Many hours and many conversations with her mother later, Julianna looked out the window of the carriage as it pulled up in front of the London opera house. After waiting in a long carriage line filled with London's social elite, the carriage door opened and the footman helped her down from the carriage.

“Thank you,” Julianna said to him. The man smiled briefly and then looked away before moving on to help the others step out.

Lord Norsely moved up beside her and took her arm. “You do not need to thank him. He is only a servant.”

Julianna looked up at Lord Norsely surprised and ready to comment but he failed to notice as he was already looking at the other people waiting to get into the opera house.

As she and Lord Norsely entered the opera house, Julianna looked around, not only at the many people there but at the lobby of the opera house itself. It was beautifully decorated with ornate carvings and lush fabrics. She had been to many performances at the opera house and always admired the opulence of the lobby and gallery.

“The opera house is rather beautiful. I am so glad that you accepted my invitation so you could see it.”

As politely as possible Julianna said, “I am very appreciative that you invited me tonight, but I have been to several operas here.”

“Then why are you looking around as though you are a simpleton?” His voice was sharp as he smiled at another couple in the lobby.

Julianna sucked in a breath, shocked at his bold, rude rebuke. She longed to comment on his behaviour, but she attempted to be gracious as she reminded herself that Lord Norsely’s family had just rid themselves of a family scandal. Lord Norsely knew that the gossips were watching, ready to jump on any misstep, it was understandable that he would be somewhat anxious for everything to go well.

Playing her part, she smiled and greeted people graciously as she and Lord Norsely followed Lord and Lady Marsfeld to their seats. She attempted to hide her surprise when they stopped at one of the private boxes.

Lord Norsely smiled. “This is our box. My father rented it for the entirety of the Season.”

It had not been unknown to Julianna as she had seen Lord and Lady Marsfeld in attendance on the nights she had attended previously. She simply had not realized that she and Lord Norsely would be sitting with them. Her only reply was to simply nod as all previous attempts at conversation had been met with what seemed like disdain.

If she were entirely honest she was not pleased that he was bragging to her about having a private box. Her father was the Marquis of Alverson. Her parents had a private box for the theater and had done so for several seasons. If her father had liked opera she was more than sure that they would have had a private box for the opera as well. There was certainly enough money in the coffers to cover both.

Julianna and her father had discussed the merits of opera several times. While her father enjoyed the music and songs of the performance he did not appreciate the exaggerated expressions and movements of the actors. He felt it too comical and took much away from the story.

If Lord Norsely noticed Julianna’s silence he did not let on and seemed content to converse with Lord and Lady Marsfeld while she sat quietly next to him. She began counting the candles in the elaborate chandeliers that hung over the many seats below to pass the time. Julianna was much relieved when the music began to play signaling the beginning of the performance.

She was happy to ignore Lord Norsely and watch the actors on stage.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Lord Norsely had deemed to talk to her between the first and second acts.

“Yes. It is quite magnificent.”

“And you are able to follow what the actors are saying and doing?”

Julianna hoped he was attempting to be humorous but from the look on his face, he was rather serious. “Yes, thank you.” The opera was being performed in English and while her father would complain about the actors, following the songs or the story had not been difficult.

“Ah, good. I was worried that you had gotten lost a bit in the middle there.”

Julianna stifled a groan, smiled sweetly and went back to counting candles until the next act began.

When the fifth and final act began Julianna sighed in relief. Sitting quietly in the private box was starting to make her feel annoyed and skittish. She sought to keep herself busy by paying specific attention to the actors on the stage. Making a game of it, she began to watch only a single actor as he moved about the stage. The act was nearly over and as the actor sang, a second actor walked slowly and hunched over behind him to slay him with a sword.

The stabbed actor continued to sing as he made the most awful faces and as the music raised to its crescendo the actor fell to the ground rolling and writhing in the most ridiculously exaggerated death portrayal imaginable. Before she could stop herself, a laugh escaped her mouth just as the music came to a sudden stop. Her laughter rang through the opera house and every head turned to look to see who had made the disturbance.