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Susan Abbot ([info]up_staging) wrote in [info]toujoursliberer,
@ 2008-08-29 21:03:00

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Entry tags:harry_fisher, nell_abbot, plot, susan_abbot

Subject: Wherein our heroine returns to her old home after a prolonged absence.
Where: The Bridge Theatre
Who: Susan Abbot
Warnings: None as yet.
Open to: Anyone at the theatre.


A few days after arriving back in London, after a first night of a show and a visit to some of the more interesting sights of the city, it occurred to Susan that it might be an idea to see how her family were while she was here, to see how her father and her little, baby brother were and if the theatre was doing well. They should be so pleased to hear from her, now that she was such a success.

It took another day or so before she could arrange the time to wander so far from where her company were currently based and to remember exactly where the theatre was and how to get to it. When she got there she was surprised to see how little the building had changed in the time she was away. The man she saw standing outside she didn't recognise but maybe they were a new actor hired to work there. In the back of her mind, she hoped not as he wasn't the best looking of people and looked rather like a ruffian if she was perfectly honest. Still, she supposed that it couldn't be helped.

"Excuse me, sir." She swayed up to him and gave her best innocent smile, "Might I ask if Mr Abbot is in today?" It would be a nice surprise for her father, she thought.


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[info]revolutionfaces
2008-08-31 02:05 am UTC (link)
Will straightened up as the woman addressed him, distracting him from thoughts of supper and a pint or two. Harry had told him no drinking in the Theatre, in case any of the boys got any ideas. Which was a damn shame, because he could have done with a pint, after sitting at the bloody door all day with nothing to do. A drink to relieve the boredom, just a little drink, would have done just the thing. That or a bit to eat...

He forced himself to stop thinking and listen to the woman, to pay her attention. She was cleaner than most, and he certainly didn't recognise her, although she did seem familiar. Something in face... But she was too clean to be a local working girl, the dress was just a little more pricey then folks in Hackney could afford.

"Mr Abbot, Miss?" He repeated. Well, he'd never, ever, heard anyone in any seriousness refer to Nell as 'Mr.' Who was she? Some upset wife come to tell the boy to leave off her husband? Or one of those biblical women, come to take him away to the church? He'd heard about them, taking working girls off the streets and feeding them and whatnot. Harry would go through the roof if someone took Nell away like that.

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[info]up_staging
2008-08-31 07:34 am UTC (link)
Well, he seemed to recognise the name which was a good sign. She'd been terribly afraid for a second that she'd managed to find a eerily similar looking but entirely different theatre to the one she'd known as home for so many years. It had been a while since she'd been here, after all.

The look he was giving her was a mite odd, slightly as if he thought she might be joking, but that couldn't be helped. "That's right, sir, Mr Ned Abbot." She gave a little nod and brighter smile, "Either of them would do. If they're in, of course." Perhaps he knew his brother, which might explain why he was confused by the title. Little Ned could hardly be thought of as a Mister now, could he?

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[info]revolutionfaces
2008-09-01 12:07 pm UTC (link)
He smirked. "Ned?" He said, trying not to laugh. If that was Nell's real name, well, that was a bargaining chip right there. "No Ned Abbot here, Miss, but there's a Nell Abbot. Talk of the town. Perhaps that's who you wanted to see?" He asked, just in case. After all, Ned, Nell, they were similar sounding enough. Which was maybe a reason to think that was why Nell had changed his name. He could hardly imagining him as a Ned though. Ned was the name for a man with a moustache. "What's your name, Miss, if you don't mind?"

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-01 12:18 pm UTC (link)
No Ned Abbot? That was a little strange, although maybe this man didn't know her father's first name. Some of the actors she'd grown up with had certainly only known him as Mister Abbot. Why it was funny though, she didn't know. "Nell?" Well, maybe her father had remarried again. If this Nell girl was the star then it was certainly likely. "I'll see her if she's in."

She blinked when he asked for her name, but then realised that if he was new then of course he wouldn't recognise her. "I'm Susan Abbot, sir, my father owns the theatre."

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[info]revolutionfaces
2008-09-02 04:13 pm UTC (link)
"I'm afraid your dad doesn't own this theatre, Miss Abbot. The Bridge Theatre belongs to Harry Fisher. He's with Nell, though, you could ask him." He told her, opening one of the heavy oak doors and letting her in, closing it again behind them.

