Page 18 of A Certain Step (Midnights at Pemberley #1)

Sam brought his face closer to the camera to hold the screen and read. “Oh, this on e’s good; what number makes you the most nervous? ethaneverettdaily asked.”

“Oh, I know that account,” Ethan said. Willa smiled, knowing it’d make their day. “What number makes you the most nervous, Everett?” Willa repeated.

He took a breath, thinking the answer through. “I don’t think any of it makes me nervous anymore, but Maggie Garner is such a legend that I always feel like a little kid during, ‘Shut It Down, Darcy.’”

Willa and Sam nodded in unison. “God, she’s so good. I still can’t believe we get to work with her in this show. It doesn’t help that she basically yells at you throughout the whole thing,” Willa said.

“The first time we rehearsed it, I almost forgot my lines, and that rarely happens to me,” Ethan said.

Willa gave him a sweet look.

Ethan’s gaze averted toward them, waiting for either one to answer next. Sam went first. “Honestly, nothing? My scenes aren’t as intense, maybe ‘Doors Open?’ Just because I sort of kick things off, but it doesn’t actively make me nervous anymore.”

“Mr. Perfect over here,” Willa said, gesturing toward the camera.

Sam scoffed. “To be fair, if I had Ethan’s role, I’d be shitting bricks constantly. There’s a reason I’m the soft boy,” he noted, placing his hand under his chin in a motion to showcase said softness.

“Okay, but you are also most like your character, so that makes sense in a lot of ways,” Willa added.

“What about you?” Sam asked.

“I used to get really nervous with ‘Forbidden Corridors.’ The ladders lock in place, but I would picture the worst possible outcomes with them solely because of the angle we move in. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, if that makes sense, but not so much now,” she answered.

Sam’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, shit yeah. Those ladders do look like they move, especially from the wings.”

Willa nodded along. “They do technically. The mechanics are wild, but there’s only so far they go from the bookshelves.”

“It’s wild to me that the show’s sexiest moments are in some hidden passageway through a library,” Sam remarked.

They laughed.

“Right?” Willa concurred. “It’s one of my favorite details, though, because I’m such a massive fan of murder mysteries that this lets me live out those fantasies.”

Sam continued to look through incoming messages. “Oh, I really like this one,” he noted, pointing to a username. “ tayjennnjones wants to know what we listen to when we get ready.”

Ethan curled his lip between his teeth, thinking.

“I go through phases. Right now, I’m back on an early 2000s emo kick,” Sam answered, doing a dramatized rendition of Fall Out Boy’s ‘Dance, Dance.’”

Willa and Ethan chuckled collectively, with Willa joining Sam in the singing. “You know what I love? Everyone said the emo stage wasn’t forever, but when you’re in deep, it’s engraved in you. I have some of those songs memorized way better than I do more recent obsessions.”

“It was integral to our development, so it probably did something to our brain chemistry,” Sam said.

“No, but it’s true. People have been using that statement a lot recently, and I genuinely do think it’s applicable here. I can recognize the notes in so many of those songs quickly, but I’m not good at that generally.”

Ethan tilted his head. “You’re pretty good at it, I’d say.”

“No, that’s you. How many times do I have to figure out what’s about to play w hen we’re watching something, and you already know,” she countered.

Ethan clicked his tongue. “She’s being modest.”

Willa made a face to the camera to dispute the statement.

Sam read the next question, or rather, statement, aloud. “This whole cast is so hot, it’s borderline offensive.”

They all laughed loudly at the sentiment.

“That was part of the auditions. We’re trying to compete with the Firths and the MacFadyens, people,” Sam said.

Willa put up a forefinger. “And don’t you dare forget Matthew Rhys.”

“Right, right,” Sam acknowledged, eyes searching again for another question. “Oh, what’s something you want to see on Broadway and be a part of?” he read.

Willa’s eyes darted toward Ethan. She knew his answer better than her own.

Sam caught the look. “Am I supposed to know his answer? Do you?”

“I do,” Willa declared proudly.

“What is it?” Sam asked.

Ethan started whistling to the tune of “Lovin’ You Lots and Lots” by The Norm Wooster Singers.

Sam’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Oh! That Thing You Do! ”

Ethan bobbed his head up and down. “Yeah. It’s one of my favorite movies. It’d be so fun to perform those songs.”

Willa smiled, remembering how he’d been the one who introduced her to the film.

“Okay, but only if we’re cast in it together,” Sam remarked.

Ethan winked. “There’s no other way we’re taking it on.”

He and Sam started singing part of the film’s main track. Willa giggled in the middle of them and leaned back against the couch to let them serenade each other, but Ethan turned to her, and Sam followed. It made her blush. Hard .

“See, people, sometimes they do get along.”

Ethan and Sam both laughed. God, Ethan’s laugh .

