Chapter 16
16
The following morning was the Monday Esme had been excited about and dreading simultaneously. It was the week of the show and she awoke at six feeling anything but refreshed. She immediately checked her phone.
Nothing.
She sent a quick text to Zach:
Any news? Hope you’re ok.
She went down the stairs, but Judd wasn’t up yet. Nothing out of the ordinary seeing as she had discovered he was very much the night owl he professed to be, preferring to stay up until the early hours and sleep late until whenever his work schedule allowed. She let Betty out into the garden and made herself a quick coffee, hoping the caffeine would be the pep she needed, and took it back up the stairs, followed of course by her canine companion. As she walked by Judd’s room, she was surprised to hear him talking. She held her breath and listened.
‘Yeah, I know, the ending was abysmal. I can’t believe they did that. I mean, Steve went back in time and totally ruined Peggy’s life. They could’ve done so many things with that ending.’ There was a pause. ‘Yes! I totally agree! I can’t even bring myself to watch it again, it makes me so angry.’ Another pause. ‘Aye… but they’re not going to listen to the Marvel Comics fans, are they?’ Another pause. ‘Nah. You’re so right, Selina. So damn right, Captain America deserved so much more.’
Esme sighed. Selina, the girl from the barbecue. They definitely hit it off then. Why did sadness descend at knowing Judd had potentially met the love of his life?
She showered and dressed and checked her phone again. There was a text from Zach.
Two breaks, wrist and shin. Not great news. Surgery overnight. Now out of action for goodness knows how long. Filming will have to stop. Producers will be pissed. Thanks again for last night. You’re very special. Z x
Esme wasn’t sure how to respond so sent a simple:
I’m here if I can help. E x
* * *
She left Judd chatting to Selina, and Betty snuggled up on the rug in front of the fire. She hadn’t even let Judd know she was heading to work considering the fact he was definitely preoccupied. Neither her nor Parker’s matchmaking services were any longer required, clearly.
When she arrived at the castle, it was a hive of activity. There seemed to be more people than usual, and everyone seemed to share the same harrowed look of concern. As she reached Olivia’s office, loud voices halted her from knocking. Apparently it was a day of catching conversations through doors.
‘I’m telling you we can’t just stop filming,’ came Zach’s voice, strained and pleading. ‘I’m aware we’ve shot some of Lucille’s scenes but it’s not irreparable at this point. As one of the producers, I think my opinion should matter, Victoria. And I’m telling you Della is the right person to replace Lucille.’ Things sounded heated. And Esme was shocked to hear that Zach was a producer on the film.
‘I’m not so sure, Zach. Maybe this was all a little too ambitious. I didn’t even want to cast Lucille, as you well know. But you’re too kind and I was too gullible. Face it, you’re not cutthroat enough to be on this side of the business, Zach. She may be a good actor, when she’s sober, but Lucille causes mayhem wherever she goes, and she was never going to complete this film. She’s in self-sabotage mode and has been for months now. But, of course, you wouldn’t be told. And now you’re expecting me to accept your replacement, like I’m going to trust your judgement again? You were the one who guaranteed Lucille would be fine, and considering the way you broke up, I still can’t understand why you support her. Personally, I think we need a break to rethink this whole thing,’ the female voice, who Esme guessed to be Victoria, replied. ‘As executive producer on the film, I think my opinion is what counts. I hate to pull rank, Zach, but my reputation is on the line.’
Zach wasn’t giving up without a fight. ‘Please, just audition Della. It’s not like she’s new to this. She could act every single member of this crew under the table. With the exception of Ruby Locke, of course. No one can beat Ruby, in my opinion. But this woman is special. Trust me.’
‘There are those words again, Zach. I have so much money riding on this project that I have to think with my business brain, not my heart. I’m aware Della is good. I’ve seen her on screen, and I agree with you there, but this project has been delayed once before and it feels jinxed. We should maybe just cut our losses.’
‘Come on, the initial delay was out of courtesy to Lady Olivia and her husband. They’d just had a baby, for goodness’ sake. How can you think of that as a jinx?’
There was a pause. ‘I’m not saying the baby is a jinx. I would never insinuate such a horrible thing. I just mean that there has to be a cut-off point. People have other projects lined up, meaning that further delays will be detrimental to more than just us, Zach.’
Olivia appeared by Esme’s side and made her jump. ‘Are they still going at it?’ she asked.
Her insinuation that this had been going on for a while made Esme wince. ‘It appears so. They’re discussing a replacement for Lucille, some actor called Della, but the woman, Victoria I think Zach called her, isn’t too keen. She wants to shut the shoot down.’
Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, no. I hope they don’t do that. I’m worried they’ll want their money refunded. We’ve already allocated the funds to… something.’ She chewed on her nails, something Esme had not seen her do before, and it concerned her.
