Starlight (35 page)

‘I'm so glad for you,' she said softly. ‘It's wonderful news. When will you have to start?'

‘October. Think Rusty can hold the fort till we close?'

‘We certainly won't be taking on anyone else.'

She moved from his arms, her mind on his success, but still glancing at the clock, which made him laugh and shake his head.

‘Same old Jess, still caring about the matinee being on time, even though we're winding down to oblivion? OK, OK, I'm on my way. But, first, when are we going to celebrate?'

‘When can we both get away?'

‘Tonight. I'll ask Rusty to do my evening shift.'

‘No, Ben, I don't think so. I wouldn't be happy about that.'

‘No. No, that was insensitive of me. Make it tomorrow, then.' He caught at her hands. ‘Come to my place, Jess. I'll do my party piece – ham omelettes. Or for my second trick – mushrooms instead of ham.' He grew serious. ‘Will you come, Jess?'

‘I'll come. If you go now and start showing that James Mason film before there's a riot.'

‘Consider me gone.' He blew her a kiss from the door, and left her to her thoughts and her sandwiches. These days, she didn't always feel like seeing people in the cafe.

Sixty-Five

It was some time since Jess had been to Ben's house, and when she stepped through the door, drawn by his hand, she felt ill at ease, for this had been her sister's house, too. He caught her mood and sighed.

‘Ah, you're feeling guilty, aren't you? There's no need. You won't find any traces of Marguerite – she took everything with her when she went, and I've put all Mother's stuff back. As you can see.'

They stood looking round at the late Mrs Daniel's ornaments, artificial flower arrangements and embroidered cushions, and Ben gave a shrug.

‘It was all in the attic, so I thought I might as well have it around again, seeing as there was only me to please.'

‘I think it's lovely, Ben. Part of your home. Though I understand why Marguerite wanted to make changes.' Jess hesitated. ‘I mean, it was her home, too.'

‘No longer.' Ben took her arm. ‘Come into the kitchen. Everything's ready.'

‘No omelettes?' Jess asked, staring at two large chops on a plate.

‘No eggs. Had to go cap in hand to the butcher, and he let me have these gigot chops.' Ben grinned. ‘I haven't let on that Marguerite's gone, though he must be wondering by now what's happened to her. She could always dazzle him into letting her have more than the ration.'

‘Like Ma.'

‘Exactly. Now, what do I do? Just put these under the grill? Better do some veg first, I suppose.'

‘Oh, come on, I'll do it!' Jess cried, pushing him to one side. ‘It'll be better than watching you!'

‘What a relief! Thanks, Jess. And for your reward, I can give you – guess what – a glass of wine. I've been saving the bottle for weeks.'

It was very pleasant for the two of them, cooking and eating the meal, the atmosphere light-hearted, the feeling of shared love deepening. Except that, at the back of her mind, Jess knew she was going to have to ask Ben about that law Sally had sprung on her as a bombshell. Nothing could have such a devastating effect on their plans, unless they could somehow get round it, but the only way she could think of their getting round it was to do something she hadn't yet truly faced.

When they'd washed the dishes – something Jess insisted on – they moved to the living room, where they sat together on the sofa, moving aside some of Mrs Daniel's cushions, and looking into each other's eyes.

‘Jess,' Ben murmured, reaching to take her into his arms. ‘Oh, Jess!'

But she knew she had to be very strong here and hold back long enough to speak to him. For if she once responded to his love-making, she would be so lost in her own feelings, she would find it too difficult to speak at all.

‘Ben, I have to ask you something,' she told him, lightly pushing him away. ‘It's very important.'

‘Sounds ominous.' His fine eyes were suddenly a little wary. ‘But ask away.'

‘Well, I saw Sally yesterday and she told me about some marriage law.' Jess's voice faltered. ‘To be honest, it was pretty shattering.'

Keeping his eyes on her face, he said nothing.

