CHAPTER FIVE
‘We’re rehearsing our new play. You can’t be here,’ Huntly told Scarlet. Firm, but polite.
‘You always had a talent for being blunt, Huntly.’ Scarlet’s confidence didn’t dip. ‘But I’m here to be part of your new show. Everyone’s talking about it.’
‘There isn’t a part for you.’ Huntly’s deep voice resonated in the theatre.
Scarlet smiled, undaunted, and stepped closer to him. ‘Oh, don’t be silly, there has to be a part for me, even a small role.’
Jon was having none of Scarlet’s nonsense and spoke up. ‘This play has less characters than the previous one. We’ve given every part to actors assigned to the other play.’
Scarlet was less inclined to argue with the director, and forced a smile. ‘Well, I’ve been offered a part in another show, a rival production.’ She shrugged. ‘I wanted to give you the chance to invite me to join your play, but I suppose I’ll be accepting the other offer.’
‘Do that,’ said Jon.
Huntly nodded. He didn’t want to engage in further conversation with her, hoping she’d leave quietly. But his hopes were dashed when she deigned to look at Mari.
‘You must be the little knitter.’ Scarlet’s tone was deliberately snide.
Huntly was about to verbally defend Mari, but it wasn’t necessary. Mari’s reply was instant.
‘I’m not taking any knitting orders today,’ Mari said, facing up to Scarlet. ‘But if you’re looking for a nice new cardigan or a shawl, I can recommend the craft shop down the street. You’ll find all the latest fashionable colours for the autumn to brighten up your sombre black ensemble. And there’s a sale on.’ Mari finished with a pleasant smile.
The heated atmosphere dropped to the ice cold mark. Scarlet blinked, taken aback by Mari’s response.
Mari saw the whites of Huntly’s eyes as he glanced at her, trying not to flinch, while inwardly cheering her on.
Niall stifled a grin.
Scarlet had another run at Mari, sounding indignant. ‘Do I look like I would wear an old–fashioned woollen shawl?’
Mari shrugged. ‘From the cold atmosphere you brought in with you, maybe you could benefit from it.’
Andy guffawed from the stage, unable to contain his laughter.
Scarlet glared up at him. ‘Good luck being part of this amateur’s play, Andy.’
Andy held up Fluffy. ‘Thank you, Scarlet, but luckily I have a black cat.’
Scarlet stared icy daggers at Mari.
‘I’ll see you out,’ Niall said to Scarlet.
‘I can see myself out.’ Scarlet strutted away, but Niall escorted her anyway.
Jon clasped his hands together and took a deep breath. ‘So, where were we? Ah, yes, stars twinkling in the night sky.’
Everyone knew how the situation had unfolded, pushed aside the interruption, and continued where they’d left off. The residue of Scarlet’s visit lingered for a few minutes, and then the temperature in the theatre started to warm up again.
Huntly put his hand on Mari’s arm and whispered to her. ‘I apologise for Scarlet’s attitude. I know this is your first play, but I don’t think of you as an amateur.’
‘Thank you, Huntly,’ Mari said softly.
No more was said about it, and Jon beckoned Mari back up on to the stage. Jon referenced her description of a scene. ‘I think we can add to the atmosphere of the cobbled street with lantern lights, while Andy enters from stage left.’
Mari read the part that Jon was meaning, and nodded. ‘Yes, that would be great.’
Huntly watched Mari and Jon working well together, and felt assured that he’d picked the right team to create a show that audiences would enjoy. Jon was a first–class director, as well as a long–time friend, and Mari was willing to throw herself into the heart of the production, learning the process quickly. He admired her writing talent, and found himself liking her too. And again, that feeling of attraction touched his heart, but he knew there was no place for romance in the midst of all the work they had to do.
Niall came back in, jokingly touching the tip of his nose, pretending to check that it was still there. ‘Scarlet had a few things to say to me before she left the theatre.’ He didn’t sound surprised or upset. ‘Do you think she’ll still try to cause trouble for us?’
‘She’s Scarlet,’ said Huntly. ‘I doubt we’ve seen the last of her.’
