damp from the shower and several clutching coffee cups, Simon clapped his hands to get their attention.
“All right, everybody. Take your seats, please. I want to give you an update on how Lauren’s doing, and then I want to introduce you to our costume designer.”
They shuffled to the chairs and settled quickly amidst an air of expectation. Usually the conversational hubbub would die down slowly, but this morning, they immediately gave their director their full attention.
“Harvey Jacobs called me this morning. He’s been in touch with the hospital, and they’re keeping him informed about Lauren’s condition. The good news is that she’s out of danger, but the bad news is that she’s experiencing some medical issues. They’re still not sure what happened, but it seems likely she took an overdose of something.”
One or two cast members gasped, raising their hands to cover their mouths. A few exchanged quick glances of surprise.
“So if any of you have any information or know anything at all about what might have happened to her, come and see me.”
“Is she coming back?” one of the older actresses asked.
“That’s a good question. It’s a little too early to say,” Simon responded carefully. “We hope so. If she canrecover in time, she will be back. If not, unfortunately, she’ll have to be replaced. In the meantime, we go ahead with rehearsals, with someone standing in for her.”
He waited for a moment to give the cast time to digest what they had just been told. “Does anyone have any questions?” His eyes scanned the group. “No? Well if there’s nothing else, let me introduce you to our wardrobe mistress Charlotte Fairfax. Charlotte has a lot of experience, including the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, so you’re in very good hands.” He gestured in her direction, and Charlotte stood up.
“Good morning, everyone.” She glanced at their faces, but deliberately avoided making eye contact with Brian, although she could feel his eyes on her. “I haven’t met all of you yet, but I will as soon as we begin costume fittings at the end of the week and, er, I’m looking forward to that.” She could feel her composure evaporating under Brian’s gaze but plowed on.
“I’ve been asked to tell you that Lauren’s handbag—that is, her purse—seems to be missing. Please keep your eyes open for it. I don’t know what it looks like, but if you find a woman’s bag, it’ll probably be hers. If you do find a woman’s bag, please don’t open it or disturb the contents—just bring it to me in the wardrobe department.” She started to sit down and then quickly straightened up. “We’re located just down the hall, on the other side of the back entrance.”
Chapter 10
The door to the wardrobe department was wide open, and Aaron was waiting for her when she arrived at her office a few minutes later.
“Morning, Charlotte. I made you a tea.”
“Thanks, Aaron. I could murder a cup.” Charlotte picked up the mug and surveyed her workroom as she took her first sip. “I’m pretty sure I locked up last night. How did you get in this morning?”
“After my uncle spoke to you last night, he sent me down to lock up Lauren’s room, then told me to hang on to the keys. Said I should have access to the rooms and backstage areas. So I just let myself in this morning. Hope that was all right.”
“Oh, I see. No, that’s fine. Just wanted to make sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. Or that someone else hadn’t been in here trying to steal our fabrics. Right, well, the cast will be coming in later this week to startfittings, so we need to get ready for them. What about that spreadsheet you suggested for keeping track of their roles and plays? Could you work on that today?”
Aaron nodded and took out his laptop. “I’ll do it on here.” He pointed at Charlotte’s elderly, enormous desktop computer. “If I were you, I’d take everything off that you want to
“All right, everybody. Take your seats, please. I want to give you an update on how Lauren’s doing, and then I want to introduce you to our costume designer.”
They shuffled to the chairs and settled quickly amidst an air of expectation. Usually the conversational hubbub would die down slowly, but this morning, they immediately gave their director their full attention.
“Harvey Jacobs called me this morning. He’s been in touch with the hospital, and they’re keeping him informed about Lauren’s condition. The good news is that she’s out of danger, but the bad news is that she’s experiencing some medical issues. They’re still not sure what happened, but it seems likely she took an overdose of something.”
One or two cast members gasped, raising their hands to cover their mouths. A few exchanged quick glances of surprise.
“So if any of you have any information or know anything at all about what might have happened to her, come and see me.”
“Is she coming back?” one of the older actresses asked.
“That’s a good question. It’s a little too early to say,” Simon responded carefully. “We hope so. If she canrecover in time, she will be back. If not, unfortunately, she’ll have to be replaced. In the meantime, we go ahead with rehearsals, with someone standing in for her.”
He waited for a moment to give the cast time to digest what they had just been told. “Does anyone have any questions?” His eyes scanned the group. “No? Well if there’s nothing else, let me introduce you to our wardrobe mistress Charlotte Fairfax. Charlotte has a lot of experience, including the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, so you’re in very good hands.” He gestured in her direction, and Charlotte stood up.
“Good morning, everyone.” She glanced at their faces, but deliberately avoided making eye contact with Brian, although she could feel his eyes on her. “I haven’t met all of you yet, but I will as soon as we begin costume fittings at the end of the week and, er, I’m looking forward to that.” She could feel her composure evaporating under Brian’s gaze but plowed on.
“I’ve been asked to tell you that Lauren’s handbag—that is, her purse—seems to be missing. Please keep your eyes open for it. I don’t know what it looks like, but if you find a woman’s bag, it’ll probably be hers. If you do find a woman’s bag, please don’t open it or disturb the contents—just bring it to me in the wardrobe department.” She started to sit down and then quickly straightened up. “We’re located just down the hall, on the other side of the back entrance.”
Chapter 10
The door to the wardrobe department was wide open, and Aaron was waiting for her when she arrived at her office a few minutes later.
“Morning, Charlotte. I made you a tea.”
“Thanks, Aaron. I could murder a cup.” Charlotte picked up the mug and surveyed her workroom as she took her first sip. “I’m pretty sure I locked up last night. How did you get in this morning?”
“After my uncle spoke to you last night, he sent me down to lock up Lauren’s room, then told me to hang on to the keys. Said I should have access to the rooms and backstage areas. So I just let myself in this morning. Hope that was all right.”
“Oh, I see. No, that’s fine. Just wanted to make sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. Or that someone else hadn’t been in here trying to steal our fabrics. Right, well, the cast will be coming in later this week to startfittings, so we need to get ready for them. What about that spreadsheet you suggested for keeping track of their roles and plays? Could you work on that today?”
Aaron nodded and took out his laptop. “I’ll do it on here.” He pointed at Charlotte’s elderly, enormous desktop computer. “If I were you, I’d take everything off that you want to
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