‘I’m sure they’ll come to some agreement,’ Esme replied but of course she knew nothing of the sort.
‘I wonder how much longer they’ll need to be in my office, they’ve been in there over an hour.’ Then, almost under her breath, she mumbled, ‘Maybe we should hang fire on signing the contracts.’ Esme wasn’t sure to which contracts she was referring and didn’t like to pry.
The heated conversation behind the door continued. ‘Victoria, you know she can match anything Lucille can do. You’ve already said you’ve seen her for yourself. I’m telling you we can reshoot the scenes Lucille has shot, and we can get back on schedule. It’s not just our money we’re talking about. Lady Olivia has sacrificed so much for this shoot to go ahead. We can’t let her down now. Please rethink. I can’t stress enough that Della is 100 per cent the right replacement.’
‘In that case why wasn’t she your first choice? Hmm?’
A heavy silence hung in the air and Esme and Olivia seemed to simultaneously hold their breath.
‘Scheduling conflicts!’ Zach blurted as if he’d had some kind of epiphany. ‘Which are no longer an issue.’
‘Ugh, fine, we’ll audition her. But I’m not agreeing to signing her until I’m 100 per cent certain. Set up the audition. And let’s hope she’s even free. She’s a very busy actor and very much in demand from what I’ve heard. I’m not holding my breath.’
‘Leave it with me, Victoria. I’ll set the whole thing up.’
A tall, dark-haired woman in a sharp skirt suit that reeked of Chanel exited the room and stopped in her tracks to look the two women up and down.
‘I hope you weren’t listening in,’ she snapped.
‘Victoria, allow me to introduce Lady Olivia MacLeod and Esme, her PA. Lady Olivia, Esme, this is Victoria Morrisette, our executive producer.’
Victoria’s expression immediately changed, and she held out her hand. ‘Oh, I see. Thank you for the use of your office, Lady Olivia. What a stunning castle you have here. Thanks again for allowing us to film in your ancestral home.’ There was no apology for the mistaken identity or the way in which she had spoken to her host.
‘You’re more than welcome,’ Olivia replied graciously and before anyone else could add anything Victoria walked away. Zach gave an apologetic shrug and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ before following her like a little dog chasing his owner.
* * *
Romeo and Juliet rehearsals were set for every night that week in a last-ditch attempt to make sure everyone was up to speed now the play was being performed much sooner than originally anticipated. But before she set off for Inverness, Esme video called her parents.
‘Oh, hey, pet. I was going to call you. You’ll never guess what’s happened,’ her dad said with a wide smile that even twinkled in his eyes; something that had been lacking lately.
‘What’s that then? Have you won the lottery?’
‘No need now!’ her mum added. ‘Dad’s had some fantastic news, haven’t you, love?’
‘Aye, it’s all down to your boss actually.’
Esme was confused, but wondered if it was something to do with the contracts Olivia had mentioned earlier in the day. ‘Go on,’ she said.
‘Lady Olivia has hired everyone from the distillery and has even bought up the remaining stock and equipment. How about that?’
Esme’s eyes widened. ‘Seriously?’
‘Seriously. Lady Olivia came with her uncle to meet with Hamish McIver, and they agreed on terms. It’s all signed and sealed. I’m now an employee of Drumblair Castle distillery. We’ll be moving all the equipment to Drumblair. I’m over the moon. I think, from what I can gather, the remaining McIver whisky stock is to be rebranded to Drumblair or MacBain, I’m not too sure which yet. But the distillery at the castle is going to start with a line of its own gins until the first batch of their own single malt has matured. And guess who’ll be heading up production of that at the castle?’ He held out his hands and glanced around at a non-existent audience. ‘Aye, we’ll be colleagues, pet.’ Her dad’s eyes were filled with joy and Esme wished she had gone around to visit in person so she could hug him.
Her eyes began to sting. ‘Aw, Dad, that’s absolutely brilliant. I’m so happy for you.’
‘Aye, pet. No need to sell the house. But I’ve got you to thank.’
Esme frowned. ‘How so?’
‘Well, because Lady Olivia requested me personally to head up the castle distillery. I presumed you’d put a word in for me.’
Esme held up her hands. ‘No, this was all you, Dad!’
‘Aye but let’s face it, if it hadn’t been for you working there already she would’ve never heard of me, so I’m sticking with my thanks.’ His smile faltered for a moment. ‘Now I know you’re not fulfilling your dream in this job. And I know Mum and I have a lot to do with that but we want you to know how proud we are of you. We spoiled your chances of becoming an actor out of our own fear and if this past week or so has taught me anything it’s that doing what you love is so important. And that even jobs you think are safe as houses can suddenly be lost. We’re going to support you in whatever you choose to do from now on. If you want to go back to college or reapply to the Conservatoire, we’ll support you. You can always move back home.’
