Chapter 29

"The best laid plans of mice and men

often go astray..."

~Robert Burns

A couple of days later, Olivia was sitting on the café porch. She appeared to be reading a book but every minute or so she'd look up to scan the road, as if she was looking for someone. After several minutes, Rosemary rounded the corner, reading a piece of paper. Olivia set her book on the bench, hurried down the stairs from the porch, and approached Rosemary.

"Miss Leveaux?" she called, smiling. Startled by Olivia, Rosemary stumbled into one of the deep puddles left by the recent storms and nearly fell. "Oh my goodness, dear! Are you alright?" Olivia quickly asked her.

Rosemary righted herself and was dismayed to see the hem of her pantaloons and her favorite boots were covered in mud. She looked up at Olivia and summoned her best acting skills. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied cheerily though she was shaking her leg vigorously, attempting to fling off the mud.

Olivia smiled. "Well, good! I was just looking for you. I was wondering if I might treat you to dinner?" Olivia asked.

Rosemary was absolutely shocked. "I'm sorry… you want to have dinner with me?" Olivia nodded.

Rosemary was confused. "It's not quite four-thirty. It's a little early for dinner, isn't it?" "Oh, are you not hungry?" Olivia asked.

Rosemary considered the offer for just a moment before deciding to accept. "Mrs. Thatcher, I think it would be lovely to have dinner with you," she replied as she once again effortlessly became the consummate actress.

Olivia smiled and motioned towards the saloon. "I thought we could try the saloon. I haven't had their chili yet and have heard good things about it."

"Really?" Rosemary spat out as her lip curled. She momentarily dropped her smooth actress persona, but not for long. She pulled her mouth into a well-practiced smile and intoned, "Well, of course, we could enjoy some chili."

They headed to the saloon, which was still quiet as school had been dismissed over an hour ago and most of the miners were still at work, and sat at a table. When Mr. Trevoy approached their table, Olivia asked him to bring them chili, cornbread, and tea.

Rosemary was carefully straightening the pleats in her pantaloons as Olivia began the conversation. "So," she said, setting her purse in her lap, "I understand you came here from New York City. Did you appear in any productions there?"

Rosemary's mouth stretched into a wide smile. "Why, yes, as a matter of fact I starred in several productions," she bragged.

Olivia nodded. "I see. You enjoyed the city?"

"Oh my goodness, yes!" Rosemary gushed. "There was always something happening somewhere. There were such wonderful sights to see! And the productions were wonderful! The costumes, the music, the audiences! There truly is never a dull moment there, you know!"

Olivia smiled and nodded. "I assume you didn't have any trouble getting jobs in the shows."

Rosemary shook her head emphatically. "Oh, heavens no! The directors all told me how impressed they were with my talent. They told me I was destined to be a star of the Great White Way!" Rosemary smiled as she stared off into space, as though remembering her good times in New York.

"Well, then, I cannot imagine why you would give up such a promising career to come here to Coal Valley," Olivia remarked, a questioning look on her face.

Rosemary's smile faded and she turned to Olivia. "Well," she began, a bit flustered, "I missed home... and friends. And I'd hoped to renew an old... friendship. Of course, I've been happy to find new friendships here in a Coal Valley."

At that moment, Trevoy approached the table, bringing their dinner. The ladies ate quietly for several minutes. Finally, Olivia broke the silence. "When did you leave New York?"

Rosemary looked across the table at Olivia. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm just wondering if we were there at the same time. I visited some friends in New York about 2 months ago before coming out West. It seems we've had similar journeys," Olivia explained.

"Oh... well, I guess I arrived in Coal Valley about a month or so ago," Rosemary answered.

Olivia smiled. "So, we may have been in New York at the same time. Isn't that interesting?"

Rosemary took a bite of cornbread, ignoring Olivia's question. Olivia studied her for a moment before speaking again. "You know, I have a dear friend in New York. In fact, she is who I visited. She wrote me recently about something terrible that happened there. I wonder if you might be able to tell me more about it. It sounded like a really intriguing scandal."

Rosemary dropped her spoon into her chili bowl and flashed a look of anger at Olivia, before quickly regaining her composure. "Scandal? I'm sure I don't know anything about any scandals."

