Chapter 33

Failed to find a sufficient reason to decline, for the first time Matthew submitted to his friend's persuasion. However, he insisted they rode in their separate coaches, in case he found the play unbearable and decided to come home earlier. Not an hour later, they had settled in a private box at one side of the building. They had sneaked up late as per his request, to avoid being seen by the crowd. As a famous rake, Jacob was a magnet for attention, and being in his company was guaranteed to drag anyone under public eye, something Matthew would rather avoid at any cost.

From his perch up high on one side of the theatre, Matthew looked down on the crowd in the cavernous hall below. No fewer than six hundred people packed the auditorium, leaving not a single seat vacant. Apparently Jacob was not exaggerating when he said that the London public had gone wild for the show and its main attraction, a beautiful ballerina who'd risen to great fame within a very short time since her debut.

Th