Chapter IX: A Night at the Theatre

1938

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen."

The lights in the theatre dimmed gently, and a spotlight followed the man walking on stage.

"I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to the premiere of a play by one of New York's finest… Mr Jack Driscoll!"

The audience, Jane and Freddie included, clapped enthusiastically. Tonight, the young woman and her son had accepted tickets to a performance of a new work by their favourite playwright, and were seated comfortably in the grand circle of a large theatre. The small boy sat forward eagerly in his seat, clothed in a smart little outfit with his hair combed neatly for the occasion, his eyes wide in excitement.

On stage stood Jack's long time sponsor and patron, George Weston. He was a businessman of great wealth, thanks to the success of his writer.

"For over three months now," Weston continued, "I've been watching this production develop with great interest and excitement, and I promise you, it's one of the best I've seen from Jack in a long time. Also, the first to be co-written by his beautiful wife Ann."

The audience clapped again, and Jane exchanged glances with Ann, whom he sat beside. The actress had decided to give up her part in her husband's play due to her pregnancy, another first for the Driscolls.

"I know you're all eager for the show to start," Weston said with a smile, "So I'll be quick, but I have message I was asked to pass on by Mr Driscoll himself. He would like to dedicate this play to a wonderful young friend of his and a brave adventurer for the modern age: four-year-old Freddie Englehorn."

Freddie gasped in surprise, and gazed in amazement at Jack, who sat three seats along. "Uncle Jack!" he exclaimed, and the writer smiled in reply.

"So with no further ado, I give you what you've all been waiting for. Ladies and gentlemen… Azure, by Jack Driscoll!"

A murmur of excitement rippled through the audience, and the crimson velvet curtain behind Weston was raised as he hastily left the stage.

The set it revealed was a dock: colourful, busy and chaotic, with sailors and tradesmen hurrying back and forth like ants. In the middle of the melee stood a young woman, small and slender, with dark hair styled in the close curls fashionable at the time. She looked around nervously, tightly clutching a small brown suitcase, before slowly starting to make her way across the stage. Not really looking where she was going, she collided with a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was tall and handsome, in a way, with dark eyes and short black hair. His appearance seemed Spanish, or maybe Italian.

"Watch where you're going!" He said sternly, in an accent that matched his appearance.

"Sorry, sir!" the young woman replied quickly, but she caught his gaze and both actors froze momentarily.

Jane guessed that later in the play, this couple would fall in love. The scenario seemed oddly familiar. A young woman catching a foreign sailor's eye at a busy port? Glancing across at Jack, she found him looking back at her, and caught his eye. A small smile slipped on to his face, and Jane quickly guessed that any similarities were deliberate.


1933

"Land ahoy!"

Jane glanced up in surprise from the small book of Shakespeare she'd been flicking through as she heard Jimmy's cry. Englehorn, with whom she was alone on the bridge, stood at the wheel, but he glanced over his shoulder and caught her eye.

There was silence for a moment, before they both dashed out of the wheelhouse to the railing, looking out eagerly over the horizon. A relieved smile appeared on the woman's features; the skyline they both knew so well could be seen in the distance.

"There it is, Jane," Englehorn said.

"New York," she breathed. It was not home – a city other than London could never be – but the distant skyscrapers were a welcome sight to her eyes.

The Captain wrapped an arm around her waist and she let her head rest on his shoulder, sighing in contentment.

"We did it, Frederick!" she whispered. "I knew you'd get us back!"

Englehorn said nothing. Jane could not see, but, unlike hers his face was unusually solemn. He had been dreading the return to New York since they'd set off from Skull Island. Return meant unleashing the ape on New York and whatever Denham had planned for it. But, and equally bad if not worse, return also meant making a decision about his future with Jane.


1934

New York seemed strangely quiet. The famous skyscrapers were shrouded in fog, and the icy January wind made Jane shiver even as she looked out of the window. Neither she nor Ann had dared venture outside all day.

