Page 71 of The Wedding Dress Repair Shop
*
With what trepidation and excitement I set out with Sara for the Cockleshell Theatre off Drury Lane, drab as any house sparrow in my stuffy gown and brown pelisse. I meant to give Mr Blake some of Titania’s speeches fromA Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which I had made such a hit the previous year at the Grange – but even at seventeen, I realized that, supposing I should be luckyenough to gain a small place in his company of players, I had much to learn and, according to Sara, the enmity and jealousy of the older and well-established actresses to contend with, who assume the major roles as of right.
Mr Blake was a rosy-faced, portly man with silver curling hair and a most abstracted expression, so that at first he did not seem interested in me.
But he invited me to take off my bonnet and step on to the stage, then recite something for him and his brother, Joseph, who had now joined him.
Sara gave me an encouraging push forward, for I seemed rooted to the spot with fear – but once I stood on the stage and began my piece, it was as if I became Titania and forgot my audience entirely.
There was a silence after I finished in which I returned to the realization of where I was, after which Mr Blake asked me to sing.
I thought the sound seemed a little lost in that great space and Mr Joseph Blake seemed to agree, for he said I had a pretty voice, though perhaps not very carrying. However, much could be done to improve it.
Then Mr Blake said indeed, and that I had much to learn about the profession before any speaking part could be allotted to me …
Then the brothers conferred in tones too low for me to hear and I came down from the stage to stand with Sara, my knees trembling, feeling that my fate hung in the balance …
But then, to my delight, Mr Blake gave me to understand that I might become a very minor part of the company that his brother, Mr Joseph, would be taking on tour that summer!
I would be paid little, of course, for I had everything to learn, and he also stressed the good name and reputation of his theatre and actors.
Sara, too, would be accompanying us, to help dress the ladies and other such tasks.
*
On our way home, Sara said her presence would help protect me from the advances of young men of fashion, who would inevitably cast their lures at such a young and pretty actress. I told her I would be very glad of this, for I was still of the same mind and intended to remain single and virtuous.
24
Ice Cream and Angels
‘From what the Rev. Jo-Jo told me about Jericho’s End, it sounded fascinating, with Fairy Falls and an old garden,’ I said.
‘It’s a tiny tourist hotspot and there’s an endless debate about whether there are fairies or angels inhabiting the local falls,’ said Thom. ‘There’s a nice walk up to the falls, a really good ice-cream parlour, and the old physic garden that’s being restored and opened to the public.’
‘There’s the ruin of a small early monastic settlement, too,’ said Baz, ‘near a really good pub called the Devil’s Cauldron.’
‘With so much going on there, I can see why it’s a tourist hotspot,’ I said.
‘It was hugely popular for day-trippers in the Victorian era, and the ice-cream parlour was one of the earliest in the country, outside London,’ Baz said. ‘It fell out of favour a bit, after that, then became an artists’ colony between the wars. Now it’s back on the up again.’
‘I’ll take you up there,’ offered Thom. ‘In fact, we could all have an excursion, if anyone else wants to come?’
‘Derek and I go up there all the time anyway. I like to paint near the falls and we take a picnic in good weather,’ said Baz.
‘I suppose I could come if it was a Thursday afternoon, when the shop is closed,’ said Pearl.
‘Thursday afternoon is the traditional half-day closing for the shops here,’ Simon explained to me. ‘The market packs up around lunchtime and then the town goes dead.’
‘The museum will be shut on Thursdays, too,’ Honey reminded me, leaning over to join in the conversation.
‘We could have a late lunch in the Devil’s Cauldron, or an ice-cream tea at the café by the entrance to the waterfall walk … or both,’ Simon suggested rather greedily.
‘Simon, since we’re bound to be back here for dinner that evening, I think a coffee and an ice cream at Ice Cream and Angels should be enough!’ said Pearl.
‘Ice Cream and Angels?’ I echoed.
‘That’s the name of the café,’ she explained. ‘They make their own delicious ices and soft drinks. Then afterwards, we can burn up some calories walking to the Fairy Falls.’
