Applause (The Dudley Sisters Saga Book 2) by Madalyn Morgan (best authors to read txt) 📕

they entered the theatre’s stage door, Goldie kept her head down, not only out of shame, but because she was in too much pain to stand up properly. Bert looked out of the small window in his office to greet them, but stepped back quickly when Margot shook her head. Best not embarrass Goldie, she thought.

Because Margot was late, Mrs Horton had hung the artist’s costumes in the open wardrobes, placed their show shoes underneath, and laid their gloves on their respective dressing tables. Margot breathed a sigh of relief; she and Goldie wouldn’t be disturbed for at least two hours. Feeling useless, Margot sat next to Goldie at the dressing table wishing there was something she could say or do to help her. ‘Why don’t you have a lie down on the chaise?’

‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Goldie said, pushing herself gently out of her chair. Margot helped her across the room to the chaise longue, lifted her feet up once she was sitting, and put Kat’s pillow under her head. ‘Will you stay with me, Margot? It’s silly, but even here I’m frightened Dave will get me.’ Goldie began to cry.

‘It’s not silly at all. Of course I’ll stay; I’ll stay as long as you want.’ Margot went back to the dressing table, picked up a chair and set it down beside the chaise. After a while Margot suggested she make them both a cup of tea. ‘If you’re able to drink one,’ she said, gently pushing Goldie’s hair from her face.

‘That would be lovely. Thank you.’

Margot went to the small ante-room. It was not much more than a large alcove with a sink, a side table that had a gas ring on it, a kettle and teapot, and several cups and saucers. After making the tea, she added milk to both cups and a heaped spoonful of sugar to Goldie’s. When she returned to the dressing room, Goldie was sitting at her dressing table.

Margot put her tea in front of her. ‘I know you don’t normally have sugar, but it’s supposed to be good for shock, so…’

They drank in silence. When they had finished, Goldie looked in the mirror. ‘I can’t go on stage looking like this, can I?’

Margot took Goldie’s hands. She looked at her swollen face, her misshapen nose, the cut that ran the length of her left cheekbone, the arc of bruising around her left eye, which was almost closed, and her split bottom lip that she daren’t clean for fear that if she removed the congealed blood the wound would open and she wouldn’t be able to stop it bleeding. Blinking back tears, Margot shook her head. ‘No, Goldie, I don’t think you can. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to dance; you’re in too much pain.’

Goldie let go of Margot’s hands and pressed gently on her ribcage. ‘Ah!’ Tears filled her eyes. ‘You’re right; I won’t be able to dance tonight. There’s only one thing for it,’ she said, looking at Margot in the mirror. ‘You’ll have to go on for me.’

‘Me?’

‘Yes.’

Margot half expected Goldie to start laughing and say she was only kidding. ‘You want me to go on stage and pretend to be you in the show tonight?’

‘Yes. I know you’ve learned my songs and dances.’ Margot stared at Goldie, embarrassment threatening to engulf her. ‘We all know. And we know you could do it too.’

‘But how--?’

‘You can’t keep anything secret in a theatre. Everyone knows you want to be a dancer.’

‘Everyone? Even Nancy?’

‘Even Kat!’ Goldie pulled a face and laughed. ‘Ouch! That’ll teach me for being horrible.’

Margot didn’t comment about Kat knowing. Kat would have taken the Mickey out of her for wanting to be a dancer a month ago, but after the help she and Bill had given her, Kat wasn’t spiteful to her any more.

‘It’s pretty obvious. I mean, why else would you stand in the wings in your spare time and watch us rehearse? So what do you think?’

The thought of going on stage and performing to a thousand or more people overwhelmed Margot. She blew out her cheeks. ‘Well… I do know your dances, and your songs,’ she admitted, ‘and we are the same dress and shoe size. I know we are, because I modelled your costumes when you weren’t able to come in for a fitting once before when Dave--’

‘Good job you did, now you’re going to be me.’ Goldie smiled for the first time since Margot found her in the alley. ‘Could be your big break,’ she teased. ‘Seriously, Margot, if you go on for me tonight I’ll be able to give Dave the slip, try to get away from him for good.’

It wasn’t the way Margot had planned to make her stage debut, but if it was the only way Goldie was going to escape her fascist boyfriend... ‘All right,’ she said, the butterflies in her stomach already preparing for take-off, ‘I’ll do it, if you’re sure?’

‘I am. This way no one will know it isn’t me on stage, and if Dave is waiting for me at the end of the show, he’ll be waiting a bloody long time.’

The girls arrived early to run through a new number, but instead gathered in the dressing room. They all agreed that Goldie couldn’t go on, and Margot should, so they needed to rehearse some of the numbers that Goldie featured in. They decided not tell the director, Richard Smiley. He’d have brought in one of his many lady-friends, probably a show girl who looked pretty but couldn’t dance to save her ‘feather boa-ed’ life.

Goldie’s costume fitted Margot, as she knew it would. Her shoes pinched a bit, but she said she’d manage. Hats and gloves were ignored. The gloves would fit, they were average in size, and the hats could be secured with Kirby grips, if need be. Time was