He led the young lady towards Harry's office, mindful that he couldn't spend too long away from the doors. He knocked on the door, and waiting a moment, "A lady here to see Nell, boss. Miss Susan Abbot." He said, through the door.

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-02 05:48 pm UTC (link)
Susan's bright smile faded a little at the news that her father's theatre had been sold on. It wasn't that she was too surprised, her father had been running up so much debt by the time that she'd left that it had always been a possibility, but it was one thing suspecting and another hearing it. "Really? When was it sold on, if you don't mind, sir?"

She followed him in, examining the inside of the theatre carefully, rather intrigued by the changes that had been made while she'd been gone, both large and small. The name Fisher sort of rang a bell, she wished she could remember where she might have heard the name before, but at least this Harry person looked to be taking care of the place. Maybe he'd let her have a proper look around later, for old times sake. But it seemed she'd arrived at wherever this man was leading her and it was rather kind of him to take time from his break to bring her. She patted Will's arm and grinned at him, "Thank you very much, Mister?"

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[info]revolutionfaces
2008-09-03 03:00 pm UTC (link)
"Sold on?" Will said, scratching his head. "I guess Harry's been here... five years? That or there 'bouts." It must have been about then, not long after Harry had inherited his own share of Hackney, and the Thames had frozen over two or three times since then.

"Will, Miss. Shout for me if you need me, I'll be at the front." Where he always bloody well was, "But I doubt you'll need me." He knocked again, wondering what on earth was going on in there, but saying nothing allowed, "After all, the Theatre's not changed much. Probably not even had a fresh lick of paint."

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[info]ex_little_st99
2008-09-03 03:04 pm UTC (link)
Nell opened the door, frowning as he saw it was Will there. "What do you want? Harry is busy." He said pointedly, not caring what Will thought or what he might say to anyone else about it.

He glanced past the man, to the blonde behind him. There was a flicker of recognition for a moment, but it couldn't be her - she looked so different and well dressed, and besides what would she be doing back in London? Hadn’t she washed her hands of the theatre and him years ago. And what was Will doing bring a lady into the theatre?

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[info]revolutionfaces
2008-09-03 03:10 pm UTC (link)
Will could not help the smirk. Ned, he thought to himself with glee, unable to voice it yet. Just wait, save it up for the right time.

"This lady, Miss Susan Abbot, is here to see Mr Fisher, thank you very much." He said, delighting in every word of it. "In fact, Nell, my dear, she is here to see you." He said, stepping out the way, his smile stretching ear-to-ear.

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-03 03:21 pm UTC (link)
(Sorry, IJ decided to post early. Grr.)

Her father must have sold the theatre just after she'd left. Susan felt pangs of both relief (that she'd missed it) and annoyance (that he'd done it so soon) at that news. Nothing she could do about it now though. "Will, then. Thank you, again."

Her attention slipped completely from thoughts of the past and the man standing next to her when the door opened and she saw who had answered it.

"Ned!" She recognised her brother instantly, despite how much he'd grown, and stepped forward. It was a little off-putting that he hadn't seemed to know her straight away but, to be fair, she did look much better than she had the day she'd left. "Ned, how are you?"

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[info]ex_little_st99
2008-09-03 03:28 pm UTC (link)
"Susan!" Nell said, his voice a mixture of panic and delight. His sister was here, his sister who'd abandoned him and missed their father's funeral but his sister all the same. "Susan, please don't call me that. I don't use that name anymore." He said, glancing across at Will. If he brought that up later...

"Won't you come in? You can meet Harry, he owns this place now." Nell said, stepping back to let her into the room, calling over his shoulder. "Look who's here, Harry. My sister!"

He'd had to deal with Harry's family turning up unexpectedly recently. Now Harry could deal with the same for him.

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[info]social_climber
2008-09-03 03:36 pm UTC (link)
Harry had heard the name alright- a Miss Susan Abbot, and was already out from behind his desk and moving to the door. "Well don't keep the young lady waiting on the threshold, Nell, ask her in to sit down." He said, month moving independently of his brain for a few second while he worked out what the girl could be here for.

He hadn't known Nell had a sister, or if he had ever known he had forgotten it, as it was unimportant. But the girl was here now, and if Nell knew her, recognised her, then the likelihood of her being an imposter was low. Why was she here? Simply to see Nell? Or was there something else? Was she here to claim what she thought was rightfully hers?

