Free The Ivy Lessons by J Lerman Page B

.’
    Marc snaps his laptop case closed and looks up. ‘Extra help? Sophia, listen. You’re a promising actress. Very promising. But ... I’m being totally honest with you here. I’ve been thinking about your performance. I had high hopes for you, but maybe I gave you a challenge too far. Let’s just stick to the nice young lady parts for now, and see where they take us.’
    ‘But I want to challenge myself,’ I say. ‘I want to fulfil my potential. That’s why I’m here.’
    ‘Well.’ Marc picks up his laptop case. ‘That’s admirable. But sometimes in life, we have to accept our limitations as well as trying to overcome them. Let’s take a step back. I have something a little easier planned for your next performance.’
    ‘ Wait, ’ I say. ‘I want to be challenged. I want to try again. I don’t want to be held back. I’m here to try my best.’
    Marc turns to me then, a tiny smile on his lips. ‘Very good, Miss Rose . It’s nice to see a little passion.’ He checks his watch. ‘I’m on campus tonight until seven thirty. Queen’s theatre is free all evening. Mee t me at seven , and we ’ll see what I can do.’
    He strides out of the room, and I ’m left watching him . Seven o’clock tonight. I’m meeting Marc Blackwell at seven o’clo ck tonight. Oh good god, what have I got myself into?
     

Chapter 23
    It’s still light when I arrive at Queen’s theatre that evening. I’m dressed in jeans and a loose cashmere jumper, and even though I can see dusk on the horizon, I’m not cold.
    I see Marc strolling across the grounds towards the theatre, and suddenly I don’t know what to do with my arms. I wrap them around myself, and pretend to be studying the arched doorway intently.
    ‘Miss Rose . Nice and punctual I see. Very good.’
    I manage to give a little nod.
    ‘Well.’ He reaches over my shoulder to push open the theatre doors. ‘Let’s go inside. After you.’
    I wander into the theatre, ever aware of Marc’s sharp footsteps behind me.
    ‘Shall I go straight up on stage?’ I ask, risking turning my head just a fraction. Marc has light- brown stubble on his face that somehow makes his eyes look even blue r . He’s walking with his shoulders pulled back, like he owns the place. Actually, now I think about it, he does own the place.
    ‘Yes, go on up,’ says Marc. ‘ Are you ready to try again as Jennifer Jones? ’
    ‘ Yes ,’ I say , walking up the theatre steps.
    ‘ Good.’
    I clear my throat and head to the centre of the stage. ‘The same scene as before? ’
    ‘No,’ says Marc. ‘Your last memory of playing that scene isn’t positive. Let’s try another. I’m guessing you’re reasonably familiar with the play?’
    I nod. ‘ I read the whole thing before my performance with you.’
    ‘Okay. So pick a scene.’
    I shrug. ‘I’ll try any you say.’
    ‘You don’t have a pref erence?’ says Marc, his eyebrow raising. ‘There’s nothing about that play that grabs you?’
    ‘I don’t know . H ow about the final scene, when she leaves the auditorium and -’
    Marc cuts me off with a shake of his head. ‘Too easy. At least, for you it’s too easy. I’ve seen you do melancholy.’
    ‘Okay,’ I say. ‘How about the scen e when she seduces the male ballerina in the play.’
    Marc frowns. ‘Maybe too much of a challenge. Antonio is a seductive character in his own right. Jennifer has to hold her own. ’
    ‘I’d like to try, I think .’
    ‘ Okay. I’ll play Antonio.’
    ‘ Do you have a copy of the script with you? ’ I ask.
    Marc shakes his head. ‘We’re going to adlib. Like before. You have a feeling for the character. You remember the scene. So go with your instincts. It’s much more believable that way.’
    ‘Is that what you do?’ I ask. ‘When you act in movies? ’
    ‘ A lways,’ says Marc. ‘When I was younger and not so well known, some directors wanted me to follow the script more closely . But usually I ’d persuade them to let