The Girl from Summer Hill (8 page)

Kit looked across their heads to Casey with an expression that pointed out that some women did indeed
like
Tate.

Casey gave an exaggerated shrug. “Who can explain taste?” she seemed to reply.

“We're closing the food service down.” Casey was standing by the tables. “Let people help themselves.”

“Are you leaving?” Olivia asked.

“No. You and I are going to see the show.” Casey rummaged inside a grocery bag under the table. “I sent Josh out for these.” She pulled out two big bags of popcorn. “I thought that maybe there'd be fireworks when Kit announced who would help with the auditions, but this beats all my expectations. You and I are going to watch this fiasco in comfort.”

“Surely with an actor like Tate Landers, things will run smoothly.”

“Ha!” Casey said. “As far as I can piece together, Kit has used charity to shame the guy into performing. But Landers has made it clear that he doesn't want to do it. If these Elizabeths are half as bad as the Lydias this morning, I want to see his distaste and arrogance.”

Olivia was looking at her in shock. “What in the world did that young man do to make you dislike him so much?”

“Let's see. Where do I begin? Bawled me out for sitting in my own house. Told Jack he thought I wasn't pretty enough for
him
. Broke into my house and ate one of the pies I made for my friends. And if all that weren't enough, I think he did something in my bedroom that made him take his shirt off and throw it onto my roof. Is that enough reason to dislike him?”

“I should say so!” Olivia said. “Come on, let's go and watch, and if he does a bad job we'll throw popcorn at him.”

“Just so it isn't a pie. He'd like that too much.”

Laughing, they went down the aisle to take seats by Kit at his desk.

The walls were lined with women who wanted to try out for Elizabeth, each one wearing varying degrees of fear and hope on her face. There was a two-page printout of the scene they were to use for the auditions, where Darcy says he wants to marry Elizabeth in spite of the fact that she is totally unsuitable to be his wife.

“None of them looks like she'd say no to him,” Casey said. “From the way they keep glancing at the curtain, I think they're all hoping he asks them for real.”

“I have to say that, even at my age, I was ready to run away with Mr. Landers when he played Heathcliff.”

“You've seen his movies?” Casey asked.

“Of course. You haven't?”

“No,” Casey said. “I've only seen
him,
and that was more than enough.”

“But shirtless, he is—”

Casey snorted. “I've seen him with clothes and without them, and it's still no.”

“How in the world—?”

“Quiet on the set,” the stage manager shouted, and the curtain went up.

A young woman Casey had seen around town but didn't know was sitting at a desk and writing with a quill pen. She had on one of the prop dresses that had been used for the Lydia auditions, and she looked good.

From the right, Tate walked onto the set—and a collective sigh went through the auditorium. He wore a Regency suit, and from the way it fit it seemed to have been custom made for him. His tight trousers smoothed down over his heavy thighs and into tall boots. A vest clung to his flat stomach, and a black jacket showed off his broad shoulders.

Every eye was on the two people onstage.

When Tate spoke, his voice halted all motion. “ ‘In vain I have struggled, but my feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.' ”

Everyone stared at him, mouths agape. He sounded like a man who was truly in love and torn apart by it. The angst, the misery, and the love were all there.

The young woman playing Elizabeth looked at him in openmouthed astonishment—and said nothing.

Seconds clicked by and all she did was stare at Tate.

“ ‘Sir, I thank you,' ” Kit prompted. She remained silent. “ ‘I believe I should express my gratitude for your sentiments,' ” Kit said louder, “ ‘even though I do not return them.' ”

“Oh, yes,” she whispered. “ ‘I believe…' ” she began. “I mean, ‘I thank you.' ” She straightened her shoulders. “ ‘I'm sorry I caused you pain, but I hope it doesn't last long.' ”

She had skipped lines and misquoted, but worse, as she spoke she stepped toward Tate until she was almost touching him.

Through all of it, Tate never lost his look of anguish and love. Even when she touched his chest with her index finger, he didn't break character.

“Cut!” Kit yelled.

Instantly, Tate stepped back from the woman, turned, and left the stage.

The young woman looked at Kit. “I'm sorry. I can do better. It was just such a shock that it really is
him
.”

“We don't have time for second tries,” Kit said curtly. “Thank you again, Miss…” He looked at the paper on his desk. “Miss Lewis. Please go downstairs and return the dress.” There was absolute finality in Kit's tone.

One audition followed another. For the most part, the players were like the first young woman, so dazzled by being near Tate Landers that they couldn't get themselves under control. One woman made everyone laugh when she didn't even try to say her lines. She just held out a pen and paper to Tate and smiled adoringly at him.

When it was Hildy's turn, Olivia and Casey crossed their fingers. Three minutes later, they uncrossed them. Hildy remembered all her lines but delivered them in such an arrogant way that the scene made little sense. Tate was supposed to be the aristocrat, but Hildy acted as though she was of a higher class. It seemed that at any moment she would order him to get on his knees and kiss her ring.

At first the audience reacted to her interpretation in shock, then they began to twitter with barely suppressed giggles.

In spite of Hildy's bravado, Tate stayed in character, ardently professing his love for her.

