The Vaudeville Star Read online

  “And how many gentlemen callers do you have? I mean besides me and King,” he said, and Ruby recognized the jealousy in his voice.

  She unpinned her hat and took off her gloves. “How did you find me?”

  “I have my ways.”

  Ruby turned to him and tried not to focus on his broad shoulders and handsome face. She had always liked her room with the hardwood floors and the curved window seat that overlooked the street, but with Ford in it, the room seemed small.

  “You said you were colleagues when we met. What does that mean?” she asked.

  “I do jobs for him sometimes. I joined the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He’s a client.”

  “You’re a detective?”

  “Yes.”

  “But why? You have the plantation. You’ll inherit it.”

  “As fascinating as it sounds to sit around watching crops grow and drinking mint juleps for the next ten, twenty years, I need a little bit more excitement in my life than that.”

  “So you’ll return eventually to Mississippi when you tire of the excitement?” Ruby asked.

  “Something like that.”

  “I’ll never return,” she stated firmly.

  “Don’t kid yourself, Ruby. At heart, you’re a Southern belle.”

  “Maybe. But there’s nothing in Mississippi for me now.” She flushed and watched as Ford moved about the room.

  “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

  “I came to warn you,” he said softly as he stood before her.

  “Warn me?”

  “Yes. I’ve worked several jobs in New York, including high-profile ones, and I’ve worked for King, so I’ve seen it firsthand. He has a reputation.”

  “A reputation?”

  “With the ladies.”

  Ruby looked into Ford’s handsome face. “What has that to do with me?”

  “I know you went to the park with him today.”

  “Are you spying on me?”

  “And he’s captivated by you,” he continued. “Which isn’t hard, I know.”

  Ruby heard something in his voice that made her stop. “He’s in talks to finance a tour to London with the vaudeville show,” she explained.

  “And the price of his backing is what? You?” he asked coldly.

  Ruby wanted to slap his face, but she didn’t. “Don’t presume to know me, Ford. You don’t at all.”

  Ford grinned and took a step toward her. A blond curl had untangled from her ribbon and he tucked it behind her ear. “I don’t know you? I think of all the men in New York, I know you only too well.”

  Ruby stared into his hazel eyes. “That was one night.”

  “You want another?”

  “You come to warn me and then insult me?”

  Ford gave her a hot, searching glance and then turned away. “You’re right. My manners are lacking. I apologize.”

  “I am capable of taking care of myself, Ford. As it is, King said nothing to me today other than wishing to be my admirer. I could never be anything more. He’s married, and I even told him so.”

  A light smile touched Ford’s face. “I’m sure he loved that. The first woman ever to refuse King Parker.”

  “I didn’t refuse him. He offered nothing.”

  “I’ve worked with him before, Ruby. He has a wayward brother-in-law named Harry who is often in trouble, and his wife was once blackmailed for something. For the most part, he seems a good man. But he has more money than is safe. And when people have that kind of money, it makes them think they can buy anything. Including people.”

  “Well, there is nothing for sale here,” Ruby returned tartly.

  Ford was silent for a moment before he spoke. “I’ve been worried about you, Ruby. Since that night . . .” He let the rest of his words fall away.

  “You shouldn’t have been. As you see, I can take care of myself.”

  Ford smiled. “You’re a spitfire, Ruby Mae. A true, honest-to-goodness spitfire.”

  Ruby tried to ignore the way her heart flip-flopped when he spoke her full name that no one else ever used. “Maybe I was just too much for Mississippi.”

  “I think you might be too much for New York as well.”

  “Ford?”

  “Yes, darling?”

  She knew he let the “darling” slip as a Southern endearment. It meant nothing to him. But his honeyed words caused a shiver of desire to race through her.

  “Thank you for caring. I know it was daring to leave everything behind, but you see now. You see I had to go. There’s nothing for me there. Nothing at all.”

  “Well you know, Pernetta. God love her, but I think your Momma must miss you.”

