Unfortunately, Mr. William Darcy, CEO of a company involved in the aeronautics and an engineer by training, had forgotten that if he could hear the dancers giggle, they could hear him berate. And indeed, Lili Bright, also known as Elizabeth Bennet, had been practicing her usual pre-show warm-up near that wall. At first, she had been drawn by the deep voice of one of the men and had dragged her friend Lottie Boum, also known as Charlotte Lucas, to share the thrill. Then both of them had mouthed their shocked “Oh!” at hearing such horrible words. Hell, that jerk wasn’t obligated to come! Both of them were quite used to being considered high-class prostitutes. They knew that some of the other girls did take a wealthy lover just to live above their means. They didn’t really agree with this way of living but they had never heard a customer complain about that! The ridiculousness of the situation soon dawned on them and they began to chuckle. Angie Sweetness, also known as Jane Bennet, Elizabeth’s sister came to them and they shared their story.
As the theatre was getting fuller by the minute, the gentlemen could only hear the ladies when they were outright laughing.
“Isn’t that the most delicious sound on Earth?”
“Bing, you’re being ridiculous! It’s the stupidest sound on Earth!”
“Babeth, Jane! Come and sneak a peak to that connard!” Charlotte urged her friends.
“Lizzy, how you can tolerate that a froggie changes your nickname is beyond me!” The good-natured banter between them came as easily as usual.
“Well, she’s the only who has a boy friend!”
“And what boy friend,” Charlotte interrupted, over-wiggling her eyebrows.
“If it’s the French touch that men want, well, then, I’m willing to sacrifice my English name!”
“Come on, les filles! The show will soon start, we don’t have much time left!”
The three of them already wore their – heavy – on-stage make-up and their – very light – apparel for the first scene. They only had to put their Buckingham Palace guards black-feathered hats on before going on the small stage. Managing to flee discreetly was not something easy outside of their cabaret, since like all their “colleagues”, they were very handsome creatures. Elizabeth was the smallest of the three, five centimetres smaller with her 1m75*. She and Charlotte were brunettes while Jane was a blond. All of them had lean bodies, Jane and Charlotte being less endowed than Lizzy. But among their peers, they managed to sneak unnoticed to the poste d’observation, a small room above the stage where the security men insured that the audience was behaving.
After the usual flirty greetings, they were able to cast their eyes on the pair of males who, they suspected, had had that disgusting conversation.
“Oh my God! Look at that blond! I wish I could see his eyes from here! He’s very cute…”
Charlotte and Lizzy witnessed this outburst with surprise.
“Jane! You usually wait for our opinion before uttering yours!” laughed her sister.
“But I mean… don’t you agree?”
As she was saying that, the two friends were scanning the room and they happened to look up to the dark hole that was the window of the poste d’observation. Jane shivered.
“Are you cold, ma puce?”
“No… it’s that look…”
“Well, I’m cold,” Lizzy said briskly, brushing away her goosebumps. She would not disclose to her mates that she had also felt some powerful physical sensations, by just being at the un-willing end of the dark-haired one’s look. “Let’s go back!”
On their way, they wondered which one was the prick. “It cannot be mine, it cannot be…” Jane kept repeating as a motto, while her companions were teasing her. Soon, the laughter faded, as they got ready for the first scene.
*Author’s note: 1m75=5ft 8in; 1m80=5ft 10in