The Vaudeville Star (3 page)

* * *

“
R
uby
.”

She heard her name and felt the cool cloth on her forehead. She opened her eyes and felt the room spin slightly, so she closed them and then opened them again.

“Here.”

Ford handed her a glass of brandy, and she took a sip of it to revive herself. She coughed as the liquid warmed in her throat.

“Ford?”

“Yes, Ruby,” he said softly, coming to sit beside her.

“It is true?”

“Yes, Ruby. I’m sorry. It’s the reason I came to tell you in person. Your mother wanted to write you a letter, and Pernetta even suggested a telegram. I offered to tell you in person. I wanted you to hear it from a friend.”

Tears formed in her eyes, and Ford enveloped her in his arms. “Shhhh now. Your father loved you, Ruby. He loved you so much. You were all he ever talked about. You know that.”

“He was the only one who loved me,” she said quietly.

“You know that’s not true. You are loved by many people. Jessbelle worships you. When she gets one of your letters, the whole house hears nothing but Ruby this and Ruby that,” Ford said.

“Your sister is very kind. She always has been.”

“There now? See?” He brushed her hair away from her forehead.

She looked around the room and realized they were no longer in the restaurant.

“Where are we?” she asked, sitting up.

“I carried you to my room. I didn’t think it seemly to remain with you as you were in the restaurant. I know my room is equally inappropriate, but as you said, we are practically family. We almost were family,” he said, smiling.

“I’m glad you never married Pernetta. She would have made you so unhappy,” she said as she stared into the glass.

“Never mind all that, Ruby. You’ve had a shock. Drink up and sit back. When you feel up to it, I’ll take you back to the school.”

Ruby took a sip of the brandy and placed the glass aside, leaning her head against his shoulder. Ford didn’t move, and she remained as she was.

“Thank you for coming to tell me. You were always good to me, even when I annoyed you.”

“You never annoyed me, Ruby.”

“You know that’s not true. What about the time I followed you into town and hid behind the flour and sugar sacks while you tried to say hello to—what was her name?”

Ford laughed. “You were a bothersome creature, Ruby Mae, but never annoying. I confess I thought you were cute.”

She looked up at him. “You did?”

“Yes. Following me about like a lost kitten with those big gray eyes.”

“I suppose being called cute isn’t bad.” She smiled a little.

“You’re no longer cute, Ruby.” He sipped his own drink.

“I’m not?” She looked up at him again.

“No, you aren’t.” He said nothing else, and Ruby was crestfallen.

“You’ve grown beautiful,” he told her softly.

Ruby smiled, and when she looked up into his face, his eyes met hers.

“Ruby.”

His hand cupped the back of her head as their lips met. Ruby was startled and placed a hand against his chest, but she didn’t stop him. She heard the thump of the glass hitting the carpeted floor and knew he had dropped his drink. When she moved against him, he broke their kiss.

“You should stop me, Ruby. I’m taking advantage.”

“I’m not a child, Ford. I’ve loved you all this time. It’s always been you,” she whispered. “You know that.” She meant every word.

He pressed her into the sofa, kissing her lips, her neck, the tops of her breasts. When he picked her up, she knew he was taking her from the small parlor to the adjoining bedroom. She didn’t stop him. There was nothing on earth that she wanted more than to be with Ford. She had nursed her childish dreams for so long that now the reality was everything to her.

He shrugged off his suit jacket, but her fingers trembled as she tried to rid herself of her own clothes. Her thoughts raced, and she tried to focus on what was about to happen, but she pushed it from her mind. She knew what lay before her. She would go to New York and find a life onstage, but tonight, this was all she wanted.

Ford knelt before her and unbuttoned her dress quickly while Ruby smiled shyly at him. She stood before him now wearing only her chemise and drawers, which were laced lined with a pink ribbon.

“You are so lovely,” he said as she touched his cheek and moved her hand through his hair.

“Ford.”

He stood before her and removed his shirt as she pulled the chemise over her head. She looked away nervously, as she had never had a man look at her before. She was completely naked to his gaze, and it unnerved her.

