Page 94

TWENTY-FOUR

“Lil,” Theo asked determinedly on Sunday evening as they readied themselves for their fifth performance. More flowers had arrived at The Eagle that morning. She had received a large bouquet from Clem’s fight promoter friend Nat Jones that, along with Clem’s tributes, took up a whole corner of their poky dressing room. Lil had also received her fair share of posies, which stood about the room in various jam jars filled with water.

“Yes darlin?” Lil responded, not looking up from where she was straightening her stockings.

“What was the joke Friday night, when the curtain came back up and you were knelt at my feet?”

Lil glanced up. “Dunno wot you mean, sweetheart,” she answered, but Theo could tell at once her friend had a shifty look in her eye. Theo had duly repeated Clem’s warning on the afternoon of their Saturday performance and Lil had rolled her eyes but dropped the pose from subsequent shows.

“I thought you were wiping off your smudged lip stain until Clem said that about the Moral Decency Board. Even they could not be as puritanical as all that.”

Lil gave a gurgle of laughter. “Fancy ‘im getting his knickers in a twist over a thing like that,” she said sounding amused.

“If you don’t tell me, then I’ll be forced to ask someone else,” Theo warned, turning over her shirt collar. “As my closest friend, I think it is rather unfair of you to withhold such knowledge from me, especially now we are partners.”

Lil sighed. “It was just a visual gag, love. An oral joke if you will.” At Theo’s blank response, Lil was forced to elucidate.

“Oh, I see,” Theo breathed. “I wonder why he would not simply tell me outright.”

“Maybe he’s trying to act the gent around you,” Lil pondered, adjusting the drawstrings on her hooped petticoat. “Sometimes men can be funny when it comes to women what they actually respect.”

Theo frowned. “But he has no objection to performing orally on a lady, so why should he find the reference so distasteful the other way around?”

Lil went off in a coughing fit. “Lord Theo!” she gasped at last when she managed to swallow down half a glass of water. “The things you come out with! Gawd bless you darlin’, you’d have to ask ‘im that question yourself. For the time being, I’ll just straddle your lap and ‘ope that don’t affect his delicate sensibilities.”

“I suppose to be fair, it would be just as bad if I was kneeling between your legs, when the curtain came up,” Theo mused drawing on her silk waistcoat. “To a Purity Committee, or whatever they are called.”

Lil wiped her eyes. “Very likely,” she agreed in a choked voice.

“Only I have not heard of such a regulating body before. Is it something that occurs often to music hall acts?”

“It does ‘appen occasionally,” Lil admitted cagily. “If you gain a certain level of notoriety, but mostly they just leaves the great unwashed to it.” She shrugged. “Fame often comes with a cost, but I don’t think we’ve reached them dizzy heights just yet, love.”

Theo pinned her tie pin into place and shrugged on her jacket. “What do you think?” she said turning to Lil.

“Pure Percy has become a man,” Lil said with a wink. “I quite fancies you meself!”

Five minutes before they were due on stage, a knock on the door turned out to be the biggest and ugliest of the doormen called Eddie, who had come along to carry their props.

“My, aren’t we honored?” Lil said sotto-voce after he had collected their bits and pieces. And that was not the only sign of high favor. When they exited their room, Lil inhaled sharply and pointed at the door Theo was shutting behind them. “Look!”

Theo turned and found a painted sign on the door now proudly proclaimed, “Dora Dabney and Lillian Longdon.” A grin spread over her face. “Lil,” she said turning to her friend. “We are no longer miscellaneous.”

“We’ve bloody done it!” Lil said, plunking her hands on her hips. “We’ve arrived. Now, where’s that lovelorn pianist of yours? We’ve got a show to put on!” They linked arms and started along the corridor.

“Lovelorn?” Theo echoed in surprise.

“You should of seen the way Allsop was staring at you with his mouth open at rehearsal,” Lil observed, squeezing her arm. “I told him flat, it’s too late for that, lad; that ship has sailed.”

“Oh Lil! It was the risqué lyrics that put that look on Harold’s face,” Theo replied roundly. “And he was such a dear about it too and has not uttered so much as a single reproach though his face was scarlet at the run through.” She dwelt a moment fondly on Harold. “You know, lately I’ve begun to think he might have had a thing for Henrietta all these years.”

“Oh Henrietta!” Lil said irritably. “You think everyone’s sweet on that sister of yours. She’s yesterday’s news.”

Theo frowned. “I wish she would hurry up and write. I can’t be quite easy in my mind about her until she does.”

Lil made no reply, as at this point a gaggle of dancing girls came down the corridor toward them and they had to separate and walk single file to make room. Theo smiled and nodded but received only surreptitious glances in reply. As soon as they had passed them, the dancers burst into giggles and whispers.

“Silly tarts,” Lil observed.