Epilogue

Epilogue

A fter several moments, Josiah lifted his arms, then lowered his hands, urging the audience to be still again. Intrigued, eager for more, the crowd obliged him. Eva watched, transfixed, as he turned so that he was facing her, only her.

"Eva," he said, his voice reaching out into the theatre and coiling around Eva's heart. His eyes still locked onto hers, he reached up, lifting the golden sun mask. "I dance for you; I wish to only dance for you."

Eva felt her heart squeeze, a kind of exquisite pain blooming in her chest. She let out a soft cry that echoed in the expectant silence of the theatre. The audience, as one, turned to look at her, whispers rising like a tide.

"You are the sun, and I cannot endure this winter any longer," Josiah continued. "I cannot offer much, but my undying love."

Eva had kept herself tightly held together for days, weeks now. If she didn't allow herself to feel anything, then she could not feel pain. Now, Josiah had cracked the carefully constructed wall of ice that she had built around herself. She had no voice to answer, but found that she reached one arm out to him, hand and fingers extended.

Josiah's smile could be seen from even the very back of the theatre, radiant as the sun he was dressed as. The audience, unsure if this was part of the performance or not, politely applauded this exchange. Eva felt like happiness were within her reach for the first time in weeks, smiling through her tears. If she could just get backstage, they could be together, they could?—

"You are completely out of line, sir!" a voice rang out from behind her, bringing reality crashing back down around her. Lady Stanton had risen, looming over Eva, and jabbed one finger down at Josiah. "To make such declarations in public! To a woman soon to be married! In public !" she continued, outraged.

"She can make her own choices," Josiah said, unflinching. "You owe her that much."

"What? You dare to speak that way to me, you insolent—" Lady Stanton raged, but was cut off.

"She can make her own choices," Lord Chester said, repeating Josiah's words and glaring at Lady Stanton. Eva whipped around to stare at him. " You owe her that much. " His meaning was clear, and the rest of those present would likely know that he referred to Lady Stanton's scandalous scheme to attempt to trap himself in marriage. Moreover, he had rank and standing that she did not, and he did, in fact, dare to speak that way to her.

"We'll see how fast your ardour cools when you are sued for breach of promise!" Lady Stanton said, tossing her head and attempting to save some of her righteous indignation. "The fact is that she is still engaged! I imagine her prospective husband will have a thing or two to say about all of this."

"Not really," a new voice answered from across the auditorium, in one of the box seats at the same level. The audience duly swivelled in their seats to stare at this new player, gowns rustling. Eva squinted, sure that her eyes must be playing tricks on her. Standing, hat nervously in hand, was Mr. Seth Cluett. To her great astonishment, he was staring determinedly at Lady Stanton, uncowed. "No intention of marrying Lady Eva," he continued, then immediately began to backtrack a little. "That is, nothing against her—fine girl, anyone would be lucky to have her—but poorly suited. Besides," he continued, nodding in the direction of the stage, where Josiah still stood, nearly forgotten, "she loves him ."

Josiah gallantly bowed to Mr. Cluett. "I humbly thank you for your understanding." It was suddenly clear to Eva just how many friends she had, and how many were involved in this conspiracy.

"Think nothing of it. Fond of a happy ending, myself." Mr. Cluett paused, his face breaking into a boyish smile. "Do you think you could show me how the trees work? Later, I mean."

Josiah's smile widened. "Be glad to, my good man."

"But-but Mr. Cluett, you are engaged to Eva !" Lady Stanton cried, her voice growing more shrill. "I shan't have you crying off because you've gone soft!"

"Never officially asked, you assumed and…you wanted to trick me," Mr. Cluett retorted, causing no small amount of gasping and hands pressed to mouths in the audience. They had taken on the part of spectators at a tennis match, heads swivelling back and forth between the various players in this strange play.

Lady Stanton made a surprisingly unladylike scoffing snort of derision. "And who would believe you? No one else was there; who do you have to vouch for your claim?"

"I will."

Though Eva had spoken quietly, her words carried all of the weight of an anchor. They fell into the silence like cannon balls, and the audience waited expectantly, thoroughly invested in the drama of it all now.

"You—you would dare, after all that I have done for you?!" Lady Stanton said, so outraged that her voice was barely more than a harsh whisper. "You are clearly hysterical, no one would believe you."

"My solicitor might," said another voice from Mr. Cluett's box. Lady Cluett, hovering behind her son, stepped forward and fixed Lady Stanton with a withering look. "I'm sure that he would have more than a few things to say, should you press the matter. I warn you now, he is even more ruthless and scheming than you are, so consider your actions carefully."

Eva watched, equal parts amused and astonished, as her mother simply stared and gaped for several moments. Her mouth opened and closed, doing a remarkable impression of a trout. At last, she threw up her hands and stalked from the box, slamming the door so loudly that it sounded like a gunshot.

The audience erupted into cheers as if they had just witnessed St. George slaying a dragon. There seemed to be a great deal of confusion as to whether this was part of the performance or not, but it was thoroughly enjoyed regardless.

"I would suggest, young man," Lady Cluett called down to Josiah, "that you go and claim your prize before she comes up with another scheme to marry her off."

This was all the encouragement that Josiah needed. Eva gasped as he leapt from the stage recklessly, the crowd cheering him on. In two quick bounds, he was scaling the curtains draped along the boxes, spry and nimble. Romeo climbing up to Juliet's balcony could not have been more moving a scene. He reached the railing, and Eva stood before him, her eyes drinking him in hungrily.

"Hello," she whispered, unsure of why that was what she said in that moment.

It didn't matter. Josiah smiled and whispered back, "Hello, there." Cautiously, he reached into a hidden pocket of his costume. "I have something for you," he said, holding out his hand. "I can't bear to see you without it, my own day-star." He opened his hand, revealing Eva's beloved sun pendant.

Eva was helpless to resist his smile, and with tears of every emotion that she had been holding back, responded with a grin of her own. Heedless of the fact that they were in a theatre full of people, and she was reared to be a proper young lady, Eva threw off the last yoke of expectations and threw her arms about Josiah's neck with such force that it nearly unbalanced him.

Obligingly, he wrapped both of his arms tightly about her, his hands finding the small of her back and her waist as if they had been made for it. Before a goodly amount of the ton and London, Josiah pressed a kiss to Eva's lips that was so rife with warmth and passion that some in the audience felt inclined to cover their companions' eyes.

In the hours afterward, the general consensus among the audience seemed to be that it was a fantastic bit of entertainment. If it were genuine or staged didn't seem to matter, it had all the elements that they craved in a piece of theatre: A dashing hero, a beautiful heroine in need of rescue, a villain worthy of the name, and just enough tartness to be exhilarating. Overall, a grand night at the theatre.

Knots asked the happy pair, once they had found their way backstage, if they thought the whole lot of them could be persuaded to appear nightly at the theatre. He assured them that they would play to a packed house every night, and would be compensated accordingly.

Eva wasn't entirely sure he was in jest, but didn't find that she minded; she simply laid her head on Josiah's shoulder, feeling free and unburdened for the first time in her life. They fit together so nicely, the moon and sun, two celestial bodies in harmony.