  “Maybe. Maybe when things are settled, I’ll write to them. But with Daddy gone, I just couldn’t face the two of them together.”

  Ford nodded and picked up his hat.

  “Just know that you aren’t alone in New York. I’m here for you. Whatever you need, I’m here. I want you to know that. You can always reach me through the agency.”

  “Thank you, Ford.”

  He reached for her, and when he enveloped her in his arms, she closed her eyes, relishing his masculine smell. She loved him still. Nothing had changed.

  When they separated, he kissed her lightly on the forehead and then departed.

  8

  Ruby sat down upon her bed after Ford left. She must move forward. Whatever else Ford thought about her, their one night of passion had obviously been a mistake in his eyes. Perhaps the alcohol and the loss of her father had made her seem pitiful to him. She must not make any more of it. He viewed her as a family friend and nothing more. She must bury her love for him deep inside her heart.

  She moved to the closet and pulled out the orange-and-cream-colored gown. She picked up her small sewing kit and the small bag of rhinestones she had been able to procure from the costume department and took them all to the window seat.

  She had threaded the needle and begun to place the rhinestones strategically along the bodice when a knock sounded at the door. Bessie entered and joined her at the window seat.

  “What a beautiful gown, Ruby!”

  “Vernon helped me pick it out. He said I needed something special to wear onstage.”

  “Well, this is it!”

  Ruby placed the rhinestones where she thought they would get the most light along the neckline and bodice, and Bessie made suggestions as well. When she was finished, she slipped into the gown and waited for Bessie’s reaction.

  “I can’t wait to tell everyone I was the one who discovered Ruby Sutton,” Bessie giggled as Ruby twirled around in her dress.

  “Do you really think so, Bessie? Truly?” She had stopped moving, and her eyes were upon Bessie.

  “It’s true that you are no one now, but we all start out that way. Do you think Sarah Bernhardt became the most famous actress in the world overnight? Or Lillian Russell? Of course not. Even those who seem to rise to fame quickly do not. It takes time.”

  “I suppose.”

  “And just like our reigning diva, Zeta Riggi, who has been on the stage for twenty years, it has taken her time to gain a following and have people want to see her. You will be the same.”

  Ruby looked down at the gown that fit like a glove, rhinestones glittering on the bodice. The bodice skimmed along her curves, showing off her breasts, and the skirt flounced out in a bright orange flash of color.

  “You’re a vision,” Bessie assured her.

  The next day, she received hand-delivered red roses with no note, but she knew they were from King. When Bessie joined her for their morning coffee ritual, she saw the roses and asked after them.

  “They are from King Parker. I did meet him at the party, and we had a picnic the following day.”

  “King Parker? The man you didn’t know from Adam, and now he’s a conquest of yours?” Bessie exclaimed.

  “Hardly a conquest.” Ruby smiled.

  “Tell me all about it! Every detail in detail,�
� she said excitedly, sitting on Ruby’s unmade bed.

  Ruby told her about their meeting at the party, her brief introduction to Alice Parker, as well as the mistress, Lourdes, and their picnic.

  “You’ve kept too much to yourself, Ruby! You met Alice Parker? She’s a legend too! They say she’s like a modern Catherine de Medici, always scheming and plotting for her son.”

  “She seemed quite normal to me, though a little too indiscreet with her thoughts,” Ruby supplied.

  “I’ve read about Lourdes in the gossip columns. She’s beautiful, yet no one knows where she came from, and she’s very possessive of King,” Bessie said.

  “I honestly don’t care a fig about King, his plotting mother, or his jealous mistress. My only concern right now is making sure I don’t fall onstage or disgrace myself my first night,” Ruby said.

  “Absolutely not possible. We’ll practice until you feel secure. Remember to keep your head held high and your posture erect,” Bessie directed as Ruby moved across the room, speaking her song, holding her head high, and keeping her back straight.

