The Opening Night Murder

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Declaration of Dramatic License

About the Author

“Anne Rutherford brings the world of Restoration England to vivid life, from the teeming streets to the halls of the royal palace. Her heroine, Suzanne Thornton, has always done what she must to survive in a cruel world where women count for little, and now she must solve a murder to save the one person in the world she truly loves.”

—Victoria Thompson, national bestselling author of
Murder on Fifth Avenue

“I read this book in one sitting, captivated by Rutherford’s vivid depiction of actors and aristocrats, political intrigue, and her strong, resourceful heroine. The world of Restoration London and its theaters leaps off the page in this impressive novel.”

—Carol K. Carr, national bestselling author of
India Black and the Widow of Windsor

P
RAISE FOR
A
NNE
R
UTHERFORD
WRITING AS
J
ULIANNE
L
EE

A Question of Guilt

“An interesting historical fiction novel…An intriguing saga.”

—Genre Book Review

“Lee’s excellently researched novel is written in a fluid, engaging style and is full of intrigue, cover-ups, and plots. Her investigation of this historical mystery provides a vivid theory of what might have happened between Mary Stuart and Henry Darnley and will keep readers turning the pages.”

—Historical Novels Review

“Julianne Lee’s
A Question of Guilt
is a sprawling tale of treason, justice, and the secrets people keep. It is very much rooted in historical facts and…the writing style is flawless.”

—Romance Reader at Heart

Her Mother’s Daughter

“An epic tale of passion, intrigue, tragedy, betrayal, and treachery all combined into a story too powerful for history to contain. With creative weaving, Julianne Lee has combined true characters with possible dialogue and intent that ring true to the story and time period. For any fan of historical entertainment,
Her Mother’s Daughter
is a definite must-read book.”

—Night Owl Reviews

“For the many readers who like to focus on the Tudor era, this is a read that must be added to your library, both for its original storytelling and the unique approach the author utilizes to tell this compelling story of Mary Tudor.”

—Burton Book Review

“
Her Mother’s Daughter
seamlessly displays the often overlooked woman behind Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary. Julianne Lee handles a typically despised character so beautifully that the reader develops unexpected sympathy for a queen who clawed her way out of the depths of disrespect only to find more loneliness and desperation…Lee’s engaging novel submerges the reader into local and worldwide political intrigue to fully depict the world in which Mary lived…[A] wonderfully written book.”

—Romance Junkies

“Lee presents an unbiased portrait of Mary Tudor, and for readers eager to find out what happened following the death of Henry VIII, this novel is highly satisfying.”

—RT Book Reviews

T
he opening night audience crowded into the renovated Globe Theatre to fill up benches, until even the pit was packed with milling bodies. The excitement of the reopening, and the utterly reasonable price of the seats, brought nearly everyone within walking distance. The roar of voices was nearly overwhelming; it seemed all of Southwark was in attendance.

The mood in the ’tiring house behind the stage was equally vibrant. The energy of the cast grew. Actors fidgeted, some prayed, one talked incessantly until the rest wanted to boot him out the door. One of the less experienced boys had to run from the green room to vomit. The cast laughed, though they all had done the same thing at one time or another in the past.

In her quarters backstage Suzanne Thornton readied herself to see the play, eager to see her new theatre through the eyes of its audience. The noise was a roar of thousands trying to be heard among themselves. As she painted her lips she toyed with the idea of lurking among the groundlings in the pit to
listen in on conversations, but decided she would enjoy the afternoon more if she went upstairs to sit with the musicians in a gallery over the stage. They were a lively crew and would be as fine an entertainment as the play itself. She hurried with her beauty marks, eager to be finished and take her place as a spectator, and her fingers challenged her to keep them from trembling.

Her son, Piers, came to visit for a moment, complained of his father, then left. She made one more check of her coif, then set the mirror on her dressing table and left her quarters.

As the hour of three drew close, Suzanne climbed the steps at the rear of the ’tiring house to watch the performance from the gallery directly above the stage, where the musicians sat. As she found a stool and settled in at the front, Big Willie, Warren, and their flautist friend played an old-fashioned tune that might have been performed in this theatre during Elizabethan times. Suzanne’s wistful fancy toyed with the thought that Shakespeare himself might have listened to this very tune from this very gallery half a century ago. She looked around at the theatre The Bard had built, and the idea made her smile. Today was a fine, sunny day, and especially warm even for this time of year. Afternoon light bathed the stage, and there was no fear of a sudden rain from the pale-blue sky overhead.

That day’s performance began with a short
commedia
play, involving a cuckolded husband. The mummers had the audience laughing well and quickly, and in a few minutes they left the stage with the entire crowd of nearly four thousand people in a good mood. To Suzanne, this was the wonderful thing about the theatre: to have that many gathered together in one place and everyone having a good time. One could accomplish
it in a public house with alcohol, cards, and women, but a pub could host only a fraction of the souls a theatre could.