The Vaudeville Star (11 page)

“Hmmm.” Alice smiled. “My son. He always had an eye for beauty.”

Ruby looked down at her gloves. She saw she needed new ones. Her white gloves were discolored from use and the dirt of the city, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable in this grand house wearing her drab dress and old gloves.

“He’s mentioned you several times,” Alice continued.

Ruby set the cup and saucer back on the tray. “Has he? I’m sure I’ve done nothing to warrant it.”

“Come now, Miss Sutton. Ruby, if I may?”

Ruby nodded. “Please.”

“You don’t need to be coy. As I said, you’re a beauty, and male attention follows beauty. I know all about you. You aren’t some little theater tart trying to steal my son. In fact, you are much more on the same social standing as us. Second daughter of Earl and Lucille Sutton. Born and raised in Mississippi. Educated in Connecticut at Miss Porter’s School.”

“All that is true,” Ruby confirmed, though she felt uncomfortable as to the reason why King’s mother had chosen to find out so much about her.

“Of course it is. It’s also true that my daughter-in-law is ill. Quite ill.” She selected a small iced cake that had been placed before them on the tea tray.

“Yes, you mentioned that before.”

“I must have grandchildren, Ruby. It’s essential. And William must have a son. An heir.”

Ruby swallowed lightly. The room felt stuffy, and the tea seemed bitter. “I’m sure your daughter-in-law will recover.”

“She won’t. The doctors all agree.”

Ruby looked at the lilies in the window and saw that one petal had fallen onto the table. It was such a small thing, but it seemed to add a bit of disarray to the pristine room. Ruby liked it. It made her feel at home.

“My son is quite taken with you. Why do you think he’s financing this tour?”

“I had heard he was a patron of the arts.”

“That’s quite true. He is. However, I think this time he wants something more.”

“Madame—” Ruby began.

“Come now, Ruby. There is no need to blush and stammer. My son is attracted to you. That much is clear. And you are lovely and young, and I’m sure you’ve had admirers.”

“Not really.” Ruby shook her head.

“I want you to keep an open mind is all. Half the battle is finding a suitable young woman, and the other half is finding someone that William likes. Caroline was lovely too when she was younger, but she was fragile. I warned him. She had three miscarriages, and then that was that. He could no longer bed her. But you are strong. I see that.” Alice’s eyes flicked over her.

“Mrs. Parker . . .” Ruby tried to still the conversation, but the older woman would not be stopped.

“We don’t have time on our side. I want you to look at William as a possible future husband. You will give him heirs, and in turn your life will be comfortable. You will have everything you desire. What more could a young girl want?”

“I desire to be on the stage,” Ruby said in a strong voice.

Alice seemed amused. “Onstage now, yes. But in ten years? Twenty years? What then? Your looks will fade. And another young beauty will take your place.”

Ruby looked down at her shabby gloves and dress. She felt out of place, and the words shocked her. King’s mother wanted her to contemplate marriage. She would be the breeding mare to the stallion, yet the wife lay upstairs somewhere in a large bed, wasting away.

“I really don’t think this is the time to speak of such things. As you said, ma’am, Caroline is ill. But miracles do happen.”

“Not in New York they don’t,” Alice said.

“I should go,” Ruby said softly. “Thank you for the tea.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, Ruby. Just to lay the facts before you. Caroline will die and soon. You could take her place and in doing so have an easy life. Open your heart to my son.”

Ruby shivered as she made her way out of the mansion. Alice Parker’s daughter-in-law lay dying, but all she saw was the future—a future where Caroline was already dead. It horrified Ruby.

* * *

R
uby waited
outside the mansion for a taxicab, and when one pulled up, she rushed inside it just as a man was exiting.

“Ruby!”

She heard Ford’s voice and turned to him.

“Are you ill?” he asked, seeing her pale face.

“No. No, I’m not,” she said, a little disjointed.

“I was to meet King in ten minutes, but I’ll see you safely home first. Drive on,” he directed the driver. “What has happened? Why are you here?”

Ruby shook her head. She looked at Ford’s handsome face. The face she loved.

“I hardly know where to begin,” she said.

“Tell me, or I’ll think the worst.”

She quickly relayed the invitation to tea and the bizarre conversation that had just occurred.

“Well. It seems as if you’ve caught the eye of King Parker and in doing so, that of his mother.”

“Do you know about her?” Ruby asked.

“There isn’t that much to know. She came from a wealthy family in Rhode Island and brought money to the marriage. King’s father was weak and liked to drink. When he died, she poured all of her energy into King, her only child.”

“And Caroline?”

“Almost the same story. An heiress. I’m not sure if she came from Boston or someplace else. Sickly. Or so I’ve heard.”

“I didn’t even know what to say to her, Ford. King has said nothing to me, yet she seems to want me married and bedded already,” she flushed as she said the words.

“She is what she is. A meddling woman who wants grandchildren. Pay her no mind.” Ford took her hands in his, and she closed her eyes.

