Page 36 of Positively, Penelope

PS: Another weird coincidence? After I started putting up reels related to our current rehearsals AND began offering some “stories” of the cast, one of the actors sent me a link where Emblem started doing the same things on their social media platforms.

PPS: And their newest advertisement looks like a design I’d been working on but hadn’t made public yet. I shared it with the Darling House team and Izzy, but no one else. Another coincidence? Please say yes; otherwise there’s a real possibility that we have a mole in the theater.

Chapter8

Text from Matt to Gwynn:Did you happen to express to MissEdgewood that I appreciated her presence during rehearsals?

Gwynn:Why shouldn’t I share with her something nice you said about her? It made her day. It would be even nicer if you said it to her. She’s the sort of person who thrives on being helpful to others.

Matt:How do you know I haven’t shared my appreciation for her? And yes, I see what sort she is. But she’s also very young, believes in fairy tales, tends to sing an inordinate amount of the time, and carries that ridiculous bag around with her everywhere she goes.

Gwynn:I can actually FEEL you smiling right now, despite what you say. And as I recall, her “ridiculous bag” has come in handy. You know she calls it her Mary Poppins bag?

Matt:I don’t know how she manages to have everything and anything within it. She’s found tweezers, shoelaces, feathers, and a lollipop for when Iris had been waiting for me longer than planned. I’m starting to think it may very well be Mary Poppins’s bag.

Gwynn:I knew you liked her. I was just wanting you to admit it.

Matt:I never admitted it.

Skymarian Theater Troupe

From: FA

To: Skymarian Theater Troupe

It was great to see everyone on Friday. Welcome to our new members! I feel as though there’s some new (and needed) energy to our group with former members returning and new members who bring such passion.

As a reminder, we have a team member who is looking for some creative help. You know who she is. Meet her at FS’s garage Thursday evening after rehearsal if you have time to lend a hand. Remember, it’s for a good cause and a great way to drum up some publicity forMy Fair Lady(for those of you involved in that).

Let’s join together for the cause of the “creatives.”

***

Text from Penelope to Gwynn:Classes! Have we ever offered classes at The Darling House for things like acting lessons, dance, and voice? I feel as though I read something about it in papers I’ve uncovered, but I can’t remember.

Penelope:Emblem does it, but the costs are astronomical and there are practically no classic dance classes. I’ve been around Mountcaster and a few of the existing villages enough to say... Skymar is a “classics” place.

Gwynn:We used to! In fact, Matt taught me dance, but after Granny and Mum died, things fell apart. And Matt stopped dancing after his ex-wife left.

Penelope read the text again and then dialed Gwynn’s number. The phone rang just as the idea that Gwynn might be in class surfaced in Penelope’s mind. She rushed to push the End button, but a hello greeted her from the other end.

“I’m sorry, Gwynn,” Penelope said, hurrying forward before Gwynn could say anything else. “I forgot that you might be in class.”

“Actually, I’m having a cup of tea and reviewing the website, so it’s a perfect time to talk. Is all well?”

Gwynn’s lovely accent always made Penelope smile—dulcet and clear like Emily Blunt or Emma Thompson, except with the special Skymarian curl.

“Not to seem overly curious, Gwynn, but is Matthias a dancer?”

“Matthias, is it?” Her laugh bubbled out. “Oh, he’s going to love that.”

“It’s a wonderful name.” Penelope stepped out onto the little porch of her cottage, orange and pink hues of sunset painting watercolors across the sapphire sky. She drew in a deep breath of the air, tinged with the scent of rain. Luke had taught her how to smell rain in the air. She wrapped an arm around herself in a hug. An Iris hug would come in handy right about now. “I can’t understand why he’d be ashamed of it.”

“Deirdre didn’t like it.” An edge entered Gwynn’s voice, hinting at the identification of this Deirdre. Matthias and Deirdre. Oh, but those names would look lovely on wedding invitations. “One of the many things she decided she didn’t like about Matt, especially not enough to give up her career.”

“Is that what happened?” Penelope gasped. “She gave up her family for her career?”

“Matt and Deirdre taught dance lessons at Darling. He’s been dancing since he was eight and it broke my heart when he stopped.”

---