The Boy I Love

by Lynda Bellingham

  Robert saw Giles swallow hard and his Adam’s apple rose and fell in contradiction to the feigned outward calm he was presenting across the desk. Giles then rose and came round to the front of the desk and leaned against it.

  ‘Well, well, life is full of surprises. Why don’t you and I go now and get this play ready for a spectacular first night in Crewe? Who knows where it may lead us.’ He walked to the door and held it open for Robert, who rose from the chair like a bird of prey and crossed the room in one fell swoop, to pause and peruse his prey before making his exit.

  Chapter 39

  The first night was a huge success, much to the amazement of the cast. The run-up to the big night had been unbelievably fraught with drama, never mind the drama onstage. The biggest problem had been Isabelle, who just seemed to go to pieces. Sally and Rupert spent every minute with her encouraging her and feeding her and trying to make sure she kept the food down. She would use any excuse to get to the toilet, but Sally would refuse to budge from her elbow. Rupert was remarkably calm and together. He was obviously besotted by his leading lady, much to Sally’s disgust, but she understood that without him beside her, there was no way Isabelle was going to get on that stage.

  The rest of the cast had come together in the last two days, and decided that in spite of their director’s lack of guidance, they were bloody well going to do this, and the energy onstage was terrific. Jeremy was sick with nerves, not just because the audience was full of important people from the world of theatre and film, but because Eddie was going to be sitting in the Royal Box with his family. His Lordship was coming with his whole family, Tanya and Tilly and Eddie. He and Eddie had talked about the night and how they would keep their affair under wraps.

  ‘For God’s sake, you must not come too close to me or I will give the game away. I know I will just want to kiss you!’ exclaimed Eddie. ‘We must make sure we are always in a group together. Will you peep through the curtain at the beginning and blow me a kiss?’

  Jeremy laughed. ‘Oh yes, that would be just great, me standing behind the curtain blowing kisses. “What are you doing, Jeremy?” “Oh, just waving at my lover in the Royal Box!” Can you imagine how that would go down with Giles Longfellow?’

  ‘Well, frankly, he is the one person who would understand. Did you see him in the bar at the Queen’s last weekend, by the way? I was wondering who he was with that night. I asked George, but he didn’t seem to know. Perhaps he has a secret assignation sometimes. We could investigate.’ Eddie giggled.

  ‘We have enough trouble keeping our own assignations secret without worrying about other people,’ said Jeremy.

  Dora, meanwhile, was obsessed with the guest-list for the evening, and how she was going to get herself introduced to the producer of Isabelle’s new film.

  ‘If I can just get him in front of me, I know I can win him over. And did you know there is a casting director from Coronation Street coming, Sally?’ Dora looked at her sister, who was busy trying to make posies of wild flowers for Isabelle to carry on in her mad scene.

  ‘Why would you think I care about Coronation Street? I do not want to be in a long-running series – it would ruin my career. You just get typecast.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be so bloody pompous, Sally. Work’s work – and it’s better to be out there being seen. No point in sitting in your little garret room acting to the mirror. Where is that going to get you?’

  Sally did not bother to answer her sister. They did not agree on anything these days. She had not had the time to work things out between them, but she knew that something would have to be done. She was nervous about seeing their parents while the situation was like this. It would only take a minute for their mum to realize that something was wrong, and she would be so upset. Sally had actually put their parents off coming to see Hamlet, telling them it was not much good, and that she and Dora were just too busy to enjoy their visit.

  ‘All right, my darling,’ Patricia had said. ‘But we really do want to see you both very soon. We miss you!’

  Giles and Robert worked together, and it had been agreed between them that Giles would discuss the future with Robert after the opening night. In his heart Giles knew it was make or break time, and he would do anything to keep Robert quiet. If he had to agree to giving him a job once the play went to London, so be it. It was worth it to prevent Teddie from finding out about his son. Of course it would all come out eventually, but now was not the time.

