Chapter 5
5
The months leading up to filming day had been quite hectic, with the cinematographer and set designer wandering around selecting the best angles and locations from which to shoot; which pieces of furniture to use and which needed to be removed, and which portraits would make the cut. There had been Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting between Olivia, Brodie and the production company, some of which Esme had attended to listen in as she would be on site for the majority of the three or four months of shooting. The director had been to the castle several times to produce a shot list and plan on site. The culmination of the previous few months was about to come good now, however.
Esme arrived early to the castle on Monday morning, the first day of the schedule, with a nervous trepidation about the months ahead. There were already people extricating huge technical-looking items from vans and slowly guiding them through the double entrance doors. As she got closer, she had to dodge official-looking types who were engrossed in conversation with very serious expressions, pointing and gesturing at parts of the castle and its grounds. Her heart leapt into her throat, knowing that today was the start of something huge for Drumblair but also, more inadvertently, for her. She had, of course, always dreamed of being the one standing in front of the camera, perhaps being directed by someone like Greta Gerwig and obviously acting opposite Zachary Marchand, but it would still be fascinating to see it all happening from the wings, so to speak, and it would be far more professional than her amateur group. And even though she adored the am dram society, it would be good to see how things were done in films rather than on a village hall stage.
Once inside she removed her coat, pleasantly surprised that it was warm for once. Brodie must have worked his magic and got someone to finally repair the ailing boiler prior to the big day. Knowing the rumours about certain members of the cast, she was relieved as no doubt there would have been hell to pay if working conditions were less than perfect. She hung her coat on the antique coat stand in the vast entrance hall and made her way to the library which she had used as her office from the very beginning of working at the castle. Only, when she arrived, she found the door propped open and inside it was overrun with a crew of people and their lighting rig with its huge bulbs and steel structures that could have been mistaken for modern sculptures; cables were strewn across the floor and people carried on about their work without noticing her.
‘Are you Esme?’ a tall, skinny man asked from behind her, causing her to jump.
Esme placed a hand over her heart, nodded and frowned as she glanced around the place that had been her sanctuary and workplace for months now. It was a little disconcerting to see it amidst the current chaos. ‘I am,’ she said with a questioning bewilderment to her tone.
‘Right.’ He looked up to the ceiling and said, ‘Erm… okay… Lady Olivia left a message to say she’s sorry for the upheaval, it was a bit last minute but could you please go to her office.’
Esme was a little perturbed by the change but nodded her agreement. ‘Ah, okay. Thanks.’ She left to walk along the stone-floored hallway until she reached the room that used to be Olivia’s father’s study but now acted as her base within the castle. It was also the room where Esme had been interviewed. She knocked.
‘Come in!’ Olivia called and Esme pushed through the door. Olivia had already walked across the room to meet her. ‘I’m so sorry about dumping this on you at such short notice but the director decided to set up in the library first. I’m a bit frazzled, to be honest, with the early-morning feeds and all this going on. Thankfully Mirren has Freya for a few hours so I can be here at the start in case there are any major disasters.’ Mirren, the housekeeper and Brodie’s stepmum, had been a fixture at the castle since Olivia and her brother were wee, and she was a force to be reckoned with. What she didn’t know about the castle or the family wasn’t worth knowing.
‘Aww, that’s good. Is there anything I can do? Do you want a cup of tea or anything?’
In a surprising move, Olivia pulled Esme into a hug. ‘You’re so lovely. Thank you. I’m not sure what I’d do without you.’ Her voice wobbled and Esme hugged her back.
‘Aww it’s fine, honestly. Don’t get upset.’
Olivia pulled away and dabbed at her eyes. ‘Ugh, look at me! I’m a blubbering wreck all the time. Who knew being a new mum would make me so emotional?’ She laughed.
‘I think it’s a commonly known fact so please don’t worry about it,’ Esme replied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘So, tea?’
Olivia held up a finger. ‘In a while perhaps but for now, come and have a seat, I need to talk to you about something pretty big.’
Esme’s heart skipped. She wasn’t a fan of conversations that started this way and was trying to gauge Olivia’s expression to see if it was something big good or something big bad . But obviously it was tricky due to the fact that she was still wiping at her eyes and blowing her nose.
Olivia sat and patted the sofa beside her and laughed. ‘Don’t look so terrified, I’m not about to fire you, or stand you in front of a firing squad.’
‘Well, that’s a relief,’ Esme replied as she sat, trying to appear a little more relaxed than she felt.
‘So, you know how you said you were looking for a place to live so you can move out of home?’
Esme narrowed her eyes. ‘Yeeees?’
‘Well, I may have a solution. It’s not the most perfect one but it’s a solution nonetheless, and it can be a stepping stone if necessary.’
Esme’s interest piqued and she sat up a little straighter. ‘Oh? Go on.’
‘You know Judd who works for Kerr and with Dougie in the grounds?’
‘I do. I hadn’t spoken to him much, but he was out on Friday night with the rest of us and we had a good chat.’
Olivia beamed. ‘Oh, of course! I’m so glad you went! Anyway, yes, so Judd moved into the cottage beside Dougie and Mirren after Rod and his wife retired, and a while ago he mentioned he’d like to look for a housemate. He asked my permission, bless him, he’s so polite. But, of course, I said that’d be fine. And then you mentioned wanting to move out of your parents’, so I had a chat with him yesterday and asked if he was still looking for someone as I might have the perfect candidate. As it happens, he’s still keen so I thought I could take you across to have a look around. He said he’ll be in as he has a day off today.’
Esme was a little taken back by the suggestion. ‘Erm… The thing is we talked about my living situation on Friday, and Judd never mentioned anything, so maybe he doesn’t want a female housemate? I don’t want him to feel pressured into having me move in. And I’d have to bring Betty with me. She’s my dog and I couldn’t leave her behind.’
