Free Tomorrow's Dreams by Heather Cullman

professionalism later. Right now, however, you have a performance to finish.”
    Penelope nodded, her mouth suddenly too dry with dread to speak. Adele was staring at her in a way that clearly boded ill, and the possible consequences of the woman’s fury terrified her.
    Desperate to obey her command, Penelope tried to slip from Seth’s lap. But again he foiled her escape. “Please, Seth,” she whispered in a suffocated voice. “You promised to give me six weeks to arrange everything. You promised.”
    Ignoring her struggles, and her frantic pleas, Seth focused his attention on the woman ascending the stairs.
    Dressed in an evening gown of rich violet silk, she carried herself as regally as Queen Victoria, whom he’d once had the honor of meeting. Unlike plain Victoria, however, this woman was blessed with the kind of classic elegance that kept the tally of her years a carefully guarded secret; a secret that was betrayed the second her gaze bore into his. Pale as ice and twice as cold, her blue eyes glinted with malice that could only have come from years of bitter disillusionment and the futility of a hard life.
    Feeling a shiver convulse Penelope’s body, Seth crushed her protectively against his chest and announced, “Lorelei has had a nasty shock. I say she’s finished performing for the evening.”
    The woman fixed him with a disdainful stare. “As her employer, I say she’ll finish her performance.”
    â€œAnd as your employer, Adele, I say that Miss Leroux is excused for the rest of the evening.” It was Floyd.
    Adele glared at the saloon owner, her resentment of his intrusion abundantly clear. “Surely you don’t want to disappoint the audience?” she asked through gritted teeth.
    â€œWhat’s left of the audience is either lying in the corral knocked out from the ruckus, or too corned up to care,” Floyd replied reasonably. “’Sides, I promised Mr. Tyler here a get-acquainted supper with our Lorelei.”
    Penelope groaned at that idea. The last thing she wanted to do was to resume her sparring match with Seth. But before she could voice her objections, Adele snapped, “As Mr. Tyler pointed out, Lorelei has had a nasty shock. In which case, she should be resting, not”—her mouth contorted as if she’d just taken a mouthful of cod-liver oil—“ entertaining .”
    Turning a deaf ear to Adele’s protests, Floyd gave Penelope a wink of conspiracy. “A glass of champagne should spruce her up right ’nough. Ain’t that so, Miss Leroux?”
    Hoping to escape Seth’s imprisoning embrace, and Adele’s obvious displeasure, Penelope made a sudden lunge forward. Unexpectedly Seth released his hold, and she would have gone diving headfirst down the stairs had Miles not caught her.
    Pulling herself from Miles’s too eager grasp, she murmured, “Adele is right. I am feeling out of sorts.” To Penelope’s relief, her remark drew a curt nod of approval from Adele.
    â€œIf Miss Leroux is feeling ill, she should be allowed to go home to her bed,” Seth said, standing up and straightening to his full height. He didn’t miss the look of alarm that swept across the actor’s face, or the speculative gleam in the blond woman’s eyes as she scrutinized him from head to toe. Coolly disregarding both parties, he stared at Penelope, adding, “I’ll have plenty of time in the future to get acquainted with Miss Leroux.”
    Adele looked none too pleased at that prospect. “You intend to be a regular customer of the Shakespeare?”
    â€œYou can bet your bloomers on that!” trumpeted Floyd, giving Seth a hearty slap on the back. “Folks. Say hul-lo to the new owner of the Shakespeare—and your new boss—Mr. Seth Tyler.”

Chapter 6
    Seth leaned back in his chair, frowning as he watched Adele du Charme regally ascend the stage stairs.