Page 19 of Love At First Fright
“Not at all, she’s always a delight. Tired herself out chasing wood pigeons in the field over there.” Eva smiled down at the little dog.
“Well, if it isn’t Ellis Finch,” came a posh, bellowing voice.
Lance Lilitree, jewel in the crown of classical British actors, sauntered over to Ellis, decorative cane in hand. If Ellis didn’t know better, he’d have thought Lance was already in costume as the Victorian lord of the manor.
“Lance, it’s lovely to see you.” Ellis grinned as they hugged. “It’s been far too long.”
“So it has. A few more greys in your hair now, though still none in mine.” Lance laughed, aware of the running joke the tabloids ran about his penchant for dyeing his hair.
“We can’t all be gifted at birth,” Ellis said. “I’m sorry you couldn’t join us last night.”
“As am I,” Lance said mournfully, “but my darling Arthur was onstage at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. He plays a truly devious Iago.”
“I can believe it.”
Lance leant closer, conspiratorially whispering in Ellis’s ear, “So, have you met her yet?”
Ellis frowned. “Who?”
“Our talented author, our scriptwriter extraordinaire. Rosemary Shaw.”
“I…have. She was there last night.”
“And?” Lance’s eyes widened. “I had a brief call with her a few months ago, so she could answer queries about the old Lord Parlow, and she was cute as a button. If I batted for the other team and was forty years younger, well, I’d certainly have put my name on her dance card. For someone so young, she’s wonderfully bold and bright, wouldn’t you agree?”
Rosemary wasn’t nearby to overhear him, so Ellis admitted the truth. “Definitely. She’s very sharp.”
—
Ellis had barely any moretime to chat with Lance before the entire group of senior cast and crew, among them Vincent, Jeremy, Cathy, Lance, Marissa, and Rosemary, were taken on a guided recce of the manor.
Vincent and Jeremy had been there before, so the point of this recce was more to familiarise Ellis and Lance with the layout of the house, as well as a few crucial locations where they would be filming. Vincent took a very hands-on approach to directing, and Ellis appreciated him all the more for it.
They were led on the tour by a stately older white woman named Mrs. Fairfax, steward of the manor. She reminded Ellis of a stern primary school maths teacher.
Throughout the start of the tour, just around the front façade of the house, Vincent pulled Ellis into conversation about a few important shots he wanted to get, and how he wanted Ellis to approach them. As much as he was focusing on being in “work mode,” Ellis couldn’t help but be keenly aware of Rosemary’s position behind him on the tour, nattering away with Lance. Every now and again, he heard a burst of her Southern accent or her laughter. She barely smiled around him, let alone laughed. What was Lance doing that he wasn’t? Oh, that’s right. Lance wasn’t going out of his way to rile her up.
They paused on the tour by the tech base, located to the right of the main entrance, where various departmental trucks and gazebos were stationed, a slew of crew unloading and building equipment for the following day’s shooting.
As Vincent and Jeremy paused to discuss something with one of the ADs, Ellis felt Fig pull her lead taut, and before he could grab it, she went bounding off.
Fortunately, Fig didn’t go far. Unfortunately, she appeared to have taken a liking to Rosemary, and was wagging her tail furiously as she nuzzled into Rosemary’s hand.
“You’re so cute,” he heard her say as he approached. Their eyes met; Ellis noticed her expression darken almost immediately, like a sudden April rainstorm.
“I suppose I should thank you for the book,” she said, not sounding very thankful at all.
“No, you shouldn’t. It’s my fault it was ruined in the first place.”
“Well. Thanks anyway.”
“You probably should be apologising,” Ellis found himself saying, somewhat against his own will. Was he flirting with her?God damn it.
Rosemary raised an eyebrow and stood. As she did so, a cold October gust picked up, sending her hair billowing in his direction. The scent of lavender and mint.
“Why is that?” she asked.
“I read a little bit of it, the killer mermaid book. Scary stuff. Kept me up all night.”
