Chapter 6
SIX
Darling
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THE MOMENT FINALLY came; the moment I’d been pushing back every time the topic came up. There was something a little immature about my recalcitrant attitude toward the matter, but I couldn’t help it.
“I understand how you might be uncomfortable,” Ricky said with soothing calm. “But I assure you. I’m a professional, and I take my work very seriously, and I take scenes such as this one very seriously.”
“I know,” I said.
We were seated on the balcony of his room, a balcony that offered a spectacular view of the grounds that surrounded Barry Park.
The sun was low on the horizon, but its rays of light were bright and warm.
Under any other circumstance, it could be a romantic setting, but my nerves made that impossible.
He reached out to take my hand in his. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve worked with some very experienced actresses who struggled with these intimate scenes. It’s not unusual.”
I looked at him. He was so good looking and his lips so inviting. Then why was I still so averse to the notion of kissing him. I should be jumping at the chance.
“Come,” he said as he stood and urged me to do the same with the slight tug on my hand.
I stood up and faced him, my breathing short and shallow, my cheeks flaming hot.
We looked at one another for a tense moment, then he licked his lips.
“A short, slow kiss,” he said, then a teasing twinkle came to his eyes. “I promise... no tongue.”
He winked, leaving me uncertain what to expect.
I pressed a tight grin as he brought my hand to his lips. His other hand slithered around my waist to the small of my back, and he gently eased me closer to him.
“I thought you would be happy to see me,” he said as Henry Crawford.
“I’m neither happy nor sad,” I replied as Fanny.
“I have news that I believe will please you.”
“And what would that be?”
“I’ve spoken with some very influential people, and I think you’ll be very happy with what I’ve done.”
I looked at him expectantly.
“I’ve succeeded in securing a very impressive promotion for your brother.”
“For William?” I said. “You did this for William?”
“I did, indeed, and I do hope it pleases you as well.”
“I’m touched, truly I am. And I’m certain that William will be pleased to hear the news as well.”
He leaned closer. “It’s just my way,” he said in a quieter and husky voice, “of showing the affection I have for you.”
I froze. Fanny was the furthest thing from my mind. It was me. I was the one who was there. Darling, myself, with him, Ricky Stone.
He came in closer still, his eyes slightly hooded. And then his lips touched mine, so light. Just barely a feather touch that caused a thrilled shock to run through me.
He pulled back, and a strange sense of disappointment took over me. Was there not to be more?
“That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” he said.
“No,” I said, my voice a strange, unrecognizable croak.
“Think you might want to try it again?”
I shook my head as I slowly regained my senses... my common sense. “You’ve got it wrong. Henry kisses Fanny on the forehead first. It’s a very simple and pure kiss. Only later does he kiss her on the lips, a rather passionate kiss.”
“Like this.” With only those words as warning, he cupped my cheeks and came in for a more profound kiss.
Stunned, I froze under the warmth of his mouth. His lips toyed with mine, sucked slightly and beckoned me to respond.
And for a second, I did. I let myself get caught up with the embrace and kissed him back. But just as quickly, I pushed him away.
“That’s quite enough, Ricky. Quite enough, indeed. You’re getting far ahead of yourself.”
“My apologies.” He took a step back and suddenly seemed so uncomfortable. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I let myself get caught up in the moment. You have to know that I’ve been thinking about this moment for quite some time.”
“Ricky!” someone called from behind his door as they knocked with insistence. “Rick, are you in there? You’re wanted on set.”
“That sounds like Abbie,” I said. I returned into his room and went to open the door.
“Oh, Darling?” Abbie said. “I didn’t know you were in here. Good. You’re wanted on set as well.”
“We were just going over a scene,” I said with a desperate need to make the reason for my presence in his room clear.
“Of course,” she said. “Be sure to stop by hair and makeup.”
“What scene will we be doing?”
“The scene where Henry implies that Edmund and Mary are getting engaged.”
“Very well. I’ll be right down.”
*****
THE SET WAS QUIET WITH only a minimal crew. The lighting was somber with several sconces on the wall and several candles on the table, leaving the corners of the room in dark shadows.
