Chapter 13
13
‘Hey, what’s up, Esme?’ Parker asked as he approached her from the direction of his own office space further along the corridor. ‘You look awful, what’s happened?’
‘Are you free for a minute? I really need a friendly ear,’ she said, and he nodded, concern etched into a crease in his brow.
He linked his arm through hers and walked her into the kitchen. ‘Come on, let’s get whatever this is sorted.’
Once inside the room with the door closed, Parker got her a glass of water and she sat at the old, battered table as she explained what had happened with her dad, and now with Judd. Parker sat beside her and held her hand.
More tears slipped down her face, leaving warm, damp trails in their wake. ‘I feel absolutely awful. This is my fault entirely.’ She wanted to go home and crawl under her duvet to forget the last two days. ‘He shouldn’t be on a warning, Parker, I should. I tried to tell Olivia, but Innes came in with something urgent he needed to speak to her about and I had to leave so I didn’t get a chance to explain.’
Parker squeezed her hand. ‘Oh, honey, this is awful. I hate to see you in this state when it’s not your fault. It’s been blown out of all proportion by that sour-faced witch of an actress. I’d bet money she’s behind all this.’
Esme shook her head. ‘She can’t be. Surely she would have grassed on me , not Judd. Someone else must have told her it was him, but who? Poor Judd. He’s so lovely, he really doesn’t deserve any of this. Maybe I should just send Olivia an email explaining it all.’
Parker cringed and sucked air through his teeth. ‘Don’t do that. It’s the kind of conversation that comes across better in person. If she sees your face and how sorry you are she’ll be more inclined to be lenient. But why don’t you go over to the nursery and talk to Judd? Ask him what’s happened. I’ll cover for you if Olivia comes looking.’
Esme nodded and placed down the glass of water. ‘Yes, good idea. Thank you.’
As Parker left the kitchen, Esme ran from the castle and into the grounds just as the sky above darkened and rain began to pour. Instead of heading back inside to grab her coat, she set off sprinting, figuring the rain wasn’t forecast so would most likely pass over. Unfortunately, however, the tiny droplets turned into ice-cold hail stones that felt like needles on the bare skin of her arms and she cursed the choice to wear a short-sleeved dress. Ah, the joys of the unpredictable Scottish weather . She ran towards the nursery as fast as she could in her heels and swiped the wetness from her face in a bid to clear her blurry vision. It had been sunny only an hour before but now it was as if spring had gone on lunch break, leaving winter to step into the breach. The frigid air burned her lungs, and she regretted the decision to run. Out of breath and with a pounding heart, she stopped to pull in air. Good grief, I’m so unfit . She was doubled forward, resting her hands on her knees, the rain soaking through to what felt like the bones beneath her skin now, and didn’t see anyone approaching.
‘Hey! Esme, are you okay?’
Startled, she straightened a little too quickly and blood drained from her head so fast that her head began to spin, and her legs weakened as she heard a loud whooshing in her ears. Knowing of old that she was probably about to faint as her body lurched forwards and the space before her seemed to be sapped of colour, her hands shot out automatically to brace for impact, but instead arms grabbed for her, and she was quickly hoisted from the ground and either floating or being carried; in her fuzzy state of mind it was hard to tell. For a brief moment, she relished the feeling of being in someone’s arms and rested her head on the damp shoulder by her ear as the rain pounded down onto the exposed side of her face. Her senses were filled with petrichor and alongside this she could smell leaves, earth and soap all mingled together. It was a heady cocktail. Then, before she knew it, she was sitting in a chair in the small shed in the boundary of the nursery and a warm fleece was placed around her shoulders. The temperature increased minimally, yet she still shivered.
‘What the hell happened? Why are you out without a jacket in this weather? Are you okay? Do you want some water? Should I call anyone?’ Judd bombarded her with questions as he crouched before her.
She lifted her face and was met with a deep look of concern that matched his strained tone. His eyes were actually looking right into hers for the first time, and it took her completely off guard. ‘Th-thank you but no, I’m okay. I just stood up too quickly, that’s all. It happens sometimes. It’s a low blood pressure thing, I think.’ She shook her head. ‘Anyway, I was looking for you. I need to explain something.’ He handed her some paper towels, and she dabbed at her face.
He placed a hand on both of her arms and kept his eyes locked on hers. It was strange and tugged at something deep inside of her that she couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of.
‘Okay, Esme, what is it? You’re worrying me.’
Her chin trembled again as she took in his worry-filled expression. ‘It’s my fault, Judd. I should be the one on a warning, not you.’
A furrow appeared between his eyebrows. ‘Who told you?’
‘Sorry?’
Judd’s nostrils flared and he asked again. ‘Who told you I’m on a warning?’
Esme swiped tears from her cheeks. ‘It’s fine, it was Olivia. But the thing is… it was me; I was the one fraternising with the actors. Well, one actor to be exact. Zach.’ She felt her cheeks flaming as if admitting something far more salacious than the innocent meeting she’d had with him. ‘I was helping him with his lines, that’s all. Just lines.’
