She dominated his attention, and every time he shifted to look at me, she moved to stand in his way. Eventually, his focus was directed solely at her, and he stopped trying to see me.
Even though I knew she couldn’t win, something ugly rose up inside my chest.
The sensation took me by surprise. I had never been jealousof Vicky before now, and I didn’t like how it made me feel. Especially over a man who was pretending to be in a relationship with me.
Or was he?
When Spencer finally moved away from Vicky and smiled at me, there was something gentle in his voice as he said, “Hello, Ally.”
“Hi, Spencer.”
“Mr. Fellbaum will be here later today.” He put his hand on the back of my chair, getting closer than necessary. “He’d like to speak to both of us, if you’re available.”
I started to nod, but Vicky interrupted. “Who is Mr. Fellbaum?”
“MGM’s press secretary.”
Vicky frowned. “Why would he come here?”
“He has something he wants to show us.” Spencer was talking to Vicky but still looking at me, making me blush.
“It seems odd that MGM’s press secretary would want to meet with Ally.”
Spencer shrugged. “Publicity.”
“I still don’t understand.” Vicky tried to laugh, but her shoulders were rigid, and her voice held an edge. “I guess I’m not smart enough to comprehend something so simple.”
That drew Spencer’s attention, and he pulled away from my chair to frown. “Of course you’re smart. You’re brilliant, Vicky.”
She lowered her gaze and shook her head. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
“I mean it.” He smiled, stepping away from me. “I’ve loved watching you perform. I think you’ve done an exceptional job under difficult circumstances.”
“Really? That means a lot to me, Spencer.” She motioned to the script in her hand. “Will you look over some lines with me while you wait for Mr. Fellbaum? I’d love your expertise.”
“Of course.”
She wrapped her arm through his and led him away.
It was one thing to watch her flirt with him, another to see her pretend to be incompetent to draw compliments from him.
I wouldn’t stoop to that level.
But I didn’t like how it felt when he walked away with her.
It took us an hour to shoot the wedding scene, which we did in the studio garden near an arbor that the set designers had created. The cameras surrounded us as large microphones picked up the sound.
Since Vicky played the part of Meg, who was getting married to Mr. Brooke, she was occupied for most of the scene. After the wedding, the party danced around the couple, and as Jo, I was supposed to be upset that Meg was now married and life was changing for the March family. Spencer, playing Laurie, kept his focus on me for most of the scene, knowing how upset my character was. I was very familiar with the book and knew that Laurie would soon propose to Jo and she would turn him down.
I thought often of the Alcott family as we made the movie. Louisa was just sixteen when our fathers closed their school and the Alcotts moved to Boston in 1848. She was still growing into the woman who would one day write her famous books. Her older sister, Anna, was passionate about the stage, and I’d once heard her say she secretly longed to be a famous actress. What would she think if she knew she would be represented in film and on stage long after her death? I took great inspiration from the family as I privately coached Vicky, Annette, and Lydia in their character development. But not all the actors knew I was a time-crosser.
During breaks, Vicky took every opportunity to touch Spencer’s arm or laugh at his comments now that she knew how to get his attention. She looked pretty in the wedding attire, and he seemed to notice.
“Ally.” Mama approached when we were done with the scene. “Mr. Fellbaum is here. He’s waiting in Papa’s office and wants tospeak to you and Spencer. Can you let Spencer know? He’s been waiting for quite a while.”
“Of course.” I left Mama and walked up to Spencer and Vicky. “Mr. Fellbaum has been waiting for us in Papa’s office.”
“I’d almost forgotten.” He smiled at Vicky. “I’ll see you later.”
