‘What? Why?’
‘Two things: the cast decided they wouldn’t do the show with her. Sheila was actually the start of the movement and Nick, of course.’
Lily looked at Gran in shock.
‘They said they wouldn’t do the show with her and only you.’
‘How did Jessica cope with that news?’ asked Lily.
Jasper shook his head. ‘She claims she had a role onEastEndersnow, and was going to leave anyway. A sexy villain, she claims,’ Jasper said with a wry tone and a raised eyebrow.
‘Apt casting it seems,’ said Gran.
‘Has she?’ asked Lily.
Jasper shrugged. ‘I have no idea. I doubt it. She’s a wild storyteller. She says whatever she needs in the moment to seem superior. It’s because she’s so beautiful that people forgive her, but I have had her number for years. I didn’t even want her in the show, but Sheila insisted. Except now Sheila seems to have come to her senses.’
Lily swallowed, listening to his news. How different today had been from what she had expected when she woke up. Sometimes the best news comes on what seems to be an ordinary day. Perhaps that’s why it seems so special, because it was such an ordinary day. First she had the job offer and now this news.
Jasper was patting Bernadette, who had stopped snarling and who was now closing her eyes, looking Zen in the warmth of the cottage.
‘And we need to do this show, because we have to earn our money back. We were given some money by the council to do the show – an arts grant – and we have to put it on. It’s part of the rules, and if we don’t we have to pay it back and that would mean we, as individuals, would have to pay.’
He took a deep breath and Lily could see the anxiety on his face. ‘And it’s rather a lot of money, you see. Because we have fabulous costumes and sets. Some of Eliza’s costumes and hats have been hired from the National Theatre,’ he said, in a reverent manner.
Lily was silent.
‘I know it’s all been terrible,’ Jasper said. ‘And Jessica broke your trust and Nick might have seemed to have broken your trust, but for the record, I don’t think they were engaged. I’ve known them both, having done many shows with them. Jessica likes drama and she likes Nick and she didn’t want anyone to have him, even if she didn’t want him.’
‘I thought as much,’ sniffed Gran. ‘She reminded me of Beatrice Hawthorne. Similar types, the pair of them.’
Jasper looked confused for a moment and then kept going.
‘I am begging you to please consider coming back for the show. We can’t afford to repay the grant and we can’t put it on without an Eliza. Please,’ he said and for a brief moment, Lily saw tears in his eyes.
‘Okay, I’ll do it,’ she said. ‘For the society and the grant but not for any other reason.’
But deep down, she knew she was lying to herself. She wanted to see Nick and understand what the truth was.
26
Lily’s heart was beating so fast that she could feel the rhythm in her throat as she stood outside the village hall. It was a warm summer evening, and she wondered if she was ready to return, but she knew she couldn’t leave the cast and crew with that debt.
After she had finished smoothing down her bright yellow sundress, which she had worn in an attempt to lift her mood and now seemed to be at odds with her fear, she pushed open the door.
As soon as she stepped inside, she was greeted with the familiar sounds and smells of rehearsal. Andrew on the piano, the smell of coffee and cake, and the scent of the old room and Sheila’s perfume.
She stood watching the room, unnoticed by anyone for a brief moment, and she took in the surroundings. At the same time a group of chorus members were working on perfecting a dance routine for ‘Get Me To the Church on Time’, Sheila was trying on a hat in the costume area and then Nick appeared on the stage to the left.
The conversation he was having with David ended in the middle of a sentence when he noticed her, and Lily took a quick breath. He was still handsome but was he a liar? The expression of surprise appeared on his face, and then a gentle smile started to form.
The piano came to a sudden halt as Jasper followed Nick’s gaze throughout the room. ‘Lily!’ he yelled out, his voice stealing the attention of everyone else in the room. ‘Thank God you’re here!’
Instantaneously, everyone’s attention was focused on her. As a calm descended upon the gathering, Lily noticed that her cheeks had become red. Her throat cleared, and she managed to summon a smile as Sheila rushed up to her and some of the cast and Jasper hugged her.
She hugged people warmly and Sheila took a step forward with her arms extended, after which there was a brief pause in the conversation.
‘Oh, Lily, I owe you an apology. I was far too swayed by Jessica and when I look back so many of her stories didn’t make sense. I am deeply sorry,’ she said, and as far as Lily could tell, she was sincere.
