The Leading Lady Read online

  I knocked on her door and she opened it irritably. ‘Yes?’

  There was a pair of glasses nestled in her hair and she looked pale and tired. I felt a pang of concern for the long hours she’d been keeping. Most of our previous guests had left here with a bit of colour in their cheeks, a lightness to their step and far fewer wrinkles on their foreheads than they arrived with. If anything, Maxine looked more haggard than when she’d arrived.

  ‘Hi,’ I said brightly. ‘We wondered if you’d like to join us for Sunday dinner. We’re having Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes and Theo is rigging a laptop up to the TV so we can all look at the pictures from Kate’s travels after we’ve eaten.’

  She shuddered. ‘Someone else’s holiday photographs. Ugh. Is there anything more mind-numbing in the world?’

  ‘I’ll take that as a no, then.’

  ‘I’ll have the food, though; stick some on a plate and I’ll reheat it later. Thank you.’ She began to close the door and then hesitated. ‘I have to say,’ she said, gazing at me steadily, ‘I am underwhelmed by your reaction to the news about The Holy Coast. I’ve handed you the biggest part of your career and you’ve barely batted an eye. I expected you to be beating down my door wanting details. You haven’t even asked to see the script. Have I made a mistake by casting you as my leading lady?’

  I withered under her scrutiny. She looked so stern and disappointed. As well she might; I was disappointed with myself, to be honest. I had lots to say to her, I just didn’t quite have the words in the right order yet.

  ‘You haven’t made a mistake, Maxine. It just came as a shock, that’s all, and my plate has had an awful lot on it lately. And I have called by but you’ve always been on the phone.’

  She waved away my excuses with an impatient hand. ‘Just don’t let me down.’

  ‘I wouldn’t.’ I shook my head. ‘I’m … I’m trying not to let anyone down. That’s part of the problem.’

  She opened the door again fully and leaned against the frame. ‘If it’s Victory Road you’re worried about, you can relax,’ she said more gently. ‘Had an update from the writers. They’re definitely killing you off. Nurse Marjorie and Constable Hardy will be canoodling inside your cubicle on the ward when Nurse Elsie flatlines. They might need you for one more scene and that will be that. You’ll be free. Perfect timing, I think you’ll agree?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ I said with a big smile. I pushed aside the small niggle of sadness at not being part of the cast any more; onwards and upwards, and all that. And as Maxine said, she had handed me a much bigger part to take its place. ‘It’s your last day here tomorrow, so I thought we could—’

  She interrupted me with a shimmy of her frizzy hair as she shook her head. ‘No it’s not. I’ve booked a few extra days with Theo. Getting so much done here I’ve decided to stay.’

  ‘Great! Perhaps we can do lunch at The Sea Urchin before you go, and fit in that guided tour I mentioned?’

  ‘All right, but no more boats.’

  ‘Deal.’

  Phew. I scampered back to Driftwood Lodge clutching my turkey stock cubes, pleased to have got that out of the way. I had some extra time to come up with a plan, I just hoped it would be enough.

  Chapter 33

  Kate met me at the door, a bottle of wine in one hand and three glasses in the other. She was wearing one of Theo’s shirts, which came down to her knees, leggings and slippers and she was … glowing, there was no other word for it. Cheeks flushed, eyes bright and a ready laugh, like a child on Christmas morning.

  ‘Goody!’ she beamed, pressing red lips to my cheek. ‘Now the party can get started.’

  ‘Sorry I’ve been ages, I ended up doing a life coaching session with Jethro.’

  ‘Good grief, you are honoured,’ she said, amused. ‘I’m normally sent out with a flea in my ear for asking how he is.’

  ‘He finds it hard to open up,’ I said diplomatically.

  ‘Well, he’s a man, isn’t he?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Anyway, no need to apologize. We had a nap this afternoon and Theo is a bit behind with the potatoes. We probably needed the rest.’

  ‘Probably,’ I agreed, although privately I thought the noises coming from their bedroom as I’d left hadn’t sounded particularly sleep-related. ‘And dinner smells delicious.’

  ‘It’s the least we can do after all the work you and Molly have done,’ she insisted, pushing the door shut with her foot. ‘We’re very lucky to have you.’

