Born of Illusion Read online

  I sneak a quick sideways glance as I open our door. Cole’s staring up at me, the light from the still-open front door casting an incandescent glow around him. He gives me another nod and I enter the apartment, my pulse thudding wildly. I huff, leaning my back against the door.

  An unusual vision, Harry Houdini in town, and a strange young man moving in downstairs. And it’s not even noon yet. Perhaps living a quiet, respectable life is going to be more of a challenge than I thought.

  The first thing I do upon entering the apartment is to listen for my mother. The memory of the vision and my mother’s terrified face is still swirling in my mind. I hear voices coming from the sitting room, and my relief at the sound of her voice is quickly replaced with annoyance when I also recognize our new manager’s French accent.

  I give myself a shake and put away the groceries and wipe down the counters, hoping the domestic routine I’ve established since I moved here will calm my nerves. I’ve never had my own kitchen before, and even though it’s more like a galley than a room, it’s sunny and bright, and I love the normalcy of it.

  But in spite of my busy hands, my mind can’t help going back to our new neighbor. Surely that wasn’t a normal interaction with a young man? Then again, what do I know about normal social interactions?

  But things are different now. My mother and I are supposed to be entering polite society. By being somewhat respectable, we can expand our after-hours business to include the cream of New York society and, as such, charge an ever-increasing amount of money.

  Frowning, I place the teapot and cups on a tray and take it down the hall.

  “Good morning, darling,” Mother says as I enter the room, unsure of how my presence will be received. But last night’s tension is nowhere in evidence as she thanks me for her tea.

  Jacques rises and relieves me of the tray. He sets it on the table, then helps himself to my cup.

  “Good morning, Anna. I trust you slept well, oui?”

  The words ring with chilly civility and I answer in kind. “Yes, sir. Thank you.”

  “Please, Anna. Call me Jacques.”

  I smile but don’t say anything. Monsieur Mauvais and I have been circling each other warily since we first met in Chicago several months ago. He’s doing wonders for our career, but that doesn’t make me like him any more. As far as I’m concerned, he’s just one more in a long line of smarmy, cheating managers who have taken advantage of us. I raise an eyebrow at my mother.

  She knows I’m curious about what he’s doing here but refuses to tell me. Cigarette smoke encircles her dark head like a halo. Gone are the flowing tresses I once played with as a child. Fashion now dictates that women cut their hair as short as possible, though few women pull it off as successfully as she does. I miss her long hair. It made her seem more motherly.

  “Yes, Anna, how did you sleep? You seemed a bit overwrought when you went to bed.”

  Uneasiness flutters in my stomach. So she hasn’t forgotten last night. “I said I slept fine!”

  Thankfully, Jacques interrupts. “I almost forgot the reason I came over. I want to add two more acts before yours to increase your headline value in the eyes of the public. It would give you a certain prestige.”

  Grateful for the interruption, I settle into the deep leather club chair across from them, my mind going back to our argument.

  It started when I’d asked her why she wouldn’t let me expand my magical repertoire to include more complicated tricks. I stood in the hallway, watching her get ready for bed. She was sitting at her vanity table, rubbing Pond’s Cold Cream on her face.

  Her mouth tightened. “Because it’s unnecessary. Your magic just leads up to the main event, which is my performance. Really, darling, we’ve been over this before. Why do we have to revisit it?”

  Because just once, I would like her to admit that I’m very, very good and my magic is an important part of the show. But she wouldn’t grant me that, so I changed tactics. “If we expand my magic, the show would appeal to more people and would become so successful we wouldn’t have to do séances anymore.”

  “Your resistance to the séances is becoming a bore. Jacques and I have a business strategy, and the séances are an important part of that. Honestly, I don’t know why it bothers you so much.”

  Maybe because I’m tired of her being hauled off to jail for breaking the fortune-telling laws? Because I finally have a real home, and a scandal could cost us our regular show? Because I have a shot at a normal life and I don’t want her thirst for fame to ruin it? All thoughts I don’t dare articulate to my mother, so I just lapsed into resentful silence. As usual.