She could feel his warmth seep into her cold hands, and she was comforted by him.

“I should have refused the invitation, but I didn’t think it wise. He’s doing so much for the show,” she explained. “He’s financing our tour to London.”

“The show, Ruby. Not you. You don’t owe him anything,” Ford told her.

She looked down at their hands entwined and remembered his hands on her body and his body over hers. She had to tear her thoughts away from that night when she had given him everything.

“No, I don’t. You’re right,” she agreed.

K
ing poured
out two large whiskeys and handed one to Ford.

“Thank you, Rutledge. For handling that business with Harry. Damned nuisance!”

“It was easily taken care of,” Ford returned.

Both men sipped their drinks, and Ford waited. King had sent a note through the agency that he wished to see him.

“I’m certain one day Harry is going to get himself into a mess that I won’t be able to bail him out of. But such is life,” King said, taking the large chair behind the desk and gesturing to the seat in front of it.

Ford took the seat facing King, though his mind was still on Ruby. She had seemed jarred by the conversation with King’s mother, and it worried him. He liked King well enough. His work with him had been pretty standard, and he seemed decent enough. But King liked the ladies, and once he set his sights on one, he chased her until he bedded her. They didn’t last long, as he was Catholic and divorce was out of the question.

Lourdes was his longtime mistress, and so the new women he kept for only a few months and then sent them on their way. He usually never dabbled with innocent young women; rather, married society women were more his standard. Either way, he would never allow King to treat Ruby as a plaything to be used and discarded. He cared too much for her, he thought in a flash of possessive jealousy.

“You know about this tour I’m financing,” King said, waving his hand about.

“Yes. You mentioned it to me.”

“I think the young singer Ruby will be a great star. She has the talent and the looks. By God, she is a looker.”

Ford feigned indifference. He didn’t want King to know about their past. Information was power, and Ford wanted it kept secret.

“She doesn’t know it yet. But after we tour London and Paris, I want to build an entire show around her in New York. The finest show ever with costumes and scenery. It will be grand!” King said excitedly.

“Is she your mistress?” Ford asked, dreading the answer. He thought he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from King’s own lips.

“Not at all! She’s innocent. She even rebuked me. Because I’m married.” He smiled, and Ford did as well.

“No. I’m an admirer and nothing more. I want her to rise through the ranks and be a great star!”

Ford wondered at King’s motives. He was spending much and receiving little. Even if he received a percentage of the ticket sales, that would be mere pocket change to a man like King.

“So how can I help?” Ford said, placing the empty glass beside him.

“I’ve decided to travel with the show to London, and I want you to come with me.”

Ford looked up. “Why?”

King shrugged. “I’d feel safer. Not so much a bodyguard, but you can keep an eye on things. Keep an eye on Ruby. Make certain no young man catches her eye.”

Ford bristled at the assignment, but he said nothing. Normally, with anyone else, he might have turned the job down flat. But he wanted to be near Ruby. He wanted to keep an eye on her for no other reason than to keep her away from King.

“All right.” Ford nodded.

Ford thought about that night in Connecticut, as he had done so many times. He had handled the aftermath all wrong, but that night with her had been so right. He remembered in perfect detail her soft skin and delicate body. At night, when he was alone, she was always with him in his memory.

“I’ll make the arrangements and inform the agency. Your expenses will be paid, of course. Your ship’s passage and hotel,” King confirmed.

“Very well.”

“And if anyone should ask, you can say you are my business associate.”

* * *

W
hen Ford returned
to his lodgings, he placed his coat and hat aside and went to the small bar he kept and poured himself a bourbon. He would do as King wished and gladly. He wanted to keep an eye on Ruby for his own sake and her safety. He would have her best interests in mind, even if King didn’t.

But he kept his true feelings at bay whenever they were together, and it was hard to fight. He wanted her still. He wanted her as he had never wanted another woman before. She haunted his dreams at night, and in his waking hours, he ached for her.

He had seen her onstage and had not been surprised at the way she easily captured the hearts of men in the audience. Her sweet face and smile were only the beginning, followed by a lush body that he could still remember under his hands.

It had been heaven and then hell to know that she was not a woman to cry at him and try to wring a marriage proposal from him. Indeed, Ruby had almost laughed at him and wanted nothing from him, which was all the more frustrating. Even though he had never said another word, nothing had changed from that night. He wanted her still.

He had watched her from afar and had his colleague follow her to keep her safe. He had seen her perform and applauded with everyone else. But he was not like everyone else. And in his heart, he had never let her go.

* * *

“
Y
ou had
tea with Ruby Sutton? Why?” King asked when Ford left and was replaced by Alice, who had told her son the very thing he had just asked.

“To meet her. I know you like her. She’s lovely.”

“Don’t interfere, Mother. Not in this.”

“I didn’t at all. How could you think that?” she said soothingly.

“At this point, I am backing the tour and nothing more. I also intend to travel to London with the troupe,” he explained.

