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 20   First night

When I arrived back at the Thompsons', I had my shower and dressed in the second of my new gowns, a deep blue colour with a lace overlay. I kept glancing at my watch, gauging how close Reggie and Henry were to arriving. Downstairs I'm sure Magnolia could see my ill-concealed excitement. She poured me a sherry and said: “They'll be here soon.” I had to laugh.

Finally, the crunch of tyres on the driveway heralded Annabel's arrival. I was so thrilled to see Reggie come through the door that it was all I could do not to grab him and hug him. Instead, I reintroduced him to Magnolia and also Hiram who had now appeared.

“Why don't you take Reggie to your room so that he can get changed?” said Magnolia with great understanding.

I led him up the stairs to my room, and the moment the door shut he swept me into his arms: “I've missed you so much,” he said.

“Oh Reggie, darling, it's felt like a century since we were last together,” I said, tears starting in my eyes. “Oh damn, now I've ruined my makeup and I wanted to look perfect for you.”

“And so you do my darling,” he replied.

I laughed. “I want to rip your clothes off and take you to bed and instead we have to have dinner with the Thompsons.”

“Well just think of the anticipation,” he replied.

After repairing my makeup, I sat on the bed and watched Reggie undress and go for a shower. It took all my resolve not to strip off and get in the shower with him! When he came out I devoured his naked body with my eyes while I watched him get dressed in the suit I had asked him to bring.

He smiled at me and winked: "Everything as you remember it?"

“I remember you're a wicked man, Reginald Staunton. How can you tease a poor girl so?” I replied.

Reggie had brought a medium-size suitcase and a larger one with him which he indicated: “Your clothes my lady,” he said.

“How did you go coming through Customs?” I asked. “Did they open the suitcase?”

“Yes, they did. They probably thought I was carrying a lot of luggage for a four-day stay. When they saw the contents, one of the Customs guys looked hard at me and said 'Are you a drag queen, sir?'.”

” Drag queen?” I was outraged. “He thought my clothes belonged to a drag queen?”

Reggie smiled: “I was tempted to make a joke but I could see that he had absolutely no sense of humour and I didn't want to be locked up for making fun of a Customs Officer, so I told him straight that they belonged to my wife who was staying in America for a couple of months. He glared at me for a moment as though he was waiting for me to break down and confess, but finally, he closed the lid down and said. 'Welcome to America. Mr Staunton, enjoy your stay.' I still don't know if he believed me but at least he didn't hold me up.”

“My poor darling,” I purred. “I'm glad he didn't check to see if they were the right size for you.”

I was so pleased to have more clothes to wear, especially at dinner with the Thompsons

Finally, as we walked down the broad staircase together, hand in hand, Hiram said: “Well, here's a handsome couple!”

We had an excellent dinner and chatted about what Reggie was doing at university, and the theatre season which would start the following night with 'Romeo and Juliet'. A lot of complimentary things were said about my work with the company, which inevitably had me blushing again. I know a lot of people have commented about how easily I blush, usually a sign of shyness, while I can walk onstage before a couple of thousand people without any trouble at all. I have no explanation for it.

After dinner, we had coffee and port, but Magnolia soon remarked that I would doubtless want an early night with the show starting the following evening. I was grateful to her for being so understanding.

When we reached my room we wasted no time in undressing each other and falling into bed. After a month apart I couldn't get enough of Reggie's body and it seemed he felt the same about me. It was quite a long time before we fell into an exhausted sleep.

The following morning after a late breakfast, I drove Reggie down to East Devon to show him around. We didn't do anything particularly exciting, just looking in some of the shops and having coffee in one of the cafés. What was special about it was just being together again and walking around hand in hand. Reggie knew that as co-producer of the evening's performance I had to be at the theatre early, so we returned to 'Tara' just after noon for lunch. Everyone in the household was attending the first night except for Rodrigo who was staying to mind the house. Sadly, a house like the Thompsons' which contained a lot of valuable furniture, paintings and other items cannot be left unattended. However, Rodrigo and his girlfriend had been promised good seats to another performance.

We had a short nap after lunch, and that's all it was, and then I had a shower and dressed in one of my evening gowns. Henry was going to drive me down to the theatre and then return to drive the rest of the household down later. I had a surprise for Reggie that I would be appearing onstage as 'Chorus'. Everyone else knew but they kept quiet about it.

Down at the theatre, everyone was arriving and there was the typical air of nervous excitement which always happens on the first night of a season. I made a point of checking on Julie and apart from the nerves she seemed fine. Miranda and I checked on all the cast and, after assuring ourselves that all was well, I went to my dressing room to put on my costume and makeup.

As the time for the performance to start was approaching, we could hear the hum of conversation coming from the auditorium. I knew that the Thompsons would be sitting front row centre with Reggie, and no doubt he was wondering where I was. Well, he would soon know.

I was standing in the wings out of sight of the audience. The lights of the auditorium dimmed and those of the stage came up; this was my cue. I walked onstage and down to the front of the thrust stage where I made a deep curtsy.. There was Reggie, sitting next to the Thompsons and his mouth was open in surprise. I smiled at him as the audience started to applaud. Obviously my little ruse of using my second name and married name in the program had not fooled everyone. When the applause died down I began the Prologue to the play:

'Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,...

