Finding Grace: A Novel (16 page)

Despite her attempts against it, she found
herself looking among the crowd, wondering if she might catch a
glimpse of him. Surely he was here somewhere. He had to be, this
being his place of business. For several moments she scanned the
room, wondering if he would appear…and secretly, hoping she might
look at him without his knowing it.

It felt safer that way, to watch without
being watched. She could not deny how attractive he was…how he
stirred feelings in her that she’d never known before.

But he was a danger to her good sense. When
he looked at her, it was as if he could read her mind…and that put
her too far out of her comfort zone. It was better to admire his
beauty from afar. It was certainly safer, for her, to maintain that
distance.

Chapter 8

“
Give and
Take
”

Up above the floor, from one of the
balconies, a pair of blue eyes were looking down on Grace. The gaze
was intense…deeply focused.

The little country mouse had
surprised him. He’d been so sure she wouldn’t turn up. It was,
after all, a place of "sinful" things…of intimate dancing and
drinking. Prohibition kept him from
selling
alcohol…but he had no qualms
about his customers bringing their own. His wait staff served tea,
sweet drinks, and various kinds of juice and if his patrons
happened to slip a bit of spirit into their drinks, courtesy of a
hip flask or such, that was their business. He needed his to keep
his customers happy, so he turned a blind eye to the illegal
consumption. And judging from the way his place was always packed,
it had worked. If anything, prohibition had probably brought more
people to his door. It was human nature to get away with bad
behavior, and if it brought him more money, then so be
it.

Along the upper corridor he’d been walking
among his guests, shaking hands with people he knew and examining
the ones he didn't, looking for signs of pleasure and happiness. As
was usually the case, all was content among his patrons, and so for
the most part, he was relaxed. Passing along the railing above the
dance floor, he happened to look down for a moment, and he
recognized John and Alice Langdon.

Without hesitation his eye started searching
about for the little sister. For several moments, he felt the first
stirrings of disappointment. Maybe she hadn’t come. Perhaps she had
stayed away after all.

Then his eye was caught by a young woman in
rose chiffon, sitting alone at a table. The corner of his mouth
twitched slightly up.

So, he’d been wrong. She hadn't hidden
herself away, fearful of risking her innocence in a den of the
devil. She was here, after all. And he found that for once, being
wrong wasn’t such a bad thing.

Leaning his arms on the railing, he watched
her for several moments. He didn't worry if she would see him or
not. Unless prompted to do so, how often did people actually look
up at something right above their heads? So he felt quite free to
look his fill. And what he saw, he liked…very much.

She had a delicate face, punctuated by fine
eyes. Her skin was sun-kissed, which was so much nicer than the
current trend of being lily white. Her figure was thin, but
shapely. From what little he’d managed to see of them, her legs
were elegant and toned. She really was a beauty, but not in a
made-up way, like so many women he knew. She had an earthy, natural
look. It was attractive as hell.

He thought of that moment between them in
the hallway. He’d brushed against her on purpose, knowing it would
get a reaction. Whether it frightened her or excited her, he didn’t
really care, though he suspected it had been a little of both. For
him, it had been all about the thrill. He liked the sound of that
first little intake of breath…the one all women made the first time
they were touched, even in the smallest way, by a man they might be
attracted to. And she’d been drawn to him, whether she wanted to
admit it or not. He’d seen the look in her eyes…the slight little
wobble of her body as she tried to recover her senses. It was the
same reaction he got from many women, and he liked it.

But it wasn’t love. Hell no, it wasn’t even
close to being that.

He scorned the idea of being in love. He'd
gone that road before as a youth, with his wife, and he vowed never
to be so foolish again. This was pure, physical attraction.

Not that it was going to lead anywhere. He
knew she was off limits in those ways, and he accepted it. She was
much too pure…much too naive for the likes of him. But it wouldn’t
hurt to tease her a little, to make her see what she was missing by
being so wet-behind-the-ears.

A round of applause went up as the band
ended their song down below. He watched as she clapped along,
clearly enjoying herself. She was in a good mood, so maybe he could
sidle up to her and find a place for himself. It would be looking,
not touching, so she didn’t have to worry on that score. He made
his way determinedly down the staircase. At the bottom, he turned
towards her table. He reached up to right the lapels of his
suit.

But then his hands fell away. Such
preparation was useless, it seemed. John and Alice had returned to
the table, and all three were engaged in conversation. Irritated by
the interruption of his plans, he retreated into the shadows under
the stairs.

The lights dimmed around the place, the MC’s
voice coming over the microphone to announce a solo performance.
Victoria was about to take to the stage, and a round of applause
went up around the room. Out of habit he turned his head to watch
as the spotlight fell on her. She started singing a beautiful
rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Always.” She did have a spectacular
voice. That was why she was the most popular of all the
entertainers that worked for him. But after hearing her sing for so
long, there was little left in her performance that moved him. Just
like the other acts in residence, she was part of his business, and
not much more. His audience, however, was what mattered. And at the
end of Victoria’s performance there was a roar of applause…perfect
evidence of why they made such a great business partnership. She
loved the glamour and power that came with being a star. And though
it was a shallow notion, he profited from her love of attention.
Their professional lives mirrored their personal lives. Each got
what they needed from the other, and that was fine with them
both.

She soon launched into another song. She was
joined on the stage by several other girls, and together they
danced and sang to the beat. When they were done, the audience once
again went wild. Then the band began to play again...this time a
slow, romantic tune that couples swayed to.

He turned his head back to the table where
Grace was sitting. Watching, he saw her rise to her feet. She said
something to her brother, who said something in return…and from the
look on his face, he was not pleased. But she just smiled, shaking
her head. She gave him a pat on the shoulder, and slowly she walked
away from the table…moving in the opposite direction of himself. He
found he could not resist the urge to follow her, to see where she
was headed.

