sometimes wrote and performed our own plays, and the servants were always very complimentary, but it’s not quite the same thing.”
He tapped his hand against the edge of the box. “I imagine not. Even the productions I’ve been involved in at house parties and the like pale in comparison. Though it is diverting to pretend to be someone else at times.”
Charlotte wished they were alone so they could have more than a superficial conversation, but there was nothing to be gained by pretending that her attraction to Sebastian would end in anything but heartache. Her time would be better served getting to know Anna better so she could fulfill her matchmaking role for Sebastian. “I do envy the talent of the singers. Sometimes I imagine a different life in which I have a talent that would be appreciated by others.”
Sebastian’s gaze met hers, his smile causing crinkles at the corners of his eyes. “You have many admirable qualities, Miss Lightwood, not the least of which is your flower arranging. Or should I say rearranging?” His fingers brushed against hers in a barely perceptible movement, but
Charlotte scanned the other boxes and noted several familiar faces in the crowd. Sebastian and Lord Ashdown were in a box across and up from the Chadwick’s. Her stomach fluttered when Sebastian turned her way. He bowed in acknowledgement and returned his attention to the lady he was speaking with. Charlotte didn’t recognize the woman. Was she a relative? A marriage prospect? Lady Marley raised her fan in greeting and Charlotte waved back. The curtains moved, and she turned her attention to the stage.
Charlotte was mesmerized from the moment the curtain rose. The design of the theater amplified the music, enveloping her in her own magical world. It was as if the music was a part of her. The scenery was equally spectacular. It must have taken a great amount of effort to create it, but she was equally stunned by the detail and thought that went into how the scenery moved and the singers interacted with it. Her favorite scene featured a harbor with ships that bobbed in the waves.
When the curtains closed on the first act, Charlotte slowly came back to reality.
Anna touched her arm. “You seem to be enjoying the performance.”
“Very much so.” She was disoriented, as if she had woken from a dream. Elizabeth and Richard were still behind her, engaged in conversation with the duke and duchess. She searched the boxes across the theater, but was unable to locate Sebastian or Lord Ashdown. Lady Marley slumped in her seat, her eyes closed.
“Are we permitted to leave the box during the intermission?” she asked Anna.
“Certainly, but for a lady, it is generally preferable to remain in your box and wait to see who will seek you out.”
Before Charlotte could reply, Lord Hudnall, the heir to the Duke of Abney, entered their box. After paying his respects to everyone, he made it obvious the purpose of his visit was to court Anna.
Charlotte stepped away to give them a modicum of privacy, though the box wasn’t particularly spacious.
“Are you enjoying the show, Miss Lightwood?” Sebastian said from behind her.
Her neck prickled at his nearness. “Very much, thank you.”
He moved beside her, heat emanating from him and disbursing his familiar scent of sandalwood and citrus. She turned toward him, noting Lord Ashdown in the back of the box, conversing with Richard.
“I remember the first time I attended the theater. It was a play rather than the opera, but the experience was memorable. The sounds and scenery, the talent of the players. It’s an experience not to be missed.”
A pleasant warmth spread through her at his understanding of how she was affected by the performance. “This is my first visit to a professional theater. My niece and I sometimes wrote and performed our own plays, and the servants were always very complimentary, but it’s not quite the same thing.”
He tapped his hand against the edge of the box. “I imagine not. Even the productions I’ve been involved in at house parties and the like pale in comparison. Though it is diverting to pretend to be someone else at times.”
Charlotte wished they were alone so they could have more than a superficial conversation, but there was nothing to be gained by pretending that her attraction to Sebastian would end in anything but heartache. Her time would be better served getting to know Anna better so she could fulfill her matchmaking role for Sebastian. “I do envy the talent of the singers. Sometimes I imagine a different life in which I have a talent that would be appreciated by others.”
Sebastian’s gaze met hers, his smile causing crinkles at the corners of his eyes. “You have many admirable qualities, Miss Lightwood, not the least of which is your flower arranging. Or should I say rearranging?” His fingers brushed against hers in a barely perceptible movement, but
Similar Books
