Chapter 110: The Theatre Part I

"Is this normal, Mil, for Albert to pull to the back of the theatre? I thought the back entrance was just for Essie and the cast," wondered Nathan aloud, as he tugged at his bow tie.

"Here, let me fix that, Love," smiled Millicent, as she straightened his bow tie till it was perfect.

"Uhm," he grinned with hooded eyes. "Why is it that each time you fix my tie, Darling, I feel more loved than I ever have before?"

"Because only I get to do that, and it's a way for me to show you, Darling, how very loved and cherished you are! Now we're a team of two, which means we get to take the very best care of each other. And I plan to do just that, forever!"

He kissed her ever so gently, so tenderly, as though she might break, astounded at the power she held over him, amazed at all the wonderful feelings she invoked within him.

She placed her hand against his weather-worn cheek, marveling at their connection, their ebullient and easy love, their complete understanding each for the other, their total contentment together.

There were no doubts for either, they were each other's destiny, and that knowledge alone brought such excitement, joy, and peace, all at once!

With each other, they were simply home.

"To answer your first question, my Love, there's also a Private Lounge in the back where the VIP Box attendees gather," she explained. "We'll wait there till the theatre Stewards take us to our seats, so that we miss the crowd. They'll do that just moments before the play starts, right before the lights go down."

"I see," but then Nathan got a mischievous look in his eyes.

He knew that with a compliment, he could make her blush. It worked every time. And he was in need of that look, that special look of love that was reserved only for him.

Besides he could never compliment her enough.

She was a treasure.

"You do know that you, my lovely fiancée, will be the most gorgeous woman in the whole theatre, right?"

"Actors included," she teased. "And even in the dark?"

"Actors included, and even in the dark, most certainly," grinned Nathan, good-naturedly and quickly correcting himself. "Oh, you're so bad! And actresses too in the dark!"

Millicent laughed, that laugh he adored, the one that never failed to send shivers of love through him.

"Thanks for that kind addition, but I'm afraid you're a bit prejudiced, Darling! Though since I've never been compared to an actor or the dark before, not sure how valid that add-on 'actress compliment' is! But I do know for certain that my wonderful fiancé will be the most handsome man there, without a doubt!"

Nathan chuckled as she had bested him on a couple of technicalities, bending to quickly kiss his Millicent as Albert brought their limousine to a stop at the Theatre's back door.

He might not have bested her, but he still got that precious look he was longing for, and her beloved laugh too!

"You do know that I still win, and will always win, because I have you, right? But someday, you're going to believe my compliments, Millicent Alexandria Bradford, because they're all true, each and every single one of them. No one else begins to compare. Doesn't matter where we are or who we are with, or even if it's light or dark. You, my Darling, always outshine them all!"

He scooted to the edge of his seat, turning toward her before he got out of the car while reaching up to tuck a wayward blonde tendril of hair back where it should have been, loving her in that simple touch, more than he could have ever thought possible.

'How does she do that,' he mused. 'One look and she makes my heart catch!'

She was HIS treasure.

A serious tone suddenly replaced his light-hearted one, as his deep gaze never left her own beautiful look of love.

His hand automatically encased hers, entangling his long fingers with her slender ones.

"Do you realize it's just twelve more days till you become Mrs. Nathan Grant? Excited?" he asked in a raspy voice, desperately searching her emerald eyes.

She lifted her free hand upwards, without ever leaving his gaze, while entwining the dark hair at the nape of his neck between her own feminine fingers, ever so gently.

"Excited doesn't begin to describe what I'm feeling, my Darling. I can hardly wait. I'm literally counting the hours, morning, noon, and night!"

He wished he could capture that beautific look on her face, just as Colleen would have done so via a painting. But for now, his memory would have to do.

That look, so special, so complex yet so simple, filled with a thousand messages of love and expectancy, he couldn't begin to describe, but he would keep it in his heart and in his memory to tide him through those times when she couldn't be so close by his side.

"Millicent Bradford, you are absolute perfection in every way, my perfection, and I'm so ready to marry you right this very moment!"

In fact, he wasn't at all sure how he was going to manage those twelve long days till their Wedding Day arrived, except that, thankfully, their schedule was jam-packed with back-to-back activities, hopefully making the time pass faster.

