Chapter Twenty-Five
After dinner, dancing, and several toasts, most of the guests made their way into the throne room, which had been completely transformed into a cabaret-type nightclub complete with a stage, dance floor, and cocktail bars stationed in every corner. It reminded me of the Red Coat Club—probably because Victoria had commissioned their same design team to help create a similar feel.
I’d helped Victoria change from her evening dress into the party dress Jamie designed. It carried over the motif of the jewel-toned stones from the wedding gown, and he’d tactically placed jewels around the collar and hem of the dress for maximum effect. It was fun and flirty and totally different than anything she’d worn all week.
The glam squad took her hair down from the sleek chignon and flat ironed it perfectly straight with a middle part. I snapped a picture of her and sent it off to Jamie so he could see how the entire look came together. Alexander changed out of his formal tuxedo into a cool midnight blue suit with dark navy velvet lapels. Standing there together, he and Victoria looked like two movie stars out for a night in the big city.
Although the wedding hoopla would die down, I knew the interest in Victoria and Alexander never would. They were the true embodiment of a fairy tale. Modern royals who were beautiful, elegant, and worldly. I didn’t envy the spotlight that would forever follow them and hoped Victoria would be strong enough to handle it. If these last few months were any indication though, she would be.
Gideon grabbed us each a cocktail from the bar and found us a high-top table to sit at close to the stage. Alexander walked out from behind the curtain and introduced the singer, Adele, to the crowd who went absolutely wild at the mention of her name. She congratulated Victoria and Alexander on their marriage and then went on to perform some of her biggest hits followed by a brand-new song she’d written just for the occasion.
I’d tried unsuccessfully for years to score tickets to one of Adele’s shows, which typically sold out in a matter of minutes. Being able to hear her perform in such an intimate setting was once in a lifetime. I looked over at Gideon who was singing along to all the words, having a great time.
When Adele finished her set, she cleared the stage and Alexander came back up. She handed him the microphone, which he slipped back into the stand and pulled to the front of the stage.
“I am thrilled to introduce the next set of performers,” he said. “Following their record-breaking wins at the Olivier Awards, please help me welcome my friend, Perry Gillman, and the incomparable cast of Elizabeth.”
Alexander quickly vacated the stage as the entire cast of Elizabeth came down the aisles of the audience dressed as traveling mistrals and troubadours. Perry, as Robert Dudley was leading the charge to impress the actress playing Queen Elizabeth, who was reveling in the scene before her. The room was completely silent until Perry started singing with several members of the company joining in at different verses.
Perry’d written this specific song as a modern take on the madrigal, which he’d explained to me was a popular musical arrangement of the Elizabethan era consisting of several vocal parts with no instrumental accompaniment. Each vocal was carefully layered and harmonized to act as an instrument would if the song were being played by an actual orchestra. Even after several attempts to educate me on the complexity of the music theory involved in this piece, I’d never been sure I quite understood what he was trying to accomplish…until now. Hearing the song performed with the full chorus the way he must’ve imagined when he was writing the score was absolutely mind-blowing.
I glanced around. Every single eye in the place, including the staff, was transfixed on Perry, who was singing and dancing up the aisles, encouraging audience members to join him in merriment. He was doing all he could to woo his queen. Elizabeth though, wouldn’t be persuaded, ultimately choosing ambition and the crown over love. She turned the heartsick Dudley down, finally and definitively letting him go.
When the scene was over, the entire room was on its feet applauding. I looked over to the front row where Annabelle was seated. Tears were streaming down her face and all the color was drained from it. I thought back to Perry’s quote from that fateful New York Time’s article: “Certain relationships require too much compromise, too many concessions. Some romances are intense and wonderful but are simply doomed from the start.” My breath caught in my chest. What if it wasn’t me he’d been talking about? What if it was Annabelle?
I looked up at the stage. The cast was clearing off and just Perry and a few of the musicians stayed behind to act as his backup band. Alexander walked back to the microphone and thanked him for the incredible performance. He handed Perry a violin and the mic and stepped back offstage.
Perry waited a few more seconds to finish catching his breath then stepped closer to the stand and slipped in microphone. “I’m so honored the Duke and Duchess of Sussex asked me to perform this evening. It’s an absolute dream come true to be standing here, so thank you.” Perry looked over to Victoria and Alexander.
He continued, “I haven’t always been a Broadway guy. My musical roots and heart live a little closer to the jazz age. I hope everyone will indulge me a bit as I play some of my favorite standards for the happy couple.” Perry nodded to the pianist onstage beside him. “It’s been quite a while since I picked up a bow, so please excuse me if I’m a little rusty.”
Perry put the violin to his chin and began playing the all-too-familiar first notes of Gershwin’s They Can’t Take That Away From Me. He looked out into the audience and I could feel his eyes searching for me. I closed mine and drifted back to Chinooka. I replayed the dozens of times I’d watched spellbound as Perry’s fingers danced over the strings of his violin, private concerts performed just for me. When he got too tired of playing, he’d throw one of his records onto the turntable and we’d dance in his cabin until the sun came up.
I opened my eyes. Victoria and Alexander had taken to the dance floor and other couples were slowly moving to join them.
Gideon stood up and said, “Shall we?”
I accepted his hand and followed him out into the crowd. He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me. I laid my head down on Gideon’s shoulder.
“Have I told you how absolutely beautiful you look tonight?” Gideon whispered in my ear.
I picked my head up. “You may have mentioned it once or twice.”
“Well, let me just say it again. You look gorgeous.”
“You look pretty dapper yourself,” I said, adjusting his bowtie. “I’m one lucky lady.”
“I’m glad to hear you say it. After that performance, I might be the only person in this room who didn’t fall a little more in love with Perry Gillman tonight.”
I looked up at the stage. Perry’d put down his violin and was singing the last few lines of the song staring straight at me.
“No. Not the only one,” I said, laying my head back down on Gideon’s shoulder.