‘What was the loophole?’ Bridie asked
‘Give it away.’
Oliver said, ‘And who better to give the responsibility of a run-down theatre to than the woman whose life you’d ruined.’
‘I treated Bridie appallingly,’ Julian admitted. ‘I understood why she wouldn’t answer my calls or texts, and I understood something else – if she knew it was me gifting her the theatre, she wouldn’t accept it. So it had to be done anonymously. I wanted to help her out, truly, I did.’ Julian sighed. ‘I am sorry, Bridie. I sincerely regret how I treated you. I wanted to make amends. We’d been together all that time. You deserved something better than that – than me. So, I’d been keeping aneye on your progress with the theatre, and when I heard that you’d called your former agent and you were staging a show …’
‘You came.’
‘Yes. Nobody else would, and I’m afraid that’s my fault. But look, if after all this, you want to return to the London stage, then the door is wide open. I’ve got shows lined up with your name at the top of the list.’
Everyone fell silent.
Bridie stared at him, thinking,you have got to be kidding me.
‘What about that woman you left me for?’ Bridie blurted, unsure why she was even asking. Was he there to see if they’d get back together? Was that really what it was all about?
‘We went our separate ways.’
Oliver immediately reached out and took Bridie’s hand. ‘If you’ve done all this …’ Oliver raised the other hand, indicating the theatre, ‘thinking you’ll win her back, you’re too late, mate. She’s moved on.’
‘I haven’t moved on,’ Bridie said, surprising Oliver, Jack, and everyone else seated around her.
‘After all this,’ said Oliver, still looking at her in complete surprise, ‘after all we’ve been through, setting up this place and staging a play, and … and us finally getting together, you’re going to return to Lon—?’
‘I never moved on,’ Bridie interrupted him, ‘from the love of my life, sitting right here. He’s always been the love of my life.’ She squeezed Oliver’ hand and smiled. ‘I realise that now.’ Bridie shifted her gaze to Julian. ‘You did me the biggest favour, Julian.’
‘Giving you this theatre?’
‘No, having an affair. It forced me to leave London, the place I thought I loved, and change my life. And I’ve discovered I love this place, Suffolk, where I grew up, and the amazing people here…’ She glanced about her at her friends from Cobblers Yard ‘… and one person in particular.’ She turned her attention to Oliver.
Oliver returned her smile, the relief palpable.
Chapter 61
‘What about the caveat to put on a play?’ Hannah asked.
Everyone sitting in the theatre turned to look at Hannah. After the surprise revelation that Julian was Bridie’s mysterious benefactor, everyone, including Bridie, had quite forgotten about the caveat, even though that was the very reason they were all there that evening – to honour Bridie’s benefactor’s wishes.
‘Ah – that.’ Julian sighed. ‘It was my grandfather’s dying wish. I thought if anybody could do it, Bridie could. She didn’t have to, though. The solicitor who handed over the keys told her that. She was free to sell it, do what she wanted with the property. It was rather selfish of me to even suggest it. But I thought about what your grandad had said to me. I went round there one day, not long after you’d left, wanting to know how you were, when you weren’t answering my texts or calls. He’d been worried about your future and what you would do when working on the stage became just too exhausting. It’s a young person’s game.’
Julian turned to Bridie’s grandad. ‘You gave me the idea to gift her the theatre, even though you didn’t know it at the time.’ Julian’s eyes settled on Bridie. ‘Although I meant what I said about you returning to the London stage, if you wanted to, I amso pleased you’ve decided to stay here though. You make a fine producer and business owner.’
Bridie nodded. ‘Yes, I do.’
‘And if you don’t mind me saying,’ Julian continued. ‘You’ve found your true home.’
Bridie couldn’t agree more. ‘Your grandparents who bought this place,’ said Bridie, ‘what was their story?’
‘They met here, when they were touring in theatre, and fell in love with it. They always resolved that one day they would buy it and run it themselves. It was their dream – but it didn’t work out.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Bridie said genuinely. ‘You know, I couldn’t have done it without my friends and family.’ She looked about her at them all, sitting gathered around, listening.
She turned her gaze on Julian and had a feeling there was more to their story. ‘There’s more – isn’t there?’
He nodded. ‘Not to get morbid, but when my grandmother died, the family believed she was still here, in this theatre – that’s why my grandfather wouldn’t let it go or let any of his descendants sell either.’
‘You mean – like her ghost?’
