A Powerful Little Love

Chapter 60

Claude flapped her hands in annoyance.  "Don't you think I know that Constance; but as you rightly said it's all for fun.  We may try whatever we want on in these locked rooms and no one will be any the wiser.  For goodness sake, both of you need to go and fetch a glass of wine and lighten up!"

An hour and many glasses of wine later, the group had given their line rehearsal a break and were rummaging through the costume trunks unashamedly.  A few of the more reserved women had chosen to remain behind in the hall whilst, Constance, Claude, Alice Clerbeaux and the Baronne de Villenuve began to root though the costume trunks in a dressing room across the corridor from the hall.  They were the second group to come and pick out costumes but there were still many coloured shirts and well sewn breaches still left.  Constance collected the best women's costume and tucked it under her arm to save for the Queen in the firm belief that Juliet should outshine them all no matter the cost.  Amorette had rolled her eyes at the sight of the lurid green dress tucked under her friends arm.  It might have been the best, but it also happened to be the largest costume there.  The Queen's ever expanding bump was surely going to hinder the young woman for much of the play and cause havoc with moving about, but no one else seemed overly concerned.  Amorette hoped sincerely that Claude was right and that no one ever saw their vile and unashamedly weak interpretation of what was now becoming renowned as a wonderful love story and a piece of art due to the playwright's word weaving skills.

Oddly, Amorette found it rather freeing to slide out of her dress and corset and pull on breaches and a men's shirt alongside her two closest female friends.  No doubt the copious glasses of wine had encouraged their now giggling antics as they all trouped back into the hall and began to swing about wooden toy swords that the Dauphin and his little friends often played with. 

Claude stopped suddenly at one point, as her gaze fell upon Amorette.  "You know, in a strange way the clothes actually suit you Amorette.  With a hat I think you'd look quite fetching!"

Amorette laughed.  "Don't let Athos hear you saying that!"

Some of the women took the script reading quite seriously indeed.  Constance tried to maintain a level of concentration even as she caught Claude and Amorette's eyes every so often and smirked.  The Queen too resolved to try and perform as best she could as Juliet to Claude's Romeo, but Claude found the whole debacle rather too funny as did Amorette.  They laughed in all the places that they shouldn't, and couldn't help making snide impersonations of the other women who took it all far too seriously.  The scene that Amorette actually admired most from the play was the beginning of Act two, where Romeo came upon the garden where he caught sight of Juliet at her balcony.  Claude though, was entirely ruining the wonderful piece of literature for everyone with her shocking attempt at acting.

Amorette watched on, slightly perplexed that no one else seemed to see what she did as Claude threw her arms out to gesticulate wildly with her hands, and suddenly Amorette could take no more.

"...As Daylight doth a lamp: her eye in heaven

Would through the airy region stream so bright,

That birds would sing, and think it were not-"

"Are you really going to do it like that?"  Amorette blurted out suddenly.

Claude turned towards her on an agonisingly slow pivot, glaring at her as if Amorette had just stolen one of her children from her.  "Like what?"

Amorette stood up and reached out her hand for Claude's script as she crossed the hall.  "With all of that rather gay flamboyance?  You don't need to overcompensate for the lack of real movement within this scene Claude.  The words themselves are blooming flowers.  To project and play them too much makes it rather comical and unbelievable I think."