There is Nothing like a Dame A novel by Bronwen Welsh Copyright© 2017 & 2018 Bronwen Welsh A sequel to 'The Might-Have-Been Girl' and 'All the World's a Stage'

Chapter 19   A trip to Albany

Blossom shrieked and started to run towards the garage, but Rodrigo, the gardener, was quick on his feet and grabbed her, holding her back.

“You can't help him, Blossom. You might even make things worse,” he shouted as she struggled to free herself. The rest of us were frozen to the spot with shock. It was the longest sixty seconds of my life. The sound of the sirens came closer, and then, suddenly, the familiar grille of 'Annabel' appeared through the billowing smoke. As the car cleared the building, a flaming beam from the second floor fell to the ground, missing it by inches. Henry quickly turned right, away from where the fire engines would appear, and parked the car on the lawn.

Suddenly, two fire engines were there, the firemen spilling out and quickly deploying their hoses. Water sprayed over the flames and steam mixed with the smoke. Meanwhile, Henry had stepped out of 'Annabel' and walked towards Blossom who had now freed herself from Rodrigo's grasp. She ran up to Henry, who was grinning and started to pound her fists on his chest in fury.

“You stupid, stupid man,” she screamed. “If you ever do anything like that again, I swear I'll divorce you.” Then she threw herself into his arms, and he hugged her, his look of triumph changing to one of guilt and embarrassment. We all felt awkward, witnessing such a display of raw emotion. Blossom was right of course; what Henry had done was crazy, yet in some way I understood why he had done it. Men have a special relationship with some cars. To us women, it seems totally irrational, but there it is.

Gradually, the flames died down and finally, the fire captain walked up to Hiram and informed him that while the fire was out, no-one should enter the building until an expert had examined it to see if it was safe to do so. The drama was over.

Ellen appeared and I hadn't realised that she was missing. She spoke in Magnolia's ear, who in turn spoke to Hiram, who addressed to the surrounding men.

“Gentlemen, thank you so much for your quick response. But for that, I'm sure we would have lost the building entirely. Now, can we offer you some refreshment before you go?” he said. “Ellen has prepared some scrambled eggs.. I know it's early for breakfast, but after your exertions, she thought some nourishment might be welcome.”

“Thank you very much, Mr Thompson,” said the captain. “That's a very kind thought and I'm sure the men will really appreciate it. After all, there's always a chance we might get called out again.”

As the men trooped into the kitchen, all the women quickly disappeared to their bedrooms to dress more appropriately. When we reappeared, we all sat around the big kitchen table to enjoy Ellen's special scrambled eggs with toast on the side. I was convinced that she had some secret formula because they were the best scrambled eggs I ever tasted. I finally persuaded her to reveal her secret, and it was a pinch of sugar in the mix.

That was also the only time during my visit when the whole household sat at a table together.

Hiram said: “It seems we have Miss Harriet Stow to thank for raising the alarm.”

“Yes, how did that happen, my dear?” said Magnolia.

' So we're going to do a little play-acting are we? Well, that's right up my alley,' I thought.

“I couldn't sleep for some reason, I'm not sure why, so I opened the window to get some fresh air, and that's when I smelled the smoke,” I said.

“Well, we are very grateful to you, my dear. Without your prompt actions, the damage might have been far worse,” said Magnolia.

I couldn't help thinking that there could have been a hidden meaning behind those words. I had little doubt that she knew of Hiram's straying. I didn't think for a moment that I was the first woman he had approached. She obviously chose to tolerate it, and that, of course, was her choice. Perhaps she felt she had too much to lose by bringing matters to a head. Meanwhile, Hiram probably thought he was cleverly keeping his actions a secret from her.

Finally, the firemen finished their meal, and after a short speech from their captain, thanking the Thompsons and Ellen, they departed. When they had gone, we all went back to bed to get what sleep we could since it was now about four o'clock in the morning.

I forgot to set my alarm and as a result when I finally opened my eyes and looked at my bedside clock I was horrified to see that it was nine o'clock, the time I should have already been setting out for the theatre. I showered, dressed and applied my makeup in record time, and hurried downstairs only to find Hiram and Magnolia quietly sitting with a cup of coffee after breakfast and reading the newspapers.

“I'm terribly late,” I gasped. “No time for breakfast, I'll just grab a cup of coffee.”

“Nonsense, my dear,” said Magnolia. “I've already phoned Miranda and told her the story of the night's adventures. She's expecting you later in the morning. Henry can drive you to the theatre. Now what would you like for breakfast? You can't work on an empty stomach.”

