Free Pride, Prejudice and Jasmine Field by Melissa Nathan Page B

have been very young.’ Harry’s voice was inside her head.
    She half-smiled. ‘About fifteen.’
    Drowsy laughter went round the room.
    There was a big sigh from Harry and then a very different voice. ‘Ha Ha, Ms. Field.’
    ‘Yes, I must have been very young,’ said Jazz quickly, realising she had spoilt the whole ambience.
    His voice was now coming from her level. It was as if there were only the two of them in the room.
    ‘What scares you most about dying?’
    Bizarrely, Jazz felt a quick welling up of emotion.
    ‘Not being able to talk about it afterwards.’
    ‘Who to?’
    Slight pause.
    ‘You paused,’ said Harry impatiently.
    ‘I have to think. These are big questions.’
    Harry hid a smile.
    ‘Mo. George. Dad. Mum.’
    ‘Did you have a happy childhood?’
    Tiny pause.
    ‘Most of the time.’
    ‘What made you unhappy?’
    How was this going to make her acting better?
    ‘Is this really necess—’
    ‘Yes,’ said Harry wearily. ‘If you can’t be honest now, how can you be honest on stage?’
    ‘I’m hardly being honest on stage — I’m reading a script. I hate to be the one to break it to you but I
    think the audience knows that.’ It was so much easier arguing with him with her eyes shut.
    She could almost feel him frowning at her, without having to see him. Isn’t this emotionally naked enough, she thought? Lying with my eyes shut being watched by you while you ask me stupid questions?
    There was a long pause. What was he doing?
    She opened her eyes and fixed him with a questioning gaze. He was sitting next to her, elbow on knee, hand in hair, frowning intently at her face. She rested herself on her elbows and frowned intently back.
    ‘Would it save time if I just sent you my autobiography?’ she asked.
    ‘I didn’t know you’d written one,’ he said.
    ‘I haven’t yet.’ She lay down again.
    She thought he’d gone and so started a slow, secret smile.
    ‘Why are you so scared to let go?’ he almost whispered from next to her. Then he jumped up and walked quickly to the other side of the room.
    Wazzock, thought Jazz.
    The truth was that no sooner had Harry told everyone that he had given himself his biggest challenge yet in casting an unattractive Lizzy Bennet than he began to realise that he had in fact made life very easy for himself. When he’d first set eyes on Jasmin Field, he had marvelled that her sister could have all the lucky genes while she had none. Then during her impressive audition piece he had realised that while Jasmin didn’t have her sister’s easy prettiness, she could be beautiful. Then at that first rehearsal, when she had proved to be such a concentrated pain in the backside, he had begun to notice just how well cast she was. Her face was indeed rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. If eyes are the window of the soul, Harry found Jazz’s soul compelling.
    But she was such a bloody challenge. She was so emotionally retentive - what was she scared of? If only he could tap into her depths, he was sure she could be a fine actress. And he was determined to, both for his reputation, and for his own growing interest in her. She could be a stunning Elizabeth Bennet. Yep, the more he looked at Jasmin Field - and he found himself looking longer and longer - the more he was struck by his uncanny knack for casting. Was there no end to his talents?
    He walked slowly to the other end of the hall.
    ‘What makes you unhappy?’ He was walking round, looking for a likely candidate. ‘Sara?’
    Sara’s voice was ever so husky at that angle.
    ‘Poverty. People dying alone unloved. Homeless people make me weep. War. Famine—’
    ‘Jasmin?’
    Oh, not again. Was this punishment for snorting?
    ‘Um. Finishing a bar of chocolate.’
    Because her eyes were shut, she couldn’t see how a full smile warmed Harry’s chiselled features. ‘You see, Sara,’ he said, ‘there’s no point in playing this if you’re not going to be