by Lyn Gardner
Olivia tugged, but to no avail. “We’ll have to break it down,” she shouted.
“It’ll take too long,” said Bert, who had huffed and puffed his way to join her. “These doors are solid oak. They date back to the nineteenth century when the theatre was built.”
A voice singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of music,” could be heard coming over the tannoy. “We could take the door off,” said Olivia.
“No time,” said Bert. “I’m going to have to go downstairs and tell Mr James that Tom’s locked in and will miss his cue. They’ll have to call a halt. In all my years I’ve never heard the like. This production is jinxed. It’s worse than that production of the Scottish play back in 1810 when the actor playing the murderer accidently stabbed Banquo through the heart.”
“But he’ll be sacked, Bert, even though it’s not his fault!”
“I’m afraid so,” said Bert. “They’ve run out of patience with him, poor lad.”
Olivia’s face suddenly lit up. “Tom!” she called through the door. “Tom, is there a window you can get out of?”
“I can get out of it, but it’s no good, Liv. There’s a massive drop to the passageway below.”
“Bert, is there a ladder tall enough to reach?” asked Olivia.
Bert shook his head sadly. “It’s much too high. We could call the fire brigade.”
“There’s no time,” said Olivia. Suddenly she gave a little gasp. “Tom. Go over to the window and get ready to climb out. I’ve an idea. We’re coming to get you. Bert, I need your help.”
Olivia hurried Bert down the stairs, explaining her plan on the way, then they went out through the stage door and round to the front of house. Bert had a word with the front-of-house manager, who initially frowned and shook his head, but Bert was a very old friend and he owed him more than one favour.
The house manager beckoned Olivia to follow him to the door at the back of the stalls. On stage, a nun was asking, “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” Olivia walked quickly and quietly down to the three rows near the back of the theatre where the Swan children were all sitting, and whispered something to Pablo. He looked astonished but didn’t question her, simply passed the whisper down the rows. Then he raised his hands upwards as if he were a conductor raising an orchestra and, entirely as one, all three rows of children stood up together and followed each other swiftly and quietly out of the theatre.
Once they were all in the foyer, Olivia quickly explained the problem and then she said, “OK, gang, we’re going to build the highest castell we’ve ever managed. Seven tiers. Tom’s future career and the honour of the Swan depends upon it.”
Chapter Twenty
Waiting in the wings, Eel and Georgia were becoming increasingly agitated. There was no sign of Tom. Josie had come by to check the children were all assembled and ready to go on.
“Where’s Tom?” snapped Josie.
“He’s not here,” said Katie with a smirk.
“Oh yes he is, he’s over there,” said Eel quickly, pointing vaguely behind her. “I just saw him.”
“Where?” said Josie crossly. Just at that moment the wardrobe mistress asked her to come and sort out a problem with one of the nuns. She’d torn her habit on a nail and didn’t think she could go on. Josie hurried away. Katie glared at Eel.
“What can have happened to him?” whispered Georgia.
“I don’t know,” said Eel, “but I’m prepared to bet Katie has got something to do with it. Look at her face. I know that look. She’s got a secret. I’m going back up to the dressing room to find him.”
But at that moment Abbie arrived and saw their anxious faces. “Where’s Tom?” she asked, looking worried. Georgia burst into tears as Eel explained they didn’t know.
“I’m going to check,” said Abbie, and she raced away. A few minutes later, just as Cassie was launching into “I Have Confidence,” she came back, looking shaken.
“He’s locked in his dressing room; he can’t get out,” Abbie whispered. Eel and Georgia gasped. “But Livy and the Swan cavalry have a rescue plan. Fingers crossed that they arrive in time.”
Cassie and Sam had just begun the scene when Maria arrives at the von Trapp family home and meets the Captain for the first time. Outside, in the little passageway that ran along the side of the theatre, the Swan children were making their second attempt at a seven-tier castell. Nothing less than seven tiers would be high enough to reach the dressing-room window. They had reached six tiers at their first attempt but the base had become unstable and the entire structure began to wobble like a human jelly.
