SERIAL Saving The Sulis

Sera knew she’d have to fight to save her beloved music hall. But things were more complicated now Drew Shepherd was on the scene . . .

THEY say that home is where the heart is, but was that strictly true? Perhaps, in reality, it was the effect a place had on one that made it feel special, like a home.

Or so Seraphina Ferrars was thinking to herself as she polished the carved angels on the edge of the stage. This was something she always did when things got tough, and now was definitely one of those times.

She felt shaken, unsettled, and it wasn’t entirely because of the meeting she’d just had to sit through. That was always going to be difficult.

One of Sera’s fellow trustees in the Sulis Music Hall and Cinema was considering whether or not she should relinquish her share due to declining health.

That in itself was sad, but it also put the venue’s future under significant threat; in the last few months, a persistent property developer had approached each member to try to convince them to sell their stake to him, in order to pave the way for residential development.

The imposing Edwardian building was perched on a lush green ridge overlooking the little market town of Everswell.

It was a picturesque spot, and Howarth Developments were willing to pay handsomely to have their way. This could be the “in” they needed.

Sera had spent every spare hour up until the meeting working on a business plan for the building’s regeneration.

Her arguments on why the trustees should continue to protect and support the Sulis needed no preparation – they were engraved upon her heart, just as they had been on her late father’s.

“This place is so much more than an entertainment venue,” she had said earnestly to the others, waving her arm to encompass the whole of the ornate auditorium.

“It is an important part of our heritage. A living memory of the past, that in its way is just as crucial as the crumbling castles and grand country houses we value so much. It’s a ticket to travel back to former times.”

“We appreciate that, of course we do,” Diane Forbes replied, with an encouraging smile for Sera. “So why don’t you talk us through some of your plans?”

Sera smiled back, breathing a little easier. Her elegant godmother could always be relied upon for a much-needed boost to failing spirits.

She was just about to launch into her carefully rehearsed speech when a strident voice from the auditorium entrance trapped the words on her tongue.

“Wait a moment. I’m interested to hear this, too.”

Sera caught her breath. The man marching down the red-carpeted gangway seemed familiar, though she was sure she’d never actually met him in person.

“Everyone, this is Drew Shepherd,” Evan Gardiner, the trustee secretary, announced rather uneasily. “He’s Marnie Shepherd’s grandson.”

“I’m here on my grandmother’s behalf,” the visitor explained, “to see whether the Sulis is a viable investment for her moving forward.”

He sat down and gestured to Sera with an avuncular smile.

“So, please – go ahead and convince us it has a future.”

Nervously at first, then with growing confidence, Sera had outlined her plans for the redevelopment and extension of the old cinema, including her pièce

de résistance: a new rooftop café that would hopefully increase the venue’s appeal – and, more importantly, its revenue.

When she had finished, she’d found to her annoyance that she’d looked towards Drew Shepherd for his reaction.

“That cherub will disappear if you rub it any harder.”

Sera smiled at the sound of her younger sister, Amelie, who had come bounding in from the stage wings.

With all the coordination of an enthusiastic puppy and just as adorable, auburn-haired Amy always seemed to win smiles wherever she went. It wasn’t a trait Sera shared.

Amy flopped down beside her sister, a sparkle in her eye.

“Do you remember how Dad always said that polishing these angels would earn us wishes?”

“Yes, I remember,” Sera replied wistfully. “Oh, Dad. How I wish he were here now.”

“That doesn’t sound too promising. How did the meeting go, then?”

“I’m not quite sure,” Sera admitted with a sigh. “There was a bit of a surprise waiting for us.” “Good or bad?”

Sera frowned.

“That remains to be seen,” she said, and proceeded to tell Amy about the unexpected attendee.

“He’s one of those dotcom marketing entrepreneurs, I think. Is he as good-looking in real life as he is in photos?”

Sera opened her mouth to reply, but was saved by Diane’s appearance from the backstage area.

“I thought you’d still be here,” she said to Sera. She smiled at Amy when the young woman blew her a kiss.

“Hello, Amy. Has your sister told you of the latest developments in the life of the Sulis?”

“She has indeed. Though she kept back all the juicy bits, of course! Like any proper information on Marnie’s grandson, for instance.”

“It doesn’t matter what the man looks like,” Sera said irritably. “What’s important is his opinion of the Sulis, and the damage he could potentially do to my campaign.”

Diane threw up her hands.