Alice looked sharply at her son but said nothing. “I’m to stay here with Caroline?”

“Of course. Who else?”

Alice was about to speak and then changed her mind. “Of course I will stay to look after Caroline. And you must do as you please, my dear.”

King smiled. “I know you were curious. But really, Mother, nothing is happening that concerns you. It is business. That is all.”

“One that is taking you to London,” Alice stated.

“Just so.”

* * *

“
Z
eta is looking
for new material,” Bessie told Ruby as they walked together to the theater. “Ezra told me.”

“I suppose that’s good for her,” Ruby said.

“She’s terribly threatened by you, Ruby.”

“I can’t help that. I only got the three songs thanks to King, but I’m grateful to him. But I can’t help what he does any more than I can help my age or hers. I don’t want to feel sad because of it.”

“Nor should you Ruby.”

“But I do. I hate feeling that my rise may be her downfall.”

“No. You do your very best and leave Zeta to Zeta. Whether she continues or falters will be on her. You concentrate on yourself. And just think. London! I never thought it possible until you came along.”

“We owe it all to King.”

“No. We owe it all to you. Our good luck charm,” Bessie said, hugging her friend.

When they entered the side door to the theater, Lewis was sitting in his usual spot reading the newspaper.

“For you,” he told Ruby and pointed at the wilted daises beside him.

“Again?”

“Guess so.”

“Did he say anything?” Ruby asked, picking up the pathetic-looking flowers.

“Nope. And I told him to be on his way.”

“You weren’t harsh, were you?”

“Nope. But you’re out of his league, and that’s a fact.”

“We’re all human, Lewis.”

“Maybe. But you have breeding. Class. You’ll go far,” he said gruffly.

Ruby smiled. His kind words warmed her heart. “Don’t go getting attached to me, Lewis. I’m off to London soon,” she teased.

“Attached? Hmph! I’m not attached to anyone, let alone some pert miss young enough to be my granddaughter.”

Ruby smiled as she moved away from the old codger. She put the little daisies in water as soon as she entered her dressing room. When she sat down upon her chair, she gazed into the mirror and turned around in alarm.

“No need to be frightened of me,” Zeta said as she reclined on the sofa. “I am just Zeta.”

“I-I’m not. I just didn’t expect you.”

“I’ve been waiting for you. It seems all I do is wait these days. Wait for things to happen,” she said, sitting up to face her.

“You wanted to speak to me?” Ruby asked.

“I’m almost forty, you know. Forty in this business for a woman almost equals death. The men, they want to see a flash of leg, a pretty smile, and if she can sing, that’s okay.”

“I don’t understand.” Ruby shook her head.

“But I will tell you this, little peasant. I don’t care if you’ve slept with King Parker and a dozen like him. I have top billing, and I am the star! Do you hear me?”

Ruby flushed pink and stood. “I heard you quite clearly, Zeta. And allow me to clarify that I have not slept with King, nor will I. And I got here because of my talent and nothing else!”

Zeta stood as well and snorted. “We’ll see. When a man spends so much money and then asks that he make love to you, it will seem a small thing, no?”

“No,” Ruby said firmly. “Not to me. I have my pride.”

“Pride?” Zeta laughed. “Pride is the first thing we women lose when we try to rise. Trust me. I know it better than anyone.”

When Zeta was gone, Ruby sank back into the chair. She felt a sense of loss. She understood for the first time that Zeta had given up much to forge a place in the vaudeville world, and she viewed Ruby as a usurper.

When rehearsal resumed, Ruby took up another song in the first act but did not perform the third song. The other performers watched as Ruby glided across the stage with an ease and elegance she had not had before.

She sang quietly so as not to strain her voice for the actual performance, and when she was finished, she made a little curtsy to the empty audience.

“Well done, Ruby,” said one of the Vadas sisters.

The late afternoon was setting in when Ruby returned to her dressing room. It was quiet backstage as many of the stagehands had left after rehearsal for the local bars. As she stepped inside her room, she saw Ford sitting quietly on the sofa.

“I had to see you,” he said swiftly.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, not exactly. King has decided to go to London with the show.”

Ruby looked down at the worn rug. She didn’t like it. She didn’t want to spend nights upon nights aboard a ship with King Parker. It was almost as if Zeta’s prophecy had come true. All the money he lavished on the tour, how could she refuse him her body? How could she ever give him her body?

“Has he?” She turned from him.

Ford stood up and came to stand behind her. “It’s only a matter of time, Ruby. He may be willing to wait now, but eventually he’ll want more. I know him. I’ve seen it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I won’t be his mistress.” She turned to stare at him.

“And if his wife dies? If Alice Parker invited you to tea, it was because she’s looking you over. Don’t be fooled. King is King, but Alice is much more. King may control Manhattan, but Alice controls King.” Their eyes met.

“Well, neither controls me, Ford. I want none of these machinations. I want to perform. I want to sing. That’s all.”

“Don’t be such a child, Ruby. There is a price. You know that.”