Valentine (7 page)

Jack shook his head. 'Oh there will be no discussion;
you'd better start practising. I could coach you.'

'It's not funny, Jack. VPL has booked Twirlies to be
the fairies – they're arriving next week.'

'What are Twirlies?'

'Professional dancers. I am going to look like a sumo
wrestler compared to them.'

At this Toby, who was sitting next to Jack, gave Valentine
a sympathetic look and said, 'Don't worry, Valentine. Jack's
making too much of the whole nudity thing because he's
new to the business. Do you wear contact lenses?'

Valentine shook her head, wondering why he'd asked.

'Oh, it's just that if you did I was going to suggest you
didn't wear them on stage. If you can't see anyone else
clearly, you imagine that they can't see you either!'

Valentine smiled, appreciating Toby's effort. 'That
would be good, but I've got perfect eyesight and this seems
like the one time that will be a disadvantage.'

'I've got twenty-twenty vision too,' Jack put in. 'And I
don't see any problem with that at all.' He winked at
Valentine.

Toby said, 'I don't know why Jack is sounding so pleased
with himself. Last I heard Vince had his heart set on
having Bottom naked when he was transformed into the
donkey.'

Jack shook his head disbelievingly. 'No way!' But
Valentine was secretly pleased to see he looked ever so
slightly anxious.

'I can see why Vince wants that,' she put in, sounding
earnest. 'It makes that whole scene between Bottom and
Titania more sexually charged and dynamic. You know
Vince wants to push the boundaries with the play and get
himself a name and what better way than with a bit of
male nudity? It always gets the critics very overexcited.'

Jack's confident persona was crumbling before
Valentine's eyes, especially when Toby put in, 'Bloody
freezing in that theatre though, isn't it? I can't say that
I'd like to get my kit off in those conditions. The cold
can do terrible things to a man's . . .' he paused, 'Well
there's no way to put it delicately really, is there . . .? To
his todger.' At that he slapped Jack heartily on the back
and said, 'Cheer up! We could always get in a fluffer
before you go on stage; you know, to inject a bit of life
in the old boy.' Toby was so clearly taking the piss and
Valentine was struggling not to laugh. But Jack was well
and truly taken in now.

'What do you mean, a fluffer? I thought they were
only used on porn films.'

'Oh no! It's an ancient theatre tradition whenever male
nudity is involved. Of course the fluffer has to be careful
not to overstimulate the member, just do enough to make
it look presentable,' Toby deadpanned. 'It's a real art –
only an expert can achieve that slight tumescence but not
a fully fledged erection, which obviously causes problems.'

'How come I never heard about this at drama school?'
Jack demanded, a picture of outrage.

'It's just one of those things that they like you to find
out for yourself,' Toby said evenly.

'Well, I'm not going to do it – not the nudity or the
fluffer bit. I didn't sign up for this when I accepted the
part. I'm going to phone my agent.' And with that he got
up and practically ran out of the pub, scrabbling in his
pocket for his mobile.

Toby and Valentine both gave in to the laughter. 'Toby,
that was genius!' she spluttered.

'Not bad was it? I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable
about what you have to do.'

'You're a real sweetheart,' she said and leant over and
gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then laughed
again, thinking of the shocked expression on Jack's face.

After lunch VPL once more corralled the actors into a circle
while he stood in the middle. 'OK, listen up everybody.
Before we talk about the text anymore,' –
translation
,
thought Valentine,
before I talk about the text anymore
–
'I thought we'd spend some time doing some trust exercises.
Because the play is going to contain some nudity
we need to really come together and bond as a company.'
VPL looked even more intense than usual and Valentine
sneaked a glance at Jack, pointed at him and mouthed,
'You naked.' Jack frowned; he obviously hadn't discovered
Toby's joke yet. But then he mouthed back, 'You
nipple tassels.' Valentine stuck her tongue out.

Unfortunately this was the moment VPL chose to look
at her. 'Anything you want to share, Valentine?' he asked
sarcastically, 'because sharing and trust is going to be very
important for all of us.'

Valentine shook her head, having a feeling that she'd
be for it now. 'OK, you can be the first to experience the
trust that we're going to have. I want you to stand in
the middle of the circle.'

