For ElaineStipe, just 'cause. :-)
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That first impersonation of Nadine lasted about ninety seconds. I couldn’t manage it for any longer. But we celebrated anyway with champagne Dietrich had sneaked in for us. He had been that sure we’d succeed.
And then he made me do it again.
And again.
Countless times that afternoon and into the evening, until I could stay shifted for fifteen minutes.
We were all so exhausted by the end that we could hardly walk back to our rooms. I fell asleep so deeply I had no nightmares at all.
Dietrich pushed us relentlessly the next week. I spent most of the days in my studio reworking my safety devices. Dietrich still had to run rehearsals for As You Like It, more difficult now that he had to work with Delphine’s understudy since Delphine remained in seclusion. He also had to partner with Nadine during the company’s rehearsals of A Captain’s Courage, and he wanted me to sit with him and observe.
Each night, after rehearsal was over, he and Thea and Raymond helped me shift into Nadine. They pushed me hard, and I was glad, because I had a long way to go and not nearly enough time. Dietrich allowed no complaining, no slacking. No matter how exhausted we were or how frustrating it became, his response was always the same:
“Again. Do it again. And this time, do it better.”
Within four days, I was able to stay shifted for a couple of hours. I started rehearsing my role as Julia Donovan while I was shifted. Raymond and Thea gamely stood in for the other actors, and they weren’t half-bad at all.
It wasn’t enough for me to know the lines and the blocking. I had to perform it as much like Nadine as possible. She’d be using her vicicordis magic, which meant accessing the soul of the fictional Julia, but I had to match her interpretation of that soul. Considering I had no formal acting experience, I shouldn’t have had a prayer of succeeding.
But I took to acting like I’d been born doing it. Dietrich just gave me an I-told-you-so look any time I expressed surprise about that. The wretch positively reeked of smugness about identifying my talent even when I’d adamantly denied it.
Being talented didn’t mean I always got it right, though.
On Saturday, we’d been at it for three hours, the longest I’d ever stayed shifted yet. Raymond had run lines as Captain Moffett so many times, he had them memorized now. Thea also could recite most of the play by this time, and she was doing double duty as Dietrich’s assistant and standing in for the other characters.
I was having trouble with a first act scene between Julia Donovan and Captain Moffett. Raymond and I stood on the deck of the ship, center stage, and I put everything I had into maintaining my shifted form as well as following Dietrich’s barrage of instructions.
“Dame Fairchild, cheat out to the audience—I keep telling you, you’re profiled too much.”
Damn. I kept forgetting that. And it was so basic. The real Nadine would do it instinctively. Swallowing my irritation at myself, I angled my body more toward the audience, without turning completely away from Raymond.
Sorry, I told Dietrich.
You’ll get it. Just keep going.
Raymond gave me the Captain’s next line, “Miss Donovan! I told you to stay in your cabin.”
I channelled all of my Nadine-turned-Julia feistiness toward him. “My dear Captain, how do you expect me to write a feature story about your ship if I’m stuck all alone in that little, bitty room?”
“I don’t expect you to write at all. I expect you to follow orders.”
I stepped toward him, summoning a mixture of anger and fascination. “Teach me to—”
Dietrich cut in, “Stand up straighter. You’re not just flirting with him, you’re testing his limits.”
You know, it feels very, very wrong for me to be flirting with Raymond at the moment. I could be his mother!
Dietrich laughed out loud, choking it quickly. If you think it feels weird, it looks even weirder to the rest of us.
Thanks. Loads.
You’re doing fine. It’s a huge ego boost to have the illustrious Dame Fairchild making eyes at him.
I stood tall, lifting my head proudly. “Teach me to captain your ship. It will make for a terrific story.”
Raymond drew closer to me, glaring. “You’re insane. I wouldn’t let you within two feet of the ship’s wheel.”
Still feeling a bit like a cougar, I thrust my chest out and leaned toward him. “Why, because I’m a journalist?”
