It seemed very white compared to the boards beneath it, or the drop and wings on the stage. The space was dark, with only a few of the floats lit at the foot of the stage to give them enough light to work by. The painted Forest of Arden, from tonight’s production of As You Like It, loomed just outside of the glow, like a forbidding wood worthy of Macbeth. Now that the chandeliers had gone out, the darkness filled the house like wadded black velvet, leaving little room for the two of them on the stage. Danyl did not seem to notice, moving easily in the darkened space as though it were his home. And she had to admit, with the doors locked and the last person gone from the huge building, the feeling of security outweighed the desolation. If she was afraid of anything, it was Danyl Fitzhugh. She had no reason to be. He would not hurt her. Although he was not always polite, he had never been anything but gentle in his treatment of her. The intimacy she longed for was the inevitable outcome of this scene, but she could not shake the feeling of unease.