“Oh, Sera! Sometimes I despair of you, I really do. You know what they say about all work and no play . . .”

“Well, I won’t have time to play. Not if I’m to put my plans for this place into action.”

“Unless I’m much mistaken,” Diane pointed out, “Mr Shepherd could be very beneficial in helping you achieve that aim.”

“So, he’s good-looking?” Amy persisted.

Sera pursed her lips. “He’s more brooding, I would say, and autocratic. He strikes me as someone who likes always to have his own way.”

Amy began to laugh. “Just like somebody else I know.”

“I’m not autocratic!” Sera protested. “I’m just passionate about things, that’s all.”

Patting the carved cherub, she gazed around her at the elegant décor of the old theatre.

“I’m confident the other trustees will give you the time you requested to turn our fortunes around.” Diane reassured her.

“Now, enough business for one night – I’ve come to take my two favourite girls out to a late supper. What do you say to pizza at Luciano’s?”

****

Drew met his grandmother at the door of her neat, cream-washed cottage and bent to give her a kiss.

“I’ve got some crumpets toasting,” Marnie informed him, hobbling back out to the kitchen.

His stomach gave an involuntary grumble.

“Sounds delicious. I’m starved.”

“Just like your father and grandfather before you,” Marnie said fondly. “Some things never change!”

“How’s that leg, Gran?” Drew asked, with one eye on Marnie’s rather lopsided walk. “Shouldn’t I be doing the crumpet toasting?”

“I’m fine, love, just a little stiff. Which is perfectly normal after a fall like I had. Now, tell me how the meeting went, and what you thought of the Sulis.”

Drew threw himself into one of the chairs around the oak dining table. His smile was pensive.

“I found it surprisingly interesting, actually, with definite potential. Though its champion seems a bit of a gorgon.”

“Sera Ferrars? Oh, no.” Marnie shook her head emphatically. “More misinterpreted, she is – especially when it comes to that place.”

“Why does she care so much about it?”

“The Ferrars girls practically spent their whole childhood there.

“When it came under threat in the 1990s, Philip Ferrars set up the group of trustees to keep it going. He was its staunchest protector right up until he died, oh, nearly two years ago now.”

“Girls, you said?” “Yes, Seraphina and Amelie. Lovely lasses, both, though in very different ways.

“Sera’s the more serious of the two; she seemed to take the loss of her father very hard. She was devoted to him, as he was to that old music hall, and took over his role as chief trustee and campaigner there. All unpaid, of course.” Drew frowned. “Emotional attachment is never a good thing when it comes to business. It makes it more difficult to make rational decisions.”

Marnie joined him at the table, sliding a plate of steaming crumpets on to the placemat in front of him and pouring them some tea.

“Then you don’t believe the Sulis has a viable future?” she asked hesitantly.

“I think I need to investigate it more thoroughly before I can make any kind of decision,” Drew said. “I’ll need to get to know Sera Ferrars a lot better first, before I can say for definite.”

There was a funny sort of smile in his eyes.

“Then you’ll be staying with me for a while?”

“Yes, Gran,” Drew confirmed, grinning. He bit into a buttery crumpet and sighed in dreamy satisfaction.

****

Finally at the end of her shift, Sera peeled off her apron with

weary hands and a huge sense of relief. Tangled thoughts immediately crowded into her brain as she locked the front door of the Cornerhouse and turned the sign to Closed.

Usually she enjoyed working in the little café she ran with her sister, but today it had felt more like a chore.

She simply couldn’t concentrate on her surroundings, and fighting to appear as if her mind wasn’t a million miles away – or, more accurately, in the old building on the hill – had required a lot of effort.

She switched off the drinks machines and made her way up the back stairs to the flat above, which she and Amy had shared since their father lost his battle with long-term illness.

It was Amy’s day off, so she was out somewhere. Sera was glad to be alone for a while. She hadn’t slept well last night, and she really needed to catch up on some rest before the evening’s rehearsal.

The local theatre group was due to practise its take on Shakespeare’s “The Taming Of The Shrew” for the annual Everswell Arts Festival.

Sera planned to turn the performance into a flagship fund-raising event for the music hall, so she was keen to see how the play was progressing. She also needed to talk funds with Evan.

She was a little worried about the Sulis’s quiet, faithful secretary. He’d had a haunted look about him lately, but he’d waved away her concern when pressed, blaming it on a few sleepless nights.