  There were absolutely no hard feelings on Kate’s part that I had secretly spent a month in her home with her husband. She was just delighted that he was back on his feet and ready to face the future again. With her.

  Absence had definitely worked miracles in their case. I was thrilled for them, although it did make my presence here redundant. I supposed really I should go, perhaps move into Archie’s house until we began shooting The Holy Coast, or go and clear out my room at Trudy’s flat. But something was holding me back, keeping me here. There was something about this place that made my heart soar and I didn’t want to leave until I absolutely had to. Something and possibly someone.

  There was a woof from the kitchen followed by men’s laughter and I shot Kate an amused look; I recognized that bark.

  ‘Jude’s here with Mabel,’ she admitted. ‘Theo invited him to even up the numbers. You don’t mind, do you?’

  ‘No,’ I said, willing my cheeks not to colour. ‘The more the merrier.’

  ‘Thought not,’ she said with a smirk. ‘Come on, we girls are in here.’

  She popped the stock cubes into the kitchen and ushered me into the living room while I tried to rake fingers through my wind-tousled hair and wondered whether it would be really obvious if I went upstairs, changed out of my jeans and put on some make-up.

  This room was my favourite in the house. I loved the double aspect with views out to the field at the back and across to the cottages at the front. The soft leather sofas were so comfy you could easily sink into them and doze in front of the open fire, which was lit this evening and gave a lovely woody aroma to the room. Mittens was curled up asleep on the back of the sofa, probably hoping not to be spotted by Mabel, and Molly was kneeling at the coffee table poring over sheets of paper. A laptop was propped up next to her with wires trailing to the television, ready for our slideshow later.

  ‘Hi!’ Molly looked up from the table. ‘Look at these. Brightside Holidays is going large.’

  Another one with a loved-up glow to her cheeks. She looked like a different woman: pretty and carefree in a denim miniskirt, high-heeled boots and a clingy T-shirt which showed off her trim figure perfectly.

  I accepted a glass of wine from Kate and knelt down beside Molly. The large sheets of paper were plans to convert the garage and one of the outbuildings into accommodation.

  ‘These look amazing!’ I said, impressed.

  ‘Theo drew them roughly to show my parents,’ Kate blushed prettily. She kicked off her slippers and tucked her feet underneath her on the sofa. ‘His way of proving to them that he means business.’

  I scanned the pages quickly. With these new units, they’d have six properties to rent out. Theo had been concerned that having only three wouldn’t give them enough income. This would make a huge difference. ‘And were they impressed?’

  ‘Very. In fact,’ Kate’s voice caught in her throat and she swallowed, ‘Dad said he was proud of him. And that he understood what a difficult time he’d had after Ivy died. All a bit emotional, actually.’

  She paused to shove a tissue under her glasses and I squeezed her knee.

  ‘Mum even had a few ideas of her own.’ Kate sniffed and blinked her tears away. ‘She suggested that we install outside facilities and make room for a small caravan site on the field at the back.’

  ‘Don’t your parents have a caravan?’ Molly asked.

  Kate grinned. ‘Yes, we realized straight away that she had an ulterior motive. But Mum and Dad went off into the kitchen for an un
subtle whisper and came back with the proposal that they invest in our business in return for first dibs on a pitch for their caravan.’

  ‘So that would mean you won’t have to borrow money for the building work,’ I said.

  Kate nodded.

  ‘I’d snap their hands off,’ Molly said, getting off her knees to peer out of the living-room window at the field. ‘I reckon you could get around five or six caravans out there.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ said Kate, ‘and it would mean that we could get started straight away, rather than wait until we’ve saved up some money. I just don’t want Theo feeling as if he’s failed because we can’t afford to pay for it ourselves. You know what men are like.’

  ‘Arrogant, pig-headed, cheating knobs … Sorry, old habits.’ Molly looked sheepish. ‘Present men excepted, obviously.’

  ‘And you said your dad is proud of Theo; this is their way of showing it, showing their support,’ I added, feeling a curious ache in my throat. ‘It’s a lovely thing to do.’

  That was all I ever wanted really: for my dad – and my mum – to be proud of me. I was still at university when Mum died, although I knew she wasn’t impressed with my intended choice of career. But Dad … I couldn’t help wondering whether he’d ever seen me on television and, if so, was he proud?

