Chapter thirty - The Red Dragon

The squat stone pub hunched by the side of the road; rough-hewn, as though it had been cut from the landscape with a pick-axe. Lights pulsed through the old sash windows, and a square of tarmac to the side was half-filled with cars. Jess could just make out the outline of a dragon on the dark, weather-worn sign

Inside reminded her of a place she'd worked in while at drama school. The lighting was as low as the ceilings, with coloured bulbs flashing to the beat of the music giving it more of a club-like feel. Dark wood tables, chairs and benches added to the enclosed feeling, as did the wall of bodies that stood between them and the bar.

It was nothing like a London club—not that she could afford to go in any of those—but it was certainly more nightlife than she'd ever expected to find on a Monday evening in Wales.

Carys seemed to know everyone, smiling and waving left and right before she was swallowed up by the patrons standing around with drinks in hand. For a moment, Jess thought she'd lost her, but then a clear space opened up in front of the bar where Carys waited to be served. "What will you have, Jess?"

She knew it was best to keep a clear head for her meeting with Sir Ieuan Hall-Jones. "Just a Diet Coke, thanks."

While Carys ordered, Jess tuned in to some of the conversations surrounding her, but only a couple of people were speaking anything recognisably English. Everyone else seemed to be chatting in Welsh. Not that she'd had any experience with the language, other than the odd line or two heard on TV, and a friend at school who'd learnt how to pronounce that really long place name.

"Carrie!" A man pushed through the crowd and he said something to Carys. Jess thought she heard the word tomato, but assumed she'd heard wrong until her companion replied, "I don't care if you like the colour or not. It's not your hair, is it?" She turned to Jess. "This is Rhys. He's one of my brother's friends."

Rhys smiled and held out his hand. "Good to meet you. Any friend of Carrie's is welcome. It's a bit quieter at the back if you want to come and sit with us?"

Carys nodded. "That would be great."

Rhys was wearing a blue t-shirt with tight sleeves that just about stretched over his biceps. She'd known actors with arms like his before, and they'd lived half their lives at the gym, but he seemed friendly enough.

They reached a small table, occupied by two other men. Carys clearly knew them well, as she said, "Hi guys. Do you have room for two little ones to squeeze in?"

Rhys invited Jessica to take his seat and then disappeared. On the opposite side of the table, Carys received a similar offer, as Rhys came back with two more chairs. Jessica soon found herself under observation from three curious men.

"Carys, love, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

"Jess, this is Harry." She patted the arm of the man who had given his seat to her. He was a similar build to Gareth, but his short ginger hair extended into a full beard. "You've met Rhys, of course, and the big lump in the corner is Jon."

"I'm hurt, Car. I thought you loved me?" the lump replied with a lazy smile and a twinkle in his eye. Jon was a walking mountain. Tall and broad-chested, with black spiky hair. Jess guessed his nose had been broken at some point, making him look like a rugby player.

"Guys, this is Jessica. She's going to be working with Dad this week, so she's staying at our place."

Rhys turned in his chair to face her. "Have you travelled far?"

His question didn't feel like a chat-up line, more a way of bringing her into the conversation. "I live in London."

"Is this your first visit to Wales?""Yes, it's--"

"Cold in winter," Harry said, shaking his head.

"It's cold everywhere in winter, you block," Jon rumbled in his musical accent.

Before the mountain had finished, Harry was ready to argue the point, but Rhys cut in with a question Jess was asked all the time. "Have you been in anything I might have seen?"

"I doubt it. I've never done any TV work before. The closest I came was a few training videos."

"What, like aerobics or running?"

Jess laughed. "Different sort of training. Workplace training. Acting out situations to teach new employees how to do their job. Pretending to be a customer who wants to buy something, for example."

"That sounds like fun," Carys said.

"It pays the bills. I prefer the theatre, of course, although I can't afford to be picky. Who can these days? I've also been a Mystery Shopper and I once voiced a character in an animated film for some student's art project."

"Isn't London an expensive place to live?" Harry asked. "Particularly when you have an unreliable income stream."

"It is, but I do other work when I'm not acting. Usually bar work, as the hours are so flexible. I'm house-sitting for my aunt and uncle, so I don't have to worry about sky-high rents or dodgy landlords. I also have a house-mate who helps to cover the cost of the bills."

Rhys raised his eyebrows in exaggerated surprise. "Is that a male or female housemate?"

Before Jess had the chance to answer, Carys interrupted. "Have you boys finished playing twenty questions yet? We came out for a bit of fun, not so Jess could be interrogated."

Rhys leaned towards Jess, his voice low. "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition."

"I'm sorry if we were rude." Harry reached for his glass. "We don't get to meet many new faces, and it's difficult to discover something different about people you've known your whole life."

"It's okay," Jess said. "It must be great to have so many mates still living in the area. I moved around a lot when I was a kid, and I didn't really keep in touch with any of my old school friends."

The conversation turned to people they'd known who had left the area and those who had later returned. Jess was happy enough to sit and listen. Her experiences working with new groups had taught her how exhausting it was to keep a conversation going among people she'd just met, so she was happy to let them carry the conversational load.

As a group of four or five women passed their table, one broke away to hug Carys. Gareth's sister seemed to know all of them well, and Jess wasn't surprised when Carys excused herself to join the ladies for a chat. Jess wouldn't have wanted Carys to feel like she needed a babysitter. Then Harry slipped away, leaving Jess alone with Rhys and Jon. They were easy-going, ordinary guys, and just the sort of friends she could imagine Gareth preferring to spend time with.

Rhys held up his glass, staring at the golden lager swirling in the bottom. "Jessica...Jesssssica," He almost sang her name as he was contemplating. "It must be years since I met anyone called Jessica, but didn't I hear that name recently?"

Jon, the man mountain, was looking at Jess when he replied. "Probably from Gareth. He worked with a Jessica in the summer."

"Wasn't Jane Bennet played by a Jessica?"

"I can't remember, but I do know it's your round." Jon drained his pint, setting the glass down on the table. Rhys grumbled but headed off to the bar.

Under the mountain's silent scrutiny, Jess felt the heat rising in her face. He knew exactly who she was, but he wasn't going to say anything unless she brought it up first. She leaned closer, so she didn't have to shout over the music. "It was Elizabeth. I played Elizabeth Bennet, not Jane."