One Heart- The Greatest Showman

Chapter 7

Elizabeth's Pov

I showed Miss Lind to my old cabin, her new one, and began to pick up a couple of things I had left on board. 

"Well this is very quaint." She said as she strutted across the room, her white ball gown following behind. 

"Did you know when I was touring in ....." She began to tell me about all the wonderful palaces she had toured. 

I assembled my things as quickly as possible so I didn't have to be stuck in a room with her for much longer.  I was just about to leave when she piped up again. 

"Oh Miss Grey! You left this behind" She held up "Romeo and Juliet". "Shakespeare? I didn't know people like you read Shakespeare." 

"People like Me?" I questioned as I could feel the anger and frustration building up. 

Miss Lind, noticing her mistake, answered. "I meant circus performers. I didn't think you would have time to read with all that practising you do." Miss Lind plastered on a smile and batted her dark eyelashes. 

I pretty much stomped over to her (maybe stepping on the trail of her dress with a heel a couple of times) and took the book off her.   Having the book and the train of my dress in one hand and my suitcase in the other, I left the room.  I could taste blood and relaised that it was from me biting my tongue just so I wouldn't get angry.

Just as I was about to go down the stairs to the second deck, I paused. I couldn't go an ambush Anne to stay with her, even though she is my best friend. She hasn't had a room to herself in years and I am not going to ruin that for her. And Lettie deserves to have a room to herself, after all I am the one who got moved; nobody else should have to give up their rooms just so I can sleep on the floor or share a bed with them. 

So I did what any logical person would do. I went to the storage closet. It's not ideal and required a bit of shuffling but I was making it work. Thankfully it had a lock on it, so I could get out of my white dress and into something more simple. 

This was going to be a long six days. 

*****

We finally arrived back in New York. After Anne found out that I was sleeping in the supply closet (which I had done for 2 days before he found me), she forced me to share her bed with her. 

Apparently while we were in England, Miss Lind agreed to have Mr Barnum as her manger during her stay.  He wanted to give the people something real. 

Elizabeth YOU are Real and so are the other performers!

Everybody went back to practising and rehearsing as soon as we got back to the museum. Lettie was fixing up the dance to go with a song she wrote and was thinking of performing tonight. Charles was watching Lettie as well as giving his own input for the dance. 

And for me? Ropes today. Anne wanted me to practise rolling down the rope with only a section of it holding me. 

I hadn't seen Phillip since England. I went to his room each day to see how he was feeling but he was always either sleeping or not in his room. 

I was hanging upside down , as you do, with my legs holding on to the rope. Leaving my arms free to hold onto the hoop below. Barnum walked in, gleaming about his new show tonight at the theatre. Not here.  He booked an actual theatre with an orchestra and everything !

" I would like to invite you all to Miss Lind's performance before the show here. Meet at the theatre at 6:30pm tonight." He said as he continued to walk past everyone.