She tried to move to the bed and away from his gaze, but he pulled her to him. His hands caressed her back and then moved farther down to cup her bottom.

“Just like that night,” he murmured into her ear. “Only now you are a woman.”

She closed her eyes. She remembered that night as if it were yesterday. The water all around them and his hands cupping her as he did now. She had wondered if this day would ever come. She had thought he might be married with children by now, but no. He had said so over dinner. No one had tempted him to marriage.

And yet here he was, touching her and talking to her as if they were a married couple about to consummate their love. Though they were not married, they were about to be joined together, and she was about to give Ford her virginity. She would never regret it.

He was kissing her again. This time with more passion and heat as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He backed her up to the bed, and they fell together in a tangle of limbs. When Ruby felt his tongue twirl and tease one of her nipples, she bucked against him.

He smiled down at her. He kissed her belly, her thighs, and was suddenly breathing against her most feminine part.

“Ford, no!” she cried out.

He didn’t say anything, only continued to move his hot breath over her until he replaced it with his tongue. Ruby trembled and then closed her eyes, giving herself up completely to the man she had loved for so very long.

With her legs splayed open, Ford deftly touched a finger inside her warmth and then replaced it with his tongue. Alternating between the two, he watched as Ruby bucked against him and moaned. He finally unbuttoned his trousers and kicked them off, covering her naked body with his own.

The feel of his naked body against hers was intoxicating, and Ruby opened her legs wider to accept his body.

“Don’t be frightened, darling,” he whispered.

Ruby shook her head, and her eyes sought his. “I’m not.”

Using one arm to brace his weight, he moved slightly to the side and used his other arm to take his cock in hand. She was wet and ready, but he knew it would be her first time, and he didn’t want to cause her any additional pain. Moving slowly, he guided himself inside her.

She was very tight, as he expected, but also slick from his attention. She closed her eyes as he moved deeper inside her.

“Ruby,” he said softly as he felt the tightness of her body completely surround him.

She relaxed and accepted him, and felt the sharp pain as her virginity was no more. She moved her legs up to surround him, and he glided his cock gently in and out of her, allowing her to get used to the intrusion of him.

She held him tightly to her as he took one nipple in his mouth and then kissed her neck and bit it lightly. She gasped aloud as a wave of exquisite pleasure crested over her, and it was then that he pulled out of her, emptying himself into his palm with a groan.

Ruby lay on her back in the bed as Ford moved about the room. He cleaned himself off with the pitcher and basin and then pulled on his trousers. When he returned to the bed, Ruby was on her side watching him.

She looked lovely with her blond hair tousled and her gray eyes bright in the dark room. She looked like she had just been made love to. He swallowed lightly and came to sit at the edge of the bed.

“Ruby . . . I—”

“Can I have my chemise?” she asked.

He looked around and found it on the floor. He handed it to her.

“Thank you.” She pulled the garment over her head.

“Ruby, I don’t know what to say.”

“About?” she asked, confused.

Ford closed his eyes. “I have behaved badly. I’ve taken something that by rights should belong to your husband. We should marry as soon as possible.”

Ruby licked her lips and stared at Ford. It took her a moment to realize what he was saying, and she was torn between smacking his handsome face and laughing.

“How did you behave badly? Are you apologizing for taking my virginity?”

Ford winced. “I’m not apologizing. It was wonderful.”

“Then?”

“You know what happened between us should not have, therefore we must marry.”

“Says who?” Ruby asked him innocently.

Ford gritted his teeth. “Don’t be absurd, Ruby. You know there is no other option but to marry.”

“I entirely disagree,” Ruby told him as she searched for her petticoat and dress.

“Jesus, Ruby! This isn’t the time to be argumentative!” he said harshly.

“I’m not being argumentative. I knew exactly what was happening, and I wanted it. Now it’s over.” She pulled on her dress and buttoned it as she spoke.

“So what are you saying? We make love and that’s it?”

“Yes.”

“This is ridiculous. You’re being ridiculous.”