  “And if anything does happen, God forbid you fall or stumble, just keep right on going and be saucy about it. Wink at the men and they’ll love you for it,” Bessie told her.

  Ruby rolled her eyes as she strolled across the room. “Wink at the men if I stumble? Really, Bess? Why?”

  Bessie laughed. “Because it will show the audience that you are having fun. That you are human. You aren’t taking yourself seriously.”

  Ruby did a quick turn in the room, and Bessie nodded. “Exactly. Very elegant.”

  “I always thought being onstage was simple, but so much goes into it,” Ruby replied.

  “You’re right. People think it is simple, but besides a degree of talent, there is the costume, the makeup, and for singers and dancers, we need to have a presence. Sometimes it can be learned over time, and you will. But some performers just stand in one place, which bores the audience. You need to move about. To entice and beguile and entertain.”

  Ruby giggled. “Entice? Beguile?”

  “Of course. As you sing, pick someone in the audience to sing to and then someone else. Connect with them. And when you catch a woman’s eye, smile. Don’t alienate the women. They will love you and support you just like the men.”

  Ruby practiced walking and singing before her audience of one, and Bessie clapped.

  “You’re ready. And don’t be nervous. I mean, it’s natural, but don’t let it control you. As you go onstage again and again, it will get better. But don’t let it overtake you.”

  Ruby moved to Bessie and embraced her warmly. “Thank you, Bessie. For everything.”

  Bessie seemed embarrassed but also pleased. “Be yourself, Ruby. Your talent and loveliness will shine through.”

  Ruby waited backstage as the theater came to life. She was nervous and twisted her fingers over and over as she could do nothing but wait. Lou passed her in his costume and smiled at her in greeting.

  Lee Chen exited the stage after his act, wearing his long silk black robe and black boots with white soles that Ruby had never seen on anyone else. He nodded to her politely and moved on his way.

  As the second act opened, Vernon took to the stage dressed in his black-and-white evening clothes. He greeted the audience and hoped they were enjoying the show. He asked that everyone give a warm welcome to their newest vaudeville trouper, Ruby Sutton, the Southern Belle.

  Ruby tugged at her long white gloves and pressed the orange silk skirt down as she heard her name being said.

  The curtains opened to the full audience as Vern disappeared backstage. The orchestra struck up the first chords as Ruby stepped into the spotlight. There were whistles and shouts at first, but suddenly the entire theater was silent as she began to sing.

  “Sweetest little feller, Everybody knows; Don’t know what to call him, But he’s mighty like a rose!

  Looking at his Mammy, With eyes so shiny blue, Might you think that heaven, Is coming close to you!”

  She sang the words quietly and with love as she gazed out over the audience. She caught the eyes of several people and smiled, as she had practiced. She moved gracefully across the stage, and the rhinestones along her bodice sparkled under the spotlight. The cream-colored bodice and orange skirt made her stand out like never before, and the audience was transfixed.

  “When he's there sleeping, In his little place, Think I see the angels, Looking through the lace.

  When the dark is falling, When the shadows creep, Then they come on tiptoe, To kiss him in his sleep. Sweetest little feller, Everybody knows; Don’t know what to call him, But he’s mighty like a rose!”

  When she finished the song, she stood still in the center of the stage amid the silence. She looked backstage and saw Bessie and Archie standing together, Bessie with tears in her eyes. Standing next to them was Zeta, who was also staring at her before she turned away, and in that instant, the theater erupted into applause.

  Several people were standing and clapping with others pounding the theater floor with their feet. Ruby curtsied delicately just as the curtain closed, and she slipped behind it.

  “My word!” Bessie whispered, taking Ruby’s hand in hers. “I haven’t seen that in a long time!”

  “What?” Ruby whispered back.

  “You mesmerized an entire audience. They were speechless!” she said quickly before she joined her brother for their next performance.

  When the show was finished, everyone crowded around Ruby, congratulating her on a fine performance. Several people had managed to come backstage, including King Parker. She was in her tiny dressing room when a knock sounded on the door.