And then there were those dreaded Wedding Gifts they had to open, which would take up every spare moment of their free time, and then some.

Perhaps he needed to re-adjust his overwhelm as it related to those ever-growing mounds of gifts.

The truth was, each one of these items had been given in love for Millicent and him to enjoy. He needed to focus on that love and the good wishes behind them, not just the material objects themselves, nor the sheer number!

It was just that there were so many and most were given by people he didn't know, but he would work on fixing that, as the people in her world were now a part of his.

Thankfully though, under doctor's orders, those ever increasing number of packages were not even to be thought of, at least not now, not tonight.

Tonight, he and Millicent were to relax, and strictly focus on each other, leaving the combined concerns and stresses of Allie's multiple adjustments, the Holidays, and preparing for their huge Wedding all at the same time, far, far behind…


Inside the Theatre, as soon as the Steward opened the lounge door, Allie lunged to meet her parents!

"Dad, Momma! The Nutcracker Ballet was amazing! I could watch it over and over again." (*106)

Nathan and Millicent both hugged and kissed their beyond-excited daughter, who had torn herself away from her new cousins just long enough to greet her parents.

"I loved the entire Ballet! Dad, I practically recognized all the dances from you reading the book to me so many times! Then Grandpapa and Grandmama took us backstage after the Ballet was finished, and we got to meet all the dancers, even Clara, the Prince, and the Nutcracker! Gramma says together they're called a Ballet Troupe! We even got their autographs and a photographer took pictures of us standing with the dancers! He's going to send them to Grandpapa when he gets them all developed. And Grandpapa ordered copies for us too! When we finally got back home, Uncle William took us all riding afterwards and I got to ride Rapunzel and I fell in love with her, so much. She's just so sweet and beautiful too! And Momma's right, she and I have the same exact coloring. So, we look pretty good together, too. Uncle William says that's important if we ever enter competitions. And Auntie…"

"Whoa, Sweetheart! Slow down so we can catch everything you're saying," urged her Dad, since Allie was racing forward at what seemed to be a thousand words per minute.

"Sorry. We just had so much fun together! And later, Auntie Pippa showed me how to cover my paintings in glaze. And that's the bomb!"

"Oh, I've seen Pippa use that technique before, Darling! It's really beautiful as it softens and 'ages' the painting," agreed her Momma, explaining to Nathan, then turning back to her daughter. "I'm just so glad you've had such a fun day, Allie! Are you excited to see your Auntie Essie perform tonight?"

Nathan was helping Millicent out of her fur while she was conversing with their daughter.

In an instant, the Steward appeared at his side to whisk the coat away for safekeeping, as he had previously done with all the other Ladies' outerwear.

"I can't wait, Momma! But wow! You look really gorgeous!"

"Thank you, Sweetheart, and so do you!"

Allie was wearing the beautiful red velvet Holiday dress Millicent had bought for her in Montreal at Renee's and taken to Hope Valley.

"Our reds match, Momma! But I have velvet and you have silk? Is that right?"

"Yes, the fabrics are velvet and silk! I love that the reds match though. That's pretty good, especially since we didn't even know what the other was wearing!"

Allie giggled while Nathan marveled that his daughter would even notice anything at all about fabrics, much less correctly identify them!

'When had that happened?' he mused.

Then he realized that was just one of the many subtle influences of her Momma. She was giving Allie so much confidence and broadening her interests in so many things, including her attire and things more feminine. And she was doing all that while at the same time accepting and loving Allie just as she was.

He couldn't wait to see Millicent teach Allie how to fly-fish! Because the truth was, his fiancée loved nothing more than wading out into the mud in her waist waders and seeing how far she could cast out her line. Which reminded him, he needed to add a pair of waders to Allie's Christmas list, so they'd be ready to fly-fish as a family when the weather warmed.

"There's my handsome son and beautiful daughter," smiled Sophia radiantly, as she moved toward the door to welcome Nathan and Millicent.

"Good evening, Mother," greeted Nathan as he waited patiently while his mother kissed Millicent first.

After she finished, Nathan bent to lovingly kiss his tall, slender mother.

Sophia carried an earthy elegance about her, that her son also unwittingly carried.

It was clear to anyone who saw them together that Nathan very much favored his mother, in both appearance and temperament.

