Chapter 15
Inside the village hall, the familiar scents and sounds of the theatre group welcomed her.
The quiet buzz of performers chatting as they waited for rehearsals to start, Jasper’s loud voice calling for Sheila to change the set up for the rehearsals on the small stage, the clatter of items being moved.
There was the familiar cinnamon cake scent and some coffee, which made Lily’s stomach rumble, and she looked around to try and see Nick.
She saw Jess speaking with another cast member at the far end of the room, her back straight, arms folded.
Jess’s eyes darted to Lily, then narrowed momentarily before she turned aside to carry on talking.
Lily straightened her shoulders, not allowing the icy reaction to stop her.
Today’s rehearsal was about the show, not about Jess.
Nick finally entered, still in his nursing top and pants, and waved at Lily.
She had put on a pretty sun dress this time, white with yellow roses on it and a matching yellow cardigan.
It was perhaps a little formal for the rehearsal but it made her feel pretty and she needed the little dose of confidence around Jess, who was in all black and looking like a panther.
‘How are you?’ Nick asked as he came to her side.
‘Nervous,’ she admitted.
‘Righto, let’s go. We’re blocking Act One, Scene One,’ called Jasper.
‘I need Mrs Eynsford-Hill, Freddy, Eliza, Colonel Pickering and Higgins on stage please.’
Sheila walked on stage with Nick and the others following.
‘You’re playing Mrs Eynsford-Hill?’ Lily asked Sheila. ‘I didn’t realise, how lovely.’
‘I was to be Mrs Higgins but since you are now Eliza that threw everything out of whack.’
Lily stared at Sheila for a moment, summoning up her grandmother’s courage.
‘I can leave and you can have the role back if you like. It’s no skin off my nose.’ She smiled as she spoke and saw Sheila’s mouth drop.
‘I mean…’ Sheila tried to reverse her comment but it was too late; Lily was on a roll.
‘I know you wanted Jess as Eliza but Jasper chose me, because I can sing the role and because Jess is very beautiful but doesn’t have the voice.
It’s that simple and it’s not personal, but for some reason you and Jess seem to have made it personal.
I don’t care either way, but if you’re going to act like Jess and be passive aggressive and rude for the rest of my time here, then I will leave and I will tell Jasper exactly why. ’
Sheila clasped her script to her chest. ‘No, we don’t want you to leave and I agree, you do have the better voice. So I’m sorry I spoke that way to you and it won’t happen again.’
Lily saw Nick’s head bouncing between them as though he were in a tennis match.
‘Great, so we’ll move on and pretend this never happened,’ Lily said with a sweet smile.
‘Everything all right?’ asked Jasper from the floor as Bernadette the dog toddled off to her velvet pillow to sit on and review the work.
‘Absolutely – just discussing character,’ said Sheila with a forced smile.
Jasper started to block the actors while the rest of the cast looked on as they worked through the opening scene.
Jasper’s direction was sensible and straightforward, and Lily was glad she didn’t have to do anything too fancy. It was very clear Jasper had this well in hand.
Lily threw herself into it with fresh enthusiasm as Higgins sang the first song: ‘Why can’t the English?’
Gosh she had forgotten how much fun it was and David, the local school principal, was an excellent Higgins, she thought.
After the scene was blocked and Jasper called a break, Nick came to her side as she made a cup of herbal tea for herself.
‘How did the pantry restock go at Gran’s?’ he asked.
‘Fine. She claimed she wasn’t interested but seemed to have a lot to say about the placement of items,’ Lily said with a laugh. ‘You know what she’s like.’
He nodded. ‘I do and I bet she had a lot to say. I’m back on Monday to see if we can take the dressing off her nose now, so I can have a look and pass judgement on your work with her.’
Lily chuckled and then blew on her tea to cool it down.
‘I have been meaning to say that I’ve noticed a tremor in her hands. I mean more than usual.’
Nick frowned. ‘Okay, I’ll take a look but she’s getting on in age, you know; tremors are a part of it all.’
‘Lily, what a pretty dress. I had wallpaper like that as child.’
Lily looked at Jess from over the top of her mug that she was about to sip from.
‘Did that comment make you feel better?’ she asked.
‘Pardon?’ Jess blinked her eyes innocently.
‘I thought you spoke to her about this,’ she said to Nick.
‘Spoke to me about what? You’re so sensitive, Lily. It was a compliment on the dress; you have chosen to take it another way.’
‘I’m not sensitive, and I’m not stupid. I really don’t know why you’re like this, Jessica. It’s just so uncomfortable for everyone.’
Jessica rolled her eyes and walked away as Jasper clapped his hand loudly.
‘Scene Two, the pub – and we will sing through “With a Little Bit of Luck”,’ he called.
Lily went up on stage with Mr Doolittle and the rest of the chorus.
As they started to block, she saw Jess staring at her, a small smile on her lips as though she were waiting for Lily to trip.
It only steeled Lily further and she did everything Jasper asked and reminded Mr Doolittle of his blocking also.
‘Lily, you are a lifesaver and such a professional,’ said Sean, the accountant playing her father.
Lily smiled. ‘My pleasure. We don’t want anyone to be left behind,’ she said and she meant it, and she saw Jessica shoot a death stare at her.
Nick came up on stage after the song and shook his head at Lily.
‘You’re marvellous up there. You have real stage presence,’ he said and she smiled at him.
‘Thank you and so do you. All the girls will be in love with you as Freddy.’ She smiled and he gave her a shy smile in return.
‘Oh I don’t think about that sort of thing,’ he said and he scuffed his shoe on the floor.
Looking behind him she saw Jess observing them from across the room.
‘I think Jess still has feeling towards you,’ she remarked softly. ‘You really do need to sort it out.’
‘I don’t care what Jess thinks, to be honest,’ he said and he smiled at her again. ‘She doesn’t want me, she just doesn’t want anyone else to want me.’
Lily felt herself blush. Was he saying he thought she wanted him or was he sending her a message about himself?
He paused. ‘I know we see each other here and at the cottage, but I would like to see you outside of your gran’s and rehearsals. Do you think you’d like to have dinner with me?’
Lily paused. Dinner. With Brad Pitt, the nurse?
But if it went weird then they had to do the show together and it was already awkward enough with Jessica.
‘Um, I don’t think that would be…’
‘I mean just as friends,’ he said.
‘Oh great, then sure,’ she said, feeling a little disappointed it was just as friends, but she also knew it was for the best for the show.
‘Excellent. Do you like Indian food?’
‘Of course,’ she said. Nick smiled at her and she bit her lip as she smiled back.
Who was she kidding? She had a crush on Nick and she was pretty sure that he had one on her, but what was a little breaking of poppadoms between friends? It couldn’t hurt; they could work on their chemistry on stage. Nothing serious, she told herself, just a summer friendship.