"Delighted to meet you, Miss Abbot. Harry Fisher, at your service." He said with a bow to her, smiling slightly.

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-03 03:53 pm UTC (link)
"Is it Nell these days then?" Susan's eyes flicked to where Will was standing, "Have you got yourself a stage name? That's a good idea." Well, she suppose she couldn't blame her brother, Ned was a decent enough name for an actor but only one who'd passed thirty. A little thirteen year old like her brother hardly seemed like a 'Ned' - what was her father thinking when he'd named him that? "Why Nell though?" She knew a Nell, in fact, a little girl belonging to one of Susan's fellow actors. It was a little funny that her brother had chosen the same name.

She moved into the room, forgetting about Ned's new name, when he invited her into the room and was quite impressed with what she saw inside. Both the office and the man, Fisher, were rather fetching but the face wasn't ringing any bells. She'd simply been away too long and met too many people in the mean time. Still, he looked nice enough and acted like it too. "It's a pleasure, Mister Fisher." She replied with a charming smile and a curtsey because it couldn't do any harm.

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[info]ex_little_st99
2008-09-03 04:04 pm UTC (link)
"Yes, a stage name." Nell said, his cheeks colouring. "It's because we're an all male theatre troupe and I usually play the girls parts. Rather Shakespearian." He said, looking at Harry, hoping he would agree with what was just said. The last thing he wanted was for Susan to know anything of what had happened since she left. He wanted her to think he’d done well for himself like she obviously had.

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[info]social_climber
2008-09-03 04:21 pm UTC (link)
"Nell's the only competent actor we have in the theatre. The rest of the lads are still training up. But they aren't bad, half of them. Most of them don't have a background in theatre, but that's why we have Nell." Harry interjected, smiling back at her. There was a family resemblance there, certainly, in the mouth and eyes. "Please, won't you sit down?" He asked her, gesturing her into a chair, one of the nicer ones, without the rips and tears of age.

"Aside from to see your younger sibling, Miss Abbot, is there any other purpose to your most welcome but still unexpected visit?" He asked, trying to sound interested rather that worried, to be making conversation rather than digging for information.

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-03 04:37 pm UTC (link)
Well, that was certainly something that had changed since she'd left. Although if there were no girls in the troupe then it made sense that Nell could play the parts, he was almost as pretty as she'd been at that age. "Oh, I am glad to hear that you're following in the family tradition. Mother would have been so pleased to see that you've taken up her mantle." She leaned over to give her brother a hug in a moment of emotion but broke off when Mister Fisher spoke again and took a seat.

"Of course, thank you." She thought that there might be something more behind the man's question but for the life of her she couldn't think what it might be. Maybe it'd come to her later. "Oh, I had a little free time today so I thought I'd check to see how my little brother and my father were getting on. I haven't seen them in such a long while, you see." Speaking of which, maybe Nell this Mister Fisher would know where her father had got to, she must remember to ask them before she left. "I thought I might invite them to one of my shows too, if they'd the time." She hadn't planned on it coming here but after hearing how her brother was still acting the idea had occurred to her.

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[info]ex_little_st99
2008-09-03 04:50 pm UTC (link)
Nell hadn't been expecting the hug and he hadn't had the time to hug her back before she'd broken it off. The words about their mother stung a little, but Susan didn't know what was real and what wasn't. She'd only meant them to be kind.

"A show? Oh, could we?" He said, excitement getting the better of him.

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[info]social_climber
2008-09-04 01:26 pm UTC (link)
Harry, meanwhile, gave a nod to Will, still loitering at the door, and dismissed him back to the foyer. There was no need for him to be there, listening in, when the door was left unguarded.

He turned his head back to their guest, in time to hear her invitation and then Nell's excited reply. Well, there could be no harm in it, really. "Well..." He said, as if uncertain. "I suppose Nell could go. After all, I suppose it would not hurt for him to watch a performance of other actors. Depending on your own rehearsals and other commitments, Nell." He paused, glancing to Miss Abbot then, "I hope that doesn't trouble you over much? Nell is rather busy, as you can not doubt imagine."

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-04 02:18 pm UTC (link)
"Oh no, no," Susan replied with a dismissive wave of hand, "perfectly understandable. I could hardly ask anyone to miss out on a rehearsal or somesuch, they're vital to any actor, after all." She turned and smiled at Nell, reassured to hear that he was taking his profession seriously. She was also more than a little pleased to hear how excited he was at her offer, it seemed she'd made the right choice with it.

