A World of Dreams & Love

By Vanessa Carvo

A World of Dreams & Love - A world famous ballet dancer from London decides to become a mail order bride after her dancer lover dumps her. She goes to Los Angeles and into the arms of a rancher and ballet company owner; but unfortunately, she is faced with some of the same problems she had in England, and doesn’t know if the rancher wants her for his bride, or prima ballerina.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan Hart
• Release date: Jan 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463603888

Book preview

A World of Dreams & Love

By

Vanessa Carvo

Copyright 2020 Susan Hart

Synopsis: A World of Dreams & Love - A world famous ballet dancer from London decides to become a mail order bride after her dancer lover dumps her. She goes to Los Angeles and into the arms of a rancher and ballet company owner; but unfortunately, she is faced with some of the same problems she had in England, and doesn’t know if the rancher wants her for his bride, or prima ballerina.

Friday, April 14, 1893

Royal Opera House--Evening

Covent Garden Theater

London, England

As the sweet music for Sleeping Beauty came to a close, plucky Prima ballerina Ava Maisie Nolan leapt into the arms of her male Principal, Geb Murray, her fiancé and lover, to the roar of the packed crowd of the London Ballet. Her perfect ballerina frame, five foot, three inches tall and narrow waist made her easy to hold.

Her long neck, long slender legs, arms, and small oval head gave her expressive movements and lovely lines on the stage. Her long straight black hair, parted down the middle, lay coiled neatly into a bun at the top of her head. Outwardly, for show, Ava Nolan smiled a smile for her profession, but inside, she cried for her personal life.

Overtaken by emotions, the London crowd leapt to their feet and cried more, more, more. Flowers showered the stage from every direction; red roses the universal symbol of love for a woman did not go unnoticed by Ava. She'd miss this moment as Geb Murray took her hand and they moved toward the stage's edge. Forgive me, Ava, he whispered.

Ava smiled and replied, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice, Never Geb. You know how much this moment means to me. She and Geb bowed graciously. A young girl walked to the edge of the stage and handed Ava a large bouquet of twenty-four roses. Thank you, sweetie. You've lifted my heart. Ava turned to Geb.

As if on some silent cue, they both turned away from the stage, Geb grabbed her hand and they walked back to the Corps de Ballet, all brimming wide cheek-to-cheek smiles. The principal duo turned back to the throng of well worshipers who had perhaps seen the best production of Sleeping Beauty in their lives; the last production of ballet duo Ava and Geb.

Ava whispered as Geb looked on longingly and guilty, While I was asleep, you destroyed our love; you've destroyed the Royal London Ballet; you've caused a rift in the history of ballet that will never heal. We were the best ballet duo in history.

They both bowed, as Geb cocked his head toward Ava on the depth of their bow, I know, I know.

Applauses and shouts of Brava! Brava! Overtook the London Theater and nothing else could be heard. The heavy red stage curtain dropped ending the performance and appreciation of Sleeping Beauty.

Ava ran off, her right hand covering her wide-open mouth, sobbing, and in her left clutching the twenty-four red roses from the little redheaded girl in the audience.

Days later, Ava Nolan's peach colored, one-inch gold toe ballet flats appeared to float above the pavement of London, England as she past Big Ben. She'd not gotten over the hurt Geb Murray supplied by falling in love with her understudy Principal Ballerina, a long leggy twenty-two-year-old, blonde.

Nothing made sense. Twenty-five-year-old Ava had love, and she had money. Status and fame came and easily she handled it, nodding to those Londoners who recognized her graceful lean beautiful muscles packed in her sleek athletic frame. Ava Nolan was one of ballet’s high-flyers—not the kind high-strung and dramatic in her work ethic—but type requested to christen new hospitals and open world festivals.

Her underling had none of those qualities and all of the reverse, high-strung, known to cause dramatic displays in her work, costing ballet