Theatre of Marvels

A Novel

Lianne Dillsworth

• Publisher: Harper
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN:
  9780358627883
• Print ISBN:
  9780063271531
• Subtopic: Literature General

A stunning and deliciously immersive debut that is a riveting journey across Victorian London and an unforgettable tale of race, identity and a woman’s reclamation of her fate.

Behind the spectacle, there are always secrets.

Unruly crowds descend on Crillick’s Variety Theatre. The young, mixed-race actress Zillah is headlining tonight as “The Great Amazonia, a Savage Queen from Darkest Africa.” Zillah, an orphan from the slums of Victorian London, knows that her rise to stardom is her ticket to freedom and, she hopes, to high society. The absurd caricature of her role, along with the leers of the drunken audience, are simply the price she’s willing to pay.

Zillah’s late mother made her promise to make a better life for herself, and now she’s on the verge of attaining everything she’s ever dreamed of. But when Crillick’s newest Black actress suddenly disappears, Zillah is haunted by worry—can she risk her own neck to save this troubled stranger?

A reckless pursuit of the truth takes Zillah into the underbelly of the city—from gaslit streets to the sumptuous parlors of Mayfair—as she seeks help from both rich admirers of the Great Amazonia and notorious criminals from her past, and where she will quickly find herself torn between two powerful worlds.

XXXI

An Unexpected Visitor

It didn’t take me long to get to Charles II Street, but when I reached the grocer’s it was in darkness. Silly girl. Didn’t think of that, did you? I’d been so keen to get here, to see Lucien, that I hadn’t considered that the shop would be shut. I tapped lightly on the door. If Lucien was upstairs or in the back, he probably wouldn’t hear me, but I didn’t want to bang too loudly and draw attention. Not in this sort of neighborhood. No answer. I couldn’t stay outside, though. The whole way here I’d been looking over my shoulder, waiting for someone to come after me. Lucien will understand, I told myself as I withdrew one of my hairpins and forced the lock.

“Lucien, are you there? It’s me, Zillah,” I called out as I entered, closing the door behind me.

The shop floor had been swept down and the counters gleamed with polish. The jars of tea and spices had been filled and the displays of candles and lampblack replenished. I lifted the counter and stepped behind it. I couldn’t resist turning and facing the shop as though I owned it. Were African shops the same as British ones? The thought of all that I didn’t know made me anxious. But what choice did I have? After what I’d done tonight it would be too tough to stay in London.

I parted the beaded curtain that led to the back room and walked through. Here all was spick-and-span too, and just as I remembered it, with its bookshelves that reached from floor to ceiling and took up the whole of one wall. The only other furniture was a dining table and two easy chairs before the fire. There was a pamphlet on the table. The very one that had been given out when we went to Exeter Hall. I sat down in the chintz-covered chair that faced the flames and yawned. Now that Nosizwe was safe with Elvira, the evening’s events were slowly catching up with me. I thought of the shock on the faces of the audience when I’d exposed the Great Amazonia as a fake, the pain of seeing Nosizwe’s son trapped inside the cage, and then her smile of relief when she held him in her arms. I’d burnt all my bridges, but for that moment, and knowing she’d gotten away, it was worth it. I leant back and closed my eyes, thinking now of Lucien. I imagined him calling my name, touching me lightly on the arm.

“Zillah, what are you doing here? Wake up.”

I opened my eyes and there Lucien was before me. I jumped up, still drowsy. What must he think, to come down and find me asleep in his armchair? As usual he wore a crisp white shirt, but his cravat had been loosened and I caught a glimpse of his chest beneath. I felt a sharp pang of longing and it only added to my confusion.

“Forgive me, the door was open. I called out to you.”

“I don’t care about that. Elvira sent me a note to say that all had gone well and she was headed for Dover. She must be halfway to the coast by now, but I didn’t know where you were. I thought you were going to stay with your friend?”

“I wanted to see you first, Lucien.”