Pablo had signalled for them to descend and start over again from the very beginning. An unstable castell was too big a risk to take, particularly as, unlike the other children, Tom had no experience of climbing down a human tower and his weight would inflict immense stress upon the structure. Pablo just hoped that Tom’s high-wire experience and sense of balance would stand him in good stead. He would never be able to live with himself or look Alicia in the eye if someone got hurt in this madcap rescue attempt. There were no rubber mats to break any falls.
A small crowd had gathered with Bert to watch. Tom was hunched nervously on the window sill just inside the dressing-room window frame, ready to climb on to the top of the structure and clamber down it as soon as it was high enough.
“Base, take your places again, please,” ordered Pablo. “This time we’re going to make it.” He knew that this time they had to make it or it would be too late for Tom.
Kasha, Ryan, Jazz, Kylie and the other strongest children moved into position. As soon as the base was in place, Libby, Will and some more children scrambled up over their friends’ bodies to create the next tier. In the space of a few seconds the castell swelled and grew. The fifth tier rose miraculously into the air and then the sixth tier of children scrambled upwards. The structure tilted very slightly, then adjusted itself. Four more children climbed upwards like mountain goats, including little Emmy. Olivia and Pablo held their breath. Olivia could hear Pablo muttering and guessed that he might be praying. It was just high enough.
“Tom,” called Pablo urgently. “Swing yourself out over the sill and then lower yourself very gently on to the top tier. Once you’re there, come down with a clambering, sliding motion, but keep it very controlled or you’ll hurt yourself and destroy the tower, which would be catastrophic for everyone.”
Gingerly, Tom inched himself on to the top of the structure. Once his full weight was taken by the castell, the structure started to wobble. A few children, including Emmy, groaned.
The concentration on the faces of Kasha and his friends at the bottom of the structure was intense. Sweat was pouring down their necks. With surprisingly agility, Tom made his way swiftly down the structure. The minute his feet touched the ground, Pablo shouted, “Break,” and the tower melted away in less than a few seconds.
A cheer went up from Bert and the crowd. The castellers high-fived each other and Kasha hugged Kylie, which made her go quite pink. Tom flung a desperate look of thanks at Olivia. “Liv!” he cried.
She just shook her head and said: “Go, Tom, go! Or you’ll miss your cue.”
Tom set off at full pelt, burst through the stage door and raced into the wings just at the moment that Sam took his whistle out of his pocket and blew it to summon the children. When Tom raced past her and screeched to a halt, Katie’s jaw dropped open, before every muscle in her face clenched in rage. Tom, Eel, Georgia and Abbie grinned delightedly at each other, and without missing a beat they marched on stage and took their places.
Chapter Twenty-One
“You can’t prove a thing,” said Katie sulkily.
It was the interval and Katie, Tom, Eel, Georgia and Abbie were all in the girls’ dressing room. Joshua and Mia had been excluded by the others, and were in the next room desperate to know what was going on. But a couple of stagehands taking an unscheduled break had witnessed Tom’s miraculous escape and news of it was beginning to
spread amongst the cast.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” said Abbie, who had been filled in on what had been happening by the others. “But we know everything that you’ve been up to, Katie. We’re on to you, and you know it.”
“It’s up to you, Katie,” said Tom. “Either you promise to behave yourself and get off my case, or we’ll involve the grown-ups and everything will come out – the text you sent in Liv’s name, the card, the keys you swiped from Bert’s drawer and the fake message from Jon James that you asked Mia to deliver.”
“Tell me,” said Katie, smiling her cat-like smile. “I’m very curious. How did you get out of the dressing room in time for your cue?”
“Liv organised a rescue. She’s a true friend.” Tom looked at his watch anxiously. The interval was almost over and this impromptu meeting meant that he hadn’t had a chance to try to call Liv.
“I’m surprised Saint Olivia didn’t let you rot like you deserve,” sneered Katie. “You’ve not been a very good friend to her, have you?”
Tom clenched his fists and Abbie laid a restraining hand on his arm. The call for beginners for the second half was being broadcast.
