My name is Faythe (Cat) Barns and I am an actress at The Theatre Royal, London in the 1960's. I'm the forgotten daughter of the Duke of Devon. My father believes I drowned at sea, but really, I'm happily married and living in Bow Street. My husband, Scott, is a butcher and boxer. He owns his father's butchers in Bow Street. For the last 16 years I have also been the leader of the west side gang the Butchers Boys. This was all true until the actor Dan Charles turned up. This is the story of how I came to leave my husband, my job and the boys I came to love and returned to my life as a Duchess.
My Story starts on Tuesday the 6th of February 1962; we had just started rehearsals on Gemma Payne's new play 'Heartbreak at Hartland', when Mr Black, the theatre's very powerful owner, introduced us to the new male lead.
"Quiet everyone; that includes you Cat! As you all know Sydney Barns, our last lead actor, quit last Monday, after that all our plays have been lead actress only. But now I found Mr Dan Charles, our new lead actor, we will be performing Romeo and Juliet!"
A cheer went up from the whole cast and crew, all but me. Because doing Romeo and Juliet meant kissing a man I hadn't even met yet in just two hours, yes I know I'm meant to be an actress, but still.
"You do not seem too pleased with today's good news, Mrs Barns, or should I call you Lady Elizabeth?"
The voice had come from behind me and made me jump. The voice had sounded too familiar and had called me Lady Elizabeth. I turned too be face to face with Lord Daniel, the son of The Duke of Cornwall and my sweetheart of my youth.
"My name is Mrs Barns and who is this Lady Elizabeth you speak of?"
I tried to act as if the name was unimportant and that I had never heard it before, all the time thinking how did you find me? You see readers Lord Daniel was to my husband, before I ran away.
"Well Lady Elizabeth was my childhood sweetheart and we were to be married."
I was only sixteen when Dan and I became engaged. I did not feel ready to marry then, so I did the only thing I could think of and ran away.
"Oh my. You poor man. How would you care to join my husband and me at The Play Writer for dinner this evening, after the performance of course?"
I thought if I told him that I was now married he would believe my story of not knowing myself by my old name, but unfortunately for me, he seemed un-fooled.
"That would be lovely Mrs Barns"
"Please call me Cat, everyone else does. Oh by the way I am the Theatres Leading Lady."
"Call me Dan. Oh a married Leading Lady? Now I see why you are not too pleased with today's news."
Oh but Daniel did not realise the half of it. With Lord Daniel back in my life, it would not be long before the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall turned up and if their son hadn't found me out before then, I knew with my whole heart that they would!
That evening the play went off without a hitch and the crowd seemed to be happy with having a lead actor again. I was just about to go looking for Daniel when...
"Lady Elizabeth, I mean Cat, can I have a word in my office please?"
There stood Mr Black.
"Of course Sir"
I followed him to his office and sat down by the fire with a worried look on my face.
"Cat, about Dan..."
I interrupted him there
"I know he is Lord Daniel of Cornwall and that he knows who I really am."