Weeks had passed since Denham's stage show and the events of the following evening, but the cousins' lives were far from back to normal. Such a long period of recovery had been expected of Ann by all who knew her: after all, she had witnessed the death of one very dear to her. One who, though not human, had risked his life to protect her.

Jane had recovered much more quickly, but only this morning had found something out that would change her life forever, and that scared the living daylights out of her.

"When are you going to tell him?" Ann asked, having been with her cousin when the discovery was made.

There was no doubt as to who she meant by 'him'. It was the man who had not left Jane's thoughts since she'd last seen him in Central Park a fortnight ago.

"I don't know," the Englishwoman answered quietly. "I'm terrified of what he'll say."

"He has to know."

"He does." She sighed.

Ann joined her by the window, taking her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I saw Jack yesterday," the actress said softly.

Jane glanced at her in surprise. "You did?"

"I met him on the street a couple of blocks away." She paused. Jane knew Ann and Jack had barely spoken since he'd held her on top of the Empire State Building. "He asked if he could come over for a while, as we have lots to talk about."

Jane nodded. "I'll leave you alone when he comes, and take the opportunity to go down to the docks."

As soon as she had spoken, there was a sharp knock on the door, and their eyes met briefly.

"Good luck!" both whispered simultaneously, and they embraced warmly, before Ann went to the door and Jane fetched her coat.

"Ann!"

A small smile slipped onto Jane's face as she heard Jack's voice. She could imagine without even seeing him the look of deepest adoration he would be wearing now upon seeing Ann. Shutting the wardrobe she'd taken her coat out of, she went back into the passage from her bedroom to see the writer.

"Hi, Jack," she said, smiling, and he shook her hand with a similar reply, but his eyes only left Ann's for a moment. "I'm just on my way out, I'm afraid," Jane continued.

"That's fine," he said distantly, "I'll see you round."

The Englishwoman cast her gaze briefly over Jack and Ann, marvelling at love she could see in his eyes, before leaving the apartment.

Once she stepped out into the cold street, Jane instantly hailed a cab. Once, she would have opted to walk, but could afford small luxuries with the money Denham had given her upon returning to New York. Ironically, the car she was in now took her exactly the same route to the docks as Carl's cab all those weeks ago, before she had even met the man she hoped to see now.

The docks were almost exactly the same as they had been then when the car pulled up, though colder, and not quite so daunting now she knew where she was going. Jane found the Venture quickly, and recognised a familiar figure sitting at the bottom of the gangway.

"Jimmy!"

He glanced up quickly as he heard her voice. "Jane?" Jumping to his feet, Jimmy ran towards her and embraced her warmly. "Why've you been away so long?" he asked immediately. "We haven't seen you in ages."

"I haven't had chance yet, I'm afraid. Ann and I haven't been well, what with the cold weather we've been having." She paused. Even Jimmy recognised the euphemism she used to avoid mentioning unpleasant memories. "You seem in good spirits," Jane continued, changing the subject swiftly.

"Yeah! Skipper just paid me, and soon we're going to Africa to capture some animals. I can't wait!"

"That's… wonderful."

"But how are you? How's Ann? Where are you living now? I heard –"

"Jimmy." She interrupted him, and his beaming grin dimmed slightly. "I'm sorry," she said, "But I must speak with the Captain. It's urgent. Is he here?"

"Yeah, I'll take you to him."

He led her on board the familiar vessel, and down below deck to the galley, where she saw the Captain sitting opposite a young dark-haired man. He glanced up with a smile as he saw her.

"Ah, Jane!"

She flashed him a small smile, but he quickly went back to the man he was talking to.

"Thank you, Mr…" Englehorn paused awkwardly, but the man opposite only laughed.

"That's quite alright, Captain Englehorn!" he said, sounding Italian.

"You can teach me to pronounce your name when you start work tomorrow," Englehorn returned with a smile, and rising from their seats they shook hands, before the Italian left. Jimmy followed him, leaving them alone.

"Who's that?" Jane asked.

"My new cook. He's Italian, so he should be good, but I've no idea how to say his name."

She smiled. "I'm not sure even a cook from Italy can make a good meal of porridge and walnuts."

