Sebastian picked up the programme and called the cast together for that last-minute pep talk. He knew what to say; he’d listened to enough words of wisdom from experienced directors before. He wanted to eliminate all the actors’ nerves and encourage them to enjoy the performance. Doing this convincingly meant he had to compose himself. He peeped outside the Folly’s slit windows and took a deep breath. The grounds were filling up. That’s a good thing, he told himself and with an air of confidence, pulled his shoulders back, inhaled fully and spoke with utter conviction to the team surrounding him.
*
Tobias and Megan sat on the front row, eager for the show to begin. Baby Edward was sound asleep in his pram, oblivious to the commotion around him. The two seats empty next to them were to be occupied by Finula and Marcus. Megan bobbed her head into the pram.
She turned to Tobias. ‘If he wakes up and cries, I’ll have to take him back.’
‘No you won’t. I’ve got Henry to do that.’ He thumbed the row behind them, where Henry dutifully sat. Megan smiled to herself. Given the choice, she suspected Henry would much rather wheel Edward back to the Hall than sit through the play.
She caught sight of Finula out of the corner of her eye and waved to get her attention. Waving back, Finula ushered Marcus to the front row to join them. Tobias stood up to kiss Finula and shake Marcus’ hand. He discreetly whispered something to him, which Marcus nodded his head at. After admiring Edward, Finula sat next to Megan and chatted excitedly about the shopping trip she’d arranged for a wedding dress. As the two girls exchanged chit-chat, Tobias and Marcus spoke quietly.
‘I’m worried about him, there’s something he’s not telling me,’ Tobias said in a low tone.
‘Do you think he’ll talk to me though?’ replied Marcus with a frown.
‘He may do. If not, I want you to approach Jamie – obviously you know him better than me.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’ Marcus looked into his brother’s eyes and saw how troubled he was. ‘Don’t worry, Tobias, we’ll get to the bottom of it.’
For Tobias, it was good to have his brother’s reassurance. Up until now it had only ever been him shouldering the burden.
‘Thanks, Marcus.’
*
Emily ran to the front, frantic to have the best view. Daniel called her back, but she insisted on the last three seats. She sat Snuggles on the middle one.
‘Hurry up!’ she called, making Megan and Finula laugh. Daniel quickly sat down, shortly followed by Christie.
‘Now sit down and be quiet, Emily,’ coaxed Daniel, feeling slightly self-conscious. He faced Marcus and Finula. ‘Hello again.’ He smiled.
‘Hi,’ replied Finula, then turned to Tobias and Megan. ‘Meet Daniel and Emily – they’re staying at The Templar.’
‘Hello.’ Megan grinned.
Tobias nodded his head. The name Daniel resonated with him for a moment. Then he recalled an email he had received the other day from someone staying at The Templar. Daniel politely included Christie.
‘We’ve roped Christie into coming with us.’ He laughed.
‘Good for you. I’m sure she deserves a night off,’ replied Finula.
Christie chuckled and thought how much Finula was like her dad.
‘Ladies, gentlemen and children, please take your seats and be dazzled by A Midsummer Night’s Dream!’ An actress with long, flowing auburn hair, wearing a dark green, shimmering dress and fairy wings called across the crowds. Hushes and whispers followed in anticipation – The Folly Players were about to perform.
And perform they did with seamless grace and skill. As predicted, Sebastian stole the show with his hilarious interpretation of Puck. Little Emily howled with laughter, as Daniel had predicted, at Bottom and his donkey’s head, whilst Christie soberly reflected on a line of his; “And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days.” The words dug deeply, sending her into another world.
Daniel caught her pained expression and had a sudden urge to kiss her troubles away. His own instincts took him by surprise for a moment, then when spending time discreetly observing those full, red lips she anxiously chewed, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to join his to them. A dark curl of hair had covered one of her eyes and he resisted the urge to sweep it back in place. She was naturally pretty, without the use of cosmetics. He remembered how Jenna used to plaster herself in make-up. Christie didn’t need it with her fresh complexion and rosy cheeks.
She caught him clocking her and looked into his eyes. For a moment they just stared at each other, until he whispered, ‘You OK?’
She nodded her head and smiled faintly. He so wanted to reach out to her, but this was hardly the time and place. He glanced down. Emily was half asleep now, leaning against him. Hardly surprising, he thought; it had been quite a full, eventful day for her.
“Lord what fools these mortals be!” cried Puck. Daniel considered this for a moment. Was he being foolish? Hoping to start afresh in the village of Treweham? Was it a pipe dream? His glance moved to Tobias, sitting a few seats away. There was a lot hinging on his decision. Would he sell him Keeper’s Cottage?
Marcus was observing Sebastian closely. Although by first appearances his brother seemed confident, Marcus’ eyes narrowed at the slightly uneven steps he made. He also noticed his hand quiver slightly when pouring the “magic potion” onto his characters. He suspected Tobias’ concerns were well founded.
After almost two hours of constant entertainment, Puck spoke the closing words of the play, “If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended. That you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear.”
This was met with a thundering applause and a standing ovation from the crowd. The cast all lined up, joined hands and took their final bow.
Megan’s eyes watered at seeing the utter pride and joy in Sebastian’s face. Then, on seeing Edward stir from the loud clapping and cheers, she picked him up from his pram. Luckily, he was happy to be tucked inside his mother’s arms without wailing.
Tobias gently stroked the top of his head. Then he turned sharply towards the security staff, who were positioned round the audience. Their job was to swiftly guide every member of the public out of the grounds with minimum fuss. He was perhaps a little paranoid where his family was concerned, but always hid this from Megan. The last thing he wanted was to make her fearful.
*
Daniel carried a now sleeping Emily back to The Templar with Christie.
‘She looks so angelic,’ whispered Christie.
‘I know,’ agreed Daniel, his heart melting. ‘I’ll put her straight to bed. Then do you fancy a nightcap?’ he asked, knowing Emily would be safe and not wake up.
‘That would be nice.’ She really didn’t want to go to bed in this mood. Although she’d enjoyed the play, the feeling of melancholy it brought was proving hard to shake off. Would this empty emotion always haunt her? She prayed not.
After safely tucking Emily into her comfy bed, Daniel came back downstairs to join Christie in the bar. It was fairly quiet and Dermot had a bottle of wine chilling for them.
‘You two go and relax with this.’ He pointed to a secluded alcove near the inglenook fire. Christie smiled to herself. If she didn’t know him better, she’d swear he was trying his best to match-make.