The sun is high in the sky when Maud makes her way through the streets of Westminster towards The Strand and the Adelphi Theatre, where the production Arthur had the playbill for was shown. She passes by newsboys and fruit hawkers as she turns under the awning overhanging the show poster - for a showing of The Gondoliers - and draws up to the ticket booth.
Maud has spent the morning at her small office sorting affairs with her secretary; she books a few days off for the investigation and arranges for messages to be sent to the stable offices below her apartment. When she reaches the theatre she recognises the fellow in the ticket booth.
"Allo Benjie, it's nice to see you again. How's Mrs Benjie?" Maud lowers her voice. "How are you on faces Benjie? I'm researching for a tour on the toffs and theatre and came across this portrait. Do you recognise this lovely lady? I thought maybe she's an actress." She unrolls the portrait and lays it flat on the desk for him to see.
"Ahh, Miss Marrick. She's doing well enough, I suppose." Benjie flashes a grin as Maud shows him the sketched portrait. He peers at the drawing of the mystery woman and shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't recognise her, although she is looking a rather theatrical sort, though, isn't she? Sorry." He begins to slide the portrait back across the desk and then pauses. "Actually..." He looks at the sketch again, pulling a set of spectacles from his pocket and holding them to his eyes as he nods to himself. "Yes. She does look rather like a woman who's been in here quite a bit recently... I'm sorry to say I haven't a name for you, though. Quite the popular lady, though, I'm taking it, always had a different man on her arm. Perhaps some of the other gents inside might have more for you." He thumbs towards the back.
"Hmm, she sounds just the sort to add some spice to the tour. Thankyou Benjie, you've been very helpful." Maud tucks the portrait away and pushes open the swinging doors into the theatre. She then walks purposely towards the backstage area looking for anyone who might be helpful.
As Maud makes her way through the backstage area, it occurs to her that the current production seems rather cheap and slipshod. The sets seem to be rather poor; there also seems to be a disturbed undercurrent. Most everyone seems rather preoccupied and too busy to speak to Maud; eventually she finds a stagehand who'll speak to her.
"Just a minute," he says, as he speaks to another stagehand for a moment. "Who are you? Ahh, but where are my manners -- Richard Chapman is my name. Can I be of some help?"
Maud bows her head. " That's very kind of you Mr Chapman, I appreciate you must be very busy. My name is Maud Marrick. I operate an exclusive tour-guide company specialising in Theatrical productions. It is very beneficial for the theatres in introducing new patrons. I can give you references and testimonials if you like but as you are so busy I'd hate to bother you with them now. However, just a few minutes getting a run-down of 'The Gondoliers' and some behind-the-scene details would enable me to create a brief synopsis and start structuring a tour. I always think the chaps behind the scenes never get the credit they deserve. Do you have a good team here Mr Chapman?"
"For the most part, for the most part," Chapman says. "A few that are only here for the money, but... well, I'm sure you know as well as I that the theatre's not exactly the place to be for the payouts, so most of those type folk are elsewhere. I suppose that your services could be quite beneficial; it's just that the showings haven't been doing as well as we'd like. Most of these folk just haven't the motivation since what happened to Freddie..."
"You're right there Mr Chapman, it's hard for the theatre folk but it's in the blood so they keep on working. I'm sure I could build a tour for your production; there are a lot of Italian tourists that turn up this time of year and they'll be interested. It's such a shame after all your hard work if the production's going down hill. What did happen to Freddie?"
Mr. Chapman nods slowly. "I'd appreciate that, Miss, thank you. Well, Freddie Milton always was a bit of a rake, not certain if you know him or not, he always did bring his friends 'round and they behaved most appallingly. And then when that foreign lady... what was her name... Madame something-or-other? started showing... well, that was his downward spiral. Freddie never could resist a pretty face, and those two and some of the cast started having some get-togethers, and the goings-on there are only the stuff of the worst kind of rumours, I assure you." He looks rather grim as he comes to the last part. "After a few weeks, Madame So-and-So moved on, and Freddie did himself in, unfortunately." He looks as if he's beginning to say something that never materializes.
OOC,You can go ahead and make a Fast Talk or Persuade roll to see if you can coax it out of him.