Olivia continued, not skipping a beat. "Well, I'm surprised you didn't hear about it since it was a scandal in the show business community. You see, my friend wrote that there was this producer who ran away with all the funds for his production. They believe he headed to South America. Or maybe it was Spain." Olivia hesitated for a moment, trying to remember. "Oh well, he left the country with all that money!"

Rosemary looked down at her chili, her face tight. Noting Rosemary's reaction, Olivia continued. "Apparently, he stole quite a bit of money from the show's investors. Everyone was terribly upset."

Rosemary didn't move a muscle as she continued to stare at her chili.

Olivia carried on. "My friend also wrote about a nasty rumor that the leading lady of the production was involved in some sort of... well... let's just say she was involved with the producer and she left town shortly after he did. People are speculating that she helped the producer steal the money and left town to join him." She looked at Rosemary. "You don't know anything about that, do you?"

Rosemary closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Olivia patiently watched her before asking, "Are you alright, dear?" Rosemary did not respond.

"Does any of this sound familiar?" Olivia continued. "Perhaps you knew the actress? I understand that the show business community in New York is very close-knit. My friend always said everyone knows everyone in show business. I dare say, a scandal such as this would've made that actress run as far away from New York as she could."

Finally, Rosemary opened her eyes but didn't look up. In a low voice, she told Olivia, "I didn't steal any money. And I didn't help him steal it, either."

Olivia nodded. "And Coal Valley is the perfect place to hide, isn't it?" she asked.

Rosemary met Olivia's gaze, fire flaring from her eyes. "If you must know, I just… " She stopped as her face flushed red. She pushed her chair back, slammed her napkin on the table, and took at step, as if she was going to run away. She stopped suddenly when she realized that Trevoy, the mayor and two miners standing at the bar were staring at her. She sighed deeply and turned around, slowly lowering herself back into her chair. She seemed to struggle for words momentarily. Finally, she said, "People were talking. I had to get away from all that."

Olivia repeated her question, this time in a very low voice. "Is this the perfect place to hide?" Rosemary answered with one nod of her head and looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Are you happy hiding here?" Olivia asked.

Rosemary looked up and answered, defensively, "I'm starting a drama society. I'm helping aspiring actors and actresses develop their talent. And my music provides some class to this saloon in the evenings."

"Yes," Olivia agreed. "But is it as fulfilling and exciting as when you were starring in plays and musicals in New York?"

Rosemary did not answer the question. Instead, she just stared at Olivia, furious that Olivia now knew her secret.

Olivia answered the question for her. "No, I imagine it isn't. So why on earth would you hang around here?"

Rosemary continued to stare coldly at Olivia.

"You mentioned an old friendship. Is that why you're staying here?" Olivia queried pointedly.

Rosemary perked up a bit. "Well," she began. "I had been told that the friendship was over. But, I believe he might indeed be interested in renewing our friendship..." She trailed off, dramatically.

This time Olivia's eyes flared. "Well, now that's interesting." Rosemary met Olivia's gaze. Neither women blinked. Olivia inhaled and went straight to the point. "Let's be honest here. You've been doing your best to make me think Jack is carrying on with you behind my niece's back. What do hope will happen? I'll make my niece come home with me? Why? Do you think with her gone, Jack will pay attention to you again?"

Rosemary narrowed her eyes, but didn't turn away.

"Sounds like a pretty desperate plan. And, Rosemary, you should never behave desperatelY. It doesn't suit you," Olivia instructed. Rosemary shook her head, incredulous at this turn of events.

"Now, let's see what we can do to get you out of this impossible situation," Olivia offered.

"Excuse me?!" Rosemary was flabbergasted. "After all this, you're going to pretend to help me?"

"Well, I'm sure you really want out of this sleepy little town. And I would certainly like to see you leave town, for the sake of my niece's happiness." Olivia leaned forward, her hands in her lap. "You want to continue your acting career, correct?"

Rosemary, her face still tight with anger, spat, "Of course."

Olivia continued, "Well, New York is the center of the acting world. However, there is another place where I hear that they are doing some interesting things in show business. Have you ever heard of Los Angeles, California?"

Rosemary's face softened, suddenly curious.

"They are starting to make films, motion pictures I think they call them, in Los Angeles. I read that some actors and actresses are leaving New York and heading west to California." Olivia stopped to ensure Rosemary was listening. She was, intently. "It might be an exciting place for an actress."

