August 2027: A Moment of Jealousy.
As the little group in Central Park split up after finishing their lunch, with Evie heading off with Mrs Mackenzie for an afternoon of retail therapy, and Ethan, Drew and Ethel heading off to see the best of the Met, Thad was arriving back at Dalton, his time in New York over; the start of the new school year was only days away after all. He had planned to come home the previous day, but he had ended up staying on for another night, as he wanted the chance to meet Ethel for himself, so that he could form an opinion on the lady in question. Ethan had been fully aware of the reasons for the Head Warbler's social call, as indeed was Nick when Thad told him where he was going, but neither of them made any comment. It would have been a tad hypocritical to have done so, as both were guilty of the same thing themselves…
Thad and Nick had both had the chance to talk to her separately, but when Thad had returned that Friday evening, they had met in Nick's study and had compared their notes, both deciding that she was no threat to the happiness of Drew and those closest to him. "Of course, we could really have benefitted from having Trent here, as he is by far the best judge of character amongst us all," Nick commented after they reached their conclusion.
Thad shook his head, and chuckled. "Oh, he is the best judge amongst the Warblers, but if we are including all those in our extended circle of friends, then he pales into nothing compared to Santana. Engineering a meeting between the two of them, however, would be difficult if not totally problematic."
It was Nick's turn to laugh then, before he gave Thad a knowing smile. "Oh contraire, my dear Thad… Mike has invited Ethel to the end of summer school concert at the City Ballet on Sunday, and she has accepted; I have it on good authority that Santana will also be in attendance, conducting an extremely early scouting session for new students at NYADA at the behest of Carmen Tibideaux. We are going too as a family, so I can ensure that a meeting takes place…"
Thad had smiled at the idea then, and it still made him smile to think of Nick engineering said meeting at the City Ballet the following day. He would have stayed himself to watch it from afar had he not needed to be on the premises this weekend to set things up for the earliest of the returning students. Of course, there was also the small matter of a letter from Mexico to open, and a reasonable number of DVDs that he needed to destroy in the safest and most discrete way possible. On top of that, he also had to admit that he would be glad to get back to his own quiet home. He felt a little more tired than usual, which he put down to the stress of the events of the previous week…
On arriving back at his apartment, he placed his bags in his bedroom, and went to make himself a cup of tea. He was pleased to see that, as ever, there was fresh milk in his fridge, along with a selection of foodstuffs, and a fresh loaf of bread in the pantry. It was one of the advantages of living at Dalton, one of which he would never tire, that he was never left short of food by the catering staff. With his tea made, he headed to his study, and started to go through the pile of mail that Sebastian had left sitting on his desk; he found the one from Mexico sandwiched between two circulars halfway down the pile, just where the other man had said he would put it, just in case Mrs Carmichael had popped in to check all was well and become curious about it when she saw it. He opened it, and saw that it was a carbon copy to the word of the one that had been sent to Nick; he placed it to one side, ready to be sent to join the rest of the blackmail plot file in Washington DC…
He then went through the remainder of the mail, concentrating on those that seemed to be the most important, letting all of the circulars wait, although he immediately put the one for mobility scooters in the trash can, and placing the journals he subscribed to in a separate pile to be perused that evening. That done, he unpacked his bags, and was about to make a start on preparing a light evening meal when there was a knock at the door. He went to answer it, expecting to see Edith Carmichael, but was a little surprised at first to see that it was Sebastian, until he noticed that he was carrying several books and a large bag which seemed to hold a number of packages…
"Sorry to show up unannounced, but I thought I should bring all of the DVDs over to you now that you are home. The ones from England arrived this morning; I asked the clerk in the school office that was on duty this morning to let me know if they were delivered, saying they were a vital item from London. I think she thought I was having a certain biscuit delivered; anyway, with the play over I was free, so I thought it best to deal with them straight away."
