As they ascended the stairs, they passed by several pilasters and soon came face-to-face with a statue of Shakespeare. The statue was fully costumed in clothing of his period, and he held a roll of paper in his hand, looking more like a barrister than a poet. Avery escorted her into a lower-tier box; the semicircular recess was filled with paintings from various Shakespeare plays in relief.
Audrey approached the front of the box, allowing her black shawl to drop around her elbows as she leaned over the edge to study the audience below her. From where she stood, she could admire the fretted gold flowers that ran along each theater box. Chandeliers of cut glass hung above the pillars separating them, painting gold rays over the massive theater.
“It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” Avery said as h