The furrow disappeared and Judd smiled. ‘Oh, that. Yeah, I know about that.’
It was Esme’s turn to be confused now. ‘What do you mean you know?’
He released his grip from her arms and sat back on his haunches. ‘I saw you and Zach a while ago on that bench in the trees with the scripts. You looked like you were both concentrating so I didn’t come to say hi in case I was interrupting.’
Esme closed her eyes for a moment. ‘Hang on, so how come you’re on a warning? None of this makes sense.’
He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. ‘Because I overheard that blonde actress, the one who always looks like she has a bad smell up her nose, you know the one I mean? I thought she was sweet at first but I soon realised the truth. Lucille, I think her name is. Anyway, like I said, she was talking to one of the other actors and telling them that she’d walked in on you and Zach kissing and undressing each other, walking towards his bedroom in his apartment, and that she was going to make sure you lost your job because of it.’
Esme gasped. She knew the lies would be piled on like some twisted game of Jenga, but this was ridiculous.
Judd continued, ‘Apparently she and Zach were,’ he made inverted commas in the air, ‘ on the verge of getting back together , and you swooped in and ruined it all,’ he said dramatically. ‘Pfft, total bull, I’ve seen how he looks at her as if everything she says is utter mince. So, I went to see Olivia and told her it was me who’d been chatting to the actors when they were on set. I made sure to explain what I’d overheard, and that the blonde one clearly has it in for you but that it was all crap, so she wouldn’t believe anything that sour-faced bint said. I asked her not to tell you I’d spoken to her though, so that’s annoying.’
Esme widened her eyes and shook her head. ‘But… why did you do that?’
He shrugged and the eye contact disappeared again. ‘Because I don’t like liars. And I don’t like people dropping others in the shit for no reason.’
Esme shook her head. ‘But I was in the wrong, Judd. And you admitted to something you didn’t do.’
He looked at her again, albeit briefly. ‘You helped him with his lines. I saw it for myself so it was hardly fraternising. And Parker mentioned that Zach had turned up at your Shakespeare rehearsal and seemed to like you so… I don’t like people trying to hurt my friends, that’s all.’
She reached out and took his hand. ‘Oh, Judd, you’re so sweet. But you’ve put yourself in a tricky position now. I’m going to speak to Olivia and explain everything. You shouldn’t be getting in trouble for something I did.’
He shook his head. ‘You did nothing wrong, either. And I did talk to Zach when we were both supposed to be working so it wasn’t a lie. And I know we haven’t known each other that long but I think I know you well enough to see what that Lucille person said about you and Zach dashing off to his room is a load of crap. You’re a very respectable person and that’s just not something I could imagine you doing even if you do like him. And I didn’t want other people muddying your reputation.’
Esme sighed. ‘I didn’t kiss him, you’re right about that. But I did go into his apartment, which in hindsight was silly. We were rehearsing a scene he was worried about and there was supposed to be a kiss at the end of it, but we didn’t practise that part. She burst in and was clearly not happy about finding me there with him.’
‘Exactly, and that’s why I wanted to speak to Olivia first. That actress wanted to get you fired and I wasn’t having that. Anyway, I’ve seen how you look at Zach, so I can see you really do like him. You deserve a chance to see where it goes without her jealousy spoiling that for you.’
Esme flung her arms around Judd’s neck. ‘You really are the loveliest man. Thank you so much for trying to protect me. But I will have to go and speak to Olivia. I can’t have you being on a warning because of me.’
He peered up at her from under his eyelids like a scolded puppy. ‘I’d rather you didn’t do that. You’ll put yourself in the frame for discipline and she’s already lost two PAs. She really likes you and is always saying how good you are at your job.’
‘Well, then maybe she’ll listen to me.’ She stood and removed his fleece from her shoulders, and he stood too. She looked up at him, he was a good four inches taller than she was, so she had to tiptoe to kiss his cheek. ‘Thank you, Judd. You’re a real friend.’
He smiled shyly but didn’t speak and she left. The rain and hail had stopped as quickly as it started, and the clouds overhead had cleared now. She walked back to the office in search of Olivia.
* * *
When Esme finally got Olivia alone, she closed the door. ‘I need to tell you something so could you please just let me speak before I lose courage and run for the hills?’
Olivia frowned. ‘If it’s about Judd and the actors, you should know?—’
‘Please, Olivia, I’m sorry to interrupt you but I really just need to get this off my chest.’ She then blurted out the somewhat garbled confession she had tried, but failed, to plan fully. ‘And I can assure you it won’t happen again, Olivia, but if you feel the need to let me go I totally understand.’ Her chest heaved as if she had just admitted to capital murder.
Olivia held up her hands. ‘Esme, I didn’t say anything about letting anyone go. I was just initially concerned about the situation, and felt it needed nipping in the bud, but now, from what I’ve been told, just a few minutes before you got here as it happens, it seems there wasn’t even a sit—’ A knock on the door cut Olivia off.
For goodness’ sake, can’t I just admit to my crimes, get my P45 and be done with it? Esme thought as she closed her eyes and let her head roll back.