‘Judd loves dogs. He’s great with Wilf and Marley. They often follow him around the grounds while he’s working waiting for him to throw a ball for them. And as for not mentioning it, I know him quite well now and all I can say is he probably never even thought about it. But he’s a great guy. Very respectful, and I think you’d get along. Why don’t you come and see the cottage? You might not like it and if not, there’s your answer.’
Esme pondered briefly. It couldn’t hurt to look, could it? ‘Okay. Let’s go over.’
‘Yay!’ Olivia stood and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and slipped her arms into the sleeves. She picked up her phone and tapped the screen. ‘I’ll just drop him a message and tell him I’m heading over with a potential new housemate,’ she said in a sing-song voice.
Once Esme had put on her own coat, they took a steady walk across the castle grounds towards the row of former workers’ cottages. The flower bulbs scattered at the edges of the grassed areas had started to push through the earth, verdant shoots just visible above the soil; and the sky overhead was pale blue with the sun, a ball of white light, hiding behind a wispy line of clouds. Their feet crunched on the gravel as they made their way along the tree-lined driveway as the castle, along with its new interlopers, receded into the distance. After a few moments, they turned off before they reached the main road, down a lane to the right. Neat hedges lined the narrow road and birds darted from amongst the foliage at one side and into the green leaves on the opposite side, as if daring each other to get close to the humans encroaching on their space.
After a few hundred yards, they reached the sage-green front door of the pretty, double-fronted stone house. A painted sign by the door read Garden Cottage and Esme’s heart pounded in her chest. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous. Judd was a nice man, but she hadn’t lived solely with a member of the opposite sex since Rhys, and although these would be different circumstances, it would be a total contrast to her current situation with her parents. And whilst that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing – it was what she wanted, after all – it was that whole fear of the unknown thing. And these days, after what had happened with Rhys, Esme usually avoided the unknown at all costs.
Olivia knocked and within a few moments the door opened. Judd was standing there in light blue jeans and a cream cable-knit jumper looking fresh faced and clean again. He wiped his hands on the tea towel he was holding and smiled. Then he scrunched his brow, and then smiled again, evidently a little confused by Esme’s presence.
‘Hi, Judd. You already know Esme,’ Olivia said, gesturing behind her. ‘She’s looking for a place to live so she can move out of her parents’, and I suggested she should talk to you with you looking for someone to share with.’
His eyebrows lifted and he nodded. ‘Of course! Hi, Esme, you must think I’m such a doofus for not saying anything on Friday.’ He placed his hand on his forehead. ‘I’m so sorry. I sometimes just don’t put two and two together, and when I do, I often don’t get four.’ He chuckled. ‘Why don’t you come in and have a look around?’
As Esme stepped over the threshold and followed him into the hallway, Olivia said, ‘I’ll leave you to it. I need to get back in case I’m needed. Esme, take as long as you need though. No rush. And thanks, Judd. Good luck!’
Esme raised her hand in a nervous wave and turned to follow Judd. The stairs ascended away from them in the hallway and off to the left was a dining room with an old-fashioned dark wood table and chairs. On the right was the living room that was a little tired but cosy with a real fire roaring away in the grate. They walked through the lounge to the back of the house and off to the left was a well-kitted-out kitchen with a small white table and two chairs and opposite this, across a small tiled hallway, was a bathroom. It was all very clean – something that had concerned her – and tidy.
‘And then if you follow me back to the front hallway I’ll show you upstairs. The only downside is that the only bathroom is down here and gets pretty chilly at night, so I recommend a nice warm dressing gown if you don’t already have one. Olivia has said I can decorate as much as I like so I’m going to start that very soon. I’ve only been in since January and I don’t seem to have got anything done. As you can see, it’s all a bit tired and nothing has been done since before Rod and Ada moved out. I don’t think either of them had a knack for interiors, but the wee cottage garden is stunning. I’m quite excited about getting stuck into putting my own stamp on the place… or should I say our own stamp if you like the place. It’s only fair that my housemate should have a say in what’s done.’ He shrugged.
Esme followed him back to the front door and then up the stairs. The two bedrooms, one off to each side of the landing, were quite large. ‘This is me, again it’s a work in progress but I’m pretty tidy for a bloke,’ he said with a smile. ‘And this would be you.’ He opened the door into a room with bare floorboards. A rickety old bed with a holey mattress sat in the middle of one wall and a beautiful old 1920s oak wardrobe against another. A rocking chair sat in a corner, there wasn’t much wrong with it that a good clean wouldn’t fix. Overall, the room was rather like something out of a Catherine Cookson TV series. But even though the room smelled quite musty and clearly hadn’t been touched in decades, she could see the potential. It was quaint with its little open fireplace and cast-iron mantle. The floral wallpaper was probably a remnant of the sixties, and would need to be changed as soon as possible as it was falling away from the wall in places.
‘You could do whatever you liked to the room. But first it needs a good airing out.’ He cringed. ‘Rod and Ada didn’t use this room once their daughter moved out to get married, so it’s in a bit of a sorry state. But Olivia says whatever major jobs need doing the estate will pay for which is good. And the rent is so reasonable. And let’s face it, the commute could be a whole lot worse.’
Esme nodded thoughtfully, taking it all in. ‘Oh, absolutely.’
‘So… what do you think? Not that you need to rush into a decision, of course.’
Esme smiled. ‘I really like it. It’s got such a homely feel to it. But the thing is, I have a wee pug called Betty. Would it be okay if she comes to live here too?’
‘Ah, I love dugs. That’d be grand.’ He smiled. ‘So, roomies?’ he asked, holding out his hand to shake hers.
Esme took his hand. ‘Roomies.’