Sam pointed to a question about who breaks character most. “You know what this reminded me of. I don’t think anyone knows this story?” Sam said.

Ethan gestured for him to go on.

“Remember the last dress rehearsal before opening day at Boston?”

Willa laughed at the memory. “You have to tell them now. They deserve to know.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Sam tried to say while laughing. “You guys, Ethan doesn’t break character. Like, it’s annoying how good he is. And I’m horrible. If anyone’s breaking, it’s either me or Dec. So we’re in full-on dress rehearsals, running the show, everything’s going great…”

Ethan interrupted. “Wait, no, hold on. Give them the disclaimer. During the last half of ‘All For You,’ we don’t actually have a set choreography.

So most of what you see we improv. Like sometimes, Elizabeth kisses Darcy.

Other times, I’ll do it. It’s free rein.

We just roll with it, so keep that in mind. ”

Willa tried to suppress her laugh.

Sam kept going. “So, during this second half, Sahar and I come in, and we sort of have this cute little couple’s celebration.

We’re doing our thing. They’re doing theirs.

Sahar and Naomi sort of look at each other and hug, and it’s such a quick moment that Ethan and I are supposed to hug, too.

I fucking trip and stop myself by accidentally grabbing his ass.

” Sam breaks into a laugh. “Does he flinch? Not even for a second. And I’m trying so hard not to lose it because we were doing so well, so we keep going. ”

Ethan had his hand over his mouth while he laughed silently.

Sam continued. “We get back with our wives and we’re carrying on the song, and Sahar loses it.”

Willa laughed hard. So did Ethan. They leaned into each other instinctually.

“I feel bad telling this without her. Where is she?” Sam asked.

“She’s in PT. Don’t worry. Go,” Willa answered.

Sam shook his head with another laugh. “So they’re singing, we’re dancing.

And Sahar’s trying to question it, thinking it’s something we improvised, but I have no clue what she’s wordlessly saying to me, so all of a sudden, she grabs my ass, and I think I yelped or something.

All I hear is Ethan’s laugh, and Naomi’s on the floor; Sahar goes down with her.

Dina looks like she wants to fire all of us.

For a good five minutes, I couldn’t explain that it was an accident,” he paused.

“What was the point of this story?” he returned.

“You were trying to answer that you break character the most,” Willa said.

Sam concurred. “Basically, yes, and this guy makes us all look bad on stage because he’s too damn perfect.”

Willa turned and smiled at Ethan.

“You’re perfect, too, Sam,” Ethan commented.

Sam blew him a dramatic air kiss, then got up suddenly. “Okay everyone let’s go, it’s time to harass Declan in his man cave.”

Ethan rolled his eyes but rose to his feet, beckoning for Willa to step ahead of him. They walked into the next room, finding Naomi and Innila standing in front of Declan’s door.

“Oh, shit, it’s a party,” Sam declared. Naomi and Innila turned around.

“We’ve been expecting you,” Naomi said with a laugh.

Much to their unfortunate surprise, Declan put on a shirt solely to spite Sam.

“You bastard,” Sam started. “How dare you disappoint the fans like this?”

He looked straight into the camera. “If you’re at the show tonight, don’t talk to this asshole at stage door. He won’t give the people what they want.”

Ethan poked his head through the door. “How could you?” he added, using his Darcy voice and the British accent he’d surprisingly gotten very good at since training thoroughly with a dialect coach. “This is why you’re Wickham,” he taunted, pretending to storm off from the frame.

Everyone burst into laughter. Declan lost his shit simultaneously at the remark. “I was going to dramatically strip out of it, but you know what? You get nothing now,” he hollered, hands above his head, supposed fury in his eyes.

Goodness, she adored this cast with everything in her.

Sahar came up the stairs from PT. “I see we’ve all collectively lost it.”

“Declan won’t give the people what they want.”

Sahar whistled on the dot; Willa was envious she couldn’t. “Show us what you’ve got, Dec. It’s what the people deserve,” she shouted.

A roar ruptured throughout the hallway, and the whole ensemble made their way out in no time.

It was during moments like this that Willa stood back for a beat and counted her blessings.

She had been part of a few West End productions in her lifetime, nothing like Midnights at Pemberley, but work she was proud of nevertheless.

They weren’t just co-workers; they were a family, people she’d love and cherish for the rest of her life, even if there would come a time when they wouldn’t see each other every day. None of this was for show; it wasn’t for the Instagram lives or the behind-the-scenes footage .

It was real and wild, and it made New York City feel like a forever home.

Their distinct personalities blended in a way that only happened once, maybe twice, if you’re one of the lucky ones. Declan took off his shirt, threw it on the floor with jokingly deliberate force, and ran to the toilets.

He provided an exaggerated bow. “Duty calls, my friends.”

The laughter engulfing the room was infectious, glorious, and warm. Goodness, her period was making her a little sappy. She’d let it anyway.