The Sequin Star (21 page)

Claire dropped into a deep curtsy. The crowd voiced their appreciation. Claire felt like she was floating on air as she walked out, the huge elephant swaying beside her.

In the second act, the suave magician, Manfred the Magnificent, was noticeably absent. Instead, a young boy with a thatch of blond hair and a face full of freckles swaggered into the ring wearing an Indian turban and robes, accompanied by a great golden dog with speckled tan-and-white feet. Rosina and Claire both stood entranced, peering through the gap in the ring curtains.

Jem juggled flashing knives and golden balls. He tumbled and turned around the ring in a circle of somer­saults, followed by Jaspar, copying him. He carried his chair into the ring and balanced upside down, first on two legs of the chair and then on one leg.

Next he repeated the chair trick, but this time, balancing on two chair legs on a tightrope, three metres above the ground. The chair wobbled for just a moment, then Jem corrected his stance, his arms straining as his legs stretched into the air. He held the pose, then gracefully dropped to the ground, brandishing the chair above his head. Jem's brothers and sisters in the front row went wild. Mrs Bates cried with dread and pride.

Lastly, as his grand finale, Jem led Kali the contortionist, dressed in flowing orange robes, out into the centre of the ring. He helped her into the box on top of the table, then set to work sawing her in half. At first Kali wiggled her toes and waved her hands, then she closed her eyes as though plunged into a deep swoon.

The crowd went wild. Lizzie began to sob. Claire felt herself, once more, holding her breath, terrified that the act would go wrong. Mrs Bates lifted Lizzie on her lap and nuzzled her hair as Jem slammed the blades down into the ends of the box. A woman in the audience screamed.

Jem pulled the two parts of the box apart to show that he really had sawed it – and the girl inside – in half. The crowd thundered. Jem pushed the two halves back together. Kali lay there, lifeless and still.

The boy magician leant over and kissed her on the lips. Kali came to life, kissed him back and sprang out of the box, whole. Claire clapped and clapped, regardless of her raw palms. Rosina stood and cheered.

As Kali and Jem bounded out of the ring, followed by Jaspar, Rosina squeezed him close. ‘You were sensational,' she whispered. ‘It was truly fabulous.'

Jem hugged her back. ‘Give it a rest, mutton-head. I wasn't a patch on Manfred the Magnificent.'

‘Nonsense,' Rosina protested. ‘Manfred is a slime and a snake. Your performance is much better.'

The next act was the twelve liberty horses – six snow-white and six black Friesians cantering around the ring. Rosina rode Florian while Claire rode Pluto. The twelve horses, alternating black then white, pranced and pirouetted in time to the music.

Alf signalled with his lunging whip. The horses stopped and sank to the ground – all except for Florian and Pluto. With the two girls clinging on tightly, the great stallions reared up on their hind legs and walked across the sawdust on their two hind legs.

Alf lowered his whip and the stallions dropped back to four legs. All twelve horses stood in a row, white then black, and each knelt on their right foreleg, head to the ground, stretching their left leg out in front in a graceful bow.

Claire and Rosina slipped down to the sawdust floor. They held hands and walked towards the audience. With a smile at each other, they sank into a deep curtsy. The crowd cheered and yelled, stamping their feet in unison. Rosina called over her shoulder to Jem. After a moment's coaxing, he ran forward to join them, bowing and beaming.

The final acts raced past to the grand climax of Adella and Carlos's double-trapeze act, as they flew and somersaulted high above the net.

Alf strode into the centre of the ring and stood in the spotlight. His voice rose above the tumult. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that is the conclusion to tonight's performance of the Sterling Brothers Circus. Today – a day in which our greatest champion, Phar Lap, won the richest race in America – some of our greatest circus performers helped foil a dastardly crime. So, for now at least, perhaps we can forget our woes and celebrate.'

There was a resounding cheer from the audience.

‘Our patrons tonight, the Hunter family, and our performers would like to invite you to stay for a post-performance party in the circus ring. Eat, drink, dance and be merry.'

Everyone crowded down towards the performers. The band played swing and jazz tunes. Rosina, Claire, Jem and Kit danced in the ring, twisting, dipping and spinning on the sawdust. Rosina and Kit broke off from the group and swayed in each other's arms like they were the only people in the world.

