“You have so many qualities which I had not before supposed to exist in such a degree in any human creature.Surely, you have touches of the angel in you.”
I smiled and pretended to fan my face.
He stopped walking, turned to me and grasped my hand in a tight hold. “My dearest Fanny.Think of what I have to offer you.My love.My home.My fortune.You can live out your days in comfort...Say yes and be with me.”
I gently rejected his advances.
“Let’s try it again,” Ricky said. “But be a little firmer. I know that Fanny is quite reserved in her manner, but I think you could put a little more conviction into your words.”
I hesitated, considered his advice, then tried it again, my words firm but not harsh.
“There you go,” he said. “That’s the conviction you need.”
I nodded. “I think you’re right. It did feel rather weak the way I originally did it. This, to me, feels truer, more in line with how she really feels.”
“I must say, Darling,” he said. “I believe you’ve greatly improved since our first reading together.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Indeed. You balance vulnerability and strength very well. That’s not easy. Too many actresses play their vulnerabilities in a sappy, overly meek way. And their strengths are quite overpowering and obnoxious. That middle ground...that perfect equilibrium. Fanny is sensitive but unyielding in her morals or ethics. And you are, indeed, the perfect Fanny.”
Coming from him, having worked with so many big Hollywood names, I was flattered beyond words.
He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips.
A chill ran up my spine as his lips lingered.
“Ricky,” I whispered.
“Please, call me Henry.” The twinkle in his eyes was devastatingly charming.
I gently pulled my hand from his. “Well then, Mr.Crawford. Let me remind you that I’ve yet to accept your advances, and I am far from tempted to do so.”
He smiled with uncertainty. “You’re a hard one to crack,” he said.
*****
PLEASED WITH MY TIMEwith Ricky, I headed back into the house and was surprised to come upon Matthew busy reading a scene with Susie Sweets.
They stood in the music room, close to one another, Susie practically draped over him. Her gaze was intense as she took him in, virtually devouring him with her eyes.
“I know that Edmund is a little reserved,” she said, “but I really think that you should put more...you know, spunk in your actions.”
“Spunk?”
“Yeah,” she said, taking his hand and placing it on her hip. “You’re falling in love with Mary, remember? She appeals to you, and you’ll soon want to marry her. You have to show it. You have to make the audience know what your ultimate intentions are.”
Something in her manner left me uncomfortable.She stood too close, her lips practically brushing against his. Edmund would never allow such a thing...would he?
I tried to shake off the discomfort that weighed on my shoulders and look at the situation more pragmatically.
It was nice of her to give him a few suggestions, a few acting tips. But damn it. Why did she have to stand so close to him?
Maybe it’s because that’s precisely what Mary Crawford would do, I reminded myself.
Still, I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
I wanted to turn and walk away.