Thad nodded and took the bag from Sebastian; it was only then that he actually saw his face clearly, and he could see that he was scowling, and looked a little fed up. He had seen this before, and he knew that it was not a good sign, so he had no option but to ask… "Okay, I bite; come in and tell me exactly what is wrong. I was actually just about to stop for a coffee anyway…"
"It's not exactly that there is anything wrong actually, but something has happened, and well I could do with getting my feelings about it off my chest. It isn't his fault, and I am certain that even if I had still been available in New York, there was no guarantee that I would have got it, but none of that stops me being insanely jealous of him…"
Thad was left none the wiser by that brief exchange, so he headed to the kitchen to prepare the coffee, and then went to collect a bag that Nick had given him to give to Sebastian when he saw him. He handed it to the actor as he set down the tray with the coffee on it; he looked at it for a moment, then looked inside. A minute later one of the packets of Custard Creams had been opened and a biscuit was being eaten…
As soon as he had digested it, Sebastian said, "I am upset at myself for being upset about this, which just makes the whole situation even more unbearable… I have never felt like this before and there is no way I can tell Dave what I am feeling, because he might start to blame himself, and it isn't his fault… okay, so maybe it is the fault of the other player that crashed into him and ended his playing career. I should be happy for him, because he is talented and one of my friends, but all I want to do right now is curse him and scream out that the part should be mine, all mine…"
Thad sighed in relief now that he knew what Sebastian was talking about, and that he was unhappy about someone else getting a particular role that he must have craved himself, but what the show was alluded him, as did the actual person in the frame; he was not one to listen to the gossip of Broadway after all. He tried to search through his mind to recall anything he had seen in his sojourn in the city, but to no avail; he did, however, have an idea who the person might be when he considered it properly… "Are you talking about Mason? I know that the show he is in is ending soon, but I hadn't heard anything about a new role…"
"Yes, I am talking about Mason," said Sebastian, and Thad could hear the venom dripping when he said the other man's name. "The truth is that until now, whenever he has taken a role, I have never wanted it for myself, but I really did long to play the part of Giles Ralston on Broadway…"
Thad wracked his brain to try and think what show the character that Sebastian had just named appeared in, but he could not get there. Fortunately, Sebastian had only paused in his speech to eat another Custard Cream.
"It is coming to New York, to Broadway, for the first time EVER as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, and Mason manages to land a part in it! His name will go down in history as being one of the original Broadway cast! I want to be on that list, Thad! However, I can't be, because I am here in Ohio, and because my possibly soon to be fired agent didn't think to alert me, even though they knew how much I loved the show… I mean, I would have talked to Dave, because he always said that if there was a part came up on Broadway that I really wanted to do, then he would let me go back for six months to play it. I deserve to be in The Mousetrap!"
As Sebastian huffed, and ate another Custard Cream, it all now made sense to Thad. He knew that the show in question had the record for the world's longest continuous run of a play, and it had never been performed before on Broadway. There had been rumours back in 2023 that it was coming, as part of the celebrations for the 70th anniversary, but that had all fizzled out. Now it was coming, and Sebastian was more or less retired and living in Ohio…
"I have never breathed a word of this to anyone, but I was on the shortlist for a part in the show back in 2023; the problem was that they couldn't get a suitable theater, so it was first of all delayed and then quietly dropped altogether. If they had called me up, asked me to come back and do it, I would have done like a shot! Maybe they didn't because they see me as a has been now in Broadway circles…."
As Sebastian munched yet another biscuit, Thad shook his head. "I am positive that isn't the case, nor is it a case of perhaps being seen as too old, because Mason isn't that much younger than you are… I am guessing that the role in question is not one for a teenager?"
"God, no! He's a married man, running a hotel," said Sebastian, and there was a note of disbelief in his tone that Thad did not know that already. "What puzzles me most about all of this is why I feel so slighted and robbed by all of it, because I really wasn't missing the Great White Way…"
"Maybe it is just about the timing. You just had to deal with all of the DVD stuff, you've just finished your summer show in Columbus and are coming back to teaching at Dalton, and then this blow lands. I am sorry that you aren't able to perform in the role, but don't forget why you are back here in Ohio, and that was because you felt that it was important that Dave had a career that might not be the one that he always dreamt of, but one he enjoyed anyway. You have a good life here with him and your family, and well, I don't think I could manage to run the Warblers without you either. I do think that right now you need to call Mason and congratulate him on landing the role. If you don't do it now, there is a danger that you won't, you let the resentment fester, and it will damage your friendship…"
Sebastian sighed, and replied, "I know that you are right, but it might be more sensible right now for me to send him a congratulatory text. You know as well as I do that when the green-eyed monster takes control of me, then my voice and tone become completely insincere to anyone that I am talking to…"
"Whatever you do, you need to do it now," Thad replied firmly, and seeing the look on his face and the tone in his voice, Sebastian couldn't help but roll his eyes…
"Yes sir!" he replied but did not go so far as to salute. He did however pull out his phone and start to type…
"If you would like me to check the message before you send it, to check that it doesn't seem trite or petty, then I will," the Head Warbler continued. It was meant to be a joke, so he was a little surprised when Sebastian handed him his phone… He read the message and then handed it back with a nod of approval. Sebastian promptly hit the send button, then sighed. "Feeling any better?" Thad asked.