Rosemary considered what Olivia said, but then frowned. "I guess it might be. However, I'm sure it would be quite expensive to travel to California."

Olivia understood, "Yes, I imagine it might be. But, for someone who helped a producer steal..."

"I told you I did no such thing," Rosemary interjected, angrily. She quickly lowered her voice. "I thought he was a gentleman."

Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"He asked me to marry him," Rosemary explained, whispering. "I had no idea he was stealing from the production. He told me that he was traveling to Boston to try to raise more money. Then, when we went in for rehearsal the next day, the director told us all the money had been stolen. Later, another actress took great joy in telling me what people were saying about me. People were so cruel!" She hesitated for a moment and cleared her throat. "I decided it was time to leave."

Olivia nodded. "I see." Olivia didn't ask for any further explanation. Instead she changed the subject back. "Now, even though you may not have the money to head to California, remember that historically there have been patrons who are willing to fund artists." Rosemary looked at Olivia, confused. Olivia explained,"I have been a patron of the arts for years. I'm inclined to think that it would be a good investment to fund a young actress' journey from Coal Valley to California."

Rosemary's eyes widened with understanding. "But, why would you do that?" she asked, clearly not believing that Olivia was serious.

Olivia shook her head. "Try to keep up, dear. I told you I believe it would be best for my niece if you leave town. Now, it is customary for artists' patrons to pay their fare for journeys and give them some money for living expenses."

Rosemary's mind was reeling. She had resigned herself to staying in Coal Valley. And now, after a few bites of chili, she was about to embark on a grand adventure where she might be able to be a leading lady again. She was overwhelmed.

"I believe the stagecoach will be coming through here again on Thursday," Olivia explained. "That should give you a couple of days to get your things in order before you leave."

Rosemary suddenly became defiant. "What if I choose not to go?"

Olivia's smile faded. "Really, dear? I believed you to be much smarter than that. You know Jack is courting Elizabeth. And your acting career is going nowhere. I'm offering you a chance to continue your career in probably the only place you could continue it. You have to know that it is just a matter of time before news of what happened in New York catches up with you, wherever you are. So, why would you choose to stay?"

Rosemary shook her head. "You are an amazing woman, Mrs. Thatcher. Where ever did you learn to be so calculating?"

"Calculating?" Olivia asked, insulted. "Oh no, dear! I'm not calculating. I'm from New Orleans. We are very practical and resourceful people. And I love my niece."

Rosemary sat in silence for several moments as she studied her barely touched bowl of chili. "What will it be then, Miss Leveaux?" Olivia inquired.

"I really have no choice," Rosemary complained.

"Of course you do," Olivia countered. "You can either stay and face whatever happens here, knowing your acting career will remain stagnant. Or you can head to California and pursue your career. You, also, might very well find an opportunity there to repudiate the rumors from New York."

Rosemary considered this and then slowly answered, "I accept."

Olivia nodded as she wiped her mouth and placed her napkin on the table. "Good," she pronounced the matter closed. She opened her purse and set some money on the table for Trevoy. Then, looking back in her purse, she pulled out an envelope and set it in front of Rosemary. Rosemary stared down at the envelope.

Olivia stood as she told Rosemary, "That should cover your travel and initial living expenses. I expect to see you on that stagecoach on Thursday. Safe travels!" She turned and left the saloon.

As she was descending the stairs, she exhaled and relaxed a bit. She smiled, pleased with what had just transpired.

"Aunt Olivia! There you are!"

Olivia was startled by Elizabeth's call. She saw her niece approaching her from across the road.

"I've been looking for you!" Elizabeth told her aunt. Then, realizing Olivia was exiting the saloon, Elizabeth asked, "What were doing in there?"

"Oh, I'd heard about Mr. Trevoy's chili and cornbread and decided to try them myself," she answered as she looped her arm in Elizabeth's and led her towards Abigail's Cafe. She looked back over her shoulder, hoping to get Elizabeth away from the saloon before Rosemary exited.

Elizabeth's brow furrowed with confusion. "You tried the chili and cornbread?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes," Olivia answered simply as they climbed the stairs to the cafe.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Well, you probably won't be hungry for Abigail's dinner, then," she mildly scolded her aunt.

"Hmmm... maybe," Olivia replied as she glanced over her shoulder and saw Rosemary leaving the saloon, the envelope in her hand. She smiled and followed Elizabeth into the cafe.