by Susan Lewis
‘He’s married! Well isn’t that the way of the world, someone else always manages to get in first.’ She stretched and yawned. ‘Tell me, is it true that I look a bit like Laurence’s wife?’ she asked nonchalantly.
‘Mmm, yes, you do a bit,’ Kirsten answered, opening her script in the hope of changing the subject.
Anna pondered this for a moment, then as her eyes came back up to Kirsten’s Kirsten saw the sparkle of mischief. ‘Well, since you assure me I’m not treading on your toes, darling,’ she said, ‘how do you reckon my chances?’
Kirsten moved restlessly, struggling to keep the smile on her face. ‘Well, he’s pretty wrapped up in the movie,’ she said. ‘And he doesn’t really approve of relationships on the set . . .’
Anna laughed. ‘That’s what they all say until it happens to them. And to tell you the truth, Kirstie, until I saw that look he gave you today I was beginning to think he was quite keen on me.’
Kirsten started to answer but broke off as the thunder that had seconds before started rumbling through the night crescendoed ominously towards them. Suddenly, in one deafening boom, it crashed overhead and Anna jumped.
‘You know,’ she muttered, looking warily at the ceiling. ‘I’m not going to be sorry to leave this place. I don’t know whether it’s all this stuff about voodoo Ruby’s given me to read . . .’ She spun round as suddenly the window swung open and the curtain billowed into the room. ‘Good God, I’m going to have a heart attack if this keeps up,’ she gasped.
Kirsten was laughing as she walked across the dimly lit room to close the window. ‘Just remember this is exactly the weather we want,’ she said, casting an eye over the dark flock flowers on the wallpaper and feeling slightly sorry for Anna that she was in such a sombre room.
Anna cast another lingeringly suspicious look about the room before turning back to the script resting on the arm of the chair. ‘Like I said, I’ve been going over some of the scenes for New Orleans,’ she said. ‘They’re amazing, brilliant, in fact, though I have to admit they’ve put the wind up me a bit.’ She laughed. ‘Heaven only knows what I’m going to be like once we come to do them. Actually, I was talking to Helena Johnson about them before I came over here . . . You know, I have to hand it to you, Kirsten, she really is amazing casting. I mean she actually looks like the original Marie Laveau with all that black hair, great big staring eyes and swarthy skin.’
‘You wait until you see her in full make-up and costume,’ Kirsten laughed. ‘She even manages to spook me and I’ve known her I don’t know how many years.’
‘Ruby’s written a great part for her,’ Anna commented. ‘In fact, like I said, what Ruby’s done with this script is quite brilliant.’
‘I’m glad you think so,’ Kirsten smiled.
‘She doesn’t like me much though, does she? Oh, don’t bother to deny it, I can tell.’
‘I think you would call Ruby a man’s woman,’ Kirsten chuckled. ‘At least, I think that’s what Ruby would call Ruby. She has a bit of a problem with women.’
‘You seem to get on OK with her.’
‘It took a while. And you will too, once she gets used to you.’
Anna’s eyes returned to the script and Kirsten watched her as after turning several pages she started to smile. ‘These love scenes are really explicit, aren’t they?’ she said.
‘Don’t worry we won’t be shooting them quite that way,’ Kirsten laughed.
‘But I’ll have to do them nude?’
Kirsten nodded. ‘Is that a problem? We’ll close the set, of course, only essential people will be in the room.’
Anna gave Kirsten a dazzling smile. ‘Will Laurence be there?’ she asked.
‘That depends whether you want him to be,’ Kirsten answered, feeling the muscles in her face stiffen.
‘I’ll discuss the lighting with Jake and let you know,’ Anna winked.
‘Actually Jake and I have already discussed lighting,’ Kirsten said. ‘He’s using cosmetic filters.’
‘Oh. In that case then I think we’ll invite Laurence, don’t you?’
‘Let’s talk about that when the time comes, shall we?’ Kirsten smiled. ‘Now, getting back to what we’re shooting over the next couple . . .’ she broke off as the telephone beside Anna’s bed jangled.
