by Lyn Gardner
There was a knock and Jon put his head round the door. “Ready?”
Olivia nodded gravely and stood up. He came in and took both her hands. “You are going to be extraordinary, Livy.” Olivia swallowed. “I have complete faith in you.”
“I’ll try not to disappoint you or anyone else,” she whispered.
“You won’t,” said Jon. Then he added lightly, “I think tonight was written in the stars.” He squeezed her hand. “See you on the other side.”
After he had gone, Olivia sank on to the seat in front of the mirror again. She heard the words “Beginners, please” over the tannoy. She picked up the photograph of her mother on her dressing-room table and kissed it tenderly.
“This is for you, Mum,” she whispered. Then she stood up and walked towards the stage, and her destiny.
It was well after the interval. A hush had fallen over the theatre. It was as if every single person in the theatre had leaned forward a little in their seats because they wanted to drink in every word and ensure that they remembered everything that happened on stage for the rest of their lives. The story was hurtling inexorably towards its tragic climax. Already some people were dabbing their eyes with tissues. Even Bert, the stage-door keeper, had crept into the back of the theatre to watch. He knew that tonight theatrical history was being made and he wanted to be there to see it.
Jack glanced at Alicia. The tears were streaming down her face but she was smiling. He took her hand in his and at the same time he felt Eel’s fingers close around his other hand and squeeze so tightly it hurt.
“She’s good,” he whispered.
Eel’s eyes were shining brightly. “The bestest,” she whispered.
The sound of sobbing in the auditorium was getting louder as Kasha’s Romeo killed himself believing his Juliet was dead. The Swans were all holding each other’s hands. Tom’s eyes and those of a thousand other people were fixed on Olivia as she awoke from the effects of the sleeping potion and discovered Romeo dead but still warm beside her in the tomb. Her dazed panic and welling despair became their panic and despair as they watched too.
“…and let me die,” cried Olivia, and as she plunged the dagger into her breast a thousand voices gasped as if unable to bear so great a loss.
The play drew swiftly to its conclusion. The final words were being spoken.
“For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
There was a blackout.
As the house lights began to be raised, the audience blinked and looked around at each other dazedly, as if awaking from a long dream. They were different people from the chattering crowd who had entered the theatre. They had been touched and transformed by what they had seen and experienced. For what seemed like a century there was silence, then the silence exploded as a thousand people rose to their feet and began to applaud.
The curtain rose and fell and rose and fell again. Still the audience was cheering and clapping and stamping their feet. The curtain rose again. Kasha and Olivia stepped forward to take another bow. A group of photographers ran down the aisles to the front of the stage and began to take photographs. Some of the critics began hurrying towards the doors so that they could file their reviews for the newspapers. The audience continued to shout and cheer. The roar of the audience was so loud that it felt almost physical, like an express train hurtling towards those on stage. Some people ran forward and began to throw bouquets of flowers at Olivia. They cascaded down on to the stage, a blizzard of red and yellow blooms. Amid the colour there was one posy that caught Olivia’s eye. She bent to pick it up: a small, simple bouquet of lily of the valley. She held it to her face and smiled. She knew who it was from. She breathed in its perfume and raised her hand in an almost imperceptible wave of thanks.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Olivia looked around the room, her eyes bright with excitement. She was standing on her own, half hidden by a small curtain. But she wasn’t lonely in the middle of the crowd any more. She was just taking some time out from the extraordinary excitements of the day and evening, and savouring the moment. Just a couple of months had passed since she and the others had been at the after-premiere party of The Way Through the Woods, and here she was now at her own after-show first-night party with all her friends around her.
Waiters were moving around the room with trays of drinks. She saw a waiter go up to Sam and offer him a glass. Olivia smiled at the thought of how much had changed in the last couple of months. Last time Sam had been doing the serving and she was just a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl dreaming of the high-wire.
She glanced across at the dance floor where Eel was dancing with Emmy, Georgia, Katie, Aeysha and the Wood twins. Eel’s leg was still in plaster and she was using her crutches, but with such physical dexterity it was as if she was dancing with four legs. As usual, she was beginning to draw quite a crowd of admirers. Olivia saw her gran looking worried, obviously concerned that Eel would fall and injure herself, but she saw Fran notice and walk over to soothe Alicia as Evie and Tati joined the others on the dance floor.
Jack, Michael and Pablo were huddled together in the corner, looked relaxed and happy. Kasha and Abbie were wrapped in each other’s arms, talking to Pete and Hamo. Ella Campion was sitting in a chair, holding court with Arthur by her side. Bert was talking to her and the two were sharing memories of post-war British theatre.
There was a sudden shout, and she saw Jon, Howard Franks and some of the cast and production team move towards the table in the centre of the room. The early editions of the papers were in and some of them would have reviews of Romeo and Juliet. She saw Jon open one of the broadsheets and a huge grin spread across his face.
“Five stars,” he shouted, and punched the air in jubilation. There were cheers and shouts of delight, and then another wave of excitement ran around the room as other people rifled through the papers and found more glowing reviews. She heard her name and someone saying, “The greatest Juliet of this or any other generation.” She suddenly thought of her mum whose talent she had inherited. “Thanks, Mum,” she whispered. “Thanks for everything.”
“Liv?” asked a voice. Olivia turned round slowly. Tom was standing behind her. She suddenly realised that she had been waiting for him all evening, waiting for him to find her. He looked so tall and handsome. She smiled shyly. He reached with his hand and gently brushed the tear from her cheek. She blinked as if seeing him for the very first time. She felt like Juliet meeting Romeo amid the hustle and bustle of the party. There was so much noise around them but they seemed locked in their own bubble of silence.
“You should be happy,” he whispered. “The play’s a triumph, and so are you.”
“I am,” she said. “Very happy.” Olivia looked up into Tom’s eyes and raised her hand up towards him. His hand rose to meet hers and their palms met as if in prayer. For a moment they stared wonderingly at each other, and then Tom bent his head towards her face and their lips touched.
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2013 by Nosy Crow Ltd
The Crow’s Nest, 10a Lant Street
London SE1 1QR, UK
This ebook edition first published in 2013
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and / or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text copyright © Lyn Gardner, 2013
Cover illustration © Sarah J Coleman, 2013
The right of Lyn Gardner to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s
rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblence to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978 0 85763 208 1
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