by Hale, Beth
“Medicine?” he asked.
She shook her head. No, I just need you. Will you stay tonight?”
“Darling, you couldn’t force me away now.”
“I love you, Jack, so much.”
“I love you,” he answered and pulled her down
to love her again.
Chapter 43
Emma was finally cleared to go back to work. She was so grateful she almost kissed Dr. Amos. She was sick of being cooped up, of being taken out for walks like a pet. Norah had finally allowed her to take care of the emails again, but nothing else. She’d barely been able to keep her temper reigned in. One more day and she’d have gone postal.
James, who had driven her to the doctor’s office, took her to lunch to celebrate.
“Hamburger,” she told the waitress happily. Her voice was only a little hoarse now.
“You look pleased with yourself,” James remarked.
“I am. I finally get real food again. I’m sick of soup and yogurt and scrambled eggs. I just might eat a big streak for supper.”
“And you go back to the set tomorrow.”
“Yes, thank Christ. I hate I missed so much of the filming. Norah’s reflection set starts tomorrow.”
“It seems the papers have lost interest in you for now.”
“Yeah. Thomas says it’ll start back up when the trial starts. But he said it won’t be like before.” Her hamburger was placed in front of her and she stared at it for a minute, her mouth watering.
She picked it up and took a small bite—better to start off slow, she thought—and her eyes closed in bliss. She made a sound of pure pleasure as she chewed. She swallowed and was thankful it was only slightly uncomfortable.
She opened her eyes and found James staring at her with a bemused expression. “Satisfied?” he asked.
“I think my mouth just had an orgasm.” Her laugh rolled out when his mouth dropped and his face turned red.
“Well. That’s good. I think.” He cleared his throat, then grinned. “You do say the most unexpected things sometimes.”
***
Emma reveled in being back on the set. She sat in her usual spot and gazed happily as Norah began.
Hair and makeup had done a fantastic job, she thought. Norah’s wig was now blond laced liberally with silver. There were fine lines around her mouth, etching out from her eyes. They had added padding, making her look like an older, wiser Isabella.
“Action.”
Norah sank gracefully onto a small, slightly worn settee and opened an ornately carved trunk. She pulled out a small diadem and placed it on her head. Reaching in again, she pulled out one of the dresses she’d worn and ran her hands over it, a small smile playing around her lips.
Emma watched, spellbound by the scene. Miniatures of a younger Isabella, of Edward II and III, of her other children were lovingly looked at, traced gently with fingertips.
Tears gathered in ‘Isabella’s’ eyes when she pulled out a heavy gold necklace from the chest. She slipped it over her head and fingered the pendent as she stood.
“Cut! That was great, Norah, but let’s do it again. And when you stand this time, go to the window and stare out of it.”
“Get contemplative, maybe a little regretful?”
she proposed and got an enthusiastic nod. She sat and waited for her cue.
“It could’ve really been like this,” Emma murmured when Jack sat beside her. “Did she end up regretting it? Or did she only regret the end result?”
“You get such a faraway look in your eyes when you talk about it.”
Emma shook herself and smiled. “Sorry. It just catches me, you know? The whole history of it, wondering why and how and if they wished they would’ve taken different paths.”
“And do you think Isabella did?”
“I think she regretted the loss of Mortimer, of being banished from court. But not anything else,” Emma mused. “And Norah’s done a tremendous job with the character. You all have.”
“I think we’ve accomplished something brilliant,” Jack told her. “I think it’s going to be a big hit.”
“So do I. Just think, all this change, the removal of one king to make way for his son, because a woman wouldn’t meekly stand by and accept her fate.”
“Do you think Edward II was bisexual?”
Emma shrugged. “It seems likely, but there’s no direct proof.”
“Guess we’ll never know, then. And since James told me you can eat again,” he changed the subject, “how about I take you out tonight. I know a place where the steak melts in your mouth.”
“That sounds like heaven. And, after, you could take me to bed. For dessert.” She wiggled her brows.
“Saucy wench. I love you.”
***
“David confirmed it,” Emma told Norah during a break. “Jilted has been indefinitely shelved.”
“Well, then. Guess we get a nice, long break. I’ve set up a meeting with him for after we wrap. I’m going to tell him I’m going to cut back, slow down.”
“That’ll go over well.”
Norah wrinkled her nose. “I know. He’ll fuss and try to guilt me. But I’m serious. One project a year.”
“Do you not love it anymore?”
“Oh, I still love it. And if a really good role comes my way I’ll grab onto it. But I’ve been in the business since I was sixteen, worked almost steadily since. And these last four years have been nonstop. I’m tired,” she finished on a laugh.
“What will you do?” The unspoken question in her eyes was What will I do?
“Spend more time with family and friends. I have two nephews I’d like to play with before they grow up. Travel, see the places I want to see and take all the time in the world to do it. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the cow eyes you and Jack have been giving each other again”
“There’s no cow eyes.” Emma grinned.
“Oh, there is. I keep waiting for the little hearts to shoot out.”
“Shut up.” They shared an easy laugh.