“You’ve taken a grave risk, Zillah. Anyone could have seen you.”

I recognised in his tone the angry relief of someone who has been worried.

“I couldn’t go straight to Barky’s. He’ll be at the theatre for a while yet, I’m sure, and I didn’t want to hang around outside for him.”

“Are you sure Crillick won’t think to look for you there?”

“No one knows that we are friends. I’ll be safe there for a few days at least, but I didn’t come here to speak of that. Last night, Lucien, you asked me a question.”

“I did, and you said you weren’t ready to give me your answer.”

“I wasn’t then. You surprised me and I had to put Nosizwe first, but I’m ready now. Will you ask me again?”

“I will, I will do it now.” He half turned. “Let me find my coat.”

“No, don’t. You are fine as you are. I like you like this,” I said and dropped my eyes, not wanting to seem too forward. We stood face-to-face and he took my hands in his.

“Zillah, the first time I saw you I was intrigued by you. When we spoke, I did not expect you to be so confident, so sure of yourself. I am a quiet man—you might say an overly serious one. For some time now I have been looking for someone to share my life with, but it wasn’t until we met that I could begin to believe I’d met my match.”

He waved a hand that took in not only the room where we stood but the shop beyond.

“As I told you before, it may look as though my life has been an easy one, but having the patron that I had, the education he gave me, and now this business has separated me from my earliest experiences. I cannot deny that I have had privileges that many of my countrymen haven’t, but it has made me lonely. I need someone I can confide in, a wife I can trust.”

He felt more deeply than I had given him credit for. I had indeed fallen into the trap of thinking he had few problems because he’d done well for himself, but of course he was lonely, and I knew well enough what that was like. The very first time I’d walked down Charles II Street, I’d felt out of place and wondered how he managed it, day in and day out. He’d called me confident and sure of myself. I’d thought the same of him, but it turned out there was a bit of front to both of us.

I leant in to him, and when he closed his eyes I did the same, concentrating on the places our bodies touched. My hands on his shoulders, his fingertips featherlight on my face. He raised my chin to bring my lips to his and we kissed. Lightly at first, then deeper, until he caught himself and stepped back before things could go too far. I had felt how his heart raced, knew that stopping cost him some effort.

“Will you marry me, Zillah?” he said.

“Yes, Lucien, my answer is yes.”

* * *

I spent the next three days holed up at Barky’s. I knew Crillick would never think to look for me there, and it meant I could keep abreast of what was happening since the stunt I’d pulled for my final performance. The main thing on my mind, though, was Nosizwe’s safety. I thought constantly about where she might be, whether Elvira had gotten her onto a boat, how her son was doing. The moment she had tried to hand him to me played again and again in my mind. The fierce look in my sister’s eyes was a mother’s love. I’d never seen it before—or rather I had, that day when Mama took me to St. Giles, but I hadn’t recognised it. I’d been too young to understand why she’d asked Mrs. Bradley to take care of me. Finally, I got it. Her only desire was to keep me safe, and as a mother, she’d been prepared to do whatever it took to achieve that, even if it meant never seeing me again.

Over the years it had plagued me. When she’d told me to be strong, I took it to heart, thinking that somehow I’d shown weakness and that’s why she’d abandoned me. But no. She knew that as a former slave and now a servant in a so-called gentleman’s house, she couldn’t protect me, and it was a duty she took too seriously not to do something about it. I thought of the occasions when Mrs. Bradley had tried to talk to me about her but I hadn’t wanted to hear it. If only I could go back in time. I’d give both women my heartfelt thanks for all the care they’d taken of me.

