Ten Days with Mr Darcy (on hold)

Chapter three - A good start

The clock chimed six as Mandy took up her position at the front of the room. "Thanks for arriving on time, everyone. Welcome to Exley Hall." She collected a handful of loose papers from the table and cleared her throat. "You all know what we'll be doing next week, but maybe not why we're doing it. This beautiful old building is celebrating it's two hundred and fiftieth birthday next Thursday, and the owners, along with the local tourist board, are hoping to cash in on their Jane Austen connection to increase visitor numbers."

Mrs Green raised a thin, wrinkled hand. "Is there a Jane Austen connection?"

"They think Miss Austen might have visited Exley Hall while she was travelling in Derbyshire. She mentions the house in her letters, and as the nearest village is called Lambley it's given some people the idea that the house and village were the inspiration for Pemberley and Lambton in her book. This is why the owners decided on the Jane Austen theme for their celebration."

Mandy peeled back the cover of the flip-chart. "There have been a few last minute changes, so I'll need to run through our timetable for the next ten days. Sunday will be our first day of performances. Monday and Tuesday we're sharing the house with the Jane Austen Convention, so we'll have to fit our running times around their talks and lectures. On Thursday there is a Regency fair and tea-party in the grounds, so they're expecting the most visitors then. Next Saturday will be our final day."

She turned the page, revealing a bullet-pointed list. "Here are the eleven scenes we'll be presenting to the house visitors. We will show each scene in a different room of the house. Hopefully, you've all spent some time learning your lines."

Mrs Green's hand rose again. "Why are we not doing the whole play? Would that not be easier than messing about with individual scenes?"

Mandy shrugged. "The owners wanted to encourage more visitors into the house. They tried "Shakespeare in the Park" here a couple of years ago, but it was rained off. My boss suggested this kind of pop-up theatre, using the rooms on the house tour. Fortunately, Exley Hall is perfectly set out for this. The internal corridor can function as our backstage area, while the public walk through each room behind the red ropes. You'll be performing in the parts of the room the visitors aren't allowed to enter, so please be careful of the furniture and antiques, and try not to break anything.

"Tomorrow we'll rehearse downstairs in the servants' hall during the day, and after tea I'll show you around the rooms where our scenes will be set. On Saturday Exley Hall will be closed to the public for health and safety reasons, because they need to erect the marquee for the convention. That gives us a great opportunity to rehearse in the house all day on Saturday, so you can block out your scenes and get an idea how much space you'll have available to move around."

The eleven scenes were split into two acts. The first five would be presented during the morning session, which ran from ten in the morning until twelve-thirty. After an hour for lunch, they would cover the remaining six scenes before the house closed at five.

"Jessica, Gerald, Alison and Emily. Your first scene will be in the breakfast room, where the Gardiners and Elizabeth talk about visiting Pemberley."

"Why do they need Georgiana?" Trevor asked before Jess had the chance.

"Emily will be doubling up as the chambermaid serving them breakfast at the Lambton Inn," Mandy said, before turning her attention to the second item on the list. "Jessica, Gerald, Alison. You'll also be in scene two, where Mrs Reynolds shows them around the house. That scene will be next door in the yellow parlour, with Mrs Green."

Alison sighed as she looked up from her script. "So many names to remember! Given that we'll only be together for a week, wouldn't it make more sense if we all answer to our character names?" Glancing around the room at the others, she counted their silent shrugs and nods. "Thank you. I'm sure that will make things easier for all of us."