And that is why I’ll never let him bring up the past.
I’ll never let myself ask him why.
I’ll never give him the satisfaction.
He looks great; I can admit that objectively. Or rather, I can admit thatsubjectively, even from a place of deep loathing.He’s got a perfect LA tan (oh, the irony of him being allowed to have a tan while I had to watch my skin like a hawk when I went to the Maldives after Christmas, so I look as pale and freckle-free as a nineteenth-century young lady of breeding should be). His hair’s a little longer, probably for the role, and his black merino sweater clings in all the right places. It looks like he’s bulked up a bit.
I wonder what he’ll look like in a muslin shirt and breeches?
I wonder what he’ll look like withsideburns?
But please note, I absolutely am not wondering what he’ll look like naked. I’ve been there, done that. Not interested, thank you.
What saves me this morning,apart from having Olive quietly asleep on my lap, is that Episode One ofGrosvenorintroduces both families separately, setting the tone and teasing the viewers with pre-introductions to both Georgiana and Dominic via conversations to which each of them is not privy.
We kick off with a scene at the Kenworthy home in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair. Alyssa reminds the room that the scene’s objective is to showcase how turgid the existence of the Kenworthy daughters can be, to establish how high the stakes are (their home will pass to a distant male cousin once their father passes) and to pre-introduce Dominic in a negative light. Not a problem.
I lean into my mic. The banter starts. Light. Silly. Delightful.
Under-stimulated young ladies biding their time, my sisters living vicariously through me as I’m the only one ‘out’in society. I’m also by far the best educated of the daughters, because of my voracious appetite for any book I can get my hands on (one of the reasons real me loves fictional me).
I’m following the script, though I know my lines by heart. It gives me a flicker of joy to see the characters come to life, even around the table. My darling mother is a royal pain in the arse: meddling, neurotic, and unintentionally comedic. Felicity, the actor, plays her to perfection.
The scene is short. The first episode covers the classic five-act structure of so many TV pilots, although it won’t be carved up with four sets of adverts, thank God, because it’s on a paid streaming platform. Even so, the writing is seriously tight. It goes by in a flash and I sit back, hands in my lap, catching my breath. I crack an encouraging smile at my youngest sister. Pixie, who plays her, is only fourteen, and her relief at getting through her first few lines without fluffing them is palpable.
I daren’t look at Josh.
Alyssa signals for him and the guy who plays Rugby to go ahead. Nick, I think his name is IRL.
In my peripheral vision, Josh leans into his mic. ‘I do not require a damned wife.’
Hooooooly fuck.
Where did that come from?
His voice is totally different. Obviously, I knew he’d need to put on an English accent, but he sounds so unlike himself. For some reason, a flash of heat washes over me. I bite the inside of my gum and focus hard on following their lines in the script in front of me.
‘You require an heir, you idiot.’ Rugby’s delivery is loud and cheerful. ‘Preferably, several heirs. And for that, inconvenient as it may be, you require a wife.’
‘I shall never be content with one woman. A wife will never be able to satisfy me.’
Ain’t that the truth? I resist the urge to slide down in my chair and remain apparently focused on my script, tracking their lines with the tip of my pen.
Rugby laughs. ‘Whoever said anything about satisfaction? Your wife is for siring heirs. You can keep your women down at the Docks, get your satisfaction there. I don’t care how many little bastards you have running around; you need a legitimate heir.’
Delightful pair, aren’t they? Georgiana is really going to enjoy taming this one.
‘My wife will have to satisfy me out of bed as well as in it.’ (The script notes that Dominic is getting dressed at this point: he’s topless and donning his shirt. The joys of a female creator.) ‘I will not settle for less. And I cannot imagine any of the vacuous virgins the Season has to offer will fulfil either of those functions.’
‘I hear the eldest Kenworthy girl is rather fond of her books. Perhaps she is the rare woman who would favour the library at Coventry.Andshe’s reported to be quite the beauty.’
‘A bookish beauty, you say? Don’t you start, Rugby. I’ve had nothing but people wittering on at me about Georgiana Kenworthy. I’m sure she will prove to be as weak of chin, as prominent of nose, and as short of diverting conversation as the rest of them.’
His accent. His accent is impeccable RP (Received Pronunciation, which is a weird term for a standard, posh South-of-England accent). His speaking voice is lower and deeper than normal. His delivery is a perfectly contemptuous drawl, his intonations completely different from his usual ones. I want to turn my head so badly and gape, and see what he looks like when he’s making these sounds.
Because the way he’s speaking is completely transformative. He’s said a few lines, and already we have our Dominic. Arrogant and dismissive and quick-witted. It’s extraordinary.Alyssa’s grinning at him across the table, and I know she feels it too.
Fuck.
