Chapter 55 #2
‘No, you didn’t. In that split second I knew it was you who had found her.
And I knew something else. I could never give her that life.
You had a beautiful home, a lovely family, Bridie.
So, I disappeared again, returning to London and throwing myself into London theatre work, assuming a stage name this time.
And then about three years later, in London, I got a knock on my dressing room door.
Someone had seen me in a show and recognised me. It was your grandad, Bridie.’
Bridie leaned forward in her seat.
‘He also recognised something else,’ said Isobel.
‘My likeness to his granddaughter, the foundling. I didn’t want to talk to him there, so I went home with him to his little flat.
He shared his feelings, that he’d always disagreed with their decision to just keep the baby, and that it had caused a rift between them.
He showed me photos of you, and my heart broke. ’
Bridie suddenly remembered her grandad’s neighbour mentioning a young woman who used to visit him years ago, and how Bridie resembled her.
‘I continued to visit him for a while. He showed me more photos, and told me about your life, but eventually I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I left London and moved to New York to start a new life, hoping I could put my past behind me.
I worked as a chorus girl, and that’s where I met my husband, a stagehand.
He’d already been married, and had children, so he didn’t want to have any more, which suited me.
I didn’t think I deserved to have any more after …
after abandoning you outside the theatre like that. ’
Another heavy silence followed.
‘We travelled where the work took us, never settling down, always living in motels or rental apartments. And then … recently I became a widow. There was nothing to keep me there, no family, children, or grandchildren, so I returned to London, found a small room in a noisy, shared house, which I could just afford, living on my meagre savings. I started to fill my time going to London shows, always the cheap last-minute seats. And that’s when it happened … ’
She swallowed, tears rolling down her face. ‘That’s when I saw you, Bridie, performing on the London stage. I knew … I knew you were my daughter the moment I set eyes on you.’
Bridie said, ‘You came to my shows?’
‘Almost every single one you were in, after that, burning through my savings, but I didn’t care.
One day, I promised myself, one day I would pluck up the courage to meet you.
And then you were gone. Just like that, from your last show.
I didn’t manage to get cheap seats for all your shows, so sometimes I couldn’t go, and the last show was one of those sell-out performances. ’
Oh, thank god, thought Bridie, that she wasn’t there.
‘I found out later, from your grandad, what had happened. I went to the flat, not thinking he’d still be there after all those years, but he was.
He told me about that horrible fiancé of yours, Julian, who’d cheated on you, and told you you’d never work in London again.
What a creep. Oh, how I wanted to wring his neck. ’
She held out her hands as though she was doing just that.
‘I followed you to Suffolk. Just bought a train ticket, with no idea what I’d do when I arrived.
I had no money for a hotel; I just wanted to come here and be near you.
So, I was wondering along the promenade with my wheelie suitcase, and that’s when I came to the theatre.
It looked run down, still abandoned. I remembered the dodgy lock on the stage door round the back, and got in, just to look around, reminisce.
I walked downstairs to the dressing rooms, and that’s when I had a thought.
I could stay here for one night. Just one night while I figured out what to do.
I cleaned up one small dressing room. Then bought some takeaway fish and chips.
I couldn’t believe my luck when I realised there was still electricity and water.
So, that’s where I stayed, buying a small gas stove from the hardware shop in town, and a kettle.
I knew where you were. I assumed you would have moved back in with your …
with Rufus and Claire, but the last thing I wanted to do was just turn up at their house.
But how would I meet you? Then as luck would have it, you turned up at the theatre. ’
Everyone sat in silence, listening to her story.
‘At first I was shocked that it looked as though you were reopening the theatre and planning to put on a show.’
I desperately wanted to meet you, talk to you, but I was in a quandary. I was squatting in your theatre and had nowhere else to go. If you found out … everything, how would I know you’d let me stay?’
So, you sabotaged my theatre, trying to put a stop to the show, thought Bridie. But she couldn’t blame her, knowing her circumstances – she was clearly homeless and desperate.
‘Then that lovely man, Jack, discovered me. But rather than go straight to the police, he started delivering groceries!’
‘He found your locket and guessed who you were – the actress who had disappeared.’
‘I know. I think he guessed something else, that you and I had a connection. I should have removed that poster. But I didn’t.’
‘I look just like you when you were here on stage in that last production.’
‘Yes.’