I felt a bit embarrassed to have been in such a panic: “Can I access my usual car and drive myself?” I enquired.

“We have to wait for the safety inspector to check the structure of the building before anyone can go inside,” said Hiram. “Most of the damage seems to have been confined to the upper floor, so the other automobiles may still be alright. We'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile I'm sure we can hire a couple of cars if necessary. By the way, the local newspaper has already been in touch and is sending out a reporter and photographer. They should be here soon. I hope you don't mind featuring in their report? It will add some interest to the story that a visitor from England raised the alarm.”

“That's fine,” I replied. “But I hope you'll be on hand to supply any details they require.”

Earlier, I mentioned that my wardrobe was sadly deficient in suitable dinner wear at the Thompsons. I had already been to the only women's clothing store in East Devon and bought a couple of dresses, but their stock was very limited, and I was looking forward to visiting somewhere which had more choice. Magnolia had promised to take me shopping to a town larger than East Devon, but hadn't yet named a day but now she had some good news for me.

“Harriet, our daughter Andrea is coming home next weekend, and she would love for us to have a 'girls day out' shopping in Albany. Would you like that?”

“That would be wonderful, Mrs Thompson,” I replied, glad that the conversation had taken a new turn. I had been thinking that there was an elephant in the room which we were all studiously ignoring – how did it happen that I was awake to raise the alarm?

I had barely finished breakfast when the two young men from the 'East Devon Gazette' arrived. Having seen some past issues, I suspected that a fire at the Thompson's would definitely make the front page of the next issue. There had been a small paragraph reporting my arrival in a past issue, but now it seems I was to be the star of the show.

They wanted details about me, what I was doing in East Devon, and my career in Britain. It seemed a good opportunity to mention the plays which would be starting soon. Hiram of course mentioned the 'gala performance', and my solo performance, which they promised to promote nearer the time.

Naturally they asked how I had come to raise the alarm and I said I had trouble sleeping the previous night and had opened the window to let in some fresh air when I smelled the smoke. This seemed a perfectly acceptable explanation to them. They asked Hiram about the damage and he told how Henry had rescued 'Annabel'. I think he had been tempted not to mention it, but the firemen all knew so it would have seemed strange to say nothing about it.

When they has all the information they required, they asked if 'Annabel' could be moved in front of the building, with Henry and I posing next to it for photographs. They must have taken about a hundred shots in total, and finally left after nearly an hour. I was feeling increasingly guilty about not going to the theatre, so Hiram asked Henry to drive me down there.

When I arrived at the theatre, of course I had to retell the story of the fire and my part in raising the alarm, so it was some considerable time before we settled down to work.

A day later, the safety inspector came and checked the garage. It seemed that the main structural damage was to the upper level of the building and he gave permission for Henry to go into the ground floor with him and check on the remaining cars. Apart from smelling of smoke they were otherwise unharmed and he was allowed to drive them out. The doors of the building were then sealed until builders could come and prepare a quote for repairs.

Soon, the weekend arrived and with it came Andrea. The photograph of her which I had seen didn't do her justice. She was no longer a pretty teenager but a strikingly beautiful young woman. I was sure she was going to break many hearts, but perhaps not as she was as sweet in nature as she was beautiful. She actually seemed thrilled to meet me.

“I've heard so much about you Miss Stow,” she said. “You are developing quite a reputation as an actress, especially your Shakespearean work.”

“Call me Harriet, please,” I replied. “Your mother has shown me some of your work and I was very impressed. I foresee a brilliant career ahead for you.”

She laughed: “If that's so then I think it will apply to us both. Are you going to do any film or television work? I know the theatre is your first love, but it's appearing on the screen that will bring you to the attention of a world-wide audience, just as it's done for Richard Jenkins. Speaking of which, I hope you are getting me some tickets for the gala 'Romeo and Juliet'?” she enquired of her mother.

“I hope you have connections,” I said. “A little bird tells me they are selling like hot cakes, and I suspect it's due to the presence of Richard; he's going to be the real star of the show.”

“And you too,” said Andrea. I could tell that we were going to be great friends!

The following morning, Henry drove the three of us to Albany. Until that visit to America, like many people, I assumed that the city of New York was the capital of New York State, but in fact it is Albany. It has a population of around 100,000, although the Capital District, taking in the surrounding suburbs and cities has a population closer to one million.