  Mother claps her hands, startling me back into the present.

  “Adding more opening acts is a fabulous idea!” she says.

  It is a good idea, but I’m not about to tell Jacques that. “Isn’t this a bit last minute?” I goad. “We’ve spent the past month doing teaser shows all over the city in preparation for our debut tomorrow night. Shouldn’t this have been set ages ago?”

  I hide a smile as Jacques flushes. His dark eyes are expressive but give nothing away, and his black hair is slicked back and curling over the collar of his well-tailored suit. He moved to the United States several years ago to better promote his French acts and get a toehold in the burgeoning American entertainment industry.

  “Don’t be difficult, darling.” Mother dismisses me with a wave of her hand, turning her attention back to Jacques. “Now, what kind of act should we add? Hmm?”

  I settle back and fume, watching him sip my tea. My fingers twitch and I reach for the deck of cards on the table. Shuffling them calms me.

  “We don’t want another medium or mentalist,” she continues, not waiting for an answer. “Perhaps a magician? Or no, why don’t we go with something completely different?” She’s wearing her red, embroidered kimono robe and house slippers regally, as if she were already dressed for the day. I note that her makeup is flawless. She must have known Jacques was coming by this morning.

  Jacques nods his approval. “Brilliant. I don’t want a magician either. We don’t want anyone to compete with Anna, though I’ve seen few magicians who can.” My mother frowns, but Jacques doesn’t notice. He should have said he doesn’t want anyone to compete with her. My mother jealously guards her headliner status, and I can tell by the sudden furrows on her forehead that Jacques just made my part in the show more valuable than she’s comfortable with.

  “Perhaps we should have a young singer come in?” he continues, oblivious to his faux pas. “And then follow it up with some dancers? Give the society people a little thrill. But not for too long. We don’t want them restless.”

  “Do you have anyone in mind?” I ask, trying to distract my mother from his comment, though I’m secretly gratified by his high regard for my magic.

  He nods decisively. Of course he does. Irritation ripples across my skin. He’s adept at making my mother think everything is her idea, when it’s already planned. This has probably been set for weeks.

  “I recently signed a young singer, and I know of a dance troupe looking for a job.”

  “Wonderful.” Mother reclines regally on the couch, her eyes alight as she and Jacques discuss our opening, his earlier blunder forgiven.

  I have to hand it to her; Madame Marguerite Estella Van Housen has come a long way from little Maggie Moshe of Eger, Hungary. Our fortunes have gone up and down over the years, but my mother has never lost her ruthless poise. Whether she’s in a cheap boardinghouse in the Midwest or in the drawing rooms of the rich, she is always the same—regal, mysterious, and completely at ease.

  I might admire her if she wasn’t my mother.

  Jacques helps himself to another cup of tea and gives us a benevolent smile. “I will make the arrangements today. Are you and Anna ready for the big time?”

  Mother’s lips tilt upward. “Of course, I’ve always been ready.”

  Jacques turns to me. “And you, Anna?”

  “Anna was
born ready.”

  My mouth tightens when my mother answers for me. As if I can’t speak for myself.

  She places another cigarette in a long black holder and leans forward for Jacques to light it. When the flames flicker, her eyes zero in on me. “Anna and I had the most interesting discussion last night.”

  I shift, my neck and shoulders tightening. I’m the one she’s going to punish for Jacques’s thoughtless comment.

  “Did you?” Jacques looks from me to my mother as if sensing the tension.

  “Yes. It seems our Anna is getting a bit bored with our private séances.”

  Bored? Bored doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about them. I hate bilking money out of grief-stricken, innocent people. But the moment I try letting my mother know how I feel—that perhaps we should give up the séances and just do the shows—this is what I get.

  Jacques frowns, his silky mustache drooping downward. “But I thought we’d all agreed that giving a few exclusive séances a month will give you extra cachet?” He turns to me and his frown deepens. “Between the shows and the séances, you stand to make a fortune.”

