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Back The Actresses Save as PDF
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. THE ACTRESSES
  3. About The Actresses
  4. Contents
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. About Barbara Ewing
  49. Also by Barbara Ewing
  50. An Invitation from the Publisher
  51. Copyright

‘Terrible business, terrible,’ and she could already hear the prurience in his voice.

Viola flew into the kitchen, mimed to her mother that she was going to a party that night (waggled her hips, took a drink of champagne, kissed a fellow thespian, smoked a joint, danced a tango) and was gone.

The voice on the telephone was still discussing the terrible business of Terence Blue. ‘Right, yes it is terrible, thanks Mr Cooper, see you tomorrow,’ and Pauline hung up still smiling at Viola’s performance. Viola had only ever wanted to be an actress; both Pauline and Anthony had tried to dissuade her, talked to her about the difficulties of being a woman in the profession, and the heartache. Pointed out how successful Portia had been in a different sphere. But Viola could not be dissuaded: I’ll be luckier even than you were Dad, she had said, my drama school’s not stuffy and unrealistic like yours was. They teach us to be strong in adversity. And after all: nepotism rules OK!

So Pauline smiled to herself as she went out into the garden to trim the edges of the lawn, clip the hedges. She had once been like Viola. Viola would make her own decisions. And she had made very sure that Viola knew everything about birth control and condoms.

And hopefully, she found herself thinking wistfully, Viola would put her career before anything else in the world.

*

Juliet Lyall stared again at the silent telephone. Then she surveyed her face in the mirror.

She shouldn’t have fought for this film perhaps. She did not read the script a second time. She was not sleeping, had had to resort to more sleeping pills that left her looking puffy and jaded in the mornings. She would not go out until she had done hours of exercise; stood for a long time under the shower till her face had somehow miraculously righted itself.

And on Sunday she was to fly to Los Angeles for a meeting.

She scanned every newspaper, saw how Terence Blue’s life was pulled apart and examined, half-truths and outright lies mingling with the facts of his life up until the day of the reunion and its bizarre conclusion and she heard again Horton’s voice on the telephone to Los Angeles I suppose they’ll make a film of his life... Michael Jackson probably... plenty of stuff there... if they nose around...