Katie stood up very coolly. “It’s been a lovely chat, but I’ve got to go now.” She walked to the door and when she got there, she turned and smiled. “You can say what you like to anyone you like. But until you’ve got some hard evidence, you can’t prove a thing unless I turn myself in and make a full confession, which is not very likely, is it? The text is gone. The card is missing. The keys will turn up and little Mia gets so easily confused.” She paused. “Oh, and there’s one other tiny thing that you’ve forgotten. Uncle Chuck is still the producer. I’ve heard that he’s having talks about transferring the whole production to Broadway. Jon James isn’t going to want to miss out on an opportunity like that.” She started to walk down the stairs. “Hurry up, kiddiewinks, I wouldn’t want you to miss your cue.”
“I could kill her,” said Tom when she’d disappeared.
“That’s how she wants you to feel,” said Abbie. “She wants to goad you into doing something stupid so you lose your job. Katie’s clever. But probably not as clever as she thinks she is. She’ll overreach herself. We just have to keep calm.”
“It’s true what she says, though,” said Georgia. “Her uncle will always take her side, and even though she’s as good as admitted what she’s done, we haven’t got a shred of hard evidence against her. Mia’s hardly a reliable witness, she’s too much in thrall to Katie,” said Georgia.
“We’ll get the evidence,” said Eel. “We can’t let her get away with it!”
“Come on, quick,” said Abbie, “or we will miss our cue.”
“I need to call Liv,” said Tom.
“No time,” said Abbie. “You can talk to her afterwards and explain everything.”
The curtain swished open and then closed for the final time. The enthusiastic applause died away. The Swan pupils in the audience began to gather up their belongings.
“Did you enjoy it?” Pablo asked Olivia.
Olivia nodded. “But Eel’s right, it would be better if it had circus in it. She was amazing, though. And Georgie and Tom. Tom was very good.”
“He was,” said Pablo. “Are you going to go round to the dressing room to see Eel and congratulate them all?”
“Do you think Tom’ll want to see me?”
“Of course he will,” said Pablo.
“But I still don’t understand why he’s so angry with me,” said Olivia.
“Whatever the reason, he’ll have forgiven you now. You did something amazing tonight, Livy. You could have ignored his cry for help. Lots of people in your circumstances would have done, but you didn’t, you rose to the occasion.”
“Strictly speaking, this lot rose to the occasion,” said Olivia with a smile, indicating the castellers. “Should I really go round?”
Pablo nodded.
Olivia followed the crowd out of the theatre and around the building towards the stage door. She turned the corner and came face to face with Katie Wilkes-Cox. She hadn’t seen Katie since that day towards the end of last term when the two of them had been together in Alicia Swan’s study and it had become increasingly clear that Katie would be asked to leave the Swan.
Olivia felt nervous and a bit like a cowboy in a Western squaring up to an old enemy, although she knew that the only shoot-out between them would be verbal. But in Olivia’s experience, words could hurt just as much as bullets.
She went to hurry by, but Katie stopped her. “Well, well, well,” she said. “If it isn’t the marvellous Olivia Marvell. I’ve heard about your famous exploits with the Swan rescue service. Very smart. I admire that. Tom’s a lucky boy to have such a friend. It’s just such a pity he doesn’t appreciate you.”
“What do you mean?” asked Olivia, her heart thumping.
“Oh, nothing,” said Katie. “It’s just you’d think he’d be grateful after what you did for him. Forgive and forget, that’s what I always say, but some people just can’t let a grudge go. I’m so sorry, Olivia. After your amazing rescue, you deserve better.”
With that, she tossed her hair and walked on by. Olivia stared after her. What did Katie know? She didn’t trust her but, on the other hand, Tom hadn’t texted or rung in the interval as she’d hoped he would. Maybe his silence meant that he hadn’t forgiven her after all? Her stomach was churning. She walked anxiously to the stage door. A crowd of theatre-goers had already gathered outside, hoping to get the autographs of Cassie Usher and Sam Gibbs. A number of them wanted Eel’s, too.