Ruby laughed. “So what? You’ll be the first man to have a shotgun wedding where you’re the one holding the shotgun?”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”

“Ford, I can explain everything. I have dreams and desires. I want a different life. My last year at the school ends in a few weeks. Once it does, I plan to leave Connecticut for my new life. Nowhere in my plans does it include returning to Mississippi as your bride.” She stepped into her shoes.

Ford was stunned. “As a gentleman, I must accept the outcome of this evening and do the right thing.”

Ruby smiled. “You once held me in your arms and called my love for you a childhood fantasy. Then you called me a witch. This evening, we both tasted what it can be like. But that’s all it was. What it
could
be like. Not what it is.” She tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her arm.

“You said you loved me.”

“That hasn’t changed,” she said, looking into his eyes. “I’ve always loved you, Ford.”

“Then why won’t you marry me?”

“You don’t love me. You desire me, but you don’t love me. And that’s not enough. I must chase my dreams. They’re all I have now.”

Ford felt a strange sensation inside him. She was serious. If he knew anything at all about Ruby, it was that she was rash and reckless. She would leave him, he had no doubt.

“Where are you headed? What dreams?” he asked, still holding her arm.

“I’m going to New York.”

“Alone?”

“Yes. I’ve made plans.”

Ford pondered her words and then narrowed his eyes. “I’ve no doubt that you’ll go to New York alone. You’re just crazy enough to do something like that. But you are right in one thing. I do desire you, Ruby. And after what just happened, you are absolutely crazy to think I’ll let you go so easily.”

Ruby smiled as she picked up her coat and hat. “But you never really had me to let me go. Did you?”

N
o one questioned
her late arrival coming home that evening because no one was about. When Ruby took off her clothes to change into her simple chemise for bed, she saw her breasts were pink in some places where his kisses had become very passionate.

She blushed in the gaslight of her room. She had given herself completely to Ford, and she had absolutely no regrets. She had long loved him, and that he should be the one to claim her virginity she thought fitting.

But she had lied to Ford about many things. She had been thrilled at his desire to wed her and had wanted nothing more than to lie in his arms that night and marry him the next morning. But she couldn’t. She knew he didn’t love her, and she had to follow her dreams.

She looked about her small room and remembered with a heavy heart that her father was gone. He had probably long since been buried in the family plot. He was the only person in her life that had loved her unconditionally. Now that he was gone, she felt even more alone in the world. But the more she thought about the death of her father, the more she realized she was on the right path.

She would never return to Mississippi. There was nothing for her there but a cold, unloving mother and a nasty-tempered sister. She knew now that her future lay in New York, even if it was an uncertain one.

* * *

S
aying
good-bye to the friends she had made over the past three years at Miss Porter’s was difficult, but each young woman now had a separate path to take. The teachers wished her well, and she traveled to New Haven to catch the train bound for Manhattan.

She settled back into her seat and thought about the journey. She had coolly explained her plan to Ford, and he had almost laughed in her face. He had said she was crazy to travel all alone to New York, and perhaps she was crazy. But deep inside, she was also frightened to death.

Her small suitcase was next to her feet, and she clutched her purse with both gloved hands as if it might be snatched from her at any moment. She wore a blue-and-gray-striped traveling suit, and her hat was pinned at an angle. She looked every inch a lady and hoped that no one would bother her as she was traveling alone.

She glanced around the compartment and saw an elderly couple seated together, a young couple seated farther back, and a young man studying the newspaper, completely oblivious to the world around him.

Ruby fiddled with the tips of her gloves and opened her purse. She had placed a few dollars inside, but the rest of the money was in the bottom of her shoe. She had heard stories about people stealing purses and luggage, but no one would steal her shoes, she thought, smiling to herself.

She had embarked on a grand adventure, and she felt the thrill of it all. When she leaned back and closed her eyes, she thought of that night once more. Ford seemed to always be with her, especially at night. She dreamed of him kissing and touching her, his warm body covering hers.

She knew she had done the right thing. There was no going back to Mississippi. What would she even do there? Become wife to Ford, and then what? Spend her days embroidering and taking tea with the other matrons? Raising two or three children? No. That was not the life she envisioned for herself.