At the conclusion and another curtsy, I walked offstage to more applause. As I had a second Prologue to perform at the start of Act II, I had to wait backstage until the conclusion of the Act and the start of the Interval, at which time, now dressed in my evening gown, I appeared in the auditorium in time to join Reggie for a drink.

“How did you keep that a secret?” he asked. “I noticed the name in the program and wondered for a moment but didn't think it could possibly be you since no-one had said anything about it. I should have known that you wouldn't miss an opportunity to go onstage.”

“The look on your face when I appeared was priceless,” I said. “Anyway, my cameo part is finished, so I can spend the rest of the performance sitting next to you, and I'm really looking forward to that.”

I was sipping a glass of champagne when an elderly lady came up.

“My dear, that was a classic introduction to the first two acts. I can tell you are a true professional.”

“Thank you very much,” I replied with a smile.

“I haven't seen you perform here before and I attend all the productions. I'm wondering why they didn't give you a larger part?” she continued.

“I'm not actually a part of the company, ma'am. Mr Hiram Thompson asked me to come over from England as a resident artist for a couple of months to give the company some additional coaching on performing Shakespeare. I volunteered to play Chorus so that the other company members could take larger parts.”

“Oh, now I remember, you're from the Imperial Shakespeare Company in England. I'm sure I read about your arrival in the local newspaper. Are you taking part in any other performances? I'd love to see them.”

I've always hated to sound like I'm boasting, but she had asked me a direct question so I had to answer.

“Richard Jenkins is coming over from England in about a month and he and I will take the title rôles in a special performance of 'Romeo and Juliet' at Tanglewood. I will also do a recital with a couple of local talented young musicians in this theatre before I leave,” I replied.

“Richard Jenkins too! We are honoured,” she exclaimed.

“Because of him the tickets are selling fast, so it might be as well to book soon,” I said.

“You're very modest my dear, I'm sure people will want to see you perform too,” she replied. "It's not often that we get an actress from Stratford-Upon-Avon appearing here."

Just then the bell rang to summon the audience back to their seats.

It was indeed delightful, sitting next to the man that I loved, holding hands as we watched the rest of the tragic love story unfold. Everyone, including Julie, performed really well, and they richly deserved the standing ovation at the end of the performance. Miranda had asked me to appear onstage for the curtain call, although she said it wasn't necessary for me to put on my costume again, so I had slipped out before the start of the last scene. I should have realised that she had something in mind.

As the applause died down, an announcement was made “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Director of 'Romeo and Juliet', Miss Miranda Strange.”

Miranda walked on to wild applause.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thank you for attending the opening night of our new season,” she began. “First I must thank Mr and Mrs Hiram Thompson, without whose generous support, this production would not have been able to take place.” There was more applause, and Hiram stood up and turning, waved to the audience. Miranda continued: "You will be aware that there is one person besides me on this stage who is not currently in costume. I refer of course to Miss Harriet Stow, whom you saw earlier as 'Chorus' performing the Prologue at the beginning of the first two acts. Harriet is here at the invitation of Mr Hiram Thompson to be our resident artist for two months, specialising in the art of performing William Shakespeare's works. The whole company, me included, has greatly benefited from her assistance, as I'm sure you saw for yourselves this evening. It's for that reason that I am taking this opportunity to publicly thank her for her contribution.”

More wild applause and all I could do was bow. Miranda had caught me by surprise, but it was a very nice gesture. She concluded by thanking the audience for their attendance and wishing them a 'Good Evening'.

After we all walked offstage, Reggie waited while I went backstage briefly to add my congratulations to those of Miranda and also Magnolia and Hiram, and inevitably receive more thanks myself. Julie came up to me and hugged me, saying she couldn't have done it without me. What an evening it had been.

I retired to bed tired but happy that night, although not so tired that I didn't take advantage of Reggie's presence!

There was no performance of Sunday and as it was Reggie's last full day we were determined to spend it together. I asked him what he would like to do and he surprised me by saying that he would like a trip to Albany. Like me, he didn't realise that it was the New York State capital until I had told him during one of our daily contacts, and how impressed I had been with it during my shopping trip there with Magnolia and Andrea. This time I promised him 'no shopping' as I know how much men dislike it, and anyway there was plenty more to see there.

I parked the car under the Empire State Plaza. At one end is the State Capitol building but it was closed on weekends. However, at the other end was the State Museum, which has an amazing collection. We spent a couple of hours there but only saw a fraction of what they had on display.

I have always loved classic theatres and when I mentioned this to Miranda, she told that if I was in Albany I should visit the Palace Theatre which was built in 1930 as a cinema, although she called it a 'movie theatre'. Like many theatres, it had mixed fortunes and eventually closed in 1969 when it was bought by the City of Albany. It had undergone a major restoration, starting in 2002 and only recently completed. It was only a short distance from the Plaza, so we walked over to have a look at it.