Olivia didn't comment on her daughter-in-law's performance, but she called Tate a “true professional.”

“Don't kid yourself,” Casey said. “He's enjoying this. Just because he can keep a straight face doesn't mean he's a good actor.”

When Hildy finished, Kit said he wanted to see her later. She walked off the stage with her head held high, seeming to think he was saying that she had the part. But Casey mouthed, “Lady Catherine?” to Kit, and he nodded.

After a couple of hours, Kit called a break and everyone headed to the food tables. He loudly suggested that the women who had already auditioned should leave. There were many calls made to husbands, babysitters, neighbors, et cetera, to pick up children, run errands, even to visit relatives in the hospital. The word “emergency” was heard often, but
no one
left the building.

Kit went to Casey. “Could you take something backstage for Tate to drink? And if you have any of those little cakes left, take those too.”

“Maybe Olivia can do it,” Casey said. “I'm busy.”

Olivia gave a nod, prepared a plate and filled a glass, and took them toward the stage.

“He's good, isn't he?” Kit said to Casey.

“Who?”

He gave her a look.

“Yeah, I guess he's okay.” In spite of what she'd said to Olivia, the truth was that they'd all been impressed by Tate. Every time he'd performed, he'd done it with feeling. Over and over. And no matter how the woman opposite him messed up, Tate never broke character.

A few of the women had made it through the entire scene, but none of them displayed the emotion that Tate put into the role. Again and again he looked like a man in love but fighting inner demons.

“Who are you going to choose to be Elizabeth?” Casey asked Kit.

“None of them. They're all dreadful.”

“That Parker girl wasn't bad.”

Kit looked at her in disbelief. “She kept fluttering her eyelashes at Tate. I expected her to ask him on a date.”

“The Brickley girl?”

“Timid little thing. I think Tate's passion scared her.”

“Maybe the second half will be better,” Casey said.

“What I need is someone who sees Tate as a person, not as a movie star.”

“Good luck finding that in this crowd,” Casey said. “They're all making fools of themselves over him. The way they look at him is sick-making. ‘Oh, Mr. Landers,' ” she mimicked in falsetto, “ ‘please look at me the way you do those women in the movies. If you do, I'll dedicate my life to you.' Truly disgusting. It's—” She broke off, as Kit had an odd expression on his face. “What's that look for?”

“I'm agreeing with you. I need someone who doesn't see him as some mythical being in a pair of tight pants.”

Casey smiled at the image. “It's a good thing he's not going to play Darcy in the real production. Have you worked with Josh yet?”

“Yes, and I have to say that I have never seen anyone with less acting ability than that young man.”

“Oh, no,” Casey said. “What are you going to do?”

Kit gave a slow smile. “I think Tatton is doing a splendid job, don't you?” He didn't wait for an answer. “Five minutes to curtain call,” he said loudly. “Places, everyone.” He went down the aisle to take his seat at the desk.

“When I took the food to him, he was really nice,” Olivia said from behind Casey.

Casey turned to look at her. “Please tell me you didn't fall for him too.”

“No,” Olivia said, “but it's sad that he has to sit back there by himself. His only friend here is Jack Worth, and he left with Gizzy. And the poor man is starving.”

“I don't know how he can be, since he ate an entire pie. And for all I know, he cleaned out my fridge. I can't wait to get home tonight and see what he did in my bedroom.”

“Perhaps, but he did look rather lonely back there. It couldn't be any fun having all those women act so silly around him.”

“It's only for a few hours. Then he can fly back to glamorous Hollywood, where there are more people just like him.”

“I'm sure you're right,” Olivia said.

“Of course I am. How's Hildy?”

Olivia sighed. “On top of the world. Elated. She's already called Kevin, my stepson, and told him she has the starring role. When she doesn't get it…”

Casey took Olivia's arm. “Kit will fix it. He's good with problems.”

“Not with all problems, dear,” Olivia said in a tone she'd not used before. “Some things are too much even for him.” Abruptly, she turned away and went down the aisle.

Casey was close behind her. “What do you know about Kit? He's a great mystery to all of us. He said—”

“The curtain is rising,” Olivia said. “Shall we watch?”

For a moment Casey gazed at Kit. He was so tall, with such a commanding presence, that all he had to do was look at a person and any questions stopped. What did Olivia know about him other than that he'd seen her on Broadway?

As though he knew Casey was staring at him, Kit turned toward her, but his eyes revealed nothing. Feeling as though she was prying into something that wasn't any of her business, she looked back at the stage.

If anything, the second batch of women was worse than the first. During the break, Casey had heard the women explaining why they were there. When it was announced that Tate Landers was reading with women who auditioned for Elizabeth, everyone had been giddy. It was a chance to meet, even to speak to, a famous movie star. An unmarried, doesn't-even-have-a-girlfriend movie star.

Not one of the women had taken the idea of being in a local play seriously. With home and job obligations, they didn't have time for rehearsals, and certainly not for weekend performances.

The women began to admit that all they really wanted was to say they'd been among the people who'd tried out. The single women wanted to smile seductively at Tate, and the married women wanted to tell him how much they loved his movies. Their shared confidences resulted in the second round of auditions going badly. Some of the women didn't even appear to make an effort in their performances.