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The manager leaned in and started straightening the papers in front of him. “This can be discussed. Absolutely. Casting is not a decision I make on my own, but if your friends are as talented as you are, and you have room in your plays for them, then we shall look into expanding our company.”
That wasn’t the enthusiastic answer she was looking for, but more enthusiastic than she realistically expected.
The manager pulled on a smile as he continued, “I don’t believe you’re interested in money now that you’re a viscountess. But you can be earning hundreds of pounds a year, perhaps more, depending on the popularity of your plays and your acting. Together we can be quite a formidable duo.”
Jo’s spirits should have improved at the words. Acting and writing for Covent Garden, performing with Harry Thomson, and getting a consistent salary of a few hundred pounds a year wasn’t something to sniff at. And if it had been before she became a viscountess, she would be ecstatic!
But Mr. Thomson was right. Now that her husband had assigned her an annual stipend of a few thousand pounds, this sum sounded a little less impressive.
Certainly, she didn’t need the money, but she would be leaving Richard every morning to go to a place not much different from the Gilded Rose and perhaps deal with the likes of Mick.
Was Mr. Thomson like that? Her first impression of him had been positive. But so was her first impression of Mick. People like that knew how to charm their way into people’s hearts before manipulating them and using their feelings against them. Jo didn’t want to let Mick define all her future relations with male actors, but she couldn’t help but feel cautious. If she sold her plays and signed on to act at Covent Garden Theatre, she would be locking herself into a long-term contract she might not easily escape.
Before, she would have thrown caution to the wind, but now as the wife of a powerful viscount, she had the luxury of choice. She didn’t have to do anything she felt uncomfortable doing.
But that wasn’t the only thing that bothered her.
One of her motivations for escaping the Gilded Rose was to take Selena with her. And now it seemed like this wasn’t a guarantee. Selena was talented, and she could get work at Covent Garden with a little nudge from Jo, but a lot of stars needed to align to make it happen. And what about the other actresses from the Gilded Rose? With her current status as a viscountess, she could be doing more. So much more.
Mr. Thomson said that her scandal had brought her name to his attention. He said that it would help his theater. So perhaps instead of shying away from scandal, she should embrace it.
If she were to become the next Mary Robinson, she might as well use it to do better than just become a playwright with a cozy salary.
Decision made, she smiled sweetly at Mr. Thomson. “Thank you very much for your generous offer. I really appreciate you taking the time from your day to read my plays and then inviting me here. You helped me realize something I’ve been too blind to see before.” She paused and shook her head. “This is not what I want.”
Mr. Thomson blinked. “Pardon me?”
“Apologies for wasting your time,” Jo said, getting up. “This is not a reflection on your offer. I always thought that I wanted to step onto the stage in the mighty Covent Garden, but I just realized that I don’t. I would love to continue an amicable working relationship with your company, and I hope that we shall cross paths again. But I shall bid you good day for now.”
“Are you certain?” Mr. Thomson stood. “This is our final offer. If you leave this office today—”
“I shall not return,” Jo said resolutely. “I promise.”
Jo left the office with a huge smile on her face.
“So?” Richard asked as he approached her.
Jo laughed. “I turned them down.”
Richard blinked. “What? I thought you wanted this.”
Jo twirled around the corridor, taking in the majestic beauty of the theater she’d worshiped for so long. “I thought so too.”
“What changed?” Richard asked as he approached her and took her hands in his.
“Everything,” she said with a smile. “I became the wife of a wealthy viscount. I tasted the freedom and the thrill of being appreciated. All this time, I thought I wanted independence from you, but that’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?” His eyes were smiling.
Jo weaved her arm through his and led him toward the exit. “I want independence from this awful world. I want to be able to create what my heart desires without censure from men. I want to be able to help my friends. And I want to be able to sleep in with my husband.”
Richard’s gaze was startled as he looked at her. “You don’t want to act anymore?”
Jo shook her head. “Oh, on the contrary. I want to act. I want to play. But I also want to do so much more. I want to write, I want to stage productions, I want to hire my own team of actors and make certain that the likes of Mick never cross the threshold of my stage.”
Richard looked at her queerly. “What are you saying?”
Jo pursed her lips together from laughing. “With your permission, my dear husband, I want to buy a theater.”
