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time will not be wasted. This week gives me the opportunity to establish you in my circle of friends. I will
also have other tasks for you to do. Tomorrow, for instance, we will spend the after-noon together, and
the following day, you will run a very important errand for me. By the way, begin-ning tonight, you re an
actress.
 What?
 You are a London actress, a protegee and un-derstudy of Mary Black, and you have just arrived in
Boston.
She took a sip of sherry.  And why did I leave my promising career to come here?
 You had a very severe illness and, as a result, lost your voice for a long time. Because of that, you also
lost your mentor. Though you have recovered and are no longer ill, you wanted a change of scene and
society. So you decided to come to the colonies for an indefinite stay. Your name is Mrs. Arm-strong.
 And what happened to Mr. Armstrong?
 He died. You re a widow.
 And because I m an actress, I m also of a loose moral character and very likely to be some man s
mistress, she concluded.  In this case, yours.
 Quite so.
Katie had no doubts about her acting ability and was able to play her part easily enough that evening as
she was introduced to Ethan s acquaintances, and the story he had concocted regarding her back-ground
was put to good use. She also fancied that she came across convincingly as both an actress and a
mistress.
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Her memories of life with her mother were somewhat vague, but during the course of the evening, Katie
discovered how much of her child-hood she actually remembered as she took on the role her mother had
played in life. She found her-self adopting her mother s demeanor, meeting the speculative looks of
Ethan s guests with a natural-ness that somewhat surprised her.
Because Ethan was an unmarried man, and she professed to be a widow with her own household, total
discretion regarding their relationship was not required, and Katie was glad of it. Her mother had been in
a different position, the unmarried mistress of a married man with whom she had lived openly, and the
veiled contempt with which she had been treated was something Katie did not particularly wish to
experience.
Instead, when Ethan introduced her as his friend, Mrs. Armstrong, most of the guests accepted the
relationship without raising an eyebrow. They must surely have concluded she was Ethan s mis-tress, but
most were too well bred to show it. There was one exception, a man named Holbrook, and his reaction
was far more boorish than that of any other guest.  An actress, eh? he said, giving her a wink.  I didn t
know Ethan even liked the theater. He must be able to see some plays that we don t.
He laughed heartily at his own words. Ethan gave the other man a polite smile, but Katie could see it
was a smile that did not reach his eyes. He took her elbow and steered her away from Holbrook,
in-sisting there were other guests she had to meet.
 Thank you, she whispered as he guided her away.
 I m sorry about that, he said as they took up a place at the opposite end of the room.  Holbrook s a
pig.
She glanced up at him in surprise.  You re angry.
He didn t answer, but the tight set of his mouth confirmed her conclusion, and she felt a tiny throb of
pleasure.  Be careful, she murmured, unable to resist teasing him.  You might start falling madly in love
with me.
 God, I hope not. You d lead any man in love with you a sorry chase.
That was so true, she couldn t help laughing.  Thank you very much. You know, Ethan, if you don t
flatter your mistress occasionally, you just might find she s left you for another man.
 I see. And of the other men in this room, which would you choose?
She pretended to give the matter serious consid-eration and finally settled on the tall, blond man standing
nearby.  That one.
 Not possible. Travertine wouldn t be at ali at-tracted to you.
 You are overwhelming me with flattery this evening. And why would he not find me attrac-tive?
Ethan flashed her a grin as she took a sip of sherry.  You re a woman.
She choked.  He likes boys?
 I believe I ve shocked you.
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 Not at all.  Tis a pity, though. He s so hand-some. She gave an aggrieved sigh.  Why is it the
handsome ones always prefer boys?
 That hurts, Katie. Do you feel better now that you ve evened the score?
 Yes, she said, aware that she was smiling like a cat who d found the cream pitcher.  I believe I do.
 My opinion remains unchanged. God help any man who falls in love with you.
Katie caught Holbrook studying her across the room, and when he began moving toward them, she
groaned.  Holbrook is coming this way.
 Don t worry. I ll protect you.
 If Holbrook is such a pig, why do you invite him to your parties?
 He is one of Gage s aides, and he gives me a great deal of valuable information. Especially when he s
drunk, which is quite often. Besides, his wife, Rosalie, is a nice and lovely woman.
 He has a wife? A nice, lovely one? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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