3 June, 1870
The audience last night was divine! It's been weeks since Bernadette was in such a good mood between songs. I felt a bit guilty for leaving the dressing room after the first show, but Mitzi insisted I deserved some time off, and Felicia has all those new dance numbers she wanted the girls to try in front of an audience. The crowd ate them up.
I didn't get very far from the club to enjoy my time off. I slipped through the back way to the Black Swan because Willy was tending bar and I wanted to talk to him. I got distracted by a pretty face and stayed the rest of the night.
This morning was rather dreary. There are some days that one just doesn't wish to wake up alone. Not that I have much chance of settling down and changing that situation, since I'm not exactly a respectable young man with prospects. And of course I was up far too late last night, I might as well have worked the second show. But I did make it over to the dressmaker and purchased some ribbon. I needed some burgundy, and they had it, though the seamstress couldn't be haggled down on the price. There was also some simply lovely pink ribbon that was too pretty to pass up. Maybe I'll dig that old pink and lavender number out of the back of the trunk and see if it can be freshened up a bit.
When I arrived at the club everyone had heard about how I'd spent the night chatting with a comely prospect, so of course Felicia had to pester me for details, and when I wasn't forthcoming she made up her own bawdy suggestions. If I didn't know what a wonderful choreographer she is, I would have strangled her with her own wig!
And then Father arrived. Since he usually only manages to stop by a couple times a month, I was quite happy to see him again so soon. He was obviously embarrassed about something. I was almost afraid to ask, remembering how upset he got when he realized he hadn't told me he'd married! Eventually I got it out of him. All this time, he has forgotten to tell Namaste about me.
Apparently she and he were walking in the neighborhood recently and he pointed out the club and mentioned this is where I work, and she turned to him and asked, "What brother!"
He was so chagrined!
I tried to tell him that it was perfectly understandable. He had not even met his son until I showed up on his doorstep one afternoon to introduce myself and tell him that mother had died. Namaste was off at some school. He was so proud of her. At the time, of course, we both agreed that having a perfect stranger brought to the school on visiting day and introduced as a brother would be such a shock, it might disrupt her studies for weeks.
He has corrected the error, at least he says so. He wanted to come tell me that she has become engaged to be married. And not just to anyone, mind you, but to a proper gentleman, with a "Sir" in his name and a posh townhouse in Mayfair, to boot! He gave me the address where she is staying and told me a bit about the work she's doing, though he says he doesn't understand it and I certainly had no idea what it was after he tried to explain it to me.
However, I completed the costume work a bit early, so I wrote a letter to Namaste to introduce myself and congratulate her. I just got one of the boys to run it down to the post. And we still have a bit of time before we need to start, so I thought I'd update my diary.
I have a sister and she is getting married! I can't believe it!!!
4 June 1870
It was a typical Friday evening crowd. Too loud and too drunk. I spent the entire evening fretting about the letter to Namaste. The way father speaks of her, I have always imagined her so smart and cultured--father says she reads all the time! To think how many people I meet who can't read at all! And this must be so, if she has gotten one of the aristocracy to propose marriage.
So what will she think when she finds out her half-brother it not only a bastard, but a cabaret performer! And not just any cabaret performer, but a femme faux who sings in the revue at a Southwerk burlesque?
Not that I mentioned what I do or where I work. I thought my existence and the fact that Father didn't even know about me until years after I was born would be all the shocks she could stand in one sitting. I even said in the letter that I knew it was probably shocking and I would understand if she didn't want to pursue an acquaintance.
But what if she doesn't? What if she does, but when she finds out what I do, she is scandalized?
Bernadette says that I shouldn't borrow trouble. I should wait and see, she might surprise me. Bernadette pointed out that Father has been wonderful since we met, and has never shown the slightest sign that he finds my line of work shocking or embarrassing. "A man like that doesn't usually accept a son who is different," she said. "Maybe your sister is equally broad-minded." I hope Bernadette is right!
I didn't want to go home alone. Especially when I saw Felicia walk out on a handsome man's arm! Bernadette and I wound up splitting a few bottles of port until Willy threw us out. My head still hurts. But I have to get to the club. Three shows on Saturday night! So much to do!
5 June 1870
Father stopped by again yesterday afternoon. Twice in the same week! He said he was in the neighborhood taking care of some business for Mr. Morgan. I hope no one has fallen behind on their payments, again. He had barely left the building when he came back, and he had Namaste with him!
She's a lab assistant for one of those naturalists, and she says they go all over the city taking samples of beetles and things. She just happened to be riding by in a carriage when she saw Father, and he asked her if she wanted to come meet me.