The Sterling children, Peggy, Stella and Leo, played with Jem's siblings, teaching them how to walk on their hands and turn cartwheels. Rosina broke away from Kit to take all the children for rides around the hippodrome on Elsie and Empress. Brownie the cook carried in platters of little meat pies and sausage rolls, followed by fruitcake and icy-cold bottles of foaming ginger beer. Everyone ate, drank, laughed and danced until the children were yawning and sleepy.

The bus driver came in to usher his passengers back on board for the trip back to La Perouse. The band stopped playing and packed away their instruments. Brownie cleaned up the dishes and bottles with the help of the roustabouts.

‘A mighty fine act, Jem,' proclaimed Alf, clapping him on the back. ‘I think you just earned a promotion from roustabout to performer.'

Jem's face glowed with pleasure.

Alf turned to Claire. ‘And you too, Claire – I think with hard work and perseverance, you could make a first-rate circus girl. We'd be happy to have you if you want to stay with us.'

Claire felt her heart swell at his rare praise. Rosina gave her a hug.

‘Thank you, Alf,' Claire replied. ‘That's lovely of you.'

A first-rate circus girl?
she
wondered
. Is that what I want to be? Won't I ever get home?

20
Campfire Yarns

Kit walked Claire, Rosina and Jem through the darkness between the two rows of caravans, towards the campfire near the girls' door. The stars blazed overhead, spangling the night sky with brilliance. Further along, some of the performers had lit several other campfires, setting the flames dancing and leaping.

‘What a wonderful night,' sighed Claire, gazing up at the Milky Way. ‘Thanks, Kit, for inviting me to be in your command performance. I'll never forget it.'

‘Thanks from me, too,' Jem added, his voice slightly gruff. ‘And for bringing all my family to see me perform. It meant a lot to us all.'

‘A pleasure,' Kit replied. ‘As you know, I'd been planning to host a lunch for some of the unemployed families in a few weeks, but once I met you all, and then heard about Jem's family, it made much more sense to invite the Happy Valley families to the circus.'

Rosina touched Kit on the arm. ‘It was a very special idea,' she agreed. ‘Why don't we sit in front of the fire for a while? I don't want the night to end just yet.'

Jem coaxed the fire to life, feeding it twigs and branches. The girls were too tired to change out of their costumes, so they sat wrapped in the blankets from their beds. Rosina put the billy on to boil and Kit sat down next to her.

Claire stared into the fire, perched on her crate. A lot had happened in the last few days. She had experienced and learned so much. ‘The performance tonight was amazing,' she remarked. ‘I loved riding on a dancing horse and a pirouetting elephant.'

‘Elsie and Empress enjoy music,' said Rosina. ‘Just like the horses. They all get excited when they hear the band playing.'

‘I think it's remarkable the way the horses can dance in time to the music,' Kit said.

Rosina and Jem looked at each other and smiled. ‘The horses don't dance in time to the music.' Jem chuckled. ‘The band plays music in time to the horses.'

‘Oh?' gasped Claire. ‘Another circus secret revealed!' Kit exchanged a rueful glance with Claire. ‘And what about your magic, Jem? How did you saw Kali in half then put her back together again?'

Jaspar rubbed his head against Jem's knee, and Jem fondled the big dog's silky ears in return, smiling enigmatically. ‘Do you
really
want to know? Or would you rather it stayed a mystery?'

Claire thought for a moment. ‘No, probably not,' she confessed. ‘It does take some of the enchantment out of the circus when you know how things happen.'

‘No,' Rosina said. ‘I love knowing that the performers can create the illusion of magic just through skill and practice. Anyone can learn to do it if they put the hours in.'

Kit wriggled back on his crate, putting his feet up on the ring of stones around the campfire. ‘I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences with the circus,' he said. ‘Well, except for being kidnapped. I'm almost tempted to run away with the circus myself. It seems like a glamorous life – travelling the world, roaming free, bringing people joy with your death-defying performances.'

Rosina threw another branch on the fire, making a cloud of sparks shoot up.

‘You'd enjoy it for a while, perhaps,' she conceded. ‘It is an adventure, but it's also lots of hard work. Then again, anything worthwhile takes hard work.'

‘In two days we'll be off again, heading south,' said Jem. ‘It's been nice to stop for a while.'

