After the carriage left St. George's Avenue, it set off towards the opera house outside the city. The atmosphere in the carriage seemed very friendly. Yes, very friendly.
Hathaway did not respond to Britney's enthusiasm, and kept a calm expression, occasionally talking to Jenkins about the plot of the story. It can be heard that she has been catering to Britney's words, and she has not talked about her own opinions at all. In fact, Jenkins really wants to hear Hathaway's opinion on his new book, but this can only be asked when Britney is not around.
"So the book should be a success. The bookseller is now sending me letters every day. If the numbers he provided are correct, then I think the current situation is very optimistic."
"Of course, it's definitely the most romantic book of the century, Jenkins, you get that."
"romantic?"
Jenkins didn't know how Britney came to that conclusion, but he wasn't foolish enough to argue. He stretched out his hand to touch the cat lying beside him, and Chocolate's back moved in response.
"So are there any plans for the next book now?"
Britney asked again, wanting to hold Jenkins' hand, but the man avoided him without a trace.
"No, not yet."
Jenkins shook his head and replied, holding the cat on his knees and stroking it with both hands, and now there was no reason for any woman to hold his hand.
All the way to the Royal Opera House, the servants arranged by Mr. Nelly greeted the three at the door. Although today is the weekend night, which should be the busiest time for the opera house, in order to match the performance of the troupe's new play, it is rare for the opera house to arrange any performances.
Jenkins, who was sitting at the door, stepped out of the carriage first, and Brienne wanted to follow but was held by Hathaway's hand.
"You're not quite right today."
The red-haired girl reminded in a gentle voice: "Britney, what happened between you and Jenkins?"
"nothing."
The blond girl shook her head not to look at the face behind her: "It's nothing, I'm just surprised by his talent."
She had realized the stupidity of such an answer when she said it, but there was no better choice now.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
After a moment of silence, the two got out of the carriage as if nothing had happened. Jenkins was already waiting for the two girls to appear.
When I came here in the past, there was always a crowd of people rubbing shoulders, and ladies and gentlemen in various formal attires entered the venue one by one, talking about "elegance". But this time when he climbed the steps of the opera house, he was surrounded by only servants and friends, which made Jenkins very uncomfortable.
Probably because there were no audiences, both the hall before entering the arena and the auditorium under the stage seemed extremely empty. Britney also sighed:
"I never knew it was this big."
After getting out of the car, Jenkins saw that his companions were all wearing high heels and walking in the slightly empty opera hall. The heels hit the ground and made a crisp sound of pedaling, which was heard far away under the mild light. .
The actors on the stage nervously made the last check, and the backstage staff in casual clothes stood together with the actors in exaggerated costumes, which was quite funny.
Compared with the lively stage, the audience is not quiet either. The rich Mr. Nellie was already waiting for the three of them. He stood under the stage with a red face, and took the initiative to take a few steps to shake hands with Jenkins:
"You are finally here."
What Jenkins needs to do today is just sit in the audience and watch the entire performance, and then give corresponding guidance.
It was only at this time that he finally understood why his companions deliberately put on make-up. Because in addition to the three of them, there were also some invited critics and newspaper reporters present, Jenkins even saw a camera being set up, and a young man on the side was struggling to carry a bucket from the background .
This is a "firefighting equipment" prepared to prevent fires. The old-fashioned camera spotlights burn, which can easily cause fires, especially in buildings with wood everywhere, so you should be careful.
"Mr. Williams!"
He heard his name being called, but pretended not to hear him as he was talking to Mr. Nelly. Because of all kinds of things that happened recently, it's not that the newspaper didn't send him interview invitations, but he threw those letters into the fireplace as garbage.
Of course he couldn't just pretend to be stupid, but in the end he was forced by Hathaway behind him to talk to the reporters. It was pretty boring, because people's questions were all about the Fabry scam, and of course they'd heard that the Church of the Sages was going to hold another public lecture on it, but no one other than the followers of the Sages was invited.
After being so noisy for a while, Jenkins gradually became a little bored. Fortunately, the deputy director of the opera troupe, Mr. Doroc Haddix, appeared from the backstage in time and announced to everyone that the performance was about to begin. Then the people quieted down and found their seats.
Jenkins sat in the second row with his friends, and the first row further ahead was empty. On the left and right sides of him are two girls, and on his lap is his cat. I thought that Hathaway would be willing to sit with Britney, but in the end, somehow, it became what it is now.
The actors took their seats, the audience took their seats, and as the bright overhead lights went out, the spotlights transmitted from above the stage enveloped the young detective who was the first to appear.
The opera begins.
Even though it was something Jenkins had written himself, he was still bored. He made some small movements in the dark auditorium so that the people nearby would not notice, so he moved his hand dishonestly down, and then lightly touched Chocolate's tail.
Amidst the sudden blast of music—which signifies the departure of the train—the cat looks up at Jenkins, a chilling gleam in his eyes.
Seeing that chocolate was not easy to mess with, he gave up teasing, turned his head to observe Hathaway, and suddenly remembered the embarrassment when the two met last time. She got down on one knee on the kitchen floor of the Jenkins home, begging Jenkins to let her lead her musical journey.
At that time, Jenkins did not express his attitude, but actually refused. Now I'm afraid that she will think of it again because of the opera, so I gave up my plan to whisper to her.
Turning to look at Miss Mihail...
"Forget it, I'd better go to the opera."
Thinking in his heart, he sat upright and covered the cat's back with his hands, intending to fulfill the purpose of coming here seriously. Suddenly a hand reached out from the right and grabbed Jenkins' right hand.
"Britney..."