As Henry drove us through the heart of the city, I took in the views of the huge Empire State Plaza with its fountains and reflecting pools. At one end is the State Capitol and at the other the State Museum. Of particular interest to me was the performing arts centre known as 'The Egg' because of its shape, and which holds two theatres. Henry parked 'Annabel' in the underground parking area and Magnolia, Andrea and I set off for the underground shopping concourse, which held a multitude of clothing stores from discount to high end 'boutiques'. As you can imagine it was the latter to which Magnolia gravitated.

I will not bore you with details of our shopping excursion, suffice it to say that with an interval for lunch; we spent several delightful hours there and ended up with a number of shopping bags each. I bought three beautiful gowns in various shades, to double my wardrobe for evening meals at the Thompsons', also two pairs of heels. Magnolia bought several gowns to add to her already bulging wardrobe. Andrea, being an art student was more interested in clothes in the Bohemian style, but still found some skirts and tops which actually met with parental approval.

Finally, tired but happy, we contacted Henry and arranged to meet him at the limousine for the ride home.

At dinner that evening, I wore one of my new acquisitions, a gown of deep red silk. Magnolia was beautifully dressed as usual, and Andrea also wore a lovely green silk gown in deference to the family tradition, although I had no doubt that she a was more used to a casual style of dress while at university. Hiram commented that he was privileged to dine with three such beautiful women.

After dinner, when the two of us were alone for a moment, Andrea surprised me by saying would I mind if she drew a sketch of me in charcoal. I was surprised and delighted at the offer, having seen how talented she was. It was arranged that she would make a start the following day and she would also take some pictures of me from various angles to complete the work when she was back at Vassar. The resulting picture was a true work of art, and it hangs on our wall to this day. Andrea is now a well-known artist and her pictures are eagerly sought by collectors, but there is no way that I would ever sell my picture. Andrea and I still correspond and she is a true friend from another sphere of the arts.

On Monday Andrea returned to Vassar. I knew that she would be coming home again and attending the 'gala performance', so this was only 'au revoir' rather than farewell. The Cherokee had been thoroughly aired and there was only a faint smell of smoke lingering when I drove back to the theatre for the final week of rehearsals before the season started. There was something special to look forward to the following weekend beside the opening performance of 'Romeo and Juliet' - Reggie was coming to stay for four days. Although we had been in touch every say, I found that as the days passed I was really missing him and strange as it may seem, the Hiram incident had really brought home to me how much I missed Reggie in my bed.

Reggie was arriving on Friday afternoon and Henry was going to Boston to pick him up. If it hadn't been for the dress rehearsals taking place on Thursday and Friday, I would have gone along for the ride, but I felt obliged to be at the theatre, and fortunately Reggie understood that when I explained it to him. The main thing is that I would be back at the house with sufficient time to prepare for dinner and his arrival. I had warned him to bring a suit and tie for dinner! I confess to glancing at my watch more than once during Friday's dress rehearsal. Miranda caught me once and I blushed and apologised, explaining that it was because of Reggie's arrival, not because I was bored by the rehearsal. I'd already had a phone call from him to say he'd landed at Boston and had found Henry, so I knew that he would be arriving in about three hours.

She laughed and said: “In that case I forgive you. Leave early if you like.”

I assured her that I had plenty of time to stay to the end of the rehearsal and be back at the Thompsons' before Reggie arrived. I particularly wanted to see Julie's performance right to the end of the play and she had certainly improved out of sight from when I first saw her perform.

Both dress rehearsals went very well, and I could see that Miranda was very happy, a fact she announced to the whole company on Friday.

“I've never seen the company perform so well, and it's largely due to your work with them,” she said to me afterwards.

“I've been glad to have made a contribution, but I've worked with some of the world's top directors and I can tell you that you can hold your own with them,” I replied.

She laughed: “I don't believe you, but it was nice of you to say so,” she said.

There was only one minor hiccup and no prizes for where it came from.

Julie came up to me after hearing Miranda and I expresss our satisfaction with the performance, and said: “Is it true that a bad dress rehearsal means a good opening night, and vice versa?”

I took her hand and smiled: “It's an old theatrical superstition but I don't think anyone really believes it.

“Oh, you mean superstitions like not saying Mac...,” she stopped, horrified by what she had nearly said.

“Exactly,” I replied. “Now you go and 'break a leg'.”

To be continued.

Many thanks once again to Louise Ann and Julia Phillips for spotting my 'typos', thus allowing me to correct them before publishing. A special thank-you to Karen Lockhart, a native of New England who has provided me with local knowledge, menus and correct American idioms for this and the following chapters while Harriet visits the United States.