There is Nothing like a Dame A novel by Bronwen Welsh Copyright© 2017, 2018 & 2019 Bronwen Welsh A sequel to 'The Might-Have-Been Girl' and 'All the World's a Stage'

Chapter 60   Farewell to Aunt Peggy

On Sunday I drove to York. Dale and Frances had shared my joy at the good news about Thomas. Emma had phoned to say that every day Thomas's counts were getting better, what wonderful news.

Arriving in York, I drove straight to the hospital. Emma looked like she had shed ten years, and Thomas was bright and cheerful. He'd been asking when he could go home and play with his sisters. Emma had explained that the doctors wanted him to stay in hospital a little longer to make sure everything was alright and then he would be going home to see Daddy, Aunt Peggy.and the rest of the family.

I realise I've failed to mention that David had been into the hospital frequently to see his son, but he had a job to do, rehearsing a new play, so wasn't able to be there as often as he would have liked, after all he had to keep the money coming in. It was wonderful to spend a night with Reggie before I had to head back to Stratford.

Two weeks passed and then the great day came when Thomas was discharged from hospital. He would have to go back for weekly checkups for a while but there was every reason to hope that he would stay in remission.

Much though we'd all have like Aunt Peggy to stay, her family back in Australia needed her and she was missing them. When I next saw her I said that I would like to buy them some presents for allowing her to come over again.. Natually she said that they really didn't need anything, but I persisted, saying this was the third time we had asked for her help, and none of them had ever complained about it..

Choosing a present for Flora was easy, she was a delightfully feminine young lady and Aunt Peggy agreed with me that a gold bracelet or locket on a chain would be the perfect gift. It's not so easy choosing for men, however, Aunt Peggy had some suggestions; Ron her husband was a great cricket enthusiast so she suggested a copy of 'Wisden, the Cricketers' Almanac'. It is produced annually, but it seemed Ron hadn't had a copy for a few years, and I suspected I knew the reason why..

That left Ron junior. It seemed he had become quite a keen photographer. His father had given him his old 35mm film camera and Aunt Peggy said that he had produced some beautiful pictures, but she knew that he would really like a digital camera. That left Aunt Peggy herself. When I asked what she would like, she said that rather than a physical gift, if it was possible, she would really like to come down to Stratford and see the play I was performing in.

“I'd love you to come,” I said. “Perhaps Emma could come with you now that Thomas is better. It would be a nice little break for her. If you came by train, I could book a couple of nights at a hotel, and show you around the sights during the day. Then you could see the play in the evening and we could have supper at 'Oppos' afterwards. How does that sound?”

“It sounds perfect,” said Aunt Peggy. “I'll speak to Emma and David and see if we can't persuade her to come. Poor dear, she looked so exhausted when Thomas wasn't doing so well; I was really worried about her.”

I'm pleased to say that Emma agreed that a two-day break with Aunt Peggy would be nice, and she always liked seeing the productions in which I was performing. Before I left York, I called into a book shop and found 'Wisden'; then I went to a jeweller and bought a lovely gold charm bracelet for Flora, which the shop kindly gift-wrapped for me..

Finally, I went to a photography shop and enquired about digital cameras. I was still using a film camera myself and thought that I too should join the digital age. I discussed with a very helpful young assistant, the sort of camera I should buy for Ron junior. He suggested a DSLR, one of the best-known brands and I had to confess my ignorance in not knowing what the letters stood for. He was very patient with me and demonstrated several cameras and explained about being able to change lenses. There was a special deal going on one with a normal zoom lens and a telephoto zoom. Aunt Peggy had told me that young Ron was especially interested in shooting wildlife and it seemed a telephoto lens would be perfect for that. I made sure that the warranty was good for Australia, should it be needed.

Then, impressed with the ability to instantly see the photographs one had taken, I decided I would buy a digital camera for myself, but a much more compact one that would fit in my handbag. I was surprised at the range of the zoom when the assistant demonstrated it. Camera design had certainly advanced since I bought my 35mm film camera with a non-zoom lens. When I said I would like to take photographs at theatre rehearsals, he recommended a model with a wide-angle end to the zoom range and the ability to shoot good photos in low light.

When I left the shop, I'm sure the manager would be very pleased with the amount of money that I had spent! I made sure that young Ron's camera was gift-wrapped as I didn't want Aunt Peggy telling me that I had spent too much. When she saw the size of the box and felt its weight, she did raise her eyebrows but I told her that modern packaging was excessive. She probably didn't believe me but she made no comment. I was thinking that it was just as well that she was travelling First Class with the larger baggage allowance, although all the gifts would be travelling in her hand luggage.

The day Emma and Aunt Peggy arrived by train, I was able to pick them up at the station and take them to the hotel I had booked.for them. It was a two-room suite with two single beds in the bedroom, and also a sitting room with a kitchenette. They were very happy with it. I had managed to get them two very good seats in the front stalls. I would have to go to the theatre first and they would be coming by taxi later.

I had arranged with Duncan Morgan and also Jeremy the director to give them a surprise. With the lights half dimmed at the performance starting time, I stepped between the parting of the main drapes and onto the apron of the stage. There was a murmur of surprise from the audience..

Bowing to them I said: “Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to tonight's performance of 'King Henry VIII'. I'm Harriet Stow and tonight I'm playing Queen Katherine.

