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Not that every day was wine and roses for Kelsey. Theo was still a selfish and exacting Master in the bedroom, and a drill sergeant on the silks, especially the closer they got to opening night. He could be rude and crude and aggravating, but that was just Theo. He made up for it in a thousand ways. A thousand kisses, a thousand endearments whispered in her ears. A thousand looks from those mysterious dark eyes, and a myriad of smiles on his lips.
He smiled at her now from the door of his bedroom.
“You are a lazy, lazy girl.”
“Because someone woke me up in the middle of the night. Again.”
Kelsey stayed in Theo’s suite now. It was big enough for both of them and they wanted to be together. Wayne and Kelsey’s old rooms had been taken over by new performers, one of them a starry-eyed acrobat from New Jersey who reminded Kelsey very much of herself. Nervous, and so eager to please. Kelsey wanted to reassure her, but she knew the girl would have to find her own way. As Theo would say, that was circus life. You loved it or you left it.
And tonight would be Kelsey’s first circus opening night.
All of Marseille buzzed in anticipation of the Cirque du Minuit. There were news profiles and magazine articles, billboards and bus advertising. Kelsey and Theo posed for photos wrapped in the silks, flying high in the theater, and were featured on the cover of several French magazines. The show, of course, had long since sold out. If it was a success it could become a Marseille fixture, catering to tourists and residents for years to come. Theo and Kelsey could work every night from six to ten, and spend the rest of the time in each other’s arms...
“Lazy girl,” Theo said again from the doorway, rousing her from her daydreams. “We’re supposed to meet your parents for lunch at noon.”
“Oh, shit.” Kelsey tumbled out of bed to the shower, then grabbed a quick piece of toast with Theo’s special maple butter. He shook his head at her. Hey, if she had the metabolism, why not use it? She was excited to see her parents, but nervous to tell them about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. She was also extremely nervous for them to meet Theo.
“You’ll be good, won’t you?” she asked as they walked the short distance to her parents’ hotel.
“Good? What do you mean by that?” he blustered. “I’ll be myself.”
“Oh, God. That’s kind of what I’m afraid of.” Her nerves ratcheted up another notch, but as soon as she entered the lobby and saw her smiling mother and father, she forgot everything. She ran into their hug, squeaking and tearing up. It was so wonderful to see them again after so many months. She pulled back and gestured to the tall, dark man lingering a few yards behind her. She could hardly believe he was hers to introduce. “Mom, Dad, this is Theo.”
He smiled as her parents greeted him. Her mom even gave him a little hug. So far, so good.
“We planned to have lunch here,” her father said, with a glance at Theo. “There’s a nice restaurant right here in the hotel.”
“Oh, but I thought you’d like to take in some of the local color.” Kelsey pointed out the windows at the noonday sunshine. “A sidewalk café on the waterfront. You know.”
“If your parents want to eat here, we’ll eat here,” Theo countered, guiding her after her mom and dad into the hotel hallway. They passed the restaurant though, and ended up at the door to the ballroom. Theo pushed it open and ushered her inside.
Kelsey’s mouth fell open. The entire large room had been completely “Cirque’d.” The walls were covered in textures of paper and fabric in the show’s colors of red and black. The Cirque du Minuit logo, with its requisite black ladybug, emblazoned one large expanse of wall. The tables were decorated with huge bouquets of black and red roses and the chandeliers dripped with scarlet silk scarves. The room was a wonderland, and it was full of all the performers and staff she knew. Lemaitre was there, and Jason. Even Wayne.
She looked at her parents, smiling wide, then at Theo.
“This is for tonight,” he said. “For the party after the premiere. But Michel said we could come before. To meet and talk. To be together. And because…”
The room fell silent as Theo took her hand.
“I know this is a surprise to you. I like surprises,” he added with an intimate quirk of a smile. “But tonight, when we go to our silks to do the show, you know…” He looked up at the ceiling, searching for words. When he was nervous, his English always worsened. She squeezed his hand, loving him so much for this sweet little speech. “The silks now, they are not only mine, or yours. They are ours. For some time, I’ve known this. Now I wish everyone to know.”
No one moved in the silence of the room. Theo’s voice got softer and softer, but still she could hear. “I only hope you don’t mind spending your life with a strange man like me. I pray you’ll accept me. Dieu.” He dug in his pocket and brought out a little black box. Kelsey’s breath left her in a rush.
“On your knees, Zamora,” a voice rang out. Lemaitre. The silence came alive with laughter and Theo’s face lit up with a smile she could see even through a sudden flood of tears. He dropped to one knee before her.
“Ma coccinelle. My lovely bulldozer. Je t’adore. Be my wife, please.”
Kelsey thought she probably should have paused a moment, at least pretended to consider. But instead she thrust out her hand for his ring, sobbing and beaming at the same time. It was the best she could manage for an answer. She didn’t know what a public declaration like this must have cost a private, taciturn man like Theo. All she knew was that he must love her an awful lot. The ring was beautiful, a single ruby mounted on a light gold band. “Red for passion and love,” he whispered as he slipped it on her finger. “Is okay? You like it?”