‘Huntly,’ Jon called to him. ‘We’d love to have a starry night sky effect when Oglesby is getting ready to lock up his shop for the evening.’
Huntly joined them on stage. ‘Is that where he sees our heroine walking away after she’s bought an old book in his shop?’
‘Yes,’ said Jon. ‘But then he notices from the window that she’s been followed by two dubious characters and heads out to rescue her.’
As they continued to map out ideas for the play, Heather, the wardrobe manager, came hurrying on to the stage and thrust a vintage waistcoat at Andy.
‘Look what I found,’ said Heather. In her forties, she had auburn hair pinned up in a messy bun, and an enthusiasm for fashion and creating stage costumes. Her spectacles dangled from a beaded chain around her neck, and she wore colourful separates that suited her bright character.
Andy’s face lit up. ‘You found it!’ He grabbed the waistcoat, took his jacket off, and put the waistcoat on. ‘I knew I’d seen it somewhere.’
‘It was hanging up on the rails,’ Heather told him, pleased that she’d located it.
Andy then put the jacket on over the waistcoat. ‘An ideal match for the jacket. Thanks, Heather.’
‘I’ll get you kitted out with one of the vintage shirts and trousers,’ Heather told Andy, and then as she went to walk away she saw Mari talking to Huntly and Jon.
‘Mari!’ Heather exclaimed. ‘So it’s true, you wrote the play.’ She came hurrying over.
‘I didn’t know you worked in the theatre,’ said Mari, pleased to see her, but surprised.
‘I go to Mari’s knitting classes at the craft shop,’ Heather explained to the others. ‘She’s taught me how to improve my intarsia knitting,’ she said, referring to the technique to knit different colours of yarn into a pattern. ‘My colourwork is so much neater now.’
‘Heather is our wardrobe manager,’ said Huntly, happy that the women knew each other.
Mari knew Heather from the class, but didn’t know her occupation.
‘Are you still going to teach your knitting classes at the shop?’ Heather wanted to know. An expert seamstress and dressmaker, she’d wanted to improve her knitting and joined the classes when she’d seen them advertised in the craft shop.
‘Yes,’ Mari assured her. ‘I’m continuing with my knitting while working on the play.’
‘You’re going to be a busy bee,’ Heather said, smiling. ‘Okay, I won’t keep you back from your work.’ And with a cheery wave, Heather hurried away to the wardrobe area in search of more outfits for the cast.
‘What are you going to do about your knitting work?’ Jon said to Mari.
‘Juggle the two,’ Mari replied. ‘Everything’s happened in such a whirlwind, I haven’t had time to think about it. But I don’t plan to stop knitting.’ She glanced at Huntly, hoping he agreed.
‘This is a hectic day,’ said Huntly. ‘And there will be plenty of those. But between those, there will be ample time for you to continue your knitting work at the shop and in your own time. And you’re welcome to bring your knitting with you to the theatre if you want.’
Mari looked at Huntly for clarity. ‘That would be okay?’
‘Yes,’ Huntly said firmly.
Jon agreed. ‘Often there’s a lot of sitting around while scenery is changed and we go over the dialogue with the actors.’
‘And you won’t need to be here every day,’ Huntly added. ‘Your time will be flexible. But we’ll need you to collaborate with Jon, rewrite dialogue if needed, help to rework scenes.’
‘I’m happy to spend as much time here at the theatre as necessary,’ said Mari. ‘I want to be involved. But if I can bring my knitting with me, that would be handy.’
Agreeing to this plan, they all got on with working on ideas to get the production started on a tight schedule.
Steeped in the windowless theatre, it was easy for time to drift by, and soon the afternoon became early evening.
Mari had enjoyed being involved in the planning of the production and was fired up on the energy of it all.
Huntly checked the time. ‘I think we should call it a day and have dinner.’
Niall and Jon agreed.
Jon clasped a copy of the play. ‘We can discuss the second act over dinner and decide if we want to create a snowy atmosphere at the end of act one.’
Thinking that she’d be heading back to her flat, Mari put her jacket on and picked up her bag. Her laptop was tucked inside it.
