Kitty Little by Freda Lightfoot

Author:Freda Lightfoot
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Freda Lightfoot Limited
Published: 2013-02-18T16:00:00+00:00

The audience, however, on that first night, was decidedly thin. For once the weather seemed to have beaten them. Outside a veritable blizzard raged, snow forming in drifts against the stage door.

‘We’re done for. Nobody will come out on a night like this,’ Archie moaned with gloomy pessimism.

‘That’s right, cheer us all up,’ Kitty said, coming to stand beside him at the open door and gazing upon a scene of fairy-tale whiteness. ‘So far we’ve an audience of fourteen, not counting the caretaker.’

‘This’ll finish us, Kitty. We’ve not been doing as well as we should lately and pantomimes are fiercely expensive to put on. If we don’t get a good audience this week, we could end up with a serious loss.’

‘Let’s not think the unthinkable shall we?’ Determined to remain buoyant, she stepped out into the road to check if a queue was forming. There wasn’t. She shivered, rubbed her hands up and down her arms to warm them then walked back inside, closing the door against a blast of icy wind. ‘It’s early yet. How’s Charlotte?’ she asked. ‘Feeling more relaxed?’

Archie’s face was expressionless as he assured Kitty that she seemed perfectly recovered. They both knew this to be untrue. Charlotte was becoming an increasing worry to them all, constantly flying into a rage for no apparent reason, or playing the prima-donna and seeming to revel in making everyone’s lives a misery. But the faintest hint of criticism about her irascibility and Archie would spring to her defence, citing first night nerves, or the difficulties of a childhood which still haunted her. As he was the only one who could get any work out of her, it was quite impossible to countermand such arguments.

Jacob appeared at their side, loudly complaining of a poor house and begging Kitty to forgive him for his unspeakably unprofessional behaviour at the Dress. ‘Gone on the wagon now. Won’t fall off it. Honest injun.’

Laughing and shaking her head in despair and disbelief, Kitty hugged him, a feat in itself in view of his increasing girth. ‘I have every faith in you.’

Jacob’s predilection to imbibe of the “Dutch courage” in order to counteract his stage fright, was beginning to be a problem. Archie merely smiled and said nothing, as usual. ‘However small the audience tonight, once they’ve seen Rod and Sam as the funniest Ugly Sisters ever, not to mention our delightful chorus of nymphs and shepherdesses, they’ll spread the word around town and everyone will come in droves tomorrow and for the rest of the week. See if they don’t.’

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