The Boy I Love (45 page)

Sally was forced to follow her to the stage where Sarah was waiting with a sheaf of notes in her hands.

‘Right, everyone, I am pleased to say we are in good nick. So I propose we break for lunch then start the technical rehearsal at two o’clock. As I said before, with a bit of luck we
may get a dress rehearsal in tonight, or at least half a one. So tomorrow morning around eleven we can finish it and then break, and then start the proper Dress at two o’clock, ready to open
the show at seven thirty. Thank you, everyone, it is going to be fabulous.’

Sally had hardly rehearsed her number at all, but she was not too bothered as she knew exactly what she was doing with it and did not need Sarah Kelly’s input. She did, however, need a
dress – and a period dress at that. She knew Janie had put one aside for her but she had not yet tried it on and it might be a good idea to do that now. She met Janie coming down the stairs
with an armful of costumes.

‘Can I try on my dress any time soon?’ Sally asked her.

‘Yes, of course. Do you want to do it now? If so, just follow me.’ Sally did as she was told and followed Janie to the wardrobe department, where Gwendoline was overseeing Pete while
he tried on a pair of short trousers for his Tiddler number.

‘Pete, you look most fetching,’ chuckled Sally. ‘What do you think, girls? Could you have that in your bed?’

‘Please spare me,’ Janie replied. ‘It is bad enough having to listen to him playing with his tiddler!’ They burst into fits of the giggles.

‘Yeah, yeah, very funny, girls. Mock a man trying to do the best for his art.’

‘Art!’ screeched Janie, and this brought about further squeals of laughter.

‘Sorry to interrupt, but could I have a word please, Sally.’ Giles Longfellow was standing in the doorway and the whole room went silent.

‘Yes, of course,’ said Sally. She followed Giles out of the room without a backward glance.

Not a word was spoken all the way to Giles’s office. He showed Sally into the room and shut the door.

‘Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?’ He was pouring himself a very large brandy as he said this.

‘No, thank you,’ said Sally, and waited for Giles to speak.

He sat down opposite her slowly. He looked old and grey, and there was none of the dashing entrepreneur about him today. He swirled the golden liquid round the brandy glass and peered into it
like a fortune-teller hoping for inspiration.

‘You are Jeremy’s closest friend, he tells me.’ Giles spoke without looking at her. ‘I understand he has told you about Robert and his illness.’ He paused and took
a sip of brandy. ‘He has also told you of his involvement with Eddie Graham and the obvious problems this creates. Do you have any idea how serious the situation is for everyone?’ He
gave Sally a piercing look and Sally held his gaze. She could see the pain in his eyes but also something else. Giles was frightened. Deep down to his bones he was scared. The fear was rolling off
him, Sally could almost smell it.

Why was she here? She could not understand why he had asked her to see him.

‘I am a little confused as to why you have asked me here, Giles. Yes, I understand that there are serious issues concerning Jeremy and Eddie and possibly yourself, but what can I do
exactly?’

There was a long silence and then a groan from Giles.

‘Because Eddie has contracted this virus and he will probably die, and he is your best friend’s lover. Jeremy is devastated and you are the only person he has in his life to turn to,
so I am asking you to take care of him through this. We are all devastated and the whole dreadful business touches so many lives. I won’t go into the details if you don’t mind, as they
are confidential, but I would also ask you to keep this private. I know you can be trusted, Sally, and I value your discretion enormously, and your support. It is going to be exceedingly tough on
Jeremy for the next few weeks so I just wanted to make sure you would be there for him.’

‘Of course I will. Thank you so much for telling me and for trusting me. I do hope you all get through this and I am so sorry to hear about Eddie.’

Sally decided the best thing to do was to get out quick. She left the office and ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She was so shocked she really could not take it all in. Where was
Jeremy now? She needed to talk to him. She went straight to the boys’ dressing room but only Simon and Pete were there.

‘Have you seen Jeremy?’ she asked.

‘He had gone to the shop to get some lunch,’ said Pete.