Shit!
Valentine hated trust games. HATED them!
Extremely reluctantly she got up and walked into the
middle of the circle. She felt horribly exposed. 'Now
everyone come closer and form a tighter circle round
Valentine,' VPL continued. 'Valentine, I want you to close
your eyes and fall forward. The others will catch you and
then push you back so you are moved round the circle.'
The rest of the company had now regrouped themselves
around her. 'OK, we're ready for you,' VPL spoke. 'Just
close your eyes and fall backwards.'

Very reluctantly Valentine did as she was told. There
was that sickening moment of falling through the air when
it felt like no one was going to catch her and then someone
did and gently pushed her backwards. She tried to relax,
but it was not a pleasant sensation as she was passed
round the circle, not knowing who was touching her.
Suddenly she was pushed forward and caught under the
arms by someone who staggered under the weight. 'Christ!
I think I've put my back out!' It was Xander. She opened
her eyes. Great, now she felt like a complete porker. So
much for building trust.

'What? Over a little slip of a thing like Valentine?' Jack
moved in front of Valentine and to her surprise picked
her up and swung her round in his arms as if she weighed
very little. When in fact at last weigh-in it was nine and
a half stone. It was such a delightful sensation and so
sweet of Jack, Valentine couldn't help laughing.

'You can put me down now,' she said after he'd swung
her round a couple of times, 'and thank you.'

After he'd put her down he bowed and kissed her hand.
'Any time.'

Valentine felt swept off her feet in more ways than
one.

Valentine had always thought that Lauren was completely
unshockable, but as she told her the news about her father
later that night her friend was left speechless. Not even a
motherfucker
escaped her as she sat there open-mouthed.
Finally she pulled herself together enough to ask, 'So how
do you feel, V?'

Valentine sighed. 'All over the place. Part of me wishes
that mum and Chris had told me the truth, but then again
I understand why they didn't. I don't know if I could
have handled knowing that my real dad didn't want
anything to do with me.'

'You'd have ended up like me after my dad walked out
– hard-hearted and unable to commit, but with a core of
steel,' Lauren only half-joked. Then she shook her head,
reassessing. 'No, you would have tortured yourself and
it would have shredded your self-esteem. I can see exactly
why your mum didn't want to tell you. But now you
know, what are you going to do?'

Valentine shrugged. 'I just don't know. I mean Chris,
to all intents and purposes, was my dad. Maybe I should
forget about Piers. I've lived twenty-seven years without
him and it's been fine, but then I think maybe I should
contact him and try and get to know him. I feel that if
I don't I might not ever really know myself. But then
again I don't know if I can bear it if he rejects me.' She
paused to bite her thumbnail. 'Oh God, does that sound
like a trailer for
Oprah
?'

'So long as you don't bounce on the sofa and whoop
when Piers and you get invited on to talk about your
relationship,' was Lauren's reply. 'I'd have to disown you
for being a total tit.'

They spent the rest of the night Googling Piers. He
had made over fifteen films but never won an Oscar; he
had homes in LA and London and had been married to
Olivia, a famous American actress, for over twenty years,
which surely had to be something of a record for
Hollywood. He had no other children. The pictures on
the web showed a distinguished-looking man with blonde
hair and chiselled features who was still handsome in his
fifties. Valentine found herself staring at his photograph
and wondering what kind of man he was, wondering if
she had inherited her green eyes from him.

Later, when she was in bed, she called Finn, wanting to
confide in him. But she only got his voicemail. Eva was
probably back from filming. From now on she'd have to
wait for Finn to call her. She felt lonely and hated being
the other woman. Just as she was drifting off to sleep her
phone beeped with a text. It wasn't from Finn as she had
hoped, but Jack; a flirty, teasing,
Fleming, I'll get you back for
the fluffer lie x
. She was about to send back a cheeky reply,
then she thought,
what the hell
, and phoned him.

'Going to spin me another story, Fleming?' Jack said
sleepily. Valentine had a not unpleasant image of him
lying in bed.

'I was actually phoning to say sorry. No hard feelings?'

'There would be nothing hard if I had to go on stage
naked, believe me. Anyway, it's me who should apologise.
I realise it was out of order teasing you about your
costume. I didn't mean to make you feel self-conscious.'
Jack went up again in her estimation. 'I may have a hairy
chest but I am evolved.'

Valentine had a sudden urge to ask if he had a hairy
back. She felt she could deal with a hairy chest, but she
wasn't at all sure about a hairy back. Maybe he could get
it waxed.