Englehorn grinned. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Her expression quickly went back to its solemn self as she sat down in a seat he pulled out for her. "I have some… news," she said quietly.

"Good or bad?"

She caught his eye. "That depends what mood you're in."

"Well, I recently received my pay for the last voyage, and now you've come to see me. I'm in as good a mood as I'll ever be."

She smiled weakly. "I'm not sure how you'll take this," she muttered, more to herself than him, but his smile faded slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well." She thought for a moment, unsure how to tell him. "You know on the voyage, we…" She trailed away, and he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "No, let me start that again." She paused. "The truth is… well… I'm… I need to tell you that I…"

"Jane." He smiled, sighing deeply. "Just tell me. Be straight, I don't mind."

"Fine." She took a deep breath and looked him square in the eye. "We're going to be parents."

There, it was out at last.

He froze, before an extraordinary change came over his face. His expression changed from happiness to shock, amazement to disbelief.

There was a minute or so of absolute silence.

"What?" he asked at length.

"I'm pregnant, Frederick."

He didn't say anything, and though his eyes stayed on hers, he seemed to be looking straight through her. Jane watched him anxiously, unable to read his expression.

"Well?" she asked hesitantly.

His bright blue eyes regained focus, looking into her own. Then, to her immense delight, the corners of his mouth rose into a small smile.

"Pregnant?" he asked.

Jane nodded. "What do you say?"

He thought to himself for a moment, his smile growing with each second that passed. "I say that's wonderful."

Getting to her feet quickly, Jane dashed round the table and fell into her lover's arms. "You're happy?" she asked.

Englehorn laughed aloud: it was a sound that Jane had not often heard, and accompanied a sense of great relief. "Didn't you think I would be?"

"I didn't know what you'd do."

"You're certain of it?" he asked. "You're definitely..?"

"Pregnant, yes."

"And when is your… our child due?"

"Not for months yet."

"I don't know how I'll survive the wait."

He kissed her passionately, before lifting her off the floor and spinning her round in the air.

"Don't!" Jane squealed, but she laughed all the same. Their lips met again, and this time she threw her arms around his neck to make sure he could not pull away.

"Skipper?"

They separated quickly, however, upon hearing Jimmy's voice, and saw the youngster standing in the doorway attempting unsuccessfully to conceal his smirk.

"What's happened?" Jimmy asked, his cheeks quickly turning almost as bright a shade of pink as Jane's.

Englehorn grinned at him. "A few months from now, and you won't be the only baby of the ship."

Jimmy smiled. "You mean…"

Jane nodded.

"You're having a baby!"


1938

Jane's prediction about the couple in the opening scenes had been spot-on, as she found later in the play. The young woman, called Anna, managed to gain a place on the ship of the man she had collided with, who turned out to be the Portuguese Captain of the 'Prospero', named Jose. The adventure that followed involved, of all things, the Prospero stuck on the rocks near an uncharted island, a thrilling rescue mission, mutiny and eventually murder on board, not to mention an extraordinary discovery of how the lives of an oblivious Jose and Anna were somehow linked. Despite all of this, the play concluded with a wonderfully, hopelessly romantic ending, care, Jane suspected, of her cousin.

Jane and her son joined the playwright and his wife in a cab home, as their apartment was en route for the Driscolls.

"It was a terrific play!" Freddie exclaimed.

"I'm glad you liked it, buddy," Jack answered. "I wrote it specially for you and your mother, after all."

"Yes," Jane said, "Though I suspect you took some inspiration from a story I'm familiar with."

Ann and Jack exchanged grins over a blank-faced Freddie. "Could you tell?"


A/N: Hi, sorry I took so long to upload this. Parts of this chapter are probably slightly far-fetched, as I can't say I've ever witnessed a woman telling a man he's a dad before, but I hope you liked it anyway! Thanks for reading, and, as usual, reviews are very much appreciated.

the green lama

(NB: I'm assuming New Year would have come and gone by a few weeks after Carl's show, hence the sudden change from '33 to '34.)