But what caught my eye the most was the activity on the sidelines. Matt and Susie stood close to one another, sharing amusing little secrets. They laughed and giggled and leaned into one another in the most saccharine sweet annoying manner.
“Remember, Darling,” Keely said, her hand on my shoulder. “You’re disturbed by what Henry has to tell you, but you’re not quite sure why. After all, Edmund is your cousin, and you have no reason to be jealous or envious of his relationship with Mary. “
I nodded.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Susie leaning into Matt, whispering something comical in his ear that had him smiling in a very charming manner. Adding to my discomfort was the amused look in her eyes as she glanced sidelong at me.
“Places everybody,” Keely called out.
I had to shake off the disquieting sense of impending doom that fought to take over me. Turning my back to the playful couple, I took my place and mentally prepared for my interaction with Ricky.
“And... action!”
Throughout the scene I was acutely aware of Susie’s hand on Matt’s shoulder, her repeated whispers into his ear and the adoring manner in which she looked at him. Somehow, despite the distraction, I managed to get through the scene.
“Cut!” Keely called out. “Darling. You’re really doing a great job, but I want you to hold your gaze on Henry.”
Feeling like such an amateur, I nodded. While I’d thought I’d faired pretty well, focusing on Ricky and my lines, I now realized that I had allowed myself to be distracted by Susie and Matt. “Yes, of course,” I said.
We shot the scene again and, this time, I completely blocked out Susie and Matt.
“Cut. That was great,” Keely called out. “I love the look in your eyes, Darling. Exactly what I wanted.”
“You guys can take the rest of the afternoon off,” Abbie said as she came to us. Just as quickly, she turned to Susie and Matt. “You two are so adorable together. We’re going to work on...”
Her voice trailed off as she went to them.
“You seem tense,” Ricky said as we walked away from the set.
“I don’t like disappointing Keely. I know that time is tight and I absolutely hate it when I’m the one responsible for shooting a scene again and again.”
“These things happen. They happen to everyone at some point or other. Don’t let it get to you. If you do, the pressure to be prefect every time will play some nasty tricks on you. I’ve seen actors leave a set in tears due to the frustration of not getting a scene perfect.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’ll admit, it’s one of the curious and unexpected effects of flubbing a line or a scene. The pressure to get it right is almost debilitating.”
“And that pressure is often self-imposed.”
I nodded.
“I have an idea, if you’re up for it.”
“I’m all ears.”
“A break from here. A day outside of Barry Park. Have you set foot outside the gates since we’ve set up here.”
I looked at him and smiled. “No. Not one bit.”
“An afternoon in town might do you good. You know, a bit of window shopping, a cup of coffee here, a light lunch there. Or maybe a beer at a pub and a picnic in the park.”
“All of that sounds lovely.”
“How about we meet down at the front foyer in... let’s say twenty minutes?”
“I’ll be there.”
We parted ways and I watched him walk away with a myriad of questions. The idea of leaving the walls of Barry Park appealed to me, but I still questioned Ricky’s motives.
*****
“YOU SEEMED DISTRACTED today as we shot our scene,” Ricky said.
We stopped at a small café and sat sipping our cappuccino and espresso at the outdoor terrace.
I didn’t know how to respond to his observation. I wasn’t about to let him in on my thoughts about Matt and Susie.
“Why does it bother you to see Susie and Matt together?”
I nearly spit out my sip of coffee. Was I really that transparent?
“You mean as we shot the scene?” I managed to say. “To tell you the truth, I don’t understand what they were doing there to begin with.”
He chuckled. “I once heard that when one starts a statement with ‘to tell the truth’ or ‘to be honest’, chances are they’re not telling the truth or being honest.”
“Are you telling me that you were completely at ease with their presence?”
He shrugged.
“Whether it be Matt and Susie, or Hugh and Jai, or Penny and Gabriel, having people on the set who have no reason to be there is always a distraction, especially if they’re whispering and giggling.”
He nodded. “I’ll give you that.”
I sipped my coffee, happy to hear him agree.
“How are you enjoying your time here in the United Kingdom,” I said, eager to change the focus of our conversation.
“It’s not what I expected. I guess all I’d ever seen were images of London. You know, Big Ben, the Tower of London... Versailles.”
I let out a laugh and looked at him to ensure he was teasing.