  We haven’t held a séance since we’ve come to New York, and I’ve cherished the break. Our first one is tomorrow night after our opening. The thought of it turns my stomach.

  “That’s what I told her, but children can be so ungrateful,” my mother says, staring at me.

  I lower my eyes.

  Jacques crosses his long legs and I focus on his striped trousers rather than meet my mother’s gaze. “Perhaps Anna is ready for a bigger piece of the profits?”

  I feel rather than hear Mother’s hiss of anger. My eyes jerk up to meet Jacques’s. “My mother knows better than that and if she doesn’t—she should.”

  Our eyes clash and a long, tense moment spins out between us.

  Then Mother breaks the silence. “Of course not. I share everything with her. Besides, Anna has been in charge of our finances since she was twelve. I trust her completely.”

  She doesn’t and we both know it. I don’t think my mother has ever fully trusted anyone.

  Jacques clears his throat. “Then perhaps Anna wants a bigger part in the show? That wouldn’t be surprising, considering . . .”

  He raises a brow and I shake my head, glaring. Considering who my father is, he meant. Or at least who my mother claims my father is. In spite of wanting to perform better tricks, I don’t want a bigger part in Mother’s show. I want . . . Well, I’m not sure what I want, but spending the rest of my life performing tired old magic tricks—the only ones she’ll allow—and being her assistant can’t be all there is.

  My mother’s smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yes, well.” She gives another delicate shrug and my stomach hollows.

  I’m going to have to watch myself, but then again, being careful around my mother is a way of life.

  Three

  I stay in the next morning, sticking close to my mother . . . despite my lingering irritation with her. I’ve never had a vision about my own life before—they’ve always been about horrific events around the world. I don’t know what it means, but the memory of my mother’s terror is enough to interrupt my usual routine to keep a watchful eye on her.

  We spend the afternoon preparing. My mother likes to bathe and get ready in quiet, so I’m careful not to disturb her. By the time Jacques sends a sleek Lincoln Limousine to collect us for the show, we’re completely prepared. She’s dressed in an Egyptian-inspired beaded evening frock with short sleeves while I’m wearing a lovely silk drop-waist shift with caftan sleeves. As I do most of the real magic, long, loose sleeves are essential, as the sleeves not only cover up various props, they’re also distracting. Tonight, my mother insisted we both wear feathered headbands, and she kohl-lined our eyes to make them look larger and more mysterious.

  The fine leather seats of the car wrap around me and I ignore the nerves pinging in my stomach. Once I’m onstage, I’ll be fine, but tonight’s opening is important for us.

  When I first began working as Mother’s assistant, it was out of necessity more than anything else. We simply didn’t have the money to pay a real assistant. Plus, I’d been watching second-rate magicians practice for years, and sleight of hand came easily to me. More proof, my mother insisted, of my father’s identity. It couldn’t just be that I was talented. Good Lord, no. It always has something to do with my paternity.

  I shift in my seat and look out the window. The Newmark Theater is just off Broadway on Forty-second Street, and my excitement builds as we pass the flashing marquees. Mother sits silently beside me, primed and motionless, like a cat ready to spring.

  I’m not sure when I realized my mother wasn’t like other mothers. It’s hard to know what normal is when you travel all the time. But when I was nine, we stayed in Seattle just long enough for me to make a friend. Lizzie’s mother didn’t spend her evenings performing or going out for late dinners with strangers. Instead, she stayed in nights and made good things to eat. She hugged her children frequently and had a loud, hearty laugh.

  My mother, with her volatile moods and sharp tongue, was, and is, terrifying.

  The car stops, and I wait for my mother to get out before following her. She walks smoothly toward the theater, ignoring the line of people waiting for tickets. I can’t believe all these people are here to see us. Jacques has done his job promoting us well, I’ll give him that. The theater is a large sedate brick building, with white columns marking the front entrance. The marquee over the door has my mother’s name in giant letters:

  MADAME VAN HOUSEN, MEDIUM AND MENTALIST EXTRAORDINAIRE

  My name, of course, is absent.

