The Arrangement
“You’re truly going to do it?” Amused that her friend Ellie couldn’t wait until they had completely left the stage to hear the details, Dora pretended deafness and made her way into the shadows offstage while the red velvet curtain swished to a close, muffling the rowdy catcalls and cheers from the male audience in the theater house.
Impatient as always, Ellie yanked her to a stop. “Well, are you?” Inwardly sighing, Dora gave up trying to hold off her friend. “Why, of course! A bawdy photograph is a perfect memento guaranteed to inflame him with thoughts of me while he’s on his blasted honeymoon as well as serving as a little reminder of what he’s missing.” Nonetheless, her brows knitted and her lips pinched together, unhappy and slightly worried about her lover’s recent news, knowing that an inconvenient marriage could put their arrangement at risk. Despite it, she still believed the chances of him throwing her over for a wife were slim since he was the picture of a man entirely obsessed with her charms, and she intended to ensure that he remained that way.
“Dora! But on his honeymoon?” Ellie’s squeak and owlish expression proved how scandalizing the prospect was, but Dora gave her friend an impatient look. “Why act so surprised? You know that women like us must grasp every opportunity. I already know that by agreeing to his father’s demands that he marry a proper lady, however reluctantly, he secures his inheritance. Though I may be farthest from the father’s ideal mate for his son, he's forever seeking my company and lifting my skirts. The fact that he set me up in a lovely nest assures me of his devotion and makes our assignations so much more convenient. Besides, what use would he have with an innocent, someone who would quake in fright like a terrified rabbit at the first sight of a naked man let alone know how to accommodate his penchant for, I daresay, certain habits?”
Ellie, a fellow opera dancer, could not deny the advantages of finding a wealthy, titled protector. In fact, it was every actress’s dream. Gifts of fancy dresses and sparkling jewels, even a grand home with servants; such were the rewards of the demimonde that made stage life worthwhile. One simply had to be beautiful and desirable and she would have her pick of the choicest men. How glorious it would feel, she fantasized and huffed an envious sigh over Dora’s good fortune.
“Well, he’s besotted, if his attendance here every night is any indication,” Ellen went on to grumble. “Why, he hasn’t missed any of your performances since the show opened a month ago!”
“As well as spending every night in my bed,” Dora rejoined, leaning in close to share that delicious tidbit with a self-satisfied smile. “Furthermore, I’ll do whatever needs doing to remain foremost in his favor.” Suddenly, the hardness melted from her face as she confessed her secret on a whisper, “The simple fact is that I need him. My daughter needs him. How else can I send money to my brother and his wife for my child’s upkeep, for heaven knows that tightfisted couple never does anything out of simple kindness, family ties be damned.”
Leaving Ellie sputtering in stunned surprise, Dora made her way to her dressing room where a photographer waited, already contemplating her most enticing poses, determination riding hard on her heels.