‘Yes, Jessica was just giving me her condolences for Gran,’ she said, looking Jessica in the eye.
Jessica lifted her chin. ‘Yes, it was very sad – lovely, though, that she was able to see you sing one last time, even if it was in the village hall.’
Jasper snorted at her. ‘Be gone, Jessica, you have no powers here. Go and spread your bitchy ways somewhere else. We’re tired of you.’
And Jasper picked up the box of the order of service for Gran and walked to the hall and opened the door with his key and Lily followed him, leaving Jessica stunned outside in the rain.
‘You all right, pet?’ he asked as he turned on the lights and dropped Bernadette’s lead so she could wander.
Lily sat on a chair. ‘She is like the wicked witch of Appleton Green,’ she said in astonishment. ‘I can’t believe she’s so relentless. If I told you what she had been up to you wouldn’t believe it,’ she said.
‘Oh I would,’ said Jasper with a laugh. ‘I’ve seen her type before. After thirty years of directing shows, she’s a dime a dozen. Too beautiful for her own good and not talented enough to be a star.’
Lily shrugged. ‘She seems to hate me.’
‘She hates anyone with talent,’ he said and he sat down next to her.
‘I know you think I am just a silly amateur drama director, who flits about and worries about ridiculous regional shows and how the costumes look,’ he said, and as Lily protested he waved his hands. ‘I know what some people think and say but, to be honest, I don’t worry anymore,’ he said. ‘When I started my career, I was on the West End and for two years I went to Broadway with a show.’
‘I did wonder, you have a great style of directing, much more professional than people realise,’ said Lily.
‘I don’t talk about it, because it’s not relevant now. My skills have grown from having to try and put a show together with three pounds and some enthusiasm.’ He laughed.
She nodded. There was nothing like ingenuity in the theatre, especially amateur theatre.
‘I was an assistant director to some very experienced people, with numerous Oliviers and Tonys amongst them all, but I knew it would be decades before I got to put on shows of my own and so much of their job was wooing the producers and investors, and I just wanted to put on a show.’
Bernadette padded over to them and put her paws up on Lily’s legs to be picked up.
‘She really does love you.’ Jasper smiled. ‘Everyone does.’
He went on with his story.
‘And I thought about why I started directing theatre and I realised it wasn’t for anything else but the rehearsal, the opening night, the closing night, all the problems to solve and how to put on a show that made people feel something. And I left it all. This is my job now and I love it,’ he said. ‘I make my living doing these sorts of things, and school shows and semi-professional shows, and it’s always exciting and always rewarding. Not everything has to be at the top tier to be important.’
Lily nodded. ‘I told the agent I couldn’t come to the auditions and he basically told me I was finished before I started.’
Jasper sighed. ‘There is a sort of expectation in the industry that you will do whatever it takes, the show must go on above everything else, but sometimes, the everything else is the most important thing.’
Lily patted Bernadette as she gave a comfortable sigh and nestled into her lap. ‘I don’t think I have that sort of energy in me,’ she said. ‘It was lovely to be asked but the anxiety started to rise in me and then when I was asked to choose, well… I couldn’t. There was no choice.’
‘I understand, dear, so much. You have built a life here in that sweet little cottage.’
‘Now Gran has passed, I think Dad will sell the cottage though. We haven’t found Gran’s will yet, so it’s hard to know.’
Jasper shook his head. ‘Her will is at the post office.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She kept it there. She told me when I went to see her and you to convince you to come back to the show.’
‘Why did you talk about that?’ Lily asked, confused.
‘I don’t know really. We were talking about the cottage and how old it was, and she said sometimes she worried about it burning down, which is why she got rid of the old open fire and put a heater in, and she told me she left her important papers with Mrs Harris. Has she not come and given them to you yet?’
Lily shook her head. ‘No, she called me but I didn’t take answer. There’s been so many people calling and texting, you see.’
Jasper patted her hand. ‘Well give her a call and pick it up and you can read it with your family when you’re ready.’