“I’ll want you with me, Emma, when I am working.”
“And beyond that?” She held her breath.
“Norah just looked at her. “If I’m traveling, I’d like a friend to be with me. It’s not much fun alone.”
Emma expelled a heavy breath. “I would love
to, really, really love to. But I can’t afford…”
“Still need an assistant, don’t I? We’ll work it out later. They’re ready to go again.”
Chapter 44
“I think we’ll go ahead,” Thomas decided. “It’s not raining hard and I think it’ll add to the scene.”
“I really don’t care for rain,” Norah muttered and made Jack laugh.
“Ah, well, maybe we can get the procession done in a take or two.”
“Sure, if the extras will pay attention.” She grinned at him. “Let’s get you crowned, my king.”
Emma watched as they made their way down the street. The extras played their part well, bowing and heaping blessings onto Edward III and Queen Isabella. People were lined up behind the barricades, snapping pictures and waiting for autographs.
They weren’t disappointed. After three takes, when Tomas was satisfied, Jack and Norah posed with fans and signed their names.
Emma loved to watch them work a crowd. They were always so open, so genuine with the people. She preferred to watch them from inside when it was cold and wet out.
After lunch, they crowded into Thomas’s office. “You’re going to the recording studio tomorrow,” he told Norah. “We’ll get the voice overs captured.”
“That’s what will play when she’s pulling everything out of that chest?” Roger asked.
“That’s right, and in the beginning.” Thomas nodded at him. “And tomorrow night, we’ll do the kill shot.”
“The King is dead, long live the King,” Jack intoned and got a beady stare from Roger.
“Sad thing and all, killing your father like
that,”
he said with a grin. Then, “Did they really kill him like
that? With a hot poker up the bum?”
Everyone swung expectantly towards Emma. “What?”
“We know you know,” Alison told her.
“Well. The popular story is that because he had sex with men-something simply not tolerated at the time-a fitting death was to ram a hot poker up his…up there. But other theories include, and I lean towards this one, is Isabella and Edward III forced him to drink poison.”
“It is sad, if you think about it,” Norah said, “that a son would kill his father.”
“Edward II wasn’t a good king. He was weak and too easily swayed by his current favorite. Edward III was a much stronger ruler. Isabella and Mortimer did do the best thing for England; they just went mad with power after.”
“You’ll have that sometimes, I suppose,” Roger commented dryly and Jack snickered.
“All right, enough history lessons for today. I want to work on the after-kill shots and the funeral.”
***
“Yes, Mama, I’m fine. I promise.” Emma paced, waiting for Ann’s worry to settle.
“You’re sure you don’t need me to come over there? You don’t need to come home?”
“I’m sure, Mama. Norah needs me, and you need to stay home to make sure the café is in order.”
“Oh, we both know Penny did right. I wish I hadn’t gone on that cruise! I wasn’t here when you needed me.” Ann broke into tears again.
“Please don’t cry,” Emma begged. She gestured
helplessly and Norah smiled with sympathy.
“You almost died, baby, and I wasn’t there.”
“I didn’t die, Mama. And the bruises are almost all gone.” It was true; her face was completely back to normal and only faint traces remained on her neck and ribs.
“And the pain? Are you still hurting?”
“Just a little tender in my ribs and shoulder.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. I’m almost all mended up.”
“Well, ok.” Ann sniffed. “When are you coming home?”
“I’ve got a flight scheduled two weeks from tomorrow.”
“I’ll meet you at the airport. I’ve missed you so much, baby.”
“I’ve missed you, too. Love you, Mama. Bye.”
“Still upset, huh?” Norah asked as Emma disconnected.
“I’ll say.” Emma sighed, plopped beside Norah on the couch. “She’s mad at herself for being gone. She’s mad at Chris for not finding a way to reach her. And if she could get at Marcus she’d kill him.”
“Wouldn’t we all,” Norah said with feeling. “I can’t believe they pushed the trial off.”
“Psych evaluations, competency hearings, all that bullshit,” Emma replied. “I want to get it over with, but I don’t like the fact that I’ll have to see him in court.”
“Still having nightmares?”
“They’ve mostly gone away. And if I do have one, Jack is right there to chase it away,” Emma smiled.
“Mooo,” Norah said under her breath and
laughed when Emma poked her. “Are you ready for
dinner? How about some tasty Jell-O?” She winked.
“No more Jell-O, not for a million dollars. I want sushi.”
Norah rolled her eyes and let Emma pull her to the door. “Will you listen to me practice the lines I have to do tomorrow?”
“Sure. After sushi.”
Chapter 45
“I look back now, at the child bride I was. So excited to be marrying the King of England. And to see him, just after our marriage, to wantonly give my dowry to his lover. It was then, at that moment, that I felt the first of many crushing disappointments.
“I reveled in the births of my children. I truly loved them. But as much as I loved them, I equally despised their father. He was destroying me, destroying England—the birthright of my firstborn. He was throwing it away on the whims of that filthy dog, Piers.
“Oh, how I rejoiced when the barons finally disposed of him! Oh, how I wept when he was so quickly replaced by Hugh DeSpencer!”
