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Jo had been to the Covent Garden Theatre before. Of course, she had. It had been her dream to perform on this stage for over a decade. It was a majestic place full of wonder.
She was escorted through the enchanting place and then led into the office of the manager, actor, and owner of the theater, Mr. Harry Thomson.
Richard patiently stayed behind as he’d promised. And although Jo hadn’t been all too excited for his escort before, now she was glad that he was by her side.
Jo took a deep breath as she walked farther into the small but cozy room filled with bookshelves. The tiny desk stood across from the door and a rather handsome, middle-aged man sat there, buried by mountains of papers. He stood to greet Jo, and she had to crane her neck back to look at him, so tall he was. He had blond hair heavily mixed with silver strands, and his face was filled with laugh lines. Jo stared at him as he helped her into the chair, not believing she was in the same room with the infamous Harry Thomson, one of the most popular dramatic actors of his time.
“I am happy to see you received my reply,” he said as he settled back in his seat.
“Thank you for even considering my work,” Jo said breathlessly. She was rather hot and her palms perspired fiercely. “I was certain you wouldn’t even give it a chance.”
Mr. Thomson laughed, his voice deep. “Why would you say that?”
Jo licked her lips. “Experience has taught me quite recently that perhaps my name can be a hindrance.”
“Experience is a wise teacher.” Mr. Thomson shrugged. “Nevertheless, it can be wrong. I am glad to be an example of that.”
“I am glad also.” Jo smiled.
He drummed his fingers against the desk as he watched her through narrowed eyes. “I read your work, and I have to say that I am impressed. You really know how to create a compelling narrative.”
Jo felt herself blush. “Thank you. I am beyond grateful to hear you say this.”
“Some changes will need to be made, of course. But I promise you that we shall stay true to your voice and no changes will be made without your approval.”
Jo stiffened but nodded. That was less pleasing to hear. But her work was not perfect, she knew. She was willing to work on it if necessary. There was a nagging thought at the back of her mind, however, that did not let her continue this discussion freely. “Before we go further into this, I wanted to ask you if you’d read the recent papers.” She cleared her throat. “Particularly the ones mentioning my name.”
The man chuckled. “Oh, yes. That was the reason I even started reading your submissions. You see, we receive a lot of inquiries from different people every month. Your submission would have still been buried beneath this pile.” He waved a hand at his desk. “But the article reminded me that I had correspondence from you. This prompted my interest in your work to begin with.”
“Oh.” Jo tried to stifle her disappointment. It wasn’t her merits that had attracted the theater manager, it was her scandalous name. “So you don’t mind that my presence will bring scandal into your theater?”
He leaned back and steepled his fingers against his flat stomach. “We are a theater, not Parliament,” he said at last. “People come to us to watch plays, yes. But also to gossip. And I endeavor to give them something to talk about.”
Jo didn’t know how to react. This meeting of her dreams was slowly turning into a nightmare. Yes, she was glad that the scandal wasn’t a detriment, but now she felt like it was her only merit.
Mr. Thomson must have sensed her deflating spirits because he hastened to add, “Do not misunderstand me. I am interested in your words because of your talent. If you know the popularity of our theater, it is not because we cater to a scandalous crowd. We work hard to innovate, and we are constantly looking for fresh, groundbreaking voices and yours is just that.”
“But you still want to make changes to my plays and you want to use my scandalous reputation,” Jo said absently.
She wasn’t truly talking to the man she was addressing at the moment. She was talking to herself, trying to understand what she was signing on to do.
“I wouldn’t look at it that way,” he said.
“How would you look at it?” Jo cocked her head to the side, her brows furrowed.
“There are a few things that make a good playwright. A strong voice, which you have. A presence within society and your new position as viscountess help you with that. You also need a good theater manager,” he finished with a smile. “I shall make your work shine. The theater production in Covent Garden is exceptional. You know this, or you wouldn’t have approached me at all.”
Jo nodded. “Regarding the cast, will I be allowed to make suggestions?”
“Absolutely.” He didn’t even skip a beat. “In fact, this would be one of my stipulations. I’ve seen you in plays. I make it my business to study competition, and I have not forgotten you. You are talented both as an actress and as a playwright, and I endeavor to act across from you on stage. Your notoriety, beauty, and talent should all help us capitalize on your plays.”
Jo shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “You want me to act across from you.”
“Absolutely.”
Just standing on the same stage as Harry Thomson was a privilege. Being a leading lady in her own plays together with him was another kind of honor entirely. But it became obvious to her that the manager wanted to capitalize on her as much as he could.
She couldn’t hold it against him. This was expected. But for some reason, Jo felt uncomfortable. “When I speak of casting, I am not just speaking of myself. I would like to make suggestions for people to add to your current company. I shall be leaving the Gilded Rose theater for this. And I’ve made friends there. I would like to bring some of them along.”