Claire felt a pang of fear.
What will I do? Should I keep travelling with the circus?

‘We have another three months down south before we head north again,' Rosina explained. ‘We always stop for a four-week break over July when we head to winter camp on the north coast. We work on new routines and train, but all the performers and animals have a really good holiday.'

‘Oh.' Kit sounded disappointed. ‘Leaving Sydney so soon . . .'

‘Actually, we're never in one place so long,' Rosina said, her voice feigning indifference. ‘Usually we stay only one or two days.'

‘It was so wonderful to see my family,' Jem added. ‘When we leave Sydney, I won't get the chance to visit them for another year or more.'

‘Your mother must miss you greatly,' Kit observed. ‘And you must miss them.'

Jem nodded, his eyes on the boiling water in the billy. He stirred a handful of tea into the brew.

‘I wish I could get a job where I could see them more often and help my mum,' said Jem. ‘Since Dad left, it's been really hard for her to raise six kids on her own with hardly any money. She looks worn out, and I'm sure she's not well.'

Kit nodded sympathetically. Jem poured out four cups of steaming hot tea and passed them around with the tin of condensed milk. Claire poured a slug of milk in her tea and stirred it around slowly.

‘My mother died six years ago, when I was quite young. Since then it has just been my father and me,' Kit confessed. ‘Although Dad didn't know what to do with a sad ten-year-old boy, so he sent me away to boarding school. I hardly saw him. I only moved home when I finished school, just before Christmas.'

‘That's awful, Kit,' Claire said, imagining a young, grieving boy being sent away from home. ‘So you really lost your mother
and
your father at the same time.'

‘Dad and I have been getting to know each other over the last few weeks. I've been learning about the family business and visiting all the properties.' Kit grinned at Rosina. ‘That's what I was supposed to be doing the first day I saw you, when the circus arrived. We'd just been to inspect the vacant department store next door. I must confess that I haven't been thinking much about business the last few days.'

Rosina blushed and looked down at her pink satin slippers.

Claire thought about her own parents. She missed them terribly and began to wonder if she would ever see them again. Her hands trembled holding her mug. She repressed the thought, taking a sip of her tea. It was too frightening to think about the future, so she just focused on what was happening in front of her – the tea's aroma, the fire illuminating her friends' faces, the calls of circus animals in the distance.

‘It must be wonderful to have a big family, with lots of brothers and sisters,' Claire said.

Rosina turned her head away, making the ostrich feathers in her headdress dance. The diamantes on the clasp glittered in the firelight. Claire thought Rosina looked very exotic in her scarlet tutu, long pink plumes and grey blanket.

‘What about your family, Princess Rosina?' asked Kit. ‘Are you really descended from a royal gypsy family that fled Europe after the Great War?'

Rosina laughed faintly. She petted Lula, who was curled up asleep in her lap. ‘No, definitely not. My father was a shopkeeper with a little country store. My mother was a farmer's daughter.' Rosina paused. ‘My real name's not even Rosina – it's Mary Rose Blake.'

‘
Mary
?' asked Claire. ‘I can't imagine you as a Mary.'

Rosina shrugged, pushing a lock of long dark hair behind her ear. ‘I haven't been Mary since I was nine and my aunt gave me away to the Sterlings. Obviously “Mary” wasn't an exotic enough name for a circus performer.'

‘Gave you away?' asked Kit. ‘That's outrageous.'

‘Lots of poor people give away children,' said Jem. ‘To relatives . . . or orphanages.'

‘And most circuses adopt unwanted children and train them to be performers,' Rosina added. ‘It's probably better than being sent to an orphanage.' She turned to Kit. ‘I was travelling with my parents and my sister in our buggy. An automobile crashed into us. I was thrown clear. Everyone else was killed.'

Kit took her hand and squeezed it. ‘I'm so sorry to hear that.'

Rosina squeezed his hand in return. ‘We have all lost someone dear to us.'

‘I didn't know you had a sister,' Claire said.

‘My sister's name was Claire,' Rosina said. ‘She was a year younger than me, so she would have been about your age if she'd lived. She had brown hair and blue eyes too. That's why you reminded me of her when I met you. That's why I made Alf let you stay.'

A shiver ran up Claire's spine. She touched the sequin-and-diamante star brooch that she was wearing on the bodice of her costume. She noticed that Kit and Rosina were still holding hands.