Ruby had done her homework and knew a little bit about the areas in Manhattan and where the theaters were situated. She knew, of course, about Broadway and the vaudeville theaters that had begun springing up in the past twenty years. She had marked on a piece of paper the addresses of the various vaudeville theaters and planned to visit each one.

Some of the theaters she had read about, and others she had heard mentioned in passing by a teacher or students who had been to New York. She was excited to visit the theaters and find one that she liked and that looked respectable. Once she achieved that, she would introduce herself to the manager and ask for a job. She knew she might start out at the bottom doing errands or other menial work, but she was willing to do it.

She looked around the compartment again, but nothing had changed. Still the two couples and the one young man, who slowly turned the pages of his newspaper. She saw he had sandy blond hair, and their eyes met briefly before he returned to his news.

She had not written a word to her mother. She didn’t feel bad about the separation; she felt nothing at all. She had always felt that she was a great disappointment to her mother, and she was sure her disappearance would not be missed. In fact, she was certain her mother and sister would welcome her absence.

When the train finally pulled into Manhattan, she exited with her small suitcase. Grand Central Station had recently been renovated, and Ruby tried not to stare at the grandeur of the huge building that surrounded her.

She asked a porter for directions to Broadway, and she was able to find the street easily by walking. She was greeted by tall buildings on either side of her as she walked along the busy street. She saw several theaters and restaurants and watched the horses clip-clopping along with their carriages. She even saw a streetcar move quickly past them all.

She stopped before a smaller music hall, not because she wanted to but because the wad of money in her laced-up boot was making it difficult to walk. She looked down the busy street and decided to turn into the alley at the side of the theater to remove the money.

She placed her suitcase next to her and sat on it. She was about to unlace her boot when she heard two people arguing.

“Come on, Archie. You know I’m right. We didn’t leave little nowhere Kansas to end up in a two-bit music hall,” a female voice said.

“I agree, Bessie. But it pays the rent and feeds us. That’s good enough for now,” the male voice responded.

“Oh Christ, Archie! You’ve been saying that for six months now, and nothing has changed! We need to audition at a bigger theater and try our luck,” the female said, exasperated, as they rounded the corner and stumbled upon Ruby.

“Excuse me,” Ruby said in embarrassment while Archie’s eyes were glued to Ruby’s exposed calf.

“Are you lost? Hurt?” Bessie asked kindly.

“Oh no. No,” she said, flipping her skirt down over her leg. “I was resting. I’m new here. To New York, that is.”

“New to New York? What are you doing here? Are you a performer?” Bessie asked.

“Well, I’ve never been on the stage, I mean professionally. But I want to. I sing,” she explained awkwardly.

“You sing?” Archie asked.

“Yes.” Ruby nodded.

“Are you any good?” Bessie asked, looking her over.

“My friends at school said I was. I don’t know if I’m good enough to be onstage,” she admitted.

“Come with us. We were about to get something to eat. Our rehearsal just ended,” Bessie said, taking her by the arm as Archie picked up her bag.

“I—don’t know—” Ruby said, staring at Archie and then Bessie.

“Don’t worry. New York is full of thieves and criminals, but it’s also filled with kind people as well. I’m Bessie Moore, and this is my brother, Archibald, though everyone calls him Archie.”

“I’m Ruby. Ruby Mae Sutton.”

Bessie smiled as she linked her arm through Ruby’s. “You’re from the South. I love your accent. I have an ear for accents.”

“I am. I’m from Mississippi.”

“Far from home. Like us. We’re from Kansas.”

“Kansas?”

“Yes. We are in a vaudeville show. We dance, my brother and I. We call ourselves the Dancing Duo.” Bessie smiled, and Ruby smiled back.

Ruby allowed them to steer her into a small delicatessen on a side street near the theater, and they all ordered sandwiches and coffee. Bessie seemed very intrigued by Ruby while Archie only stared at her and then looked away when she looked at him.