You want? She pulled him up and clung to his embrace. “I love it, Theo. I love you. You really don’t do things halfway.”
He brushed her tears away. “No, not with you. Never with you.”
Around them, people were drifting away, calling out good wishes and promises to see them later that night. Kelsey waved to all the smiling faces she knew. Jason gave her a squeeze and whispered, “I knew you were perfect for each other all along.”
She laughed. “Liar.”
Jason sighed. “Yes, fine, I was wrong about him. He’s not what I thought.” He cupped her cheek and grinned. “You look so happy, you’re glowing. I believe he’ll make you happy. He loves you very much.”
“I love him too.”
Jason shook Theo’s hand and promised to chat with them after the show. Soon enough the room was empty of most of the cast, but magic still lingered in the air. Kelsey would never forget anything about this room or Theo’s heartfelt words. She stood close to him, gazing at the ring on her finger, still not quite able to believe.
“This is the circus way, I guess? The circus way to propose?” she asked, smiling.
Theo shrugged. “I told you before, there are no secrets in the circus. Might as well allow them to see, to share in the moment. They are my family, so they should be here.”
And he had made sure her family was there too. She took her mother and father’s hands and accepted their congratulations as Lemaitre stopped to have a few private words with Theo.
“Did you know?” she asked them.
“Theo called us last week,” said her father.
“It was so romantic,” her mom cut in. “He actually asked your father for your hand in marriage. Is he a very traditional man?”
Kelsey looked over at Theo and Lemaitre and stifled a snort. “Not really that traditional, no. But I guess when it comes to marriage proposals, people want to do things the old fashioned way.”
Her mother squeezed her hand. “Show me the ring. I haven’t seen it yet.”
Kelsey held up the ruby solitaire so her mother could ooh and ahh over it.
“What’s that?” her father asked, pointing to a shadow on the gold band near the setting. Kelsey and her mom looked closer. Nestled beside the ruby, almost too tiny to see, was a tiny engravin
g of a round, spotted ladybug.
“Ohhh,” her mother sighed, transported into romantic ecstasies. “It’s the ladybug from your show. So you’ll always remember how you met.”
Lemaitre made his way over to them at that moment. He greeted Kelsey with a hug and a great kiss on both cheeks and then introduced himself to her parents. He invited them to enjoy their stay in Marseille and double-checked that they had tickets on hand for that night’s show. He also did some completely exaggerated praising of Kelsey’s talents until her parents practically preened.
Kelsey half-listened, but her eyes were on Theo, standing over Michel’s shoulder. Despite her mother’s belief, Kelsey knew the ladybug wasn’t to remind her of the show, or the logo, or her black and red costume with the shimmery cellophane wings.
It was to remind her of that night in the overgrown garden, when they’d lain on his blanket under the stars and talked openly, for the first time, about personal things. Are we just a couple of black ladybugs, you and me?
She’d known the answer then, even though she’d doubted at times. She saw it now, in his burning dark gypsy gaze. She’d wear the answer on her finger, proudly, forever, for all the world to see. She would be his gypsy queen.
*** *** ***
A few hours later, the troupe gathered in the backstage area for one last pep talk from Guy, their intrepid director, and Michel Lemaitre, of course. You could have heard a pin drop when Lemaitre spoke. His vision had brought them all here today, and Kelsey thought she would never meet another man with such creativity, such drive. Well, except for...
She slid a look at Theo beside her, resplendent in his dashing blue and white costume, his face made up for effect. His dark eyes emphasized with liner, his lips enhanced with a little rouge. He wouldn’t call it lipstick.
Kelsey was in her ladybug costume, sleek and black, sparkling with red dots. Little rhinestones were pasted on either side of her eyes. Around them, performers talked and laughed and stretched in their own outlandish costumes. Kelsey and Theo's communally shared engagement had energized the troupe as a whole. Kelsey couldn’t help wondering what circus weddings were like.
“Ten minutes to animation!”
The mimes and clowns went out to work the crowd, with a hue and cry from those waiting backstage. It was starting. Cirque du Minuit. The Midnight Circus. It might be a bleak and dark art piece, but it had brought untold light to Kelsey’s life.
Theo held her hand as they watched the show unfold on the monitors. Her finger felt naked. She hated taking her engagement ring off so soon, but rings with settings might snag or weaken the silks, so her ring was secure on a chain around her neck, tucked safely away under her leotard until she could put it back on after the show. Since their number was last, they had time to relax and enjoy the rest of the acts. The troupe was in high spirits and the whole show rolled out without a hitch. Performers bounded into the backstage area after their acts, giddy from applause. The audience was laughing and crying, cheering wildly, buying into the pathos. Guy smoked cigarette after cigarette in the corner. Kelsey knew Lemaitre was watching from the chairs.
