Chapter 17
17
Judd was sitting at the kitchen table when Esme arrived home from her rehearsal. Betty was on his lap, snoring, as usual. He seemed to have such a calming effect on the little dog. A pot sat in the middle of the table complete with a lovely flowering narcissus. Their cheerful yellow trumpets brought an immediate smile to her face.
Judd pointed at them. ‘For you. Positive energy and happiness, in case you were wondering.’
As always, his actions touched her. ‘They’re so beautiful, thank you.’
‘So, how did it go?’ he asked with a wide smile.
She nodded, aiming to put a positive spin on things in light of the flowers before her. ‘Yeah, it was… erm…’ She couldn’t quite manage it and flopped onto a chair. ‘Oh, God, Judd, it’s awful. Parker wants us to quit. He’s suggested we have a secret meeting with the rest of the cast and try and get them all to agree we can’t put on a show like this after so few rehearsals. Get them to all walk out.’
Judd’s eyes widened. ‘Is it really that bad?’
‘To quote Parker, “we have a balding, toothless fifty-something-year-old playing Romeo”, does that tell you enough?’
Judd pulled his lips in and was evidently trying not to laugh. ‘But he’s wearing his hairpiece, isn’t he?’
‘He is. And that sort of makes it worse. He’s such a lovely man. And I’m worried that people are going to laugh at him. He doesn’t deserve that. None of us do.’
Judd wagged a finger. ‘You know what you should do? You should ask Zach to come in and give you all some acting tips. Some hints on remembering lines and such. He’s your director’s nephew, surely he’d agree to it? He won’t want her to be made a laughing stock, will he?’
Esme beamed. ‘That’s actually a great idea. Maybe it’ll help. I mean, let’s face it, it can’t make things worse. We only have four more rehearsals though. Perhaps we should have done this when he first turned up.’
Judd shrugged. ‘Better late than never, I reckon.’
‘You’re right. I’ll find him tomorrow and ask him. Thanks, Judd.’
Judd’s face tinged with pink, and the eye contact was gone. ‘Aye, no bother. Although why not just call him or text him? No time like the present.’
‘Yes, maybe you’re right.’ She fired off a quick text to Zach asking for his help and he was quick to respond.
Absolutely! Happy to help in any way I can, just for you xx
She smiled and her own cheeks warmed. ‘Well, that was easy peasy lemon squeezy.’
‘See, I told you.’ Judd grinned. ‘Always strike while the iron’s hot, I say.’
‘Anyway, how are things with you and Selina? Have you heard from her?’ she asked, knowing full well he had.
The pink tinge intensified to a hot fuchsia and he began tapping his nails on his mug of coffee. ‘Aye, we were chatting about films this morning actually. She’s a lovely lassie. We have a lot in common really. Makes a change. She doesn’t seem to think I’m weird, which is a bonus.’
That little twinge of sadness ate its way into Esme’s heart. ‘I’m really happy for you.’ Why then didn’t her feelings match her words?
Judd frowned for a moment, which she found confusing. ‘Aye, thanks.’
* * *
When Esme arrived at the castle the following morning things seemed pretty normal; lots of activity, people wandering around with headsets or walkie talkies looking serious, various pieces of equipment being relocated, actors in period costume. She was relieved to say the least.
‘Morning, Esme, how was rehearsal?’ Olivia called from across the gravelled area in front of the castle. She was standing with Mirren, whose hands were on Freya’s pram.
Once she reached them, Esme smiled. ‘Good morning. It’s going well, thank you,’ she replied, refusing to be negative about it all again.
‘Ah, that’s great, I can’t wait to see it.’
Esme’s stomach dropped. She hadn’t thought that other people from the castle might come to watch the play. Olivia continued, ‘Mirren is taking Freya for a few hours, and I’d like you to come to a meeting with me. The crew are being updated about the shoot. I thought it would be good if we went along to make sure we’re also fully up to speed.’
‘Yes, sure, of course.’ Images flashed through her head of people sitting in the audience laughing and pointing at the stage, their faces bulbous as if being filmed through a fisheye lens. ‘You know you don’t have to come to the play. I wouldn’t want you to feel obliged,’ she added.
‘Nonsense. We’re looking forward to it!’
‘We?’ Esme asked, her heart racing.
‘Brodie and me, Mirren and Dougie, Noah and Paisley, the rest of the café and gift shop crew. We’re all coming to support you.’
‘Oh, great,’ Esme said, trying to sound much more enthusiastic than she felt.
‘Mummy will see you later, beautiful,’ Olivia said, crouching to kiss her baby. ‘Thanks, Mirren, I’ll come over later for her. Brodie is at the distillery today to oversee the installation of the mash and the fermenter. It’s all coming along really well.’
‘Exciting!’ Esme waited until Mirren had gone. ‘I want to thank you for employing my dad. I can’t say how grateful I am.’ A lump of emotion tightened her throat, but she wasn’t sure if it was over her dad’s job or the play. ‘He was so worried he wouldn’t find another job at his age, and it was so hard seeing him feeling defeated like that.’