‘Yes, who is it?’ Olivia called out tersely, evidently just as annoyed for the intrusion.
The door opened. ‘Erm, hi, sorry to bother you but I felt I needed to come and defend Esme,’ came a familiar voice.
Esme watched as Olivia’s eyebrows raised. ‘Oh, hi, Zach, nice outfit. There really isn’t any need to defend Esme but come on in,’ Olivia replied.
Zach stepped forward and smiled down at Esme where she sat opposite Olivia. It was then that she noticed his clothing. He was wearing rust-coloured breeches with white stockings and black shoes adorned with large silver buckles. On his top half was a tailcoat with brass buttons that matched his knee-length trousers, and beneath that, a frilly white high-necked shirt poked out above the collar. His own hair was hidden beneath a powdered white wig that had two tube-like curls resting above his ears, giving the appearance that he had forgotten to remove his rollers. Esme tried not to smile as it felt inappropriate under the circumstances, but he looked so strange standing there juxtaposed by the two modern women.
He began to speak. ‘I just wanted to let you know that this whole thing has been blown out of proportion and, if anyone is, I’m the one responsible for the mix-up.’ Olivia opened her mouth to speak but he continued. ‘The thing is, I knew that Esme was a skilled actor, and I asked her for help with some scenes I was worried about. I didn’t want to go to any of the crew because, as you can imagine, I would’ve ruined my reputation as a cool cucumber when it comes to stage fright.’ He chuckled nervously.
‘My ex, Lucille, heard that Esme had been helping me and the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head. And then a few days later she barged into my apartment without knocking and walked in on Esme and me rehearsing another scene. Admittedly it was a more intimate scene, but we kept things strictly PG. I wasn’t about to put her in that situation. But afterwards, Lucille was allegedly overheard telling other actors what she supposedly saw, although that was all lies, I can assure you, and she was heard saying she would be getting Esme fired. I’ve just heard about this from Judd and wanted to come here immediately and let you know that I was the one to seek help from Esme, she in no way bothered me, so she absolutely does not need to be fired. She should be promoted if anything because she’s gone above and beyond as far as I’m concerned, and has shown herself to be discreet, supportive and an incredible actor but that’s by the by. So please release Judd from his warning because he was defending his friend, and let Esme keep her job.’
Olivia paused, open mouthed and wide eyed for a moment, and then started to giggle, her hand over her mouth. Esme and Zach shared a confused glance until Olivia spoke. ‘Goodness, I had no idea this whole thing would be so blown up. Lucille is definitely someone to watch, and take with a pinch of salt by the sound of it. And Esme, you have some incredible friends willing to put themselves in the way of you getting into hot water. But that’s just the thing. I’d just found out the whole thing was rubbish. Eilidh came to see me because she’d heard the rumours and wanted to let me know what Lucille can be like. So, I was going to be letting you, and Judd, know that the whole thing was to be forgotten.’
Esme was flooded with relief and grinned. ‘That’s brilliant news.’
‘Thank goodness for that,’ Zach said as he stepped forward to shake Olivia’s hand. ‘Thank you, and my sincere apologies for storming in here guns blazing like that.’
Olivia held up her hands. ‘No harm done. It’s good to see that my staff are appreciated.’
‘Right, I’ll get going. I’m supposed to be on set as you can probably tell.’
Esme glanced at Olivia and said, ‘Really? We figured you were simply setting a new trend.’ Zach stuck out his tongue like a petulant child and they shared a laugh.
As he left, Esme followed Zach out of the office. ‘Thank you for doing that, Zach. I really appreciate it,’ she told him.
He shrugged. ‘I may have a reputation for being a bit of a rogue but the one thing I won’t do is let someone else take the blame for something they didn’t do.’
‘Well, I’m grateful to you.’
He smiled. ‘It’s me who’s grateful. You really helped me and I appreciate that. I stick by what I said about you getting an agent.’
Esme felt her face heating and she tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘Thank you but there are so many better and more deserving actors out there.’
He stepped a little closer. ‘How are the rehearsals going?’
Esme sighed. ‘Intense. The play is on in just over a week which is absolutely ridiculous. The cast are all spitting chips about the scheduling conflict that’s forced us to have so little time to prepare. But Sylvia is as annoyed as the rest of us.’
‘Yeah, she was so upset. She feels she has let you all down, but it really wasn’t her fault. She wasn’t prepared to cancel because she had made a commitment to you all, so I hope the others can cut her some slack.’
‘Don’t worry, they are. Well, I’d better get back to work if I’m going to finish on time. I’ve another rehearsal tonight and it’s exhausting. I don’t know how you professionals do it.’
‘See you later, Esme,’ he said with a smile that did funny things to her insides and he turned to go but then stopped. ‘Oh, hey, listen, the crew are having a barbecue at the weekend. Filming is quite intense so every so often we like to have a night off to just chill. And don’t worry, we’ve cleared the staff’s attendance with Lady Olivia, and she says it’s fine to cook down by the loch. On Sunday evening – why don’t you and Judd come along? I think most of the staff have said they’ll come.’
‘Sounds like fun. I’ll mention it, thanks.’