The Langdons once again took to the dance
floor, and he was glad of it. Now he could pass their table without
having to stop and exchange polite words. As he went, he passed
several familiar faces…and despite his wish to move along, he shook
hands in his usual manner, giving words of courtesy to those who
spoke to him. But he hardly took his eyes off of her. She strolled
slowly about, looking over the architecture and furnishings with
childlike wonder. He kept a certain distance, finding that he
enjoyed watching her when she was unaware of him.

But after a while, he felt it was silly to
keep following her in that way. What would be the harm in
approaching her? He took a step towards her…but a colleague stopped
him, wanting to discuss a matter of business. The distraction was
momentary, but long enough for him to lose sight of Grace.

Where had she gone? He looked around, but
there was no sight of her. He walked towards the end of the hall,
nearing the doorway that led to the backstage area. Surely she
wasn’t anywhere near here. It was quite a distance from the main
public area. He turned to go back.

It was then that he heard the yelling. It
was coming from the backstage area, and he rushed through the door
as quickly as he could.

There she was, being chastised by one of his
stage managers, Hal Needham. What a twerp he was. If ever a man had
a Napoleon complex, it was him. Short and stout, he felt the need
to be maniacal in order to be heard. At that moment, he was
unleashing his temper on Grace. But she wasn’t afraid of him. Her
temper was nearly as hot as his. She protested loudly.

“
I wasn’t hurting
anything!”

Hal didn’t back down, giving her a push
towards the door.

“
I’m tired of you two-bit
floosies hanging around the backstage doors, looking for your next
gig.” He grabbed her by the arm, dragging her along.

Henry moved fast. Before he quite realized
what he was doing, he grabbed Hal by the collar, throwing him
against the wall. He sneered at him.

“
What are you doing? Don’t
you ever touch a customer like that!” His nostrils flared. “I
should send you crawling out of here on your belly!”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew
he was acting like a madman. It was only that thought that kept Hal
from getting a fist to the face. Henry watched as Hal straightened
his collar, trying to gather his dignity. Before scurrying away he
gave Grace an evil look. She was watching from a distance,
wide-eyed. Henry turned to her, his eyes bright with rage. He
snatched her arm firmly.

“
What the hell is wrong with
you? Don’t you know not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?
What are you, stupid or something?”

She yanked her arm away…the force of her
strength stunning him. But it was her eyes, suddenly dark with
rage, that stunned him. The venom in her voice was shocking. She
shouted in his face.

“
Téigh trasna ort
féin!”

Then she fled…and he stood there, his mouth
slightly agape.

She had just cursed at him
in Gaelic.
Gaelic
,
of all things. His own native Irish language…and he knew exactly
what she had said.

Go screw
yourself
, was the rough
translation.

A little country girl using such a foul turn
of phrase? Where the hell had that come from? He just couldn’t
believe it.

Apparently, everyone else around him was
just as stunned. Several crew members were standing around staring,
some of them whispering. He suddenly came back to himself, glaring
at them, his blue eyes blazing.

“
What are you looking at?
Get back to work!”

His command was enough to send them back to
their business. Then his thoughts turned back to what had just
happened…and he was angry at her all over again. He spoke out loud,
more to himself than to anyone else.

“
Stupid girl.” But a moment
later he felt a wave of guilt wash over him, making him feel a
strange blend of both fury and remorse.

Damn little
fool
.
She got the
scolding she deserved.

But then he wondered why he’d acted so
rashly. What had come over him? The sight of someone doing her harm
had enraged him. But why? And why did he feel so bad about his
actions? She’d been in a place she didn’t belong, and he’d served
her with the correction she deserved.

Then why was he standing alone, looking and
feeling like a fool? Well he didn’t intend to remain that way. The
matter would be settled immediately. Right now.

He hurried through the door, looking for
her, but she was not to be found. He made his way down the hall,
coming across the table where the Langdons had been. The other
patrons were all seated and watching a dance act on the stage. But
the Langdons table was empty. Which meant that they had gone, and
Grace with them. He hurried to the hall. But when he reached the
top of the stairs, he stopped.

To hell with
it
, he thought.
I
will not make a fool of myself for anyone, and certainly not for
her.

He turned back towards the ballroom, intent
on crossing the hall and heading upstairs to the privacy of his
office. He needed to be alone to clear his head, especially now
that his tie and collar seemed to be choking him. But just as he
reached the steps, he heard Victoria calling his name…and it made
him spout a foul curse under his breath. In all likelihood she
would be making the same old complaint, whining about one of the
chorus girls. And sure enough, that was her subject when she
approached him, her arms flailing dramatically.

“
Henry, I can’t take it
anymore! That new little dancer you hired had the nerve to sit at
my makeup table. I’m the star of this show, and I’m sick of these
little two-bit dollies not knowing their place.”

He turned on her, his eyes dark with
fury.

“
Hell and damnation, woman!
Will you stop whining? I don’t give a damn about a makeup table!”
Desperately wishing to escape, he started up the steps, but she
followed…raging on.

“
What am I supposed to do? I
need my own space to prepare!”

“
Oh, for God’s sake! Wear a
bag over your head for all I care! Just get away from
me!”

He heard her indignant little squall, but
ignored it, marching up the stairs.

Reaching his office at the end of the hall
he entered quickly, kicking the door back to slam it shut. His
first act was to reach up and yank away his tie, throwing it down
on the desk. Pulling his collar loose, he took a deep breath as he
sank into his seat. Leaning his head back against the top of the
chair, he took a deep breath.