The first thing we saw was the very ornate marquee at the entrance.The lobby and foyer were open and we marvelled at their ornate architecture in the Austrian Baroque style and also the wonderful chandelier.

“I'd love to see the auditorium,” I said to Reggie, but we noticed that there was a sign at the doors saying 'Closed for Rehearsal'. “Oh well, perhaps another time.” I knew that was unlikely but sometimes your timing just happens to be off.

I told Reggie that I needed to 'powder my nose', a quaint English expression for visiting the bathroom and headed in that direction. The 'Ladies' was a beautifully appointed as I expected, however when I came out I had a surprise. Reggie was talking to a tall distinguished looking man, and as I approached, he smiled and held out his hand.

“Miss Stow, I very pleased to meet you. I am Joseph Merrick, the Manager of this theatre. Your husband told me that you are currently the resident artist for Hiram Thompson's East Devon Theatre company. I know Hiram quite well. Your husband also told me that he is probably in trouble for alerting me to your presence, but I am so glad he did, so I hope you'll forgive him.”

I smiled graciously, saying “Of course”, while thinking to myself 'Just you wait until we're alone Reginald Staunton.'

Joseph continued: “I understand that you'd love to see the auditorium of our theatre. It's only recently undergone a full restoration and we're very proud of it. I'd love to take you on a conducted tour.”

“But the sign says there is a rehearsal in progress,” I said.

“Your timing is perfect as they've just stopped for a break. Come, let me show you around,” he said, leading us through the doors..

I gasped as I viewed the wonderfully ornate auditorium which carried on the Baroque style. The deep red velvet drapes matched the seating and carpets. In answer to my questions I was told that the theatre seats two thousand, eight hundred and forty-four people. It's the home of the Albany Symphony Orchestra and hosts concerts, both classical and popular, plays, classic cinema, private functions, graduations, dance competitions, you name it, they do it.

“It's actually run by the Palace Performing Arts Center Inc, which is a not-for-profit organisation. Come, let me show you the stage area,” he said, and we followed him down the aisle.

I was very impressed with the modern facilities and told him so. He beamed with pleasure.

“Maybe, one day we'll have the pleasure of seeing you perform on this stage,” he said.

“That would be wonderful,” I replied.

Mischievously I asked, “Do you have a ghost?”

He laughed. “Sadly, no. You may be confusing this theatre with the Palace Theatre on Broadway which is reputed to have quite a number. Perhaps we should ask if they could send one over. Now of course your British theatres are almost all haunted from what I hear.”

“That's true,” I said laughing. I wasn't going to tell him about my own experiences in London and also when I visited Melbourne, Australia. People tend not to take you seriously if you tell them you believe you've actually seen ghosts in a theatre.

We concluded our visit with a complimentary drink (mineral water for me as I was driving, but a Budweiser for Reggie).

To conclude our visit to Albany, we travelled to the viewing deck of the forty-two floor Erastus Corning Tower, where we enjoyed a panoramic view of Albany.

You may be wondering about my promise to myself to deal with Reggie after he approached the manager of the Palace Theatre. Well I'd let him stew for a while, wondering how much trouble he was in. Finally, I couldn't keep him on tenterhooks any longer.

“How did you happen to meet the manager of the Palace Theatre?” I said casually.

“Actually, it was quite by chance. While I was waiting for you I saw him crossing the lobby. He looked like he might be someone important in the theatre, so I took a chance and told him how you would love to see the auditorium, followed by who you are. When I mentioned the Imperial Shakespeare Company and what you are doing here, he looked very impressed.”

“Reggie, it was a lovely thought and I'm not really cross with you, but you know I hate to ask favours just because of who I am. I've never understood why entertainers, whether on stage, screen or the sports field are looked upon with awe and in some cases paid ridiculous amounts of money. I mean it's not like the world would grind to a halt if we stopped doing what we do. The really important people are scientists, medical specialists and researchers, philosophers, people like that. The world really would be worse off if they stopped doing what they're doing.”

There was no-one else around, so I took his hand and stood on tiptoes to kiss him

“I love you Reggie and I always will,” I said softly.

He put his arms around me and we kissed again. Just then we heard the lift arriving, so we had to stop and pretend to be just enjoying the view.

I've forgotten to mention that while he was in America I did ask Reggie how Stella was doing.

“She's a proper little chatterbox now,” he said. “I suppose it goes with living in a theatrical household and having an actress for a stepmother.”

“What are we going to do about her, Reggie?” I asked. “I know that none of us is actually related to her, but we feel that we are. I'm sure that she thinks that Emma and Duncan are her parents. That's only natural, but one day she'll have to be told the real situation, well not all of it of course.”

“I understand what you are saying but for the time being, where she's living is a far more stable environment than we can give her,” replied Reggie, and he was right of course. I decided not to keep worrying about it; things would sort themselves out in due course.

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.

Author's note: For anyone interested in seeing pictures of the Palace Theatre in Albany, you can Google 'Palace Theater Albany New York' for a great selection. I should mention that while the theatre exists, the manager's name isn't genuine. You probably guessed that!