He was so very proud not only of his mother's beauty but more so of her strength, her wisdom, her shared love of her family, the earth, horses, and the arts.

It had been Sophia's stalwart compassion and empathy that had kept their family together during the difficult times. She had been the rock when his father had been weak. Yet she had somehow managed to never stop loving this flawed man she had chosen to marry, and it was that determination that had kept her family whole through it all.

But then again, as Sophia would say, aren't we all flawed in some way?

To be fair, it had been his father who had been the strong one when Colleen had died, though deep down he had been devastated. Colleen had been his pride and joy, his beautiful little princess. And although he had not at all been the perfect father, Colleen had still adored him.

Sophia had been the one to step in when Nathan had blamed their father for not being there for Colleen and him when he should have been. Over the years, she somehow made her son see his father's deep regret for his many shortcomings, along with his receiving God's forgiveness as well as her forgiveness for all of them. It had been that complete unfettered forgiveness that had totally changed Archie. That change in turn paved the way for him to seek, and finally receive his own son's forgiveness.

To say Nathan's mother was a very special Lady, was an understatement.

She had been through the harsh trials of life, yet had come out victorious. Nathan felt very fortunate and honored to have her for his mother. And just like Allie, he positively adored her.

Yes, each of the Grant adults still carried scars to this day, deep scars, perhaps his father most of all, but their love for each other had finally overcome the darkness.

Nathan also noticed and was thrilled to see such a positive difference in his mother since his and Millicent's Engagement.

It was like Sophia was whole again, fully alive again, and it warmed his heart to see.

She now had a second daughter in Millicent, who had been the best friend of her own daughter, and she was relieved beyond measure to know her Nathan and Allie would now have the very wife and mother she had prayed for so earnestly.

As far as Sophia was concerned, Millicent was the one who had been meant for them from the very beginning.

The three of them would now be a complete family, which was a loving answer to a mother's many pleading prayers over the years.

Sophia couldn't have been happier!

"My goodness, you look positively radiant! Your happiness shows all over your face, Dear," complimented Sophia, as she glanced back to Millicent but moved to make way for Victoria to greet her daughter, though not before she patted her son's cheek.

"And so does yours, Son!"

Nathan chuckled.

"That's because for the first time in my life, I am deliriously and happily in love, Mother!"

"Just as it should be, which warms a mother's heart, my Dear Son!"

"Sophia is right! You both look as happy as can be, just as a Bride and Groom-to-be should! Your gown is outstanding, Darling," noted Victoria. "Looks wonderful on you! And your coloring looks a wee bit better, too. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, Mother! We saw Dr. Haversham earlier, and he lightened my tonic moving forward. I think I do feel a bit better, today, because he let me skip both tonics till tomorrow, to help my body adjust. He also wrote out an iron-rich diet for me to follow, and thinks if I follow it closely that I can be pretty much back to normal by our Wedding!"

"That's wonderful news! Follow his instructions closely, Millicent. He's always right, and I so want you to feel your best for your special day! Come sit, you two! Richard and Margaret are already here, telling us about all the delicious food you had tonight."

"Iron-rich food, you mean," laughed Millicent. "Thanks to Nathan!"

He grinned in response.

"Hey, it's my job!"

"And you do it beautifully," she smiled reassuringly, giving him a quick kiss.

The fathers, though, weren't far behind the mothers, offering their greetings, while poor Allie was waiting as patiently as possible to tell her parents more about her wonderful day.

"You look prettier than any painting I've ever seen, second daughter of my heart," smiled Archie.

"That's so lovely! Colleen and I were always sisters at heart and always will be," noted Millicent as she kissed her soon-to-be father-in-law's cheek. "But now, it will be official and we'll finally be real sisters!"

"Yes, it will! As real as it gets," beamed Archie, as he quickly wiped a tear away. "And by the way, the children have thoroughly enjoyed their day. But I must admit we grandparents have enjoyed it every bit as much!"

"We were sure they would! They're very fortunate to have such wonderful grandparents. Thanks to both Dads for giving them such a special day," smiled Nathan.

"The pleasure was all ours," insisted Archie and Edward together.

"Along with the grandmothers, of course," added Edward, who continued greeting his daughter.