  “Ruby?” He poked his head in as she was changing behind the dressing screen.

  “What are you doing here? I’m changing!” she said, horrified.

  She watched him take a seat on the small couch, light a cigar and place his cane and top hat beside him, surveying the small room as if he owned it all.

  “Calm yourself, Ruby. I only wanted to be the first to congratulate you on a fine performance. You had them eating out of the palm of your little hand.”

  Ruby moved from behind the screen, tying the belt of her robe tightly about her.

  “Thank you, but it wasn’t all me. Bessie helped me with my posture, and of course there’s the costume—”

  “Which is all well and good, but nothing compares to your songbird voice and delicious figure,” he completed.

  “King!” she said, embarrassed by his direct words.

  “You need to think about the future, Ruby,” he said, puffing on his cigar. “I want to help Vern and the show and back the trip to London. And not just London, but Paris as well. But I want you to have a larger role in the show. That will be my stipulation.”

  “I see. And what do I need to do in return?” she asked, clutching at the robe’s ties.

  King eyed her body. “Nothing, Ruby. As I said before, I am your admirer. Nothing more.”

  Ruby looked at the figure he cut with his expensive evening clothes of the finest quality. He was a man used to getting what he wanted.

  “Very well.” She nodded.

  “I’m famished!” he said, picking up his hat and cane. “I know a supper club a few blocks from here. Put on a nice gown and I’ll take you to celebrate. I’ll be outside.”

  Before Ruby could respond, he was gone. She moved behind the screen again and pulled on the cobalt-blue gown that she had worn to the theater. It was not a fancy evening gown, but if she kept her hair styled as it was with the rhinestone clips, it would have to do.

  When a knock sounded again, she bid whoever it was to enter as she threw her robe over the screen, standing in only her chemise and corset.

  “Hello, Ruby.”

  Ruby glanced over the screen to see Ford standing in the room.

  “Ford! Don’t come any closer! I’m only wearing my chemise,” she practically squeaked.

  Ford gave her a lopsided
smile. “I’ve seen you with much less, Ruby. In fact, I think you’ve seen me with much less.”

  “Even so,” she said stiffly even as her heart skipped a beat at the sight of his handsome face.

  He took the seat only recently vacated by King. “I saw the performance, and I saw King in the lobby. It seems he is quite the admirer.”

  “What did you think?” Ruby asked as she pulled the blue gown on. “About me?”

  “I thought you were mesmerizing,” he said softly.

  “Really?” she asked, peeking over the screen with a smile.

  “Really.”

  She moved away from the screen and stood before him. “Can you do the ties in the back?”

  He nodded and moved to stand behind her. He saw the pinkness of her skin and the white lace chemise she wore underneath the dress, and he suddenly ached to touch his lips to her skin.

  She turned to look at him over her shoulder, and he realized he wasn’t moving.

  “Sorry,” he said softly as he began to tighten the laces on her dress. When he finished, she turned to face him.

  “You were wonderful, Ruby,” he said hoarsely. “The audience loved you.”

  “I was nervous, but it didn’t seem to matter. Once I was onstage, everything seemed to come together.”

  Ruby was conscious of his body so close to hers and the handsome face that she had loved since she was a child. But they hadn’t married, and there was no happily ever after. In fact, they seemed more apart now than ever. They were on completely different paths.

  “I must dash. I’m having supper with King.”

  “You’ll remember what I said about him?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Ford disappeared as Ruby picked up her wrap to take with her to sup with King. When she greeted King in the lobby, he was talking to Vernon, who was smiling. She passed several audience members, who complimented her on the song and her performance, and she thanked them for attending.

  “Ah! Here she is! The woman of the hour,” King proclaimed.

  She blushed a little but was secretly pleased with the attention. She was no fool and realized that with King’s support and finances, she could be a star.

  “We must be off,” he said as she took his arm. “We’re late. I made reservations at Delmonico’s.”