Page 57 of A Snowfall of Silver

“Plenty of secluded, darkened corners in an old place like this,” Dan says, with a twinkle.

“Oh, yes, let’s play,” Alma says. “I’ve had enough dancing.”

Even Viola agrees. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes sparkling.

“I think it’s time for the elderly folk to head home,” Eileen demurs. There is a chorus of disagreement and she shakes her head. “It’s been a wonderful evening, but it’s well past midnight already, and the three of us are long overdue for turning back into pumpkins. You youngsters enjoy your game.”

We bid Mr Cantwell, Eileen and an exuberant Hubert goodnight and it is decided that Kit will hide first. The rest of us count to a hundred before setting off in pursuit.

Once outside the halo of light surrounding the stage the rest of the theatre is shrouded in a thick, velvet darkness. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust.

“I think that’s the last we’ll see of those two,” Russ murmurs in my ear, as Nora and Sophie disappear down one of the corridors, the faint sound of laughter echoing behind them.

“Perhaps they’re looking for Kit,” I say. “He could be down that way.”

“Perhaps,” says Russ. “Why don’t we look in here?” He leans past me and finds a door handle, twisting it open with a click.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“Which room is this?” I ask, disorientated, as we step inside.

“I think it might be Hubert’s office,” Russ says, swearing as he walks into the corner of the desk.

“Kit?” I whisper. “Are you in here?” There’s no answer. I turn to Russ. “He’s not here. Let’s go.”

“In a moment,” Russ says, and then he pulls me into his arms, pressing his mouth against mine.

I make a muffled noise of protest which he ignores. I bring my hands up to push at his chest, but his arms only tighten, and so I bring my foot down on his, twisting the heel sharply.

He gives an exclamation of pain and stumbles backwards. “What did you do that for?”

I wipe the back of my hand across my mouth. “What do you think? You can’t just go around jumping on girls in darkened rooms.”

“I thought you wanted me to.” His voice is sulky, like a child who has been denied a toy.

“I don’t think I did anything to give you that impression,” I say. “In fact, I know I didn’t.”

We stand there in the dark for a moment, and I can feel his animosity coming towards me in waves. “You seemed to want to be kissed well enough the last time,” he says.

“Yes, well, I changed my mind,” I snap. I feel curiously shaken and a bit sick. “You don’t even like me, Russ, not really. This is just a silly game.”

In the shadows I see his expression soften. He takes a step forward, “Darling, if that’s what’s worrying you…”

“It’s not.” The words stop him in his tracks. “I don’t feel that way about you either.”

“I see.” His voice is cold now. “So you’re just a tease, then?”

The queasy feeling in my stomach intensifies. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do.” His voice is hard and scornful, and I don’t recognize it at all. “I know you were just playing hard to get. You’ve been flirting with me for weeks, leading me on. You want to be careful about getting a reputation like that in this industry. People talk. Men don’t like women who string them along. Just ask Viola.”

“Russ.” I struggle to keep my voice even. I take another step back to put more space between us. “I-I’m sorry if you got the wrong impression.” I swallow, hating the fact that I’m apologizing to him. The man I thought was my friend has become something else entirely, here in this cold, dark room. I’m not at all sure what is going to happen next, and it’s that uncertainty that scares me. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” I finish weakly.

There’s a moment of silence, one that stretches out between us. Then, with a muffled expression of disgust, Russ turns on his heel and leaves the room. I sag against the desk, surprised to find myself trembling.

Nothing happened, I tell myself sternly. Stop being so silly. Nothing happened, just a few mean words.

Finally, I leave the room. The darkness has transformed the snug little theatre into something much more sinister, and I jump as the quiet is broken by the scattered sound of laughter in the distance. Russ and I had only been in the office for a couple of minutes. The game is still going on, and suddenly, I really do want to find Kit.