Bert gave Olivia a big grin. “You’re a heroine, Livy. If it wasn’t for your quick thinking, the show wouldn’t have been able to go on and Tom would be out on his ear. Up you go to see your friends. You’re going to get a big welcome.”
Olivia walked towards the stairs but her legs felt heavy. How would she be greeted when she got to the dressing rooms? She knew that Eel would hug her, but it was Tom and Georgia she was worried about. Katie had sown a seed of real doubt.
She was at the top of the first flight when Bert called after her, “Livy! I almost forgot, there’s a note here for you.”
She came back down and Bert handed her a white sheet of paper folded in four that said OLIVIA in block capitals on the front. She opened it and read the words: “Keep away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you”. It was signed Tom. Olivia recognised the distinctive way he wrote his name, with an almost Elizabethan flourish on the horizontal line on the top of the T. She made a tiny noise of despair, like an animal that suddenly realises it’s cornered on all sides and there’s no hope left. She dropped the note on Bert’s counter and tore out of the stage door and past the front of the theatre, where an astonished Pablo was waiting with the Swan pupils for their parents to pick them up.
She ran so hard and so furiously, it was as if she was trying to run away from herself. In her pocket her phone rang several times, followed by the “bleep bleep” of left messages, but she didn’t hear it. All she could think about was getting as far away from the theatre as possible and back to the Swan.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Livy’s not answering her phone. I’ve left three messages,” said Eel. Up in the dressing room, Tom, Eel, Georgia and Abbie were puzzled. They had expected Livy to be round in a flash as soon as the show had finished.
They couldn’t wait to see her, although Tom felt a little nervous. He had so much to say to her and so much to explain. What an idiot he’d been to fall for Katie’s tricks! He should have had enough trust in his friend to know that Olivia would never have sent a text or card as vicious as those. And she’d still been there for him in his hour of need, while he’d done nothing but let her down.
“Eel, can I borrow your phone to try Liv again?” he said. It went straight to voicemail. “Hi, Liv; it’s Tom again. We’re all waiting for you. Can’t wait to see you and explain everything.”
There was a tap on the door.
“H
ere she is!” said Eel excitedly and she rushed to open it. But it was Pablo standing outside, looking a little bit mystified and a little bit angry. His dark eyes were flashing dangerously. As soon as the last Swan had been picked up, he’d rushed around to the stage door and been directed upstairs by Bert.
“What did you say to upset Livy?” he demanded. “After all she did for you, Tom! She was magnificent. I thought that you’d be pleased to see her.”
“But we haven’t seen her,” said Eel. “We’re still waiting for her to arrive.”
Pablo looked even more baffled. “But I saw her running away from the stage door. She looked very distressed. The little duckling cry. And she was so nervous about coming round. I’m sorry, I’ve leapt to the very wrong conclusion.”
Everyone looked nonplussed.
“Let’s go and ask Bert if he saw her,” said Eel.
They all trooped downstairs. Bert was just dealing with the last of the autograph hunters and telling Cassie that her taxi was waiting for her.
“Bert,” said Tom. “Have you seen Liv?”
Bert nodded. “It was a bit odd really,” he said, scratching his head. “I was a bit distracted at the time, because there were quite a lot of Sam’s friends trying to get in, some of them a bit pushy. They got upset when I insisted on checking with Sam first. Then Olivia came in and seemed fine but when I gave her the note she looked really upset and just ran off. I was dealing with a really nosy photographer at the time so I couldn’t do anything.”
“Note? What note?” asked Tom urgently.
“Somebody left it on my counter,” replied Bert. “I thought it was probably from one of you. So I gave it to her.”
“If only we knew what it said!” said Eel tearfully.
“If it’s so important, I expect I could let you read it,” said Bert.
“You’ve still got it!” cried Pablo.
“Yes,” said Bert. “She dropped it on her way out the door. I picked it up. It’s private really, but in the circumstances…” He handed the note to Pablo. The others gathered around to read the few words and the signature.