  The curtain went up and Hamlet hit the stage. Rupert was magnificent, and whenever she had a minute during the play, Sally watched him from the wings. He soared, there was no other way to describe his performance. The scenes with Ophelia were magical. Rupert seemed to imbue Isabelle with all his energy and magic. She looked amazing with her golden hair like a waterfall down her back, and with her long slim legs draped in fine silk which clung to her body, she resembled a young fawn. Charmaine was another surprise on the night. Her Gertrude was full of hidden depths and feral sexuality.

  Sally was also impressed with her friend Jeremy. His Laertes shone a brilliant light. Sally had never seen him so strong onstage. He had grabbed the role and brought a new dimension to the stage.

  ‘I do so hope he gets a wonderful job from this tonight,’ she remarked to Heather. ‘He deserves a break.’

  ‘Don’t we all,’ the woman sighed.

  It was a strange evening for Sally because she did not have much input as an actress, and all the fuss about being seen by the right people was out of her reach. But she didn’t feel envy or jealousy. She just wanted the team to do well. Her time would come, she felt sure. The more she watched Dora’s intense quest for recognition, the less she craved it. She just wanted to be taken seriously as an actress and play wonderful parts in great plays. Not much to ask!

  The curtain came down to thunderous applause. In the bar afterwards the actors mingled with the regular audience and tried their best to present themselves to anyone of importance who might give them a job. The big producer had left straight after the performance, but not before going to visit Isabelle in her dressing room to congratulate her. Sally happened to be passing her dressing-room door and heard Isabelle say, ‘Thank you, darling, but it was nothing. I just love Shakespeare and adore working on text. I guess I have a natural instinct for words.’

  Sally wanted to be sick! What a load of old tosh. She went to congratulate Rupert who was surrounded by a group of schoolgirls getting his autograph.

  ‘Look at you, you big Hamlet you,’ she laughed. ‘I can see your head getting bigger by the minute.’

  ‘Sally! Give me a kiss, it is all down to you. You have been my guiding light. Come here, I love you!’ He wrapped his arms around Sally in a big hug and then planted a kiss on her lips. She longed to cling to him forever. He felt so good.

  She pulled away, however, and said, ‘See you in the bar?’

  ‘You bet, lovely lady. I will see you there.’

  Sally looked for Jeremy to congratulate him but he had already gone to the bar apparently, according to Geoffrey who was making his way up to the Dress Circle bar.

  ‘Great night, Sally. We pulled it off!’

  ‘Yes, we did. Congratulations, Geoffrey.’

  Sally made her way through the crush to the bar to grab a drink. Suddenly Dora was in front of her flushed with excitement.

  ‘Hi, Sally, isn’t it great? Everyone loved it. I have just met the casting director lady and she is going to call me about doing an audition for Coronation Street. Isn’t that fantastic?’ Dora didn’t wait for an answer, but carried on past Sally, waving at someone across the bar. Jeremy was just ahead of Sally, about to lean into the bar and grab a glass of champagne.

  ‘Get one for me,’ she called out. The noise was unbelievable and she had to shout her request a second time. Jeremy smiled at her and passed her a glass and then got one for himself, and turned to give her a kiss.

  ‘Well done, Sally, the Dumb Show was a triumph.’

  ‘Well don
e you, more like. Jeremy, you were amazing – you were on fire!’ They hugged each other.

  ‘Oh, look at the luvvies,’ sneered Robert. ‘Daaarling, you were maaarvellous! God, nothing changes.’

  ‘Oh, shut up, Robert. Just for once stop posing and join in. It was bloody marvellous and you know it,’ said Jeremy. ‘Here, let me get you a glass of champagne.’ As Jeremy turned back to the bar, someone pinched his bum.

  ‘What the . . . ?’ he started, only to stop immediately as Eddie appeared at his side. ‘Don’t do that,’ Jeremy hissed. ‘That is exactly what we discussed we would not do, you stupid boy!’

  ‘Hello, Eddie, and how are you this evening?’ enquired Robert, stepping between the two men. ‘Did your family enjoy the play?’

  Eddie gave him a charming smile and replied: ‘Yes, thank you so much, Robert. You must be so proud of your very talented cast.’ He turned and beamed at Jeremy. ‘You were wonderful.’

  ‘Oh yes, they were all wonderful. Well, I must go and mingle. No doubt we will meet again – soon, I expect,’ Robert held them both in his gaze for a moment and then moved off.

