Penny Vincenzi - The Best Of Times

“Right, Georgia. A word…” Tony, the casting director, drew her aside. “Now, we’ve got two actresses reading for Marje. Both very talented, both very suitable-it would be very helpful in our decision to see how you relate to each of them. I expect Linda’s explained.”

“Yes, she has.”

“So we want you to read the same scene, first with Barbara, who’s already here, and then do a bit of improvisation with her-and then Anna is coming in later. Same thing with her. Oh, and by the way, Davina-you know she’s playing your mum-is coming in around lunchtime; she’s got a meeting with the executive producer, and she specially wanted to meet you. So if you can hang around for a while-”

“Yes, of course,” said Georgia. “No problem at all.”

The first read-through was fine; she liked Barbara very much-she was funny and fun, and put her at her ease. But somehow when they did the improvisation it became more difficult. Barbara made Georgia feel rather insipid and too low-key for her own part. She did her best, but it was a struggle.

“Marvellous,” said Tony as they finished, “thank you both. God, this is going to be difficult. Barbara, thank you so much for coming in. You like our Rose, then?”

“Very much,” said Barbara. “We’ll have fun, won’t we, Rose?”

Georgia said she thought they would and Barbara left.

“Right,” said Sue, “coffee, I think. Anna’s coming in at twelve-Merlin, could you get that organised, darling?”

How wonderful, Georgia thought, to be old enough and sophisticated enough to be able to call everyone darling. Especially Merlin…

Anna didn’t look so right, Georgia thought; she was rather beautiful in a hippie sort of way, with silvery blond wavy hair and intensely blue eyes, and was surely much too young for the part; but she was a marvellous actor. Georgia was amazed at the way she simply put on ten years with the first line she spoke. And she was surprised to find how she could relate to her in the improvisation, far better than with the overjolly Barbara.

Tony said all the same things again: a lot of marvellouses and thank-yous and how difficult it was going to be making a choice. Anna left. The four of them went into another room and Merlin grinned at Georgia.

“Well done. You were awfully good. Honestly.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“No, you were. Tough decision now, I’d say.”

“Yes, I should think so.”

Why couldn’t she say something witty and incisive, for God’s sake?

They all emerged smiling; she was terrified they might ask her which of the two she had felt more comfortable with, but they just told her how well she’d done and thanked her again.

“Now, Davina’s been held up for a couple of hours, Georgia. It’s up to you, of course, but if you’d like to meet her, she’ll be here about three. Can you find something to do till then?”

Georgia said she’d go shopping and headed for Topshop.

She got back on the dot of three, to be told Davina now wouldn’t be there till four.

“Drink?” said Merlin.

“Oh-yes, thank you. Diet Coke if you’ve got one.”

“There’s white wine.”

“No, honestly, I’d prefer the Coke.”

“OK,” he said with his amazing smile. “I’ll follow your example.” Now he’d think she was a killjoy as well as boring.

“Sorry about the wait,” Merlin said suddenly. “I’m sure if you wanted to go, it’d be fine.”

“Well… do you think I should?”

“No, no, I’m sure she meant it about wanting to meet you. But if you’ve got something important going on, I know she’d understand. She really is great.”

“Honestly, it’s fine. I don’t have anything to do this evening.”

She shouldn’t have said that; what kind of loser had nothing to do on a Friday night?

“Wish I didn’t.”

No doubt he had to go out clubbing with some glamorous actress.

“My parents’ silver wedding party.”

“Oh, really? Where is it?”

“Elena’s L’Etoile. They’ve got the private room upstairs.”

“Oh… great,” she said, hoping she’d sound as if she knew all about the private room at Elena’s L’Etoile.

Davina turned up at five, when almost everyone had gone except Merlin. He was clearly an important ingredient in all this, Georgia thought. Well… good. Davina was an absolutely dazzling black woman, with a wonderful wide grin showing big perfect teeth, her fountain of black hair braided.

She kissed Georgia, said how much she was looking forward to being her mum for a bit. “Bryn says you’re a real find,” she added.

“Now, do we know who’s doing Marje yet, Merlin?”

Merlin said he didn’t.

“Go and find out, darling. I’ve got my fingers crossed for Anna; she’s such fun, and such wonderful stories.”

Merlin went off obediently; Georgia smiled at her.

“I love your hair,” she said tentatively into the slightly long silence, and then felt silly; but Davina smiled and said, “Well, I’m hoping everyone will; it’s taken me four days.”

“Do you do it yourself?” asked Georgia.

“Of course. I enjoy it; it’s therapy. Hard on the arms, but-”

Bryn came into the room.

“Davina, my darling, how totally gorgeous you look. Come on into my office; meet Mariella. Georgia, you were great today. And I hope Davina’ll be pleased to hear Anna’s cast as Marje. She related very well to Georgia here.”

“That’s marvellous. Georgia, I’d have loved to chat a bit longer, but I’ve got to go after this. Got a train to catch to Paris.”

Georgia thought how glamorous that sounded, and indeed how wonderful all the rest of the day had been, and then of her own train going to Cardiff, and suddenly felt the nightmare closing in again. She didn’t want the day to end; she really didn’t… She wondered what Linda was doing and if she’d have left the office yet. She might be able to go and see her-she was pretty near-and she could tell her about her day. It would keep the glamour going a bit longer…

Linda was delighted to hear from her; she told her to hurry round to the office and they could have a glass of wine to celebrate what had obviously been a successful day.

Mary was up in her room at six o’clock; she had just had a bath and was lying on her bed, in her dressing gown and slippers, before getting dressed again for supper. She liked to do that; it gave Christine the run of the kitchen, and helped ease the general tension. Which was still not easing much. She had spent much of the day reading another letter from Russell, over and over again. It was the most wonderful letter, four pages of it, telling her how much he loved her and was missing her and how he had been wondering where they should live.

“It will be difficult deciding; we will both want to be in our own countries. Right now I’m thinking we might split the year and do six months in each-buy two houses. Or maybe three months and then a change. You have a rival, I’m afraid-I have fallen in love with Bath and the surrounding countryside-and I know you will love many places in the States. That way we can each see as much or as little of our respective families as we and they wish.”

The thought of having two homes made Mary feel quite dizzy.

She was just getting the letter out of her bag to read it yet again when Christine called up the stairs.

“Quick, Mum, they’ve just trailed an item about the crash. Come on, hurry up or you’ll miss it. And do be careful on the stairs in those slippers.”