‘Well, congratulations! So what happened?’
‘Um … sort of … everything,’ Sive admitted sheepishly.
Aoife’s eyebrows shot up, her eyes wide. ‘Not … in the theatre? Please tell me we don’t have to sterilise the stage floor.’
‘Not on the stage. In the green room.’
‘You defiled the green room?’
‘Don’t worry. We took precautions.’
‘It’s a bit late for that.’
‘I mean with the sofa. No one will even know we were there. It was romantic. There were candles and props and—’
‘La, la, la,’ Aoife sung, covering her ears. ‘I do not want to hear about what you were doing withprops.’
Sive giggled. ‘Nothing untoward, I promise you.’
‘Well, I’m happy for you.’ Aoife removed her hands from her ears. ‘And it was … good?’
‘It was amazing!’
She went public about her pregnancy the next day. She just told a couple of people and then let the news trickle down through the company. By the end of the week everyone knew. It was a relief having it out in the open, so no one would think she was being uppity or standoffish if she went straight home once rehearsal was over or retired to the green room to rest between her scenes instead of staying to watch theirs. She started going to the pub again occasionally, sharing pots of tea with Shay and Donal, who were both in AA and glad to welcome another member to their teetotaller club.
Everyone was so kind and supportive. Alan and Cara tweaked her rehearsal schedule so she could take more breaks. The Tiny Tim chaperones offered lots of tips and advice and provided copious supplies of ginger biscuits. Irene immediately set to knitting Sive a baby blanket, though Sive suspected she’d started it before the official announcement, while Mariaand Ciara raided their attics and offered her cots, carriers and buggies they no longer needed.
She was glad everyone knew about her condition before tech week, so they wouldn’t think less of her if she found it even more gruelling and exhausting than usual and her reputation as a trooper could remain undamaged.
She and Sam had also come out as a couple, which was just as well because they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other or rein in their goofy smiles whenever they were together. Sam was very into PDAs, constantly holding her hand or putting an arm around her. They were probably being nauseating, but fortunately everyone seemed very happy for them.
Jonathan and Rocco had been delighted with the news and were very solicitous, not letting her carry so much as a serving plate the next time they came to Sunday dinner. Rocco had acted surprised, but Mimi suspected he’d already guessed – ‘He’s such an old woman like that.’
‘Irene knew too. They should form a knitting circle – make bootees together while they gossip about who might be pregnant.’
Tech week began with the usual mix of excitement and trepidation. It was the first time the actors saw the set and as was customary, they spent some time walking around, familiarising themselves with their marks and routes across the stage as they muttered lines of dialogue under their breath. Sam couldn’t resist checking out the props table and rearranging it a little to his satisfaction.
The set was gorgeous and everyone looked brilliant in their costumes, the whole instantly conjuring the atmosphere of Victorian London. Sive loved this stage of rehearsal when the show really started to come together.
‘Wow, it all seems so … real,’ Sam said, looking out at the auditorium.
‘I know! Exciting, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah,’ he said on a shaky laugh.
‘Are you okay?’ Sive frowned, realising he seemed nervous.
‘It’s just hit home there’s going to be an audience out there,’ he said, nodding at the rows of seats. ‘A paying audience. And I’m going to be up here on this side of the curtain.’
‘Nervous?’
‘Bricking it.’
‘Don’t worry.’ She patted his arm. ‘That’s perfectly normal. But it’ll be all right on the night.’
Rehearsal was intense, scenes repeated over and over again while adjustments were made to lighting and blocking was tweaked. But somehow Sive managed to summon the energy to keep it lively and fresh each time.
Halloween fell right in the middle of the week, but Aoife and her sisters were determined to celebrate it as usual. Fortunately, rehearsal didn’t run over time on the night and it was just after seven as Sive, Sam and Mimi got off the tram in Ranelagh. As they walked home, they couldn’t resist stopping occasionally to admire the Halloween decorations that adorned every house. Railings were festooned with billowing cobwebs, ghosts loomed out of the darkness, seeming to float in the night air, while pumpkin lanterns glowed invitingly from front porches. The air was alive with the squeals of excited children, gaggles of pint-sized witches, skeletons and fairies roaming from house to house, while parents hovered by the gates.
