her bedroom and was sure she could hear Beth Jenkins singing. Well, screeching really. It wasn’t melodious enough to be called singing.
There was a banging and a scratching at the front door as somebody tried to get it open and then it sounded as if everybody was trying to get in all at once. Kay giggled as she opened her bedroom door and dared to peep over the stairs.
‘Shusssssshhhh!’ Sophie was whispering. ‘You shusssshhhhh!’ Beth retorted, stumbling up the first stair.
‘You always have to overdo things, Beth. That’s your problem.’
‘Don’t you tell me what my problem is!’ Beth said. ‘My problem is you!’ she said, poking a finger into Sophie’s chest.
‘Yeah? Well my problem is you !’ Sophie said in response.
‘Ladies, ladies!’ Oli cut in. ‘We can’t have the Musgrove sisters at war with each other now, can we?’
Kay watched as they all came tripping up the stairs. Beth’s face was bright red and she had a naughty gleam in her eye. Oli’s blond hair was tousled as if somebody had been ruffling it – Beth, probably, Kay thought. Teresa’s eyes were almost completely shut as if her mind was already in bed and only her body had to catch up. Then Les brought up the rear with Sophie. He looked as morose as ever, his face sullen and sunken as if it had been sat on. Sophie was the only one who looked relatively normal. Her face looked a little flushed but she was smiling and managing the stairs better than any of the others.
‘Night!’ she said when she reached the top.
Beth shoved a hand in the air by way of response and fell into her bedroom.
‘Goodnight, my sweet princesses,’ Oli said before disappearing into his own room. The others did likewise and Kay quietly closed her own door.
For a moment, she stood perfectly still wondering, once again, if she’d imagined the whole thing.
‘Where’s my hairdryer?’ a voice suddenly bellowed into the corridor. It was Beth Jenkins’s voice.
No, Kay thought, she hadn’t imagined it. There really were several film stars staying in her home.
‘Sophie? Have you got my hairdryer?’
‘No, I haven’t got your poxy hairdryer. Keep your voice down. Gemma’s trying to sleep in here.’
Beth slammed her bedroom door and all was quiet again. Kay giggled. This was just too strange. Just a couple of doors away, Oli Wade Owen would be getting ready for bed. Kay got into her own bed. She must stop thinking about him but it was so hard to ignore somebody who had crossed her threshold with the true panache of a Jane Austen hero and, as she closed her eyes that night, Kay didn’t dream about Mr Darcy but Oli Wade Owen.
* * *
Making breakfast for six people was a novelty for Kay but not one that she wasn’t enjoying. Sophie had been the first one up, looking bright-eyed and eager to throw herself into the day ahead even though it was only six in the morning. Which was more than could be said for Beth who entered the dining room with her eyes half-closed.
‘Good morning, bright eyes!’ Sophie chirped. ‘And how are you this morning?’
‘Shut up, Soph!’ Beth groaned as she pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down. ‘Oh, my head. Who bought me all those drinks?’
‘You did!’ Sophie told her with a bright laugh.
‘Don’t laugh. Don’t say anything. It’s too painful.’
‘You’d better smarten yourself up before Teresa makes an appearance,’ Sophie warned her. ‘You know what she’s like.’
‘Oh, God! If she tells me to wake up and shake up, I’ll scream,’ Beth said.
As Kay placed two pots of coffee on the table she watched as Teresa and Les walked in together.
‘Good morning,’ Teresa said. ‘Good God, Beth! What happened to you?’
‘Nothing. I’m fine,’ Beth lied, wincing at the sound of her own voice.
‘You look appalling. You’d better wake up and shake up before we start filming. The make-up artists can’t perform miracles, you know.’
Beth glared at her tormentor and Sophie
There was a banging and a scratching at the front door as somebody tried to get it open and then it sounded as if everybody was trying to get in all at once. Kay giggled as she opened her bedroom door and dared to peep over the stairs.
‘Shusssssshhhh!’ Sophie was whispering. ‘You shusssshhhhh!’ Beth retorted, stumbling up the first stair.
‘You always have to overdo things, Beth. That’s your problem.’
‘Don’t you tell me what my problem is!’ Beth said. ‘My problem is you!’ she said, poking a finger into Sophie’s chest.
‘Yeah? Well my problem is you !’ Sophie said in response.
‘Ladies, ladies!’ Oli cut in. ‘We can’t have the Musgrove sisters at war with each other now, can we?’
Kay watched as they all came tripping up the stairs. Beth’s face was bright red and she had a naughty gleam in her eye. Oli’s blond hair was tousled as if somebody had been ruffling it – Beth, probably, Kay thought. Teresa’s eyes were almost completely shut as if her mind was already in bed and only her body had to catch up. Then Les brought up the rear with Sophie. He looked as morose as ever, his face sullen and sunken as if it had been sat on. Sophie was the only one who looked relatively normal. Her face looked a little flushed but she was smiling and managing the stairs better than any of the others.
‘Night!’ she said when she reached the top.
Beth shoved a hand in the air by way of response and fell into her bedroom.
‘Goodnight, my sweet princesses,’ Oli said before disappearing into his own room. The others did likewise and Kay quietly closed her own door.
For a moment, she stood perfectly still wondering, once again, if she’d imagined the whole thing.
‘Where’s my hairdryer?’ a voice suddenly bellowed into the corridor. It was Beth Jenkins’s voice.
No, Kay thought, she hadn’t imagined it. There really were several film stars staying in her home.
‘Sophie? Have you got my hairdryer?’
‘No, I haven’t got your poxy hairdryer. Keep your voice down. Gemma’s trying to sleep in here.’
Beth slammed her bedroom door and all was quiet again. Kay giggled. This was just too strange. Just a couple of doors away, Oli Wade Owen would be getting ready for bed. Kay got into her own bed. She must stop thinking about him but it was so hard to ignore somebody who had crossed her threshold with the true panache of a Jane Austen hero and, as she closed her eyes that night, Kay didn’t dream about Mr Darcy but Oli Wade Owen.
* * *
Making breakfast for six people was a novelty for Kay but not one that she wasn’t enjoying. Sophie had been the first one up, looking bright-eyed and eager to throw herself into the day ahead even though it was only six in the morning. Which was more than could be said for Beth who entered the dining room with her eyes half-closed.
‘Good morning, bright eyes!’ Sophie chirped. ‘And how are you this morning?’
‘Shut up, Soph!’ Beth groaned as she pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down. ‘Oh, my head. Who bought me all those drinks?’
‘You did!’ Sophie told her with a bright laugh.
‘Don’t laugh. Don’t say anything. It’s too painful.’
‘You’d better smarten yourself up before Teresa makes an appearance,’ Sophie warned her. ‘You know what she’s like.’
‘Oh, God! If she tells me to wake up and shake up, I’ll scream,’ Beth said.
As Kay placed two pots of coffee on the table she watched as Teresa and Les walked in together.
‘Good morning,’ Teresa said. ‘Good God, Beth! What happened to you?’
‘Nothing. I’m fine,’ Beth lied, wincing at the sound of her own voice.
‘You look appalling. You’d better wake up and shake up before we start filming. The make-up artists can’t perform miracles, you know.’
Beth glared at her tormentor and Sophie
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