  ‘He is impossible,’ said Sally. ‘Here, Jeremy, can you nab me another drink. So how are you, Eddie? Oh, here is your father.’ Sally stepped aside to allow Lord Graham to get to the bar. ‘Please, Your Lordship, let Jeremy do the honours. Jeremy, make that two glasses of champagne, please,’ she shouted over the hubbub. ‘Sorry, we haven’t been introduced. My name is Sally Thomas. I am a member of the company, and Jeremy is my best friend.’ She turned back to take the glasses from Jeremy, who having realized who they were for, was panicking silently.

  Eddie made the introductions, again formally, and they all politely chinked glasses.

  ‘The sword-fight was wicked,’ enthused Tilly. Then: ‘Have you ever made a mistake and stabbed each other?’

  Jeremy laughed. ‘Not yet, touch wood. And thankfully Rupert and I get on very well, so there is no danger he will stab me on purpose. I am sure there must have been times when actors didn’t like each other and things could have got a little . . . difficult.’

  Eddie joined in. ‘Well, we always hear about actors being bitchy to each other, don’t we?’

  ‘Oh, I think that aspect is exaggerated,’ replied Sally. ‘Certainly in this company we all pull together, don’t we, Jeremy?’

  ‘Really?’ said Eddie. ‘That’s not what Jeremy told me the other day. Your leading lady has been a nightmare, I gather.’ Suddenly realizing he had said too much, he whipped round to see if his father was listening. Lord Graham had, in fact, been accosted by a local dignitary and missed the conversation. Breathing a sigh of relief, Eddie took his sister’s arm and said smoothly, ‘Well, we have to go, don’t we, Tilly? Where is Mother? Lovely to meet you all and well done. Come on, Father.’ They disappeared into the throng and left Jeremy and Sally staring at each other.

  ‘Do I suspect a faux pas here?’ asked Sally. ‘I take it Lord Graham does not have any idea that you two are an item?’

  ‘Oh my God, no! That would be a disaster. Can you imagine the repercussions? Poor Eddie would probably be disinherited.’

  ‘But surely he is going to have to come out one day?’ said Sally. ‘He can’t pretend for the rest of his life.’

  ‘Lots of people do,’ replied Jeremy sadly. ‘I don’t know what is going to happen – I just know I love Eddie so much I couldn’t live without him.’

  Sally squeezed his hand and said kindly, ‘Come on, let’s go and join the others. I feel a Mrs Wong coming on.’

  They crossed to where the rest of the company were beginning to assemble ready for a mass exodus to the pub.

  ‘Hi, guys,’ said Pete. ‘We cracked it, didn’t we? No thanks to the management, but—’

  ‘Ssh, Pete!’ cautioned Janie. ‘The management is about to give a speech.’

  Giles Longfellow was tapping his glass and getting nowhere in his attempts to silence the crowd, until finally Simon put two fingers in his mouth and produced an ear-splitting whistle. The rest of the cast whooped with delight.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to stand here tonight and express my delight and gratitude to the citizens of Crewe for making this evening possible. To the members of the council who work with us on a daily basis to keep our theatre running. To all the members of staff front of house for their hard work, and to all the wonderful cast and crew for their tireless commitment. It has not been easy but I think I can honestly say tonight has made it all worthwhile. And finally I would like to extend a huge thank you to Lord Graham for his support. Nothing would happen without his generosity. Thank you, sir, and thank you, everyone. Enjoy the rest of your night!’

  Jeremy looked across the room to see Eddie, flanked by his mother and father, shaking hands with Giles and making their goodbyes. He caught Eddie’s eye and his lover flashed him a heart-melting smile.

  ‘Quite a boy, isn’t he?’ said a voice at his elbow. Jeremy looked at Robert and tried to gauge what he was driving at, but it was impossible to read the man. Jeremy was always left with a feeling of unease, as if Robert were about to divulge a terrible secret. But then it was true, wasn’t it? He did know a terrible secret and if he did divulge it they would all be ruined.

  ‘Coming to the pub, Robert?’ was all he said and he made his way to the door.