"And yourself, Mister Fisher?" He looked a bit more of the usual audience fare of the theatre they were currently playing in than her brother. "We have a few evening performances commissioned in the next month. I'm sure an extra ticket or two could be found if you fancied an outing." She was certain that they could if she asked, seeing as she was the leading lady of the performance showing on those evenings. Something occurred to her at that point and she perked up, "Would I be able to come and see Nell perform one day soon?" Preferably before her own rehearsals ate up all her free time.

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[info]ex_little_st99
2008-09-08 05:07 pm UTC (link)
Naturally their work at the theatre had to come first. Nell couldn't go losing clients because he was excited his sister was back in London, but he could at least try to build a kinship between them before she left again with that travelling company of hers.

"Please Harry, you must come as well." He said imploringly, although stopped short when Susan mentioned coming to see one of their own performances. The last thing he wanted was for his sister to discover what sort of entertainment really went on here. "Oh, we just finished a run of Romeo and Juliet, and we haven't even decided on the next play. You know how rehearsals are, they go on for months. You might have gone by the time we're ready to show it."

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[info]social_climber
2008-09-09 03:49 am UTC (link)
Harry had been quite happy to lean back and let the siblings talk- there was, after all, no harm in it and he was almost sure he was a distraction in their conversation- until of course, it was turned around to him, and the mention of Nell's own performances were made. He didn't sit bolt-upright, but let Nell answer, calmly enough too, with a hint of embarrassment, almost as if he was not good enough yet to be watched by his sister, an accomplished actress herself.

"I would be delighted to go." He told Susan with a smile, leaning forward now, "As would Nell and no doubt anyone else given the offer. Perhaps your play would offer us some inspiration as to our next production?"

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-09 01:18 pm UTC (link)
It was a little odd, how both Harry and Nell had almost jumped a bit when she'd mentioned coming here to watch a play, but perhaps they simply weren't used to having people like herself seeing their productions. Never mind though, she was quite pleased that the pair had agreed to come to one of her shows. It would just have to do for now.

"Ah, such timing, it's a shame. I'm sure my brother made a superb Romeo," she replied with a little sigh, "Drury Lane aren't showing either, as I'm sure you're aware." It was part of the reason that her own company had chosen to come back to London at this particular time, they'd never be able to compete and grab the audiences they desired otherwise. "We'll be showing one of Southerne's. The Mother in Fashion, if you've heard of it?" Not a very new play but it made a change from Shakespeare and she was in the title role so she couldn't complain. It was also a role that she knew back to front and so could take a little time off occasionally, much like she was doing now. "But perhaps it might work out quite well; Southerne had quite the repertoire, perhaps you'll be able to find something you like in there."

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[info]ex_little_st99
2008-09-10 04:10 am UTC (link)
“It was Juliet, actually.” Nell mumbled, glancing away from Susan. He was beginning to feel quite embarrassed by her questions and assumptions. “That all sounds wonderful though, doesn’t it? I’m sure you could help us pick out a play, and that we’ll all be inspired by your performance.”

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[info]social_climber
2008-09-10 02:50 pm UTC (link)
"Superb never the less." Harry said with the flash of a smile in Nell's direction, before his eyes moved back to Susan. "Southerne?" He says with some interest. "I've heard of him, but as busy as I am I don't often get to read much new material. But I am sure your own production will open our eyes to new possibilities." He smiled gently at her, but not with the same pride and warmth, "What playhouse are your company using? I imagine you've booked one up for the remainder of the season?"

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[info]up_staging
2008-09-11 12:36 pm UTC (link)
Nell's correction didn't even make Susan blink, "Well, you've certainly got the looks for it, little brother. And the hair." She leaned over and ruffled the mentioned feature, noticing (a little petulantly) that it was slightly finer than her own. "I'll have to give you a book of his works. My patrons keep gifting me with copies so I'm sure I could donate one to the theatre where I first started acting." Some of the books were quite old and tatty, if she recalled correctly, one of those would do quite nicely. She sat and turned back to Harry when he questioned her, waving with an almost dismissive gesture when she replied. "Oh, we'll be at the Bow Street Theatre until that mess in Paris has cleared up. We were due to go over there but unfortunately our sponsor was arrested." She shrugged, "Until then the King George's Players shall just have to remain at home." At least London wasn't entirely boring.

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