They stayed talking on the phone for the next half-hour
– swapping gossip about what they thought of the
rest of the cast, and verdicts on plays and films they'd
seen recently. All innocent subjects but there was a definite
undercurrent of attraction in their banter. Jack was so
easy to talk to – funny, charming, self-deprecating and
very flirtatious. Flirtatious was good; it seemed ages since
she'd flirted with anyone. The conversation was also a
welcome reprieve from having to think about her big
news. In fact she would probably have stayed talking to
him for longer, but at midnight his doorbell went.

'Shit,' he said with feeling, 'I'd better get this. See you
tomorrow, Valentine.' A beat. 'Nice talking to you. Did
you know what a sexy voice you have?'

For the first time in a very long time, she didn't think
about Finn as she fell asleep.

She woke early the next morning and forced herself to
go for a run. Usually she loathed running, but the spectre
of the nipple tassels and the Twirlies was very motivational.
The exercise helped clear her head, and by the
time she got home she had made a decision: she was
going to contact Piers. It wasn't easy composing the letter.

Dear Piers, I hope this doesn't come as too much of a surprise
but I am your daughter Valentine. Twenty-eight years ago
you may remember you had a brief relationship with Sarah
Fleming ; well I am the consequence!

The exclamation mark was a mistake; it made her
sound like a crazy person. She scrunched up the paper
and threw it in the bin. Her second, third and fourth
attempts weren't much better. Valentine gave a sigh of
exasperation. Every version she came up with really did
sound like a trailer for Oprah:
This week multi-award-winning,
successful film director Piers Hunter discovers he has a long lost
daughter! Here they are on the sofa with me!
In the end she kept
the letter brief and to the point.

Dear Piers, my name is Valentine Fleming. I know this is
probably going to sound like a bolt from the blue but I believe
that I am your daughter. Twenty-eight years ago you had a
brief affair with my mother Sarah Fleming. It was while you
were directing
The Importance of Being Ernest
in Oxford.
I am an actress, living in London. I am not looking for
anything other than the chance to meet you.

She finished by giving all her contact details and
enclosing one of her black and white publicity shots. She
also mentioned the play she was in. She hesitated at the
post box. Could she really deal with the feeling of rejection
if he didn't reply? She posted the letter. Core of steel.
What would be, would be.

The flirting with Jack continued throughout the next two
weeks of rehearsals. She found herself warming to him
more and more. And his acting was a revelation. She had
thought that he was completely wrong to play Bottom
because he was so good-looking and assured, but on stage
he transformed into the buffoon the role demanded. He
was pompous, self-important and he even managed to
make himself look less attractive by adopting a slightly
buck-toothed smile. It was a fantastic performance.
Valentine, meanwhile, was the femme fatale of the fairy
world, doing her best to seduce him, while he was oblivious
to her charms. VPL, who so far had doled out precious
few compliments, praised her performance, telling her she
was conveying just the right mix of comedy and sensuality.
Her growing attraction to Jack was further heightened by
Finn's distance. He finally called back but gave her no
chance to tell him her big news; he was too full of his
own as he was about to fly to the States to audition for
a
CSI
something. 'This could be my big break, V,' he told
her excitedly. Valentine was pleased for him, but couldn't
help feeling that conversation with Finn was a one-way
street.

However the downward spiral that would usually have
been triggered by his lack of interest didn't materialise.
And she tried not to dwell too much on the fact that Piers
had yet to reply to her letter, though she was fanatical
about checking her email. She told herself that he was
bound to be away filming. Thank God she was acting as
she knew if she wasn't she would have been obsessing
over Piers's silence. But acting always gave her such a
high. Not only did she feel good, she was convinced she
looked better too. Her skin appeared brighter (probably
because she'd massively cut down on alcohol and junk
food), her eyes had a sparkle to them and even her hair
seemed more manageable than usual. She loved working
in a company again, getting to know everyone and feeling
part of something. With a few exceptions (the wanker
Xander and the ravishing and annoying Emily, who
fancied the arse off Jack) she adored her fellow actors. It
was like falling in love with everyone. She hung out mostly
with Toby, Zara (a lovely Twirly), Kitty and Rufus (who
were now a couple) and Jack after rehearsals and they
invariably ended up going to the pub they'd nicknamed
the Orange Peril because of its vile orange-patterned
carpet that was so tacky with dirt that you felt you were
going to be stuck like a fly on flypaper every time you
stepped on it. There they would gossip and giggle and
practically no subject was off-limits. That was the other
thing she loved about other actors: when you bonded,
you
really
bonded and confidences were quickly shared.
At the end of the second week her group were all deeply
involved in discussing when they lost their virginity. Jack
was in the middle of telling them how he lost his, aged
sixteen, to a married woman he met when he was in an
Am Dram production of
Noises Off
. Very Mrs Robinson
in
The Graduate
they all agreed.