Anna got up to answer it as yet another clap of thunder boomed through the night. ‘God, I hate this weather,’ she mumbled, picking up the phone. ‘Hello. Oh, Laurence, darling. We were just talking about you . . .’ She laughed at whatever Laurence had said. ‘Actually, we were discussing the love scene between Jean-Paul and I . . . No, there’s no problem. Laurence, any time you want me to take my clothes off, you know you just have to ask . . .’ Again she laughed. ‘Did you have a good dinner?’ she asked. ‘Oh, I know, it’s awful, isn’t it? My window just flew open . . .’ She turned to Kirsten and winked. ‘In fact,’ she went on, ‘I was just saying to Kirsten that I really don’t know that I can handle sleeping alone in this room . . . No, they’re all booked up. Oh, it’s OK, I’m sure I’ll manage . . . No, really, I’m sure Kirsten’s got other things to do . . .’ She laughed. ‘I’m sure she’d agree – at least sleeping with this particular star might be going beyond the call of duty. Oh, Laurence, I’d love to join you . . . I’ve got a very early call though. OK, breakfast at six-thirty,’ she added and Kirsten relaxed. ‘Yes, sure, I’ll pass you over.’
‘Thanks,’ Kirsten said, taking the receiver.
‘Ruby’s back on her coconut trip,’ Laurence said. ‘I think we’d better get over there.’
‘Of course,’ Kirsten answered. ‘Just don’t suggest I sleep with her as well, will you?’
Laurence laughed. ‘See you in five,’ he said and rang off.
When Laurence and Kirsten got to Ruby’s room it was to find Ruby virtually incoherent. A near empty bottle of gin was resting precariously against the lamp beside her bed and as they walked in the door she struggled to reach it. Laurence whisked it out of the way while Kirsten pulled back the eiderdown and resettled it over Ruby. Then, as Ruby mumbled on about Legba and Erzulie and Damballah, and all the other voodoo gods she could think of, Kirsten picked up the phone and called the unit nurse to ask her to come and sit with Ruby for a while.
When the nurse arrived Kirsten and Laurence left the room and made their way along the narrow shadowy landing, their footsteps muted by the shabby rugs. ‘I can’t make head nor tail of what she’s talking about these days,’ Laurence grumbled.
‘Me neither.’
‘She crashed into my room earlier and amongst other things warned Jane never to let Tom out of her sight.’
‘She what!’ Kirsten cried. ‘Oh, she’s going too far now, we’ve got to do something to make her stop.’
‘Got any suggestions?’
They had reached Kirsten’s room by now and Kirsten turned to lean against the wall pushing her hands into the pockets of her skirt. Laurence stood in front of her, his hands too were in his pockets.
‘Not off the top of my head,’ Kirsten said. ‘But there is someone who might be able to help. Helena. She knows a bit about voodoo, not that I am in the least convinced that a blinking coconut reading is anything to do with voodoo . . . It might be that Helena can talk some sense into her though . . .’
‘OK. It’s worth a shot. We’ll see how Ruby shapes up over the next couple of days and if things look like they’re getting any worse we’ll fly Helena over.’
‘I’ll call her and warn her,’ Kirsten chuckled. ‘So, did you and Jake have a good dinner?’
‘It was OK. You should have come.’
‘I wasn’t hungry.’ She laughed again, this time a little uncomfortably. ‘It seems that Anna is making quite a play for you.’
Laurence cocked an eyebrow as he looked deep into her eyes. ‘Yeah, it would seem that way,’ he said. ‘You don’t like her much, do you?’
‘I think she’s turning in a terrific performance.’
‘That’s not what I
said.’
‘I know.’
‘Don’t worry, no one else would know it, it’s just that I know you pretty well . . .’
‘Are you trying to suggest I might be jealous?’ Kirsten said, lifting her chin defiantly at the same time suddenly realizing that he was standing much closer than he needed.
‘Are you?’
‘No, of course I’m not.’
‘That’s good.’ There was a teasing, almost seductive tone to his voice and his eyes had taken on that sleepy quality that could turn her knees weak.
‘Laurence,’ she said quietly, ‘I told you before we started, I don’t want you playing with me like this . . .’
‘You don’t?’
‘Laurence, stop it.’
He lifted a hand from his pocket and as he brushed it lightly over her breasts the desire that clenched her was so painful her breath caught in her throat.
