The Favoured, The Fair and Ms. Vérité Claire

16 The Last Chapter

Vérité, Bernard, Julia and Orson watched unmoved as Minx held the last note of her solo way too long. She even let her voice break a little, which brought on a disruptive applause from the audience. Somehow she managed to power through, after a pre-determined lapse, naturally.

"Shameless," Vérité tutted, careful that her expression did not match her words, so visible were they in their box seats. "That poor cat."

Minx was playing the lead role of the young witch, Gillian Holroyd, in a musical production of Bell, Book and Candle which required a lot of singing but not much dancing. She said it would be less demanding on her heart, even though she was three times as old as her character was. It was doubtful her feline co-star, currently being held up and warbled at with the song, Why, That Guy, Pyewacket, Why?! would survive the sold-out run.

"It must declawed," Julia said.

"It must be deaf," said Vérité.

"As long as the candles don't come to life and start tap-dancing, I'm cool with it," Orson said.

"Watch how I can boo through a smile," Bernard said applauding enthusiastically as the curtain closed for intermission.

"You know, Julia, I was thinking," said Vérité, "have you ever been interested in costume design? You do love the theatre and I was speaking to the director of The Opera Company and he seems very eager to add to his team of talent."

Julia's face lit up. "Really? I have been sketching lately, but when would I have the time?"

"I want you to seize every opportunity and I could spare you if it meant I'd have an even inner in. It would really be a feather in my cap." She tapped Julia's knee with her viewing glasses sweetly.

"Spare her?!" Bernard protested. "But you can't! She does all the heavy lifting!"

"Lotte does all the heavy lifting," Vérité said, "and besides that, she's due in November. A baby at forty! Robert's feet aren't touching the ground."

"My point exactly," Bernard croaked.

"Calm down, Bernard. You'll survive. But I won't if I don't get something to drink. Anyone coming?" There were no volunteers. "I'll be right back then."

Orson squeezed Julia's hand. "It's a good idea," he said encouragingly. Julia kissed his cheek and whispered something for his ears only which made them both smile and made  Orson turn a bit red. "Yeah, okay," he said.

Bernard looked stricken.

"You're not seriously thinking about it?!"

"Bernard," Julia said, "I didn't know you cared."

"Please! She's had her eye on that froufy pastry wunderkind ever since he made her a sugar dragon at D Dash Vine. I knew it! He'll replace us both."

"Can he write?"

"Who knows but I bet he could crack a walnut with his – I've got to call Hervé."

"Vérité could never replace you."

"Easy for you to say, I'm on the last chapter! This has got to be stopped."

The three note chime of the end of intermission brought Vérité back in a tizzy.

"Some klutz tossed a canapé at the back of my cape!"

"Are you sure it was an accident?" Julia asked.

"You mean do I think that glazed ham is stealing my best tricks again? Possibly. Absolutely!"

"So war starts again tomorrow?" Orson concluded.

"Please, we're not amateurs," Bernard chuckled.

"Minx has a very interesting, non-life-threatening, reaction to pistachios," Vérité said, wiggling her shoulders, at first with fiendish glee and then to try and manoeuvre the topped cracker canapé along her bra line.  "I had the caterer sprinkle a few grounds into all of the dishes set out for the after party."

"What about 'Dignity Always?'" Julia asked.

"That's easy to say when you don't have crab salad in your collar. In the meantime remember there are always exceptions to every rule. And there's certainly nothing wrong with hoping Minx nibbles between acts.

The (Living) End