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“You want to purchase a theater?” Richard halted in his tracks, and Jo laughed again.
“Yes. The Incomparable is for sale. I read about it a few days ago. The owner, Jane Smith, has gotten married and is selling it. I want to buy it. I want to restore it to its original beauty, and I want to run my own theater.”
Richard raised an arrogant brow. “This would require significant spending. Not that you don’t have the money to do it, but I thought you didn’t want to succumb to my riches?”
Jo shrugged. “I didn’t. I was proud and foolish. Those two feelings go hand in hand, wouldn’t you say? I wanted to climb the mountain on my own, but that was my pride talking, not common sense. That meeting with Mr. Thomson helped me understand something. I can either run from my notoriety or embrace it. And if I embrace it, I might as well do something good with it.
“People can talk behind my back and tell me that the only reason I am a playwright is because my husband is a viscount. They might even be true. But if I don’t have talent, who will come to watch my shows? They’ll either have to admit that I have talent, or I’ll fail. And I am not about to fail.
“Besides, it’s not just about me. It’s about my troupe. It’s about giving opportunities to my fellow actors. And it’s about paying them fairly so they don’t have to go out begging for scraps while the chosen few are getting rich. I don’t need the money,” she added with a smile and pressed a hand to his chest. “Thanks to you. So I can share my profits with the people who’ll work for me.”
Richard smiled widely and tightened his fingers around her hand. “Lead the way to your new theater, then.”