"Looking much healthier, my Darling! And thanks so much, Nathan for including us tonight," smiled Edward. "Did you two have a lovely dinner? I know Richard and Margaret sure did!"

"Of course, you are always included, and dinner was delicious, Sir! Your daughter was actually able to enjoy her food for a change, so that's made the night extra special already," grinned Nathan.

"If he doesn't stop spoon-feeding me, Father, I won't be able to fit into my Wedding Gown," teased Millicent.

"Now, we simply can't have a Bride without a gown," chuckled Edward. "But I'm afraid I can't be of much help there, Sweetheart, as that's totally your mother's domain!"

"Looks like we've got a wee one here chomping at the bit to say more to her parents, so quick kisses from Edward and me, it is," chuckled Archie, before he and Edward returned to where they had been sitting, talking with Richard and Margaret.

Allie quickly took over the conversation.

"Momma, my favorite scene in the Ballet was when Clara sneaks down into the living room to check on her broken Nutcracker, and she holds him under the Christmas Tree. And then I loved the scene where the Nutcracker takes the crown from the Mouse King's head and puts it on Clara and she's transformed into a beautiful Princess. But my most favorite scene of all is when the Sugar Plum Fairy invites Clara and the handsome Prince into the Candy Castle and they're crowned to rule over the Land of Sweets! But then I cried when Clara wakes up by the Christmas Tree and realizes everything was just a dream! It was so sad, but happy too, in a way!" (*107)

"I'll tell you a little secret, Sweetheart. I cried the first time I saw that, as well," admitted Millicent.

"Really?" whispered Allie.

"Really!" whispered her Momma back, secretively.

And that was when the family heard a loud knock on the door! The Senior Steward appeared in his spiffy red uniform trimmed in la plethora of gold with lots of gold braiding and a double row of gold buttons. He then nodded to his underling Steward, offered his welcoming greetings, and began his friendly instruction.

"Monsieur Grant, I'm here to transport you and your party to the VIP Box whenever you're ready, Sir. James will assist, by bringing up the rear, making sure none of us go astray. We have a full house tonight, with our marvelous Operetta beginning in exactly fifteen minutes, which we hope you and your party will enjoy immensely."

"Thank you, we're sure it will be a night to remember, getting to see our Estella perform..."


Inside the elegant VIP Box, Nathan quickly viewed the seating configuration.

"Let's see…why don't the children take the first row? Hendrix, would you like to sit with them so you'll have a first-row seat too?" asked Nathan.

"Very much, Sir! Thank you, smiled Hendrix thrilled that he would have a perfect view of his dear Estella.

Allie immediately took her uncle's hand so he could sit in the aisle seat beside her, while Maggie grabbed Allie's other hand so she could be sure to sit next to her new cousin.

"Maggie, I wanted to sit by Allie!" insisted Jackson.

"It's my turn. You sat by her at the Ballet!"

"Children, no fussing! Why don't the men man the aisles tonight, Jackson? There will be plenty of times for you both to sit by your cousin," chided Margaret ever so gently.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Thanks for helping to man the aisles, Jackson. Let's have the Grandparents take the second row? And that will leave the last row for Richard, Margaret, Millicent, and me," summed up Nathan, efficiently seating all of his guests.

As everyone settled into their seats, the audience couldn't help but notice that the Bradfords and their guests were in attendance, and immediately started to applaud.

Edward and Victoria simply stood for a moment and graciously thanked the crowd, with a bow of Edward's head and a smile and slight wave of acknowledgement from Victoria.

Then the couple quickly sat back down again, with only a moment or two before the lights dimmed.

The Bradfords hated the limelight, especially when they were on a private family outing, but it also felt rude for the audience's kind greetings to be ignored.

So, the Bradford patriarch and matriarch had learned over the years to kindly acknowledge with gratitude and simply move on.

As Victoria sat back down, Sophia patted her arm, knowing how her friend hated to be on display.

The lights suddenly dimmed, as Nathan took Millicent's hand and kissed it, comfortably settling in together.

Complete silence ensued, soliciting that beautiful moment of anticipation as the Bradford and Grant Families, along with the entire audience, waited expectantly for all the magic that was to come…


"The Babes in Toyland Operetta:" (*108)

The Operetta officially began in a most somber mood with dark music playing as the first curtain dramatically opened to thunderous applause, revealing the first longed-for glimpse of the evening's musical extravaganza!