Raymond grabbed my arms. In spite of myself, a sliver of fear wafted up like smoke through my heart.
He growled his line in my face. “No, because you’re trouble.”
Well, doing a sexually charged scene with “Dame Fairchild” certainly wasn’t bothering him any. He seemed to be enjoying it far too much. As for me, a sour taste filled my mouth, and I just wanted him to let go.
“Stop.” Dietrich sounded weary.
Raymond released me, and I drew in a calming breath.
I’m sorry.
Never mind apologies right now, came his response.
He rested his forearms on the edge of the stage. “Still too much fear when the Captain grabs your arms. Julia is not truly afraid of him. She’s pushing him on purpose.”
“I know.” My voice was the velvety calm of Nadine, but I recognized an anxious note in it that she never had. “I’m trying.”
If you can’t handle Mr. Carrew grabbing you, how will you manage with Sir Harrington?
Clive Harrington was the vicimorph playing Captain Moffett. He was nearly as popular as Nadine—handsome in a dashing older-man sort of way, with flecks of silver in his black hair, and commanding dark eyes. I didn’t know him well, but Nadine was very comfortable with him since they were often cast opposite each other in shows. The gossip papers used to spin all sorts of romantic stories about them until Lord Deverey threatened to sue if they didn’t quit. There would be no way that Nadine would ever feel fear around him, unless it was part of the role. I had to get my emotions under control if I didn’t want my deception to be discovered.
I’ll get it, I promise.
“Keep going.”
Raymond gently took my arms again. I wanted to tell him not to coddle me, but we’d been over this scene so many times already, I hated to create yet another interruption. He repeated the line, “No, because you’re trouble.”
“Unhand me, Captain.” I said it the way I’d heard Nadine say it, low, almost purring, but with steel in my voice.
His eyes flared. Even with its imperfections, my magic was getting to him.
Great, my best friend was getting turned on by my potential mother.
Ew.
He pulled me closer. “On this ship, I give the orders, Miss Donovan.”
I was supposed to struggle against him. My nervous mind was only too willing. I yanked myself away entirely. “Is this how a gentleman treats a lady?”
I heard Dietrich sigh. His head drooped to his arms, still resting on the stage.
And just like that, my Nadine form vanished. I was in my own body again.
Thea and Raymond groaned in unison. Shifting me was hard work for everyone.
Dietrich’s head popped up, and he let out an even bigger sigh when he saw me standing there in my own form. But he didn’t so much as frown as he pulled his pocket watch from his waistcoat. “Three hours and twenty-four minutes. That’s a new record, Minx. Good job.”
It was sweet of him to compliment me even though I was doing so poorly in the scene.
“Thank you. Shall I shift again?”
“No, not yet.” He hoisted himself onto the stage. “I want you to try the scene again in your own form so you can focus on controlling your emotions.”
At least I won’t feel like such a cradle robber that way.
He didn’t try to hold back his laughter this time.
Raymond narrowed his eyes at the two of us. “Not fair. Do you all realize I’m the only one here who has no way of knowing what you’re saying?”
Dietrich and I laughed harder at that. Thea must not have been monitoring our thoughts because she just shrugged at Raymond, giving him a sympathetic smile.
Becoming serious again, Dietrich crossed the stage, up onto the ship’s deck. “Let me take the Captain’s part for a bit, Mr. Carrew.”
Raymond seated himself next to Thea in the front row, and Dietrich took his place by my side.
“Take it from ‘teach me,’” he said. “And Miss Wright—stay out.”
Thea giggled and promised to not use her magic.
I stood tall, but felt woefully short in my little Minx-body. “Teach me to captain your ship. It will make for a terrific story.”
“You’re insane,” he bit out, his voice rough. “I wouldn’t let you within two feet of the ship’s wheel.”
Probably because he’s so steamed for you, he’d sink the ship.
Dietrich’s commentary startled me. I flinched and stared up at him.
Your line, cariad. You’re sensing your power over him. You like it. You like teasing him.