But they were planning to go to one of their favourite restaurants nearby — and Mari was invited too.
Huntly took out his phone. ‘I’ll book a table for four.’
Andy was going on a dinner date with his girlfriend to celebrate landing the leading role in the play, and left, saying he’d see them again the following day.
The set director turned off the lights in the control box and waved goodnight to Huntly.
Huntly waved and nodded to Sammy.
It seemed to be standard practice for Huntly to secure the theatre at night as he often stayed upstairs in his turret, or worked late into the evenings there.
Everyone from Heather to the prop manager had left the theatre by the time Mari, Huntly, Niall and Jon headed to the restaurant.
Outside the theatre, Mari breathed in the early evening. The sky was streaked with bands of lilac and pink, slowly fading into the deep blue of the night.
They walked to the restaurant, chatting all the way, taking a shortcut through one of the many alleyways that trailed off from the cobbled street. Up a few steps and then down others, they were soon at the restaurant that had a welcoming glow.
Huntly and the others were greeted by staff, knowing them well, and they were shown to their reserved table and handed menus.
The establishment was upmarket, and Mari eyed the wonderful selection of dishes on the menu. She opted for a traditional dinner with roast potatoes and rich gravy. Jon joined her, while Huntly and Niall had the baked salmon with herbs, lemon slices and vegetables. Huntly added cranberry sauce to his order, while Niall preferred a butter sauce.
Mari was seated opposite Huntly, and while they chatted about the play, he found it hard not to admire her. He started to wish he hadn’t curtailed himself by his own rules, but he knew it was better not to complicate things.
‘I think we should introduce the snow scenes after we’ve opened with a rich, autumn atmosphere,’ said Jon. ‘What do you think, Mari?’
‘I agree.’ This is how she’d written it. ‘I wasn’t sure when I was writing the first act whether my ideas for creating a wintry atmosphere would be difficult to achieve. I added in my notes that I’d love to start with one of those gorgeous autumn nights when shops haven’t yet put up their Christmas decorations, but there’s a feeling of winter in the air.’
‘We can create that,’ Huntly assured her. ‘But I like that the play starts on a late afternoon in the autumn, with lights starting to flicker and shops getting ready to close for the day. And by the end of the first act, we have the snow.’
‘Sammy is an amazing set director,’ said Niall.
‘The cat prowling in the background is going to be terrific,’ Jon added.
Mari ate her dinner and let the conversation flow around her, still having moments when she had to pinch herself that she was actually having her play performed.
‘We’ll need blurb to start promoting the play,’ said Huntly. ‘Would you be able to come up with a few paragraphs summarising the story, Mari?’
The three of them looked hopefully at her.
‘I could jot down something if it helps,’ Jon offered. ‘But it’s better if the writer describes the storyline of the play.’
‘I’ll have a go at writing it,’ said Mari. ‘I’ve read the synopses of plays advertising and promoting them in magazines, so I’ll put together something.’
Huntly admired that Mari was willing to have a go at whatever was needed.
‘We’ll use it to update the theatre’s website,’ said Huntly. ‘Word is already getting around that we’re preparing to produce a new play, so we’ll describe the story before the gossip catches fire.’
‘We’re aiming for an initial run of the play,’ Niall explained. ‘But if it’s is a roaring success, we’ll extend the run as necessary.’
‘It won’t be on every evening,’ Jon added. ‘But it will be our lead play along with our other shows from our original schedule that was cast to the wind.’
‘And Wil hasn’t ruled out putting on an evening of his new dance show,’ said Huntly.
‘I’d love to see everything on your schedule,’ said Mari.
‘Tickets are a perk of working with us,’ Huntly told her with a warm smile.
‘You’ll see Wil rehearsing his dance routines at the theatre soon,’ Niall explained to her.
‘Another perk,’ Mari said chirpily.
‘Do you dance?’ Jon said to her.
‘No, not at all.’ Except when dancing around her flat celebrating her play being accepted.
‘Most of us dance for fun,’ said Jon. ‘Though some of us have other hidden talents. Like Huntly, with his talent for playing the piano, and that’s something I do envy.’