‘Thanks,’ replied Sally and was gone. She raced down the stairs and out to the stage door. ‘Gladys, have you seen Jeremy?’

The big woman was eating a hot pie and could not answer immediately. Much to Sally’s frustration she had to wait while Gladys chomped her way, huffing and puffing, through her mouthful of
steak and kidney.

‘Pardon me, luv, sorry ’bout that. Blimey, it was ’ot! Now then, what was you asking? Oh yes, young Jeremy. Well, he came running out looking something terrible. White as a
sheet. I told him to go to the pub and buy himself a brandy. So I think that is where he has gone. Nothing serious is it, luv?’ But she was talking to herself because Sally had already
gone.

Sally found Jeremy sitting in the corner by the fire surrounded by hearty happy lunchtime drinkers. He was hunched over his glass, staring into the flames. Sally managed to grab a spare stool
and dragged it across to sit down beside him. He hardly acknowledged her presence.

‘Jeremy, I am so sorry. What is there to say? It is terrible news. Please look at me, come on, you need to talk. Shall we go somewhere more private?’

‘Eddie is going to die and I can’t take it in. Why has this happened? Am I being punished? Sally, I am OK, I am not infected, and nor are Giles or Lord Graham. I can’t
comprehend it. We are spared, yet Eddie has to die. What am I going to do? I can’t tell my parents and I have got to get through Christmas Day. Oh God, I can’t do it.’

Sally could feel his shoulders starting to shake and knew she had to get him out of the pub. She hauled him up, saying, ‘Come on now, let’s just go somewhere private. Hang on a few
more minutes, and then you can cry all you want, my friend.’ She literally dragged him out of the pub and managed to get him to walk back to the theatre.

‘Now let’s get past Gladys without an enquiry. You just have to hold your breath and stand up straight and walk quickly.’ Jeremy did everything he was told and the two of them
hurried past Gladys with a wave. The latter was not too bothered as she was now engaged with a large portion of steamed roly poly pudding, which was also very ’ot!

Sally got Jeremy sat down in her dressing room and shut the door so they would not be disturbed. There was still half an hour before the technical rehearsal started.

‘Look, we are going to have to find a way to get you through this show starting with two o’clock today unless I tell Sarah you are ill. I could do that and then you could go
home.’

‘I don’t want to be on my own,’ cried Jeremy. ‘I want to see Eddie but his father has forbidden it. Sally, they have taken Eddie away to a nursing home somewhere. They
are telling people he has terminal cancer, but he might live for ages yet. I don’t know much about the illness, but Giles had been telling me and George Delaware that the virus could lie
dormant for years before it presents itself. I want to talk to Eddie and make him see that we can still be together. I won’t leave him. I love him, for God’s sake.’

‘OK, let’s get this straight. Lord Graham won’t let you see Eddie ever again?’

‘Yes – he is crazy! He told Giles it was my fault his son was gay, never mind caught this terrible virus. Nothing could be further from the truth, Sal. I feel like a teenager
compared to Eddie. He has betrayed me and our love. He has been having affairs for the last three years. He says he wants to stop now he has met me, but who knows. Anyway, all that is irrelevant
now. I just want to see him and talk.’

‘Can’t Giles help you see him? Surely if he and Lord Graham are so close he would have some influence?’ she suggested.

Jeremy blew his nose and sat up, trying to pull himself together.

‘To be honest, I think this whole thing has split them up. Giles seems completely lost. Lord Graham is battening down the hatches and closing all possible means of this leaking out to the
press. Can you imagine what they would make of it? I reckon Giles has been given his marching orders as well. So one way or another, we are all fucked.’

‘I think Eddie will find a way to contact you,’ said Sally thoughtfully. ‘He will not want to leave it like this. Just try and sit tight for the time being and see what
happens. You have got so much on your plate, these next three weeks, Jeremy. I know it is tough but you must be strong and you must not let it stop you doing your work. You know what we have always
told each other. Work comes first.’ Sally stopped as she saw the tears welling up again in Jeremy’s eyes. She gathered him to her and held him tight. ‘You can do this,’ she
whispered. ‘We will do it together.’