First, the stage lights came alive, flashing once, then dimming, showcasing the first scene of the Prologue, causing the packed audience to offer a collective, 'Ahh!'.

The stage was overtaken with a fog-filled mist that made everything look other-worldly. An artistically created feeling of cold, darkness, dampness, mystery, and possibly evil persisted, making everything authentically come alive within the theater.

The somber mood drew everyone in further, so that each attendee intensely felt they were a part of the drama that was playing out before them.

Finally, through the mist, the audience was able to make out the exterior Mansion of the wealthy, and as his name implied, most definitely evil, Mr. Barnaby Crookedman.

As the cold, stony edifice slowly loomed ever closer, the audience perused the gloomy exterior, wondering what egregious wickedness could possibly be unfolding inside this cold, dark, damp, and dank monstrosity.

Suddenly, the Curtains drew closed on the ominous Mansion, and the stage quickly catapulted into the Prologue's second scene, which was in fact, much more intense than the first!

In what appeared to be an instant, the stage rapidly turned into a raucous sea made of flowing silk, in various deep shades of blues and greens, moving violently back and forth to ominous music, leaving everyone deep in the middle of the ocean!

A resounding clap of thunder boomed overhead, followed by an instantaneous and rather intense crashing flash of lightning that hovered for a split second over the entire audience, startling each attendee, causing them to jump a bit in their seats because of how authentically real this storm appeared to be.

The wooden ship Galleon suddenly entered the stage from the left, carrying the orphans, Alan and Jane, onboard! They've run away to sea, desperately trying to escape from their wicked Uncle Barnaby. Yes, the same evil Barnaby who lived in the macabre stone mansion. But little did the innocent young ones know, their evil uncle had already arranged for them to be shipwrecked while at sea so he could steal their vast fortune, taking it all for his very own.

The audience intently watched all the flailing activity, feeling aghast as even more chaos at sea ensued with a second bolt of lightning that flashed before their very eyes.

Alan and Jane looked on in horror as the Ship Galleon shattered into a million pieces around them, accompanied by a series of multiple loud bangs reverberating throughout the theater from the imploding lumber.

The largest portion of the ship slowly spiraled, sinking into the deep waters of the surrounding sea, while the remaining pieces of the broken edifice scattered even further out onto the surrounding deep waters as horrific mayday scream after scream was eerily heard from its terrified surviving occupants.

Suddenly the curtain closed yet again and all the noise from the tragedy instantly ceased, resulting in dead silence throughout the theater, leaving the entire audience bereft as they breathlessly imagined all the dreaded aftermath that was still concurrently happening at sea, though now completely behind the scenes.

Excited and wide-eyed, Allie, Jackson, and Maggie sat on the edge of their seats, completely enthralled with the grand, spectacular opening! But to be honest, the adults accompanying them were not at all far behind in intrigue, although they exhibited a more reserved level of enthusiasm and wonder.

But the extreme drama, excitement, and even horror were definitely being felt by all!

After experiencing the trauma of the sinking ship, the Curtain next opened to a most pleasant, utopian scene that was the exact opposite of the darkness and horror the audience has thus far endured.

Instead, they were treated to an enchanting Country fête, taking place in Contrary Mary's Garden, a beautiful, picturesque fenced-in area, overflowing with beautiful flowers of every color, cascading everywhere. As lovely and as perfect as her immaculate garden was, Contrary Mary was happily sharing all that she had with her friends.

It was indeed the perfect fairytale venue of beautiful magical dreams, for both children and adults!

Allie beamed with pride and whispered to her cousins, as she recognized her Auntie Essie made up as Contrary Mary, looking very beautiful, indeed, as Mistress of her gorgeous Garden.

"Look, Maggie! Look, Jackson! That's our Auntie Essie. She's the Star..."

*106-107. "The Nutcracker Ballet," Adapted from the Book 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,' Prussian Author E.T.A. Hoffman, 1816, Composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, 1st Performance in Russia, 1892, Public Domain

*108. "Babes in Toyland Operetta, Book and Lyrics by Glen MacDonough, Music by Victor Herbert, 1903, 1905, Public Domain