Her fevered thoughts turned to Drew Shepherd, as they’d had a nasty habit of doing all too often in the last twenty-four hours.

Diane had counselled her to open up to him, to try to win his marketing skills to their side.

Sera sighed to herself. There was something about Drew that had immediately put her on edge. She had the distinct feeling that he was not all that he seemed; that maybe he was hiding something.

****

“I’ll tell her plain, she sings as sweetly as a nightingale . . . OK, what is it? What’s wrong?”

Sera, watching from the wings, stepped forward reluctantly at Tom’s prompting.

“Your delivery is slightly too nice,” she said judiciously. “Petruchio is proclaiming how he’ll tame the so-called shrew. He’s confident; arrogant, even. Kate needs that passion to bounce off when she is denying him.”

She dropped naturally into the first scene, stalking round the actors as she declaimed the lines from the script, only stopping when a round of applause rang out from below.

Blinking down into the auditorium, she saw Drew Shepherd propping up one fluted column, hands still clasped together.

She flushed a fiery red, then was cross with herself for doing so.

“Try it that way, Tom, see if it feels better,” she muttered, clambering down from the stage.

“This is a closed practice, Mr Shepherd. May I ask how you found your way in here?”

“The secretary – Evan, is it? – lent me his key.” Drew smiled at her. “That was a stirring performance. Will you be taking the part of Katherina the Shrew at the festival?”

“I don’t act,” Sera said stiffly.

“Really? But you’re a natural at it. I expect you inherited that skill from your mother. I’ve seen her, you know. Her Lady Macbeth was so good, it was chilling.”

Sera’s heart leapt into her throat at his casual remark, and she had to swallow before she could reply.

“Is there a particular reason why you’re here, Mr Shepherd? As you can see, I’m rather busy.”

“Well, I was hoping you would give me the grand tour,” Drew said. “To help me get more of a feel for the Sulis.”

Sera hesitated, then reminded herself sternly that she was supposed to be trying to win the man round. This was her big chance.

Shaking off her misgivings, she waved a hand back down the auditorium.

“Come along, then, and I’ll introduce you.”

It didn’t take long for her initial reservations to fade. In showing a stranger the old-fashioned elegance of the historic music hall, including all its hidden nooks and secrets, she could delight in it all over again.

She led him to the small yet grand foyer, with its domed ceiling, chandelier and curtained entrance.

He made her laugh when he hesitated from entering the Ladies’ Powder Room. He only gave in when Sera insisted that the rare Baroque swagged friezes and mirror were a mustsee.

She then took him behind the glass-fronted kiosk and showed him, amongst all the tempting treats and boxed supplies, the saying

si vis amori, ama scratched into the wall.

“We used to make up stories, my sister and I, about what the words meant. Who had scratched them into the wall and why.”

“And what do they mean?” Drew asked.

“Something about love,” Sera replied vaguely, then led him back through the foyer and up the staircase to the gallery, where the more expensive seating was to be found.

She couldn’t resist sinking into one plush, red-cushioned chair.

“These seats offer the best view of the stage, and are also the most comfortable,” she explained, fighting a sudden wave of fatigue.

Drew peered over the balcony into the auditorium below.

“They’re designed to be portable,” she continued, “so one of my ideas, as I mentioned last night, was to offer this space as a party venue.”

Drew nodded, surveying the area from floor to ceiling. His eyes lingered on the elegant old mouldings. “That could work.” Sera’s spirits began to lift, as did her fatigue.

She jumped up, sliding between the rows of seats, her mind picturing a different scene.

“We could put a few round cocktail tables and chairs in here,” she said, using her arms to indicate the positioning, “with some muted lamplight and background music; evoke the decadent feel of the Twenties and Thirties.

“We could also hold private screenings of films and plays, as well as our cinema club. A different way to celebrate a birthday or anniversary.

“The start-up costs would be minimal, as we already have most of the things we’d need.”

The voices of the actors drifted up to them from the stage.

“To woo thee for my wife . . . Go on, Emma, it’s your line.”

Sera happened to catch Drew’s eye just at that moment, and there was something lurking there that made her back away a step.

“If you’d like to come this way,” she said, with a return to her former reserve. “There’s more to see.”

She kept a polite but pointed distance as she showed him the projectionist’s room, and the airy space opposite where local artists could currently display their wares for a small fee.

She then led the way up a private back stair, where she suddenly paused before a closed door.