“Actually, I expected a lot more castles. And of course, I was disappointed when I didn’t see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”
Again, I laughed.
“And, I was hoping to see some royalty... some pomp and circumcision...”
“What?” I blurted out through my restrained laughter. “Oh, Ricky. You’re ridiculous.”
“You know,” he went on with a straight face. “I wanted to see those white horses with their gilded carriages, and those men in red coats and tall, furry hats, and ladies with funny, floral hats.”
“I’m sorry to hear of your disappointment.”
“Not at all.” He waved my disappointment away. “Eih. I’m not a fan of the royal family, I’m afraid of horses and I don’t really see the point of those tall, furry hats.”
I smiled, so pleased to talk about something other than the goings on at Barry Park. When I’d reluctantly accepted his invitation, it was with a desperate need to get Matt and Susie out of my mind, and Ricky was accomplishing just that.
“Are you really afraid of horses?” I said.
He nodded as he picked up his dainty cup.
“You know you have several scenes on horseback, don’t you?”
He set his tiny espresso cup down onto its saucer with a clang. “What?! Me? On horseback? That’s not in my contract!”
For a second I wasn’t sure if he was teasing or not, then he glanced at me with that playful grin.
“So, you’re not really afraid of horses?” I ventured.
“Oh, I’m afraid, all right. I just didn’t tell my agent when I was offered the part of Henry Crawford. I hadn’t read the script, but I knew there was a fair chance horses would be involved.”
“How do you plan to get through the scenes?”
He snorted. “I... have... no... idea.”
I set my cup down. “Well, I have an idea.”
*****
WE RETURNED TO BARRY Park and as we got out of the car, I grabbed his hand.
“Come with me.”
“Ooh... where are you bringing me, sweety?”
“Don’t get fresh,” I said.
He laughed until he realized where I was taking him.
“Oh, no. No, you don’t.” He stopped walking.
“Come on, Ricky. I followed you into town and trusted you when you took me to that shop, and that café and that museum. It’s your turn to trust me.”
He looked at me and for the first time I saw the true fear in his eyes.
“You don’t understand,” he said.
“You can’t wait until the day of shooting to make your acquaintance with these animals, Rick. And your meeting will be easier with me there.”
With a hesitant step, he accepted my outstretched hand, and we continued our way to the stables. Once inside, he again stopped and froze.
“It smells kind of funky in here.”
“Yeah. Stables do have that special smell. Nice, isn’t it.”
“How many horses are in here?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Ten. Maybe twelve.”
He breathed deeply. “Twelve horses and just two of us.”
“They’re not going to break out of their stalls and attack us, Ricky.”
“How do you know?”
“Because that’s not what horses do. Come on. I’ll introduce you to a few.”
In the first stall was an old mare, quiet, calm and patient. She came to us, and I reached up to pet her.
“Be careful,” Ricky said.
“Don’t worry. This is Betsy. She’s been at Barry Park for ages, even when I lived here. As sweet as can be.”
“Still, you never know.”
I tugged on his arm. “Come stand here so she can see you properly. You never want to sneak up on a horse. Let her know you’re there. Talk to her.”
“Here horsey,” he whispered.
Laughing, I took his hand and brought it up to Betsy’s muzzle.
“Are you nuts?” he said, whipping his hand out of mine.
I once again brought his hand up. “Trust me.” I forced his hand to her muzzle. “There. That’s not so bad.”
A tentative smile came to his lips. “It’s soft. I always thought that horsehair was so coarse and rough.”
“The mane and tail are thick and coarse, but her coat is soft. The muzzle is especially soft.”
I released his hand, and as he continued to pet Betsy’s soft coat, I reached into the nearby bin and scooped up a handful of sweetened oats.
“Here,” I said. “Give me your hand.”
He held his hand out and I turned it palm up.
“Hold your hand open and flat.” I poured the oats onto his palm.
“Oh boy,” he said, pulling in an uncertain breath.
Nonetheless, he allowed me to push his hand under Betsy’s eager muzzle. She quickly but gently accepted the treat.
Ricky laughed, much as a boy would. “It tickles.”
“I think you’ve won her over,” I said.
He looked at me, a spark in his eye. “And I think that you’ve won me over.”