  I looked at the flowers that had been sent to me with the mysterious message on the window sill next to Molly. I’d left the card tucked into the top of them, meaning to do something about it. I crossed the room, plucked a couple of faded rose petals off and reread it.

  Congratulations on that amazing cliffhanger episode of Victory Road. Your dad would be so proud. T x

  Would be. Which I took to mean that he hadn’t seen it. Perhaps ‘T’ was his second wife? If so, perhaps I had half-siblings? With the lifeboat house campaign and then being offered this new role, not to mention Archie’s reluctance to get involved, I hadn’t had the chance to try to track down the sender.

  ‘Another admirer?’ Molly said, looking over my shoulder.

  ‘Sort of.’ I passed her the card.

  ‘Ooh. This is exciting. Does Archie know?’

  I nodded. ‘He thinks I should ignore it.’

  ‘As if,’ Molly scoffed. ‘Mind you, it’s not a lot to go on. Do you have any idea who “T” could be?’

  ‘No,’ I said with a sigh. ‘I wish now I’d checked through all the papers when we’d cleared Mum’s house after she died. There wasn’t a lot because she’d already had a sort-out. But Archie was in such a rush to get the house on the market so that he could get back to work that there simply wasn’t time.’

  Kate pushed between us and topped up our glasses. ‘He told Theo that he’s trying to protect you. He’s worried you’ll get hurt if you investigate who these flowers are from.’

  ‘For goodness’ sake, I’m a big girl now,’ I said crossly.

  ‘I think it’s sweet that he cares,’ said Molly.

  ‘Anyway, talking of admirers, what’s the latest?’ Kate said in a low voice. She nudged Molly and they both grinned at me. ‘Any snogging behind the boat shed?’

  ‘If you mean with Jude, there’s nothing to report,’ I said, which was mostly the truth.

  I wedged the card back into the flowers to deal with later and sank down on the sofa. ‘He’s made it perfectly plain that he’s not bothered one way or another about my imminent departure from Brightside Cove.’

  ‘Don’t be fooled,’ Kate said wisely, ‘as I keep saying, men are masters at keeping their feelings well hidden.’

  ‘And you’ve got further than any of the other women who’ve tried to lure him,’ Molly put in.

  ‘I haven’t tried to lure him!’ I protested. Our first kiss in his van had been a joint effort. And that had been our only proper one. Other than that I’d only managed to get the odd hug and peck on the cheek from him.

  ‘Molly just means that he’s not known as a womanizer,’ Kate said with a giggle.

  He certainly wasn’t. Even when I’d blatantly posed for a kiss outside the boat shed yesterday, all I’d managed to extract from him was a hug before he pulled away and whistled to Mabel.

  ‘None of my business either way,’ I said breezily, ‘I’ll be leaving soon, so there’s no point Jude and I starting something we can’t finish. It will be much neater that way; no loose ends.’

  Say it fast, Nina, and it doesn’t seem so bad …

  ‘Ahem.’ Jude was at the door, a blank expression on his face. ‘Theo said to say that dinner is ready.’

  Three women with rosy faces trotted meekly into the kitchen in his wake.

  Dinner had been delicious and now Molly, Archie, Jude and I were back in the living room slumped on sofas and waiting to make room for the cheeseboard.

  Theo was busy dimming the lights and lighting scented candles, while Kate was pouring port into a decanter and rooting out matching crystal glasses from the cupboard. Archie and Molly were thigh to thigh with hands entwined, while I was sitting in the middle of one sofa with Jude beside me. Mabel had her head pressed in between us and now and then our hands touched as we both reached to stroke her ears, sending a pulse of electricity up my arm.

  This, I thought, feeling mellow with wine and gazing sleepily into the flames of the fire, was the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening. There was a tray of coffee on the table but I was too comfortable to reach for it. Besides, the sensation of Jude’s body against mine kept me exactly where I was.

  ‘She’s in heaven,’ said Jude, echoing my thoughts, albeit about his beloved pooch.

  ‘So who’s ready to see some photos of my travels?’ Kate said, taking a big slurp of port.

  ‘By some, she means about a thousand,’ Theo teased.

