Oh.
Was she?
Athena’s grin grew.
There was atskingnoise behind her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder pressing her into a chair. “Let me fix your hair,” Willow offered, tossing a man’s hat onto the table in front of Athena. “You do enjoy thumbing your nose at Society’s expectations, do you not?”
“Every chance I get,” Athena agreed cheerfully.
Well, that wasn’t true; there’d been a time once, before her pregnancy, before her decision, where she’dwantedto fit in. But once Society had made it clear what they thought of her, she saw no reasons to meet their standards, and now took joy in ignoring them.
Which was one of the reasons she’d agreed to do this afternoon’s performance.
“Twelfth Nightis my favorite Shakespeare play as well,” confided Willow as her nimble fingers braided Athena’s hair close enough to her head that it could be hidden by a man’s hat. “And I cannot wait to see you as Viola.”
“Cesario,” corrected Athena, running her fingers lightly along the century-old breeches they’d found for her to wear up on the hastily constructed stage. “Viola is Cesario in any of the scenes with the countess.”
Chuckling, Willow settled the tall hat upon Athena’s head and pinned it into place. “It is the confusion which makes the play so much fun. Besides, you might tell the others you are only doing this because it is raining, butIknow it is because you adore the chance to shock the matrons.” She pulled Athena to her feet with a smile. “And what could be more shocking than a lass in breeches?”
Athena made a show of stretching and examining her calves. “I do look stunning in them, do I no’?”
Her friend smacked her shoulder playfully. “You certainly do. Get out there and have fun!”
She and Bonnie had been handed the scripts of scenes between Countess Olivia and the cross-dressed Cesario. The first one, which was always one of Athena’s favorites, now had the audience laughing as Athena tried to convincehaughty Bonnie of her master Orsino’s love. Since Bonnie—as the countess—wasn’t interested in Orsino at all, her mocking and teasing was appropriate, and Athena played poor Cesario as a hopeless fool just trying to do “his” job.
“Most sweet lady—” she began, but Bonnie interrupted, as if granting him points in her little notebook.
“A comfortable doctrine, and much may be said of it.” Her head snapped up, piercing Athena with a fierce glare above the veil she wore, as if she were one of the school mistresses they’d all dreaded years ago. “Where lies your text?” Bonnie snapped, not at all her usual soft-spoken self.
“In—in Orsino’s bosom,” Athena stammered, pretending to be cowed.
“In his bosom?” Her friend tapped her pencil impatiently against her paper. “In whatchapterof his bosom, hmm?”
Pretending to rally, Athena acted as if she was parroting Orsino’s words. “To answer by the method, in the first of his heart.”
Bonnie, as Olivia, waved dismissively. “I have read it. It is heresy.”
While the audience laughed, Athena reached imploringly for her friend. “Good madam, let me see your face.”
“Have you any commission from your lord to negotiate with my face? You are now out of your text!” Bonnie snapped, but then seemed to relent. “But we will draw the curtain and show you the picture.”
She made a big deal out of removing her veil, and as she slowly presented her now-visible face to the audience, there were even greater peals of laughter. Instead ofusing makeup to artfully enhance Bonnie’s natural beauty, Willow had helped her cake on as manyunnaturaleffects as possible; Bonnie’s nose was now twice as long, and sported two warts with great, disgusting hairs protruding, and even some of her teeth had been blackened.
Her mother’s shriek of disapproval was drowned out by the rest of the company’s laughter, which started up again at Athena’s weak, “Excellentlydone, milady.”
The scene, of course, required Cesario to compliment Countess Olivia’s beauty, while Olivia became more and more infatuated with “him.” With Bonnie prancing about, playing with her false nose and plucking at her chin hairs, it was almost impossible to keep a straight face.
More than once, Athena had to turn “upstage” to hide her own laughter.
They got through a series of other scenes, with Countess Olivia declaring her love for Cesario, and Athena trying to fend off the poor woman. The last scene was always Athena’s favorite, when Viola—still cross-dressed as Cesario—passionately explains why she can never love Olivia.
Bonnie, as Olivia, of course, found it difficult to hear.
“Cesario!” She chased Athena around the stage, making hilarious groping motions. “By the roses of the spring, by maidhood, honor, truth and everything, Ilove thee so!” The laughter hid the rest of her line, but she ended up pinning Athena against a chair. “Reason thus with reason fetter: Love sought is good, but given unsoughtbetter!”
The script called for Athena to continue to reason with thelove-struck countess, and they were planning on making it over-the-top comedic.
But for the first time, Olivia’s words struck something deep within her.