‘He left me the locket, you know, hanging on the door handle where I live. But it wasn’t me who found it, so I didn’t know about it until now.’ Bridie looked at the locket in her hand and handed it to her. ‘It’s me, isn’t it? The photo of a baby in the locket.’
Isobel took the locket. ‘Yes, it is.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Can you … can you ever forgive me?’
For which part, thought Bridie. Having an affair with my dad? Abandoning me? Sabotaging the theatre?
She felt Kate squeezing her hand. She looked at her sister. They’d wasted years resenting each other, only to discover they could have been best friends – all because of this. Kate knew Bridie was Dad’s favourite because he must have loved Isobel Raine once.
Bridie took a moment, and a breath, before she thought of what she’d said to Jack and Oliver about burying the hatchet, and was about to say yes, when Reggie interrupted. ‘So, you slept with him. I thought you and I … I thought I was the one for you. Then you were gone!’
Isobel said, ‘Have you seen the pendant, Reggie?’
He looked at it in her hands. ‘Yes.’
‘But have you opened it?’
Rufus looked wide-eyed at Isobel. He swiftly turned to Bridie. ‘Bridie, Kate, can you give us a minute?’
Kate said, ‘Are you telling us to leave?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why? Is there something else you’re not telling us?’
‘Of course not,’ Rufus said, still looking a bit flustered. ‘We just wanted a catch-up, for old times’ sake. Please.’
Bridie stood up. ‘Come on, Kate.’ Reggie had been in love with Isobel, but clearly she’d only had eyes for Rufus.
She remembered that love letter her dad had written Isobel, the one she’d found in the shoebox.
She didn’t want to bring that up. Instead, Bridie said to her dad, ‘Reggie is a dear friend of mine. Will you both promise to bury the hatchet? Please.’
She was just dragging Kate out of the ambulance, hoping they did as she asked, when Kate suddenly did an about-turn. ‘Wait a minute! Isobel – did you gift Bridie the theatre?’
Isobel looked at Bridie. ‘Oh, how I would have loved to be your secret benefactor. It would have been my dream come true to give you something as meaningful as your very own theatre. It would never have made up for all this, but it would have been something, wouldn’t it?
’ She said, sadly, ‘My darling, I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid I couldn’t gift you a farthing, let alone a theatre. ’
Bridie glanced at Kate. She was studying her hands intently, probably feeling a little foolish for asking that question. Of course Isobel hadn’t gifted her a property – she didn’t have any property; that’s why she was squatting.
Bridie said, ‘It’s all right. I … I just want to say, if my parents don’t mind, that I would very much like to get to know you.’
‘Would you? Would you really?’
‘Oh, yes. And … and you can stay in my theatre for as long as … well, forever if you like. But you can’t go back there tonight. I have a spare bedroom where I live.’
‘That is so very kind of you,’ said Isobel. ‘But Jack has sorted out a hotel room for me, for tonight, and he’s invited me to go and live with him.’
‘Oh, really?’ Bridie said surprised that Jack would do that for a complete stranger. But she guessed he didn’t see her as a complete stranger now.
‘I hope you will come to my opening night,’ she said.
‘Oh, I would like nothing more. I will come to your every performance.’
Bridie smiled, having guessed that would be the case.
‘Then I shall reserve you a seat for every performance.’ She turned to go and walked into the paramedic.
He said, ‘Finally! That was a long five minutes!’ He glanced inside the ambulance, expecting the other three visitors to follow Bridie and Kate out of the ambulance.
Rufus got out of his seat walked to the door, said, ‘Just five more minutes,’ and pulled it shut again.
The paramedic looked at Bridie and Kate. ‘They’re going to be longer than five more minutes, aren’t they?’
Bridie said, ‘Tell you what, in the meantime, I’ll go and fetch your other patient.’
The paramedic sighed. ‘You’re all just lucky I’ve had no other calls this evening from dispatch, otherwise there would be no more pow-wows in the back of the ambulance.’
Bridie smiled at him. ‘You’re a star.’
‘Well, I hope to be. I’m in your production.’
Bridie did a double-take. ‘Oh, yes! Of course you are.’ There were so many local people involved that she was losing track.
He said, ‘It’s still going ahead, isn’t it?’
Kate stepped in. ‘Of course it is – the show must go on!’
Bridie grinned at her sister. She’d never thought she’d see the day when Kate showed such enthusiasm for theatre.