It would’ve helped if I knew that wherever she was, Nosizwe was safe, but I’d heard nothing from Elvira. It wasn’t too surprising, as she didn’t know where I was staying, but I thought Lucien might have managed to get a message to me. We’d not spoken since I’d accepted him and it made me feel uneasy. I’d kissed him—did he think I was too forward? He’d made it clear that traveling together to Sierra Leone would not compromise me. Before the ship started its journey proper, it would pause for a night at Liverpool to pick up further passengers, and that is where Lucien and I would be married. He’d promised to write and apply for our license the day after I accepted him. Barky wasn’t too sympathetic when I voiced my worries about it—he’d disliked Lucien from the first. I was just grateful that he’d let me stay. Though no one at Crillick’s knew of our friendship, it was still a big risk, and thanks to my final performance, he was no longer certain of his job at the theatre. If he was a bit short with me from time to time, I really couldn’t blame him.

I didn’t dare dwell on what Crillick would do if he found me, but I knew it would be violent. I’d always worried about being thrown in prison if my secret was discovered, but I’d hurt Crillick’s business—the thing he most cared about. A cell was probably the least-worst option if he caught up with me. Exposing the Great Amazonia as a fraud had literally brought the house down. When all was said and done, there’d been around nine hundred pounds’ worth of damage. Crillick might have been doing well, but I doubted he had that sort of cash to spare. Barky had told me that the Peelers had taken him down to the station on Wednesday night, but he hadn’t been kept in. No doubt he’d greased a palm or two to convince them to let him go. He wouldn’t get off scot-free, though. Barky said he’d been summoned to court next month to appear before the beak, so it would be a while yet before things died down.

Too many people had heard about what had happened, and it wasn’t just Crillick they were asking questions of either. There were freaks at half the variety shows in London, and now the punters were paying far more attention. Already there’d been pieces in three of the evening papers asking which of London’s freaks were gaffed, and how many hardworking men and women had been gulled by their performances. Each article had been illustrated with the Amazonia handbills that Crillick had printed to drum up business. That wasn’t so good. It meant that, as well as Crillick and the Peelers, there were a handful of journalists looking for me too, and now that I’d said it in front of everyone, they knew my real name as well as my face. I had to trust the Blackbirds wouldn’t turn me in—Black Bill was likely the only man in London smart enough to find me, but he would have little interest in helping the Peelers.

Now it was Sunday, the last day before our ship sailed on the sixteenth of October and I could begin a new life with Lucien. As far as I was concerned, it couldn’t come quick enough.

Barky, back from the theatre, had gone into his room to get changed and I’d made him a cup of tea. I’d gone right off the taste of it, but the least I could do was have something ready for him after making his life so much harder. I knew he was concerned for me. Apart from his work at Crillick’s, he hadn’t been going out, saying he was tired, but I guessed that he didn’t want to leave me on my own any more than he had to. I wondered if he was missed at the place he went to late at night. I hoped I hadn’t spoiled things for him there. That was the very last thing I wanted.

“Was it still bad when you went in today?” I said as he sat down. Really I knew it must...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• I. The African in the Audience
• II. Making Ready to Perform
• III. The Great Amazonia
• IV. The Language of My Forefathers
• V. A Walk Along the Strand
• VI. Rehearsal
• VII. A Handbill for the Black Poor
• VIII. Breakfast with Crillick
• IX. A Visit to Charles II Street
• X. Overlooking the Thames
• XI. Party Preparations
• XII. Crillick’s Surprise
• XIII. The Leopard in the Library
• XIV. The Empty Kitchen
• XV. A Game of Billiards
• XVI. Stalking Crillick
• XVII. Winters the Grocer’s
• XVIII. A Meeting at Exeter Hall
• XIX. The Warehouse at West India Docks
• XX. A Gift from Ellen
• XXI. A Picnic at Richmond
• XXII. A Place to Stay at Holborn
• XXIII. Inside Crillick’s Office
• XXIV. The Dog and Duck at Fleet Street
• XXV. An Encounter with Black Bill
• XXVI. Hussmann’s Coffeehouse
• XXVII. To Mayfair
• XXVIII. Barky’s Revelation
• XXIX. Farewell Performance
• XXX. Within the Odditorium
• XXXI. An Unexpected Visitor
• XXXII. A Scene at Embankment
• Seven Years Later
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Copyright
• About the Publisher