Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (the little red hen ebook .txt) 📗

Joining Phil, Shaun put on his headphones and went through his opener. Although he could read off his script, it always felt more natural to speak without it. Whenever he watched television himself, Shaun always knew when a voiceover was being read off paper. It felt false somehow, so he tried not to do it.

Three run-throughs later and the sound man was satisfied. Relieved, Shaun was about to prep for his background talk on the history of St Guron and the area, when Phil held up his hand. ‘New script, mate. I didn’t have the chance to tell you last night, but we think this would be a good chance to converse with Sophie about the site and area. It is on her family’s land after all.’

‘We?’ Shaun tilted his head to one side. ‘Which we is this?’

Phil hissed under his breath, ‘Sophie being on camera is a condition of us being here, remember. Let’s just get it over with, shall we?’

*

Sophie hoped she’d imagined seeing the curtains to the drawing room twitch, but she would put money on her mother watching from the house. Thinking about it, it was a miracle that she hadn’t insisted on being on screen herself. She spent enough time sniffing around the site on the sidelines.

‘Ready, Sophie?’ Phil called over to her as she fiddled her trowel in her fingers. It was conspicuously new and shiny compared to everyone else’s.

‘I think so.’

‘Don’t worry, everyone is nervous the first time. Let your nerves work for you and remember to smile.’

‘What if Shaun asks me a question I don’t know the answer to?’

‘Then just say so, and we’ll stop the camera and start again.’

‘Right.’ Sophie turned to Shaun.

He was propped against the wall of the house, his attention on the dig rather than her or the cameras. Her mouth went dry as she watched him. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t had a crush on him. Before meeting him in person, she’d wondered if he’d disappoint her; that Shaun Coulson wouldn’t be as attractive in reality as he was on the screen. The truth had been quite the reverse. Sophie felt her pulse trip each time her eyes found him – and they’d been turning in his direction almost constantly since he arrived in Bodmin. It was a miracle she’d got any work done at all, and been able to concentrate enough not to accidentally destroy a wall or dismantle a floor.

Suddenly Shaun looked up. His eyes were so dark, Sophie imagined herself falling into them.

‘Are you with us, Sophie?’ Phil tapped her elbow.

‘Sorry. I was trying to remember what I was going to say.’ Flushed with embarrassment, hoping they couldn’t guess what had been going on in her mind, Sophie snapped to attention. ‘I’m ready when you are.’

Shaun gave her a heart-melting smile. ‘Just relax, you’ll be fine.’

Ten long minutes later, the cameras were rolling and Sophie found herself standing in front of her family home, talking to Shaun. It was strange how, despite being surrounded by people, it felt as they were chatting on their own.

‘Sophie, could you tell us a little about St Guron himself?’

‘St Guron was a sixth-century hermit who established his cell on the site of St Petroc’s church. The creator of the settlement of Bodmin, he lived a quiet existence until St Petroc arrived from Padstow, and then, he gave up his cell, which was later converted into a priory, and he moved south to Gorran, or Guran – where, in approximately 1010 AD a church is believed to have been built in his honour. Possibly, the very church we are uncovering here today.’

Shaun’s expression declared that he found every word Sophie spoke fascinating, as they exchanged thoughts on the site, which prior to the building of Guron House in the Regency period, would have been largely uninhabited, with the village of Gorran being little more than an extended hamlet.

‘Cut!’ Phil’s voice echoed across the open garden. ‘Fabulous. Now, let’s do a piece for later in the show. I’ve cleared it with the diocese to film at St Petroc’s, so we can get some shots of the well house.’

Shaun, who’d planned to check out the new geophysics results, asked, ‘You want us to go there now?’

‘Yep. There’s nothing we can do here for a minute. The lads will keep filming general dig shots while the AA analyse the data to see where the final trench should go. If we go now it’ll save time later.’

Shaun needed no other reason for leaving, and pointed to the bright red Range Rover with the Landscape Treasures logo on the side, which Sophie had seen on screen so many times. She felt her nerves reassert themselves and she hoped she’d get to sit in the back with Shaun.

Just as he was about to get inside, however, Ajay called over from the marquee where he was working, and Sophie found herself alone in the vehicle, wondering if she should just sit there or follow him.

Two awkward minutes later Shaun was back looking puzzled. ‘Everything alright?’

‘The missing equipment has been returned to the shed.’

‘That’s good.’ Sophie played with her ponytail as Shaun fastened his seatbelt.

Relieved that no time had been lost having to hunt for the equipment, Shaun relaxed. ‘So, Sophie, tell me everything you know about St Petroc.’

*

‘Today went well; the girl’s a natural.’ Phil looked like the cat that had got the cream. ‘Pretty too; which will help.’ He held a hand up before Shaun could protest. ‘And yes, I know it shouldn’t matter what she looks like, but it does, and we’d be stupid to deny it.’

Shaun had to agree. ‘Sophie certainly knows her local history. The bit she did about the sixteenth-century well at St Petroc’s, and how it’s believed the spring for it is located deep beneath the church, was very good.’

‘We can’t fault her research either.’ Phil was acting as if it had been his idea to have her on screen, rather