Her face was already flushed and she glowed with the energy of youth. But beneath, he could sense a certain shyness in her soft brown eyes as she glanced back at him, and then quickly diverted her eyes to the floor.
“You are kind, sir, to praise my performance," she thanked him. "My name is Nelly.”
Straight away he liked the way her name felt on his lips as he mimed it when she looked away.
The dance ended and all the dancers hugged one another. It was their way of saying well done, it had been a good dance. Oliver took advantage of the gesture and immediately embraced the delightful woman before him. She offered no resistance to his move and felt so perfect in his arms. It seemed that she did not mind lingering a moment longer than necessary, as he held her tight.
“It was most refreshing to watch you enact Dorimene with such perfection. And the alternative ending was a delightful surprise for all,” he said, as he reluctantly let her go.
“I wanted something special for my debut, and so I rewrote the ending that I know everyone wanted to see,” she told him. As she spoke, she leaned into him at a close angle to make herself heard over the raucous behaviour of her fellow actors. “It was easy. All I did was play to their hearts.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say easy, I would describe it as brave,” he replied, enjoying having to lean into her ear so she could hear him. “We all love a tragedy.”
“That is true, and that's why it was for one night only,” she smiled back at him.
“Then I am so pleased that I didn't miss it. Otherwise, I would not have had the pleasure to witness a most creative performance,” he said. And he was thankful that he had attended that evening.
As he had been accepted into the circle of actors, he spent the rest of the evening in their company, and they soon became friends. He met her mother, the owner of the traveling theatre, though he did not let on who he was. Nelly had many close friends and family, and she was as delightful offstage as she was on it.
She meandered away from him to dance with other people she knew, but she never ventured far from her troupe. Her shyness surprised him somewhat, for her stage performance was so full of confidence. She was indeed a born actress. And it was a woman he felt drawn to, not only because of her talent, but she also stirred his heart in very strange ways.
He watched her in wonderment as she danced with others. It seemed to Oliver that everyone was a friend in her eyes, she was fond of them all. Sometimes she spoke with an outsider to her group, but always in the company of someone from the touring party. Many commoners wanted to speak with her, dance with her, and praise her, but he was the one that she kept returning to. Whenever she was away from him, he would hover close by, showing as much security as her own family did.
She had captured something inside of him, something that he had never felt stir before. Because she had accepted him, so too did the rest of the acting circle. This was a good opportunity to talk about life with a traveling theatre. Many had assumed him to be interested in such a life, perhaps even being an actor himself. Not once though did he give away who he was, other than his first name.
It was getting late into the night and the crowds were starting to thin out. After all, many of the revellers would need to rise at the crack of dawn, with a long, hard days graft ahead of them. Oliver took the opportunity to stay with Nelly longer, now that there were fewer distractions since the music had died down.
“May I ask you a question, Nelly?” he dared a different approach.
“Of course, Oliver, ask away,” she sang out, always speaking to him with a smile on her lips, that shone in her eyes too.
“Can I speak with you alone?” he continued, knowing that she might find his request unusual.
“Of course,” was all she said as she took his hand and led him inside to a quieter corner in the common room of the inn. Outside, they could barely hear each other’s words, and so Oliver was pleased at her idea to go indoors.
Though he had not expected the close touch of her hand, and it evoked a warm glow in his chest, as well as made his heart race. Although he knew that she meant nothing by holding his hand, for that was the way of many artists, nonetheless the feel of her soft skin was a moment of bliss. Her fingers felt so delicate in his own larger palm, and he dare not squeeze for fear of hurting the slender bones.
Is she showing me kindness because that is how she has been taught; or does she think me special, as I do of her?He did not know, but he followed her like a puppy dog because wherever she went, he wanted to be with her.Now that I have found this shining gem, I hope never to lose her.Whether she felt the same about him, he did not know, but he intended to find out, one way or another.
Chapter 4
Although Nelly had never met Oliver before, she sensed that she could trust him, but she wasn’t sure why. Could it be his friendly demeanour? Or most likely his obvious love of the theatre. As a rule, it was not normal for her to dance with a stranger;so why am I doing so on this night?
It must be the fact that you are a handsome charming man, who has swept me off my feet. Or your long dark hair that is tied neatly in a braid at your back. Whatever it is, I find something attractive in you. Especially when you look at me with your warm, dark eyes. It gives me a rush of feelings that I cannot account for.
Besides, tonight she was allowed to let go and relax a little. The play had been a success, and her idea of an alternative ending had been very well received. Her mother had agreed to the changed ending to celebrate her first night in a leading role. And it had been met with rapturous applause from the audience. Even her mother congratulated her on her brilliant idea.
Winning over the audience was the desire of every actor, and the applause was the reward they all craved. Having the crowd shouting for an encore was one of the most satisfying moments of her acting life. It had put her in a good mood and could be why she had allowed this stranger into her life. Plus, the fact that he had flattered her with praise in such a charming way. Yes, that had something to do with it. He had a way with kind words.
“You see that colourful curtain over there, hanging on the wall,” she whispered into his ear. Nelly enjoyed leaning in so close to him that she could feel the warmth of his skin.
“You mean the one that the innkeeper came through?” he questioned, as he watched the innkeeper return to the bar.
“Yes, that’s the one,” she chuckled as she grabbed hold of his hand again and led him towards the rust-orange curtain that hung on the wall.
Once there, she moved the thick cloth to reveal an open space at the bottom of a dark, narrow stairway. Not letting go of his hand, she started to climb, encouraging him to follow her up the stairs. She liked the feel of her smaller hand in his large palm, it gave her a sense of protection and security. This man had made a strong impression on her, for she would never behave so impulsively with a man
"Come on, it leads to the roof,” she told him as she looked down the steps at him, urging him on with her mischievous stare.