‘Laurence,’ she whispered, but as his fingers swept sensuously over the front of her sweater her hands remained rooted in her pockets, just as her eyes remained fixed on his.
Neither of them could have been in any doubt where it would have ended had Jake and Lindon not stepped out of the lift at that moment. But, by the time Kirsten was tucked up in bed, she was glad that it hadn’t gone any further. She’d recognized the signs and it wasn’t his lust she wanted, it was his love.
As their days in Ireland progressed the storms, which still showed little sign of letting up, began to take their toll on morale. Anna had suddenly taken it upon herself to acquire a nervous disposition which was as false as it was pathetic. Everyone could see through it, even Laurence, whose task it was to comfort her when she claimed that the storms or Ruby’s ramblings were putting her on edge. It was Anna’s way of getting Laurence to herself and since she was the star there was little Laurence could do but appease her. However, he didn’t seem to object, in fact it looked to Kirsten like he rather enjoyed his role as the great protector. And when he wasn’t with Anna he was with Ruby, mollifying her and trying to keep her off the bottle.
Fortunately, he made relatively few visits to the set and Kirsten couldn’t have been in any doubt during that time how vital her own morale was to the rest of the crew. She had to contain her jealousy for their sakes even more than her own, she realized, she owed it to them for they were as loyal to her now as they were dependent on her. It was only Jake who seemed to sense the cracks, and always he was there to help smooth them over. He could make her laugh when it was the last thing she felt like doing and get her enthused at a time when the wind was painfully stinging her ears and the rain was dripping down her neck.
Still, there were moments in the day when their laughter rang over the hillside, particularly when Alison started to come up with cartoon sketches of Jane and Billy, the location manager, and what they might look like were they ever to get it together. Even Laurence had to choke back his laughter when he saw them. Whether Billy and Jane ever knew what amusement they were causing was impossible to tell, except Vicky, Kirsten’s assistant, did whisper to Kirsten one day that Jane had got hold of one of the sketches.
‘Oh shit! How did she take it?’ Kirsten asked and she and Vicky promptly burst into laughter at the inappropriateness of the question.
‘Sssh, she’s in there with Tom,’ Vicky murmured, nodding towards a connecting door in the production trailer. ‘I don’t think she much liked how big Alison made her teeth. But there again, I don’t suppose it was the size of her teeth that brought her eyes out on stalks . . .’
‘Stop it,’ Kirsten laughed. ‘Now tell me, did you manage to get on to the labs?’
‘Lindon did. Everything’s OK. It wasn’t our rushes they had a problem with.’
‘Thank God for that. Does Laurence know yet?’
‘Yes. I told him earlier. There’s something else I’d better warn you about though. Ruby’s got it into her head to really spook the Simpering Sage. You know what she’s like with any woman around Laurence, well she’s been feeding the Sage all sorts of rubbish about voodoo, I mean more than we realized and . . .’
‘Does Laurence know?’ Kirsten said soberly.
‘If he doesn’t he’s certainly going to. Ruby says if the Sage wants to be nervous then she can have something to be nervous about.’
‘I’d better speak to him,’ Kirsten said. ‘We can’t have Ruby doing that sort of thing, not when she takes it seriously herself. She really could frighten Anna and quite frankly that’s the last thing we need.’
But Kirsten was too late. When she went to Laurence’s trailer Anna was already there, weeping in his arms. Quite how successful Ruby had been was anyone’s guess for Anna was as capable as any actress of turning on a performance, but whatever the real effect on her was she was certainly making a meal out of her distress. And she continued to do so for the next two days, by which time Kirsten was viewing her departure from the set with unmitigated relief. It wasn’t that anyone was taking either her or Ruby’s ramblings seriously, it was just that they were becoming extremely tedious by now. And the fact that Laurence had spoken sharply to her, Kirsten, about it, telling her that she should be a little more tolerant of the weaknesses in others had made Kirsten want to scream.
They had added a further two days to the shoot which were going to be spent doing pick-ups and Jean Rochette’s solitary amblings through the bleak Irish downs. Laurence was going on ahead to New Orleans with Ruby, Alison, Anna and several other members of the production team.
On the day of their departure Kirsten woke up feeling particularly depressed. She tried hard all morning to shake it but she couldn’t help feeling angry with herself for being so damned obsessed with the fact that Laurence and Anna were going off to New Orleans together.