Olivia smiled and reached out to squeeze her arm. ‘Hey, I hope you know how important you are to this place, and I wouldn’t leave your family stranded if I could do something. The urgent meeting I was called to was with his boss Hamish, who couldn’t speak highly enough about your dad. It was a no brainer, really. I just hope you don’t mind that he’ll be here on site every day.’
Esme laughed. ‘Not at all. He’s such a loyal worker, I can definitely vouch for that. He’s been at the distillery since he was in his late teens.’
‘Great. These things happen for a reason. Right, let’s stop by the art space quickly and check on the artists in residence. I haven’t called in for a while.’
They walked across the grounds where the trees were in bud all around them and there was a fragrance of grass and green shoots filling the air. The sky was a little overcast, however, and threatening April showers, but the temperature was decent. They reached the old converted barn and walked in through the glass doors. Each art space was separated by partition walls, and some had a large work table in the centre. There were painters, sculptors, a potter and a felt worker in there and everyone was beavering away at their respective crafts. The space was buzzing with positive energy and Olivia lit up when they walked around each unit. She chatted to each of the artists in turn and they all had only positive comments on their whole experience. The place was painted in a vibrant array of colours with art from the tenants applied directly to the walls. It was a real eclectic mix, and Esme felt a little jealous that she wasn’t as talented as these people.
Olivia’s space was upstairs and filled the whole upper floor. She had been designing and creating some of the costumes for the film shoot which meant that Esme had been left running the place. It had been a challenge but one she had embraced and thoroughly enjoyed.
They left the art barn and made their way back to the gallery where the meeting of crew and actors was to take place, and stood at the back. Esme took out her notebook and pen in readiness.
The woman she had encountered leaving Olivia’s office, Victoria Morrisette, took to the front to speak. ‘Good morning, everyone. Now, as you know, Lucille Delgado, one of the main cast, is now incapacitated due to a broken leg and wrist. Her recovery time is going to be quite significant and so we have released her from her contract.’ A collective mumble travelled the room. ‘We discussed the option of shutting down, but Zach has convinced me he has found the ideal replacement. This means all of Lucille’s scenes will now potentially be reshot. If the weekend’s audition goes well, and it’s a big if…’ She gave a sideways glance at Zach, who didn’t look at her, he just clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils, clearly annoyed at her. ‘But until then we will be carrying on as normal. The latest development is that we have enlisted the help of a sound crew that I’ve had the pleasure of working with before. This means that, in theory, some of the scenes, where Lucille was filmed from the back, may only require a little sound dubbing by Lucille’s replacement. But I’m very grateful that Gadigal Films have agreed to come over from Australia to assist. If anyone can make this hitherto, shall we say difficult shoot, a success, it’s them.’
Esme felt the colour drain from her face. Why did that name sound so familiar? Was it just the mention of Australia? She glanced around the room as her stomach knotted and her legs went a little numb.
Oh, no. It’s Rhys… Rhys is the connection. He took a job in the sound division of Gadigal. That was why we split up. But they wouldn’t send him all the way over here, would they? Surely this kind of stuff can be done remotely.
She shook her head to rid her mind of the silly and somewhat intrusive thoughts. Of course Rhys wouldn’t be here. That stuff literally only happened in movies.
‘Are you okay? You’ve gone really pale,’ Olivia whispered.
Esme nodded and smiled. ‘Just a little warm in here,’ she replied. There was movement behind Victoria and Esme’s stomach flipped. Her eyes widened and she gripped Olivia’s arm involuntarily. It was him. Rhys had just entered and was standing in the background as Victoria carried on speaking; her words were no longer coherent to Esme. They were just a barrage of senseless noises like the teacher in a Peanuts TV show. She covered her mouth with her hand.
Her stomach lurched. ‘I have to… sorry,’ she mumbled as she dashed from the room and down the stairs to the visitor toilets, just making it into a cubicle before her breakfast vacated her body. Her heart pounded and her stomach continued to roil as her skin became clammy.
‘Esme, is everything okay?’ came Olivia’s out-of-breath voice from outside the cubicle.
Esme took a deep, calming breath. ‘I’m so sorry. I think it must be something I ate,’ she lied.
‘Oh, my goodness, what on earth did you have for breakfast?’
Esme cringed. ‘Erm… tea and toast.’
‘That can’t be it.’ There was a silent pause where Esme could only hear the sound of her pulse pounding in her ears. She heard Olivia take a couple of steps closer to the cubicle where she was crouched on the floor. ‘Would you like to talk about it, Esme? I can tell it’s something more. I’m here to listen.’
Esme flushed the toilet and unsteadily clambered to her feet. She sheepishly opened the cubicle door and walked over to the sink to rinse her face and mouth when the tears came. ‘I can’t believe it. I’ve been doing so well. I don’t even want him back. I just don’t want to see him. Least of all here, on my home turf. It’s too much.’
There was a pause until Olivia’s reflection in the mirror changed. Her hands reached up to her cheeks, her mouth opened, and her eyes widened. ‘Rhys? Oh, my word, Rhys is here?’