Drew only just stopped himself from bumping into her.

“What’s through there?” he asked impatiently.

Sera had briefly closed her eyes. Now she reached for a key from the bunch at her belt.

“The location of the new roof café, with any luck,” she murmured. With a

deep breath, she unlocked the door.

She couldn’t help but be gratified by Drew’s reaction as he stepped out on to the flat, wide rooftop of the cinema, with its graceful dome rising up at the front.

“Wow,” he said, slowly moving around the large empty space. “This is some view.”

Sera nodded, her smile full of private memories. “The best in the house.” When she looked up, Drew was watching her with that strange look again. The look that made her insides churn.

“I can see why you want a café up here. It could be very popular. But it won’t be cheap, I would imagine.”

“I’ve been fund-raising for it this past year,” Sera said defensively. “Along with other important tasks, like working to get the Sulis on the listed buildings register.

“And I warn you, Mr Shepherd, I intend to keep this place alive, no matter what you or anyone else might do to try to stop me.”

“The Sulis is lucky to have such a champion in its corner. And call me Drew.”

“I won’t be charmed by pretty words,” Sera retorted.

Drew laughed.

“Are you sure you don’t like to act, Miss Ferrars? You’re doing a pretty impressive Kate the Shrew right now.”

He laughed again when she stiffened, and came towards her with his hands raised in mock surrender.

“I cry pardon, mistress! It must be these surroundings; they’re making me come over all theatrical. Look, let me buy you dinner and we can talk over your proposals in more detail.” “Dinner?”

“Yes, dinner. That thing we all eat every evening. What’s the matter, Seraphina? Aren’t you hungry, or is it the thought of my company that’s put such an unsavoury look on your face?”

Sera swallowed.

“My father told me never to trust a man with a beard.”

“But beards are all the rage these days.” Drew’s smile was far too appealing for Sera’s peace of mind. “Come on. I promise, I won’t eat you. Though I am pretty hungry.”

“I’ll buy you a bag of chips from Abernethy’s,” Sera compromised. “They’re the best this side of London; got to be tasted to be believed. And while you eat, we can talk business plans.”

“OK.” Drew allowed her to usher him down from the rooftop. “But I’m paying.”

Sera smiled to herself as she closed the door on her secret paradise and firmly turned the key. Her roof café dream could actually be about to come true!

Perhaps it was because her thoughts were focused elsewhere, but all of a sudden she tripped and found herself falling through the air.

“Careful!”

Drew only just saved her from pitching sharply down the stairs and on to the hard, uncarpeted floor below. Sera looked up into his face, now so close, and blinked hard.

“Thank you,” she murmured. She paused for a moment. “You can let me go now.”

He relinquished his hold, setting her carefully upright again.

“No wonder you fell. The carpet’s loose here, see?”

“That’s strange,” she said, half to herself. “Not many people come up this way. Oh, well, no harm done. I’ll get it sorted out in the morning.”

She followed Drew down the stairs, but more carefully this time. It really was quite a long way to fall.

****

Amy ambled through Everswell’s market square, tucking her scarf a little more securely round her neck against the stiff evening breeze.

The eclectic mix of crooked Tudor, red-brick Victorian and modern chalk-grey buildings jostling round the old well in the centre of the square were all so familiar to her.

She took a slight detour to step up on to the well’s ancient bricks, worn with age and a thousand feet, and dropped a coin into the darkness.

She paused a moment, listening for the echo of the tiny splash a long way down.

There was comfort in the familiar, and Amy had loved living in this little town. But time stood still for no-one, and things had been changing, within and without. Now she faced an important crossroads.

Life here hadn’t always been easy. Amy still remembered the unkind whispers when her actress mother had run off for a bigger stage and brighter stardom than Everswell could offer.

But it was safe, and it was where Sera was.

Amy couldn’t imagine life without her sister. When the world looked black, Sera somehow made it bright again.

She made Amy believe in fairy tales and happy-everafters even when she’d stopped believing in them herself.

She’d supported the family after their mother left, and been the rock again when their father was ill.

It had been Sera who had convinced the bank manager to give them a loan for the Cornerhouse – providing them both with security. It had always been just the two of them, tackling the twists and turns of life. Until now.

Love: it was such a complex emotion, yet who could really exist without it? A smile touched her lips as she walked, the face of Jack Woodley flashing into her mind’s eye and warming her heart.