Maud pats his arm, "Poor Mr Chapman! You've had a terrible time, lets go back to the green room and I'll make you a cup of tea. " She takes his arm and gently leads him towards the rooms behind the stage, nodding at the other stage hands as she goes. "What were you going to say Mr Chapman?"
"Thank you, my dear," Chapman says. "It's just that all Freddie's responsibilities have been put on my shoulders, and sad to say I'm not quite of his calibre. He wasn't always the most likable of men, but a businessman he was."
Once he's sitting down with his tea, he turns towards Maud. "The wild parties that some of the folk were having with Madame whatever-her-name weren't the last of it. The theatre was having bad luck, things going missing backstage, sets being damaged, even theater-goer's jackets being slashed. There was talk among the cast and crew that the play was cursed. Then people started getting hurt. Two vanished and were never found. All of these were people who were in the Madame's circle." He drinks a bit and then makes a gesture with his free hand. "Bart Maxwell, that's one of the fellows that was in the circle. Set-painter. Don't know where he got to. Haven't seen him since the Duchess of Malfi stopped."
"When did Madame stop coming to the theatre - and did the bad luck stop then or is it still continuing?"Maud sips her tea. Are there any of her circle still around?" She opens her bag and pulls out the rolled portrait of the unknown lady but doesn't unroll it.
"It seems to have stopped once the woman left," Mr Chapman says. "She stopped coming 'round shortly after the ending of The Duchess' run. So this show's been mostly free of her influence. As to her circle? Most of them left the theatre when she did. Bart Maxwell was around for a bit - he helped paint many of the sets we're using for this show - but he left about two weeks back, and left no word as to where he was going. He has a rented house in Greenwich, I can get you the exact address if you'd like. The only other one from her circle is Lily Foile, one of the ones who disappeared. We found her in a frightful state." He finishes his tea. "Wasn't anywhere else for her to go except the streets or the workhouse, so I gave her a job cleaning up the theatre. I'm not exactly sure where she is at the moment."
OOC,Had to backtrack a bit - I had said that the two disappeared folk never reappeared, when one of them did. Whoops.
Chapman nods, pulls a pair of spectacles from his pocket, and examines the portrait. "This looks rather like our mystery woman," he says. "Quite a good likeness, in fact. Follow me," Chapman says. "I'll get that address for you."
Maud puts down her cup and stands up. "Certainly Mr. Chapman, thankyou." Maud follows the stage manager. "Point out Miss Foile if you see her here." Maud concentrates on avoiding delicate-looking props and stepping over ropes and weights.
Chapman leads Maud through the backstage area and holds up one finger. "One moment," he says and disappears up a stairway into his office. After a minute or so, he comes back down the stairs. "The address we've got on file for Mr Maxwell is 10 Haddo Street in Greenwich." He walks over to Maud. "That..." he cranes his head to look towards a woman a short way up a side hallway, and puts his spectacles back on. "I can't be certain... I believe that may be Miss Foile up there."
Maud takes out a scrap of paper from her bag and writes down the address. "Thankyou Mr Chapman, you have been very kind. I'm sure there is some substance here for a tour although maybe you'd rather I waited until the theatre was running smoothly?" Maud digs out a business card and hands it to him. "Just drop me a line when you are ready. Now I've taken up too much of your time so I'll let you get on. I'll just have a word with Miss Foile on my way out." Maud extends her hand in thanks.
Mr Chapman takes the card from Maud and kisses her hand. "Thank you, Miss Marrick, we will be contacting you in a few weeks. Any help would be of course appreciated. Good-bye for now." Chapman bows to Maud and goes off to return to work.
"Yes?" The cleaning woman turns towards Maud as she approaches. She looks as if she's seen better days -- strands of her brown hair hang around her face, her face is exceptionally pale, and her eyes have a haunted expression. It looks as if she hasn't slept very well in a number of weeks. Having been present at that interview, Maud sees some similarity between the appearances of Ms Foile and Mr Borelli. But most notable, one of her eyes is foggy and like the eye of a blind person. As she puts her broom down, Maud also notices that she is missing two fingers from her left hand.
