AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The sound of the gunshot clapped as their stage master imitated the sound from behind the stage. Jo froze as she looked at Mick with ire in her eyes, then surprise and betrayal. There was nothing she could do now unless she ruined the entire production, so she fell dramatically to the floor.
Two actors ran out on stage to drag her away.
Jo jumped to her feet and looked around at her fellow actors. “What was that?”
They just shrugged. “He told us he changed the ending.”
Anger, anguish, and defeat all ran through her veins as she watched the final part of her play right before her eyes. The happy ending she’d planned so carefully as she giggled, imagining the reactions from the crowd, was now ruined.
This was a house party, a family affair. She wanted the woman to actually survive the play. But it got changed to what men had always expected to be realistic. Even if the realistic play was rather an oxymoron.
No wonder so many wars were fought in the world. Only bloodshed was realistic, after all, with the villain standing alive in the wake of his own destruction.
* * *
“Fabulous, just fabulous performances all around,” ladies cooed around the troupe once the performance was over.
“I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful company,” Mick said with a meek bow. “How lucky I am to have such a remarkable lot with me.”
“And is it true that you wrote the play?” One of the ladies addressed Jo.
Jo opened her mouth to answer, but Mick’s laughter interrupted her before she even began.
“Well, she tried. She tried. And she did a wonderful job. Of course, I corrected a few flaws and rewrote it to the wonderful play that it has become, but I am happy to say that my wonderful apprentice should get all the praise, nonetheless.”
He placed his hand on her waist, and Jo irritably shook it off. “Yes, Mick did rewrite the final part, but I assure you, you would have loved the original just as much.”
“Oh, of course, my dear Miss Claremont.” Mick’s voice turned mocking. He quickly turned toward the crowd with a huge smile on his face. “As I said. She deserves all the praise in the world for her hard work.”
“Oh, but you should perform at my house party next,” one lady chimed in, unceremoniously taking Mick by the arm and leading him away.
“Oh, it will be a pleasure,” Mick said coquettishly.
“Yes, and mine, too!” Other ladies followed.
Jo grimaced, snagged a glass of wine, and quickly gulped it down. “Oh, that smug slimy bastard,” she muttered under her breath.
“Calm down, Jo. It’s not like this is the first time he’s done that,” Selena said by her side.
“Stolen all the attention from us? No. But rewritten my play and claimed it as his? I haven’t heard that one before.”
“He just thinks he is doing what’s best. He thinks he can do it better,” Selena offered softly.
Jo scoffed. “Well, he can’t.”
“Are you certain?” Selena sipped on her wine, hiding her face behind the glass. “Because look how those ladies are following him around. Perhaps he would be able to get us more engagements.”
Jo looked at Selena, aghast. How could her friend justify that fiend’s actions? “That is not what this is about and you know it. He doesn’t care about more performances. He always looked down upon our house party engagements. He just wants a hundred percent of the attention.”
Selena shrugged. “Yes, but you didn’t want the attention. Perhaps you can share these duties. He can charm the ladies, and you write the plays.”
“Oh, stop, Selena!” Jo drained another glass of wine, placed it on the passing footman’s tray, and snagged another one. “If he arranges a house party engagement without me, he shall handle all the money transactions. You know this. And if he does, then nobody is getting paid!”
“You don’t know that,” Selena said meekly.
“Why are you defending him all of a sudden?” Jo looked at her, all her incredulity seeping out of her core.
“I am not!” Selena said emphatically as she hid her gaze in the glass of wine. She took a sip, her color rising. “I just think that perhaps you misunderstood his intentions.”