He loved her, he said, and wanted to take her away with him. Maybe the wish she’d just paid the well for would come true and everything would all turn out right, somehow.

It was with her usual light step that she went into the Sulis through the back office, surprised to find it empty and cloaked in darkness.

“Hi, Tom,” she called out as she skirted round the stage. “Have you seen Sera? I thought she was supposed to be here tonight.”

“She’s been and gone,” Tom said, leaning nonchalantly on his stage sword as he spoke. “She went off with that guy Shepherd.”

“Did she?” Thanking him, Amy flopped into the nearest seat with a satisfied smile. Well, now, who said wishes didn’t come true?

****

“You were right,” Drew conceded. “These really are the best chips I’ve ever tasted.”

Sera smiled. “Everswell may be a small town, but it does have its advantages.”

“Like that, for example.” Drew waved a chip in a wide circle, indicating their surroundings. “It’s a great view, if not quite as impressive as the one you get from the rooftop of the Sulis.”

“No,” she agreed softly. “Nothing is as good as that.”

“You really do love that old place, don’t you?”

Sera swallowed on a sudden lump in her throat.

“It’s . . . special to me,” she murmured. “It may not be a huge money-maker, but there are some things in this world that should never be solely judged by that yardstick. The Sulis is one of them. Or it should be.”

Drew was watching her closely.

“Not everyone agrees with you.”

“Oh, I know.” Sera felt a hard edge creeping into her voice. “But it won’t stop me fighting for it anyway, just like my father did before me.”

“Marnie said he was its most passionate supporter.”

“She was right, though I do my best in his absence.”

“Well, make it your mission to convince me that your way of thinking is the right one; that my grandmother’s money won’t be wasted if she keeps it invested in this venture.”

Sera turned to him, eyebrows raised.

“Why do I get the feeling that you have an ulterior motive behind that offer?”

Drew shrugged, his smile enigmatic.

“Maybe it’s because you’re so prickly.”

“I’m not prickly!” “That’s not what I’ve heard. Or witnessed, come to that.”

“You should never believe everything you hear.” Drew laughed.

“Too true! I certainly never pay any heed to what’s said about me.”

They both quietly surveyed the town again.

When Sera quietly slipped into the flat later, she found she was still thinking about Drew Shepherd.

Finding the front room empty, she went to poke her head round her sister’s bedroom door. Amy was sleeping peacefully.

She told herself that she would carve out some time for them to spend together tomorrow.

What with the campaign, the café and the upcoming festival to plan, she had left Amy alone far too much of late.

The sun had barely spread its wings across the Everswell valley when Sera unlocked the cinema’s back door and stepped into the office.

“Evan!”

She was surprised to see the secretary seated behind the small desk.

“I didn’t expect anyone else to be here. Are you all right?”

“Yes, yes,” Evan said, absently scrubbing a hand across his face.

“I couldn’t sleep again, so I thought I might as well come in here and get on with sorting through some stuff. Did you have the same problem?”

“No, I just needed an early start. I want to spend some time with Amy later.”

Evan’s forehead was wrinkled as he studied an invoice in his hand.

“I see. How did the rehearsal go last night?” he asked.

“The play’s definitely got potential,” Sera said cautiously.

“I didn’t get to see it all, though, as I had to show Drew Shepherd round the place.”

“Ah, yes. I thought it might help the cause if he could get up close and personal with everything, see its potential for himself. Did it go all right?” Sera shrugged.

“I couldn’t rightly say. But he’s agreed to accompany me on a visit to Lenworth town, so I can show him how other organisations have managed to keep these lovely old buildings breathing. That’s something, I suppose.”

Sera surveyed the messy desk again.

“I’ve got a bit of time. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“The filing, if you wouldn’t mind,” Evan muttered, with a grateful smile. “I’m a bit behind.”

Sera nodded and turned towards the small kitchen nook in the corner.

“No problem. First, let’s get the kettle on. By the way, there’s some carpet loose on the way up to the roof that needs repairing. I nearly went head first down the stairs last night.”

Finally they turned their attention to the stack of unopened post.

“Look, there’s one for you,” Evan said after a moment.

Sera took the letter he passed to her, unfolded it and read it through. She paused, eyes wide, before examining the words all over again.

“I don’t believe it,” she whispered.

“What is it?” Evan asked. “Here.” Sera passed the letter back to him. “Take a look at this . . .”

To be continued.