  I have little of my mother’s poise and can’t help but gawk at the crowd, excitement rising in the center of my stomach. Couples stand in line, arm in arm, chatting, laughing, and smoking. The men in their black swallow-tailed coats seem somber, almost grim, compared to the brightly colored flappers in their sassy, short fur coats and their chiffon, net, and silk fringed dresses.

  Usually, none of the red velvet opulence of the front of the theater makes it backstage, and dressing rooms are notoriously dark and cramped. I’d been pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness of the room Jacques had led us to before our dress rehearsal. Once inside, an attendant brings me a basket of papers. Each of the papers contains a question from one of the audience members already seated in the theater. I glance at my mother, taking my cues from her.

  She removes her wrap and drapes it on a velvet settee. “Let’s do eight tonight. It’s our opening night.”

  I nod and go through the papers, marking a red X on the questions easiest for her to answer. Later, during the show, my mother will select a few “at random” and amaze the audience with her perception. The trick is so simple, it’s hard to believe people fall for it. But as Mother always says, the audience believes what they want to believe.

  Mother checks her makeup as I work. She’s always silent before a performance. My own anticipation is thrumming in my chest, but I try not to show it. I’ve never told her how much I love performing illusions, even tired old magic tricks. It’s a secret I hold close to my heart, half afraid it’ll be taken away from me if revealed. Sometimes I pretend that I’m headlining my own show. That the people in the audience are waiting in anticipation just to see me. I thrill at the thought of it but wonder what that has to do with living the quiet, stable life I also long for. I sigh. Sometimes I don’t know what I want.

  There’s a knock on the door and I answer it. It’s another attendant with a giant bouquet of red roses for my mother and a smaller white one for me. They’re from Jacques, which dims my enthusiasm measurably.

  Mother fusses over the flowers until another knock sounds, alerting us that it’s time to go on. She turns to me with a disarming smile. “Are we ready?” she asks.

  She always asks this.

  I smile back. “As ready as we’ll ever be,” I answer.

  Whether we’re in a cheap, ugly
hotel in a no-name town or in a ritzy theater, our preperformance routine is always the same.

  “Are we going to astonish them?”

  “We always do.”

  She reaches out and clasps my hand and together we follow the attendant down a narrow hall to the stage. I scan the darkened stage quickly, making sure our props are in place. The setup has already been checked by the stage hands and Jacques, but I always like to double, triple, quadruple check.

  For a long, breathless moment we wait, time spinning into an eternity, while the excitement in my chest bursts. As the red curtain rises, my mother releases my hand and steps forward.

  Make no mistake: There is only room for one star on this stage.

  Because of the stage lights, my mother’s silhouette is all I see as the velvet curtain makes its silent ascent into the darkness. The blinding spotlight looks like a sun rising on the horizon, and though I can’t see the people in the audience, the scent of perfume and expensive cigar smoke assures me of their presence, as does the excessively polite, well-bred clapping.

  That’s fine. By the end of the night they’ll be my mother’s devoted fans. Unlike other mediums and mentalists, she uses a mischievous humor during her performance that puts the audience off guard. While others rely on darkness, drama, and deception, Madame Van Housen does everything with a wink that asks “Can you believe this?” The audience loves it.

  “Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen!” Though her voice is projecting to every corner of the auditorium, it still sounds sweetly feminine. She stands until her eyes adjust to the glare of the spotlight, then glides forward so the audience can see her better. Her dark, delicate beauty unfurls like a blossom. “I hope you enjoy this evening’s show, but more, I hope you learn something about the spirit world. It can be a dark and dangerous place.”

  Mother pauses as the audience digests this and then an impish smile wrinkles her nose. You can almost hear the audience relax. Then she continues.

  “I’ve been gifted with the ability to read minds and foretell the future, as some of you will discover personally.” She pauses again and sways on her feet. My cue. I rush out of the darkness to steady her. She pats my shoulder and gives the audience a tremulous smile. “I’m sorry. I just had an overwhelming feeling that someone here is going to join the spirit world very soon.”