"A little bit, but it still stings that it isn't me," said the actor with another deep sigh.
"Of course, maybe one of the other actors in the cast will drop out at short notice, and Mason will suggest that there is only one man that could possibly save the show, just as he did once before," Thad hinted, knowing that it was most unlikely in his heart of hearts.
Sebastian brightened a little at that, and said, "Well, there is another part that I could possibly play, the Major, but… No, maybe I just need to accept that the gods and angels of Broadway have decreed that the show wasn't meant for me. You're right, I have a good life here; I have my family, and we are all so happy, and the work that I do here at Dalton makes a difference and is fulfilling in its own way…"
He stopped as his phone chimed with an incoming message, and he saw that it was a reply from Mason. He read it, then burst out laughing, which made Thad worry. "Mason says that he almost turned the part down because he considered that the role was my part; when he did eventually say yes, he felt so guilty, and still does now. However, he was informed by those behind the Broadway run that they did consider contacting me at once, but they had heard that I would only be interested in runs of no more than six months and given that they intend to run the show on the same principle that they employ in London, where they change the cast every year, they had to reluctantly rule me out. They are right of course, so I wouldn't have taken the part even if they had offered it to me; and Mason realised that too in the end, so thought that him taking it was the next best thing. He did however insist that I be on the guest list for the official Opening Night, which is when they decree the Original Broadway cast. I will certainly be there to support Mason…"
Thad did not chuckle as he saw how swiftly a jealous Sebastian had been replaced by a supportive one, full of anticipation. "I wonder if it would be possible for the Dalton Drama Club stage a performance of it at around the same time?" he mused.
Sebastian's eyes twinkled brightly for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I don't think that the boys would go for it. However, I could place it on the syllabus for my drama teaching this year; we have to cover one post World War Two drama, and The Mousetrap fits the bill. I can talk about its longevity, and the continued success of all of Mrs Christie's works, both in literature, film and stage play. I mean, Witness for the Prosecution has been performed at County Hall in London, in the old council chamber, for a decade now. I can discuss the symbolism of the clock, the last original prop, and of course, how the man credited as the world's longest running actor in a play has been dead for almost three decades…"
Sebastian paused and laughed at the curious and slightly startled look that Thad was giving him at that point. "When the curtain goes up in The Mousetrap, it is on to a completely dark stage, and then you hear a very BBC voice reading the news on the radio. That voice belongs to an actor called Deryck Guyler and he was name checked in the original playbill all those years ago. That same recording is still in use, albeit remastered digitally; he is still named as part of the cast, even though he actually died in 1999…"
Thad shook his head, then laughed as a thought occurred to him. "You will need to ask Mason if they are intending to use the same voice here; if they are, then won't that make him the only actor ever to have starred on Broadway and in the West End at the same time, not to mention being the only person to have ever made their Broadway debut after their death…?"
Sebastian looked at Thad for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "I never thought of that, but I guess that if they do use the original tape then it will be the case; now that is a trivia quiz question of the future…" He smiled once more, then said, "I actually don't feel nearly so bad about it all now that I have had the chance to talk to someone about it. I was behaving a lot like my teenage self for a while there, and honestly, I'm a little ashamed of that. So, changing the subject entirely, have you heard any more about our former principal's ex-wife's blackmail attempt?"
"The last that I heard from Trent was that she had been given the keys and deeds to the house and was in the process of moving back in. The cash transfer should have happened by today, so we are unlikely to hear any more about it. It was awful for us, but she did what any of us would do for children entrusted to our care; she should never have been put into the circumstances that she was in in the first place. That she was placed in them was combination of our government's inefficiency and the fact that he did not acknowledge that she existed at the time of his trial. Trent seems to think that he must have claimed that she was only a temporary girlfriend, because if he had said wife, then they would not have taken everything as swiftly as they did," Thad replied.
"I do feel sorry for those kids, having that man for a father; hopefully they will never have to meet him, or even be told his name."