It was just after lunch as Laurence, assisted by Tom, was clearing out his trailer, that Jane came to stand beside Kirsten at the edge of the set. It was one of the rare occasions when Kirsten wasn’t surrounded by people or shouting instructions, receiving information, blocking the cast or being shown a prop or a costume.
For several minutes she and Jane stood in the drizzling rain watching the stunt co-ordinator round up the stunt riders and horses in front of the castle.
Eventually Kirsten looked down at Jane and smiled. ‘Laurence not ready yet?’ she said.
Jane shook her head. ‘A few more minutes he said. It all seems to be going pretty well, doesn’t it?’ she added nodding towards the set.
‘I think so,’ Kirsten answered cheerily. ‘At least I hope so. Anyway, what about you? How are you getting along? I don’t see much of you these days.’
‘Oh, I’m fine. Tom and I have really enjoyed ourselves here.’
‘That’s good. It seems that both of you have scored quite a hit, one way or another.’
Jane’s blush looked painful. ‘Are you talking about Billy?’ she said shyly.
Kirsten’s smile widened. ‘Keen on him, are you?’ she said.
‘I think so,’ Jane confessed. ‘Well, he’s a bit old for me, but . . . Well, I was wondering if I might be able to talk to you about it. I mean, I don’t really have any experience of boyfriends . . .’
‘Oh Jane,’ Kirsten laughed. ‘You’re talking to the wrong person. You know what a mess I’ve made of my life and the way Laurence and I are with each other right now is hardly an advert . . .’
‘Sssh,’ Jane said seeing Alison come swooping out of a trailer behind them carrying one of her set decorators on her back.
Kirsten turned to watch them, laughing as they tumbled to the ground then looking down at Jane again she said, ‘Have you been out on a date with him yet?’
‘Oh no,’ Jane said. ‘He comes and keeps me company when I’m looking after Tom in the evenings, but . . .’
‘Kirstie!’ Jake yelled.
‘Oh, Jane, I’m sorry, we’ll have to continue this another time,’ Kirsten said. ‘We’ll get together in New Orleans, OK? Laurence can look after Tom . . .’ She laughed at Jane’s wide-eyed deli
ght, patted her cheek then was on the point of running over to Jake when he shouted that it didn’t matter.
‘Seems I’m all yours again,’ Kirsten said. ‘So, where were we?’
‘Oh, it can wait till you’ve got more time,’ Jane answered. ‘By the way, Helena called this morning. She wanted to know how things were going over here and if . . . If the . . .’
‘Come on, spit it out,’ Kirsten encouraged her.
‘She wanted to know if the . . . If the rumours about Laurence and Anna were true,’ Jane said.
Immediately Kirsten’s smile faded. ‘Helena’s heard about that, back in London?’
Jane nodded sheepishly. ‘It would seem so. She told me to tell you that she’s making a voodoo doll of Anna Sage that you can stick pins in . . .’
‘For God’s sake!’ Kirsten snapped. ‘I’m relying on Helena to sort Ruby out not to spread even more of this nonsense about the place. If Anna Sage ever got wind of that . . .’ She shuddered. ‘It doesn’t bear thinking about. Anyway, sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you and it looks like Laurence is ready so I’ll wish you bon voyage.’
‘Thank you,’ Jane murmured, then turning her eager young face up to Kirsten’s she said, ‘Thank you for being so nice to me.’
‘Oh, Jane!’ Kirsten cried, hugging her. ‘I’ve neglected you horribly these past few months, but I’ll make up for it once we get to New Orleans. And by the way, thank you for the hand and foot warmers. I really needed them.’
‘That’s all right,’ Jane said happily. ‘I’ll see you in New Orleans then.’
As she walked away Laurence came to join Kirsten. ‘You OK?’ he said as they watched what was going on on the set.
‘I’m fine. How about you?’
Laurence turned to face her. His jet black hair, wet from the rain, was slicked back from his forehead and his face, burned by the wind, somehow made his eyes seem bluer than ever. ‘I’m worried about you,’ he said softly.
Kirsten’s surprise showed. ‘About me, why?’
He shrugged. ‘I guess leaving you here to cope with all this,’ he said throwing out an arm towards the set.
