Page 51 of A Snowfall of Silver

Nora nods. “While you were all lazing around, I bravely undertook another visit to the pub where Sophie and I had a chat over a mulled cider or two … or three. To cut a long story short, she’s been slaving away over a hot stove all afternoon to deliver us a rather spectacular indoor picnic.”

“We thought we could have a dinner party on the stage,” Viola says. She comes forward. “There’s plenty of furniture in the props cupboard, and candles and scenery.”

“And costumes!” I exclaim. “Can we make it a costume party? You wouldn’t believe the stuff in their wardrobe department.”

“Excellent,” Nora agrees with a nod. “I will dress you all to perfection; I’ve been dying to get my hands on some of those dresses.”

“There’s the most beautiful apricot silk dress that will look wonderful on you, Viola,” I say. She glances at me, her expression startled and slightly suspicious.

“Wonderful,” Eileen says serenely. “And we can invite Hubert.”

“And Sophie’s coming,” Nora adds. “Quite a supper party.”

I think it’s a relief for everyone to have something to plan after sitting idle, and Nora sweeps Mr Cantwell and Eileen off to help them choose their costumes.

“And we must choose something for Hubert,” Eileen murmurs as they walk away. “I think he’d make a splendid vicar.”

“What are you going to do?” I ask, turning to Kit.

“Revise my first scene,” he says. “It’s not every day you get feedback from Rhys Cantwell and Eileen Turner.”

“It was really good, Kit, truly.”

“Do you think they liked it?”

“Yes, I do. How many times have you seen Mr Cantwell laugh like that?” He flushes at my words. “But don’t go getting a big head about it. And try and remember us little people when you’ve made it, won’t you?”

“Of course I will, you’ll be my leading lady,” Kit says.

I feel something twist in my stomach then, an anxious feeling that I don’t understand.

For once, Kit doesn’t seem to notice my mood, and he wanders off, his brow furrowed, already far away from here, thinking about the changes he wants to make.

I sit and join Russ and Alma’s card game, my mind only half on the cards in my hand. I can’t stop thinking about Kit’s play. It is good – and what a relief! How awful it would be to care about someone so much and to have to tell them their work was bad.

Viola appears at my side. “All right, then,” she says rather gracelessly. “Come and show me this dress you were talking about.”

I scramble to my feet and lead the way towards the wardrobe department. We walk through the theatre in silence and into the backstage area.

When we reach the right door, I knock.

“Wait a minute,” calls Nora. “We’re still finding Hubert the perfect clerical robes.”

We sit in the corridor outside, our backs pressed up against the wall.

“I want to ask you something,” Viola says, breaking the silence between us. She looks at me and lifts her chin. “Is something going on between you and Kit?”

“Nothing!” I say, relieved at being able to clear this up once and for all. “At least – we are good friends, but romantically, there is nothing going on at all.”

Viola raises her eyebrows is apparent disbelief. “Honestly,” I rush to explain. “The only person I’ve had any kind of romantic anything with is Russ, and that didn’t end up going anywhere.”

“I think Russ likes you,” she says. The unspoken, though who knows why, hangs clearly in the air.

“Russ is just contrary,” I say. “He sees me as a challenge, I think.” I sigh. “Our evening was nice enough, but it wasn’t the stuff of dreams. I was hoping for proper romance, like in books.”

Viola looks at me curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Well, all the melodrama. Not being able to tear yourself away from one another, and high passions, and tragic pining and not being able to sleep or eat. No one I’ve met has so much as made me want to miss lunch. Certainly not Kit… most of the time we eat together.”