"She is unlikely to tell them, and he has shown no interest until now, and that is unlikely to alter. That is actually a bonus for us, because if a certain blond ever finds out about all of this, it will seem like the ultimate betrayal, carried out by all of us on him. As it is, Nick has also had to lie to Wes as well as keep Jeff in the dark…"
"Do you mean that little Wes picked up on the fact that his dad was sneaking around behind his papa's back? Well, that boy is definitely a relative of your husband if that is the case…," said Sebastian.
Thad nodded, but he was keenly aware that he and Nick were also keeping a secret from Sebastian now, namely the identity of the person that was being entrusted with the master copy of the film. They were not doing so because Sebastian would object to it though, it was more a case of he didn't need to know…
The news of Mason's new role was also circulating in New York by that time, the rumours of days replaced by fact when the cast list had been published on the show's website. Cooper had been the first of the circle of friends to read it and he had immediately called the younger man that had once lived in his house to tell him how pleased he was for him. Mason had accepted his congratulations, then had admitted that he was concerned as to how his fellow NYADA alumnus, Sebastian, would take the news. "It was going to be his role when the staging of the show on Broadway was first proposed and now, I have taken it. There are rumours that Sebastian's agent actually had been told that if the role came up again, then they were to say he was available, but they failed to act on that instruction, with the consequence that the people behind the staging overlooked him. I have a horrible feeling that he will not be too pleased with me for taking the role…"
"I am sure that such a rumour is just malicious gossip aimed at making you miserable," scoffed Cooper. "If he was so angry about it, then he wouldn't have held back, and you would know all about it by now…"
"Yeah, he isn't the kind of person to allow things to fester," Mason replied.
However, when he had ended the call, Cooper couldn't help but feel that he might actually just have lied to Mason… He forgot about it though as at that moment, Marley knocked on the door to his dressing room, much later in arriving than was customary. He invited her in as he always did, and offered her a cup of tea, which she accepted. As he made it, he asked if she had heard about Mason, and she was honest in her reply…
"I have, but only just; the stage doorman told me. Of course, he isn't the only one that will be taking on a new role soon. The time has come for me to step down from the role of Maria for good…"
Cooper looked at her in shock for a moment, and then he realised what she was really telling him. His eyes widened, and in a whisper, he said, "Oh my Lord! Does that mean…?"
"Yes, Ryder and I were at the clinic for the tests this morning; they overran, which is why I am later than usual in getting here. The results were positive, and it seems that I am a little over three months pregnant. That fact means that very soon I will not be very convincing as a novice nun…"
Cooper laughed at that, before he pulled Marley into a hug. "Now, is this news official or have you not spoken to the director and the producers yet?" he asked.
"I haven't spoken to them yet, so keep it to yourself for now… well, you can tell Grace, but I can't go any further until I have informed the management. I only intend to tell most people once my departure from the show is out there in the public domain. I think that I will leave in mid-October, before I really start to show. Still, there is one advantage to our job, and that is the later starts; morning sickness will not be an issue, because by the time I have to start work, the worst of it should have passed…"
Cooper and Marley drank their tea, then she headed off to get ready, leaving him deep in though. Her good news had an impact on him after all. He did like playing the role of the Captain, but that was in large part down to the leading lady he worked alongside every night. Her understudy was good, but there was less chemistry, and they did not gel quite as easily. No, he would wait until Marley's departure was made public, then ask his agent to put out a few feelers to see what was out there for his next project. He had done two musicals in a row now, so he quite liked the idea of doing something serious and challenging, a dark drama that he could really get his teeth into. That would be something for 2028 though; he would be perfectly happy to stay in the part he was in until just after Christmas at the very least…
Sebastian had not stayed with Thad for very long after his moment of jealousy had been talked through and dealt with. To Thad's relief, the actor had offered to take all of the DVDs that they had amassed and destroy them once and for all; as he said, it made much more sense for him to do it rather than leave them lying around at Dalton any longer than they had to. There was always the risk whilst they were at the school of someone discovering them, and with the boys returning in the next few days, there was a chance of a stray fragment of broken DVD being found, possibly with the title on it, or worse, the shredded remains of the cover being found and pieced back together. Of course, worse than one of the students finding it was the possibility of Mrs Carmichael doing so…
"One of the things that my father left in the house was the industrial grade shredder that was an essential part of his role as State Attorney; he had to destroy many top-secret documents after reading. It is extremely powerful, and it should have no bother in cutting the DVDs into tiny pieces too. I would like to recycle the remains somehow, but it is not possible to do so. I will try to crush them down to a fine powder, if possible," Sebastian said.