Mari looked at Huntly. ‘Do you play the baby grand piano that’s in the theatre?’
Before Huntly could reply, Jon spoke up. ‘Plays it like a maestro. He’s classically trained since he was a wee boy.’
‘Do you ever perform on stage?’ Mari said to Huntly.
‘Never. I play for fun, for pleasure,’ Huntly stated firmly.
‘We’ve tried to persuade him, but to no avail,’ said Jon.
‘Niall plays guitar, acoustic and electric.’ Huntly tried to put the spotlight on him.
‘Truly for fun,’ said Niall.
‘I can’t even ting a triangle in time,’ Jon joked. ‘But these two are back–up if any of our shows go awry. It’s a shame you don’t dance, Mari. I’m quite light on my feet. I could’ve waltzed you around the stage while Huntly played us a concerto.’
‘Your ex–girlfriend was less than complementary about your dance moves at our last after show party,’ Niall reminded Jon.
Jon guffawed. ‘She grumbled about everything I did.’
The jovial conversation continued as their puddings were served. Mari had a hot chocolate sundae, Huntly preferred sticky toffee pudding, Niall wanted apple and bramble crumble with custard, while Jon ordered a strawberry and meringue confection topped with whipped cream.
Mari gazed out at the view from the window, seeing the lilac glow in the sky disappear into the inky hues as the evening wore on.
Huntly finally settled the bill and they headed out into the night. The warmth of the day lingered well, but there was a definite sense of autumn in the night air.
‘I’m parked that way.’ Jon nodded further along the street.
Niall was parked in another direction.
‘I can find my way home,’ said Mari. ‘It’s less than a ten minute walk, and I love strolling through Edinburgh on evenings like this.’ She shrugged her bag up on to her shoulder ready to walk away.
‘I’ll walk you back,’ Huntly insisted. ‘I’m heading to the theatre, so it’s on my route.’ This was true, but he wanted to walk her home.
Waving to each other, they parted ways, and Mari found herself walking along the cobbled streets with Huntly, talking about the play and about her life in general.
‘What about your family,’ he said. ‘Do your parents stay in the coastal town?’
‘No, they’re gone, so I’m on my own and have been for several years,’ she told him.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s okay. I manage. And now look what I’m doing. Living in Edinburgh, knitting and involved in the theatre.’ She smiled up at him. He was so tall as he walked beside her.
‘My parents travel a lot to Europe and abroad,’ he said. ‘They’re enjoying their travels, but the past few years we haven’t seen much of each other.’
‘Do they approve of you running the theatre?’
‘Yes, and so do Niall’s parents, but all our lives are so busy.’
As they walked towards the craft shop, Huntly looked up at the darkened windows of her flat, remembering seeing the lights on the previous night. The craft shop was closed and opposite them the old–fashioned shop was in darkness too.
Mari slowed down as she approached the close at the side of the craft shop. A dim light lit the entrance through to the stairs that led up to her flat.
‘I’ll walk you to your door,’ Huntly insisted.
Heading through the close and up the stone steps, Mari jiggled the key in the lock and opened her front door, expecting Huntly to turn and leave.
‘I must buy one or two of your jumpers,’ he said, glancing around him. ‘The autumn nights will be colder soon.’ He looked as if he could sense it in the air. ‘Are they on your website, or for sale in the craft shop?’
‘Both. I’ve been knitting a few men’s jumpers. A traditional Aran knit, a Fair Isle style and a classic winter grey design.’
‘Do you design your own patterns?’
‘Yes, I love creating my own designs, and men’s jumpers are popular with my customers, especially at this time of year.’
‘Save a couple for me. I’d really like to buy them. I wear jumpers every winter and could do with some new ones.’
Before she could think through the consequences of her invitation, she gestured for Huntly to come in. ‘I’ve finished a few jumpers if you want to pop in for a minute to see if they suit you.’
Huntly nodded, eager to accept her invitation to come in. He genuinely wanted to buy the jumpers, but he was interested to take a peek inside Mari’s flat. To see a glimpse of her world.