‘Ladies and gentlemen, for your delectation and delight please put your hands together and welcome a young and perfectly formed songstress born to soar to the heights
of sublime ecstasy . . . Miss Sally Thomas!’

The audience cheered and whistled as Sally was lowered on a swing to the centre of the stage where she sang ‘The Boy I Love is Up in the Gallery’. She wore a gorgeous pale blue and
cream lace dress with mountains of petticoats, and little leather boots which peeped through the folds of her gown as she swung backwards and forwards. With all the drama that was going on in real
life it was a relief to be here for five perfect minutes every night and sing her heart out to an adoring crowd. She had had more fan letters this week than any other time. It certainly helped her
through the days rehearsing with Jeremy, who wandered about in a coma.

His poor performance as the all-important character, Badger, was so disappointing for her, and the rest of the cast, because they had all been so looking forward to
Toad of Toad Hall
.
Simon was creating a wonderfully evil leader of the weasels, and Percy was sublime as Toad.

‘This part was made for you,’ said Sarah, clapping her hands after a particularly good run-through.

‘Don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or not,’ whispered Percy under his breath to Peggy.

She gave his arm a squeeze and whispered back, ‘You are too good-looking for the role really, my darling!’ and they both laughed.

Sally was having a ball playing the water rat, Ratty. She was strutting about with a false moustache on, much to everyone’s amusement. Pete was the perfect Mole because he was quite small
anyway but he had already devised an amazing face make-up which blended down his neck and chest into his costume. It was a pain to put on every night, but the effect was incredible because it gave
the animals real characters. Pete had to give lessons to everyone else in the cast and even got his name in the programme as animal make-up designer.

‘Can’t be bad to have another string to his bow,’ commented Janie. ‘We need all the help we can get in this game.’

Dora was a dream as the gaoler’s daughter who disguises Toad as a washerwoman so he can get out of gaol. Gwendoline had made her a frock with the lowest bodice imaginable, and Dora’s
cleavage was very much on show, to the delight of the boys.

‘Are you sure she can go in front of children dressed like that?’ asked Sally. Janie and Gwendoline had a fit of the giggles.

‘Well, it will make all the dads happy, won’t it?’ chuckled Janie. ‘It’s a laugh – children don’t worry about a bit of cleavage.’

‘A bit!’ yelped Sally.

Jeremy, however, was giving a decidedly lacklustre performance as Badger.

‘I am so sorry, Sally, I just can’t stop thinking about Eddie. If only I could see him and talk to him.’

After a few days of this Sally had had enough and went to see Giles.

‘Please, Giles, can you persuade Lord Graham to at least let Jeremy say goodbye properly,’ she pleaded. ‘We need him up to speed for this show.’

‘I will do my best, but His Lordship will hardly give me the time of day either.’

If truth be known, Giles was at his wit’s end. He and Teddie had had a meeting in London to discuss the finances of the theatre, and Edward Graham had basically told Giles that after this
season he was withdrawing his support.

‘But why, for God’s sake? Just because you and I can no longer be together doesn’t mean the theatre has to suffer. You know how much it means to me to keep Crewe going, and all
my dreams for the future, and we are going to open
Hamlet
in three months’ time, which will be a fantastic achievement. Please, Teddie, don’t destroy everything I have. I have
lost you, which is enough to bear.’

But Giles was wasting his breath. Lord Graham had shut down and was immune to all pleading. From the moment he had heard that his son had HIV and his predicament was life-threatening, something
inside Edward Graham had also died. He could hardly face Tanya and Tilly, so he spent most of his time in his apartment in London. He rarely went out socially. Gossip was rife in the inner circles,
but he had managed to keep it all from the press. He had sent Eddie away to stay with some friends in New York and had arranged for his son to see a doctor there who was an authority on this new
disease. Any hope that could be offered would be welcome. But there had been none.