The Only Woman in the Room

A few months later, Hedy sneaks away from a dinner party to enjoy a cigarette alone on the balcony. She laments the life she thought she’d have with Fritz, learning now that Fritz only wanted her to spend time “preening and heightening [her] beauty” (71). Fritz controlled every aspect of their lives, so Hedy had little to fill her days with. Smoking, she realizes that her life mirrors that of her last role, Empress Elizabeth: “[H]er older husband […] took control over her life […] locking her in a royal cage deprived of the light and air of freedom” (73).

Hedy’s thoughts are interrupted by two men coming out onto the balcony. They don’t see her, and she is relieved she doesn’t have to resume her performance. Instead, she eavesdrops and learns that the Schutzbund—the military of the Social Democratic Party that had been banned by Dollfuss to leave only his military group (supplied by Fritz)—is moving their army underground and working towards an uprising. In her excitement, Hedy accidently reveals herself but pretends that she’s just entered the balcony and didn’t overhear their conversation. She rushes to find Fritz and tell him. Fritz is elated by the news, relishing in the realization that he didn’t just marry “a pretty face” but also a “secret weapon” (76).