By kind permission of the management, this performance is dedicated, first to two very special ladies who are present in the audience tonight; my sister Emma Soames, and my aunt Peggy McDonald. Recently, my young nephew Thomas was very ill, but I am pleased to say that he has now recovered well. While he was in hospital, my sister spent almost every waking moment with him while the wonderful staff at York Hospital gave him the treatment that saved his life. This performance is dedicated to them too, and some of them are also present tonight. Our Aunt Peggy came all the way from Australia to help look after the rest of the family while Thomas was sick. It would have been very difficult for us to cope without her. This is the third time she has come to our aid. Thank you Emma and Aunt Peggy, this performance is for you and the staff of York Hospital. I hope you enjoy it.”

The audience applauded when I finished speaking, but there was more to come which I had not anticipated. I should have realised that as an actress herself, Emma is not shy about speaking in public. Suddenly she rose from her seat and turned to face the audience.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Emma Soames, Harriet's sister. What she did not tell you was that she generously donated her bone marrow to Thomas and that played a major part in his recovery from leukaemia, that and the wonderful staff at York Hospital, so I think she deserves some applause too.”

This was very generously given. I felt that a response was required as I stood there blushing.

“Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I have just learned that my actress sister always has to have the last word. Now it's on with the show!”

I bowed again and disappeared behind the drapes to laughter and more applause.

The backstage staff gave the audience two minutes to settle down before playing the recorded introductory music and then we were off and running

The performance went brilliantly even if I do say so myself. Every performance is a little different. Since we are all professionals, I wouldn't say that any performance was bad or even average, but sometimes a performance really sparkles and this was one of those times. We took our curtain calls to a standing ovation, and there was my two guests standing and clapping amongst them and I blew them a kiss.

Aunt Peggy and Emma came around to my dressing room after the performance, when I was adjusting my makeup.

“Well? What did you think of the play?” I asked.

“Very entertaining, and you weren't bad for a girl from Bridchester,” said Emma.

Alright, I'm gullible. She saw the look on my face and said “I'm teasing you Harriet, you were brilliant! It's a pity Will isn't around to see how well you perform his plays.”

We went to 'Oppos' for supper. I admit I'm a creature of habit but aren't we all in some ways? They know me by name there and the service and food are beyond compare. What Emma and Aunt Peggy weren't expecting was that two of the doctors and three nurses from York Hospital who had been involved with Thomas's treatment and were able to get time off, had attended the performance and joined us for supper.

We had a very enjoyable time. It surprised and embarrassed me that the medical people seemed to look at me with awe, presumably because I was gathering a certain notoriety for entertaining people. I felt that the opposite was more appropriate; after all they treated people for illnesses and sometimes saved their lives. In my view, there was no contest in who did the most important job.

The following morning, having been given the day off, I went around to the hotel after breakfast to pick up Emma and Aunt Peggy to show them around Stratford. We visited all the usual tourist attractions including Holy Trinity and Shakespeare's grave. To my surprise, my bouquet of flowers was still there on the grave and looking remarkably fresh for its age. As Aunt Peggy walked off to look at Shakespeare's bust on the wall, Emma stooped to read the card with the flowers. There was no disguising it, she knew my writing. She stood up and raised an eyebrow. I felt embarrassed.

“Alright, I feel that I know him, having performed so many of his plays and, well, when things weren't going too well, I asked him if he would put in a good word in the right quarter. Believe what you like, but it was just after that when you phoned me to say the bone marrow was working at last.”

Emma smiled but I saw tears in her eyes. Looking down at the grave she said quietly “Thank you, Will. That's from all of us.”

After lunch, I took them to the railway station for the train back to York and then went to the apartment for my usual pre-show siesta. Aunt Peggy was flying back to Australia on Monday afternoon, and I had offered to pick her up from Emma and David's home and drop her off in Manchester. I would then go on to Stratford. On Sunday evening we all gathered for a farewell dinner at Emma and David's house. I had offered to pay for us all to go to a restaurant, but Emma insisted that she wanted to cook the meal, and a fine job she did of it. We had a marvelous evening.

Driving to Manchester on Monday morning was a great opportunity to have a good chat with Aunt Peggy. Once again I thanked her for helping us and said that I hoped we would not have to call upon her in similar circumstances again. One thing I hoped was that she and her family could meet up with Emma, David and the children at some stage. I knew that both families ran on a tight budget, but the germ of an idea had formed in my mind and I decided to discuss it with Reggie.

At the airport, I waited until Aunt Peggy had checked in and deposited her baggage. We had time for a final cup of coffee and I said that I hoped to get to Melbourne to perform again and spend some time with her and the family. Then we had a final hug and she went through the doors. Then I went to my car and drove to Stratford.

In due course, I heard that Aunt Peggy had arrived home safely, and later an envelope arrived with hand-written notes from Ron Senior and Junior and Flora thanking me for the gifts I had sent. In these days of emails and texts, a handwritten note is now something special. A couple of months later I received another envelope with some pictures that young Ron had taken with his new camera. They included kangaroos, koalas, wedge-tailed eagles and also one of the family which had been taken by placing the camera on a tripod and using the timer. Aunt Peggy was right, he was a talented photographer. In a note he enclosed, he wrote that he couldn't have taken some of the pictures without the telephoto lens and that he had won a prize in the photography section of a local art festival. I was thrilled to hear that.

The play continued to nearly full houses and after the season concluded, I had a week off before we started to rehearse 'The Tempest' where I was to play Miranda, Prospero's daughter Ironically, the character is supposed to be only fifteen years old but is rarely played by someone so young.

I drove up to York for the week and enjoyed being a housewife again. I visited Emma and family and told her there was something I wanted to discuss with her and David but only when Reggie was there too.

“Why don't you come for dinner one day later this week?” she said. “Then we can talk afterwards.”

I am a better cook now than I was in my youth, but not a patch on Emma so I quickly agreed. There would be a relaxed atmosphere after a good meal and then we could discuss what I had in mind.

To be continued.