The accidental groom

Behind The Scenes

Behind The Scenes

A few days later Alexander escorted her into a lushly appointed box, well situated amid the five tiers of similar private boxes.

Their box was close enough to see the whites of the actors' eyes, high enough that any stray vegetables couldn't reach them, should the play turn sour. The rabble in the stalls below was relatively well behaved. The prostitutes working the floor kept their nipples covered-mostly. The noise was low enough that he could actually hear David Garrick, playing a rather elderly Hamlet, recite his lines. Of course, it helped that the actor had lungs like a fishwife's.

Lizzie sat down and gazed in fascination out over the great horseshoe auditorium. It was filled with bejeweled ladies and elegantly dressed men. Down in the pit, fops and dandies of all stripes were strolling about, showing off the extremes of fashion they favored. The sight of their ludicrously outrageous clothing made Lizzie realize she took a secret pleasure in Alexander's preference for subdued, conservatively cut garments.

It soon became apparent, however, that the real spectacle of the evening was not taking place down in the pits or on stage, but rather in the fashionable boxes.

"It's like looking at five tiers of miniature stages," Lizzie exclaimed in laughing amusement. "Everyone is dressed to be on display and busy studying everyone else to see who is wearing what jewels and who is visiting whom in a box. I cannot see why you find the opera boring, Alexander, with so much going on here in the audience."

Alexander leaned back in his velvet chair and cocked a brow as he looked out over the auditorium. "You have a point, my dear. There is certainly more action up here than there is down on the stage."

He studied the rows of theater boxes in silence for a long moment. Lizzie followed his gaze and saw it hesitate briefly on one specific box where a stunningly garbed woman held court amid several male admirers. Lizzie watched her for a moment, suddenly curious about the attractive blond who seemed to be the center of much attention.

"Who is that woman, Alexander?"

"Which woman?" Alexander asked absently, his gaze moving on to survey the other boxes.

"The one in the third tier wearing the green gown. She must be very popular. She appears to be surrounded by men. I don't see any other women in the box."

"Ah, that woman," Alexander glanced back briefly. "You need not concern yourself with her, Lizzie. You are highly unlikely to meet her socially."

"One never knows, does one?"

"In this instance, I am quite certain."

"Alexander, I cannot stand the mystery. Who is she?"

Alexander sighed. "One of the Fashionable Impures," he explained in a tone that said he found the subject distinctly boring. "There are many here tonight. The boxes are their shop windows, so to speak."