Free The Jewels of Tessa Kent by Judith Krantz Page B

you see, but still ladies. The problem is that Jo’s dress has been scorched in the back when she stood in front of a fire, and it’s been mended in a way that would show if she were to dance. She doesn’t really care about things like that, but Meg is so self-conscious that she has made Jo promise to keep the back of her dress out of sight. So not only is Jo out of her element to begin with, but her style is really cramped, because there’s no place she can possibly stand except up against a wall. She feels absolutely out of place and pretty soon she finds herself alone, watching other people enjoying themselves, a total wallflower. Then, to her horror, she spots a boy walking in her direction as if he were going to ask her to dance. She quickly and bashfully disappears behind some curtains.
    “But lo and behold, there’s another person there, Laurie Laurence, the boy who lives next door. Jo barely knows him, although they’ve met before when he brought her wandering cat home. He’s hiding in the curtains because he’s been living abroad, at school, and doesn’t know American manners. As they meet, the scene begins. Start whenever you’re ready.”
    Tessa looked around the room as she thought over what Roddy had told her. She stood up and started to speak, stammering in surprise.
    “Dear me, I didn’t know anyone was here!”
    “Don’t mind me, stay if you like,” Roddy said, looking startled but laughing.
    “Shan’t I disturb you?”
    “Not a bit. I only came here because I don’t know many people and felt rather strange at first, you know.”
    “So did I. Don’t go away please, unless you’d rather.”
    As the scene continued, they became more and more friendly, exchanging confidences and information about their lives, until Laurie asked Jo to dance. Jo explained why she couldn’t move about in her dress.
    “Though it’s nicely mended, it shows, and Meg told me to keep still so no one would see it. You may laugh if you want to. It is funny, I know,” Tessa said, as she spoke the last line of the pages she’d been given.
    Roddy Fensterwald looked closely into her eyes, judging her ability to be surprised. He grabbed the script out of her hand and threw it, with his own, into the air and swept her into an approximation of a swinging, springing, breathless polka, with which the actual scene in the book ended. Peggy and Fiona continued to sit absolutely still, although they were both resisting the urge to cheer.
    Roddy bowed to Tessa and led her ceremoniously to the office door. “Wait outside, Tessa, while we huddle, will you?”
    “Thank you, Roddy! I’ve never had so much fun!” Tessa exclaimed. “Oh! Would you mind—could I just have a second to ask Miss Bancroft for her autograph before I leave?”
    “Miss Bancroft?”
    “I was wondering who she was, and then when she caught my eye, just before we started the scene, of course I knew immediately,” Tessa explained, suddenly shy. “After all, there isn’t another pair of eyes in the world like hers, is there?”
    “Go on, get your autograph and then scoot.”
    Tessa collected her autograph from a subdued Glenda Bancroft and left the room as quickly as possible.
    “Peggy and Fiona, could you leave us for a minute?” Roddy asked quietly.
    “ ‘Caught her eye’!” he stormed, as soon as they had gone. “Damn it, Glenda! Caught her eye! How could you be such a thundering bitch? If there was one thing calculated to throw her off, that was it. It’s unforgivable, I’ll never trust you again,” Roddy raged.
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake, lover, it was an accident. Did you expect me not to peek to see what that girl looked like? She happened to catch me just when I was looking at her, that’s all. And anyway, don’t carry on as if anything could stop all that tiresome inexhaustible energy. Jesus, Roddy, what a heap of ingenuous, innocent gaiety. It’s just as well something got her off the ceiling and down to business. You’re not