A rush of desire poured over me. “Why, because I’m a journalist?”
Dietrich grabbed my arms. “No, because you’re trouble.”
His jaw was tight, his eyes stormy. He stared down at my mouth. My heart pounded.
But I hadn’t felt afraid.
That’s right. Beautiful, delectable trouble. And you damn well know it.
I arched up toward him. “Unhand me, Captain,” I growled.
Yes, that’s it. You’re saying unhand me, but you don’t really want that, do you?
I gave him a seductive smile in response.
He jerked me closer to him, rougher this time. “On this ship, I give the orders, Miss Donovan.”
Heat flared in my stomach. “Is this how a gentleman treats a lady?” I struggled against him, but not too much. I didn’t really want him to let me go.
Just enough to feel his hands tighten deliciously around me. He gave me a little shake. “You’re a stowaway, not a lady. You’re lucky I gave you a cabin instead of chaining you in the hold.”
He was breathing harder now. Heat radiated from his body.
See what you do to me?
You, or the captain?
What do you think?
My chin jutted up and I threw back my shoulders, drawing on Nadine’s magnificent outrage in my mind. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Push me too far, and I’ll dare anything,” he ground out.
“Let me go!” I thrashed against him, feeling Julia’s potent mix of desire and anger. She didn’t like not being in control. And yet, she felt the thrill of the power she held over him.
He hauled me against him and kissed me fiercely. His heart beat hard and fast beneath my palm. This was what it was like to feel normal, to not be afraid at every touch. This awareness of my own strength and what I could evoke in him.
Someday, this would be real.
The script called for me to struggle against the kiss, and then melt into it and kiss him back. I poured all of Julia’s fury and passion into the kiss. His mouth, his heat, the smell of his skin warmed by the stage lights—he made it easy to forget who we were, to become this unrelenting sea captain and his fiery love.
The mental bond between us melted in a jumble of half-phrased thoughts and passion-hazed colors, images of desire. One hand cupped my head and the other slid down toward my ass.
That was not in the script.
I jerked away. I had to finish the scene. Panting, I stepped back, cheating out to the audience.
And slapped his face. Hard.
“Push me too far, and I’ll make your life hell.” I stormed past him, upstage, and exited down into the ship.
There was silence, and then enthusiastic applause from our tiny audience.
I scurried back up the steps onto the ship’s deck. “I’m so sorry, Dietrich! I wasn’t supposed to actually connect on that slap. I got carried away.”
He rubbed his reddened cheek, grinning. “It was worth it.”
I glanced toward the front row. Thea was laughing, her eyes shining. I didn’t need psychic magic to know she was thrilled that I’d finally nailed the scene. Raymond had applauded, and I knew he was proud of me for doing the scene properly. But when he met my eyes and then looked away, jaw tense, I knew he wasn’t very happy about that heated kiss.
Occupational hazard of courting an actress, I supposed.
An actress. Was I really? I didn’t know yet if I would be or not. It still seemed like this could be a one-off thing, just to keep Nadine safe. It didn’t mean I was going to take back my magic full-time.
Before I could muse too long over it, Dietrich took my hand and led me back to center stage. “Now, you’re going to shift and do it again. Just like that.”
So who gets to kiss Nadine—you or Raymond?
He laughed softly. Neither—we’re not practicing that part again. Mr. Carrew and I both need to be able to look Dame Fairchild in the eyes tomorrow without blushing.
So you think the kiss was all right? I asked.
His smile was steamy. I think Harrington is a lucky bastard. And yes, it was perfect.
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Next Thursday:
“I need your help,” he said, when they were out of earshot. “It’s not as if either of us should be taking on any more trouble, but this is important.”
A golden heat lit my heart. Dietrich needed me. “Whatever it is, I’d be glad to do it.”
Surprise sparked in his eyes, followed by a sort of private amusement. Suddenly, a hot flush spread through me. “Whatever” could mean a lot of things, especially to a chap who couldn’t stop caressing me with his eyes when he thought I wasn’t looking.