Thad did however hold on to the two blackmail letters, as they needed to be passed on to Trent; they would be placed in the government files on the whole affair, evidence in part of the need to make the cash payment to the wife of the worst Principal Dalton had ever had… He placed them in his safe, then decided to make himself some dinner. He had considered heading over to see the Carmichaels, but he was feeling quite tired, and if he was being entirely honest, a little bit nauseous. He couldn't help but wonder if he, like Nick, was starting to develop an issue with flying…
He made himself a ham sandwich, but he had barely eaten half of it when he suddenly felt unable to take another bite without being sick. His appetite for food had vanished, and he ate no more, though he did drink a cup of coffee. As he did so, he ignored the little voice in his head that was telling him that he had been having less of an appetite for a few weeks now, and that this was not the first time it had vanished during a meal. He would be fine again after a good night's sleep in his own bed. He chose to have an early night therefore, knowing he would not get much chance for those when his life became more hectic once the new school year commenced and he had a dorm full of boys to take care of…
At lunchtime the following day, Edith Carmichael, having attended morning service at church, made her way across to the dormitory buildings from her own home in the grounds of the Academy. That house had once gone along with the Principal's position at Dalton, vacated whenever a new one took up the role at the school; however, her husband's initial replacement had no wish to live on campus, and had declined to move in. The school governors at that time had no desire to see the place empty, so allowed the Carmichaels to remain. Alas, they had been absent and in Australia when the worst scandal ever to engulf the school had been at its height, or they could have intervened.
Such lengthy trips were now in the past, old age catching up on them both, but Edith was not unhappy about that. She still liked to keep an eye on the boys, and that included those staff members that still resided on the campus. She knew that Thad had returned from his time in New York the previous day, having observed a taxi passing by her home at the time she had anticipated he would return. She had then seen Sebastian arrive, and then depart an hour or so later; she had wondered if Thad would then appear for dinner, but he had not…
She also knew that he would know that she would be anxious for updates on those of her boys that lived in the city, and in particular what he could tell her about Nick, Jeff and young Wes. They had all been present at a moment in history after all, eyewitnesses to the moment when a new monarch of the United Kingdom and a number of other states had been crowned. She had watched it on television naturally, hooked to every second, but her experience could not possibly compare to actually being present in the Abbey.
The fact that he had not appeared that morning was more of a concern to her. Her husband had pointed out that with the new school year about to commence, and a new group of freshmen to look out for, he might be too busy to come over when he had been away for a while, but whilst she knew that was true, there was something that bothered her. She had a kind of sixth sense about these things, and she was increasingly certain that something was amiss…
She entered the building in which he had his small apartment and made her way to his front door. She knocked on it loudly, but there was no response, not so much as a shout to say that he was coming, or one telling her to come in as there would usually be. She stood for a moment, wondering whether to knock again, but in the end, she dismissed that idea; she was sure that Thad wouldn't mind if she tried the door…
That the door was not locked did not cause any immediate alarm bells to ring in her head, as Thad was a housemaster that took the welfare of his students to heart, his door always left open so they could come to him if there was an emergency situation in the night. It was a habit that did not change even when the dorms were empty; the building was secured outside after all, so there was no real risk of theft.
As she stepped in, it was the silence in the apartment that struck her first. She had seen Thad's car outside, and his coat was hanging on the hook, several pairs of shoes on the rack below it. It was possible that he was somewhere in the dorm building, or had not worn a coat when he had headed over to the main school building for something, but she sensed that he was at home somehow, and that raised the worrying question – why had he not answered her knock?
She called out his name as she made her way down the short hallway, glancing into the sitting room, the kitchen and the second bedroom that Thad used as a study as she did so, hoping to see him sitting there with headphones on, listening to music. The bathroom door was ajar, and a quick glance showed her that he wasn't in there either. That only left his bedroom, and Edith wondered for a moment if he was having a very long lie in bed after his journey home. He might have been up during the night and was only now getting rest. Neither of those were in keeping with the character of the man in question however…
She decided that there was only one thing to do, and so she knocked gently on the bedroom door, still calling his name. There was no response, but then she thought she had heard a very faint moan. That settled the issue, and with no further ceremony she opened the bedroom door and stepped in…