‘Did you say your real last name was Blake?' Claire asked.

Rosina nodded. The pink-and-white ostrich feathers danced. Claire noticed the star-shaped diamante-and-sequin clasp that Rosina was wearing on her headband.

‘My grandmother's maiden name was Blake – Vivien Blake,' said Claire, her heart thudding in her chest.

‘That's a pretty name,' said Kit.

Rosina laughed. ‘I'll keep that one in mind. It would make a good stage name if ever I become a famous movie star.'

‘You will become a famous movie star,' said Claire with sudden conviction. ‘You'll make a dozen films and perform in London and Paris and Hollywood.'

‘Sounds like a grand plan,' Rosina replied with a warm smile.

‘Would you really leave the circus, Rosina?' Kit asked with a look of surprise.

Rosina smiled at him and raised her eyebrows. ‘Depends if I get a better offer. Being a movie actress sounds like great fun. I've always dreamed of travelling the world. That's an opportunity that not many shopkeeper's daughters get to enjoy.'

‘Why not?' asked Jem. ‘Rosina can dance and sing – and she
is
a first-rate performer.'

Kit sat for a moment, deep in thought. ‘You know, if you wanted to study acting, there are some top-notch theatre groups in Sydney, like the Independent Theatre,' he suggested. ‘I've seen some of their plays and they are truly excellent. The father of a chap I went to school with is involved with the Independent, so perhaps we can ask him to organise an audition for you. That is, if you would like to?'

Rosina thought quickly, biting her lip. She pulled the headpiece off and laid it on the table, fluffing out her hair. Lula jumped up and began playing with the sparkling jewel, but Rosina was too preoccupied to notice.

‘It would need to be tomorrow,' Rosina said. ‘Pull-down is on Thursday morning when we head south. We won't be back in Sydney for at least a year.'

Kit nodded. ‘I'll phone him first thing in the morning.'

Jem looked down at his boots, scuffing his toe in the ashes. Claire felt a pang of sympathy for him. She knew that Rosina would pass her audition and that it would be the beginning of a glittering new career.

‘You're going then?' he asked Rosina.

‘Jem, I –'

‘It's okay, mutton-head,' he said affectionately. ‘I want you to have a great future. I always knew you'd outgrow dancing on horseback.'

‘What about you, Jem?' asked Kit. ‘What if you found a good job here in Sydney so you could be with your family? Would you take it?'

Jem's eyes blazed with hope for a moment before his expression faded. ‘Yes, of course I would, but there aren't any bloomin' jobs in Sydney, are there?'

‘Not many,' Kit agreed. ‘But we have several businesses, and I'm sure if I spoke to my father –'

‘I don't want your charity, Kit,' Jem snapped. ‘You rich boys think you can fix everything with your magic fairy wand, but I want to make my own way in the world, on my own merit.'

Kit paused then smiled. ‘I promise there won't be any charity. I'd only pay you a lowly shop boy's wage, which is probably about the same wage as a roustabout. Of course, you've been promoted now, so I guess a juggling magician gets paid more.' Jem rubbed Jaspar's head, absorbing this information. ‘But if you work hard for us, I imagine you'll get promoted too. Who knows, one day you might be a store manager or a businessman yourself. You're bright and savvy, Jem, and you work hard, so I think you have a great future too.'

Jem nodded slowly. ‘I'll sleep on it. I'll let you know tomorrow.'

‘How about you, Claire?' Kit asked. ‘Will you stay on with the circus, or would you like me to try to organise a job as a shop girl so you can stay in Sydney with Rosina and Jem?'

Claire hesitated, thinking carefully. ‘Thanks for the offer, Kit,' she replied, ‘but I don't belong here. I need to go home to my family, go to school – I have a different life to live. I miss my parents.'

Rosina leant over and gave her a hug. ‘We'll get you home,' she promised.

Reluctantly, Kit let go of Rosina's hand and stood. ‘Speaking of home, it's time I headed there myself. I'll see you all tomorrow.'

Lula climbed onto the table. She held the long feathered headdress to the top of her head and capered and chittered.

‘That blasted monkey is up to mischief again,' Jem warned.

‘Lula!' Rosina scolded. ‘How many times have I told you not to play with my costumes?'