  ‘Oi, you.’ She smacked his leg as he took the empty space beside me. She picked up the TV remote and selected the correct channel and settled at his feet. A picture appeared on the screen of a sea of penguins dotted over a barren landscape pitted with small holes, most of which had penguins nesting in them.

  ‘Oh, Punta Arenas in Chile!’ she gasped. ‘Look at the baby penguins!’

  ‘And look at you, Kate!’ said Molly. ‘You look so cute in your little ski jacket and woolly hat.’

  ‘And so … on your own,’ Theo added wistfully.

  ‘This was such an amazing experience. Flippin’ cold, but amazing,’ Kate replied.

  ‘It looks it.’ Theo’s eyes were glued to the screen as it filled time and time again with selfies of Kate pointing excitedly at baby penguins.

  ‘Aww, baby.’ Kate tilted her head back so that he could kiss her. ‘I won’t go anywhere without you from now on, I promise. I don’t even mind if I never leave here again.’

  ‘I’ll drink to that,’ said Molly, lifting her glass. ‘In fact, none of us should leave.’

  ‘I haven’t even got a passport,’ said Jude, sipping his wine. ‘So I’m not going anywhere. I made it to Brightside Cove and liked what I saw, so I stayed.’

  My eyes met his and he gently reached for my hand and squeezed it. He smiled at me and in that split second I could see we were on the same wavelength. I knew how he felt because I felt the same, except I couldn’t stay, could I?

  ‘I’ll be leaving before too long,’ I said, with more positivity than I felt. ‘I’m sure Theo and Kate will be glad to have the house back to themselves.’

  ‘And I’ve got to go soon,’ said Archie, pulling a face. ‘I’ve got people at work clamouring for answers. I made the mistake of checking my emails when I went to the loo.’

  ‘La la la la la.’ Molly put fingers in her ears. ‘Not listening.’

  ‘But I’ll be back,’ he said earnestly, ‘that’s a promise.’ Archie had offered to drive Molly home and was the only one not drinking. Molly had confided to me that if he played his cards right, he wouldn’t be coming back to Driftwood Lodge tonight. He was a great kisser, she’d said, and had a lovely pert bum. At which point I’d reminded her that there were only so many images of my broth
er I could deal with and thankfully she’d shut up.

  ‘And I bet Nina will be back.’ Theo grinned, glancing at Jude’s hand over mine.

  I smiled but said nothing. Goodness only knew when that would be.

  Kate tapped the table to get our attention. ‘Look, everyone, this was that yoga week I did in Argentina.’

  We all obediently looked at the screen and then simultaneously cocked our heads to the left to work out what we were seeing.

  ‘Good grief,’ said Theo on behalf of all of us, his eyes out on stalks. ‘That’s what I call flexible.’

  ‘Whoops, sorry,’ Kate giggled, reaching for the remote to click forward. ‘Clothes optional for that session. I was in over my head a bit there.’

  ‘Literally,’ Molly said, still gawping.

  ‘Christ,’ said Archie, shuddering, ‘I’ve only just recovered from seeing my own sister naked on TV in Silent Witness.’

  ‘Nina!’ Jude’s eyes glinted with mirth. ‘I didn’t realize you were that sort of actress.’

  I could feel him shaking with laughter beside me.

  ‘It was for the BBC,’ I protested. ‘All above board.’

  ‘I’m glad you’re not going to be back to London for this new show, Neen,’ said Archie, helping himself to coffee.

  No, I thought miserably, just the opposite end of the British Isles.

  ‘You look like a washed-out, watercolour version of yourself when you’re there,’ he added, pouring a splash of milk into his cup.

  ‘Gee thanks,’ I said, amused. ‘And what do I look like here?’

  He thought about that for a moment. ‘A big pollock.’

  Molly snorted. ‘You can’t describe your sister like that.’

  Archie’s eyebrows leapt up, feigning innocence. ‘I meant that she’s bright and bold here, that’s all. Alive.’

  ‘A backhanded compliment but I’ll take it,’ I said.

  ‘What about me?’ Molly asked. ‘What sort of painting am I?’

  ‘Something Pre-Raphaelite: all gorgeous and goddess-like.’

  ‘Great,’ I laughed. ‘She gets gorgeous goddess and I get Pollock, which we all know you only chose because of what it rhymes with.’