“Are you staying with relatives? Do you have a chaperone or someone with you?” Bessie asked.

Ruby smiled as she looked at the brother and sister. They looked similar, both tall with long arms and legs and red hair, but while Bessie’s was curly, her brother’s was straight and slicked back.

“I don’t know anyone in New York. I came from school to follow my dreams. I want to be in vaudeville.”

“You don’t have anyone here?” Bessie said with awe in her voice. “You came to New York all alone?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m impressed. We came from Kansas, but we’ve always had each other to lean on. You have no one.”

“Well, don’t be too impressed. Some might say following my dreams is crazy and maybe downright dangerous. I didn’t think I would meet anyone as kind as you all are.”

Archie studied Ruby’s face while Bessie patted the young woman’s arm.

“Well, there’s no doubt you’re pretty enough, Ruby. I’ll say that much.” Bessie nodded.

Archie said little but seemed to agree with that statement.

“As I said,” Bessie began, just as their sandwiches and coffee arrived, “we are members of a small vaudeville group.”

“Very small,” Archie said drily.

“Our manager is named Vernon. He calls himself Vaudeville Vern,” Bessie said, smiling and biting into her sandwich.

“He’s been around for years and knows everyone. I could introduce you to him. He’s decent and won’t try to climb up your skirts like some managers would,” Bessie said bluntly, and Ruby blushed.

Bessie took another bite of her sandwich. “I can’t promise anything. We do have a full act now. We have a comedian, a magician, a Hungarian sister dance act, us, and then our resident Italian diva. But maybe he could find something for you. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“No, it’s wonderful!” Ruby said, clutching her hand. “Thank you! I’m so lucky to have met you both.”

Archie eyed her intently. “Where are you staying?”

Ruby reached for her coffee. “I do need to find a place. I was thinking my first night I’ll stay at a hotel and then afterward find a boardinghouse.”

“So you have no definite plans?” Bessie asked.

“No, I don’t. I guess I was filled with dreams and grand ambitions. Now that I’m here, I see how big this city is and how everyone is just bustling about attending to their business,” Ruby admitted. “I feel a little naïve.”

Bessie smiled broadly. “Well, then, that’s perfect! We rent rooms at a nearby boardinghouse. It’s run by a woman and her husband, though the husband is ill. He hurt is back or something. But Mrs. Hodges is a nice enough woman and an excellent cook. There is also a maid who helps keep the home clean.”

“That does sound perfect,” Ruby sighed as her mind eased.

“Several of us from the vaudeville show stay there. The Vadas sisters, us, of course, and Max. He is Vern’s assistant. Poor thing. Vern runs him ragged.”

“Is there a place for me? An empty room?” Ruby wondered.

“Yes. There was a fellow living at the end of the hallway on the second floor. He was separated from his wife. Apparently, they have reconciled. Good luck. They fought like cats and dogs.” She shook her head, looking at her brother, who nodded.

Ruby smiled and could feel the dollar bills at the bottom of her boot. She would be able to pay in advance. She felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

“I don’t know how to thank you, Bessie,” she said sincerely.

“Oh, never mind all that. You needed a place to stay and you need work. One can easily be taken care of, and tomorrow we’ll take you to the theater.”

* * *

“
P
retty girl
,” Mrs. Hodges said as she looked Ruby up and down. “Who did you say she was?” She turned again to Bessie, who was standing beside Ruby as the middle-aged woman scrutinized her.

“She’s my cousin from Mississippi. She’s going to audition tomorrow for the show. I thought I told you about her,” Bessie said the white lie easily.

“Hmph! No, you didn’t,” Mrs. Hodges said.

Ruby tried to keep her eyes downcast and appear as submissive as possible. She needed the place to stay, and she didn’t want to seem bothersome.

“Well, I suppose she can have the empty room upstairs at the end of the hall. She seems clean enough.”

“I am,” Ruby said softly.

The three mounted the stairs as Mrs. Hodges began her welcome speech. “Breakfast is at six thirty. There’ll be fried eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee. Some houses do up a lunch, but I don’t. You’re on your own for lunch.”