He leaned his forehead against hers. “Sleep well tonight. Tomorrow will be here soon. I can’t wait to see you dance. But, princess, I don’t want tomorrow to be the end of our time together.”
Her heart thundered and her pulse pounded as he voiced what she was thinking.
“Neither do I.” Her voice was a whisper.
FOUR
Frantic was the only way to describe the activity backstage and behind the curtain. All the dancers eager for their final instructions.
Monsieur Garnier arrived on stage followed by a hobbling Jeanine. The pair were the major dancers in the final act. The company was shocked. Then the questions began. The ballet master quieted the group before things got out of hand.
“Jeanine had an accident and will not be dancing tonight. It is unfortunate. I’ve been speaking with Monsieur Dubois and Madame Camargo. The decision is to go on with the performance.”
There was a sigh of relief from the company. Cosette was glad. She was looking forward to watching Avery dance.
“We have also decided not to eliminate any of the performance, but rather have chosen a substitute to dance with Monsieur Dubois.”
There wasn’t a sound on the stage. All Cosette could hear was the rumble of the audience entering, the orchestra preparing, and Suzanne pushing her way to the front.
“Cosette Binet will replace Jeanine for this performance.”
Suzanne stopped mid-step.
Cosette looked frantically at Avery as he made his way to her and took her aside.
“I can’t,” she murmured.
“I agree with Claude and Marie. Are you going to disappoint your queen and Madame Camargo?”
“No, of course not.” She shook her head, looking for another excuse.
“I didn’t think so. You know the part better than Jeanine. We’ve danced it every night.” He squeezed her hand. “Dance with me, my princess. I want to show you off to the world.”
She looked at him. He was handsome in his dance clothes. A smile tugged at her lips. He was dressed as a knight.
“I wish I had a scarf to give you as a token to wear when you go into battle, or in this case, take to the stage. Instead, Sir Knight, I give you my heart.”
Avery took in a quick breath. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.
At the thunder of applause, Cosette stepped to the curtain and peeked through the peephole. “The queen and Marie Camargo have taken their seats in the box.”
“Gather round.” Avery gestured for the company to draw close.. “All of you are well prepared. Let the music carry you away. Dance like you have never danced before. We are performing for our queen and Madame Camargo. Let’s give them a performance they will never forget.”
“Thank you, Avery.” The troop turned to the ballet master, who continued. “You have worked hard and have breathed life into this ballet. You should be proud of yourselves. I’m proud of you. Now, places, please.”
Dancers hurried to the wings while others rushed to their spots on stage.
Cosette took her place next to Suzanne in the wings.
“You know he is evil,” Suzanne hissed.
“Who?” Cosette tried to be nonchalant.
“Avery. He plays sweet with all the new dancers. He is very good at making you feel there is no one else in the room when he speaks to you, no one else matters until he switches his attention to the next person, and you realize you are a member of the company and nothing more. Has he asked you to call him Avery? Yes, I can see it in your face. It won’t be long now. He won’t be available. He’ll avoid you. Tell you he has company business. That’s when you should look to see who he has targeted next. That’s when you’ll get angry, so angry you want to scream. You and I didn’t start off well, but to watch him hurt you the same way he hurt me pains me.”
The orchestra started and left her no time to respond. Was Avery toying with her? Or was Suzanne playing games, hoping to make her fail. On cue, the curtain rose.
Cosette was too busy concentrating on the performance to think about anything other than the dance.