It was nothing like I expected. She was very nice, and didn't seem at all perturbed to find me with half my makeup on and surrounded by corsets and wigs! She seemed genuinely interested.
But the truly amazing thing was that we look so much alike. When she sat down, it was almost as if I was still looking in the mirror. She wears eyeglasses, and her skin is a bit smoother and silkier than mine, but our hair is the same colour and texture, our eyes are the same, our noses, chin, even the cheekbones! It takes me an hour worth of makeup and powder to look as pretty as she does, and I suspect her eyebrows don't need the plunking that mine do, but we could pass for twins!
She was very sweet, though since she was in the middle of her sample collecting couldn't stay long. If I am going to have a long conversation with her, I would it not be while midway through the transformation to the princess!
The shows went well, though there was some odd excitement. I was getting ready to go on stage for my, third song, I think it was, when one of the boys mentioned that he was surprised I'd made it back stage. When I asked him what he meant, he made a comment about seeing me sitting with a well-dressed gentlemen going into one of the box seats. I could not figure out what he was getting on about, and Mitzi was announcing me anyway, so I had to go. I was in the opening bars of the song when I saw a slight commotion up on the second row of boxes. Someone was dashing out of the box, and two ladies were following him.
One of the ladies was Namaste!
I couldn't really see too many details. They were in one of the large boxes and there were a number of gentlemen and ladies sitting there. I can only assume that the handsome gentlemen sitting beside Namaste was her husband-to-be.
When I next glanced that way everyone appeared to be back in the box, and at least one of the ladies and one of the gentlemen seemed to be trying to keep their faces hidden. When my song ended I went backstage, thinking I might have just enough time to go up to the box and say 'hello.' Except that one of the chorus girls had stepped on Felicia's dress and tore it, and she needed help getting out of it and into another. We'd just gotten Felicia onto the stage for her next bit when word went around backstage that Mitzi wanted all the performers to stay back stage between numbers. She only does that if she thinks there's going to be trouble in the main hall.
That sort of thing is upsetting, of course, but it happens. Especially lately, as several old feuds among the "family," as they say, have broken out again. Then I wondered what sort of trouble might break out and whether my sister would be safe out there in it! Mitzi was staying near the stage, ready to head off any trouble, but she was out on the floor, so I couldn't go ask her for more details. I had to fret backstage. Soon half the cast was loitering about the wing, trying to be in a position to see if anything exciting happened.
Whatever it was, most of us didn't see, though we knew exactly when it started. Right in the middle of one of the new chorus dance numbers, Mitzi sprang up onto the stage and began dancing around Felicia, weaving in and out of the chorus girls, and doing that trick she saves for special occasions with the flash powder. The chorus took it in stride and kept dancing, though I caught Felicia giving Mitzi a murderous glare after the number was over. Felicia hates to be upstaged! Regardless, the flashes of light were somewhat blinding and, of course every eye in the place was immediately drawn to Mitzi.
By the time I could get a clear view of the room, again, I could see one of the serving girls clearing a table where three young dandies had been, and Young Fred was righting two chairs that had been knocked over. I asked Fred later about what happened and he said he didn't see how it started, but he did see the three dandies run out together, and one of them seemed to have gotten his clothes set afire, somehow. I don't know how Mitzi could see that coming, or why she thought any of the rest of us would be in danger, but, she insisted the everyone remain backstage until the shows were over unless there was an emergency. Not only that, but she insisted the everyone had to go home in groups.
When I went on for my next song, I was able to get a peek out from the stage at the box where Namaste and her companions were. I had been thinking that I could slip out after the song and go up to surprise Namaste, just to say 'hello.' If Mitzi found out, she could hardly begrudge me going to make certain my own flesh and blood hadn't been hurt in any way by the trouble, whatever it was.
When I looked up at where they had been sitting, I was so startled, I almost messed up the song. Namaste was sitting there, looking safe and sound, of course. It was not seeing her that startled me. It was two others nearby. I was quite shocked. I knew I couldn't go up there to see her and risk running into one of them. They might say something, and then I would have to explain, and I'm not like Felicia or Bernadette. I can't think of plausible stories when put on the spot.
Of course, if she does want to see me more often, it's only a matter of time before certain things will come to light. I wish Mitzi hadn't been so busy getting all of us organized to see each other home. She would know what to do. I will have to ask her and Bernadette for some advice on how to handle this. I don't want to lose my sister just days after finally finding her!
Proceed to An intrusion of an alien spirit
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