“Cut. Brilliant, just wonderful!” Thomas enthused. “You’ve got it down pat, Norah, even if you changed some of the wording.”
“You like the changes then? Emma said the flow sounded better.” Norah removed the headphones and reached for her bottle of water.
“You did well,” he praised Emma. “It sounds great.”
“Thank you.” Emma flashed him a smile. “Isn’t she fantastic? She’s so good at getting the emotion in there.”
“She sure is. We’ve got a hit on our hands; She-Wolf is going to be huge,” he replied satisfactorily. “You ready to get the next part?” he asked Norah.
Emma listened, captivated by the sound of Norah’s voice as she spoke. And when she got to the end, and let the tears come into her voice, Emma felt tears gather in her own eyes.
“Some condemned me for loving Roger
Mortimer, but how could I not? He was everything
Edward wasn’t. And he shared my greatest passion: to place my son on the throne and see him crowned Edward III, King of England. And together, we accomplished just that.
“There are those who say I became drunk on power. Looking back, I can admit it’s true. I gloried in being strong enough, able enough, to depose a king. And there are those who say I murdered my husband, that I ordered it done even if he didn’t die by my hand.
“So what if I did? He was a fool and a coward and as long as he lived my son’s throne would never be secure.
“Oh, my son. The magnificent Edward III. And his dutiful, devoted wife Philippa. She is his equal and even I have to admit they are ideally matched. But I hated to give up the crown for her. I was queen and I could have helped him become even greater.
“I have lived here in exile for thirty years, banished from the court I loved so much. I lost my lover, my Mortimer. It is the price one must pay, I suppose, for defying one king and placing another on the throne.
“She-Wolf? Perhaps. I was certainly ambitious enough, cunning enough, to be called such. But in my mind I will always be Isabella, Queen of England. She-Wolf be damned.”
“Cut!”
Emma stood, clapped her hands. Norah gave a mock bow and grinned back at her. “If I have to do that very many times, I’ll be as hoarse as you were a couple weeks ago,” she teased.
“Funny, funny.”
“I think once more, maybe twice,” Thomas
said. “You’ve got the tone, the emotions down. The wording is good. I just want to see if we can make it better.”
Norah drank deeply, put her headphones back on and started from the beginning.
***
“You’re absolutely sure?” James asked.
“Absolutely.”
“It’s just a mighty big step, mate, buying a ring and all that.”
Jack chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Yes, it is. I’m so ready. I know it’s right this time. I love her.”
“I know, and she loves you. You can’t help but see it. Well, a ring it is, then. Let’s find her a dandy.”
They struck out at the first jewelry store and made their way into the second. “Tell me about your lady,” the portly, bespectacled jeweler invited. “Does she like modern cuts or more traditional?”
“Traditional,” Jack told him. “Emma values the old, the history of things.”
“I have just the thing, then.” The jeweler hurried to the back and came back with a small box. “We’ve just acquired this piece from the estate of Lady Cecily DeVane.” He lifted the ring and continued, “It’s an emerald cut, surrounded by brilliants, set in a rose gold band. It was Lady DeVane’s great-great grandmother’s.”
He handed it to Jack, who held it reverently. “This is it,” he said. “This is Emma’s.” He held it out for James’s inspection.
“I believe you’re right,” he agreed after studying
it. “It’s perfect for her. The history of it will thrill her.”
“I’ll take it,” Jack told the jeweler.
“Wonderful!” He glowed. “I’ll include the provenance of the ring, if you think your lady would enjoy it.”
“She would,” he answered. “Thank you for that.” With a swipe of his credit card and and enthusiastic “Thank you, Mr. Brandon”, they left with the ring tucked neatly in his pocket.
“And when will you be asking the lovely Emma to marry us?” James asked on the drive back to Jack’s.
“Us?” Jack echoed.
“Well, yes. You know I’ll come ‘round nightly if she cooks.”
Jack laughed. “Of course. Tomorrow night. I’ll cook for her, and then ask.”
“Why wait?”
“We’re getting in the last of the scenes tonight. Hopefully. So tomorrow night it is.”
“Nervous?”
“Not a bit.”
“I’d be a fucking wreck,” James muttered and made Jack laugh again.
***
“Are you certain, Mother?” Jack paced the room, stopping before a seated Norah.
“You must. As long as he lives, there will be a threat to your rule. Edward must die.”
“But at my hand?”
“The less people privy to our plans the better. Only you and I know you carry the cup of poisoned wine.”
“And Father? If he refuses?”
“Then,” her voice and eyes hardened, “we end his life with the fired poker.”
“Cut! Got it in one!” Thomas announced.
Jack sought Emma out while they were readying the set for the killing scene. “I can’t believe this is it, that it’ll be over tonight,” she commented.
“I know. It’s been a hell of a ride,” he said. “I’d like to do something for you.”
“Really? What?”
“I’d like to cook for you tomorrow night.”
Her brows rose. “You are going to cook for me?”
“I am. I make a mean shrimp linguini.”