Esme nodded and her body was racked with uncontrollable sobs. ‘He works for Gadigal. It’s just so unexpected. I had no idea they were going to be involved in the shoot, so it came as a massive shock. I mean… Did he know I was here? Is that why he came? Has he not hurt me enough? Or is it all just a horrible coincidence?’
Olivia enveloped her in a hug. ‘Oh, Esme, I don’t know but I’m so sorry. We’ll get through this together though. We can ensure you avoid him. Don’t worry, please. We’ll figure this all out.’
Esme thought back to how Rhys had looked. His hair was much shorter, and she was sure she could see little flecks of grey, meaning he must have stop dyeing it, and he had a smooth, stubble-free face which he rarely ever had. He wore a smart pale blue and white button-down checked shirt – not really his style – and beige chinos – again not the Rhys she knew. But he had still been incredibly handsome, just a little more mature perhaps.
‘Look, why don’t you take an early lunch break and go home to freshen up?’ Olivia said, pulling her from her reverie.
Esme peered at Olivia through vision blurred with tears and nodded. ‘Thanks, I think that would be a good idea.’
‘Take as long as you need. But whatever you do, don’t let him win, Esme. Don’t let him cause you to fall back into depression. He isn’t worth that.’
Esme nodded again and left the toilet block. As she rounded the corner to the front of the castle, a voice called out, ‘Esme Cassidy, I thought it was you.’ Oh, no, the Australian accent she would know anywhere. It meant he had seen her.
She froze on the spot, her heart trying in earnest to escape from her chest. She closed her eyes but could hear his footsteps bringing him closer.
‘Esme?’
She took a deep breath and plastered on the fakest of smiles before turning to face Rhys Carlson once again. ‘Rhys! Hi! How are you?’ She was aware that her voice sounded strained and a little too high pitched. ‘Long time no see,’ she added for an air of nonchalance.
He smiled and closed in on her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She inhaled the scent of him and was dragged back to more intimate moments they had shared when they had been together.
‘God, it’s so good to see you,’ he said, releasing her and holding her at arm’s length. ‘You look… beautiful, but then you always did.’ There was a fondness in his expression that she tried not to notice.
‘What are you doing here, Rhys?’ she asked through gritted teeth, her face now aching from the fake smile.
‘I was going to ask you the same thing, but I asked someone, and they said you’re working here as Lady Olivia’s PA. What happened to your dreams of being an actress? I felt sure that must’ve been why you were here on the film set when I saw you.’
His question irked her. ‘You knew that I hadn’t gone to the Conservatoire though. You knew I’d taken a different path.’
He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Yeah, but I just thought you might have come home and had a rethink I suppose. After you and me… You know.’
‘Well, no, I’m very happy here. I love Drumblair and I love my job.’ She shrugged even though she knew she sounded defensive.
‘I’m really glad to hear that. So… how have you been?’
Since you broke my heart, chewed me up and spat me out, you mean? ‘Good. I’ve been good. You?’
He nodded and glanced down at the ground. ‘Yeah, I’m… erm… I’m engaged actually.’
The ground fell away from beneath her feet and Esme glanced around for something to steady her but there was nothing within grasp. ‘Oh? Congratulations. That’s lovely,’ she lied.
‘Are you seeing anyone?’ he asked with narrowed eyes; a strange expression to accompany such a question. And a strange question to ask of your ex.
‘I am. I’m living with someone actually.’ What the hell did you just say, Esme Cassidy? Are you mad? Have you completely lost your marbles?
His smile disappeared. ‘You are? Oh right, great. Who’s the lucky bloke?’
‘His name’s Judd and he’s one of the groundskeepers here at the castle.’
Rhys nodded. ‘Right, right. Well, that’s good. I’m glad you’re happy.’
‘I am. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to nip home. I have a touch of food poisoning and want to take something to settle my stomach.’ She turned to walk away, in desperate need for the conversation, and lies, to be over.
‘I’ll walk you to your car.’
‘No need. I live on site,’ she replied quickly.
‘I see. Maybe we could meet later for a catch-up?’
‘Hmm, I’m not sure about that. I’m really busy just now. The castle is being used as a film set, you know,’ she said with an awkward laugh.
He held up his hands. ‘Kinda why I’m here.’
‘Well, durr.’
‘Maybe we can meet up later? After work?’
‘Sorry, no can do. I have a rehearsal.’
His eyes widened and the colour seemed to vacate his tanned face. ‘A wedding rehearsal?’ He swallowed. ‘You’re getting married?’
Her confidence spiked when she realised he was taken aback by the thought, regardless of his own betrothed state. But she wouldn’t take the lie that far. She still had to convince Judd to pretend to be her partner. ‘No, silly. I’m in a play. Romeo and Juliet .’
He seemed to exhale a rapid breath, albeit silently. ‘Ah, right. Great! I’m glad you’re acting.’
You don’t know the half of it, mate . ‘Yeah, it’s am dram but it’s good fun.’
‘That’s really great, Esme. Well, I’ll let you get going. But I hope we can meet for a chat while I’m here.’
She turned and began marching towards Garden Cottage. She lifted her hand in a wave. ‘Can’t promise anything!’