Esme felt tears escape from her eyes and swiped them away quickly in a futile attempt to stop her parents from seeing them. ‘Thank you but… I’m actually happy in my job. And you were right. Acting is a hit and miss career. I’ve witnessed firsthand how rapidly things can change. So, it’s all good. I’ve got my am dram.’ She made jazz hands to try and lighten the mood.
‘We’re just so sorry, love,’ her mum said, wiping at her own eyes. ‘So very sorry. But we know you’re going to be an amazing Juliet.’
* * *
Esme floated all the way to the theatre that evening. She wouldn’t allow the worry that tried to spoil her fun to wangle its way into the forefront of her mind. If her dad had been offered a job then the film must be going ahead too. All the metaphorical ducks must be flying in a row , she surmised.
The rehearsal was intense. Bryce ended up ditching the false teeth and lisped his way through their first dress rehearsal. In the interval, Esme and Parker went outside for fresh air. The late April evening was mild which Esme was grateful for as the fabric of her costume was tissue-paper thin.
‘It’s going to be a complete disaster, Esme,’ Parker huffed and kicked at the gravel beneath their feet. ‘I think we should duck out now while we still have some dignity intact.’
Esme gasped at his suggestion. ‘Parker, we can’t just abandon Sylvia now. Not like this.’
‘Look, I know you don’t want to upset your boyfriend by ditching his aunty, but this is a total shit show,’ he hissed. ‘We’re going to look like such idiots. I mean, let’s be truthful, it can’t get much more ridiculous. And you can wave goodbye to any chance of rekindling your acting career when anyone who’s anyone sees this poor excuse for a play. The only positive is we all make you look even more talented through our lack of it.’
He had a valid point about the career bit. ‘Zach’s not my boyfriend,’ she snapped, annoyed that he was right about the other stuff.
Parker tilted his head and gave a humourless laugh. ‘That’s all you chose to comment on about my whole rant?’
Esme shrugged. ‘He doesn’t even like me like?—’
Parker slammed his hands onto his hips. ‘Then why did he ask me what flowers you like and if you wear jewellery?’
Esme swallowed hard past the air that had become trapped in her throat. Her head began to swim, and she had to lean on the wall to steady herself. ‘He did what?’
‘I’ve been telling you for ages now that he fancies you. He’s just waiting to make his move. But honestly, I’m not sure I can even do opening night slash closing night,’ he said in a sarcastic tone. ‘I mean, how stupid is the fact that we’re doing two performances in one day and then calling that it? It’s unheard of. Most people, those with any sense anyway, would have called this whole thing off and rescheduled, not let it go this far. We’re going to be laughing stocks. I can’t decide which would be worse, a bald Romeo with Turkey teeth or a bald, toothless Romeo. For feck’s sake, Esme, what is Sylvia thinking? Surely any director worth their salt would know when to quit.’
‘Bryce is wearing his hair piece.’ Esme’s words just added to the ridiculousness of the whole situation. ‘Look, we can’t give up now. We’ve got the rest of the week. We just need to plug on through and give it our best shot. Everyone is remembering their lines now… mostly.’ She wasn’t convincing herself, never mind Parker. She wanted to change the subject immediately. ‘Oh, I forgot to mention I think Judd has a girlfriend.’
Parker’s eyes widened. ‘Oooh! Tell me more.’ The news, thankfully, had the desired effect.
‘Yeah, he met her at the barbecue. She’s called Selina.’
Parker’s eyes narrowed. ‘Selina the film set runner?’
Esme tilted her head. ‘You know her?’
Parker nodded. ‘I’ve met her a few times. She’s very sweet. But I felt sure she’s gay. My gaydar must need new batteries.’ He shook his head. ‘Anyway, she was telling me she was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult which seems to be becoming more frequent.’
A wave of sadness washed over Esme again. ‘Ah, well, that’s something they have in common. Although Judd isn’t diagnosed but…’
Parker raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh, he has ADHD all right. And he’s 100 per cent on the spectrum. I’d recognise the traits anywhere.’
‘How would you know the traits?’ Esme asked.
‘Girl, I get stuff on my FYP every single day on TikTok. You really need to get yourself on there. You learn so much.’
‘Oh, aye, and of course if it’s on TikTok it must be factual,’ Esme replied with a roll of her eyes.
Sylvia poked her head around the door. ‘Darlings, let’s crack on, shall we? Chop chop! We’re all waiting for you two.’
‘Whoops! Sorry, Sylvia, we’re coming,’ Esme said as she tugged a reluctant Parker along behind her.