A Devon Night's Death by Stephanie Austin

Author:Stephanie Austin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

We didn’t make much progress at rehearsal that night. This was partly due to Gabriel’s late arrival, smelling as if he’d just come from the pub, and partly due to the improvisation he made everyone perform before we were allowed to get started. The evening was half gone before we began working on the text. Then things really started to go downhill. We still had no one to play Oberon, so Gabriel decided to read it himself. Emily, obviously intimidated by the thought of acting with him, spoke more softly than ever.

‘No! No! No!’ he yelled, the moment she opened her mouth. ‘How the hell are you ever going to be heard in the garden, eh? I can barely hear you in here. Project, for God’s sake!’

In the silence that followed, Emily, who’d turned blood-red with embarrassment, stammered an apology. ‘I thought we’d be wearing radio mics,’ she explained, ‘like when we did Les Mis at school.’

Gabriel, realising perhaps he’d been too fierce, reined back a little. ‘Well, there will be some sound amplification, certainly. But I’m afraid personal radio microphones are not something the budget will stretch to. We are going to have to rely on skill. Now, darling, shall we try it again? Louder this time.’

Emily nodded, and managed to raise her volume slightly, but she was obviously struggling.

‘Just try and relax, will you?’ Gabriel interrupted her in a voice guaranteed to make her shut up like a clam. ‘Breathe,’ he added on a long sigh.

They staggered through the scene. Emily, released by her exit, fled to the protection of April Hardiman who murmured words of encouragement in her ear. Meanwhile there was a lot of behind-the-hand whispering and glance-flicking among the fairies. Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Moth seemed to have become a gang, bonded together by jealousy.

We moved on to the next scene where Helena is bemoaning the fact that Demetrius has abandoned her because he now finds Hermia more beautiful.

‘… I am as ugly as a bear,’ she lamented.

‘Yeh, right,’ came a voice from the corner. It was Scott.

‘Fuck off!’ Marian recommended, all lovelorn woe deserting her.

Gabriel slammed his hand down on the table. ‘Can we attempt to take this seriously?’

‘Yeh, you’re not on the rugby field now,’ Scott grinned.

‘I’d take you down if I was!’

‘We haven’t got the time for this, children,’ Gabriel shouted. ‘Scott, just put a sock in it, will you?’

But shutting his gob seemed to be something Scott found difficult. I’d felt sorry for him when I’d seen him with Millie on Sunday. Today he was acting like a prat. When Matthew and Sophie got up to take their places, he muttered something else, something loud enough for only those closest to him to hear. A second later Matthew grabbed him by the neck of his t-shirt and slammed him up against the wall, pinning him there, his forearm pressing hard against his throat. ‘Don’t you ever use that word in front of me,’ he snarled, dark eyes blazing with fury.

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