  Chapter 40

  Sally sat opposite Giles in his office and tried to take in what he was telling her.

  ‘I am afraid Isabelle will be leaving at the end of the week. This, of course, means a huge upheaval for the cast, and we will have to rehearse you in. For you it is an even bigger challenge, but one I know you will embrace with your usual professional approach. It is an extraordinary situation, I must say, and I feel very frustrated that my hands are tied.’

  ‘But what about her contract? Can she legally just bunk off like this?’ Sally could feel her anger bubbling up.

  ‘Legally it is not credible, but the circumstances are so unusual I have agreed to her dismissal. The trouble is, Sally, between you, me and the gatepost, Isabelle is a liability. The fact we managed – you managed – to get her on at all is a miracle. Her agent can provide a letter from a specialist confirming that she needs medical attention as soon as possible, so what can I say?’

  ‘But she is going off to Hollywood to make a film,’ protested Sally. ‘Is that a euphemism for “medical attention” or is that simply taking the mickey? I can’t believe people can get away with these things.’ She was growing angrier by the minute, and Giles was irritating her as well, because he was being so pathetic.

  ‘I know, I know, it is a hard pill to swallow. But the good news is, you are going to be playing Ophelia! Now I have called the company for two o’clock to explain everything, and by then we will have a rehearsal schedule worked out. It is going to be very tough for everyone, as we have to start the next production at the same time. Thank God it is Victorian Music Hall. Not too much to rehearse, just learning the songs really. Timothy is so good he will soon have everybody off their song-sheets, and Sarah is going to help me stage some of the numbers.’

  ‘Sarah?’ said Sally. ‘Why Sarah?’

  ‘Oh, she has done a lot of Music Hall and I went to see her at the Leeds Variety last year. She was wonderful. She came to me earlier in the season and asked if she could assist, and now it will be a great help, because I will be rather busy for the first week sorting out your performances. By the way, I have given Dora your big number since I thought you will not be so free to rehearse. So I hope you don’t mind that I have given her “Burlington Bertie”. Is that OK with you, dear?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ But Sally wanted to weep. She had been so looking forward to doing that number and had already learned it. She was going to be sidelined again. Still, it wasn’t all bad. She was going to play Ophelia with Rupert for a whole week! The thought drove everything else from her mind.

  ‘Right – well, I had better get off to Wardrobe and sort out costu
mes. Thank you, Giles, I will not let you down,’ she told him.

  ‘I know you will be marvellous, and by way of reparation I have invited a top London agent up next week to cover your performance. He is going to come with James Langton, who I know is an old friend of yours.’ Giles looked very pleased with himself.

  ‘Oh, that is fantastic news!’ exclaimed Sally. ‘Thank you so much, Giles.’ And she practically hopped with joy out of his office.

  The rest of the cast were thrilled with her news, although they were not so thrilled by the thought of more rehearsal.

  ‘I will do my best to learn it all quickly,’ Sally promised them. ‘Listen, I know most of the play because I have been working on it.’

  ‘Can I take over all your stuff then?’ chimed in Dora, always quick to jump on an opportunity.

  ‘Yes, you can,’ said Sally. ‘We will need to work on that, obviously. We will have to co-ordinate times with Timothy and his rehearsals. Congratulations, by the way, Giles has told me you are going to do “Burlington Bertie”.’

  Dora had the grace to look slightly sheepish. ‘Oh thanks, Sally. I am sorry you have missed out but you are going to be brilliant as Ophelia.’

  ‘I hope so,’ her sister said.

  Rupert was beside himself when Sally found him in his dressing room.

  ‘How can she do this to me?’ He was nearly in tears. Sally wanted to console him but she was actually annoyed that he seemed more upset for himself than for the situation, and the fact that the stupid cow had dumped everyone in the proverbial, not only him, for her own selfish reasons.

  ‘How can she do this to us, you mean,’ she chided. ‘Come on, Rupert, the girl is a mess and has completely lost the plot. She has got away with murder. Giles has released her from her contract so she can gallivant off to Hollywood. She is completely selfish.’

  ‘I know that, Sally, but I love her. We were going to get a place together. We had the West End production to look forward to – what will happen to that now?’