'Dirty cow!' Valentine exclaimed. 'You were practically
jailbait!'

'I looked older than I was, plus I'd been working on
a building site so I looked very muscular and tanned,
though I say so myself.' He rolled up his sleeve to emphasise
the point. Valentine found herself staring at his very
lovely muscular arm. She did love a muscular arm and
he had a striking tattoo on his shoulder of a dragon. She
also loved a tattoo on a man.

'So you were her bit of rough trade,' Kitty put in.
'How did she seduce you, then?' There was a pause then
Jack gave a wicked grin. 'She gave me a blow job backstage
in the men's loos. I got the impression that she'd
done it before to other members of the cast.'

'Or to other casts' members!' Valentine put in as she,
Kitty and Zara laughed raucously, seeing the expressions
of total envy on the other men's faces.

'And then she invited me round to her house the following
morning, on the pretext that she needed some gardening
doing. I didn't do any gardening, needless to say.'

'Just Mrs Robinson,' Valentine said dryly. 'Well, good
for her; I expect she got the best of you. They always say
a man's reached his sexual peak at eighteen, whereas a
woman is a constant voyage of discovery.'

Jack moved closer to her and said quietly, 'Horrible
mixing of metaphors there, Fleming, and you're so wrong;
I'm in my prime. So there, sexy lips.' He gave her a challenging,
come-and-test-out-my-theory-if-you-want look.

Valentine found herself holding his stare and thinking
that, yes, that was a very tempting prospect.

'Oh, Jack darling, are you telling that story? Isn't it an
absolute peach!' They had all been so engrossed in Jack's
deflowering that they hadn't noticed the arrival of a very
attractive forty-something woman. Valentine recognised
her as the actress Julia Turner. She looked as if she'd just
come from some event and was glammed up in a
midnight-blue sleeveless dress, with killer black patent
heels. She was beautiful, with pale skin, deep blue eyes,
full lips and long silky black hair. 'I hope you don't mind
me dropping in on you all like this, but I was in the area.
Can I get anyone a drink?' she said in her trademark
husky voice. She had cornered the market in lucrative
sultry voiceovers for years. No one did husky quite like
Julia Turner:
This is not just ordinary husky, this is Julia Turner
husky
, kind of thing. She stroked Jack's arm possessively
as she spoke, then Valentine heard her whisper, 'Why
haven't you returned my texts?'

Jack muttered something about being busy. Valentine
had been so intent on staring at Julia that she hadn't registered
Jack, but now she glanced at him and saw that he
looked furious. They were probably in the middle of some
lovers' tiff. If she was honest she felt a little put out by
Julia's arrival; she had been enjoying Jack's company and
his flirty comments. And hadn't he said that he didn't
have a girlfriend? She was sure that she wasn't jealous of
Julia. It was just that Julia was an outsider and had broken
up the lovely feeling of intimacy that the others had been
building up. That was it, wasn't it? Jack pulled himself
together sufficiently to make the introductions, ending up
with Valentine. 'Valentine, this is Julia, Julia, Valentine.'

'Valentine? Isn't that a boy's name?' Julia said, looking
Valentine up and down.

'It is,' Valentine admitted, wondering why Julia was
giving her the once over. Surely she didn't see her as any
kind of competition? There was Julia looking like a glamorous
screen siren and there was Valentine practically
looking like a crusty in clothes which were covered in dust
from one of Vince's role plays where he'd had the cast
charge around as wild animals, as he said the energy in
the theatre was sluggish. She had no make-up on apart
from mascara, so her face was no doubt as shiny as the
moon, and her hair had gone completely unruly.

'Didn't you go to LAMDA?' Julia asked. 'You must
have been there at the same time as a really good friend
of mine, Eva Francis.'

Valentine nodded noncommittally. 'I didn't know her
because she was two years above me.'

'I expect you knew her boyfriend, Finn Steele.'

Shit, if Julia was a friend of Eva's she was bound to
know all about Valentine's affair with Finn.

'Yes, I knew him,' Valentine tried to say as evenly as
possible, but she was aware of her heart racing. Julia
was not exactly looking at her with the milk of human
kindness.

'I know you did,' Julia said, her voice dangerously quiet.