‘Because it means we can't get married. Seemingly, it's not allowed, because I'm your wife's sister. They count us as part of the family, even though your wife has left you.'

As he still said nothing, she snatched at his hand.

‘But you didn't know about it, did you? You'd have said, wouldn't you?'

Finally, he lowered his eyes, though he left his hand in hers.

‘I did sort of know about it,' he answered.

‘Sort of know? You mean, you did know? And you never told me?' Jess pulled her hand away. ‘What was the idea? Were you going to pretend it didn't exist?'

‘Of course not. I was going to discuss it with you, but . . . well . . . it's early days with us, isn't it? And I didn't want to put you off, telling you we could never get married.'

‘I had to know, Ben! You know I had to be told!'

‘Yes, but I was going to make some enquiries first. I mean, this is a law that's bound to be changed, and a lawyer chap I know says they're already thinking of it in England.'

‘England?'

‘Yes, there are plans to sweep away some of these old prohibitions in a new marriage act. Might become law in only a year or two. So, you see, we'd be all right, because Scotland will probably follow suit. What I'm saying is, we needn't just give up. That's why I didn't talk about it at first – because I wanted to bring some hope.'

As she gazed at him without speaking, he took back her hand.

‘You see how it was, Jess? I wasn't trying to keep anything from you. That would have been impossible, anyway. All I wanted was to find something positive for us.'

‘So, what do we do? What can we do?'

He smoothed back her hair and looked at her tenderly.

‘Couldn't we both go to Glasgow? Maybe you could find a job. Weren't you asking about the Citadel Cinema? Is there something going there?'

‘Assistant manager's job coming up later this year. Mr Syme wanted me to take it, but I told him I didn't want it.'

‘But you might want it now? Look, you could have your place, I could have mine.' He sat back, folding his arms. ‘I'd never ask you to live with me. I know it'd be wrong to expect that.'

He paused, waiting for her to speak, but when she stayed silent went on:

‘But if we were both in Glasgow, we could see each other and have our own relationship, until we find out what's going to happen. With the divorces, I mean, and that damned law. Would you consider it?'

‘I've no' even spoken to Rusty, yet. I don't know what my situation would be.'

‘But you could speak to him. Tell him what's happened between us.' Ben hesitated. ‘I think he already has a pretty good idea, anyway.'

‘He might have.'

‘Well, then, you could speak to him.'

‘All right, I will.'

‘You'd feel happier to have things out in the open anyway, wouldn't you?'

‘I suppose I would. I don't like deceiving him.'

‘And I'm not happy about it, either. If we care about each other, and we do, let's clear the air. Why not, Jess?'

‘It's a big step, Ben.' Her gaze on him was troubled.

‘It is,' he said steadily. ‘You'd have to be sure.'

‘And it's all happened so quickly.'

‘Not for me. I've been thinking about it for a very long time. And loving me – that's not something new for you, is it?'

‘A lot's happened since the early days.'

Yet it was true, the starlight of the long ago still touched him. Allowed him to make her come alive. Feel passionate, wanted, as she hadn't felt in such a long, long, weary time. It was as though they were both being offered a second chance.

Yet, the rocks were still there, weren't they? The rocks Ben had said he'd steer round? They would have to see what they could do.

‘I'll try to speak to Rusty,' she said in a low voice. ‘And maybe I'd better go home now, anyway. He might already be back.'

‘We've hardly had any time together!'

‘Ben, we had to talk.'

‘Why do women always find the need to talk?' he asked fondly, but Jess didn't smile. She was glad they'd talked, glad they'd considered their situation. Only still wished that Ben had told her of that vital law before she'd asked him about it.

For a last moment, though, they lay together on the sofa, exchanging deep kisses, revelling in their closeness, until Jess finally pulled herself up and said she must run for her tram.

‘I'll come with you,' Ben said at once.

‘Better not. Just in case Rusty's back.'

‘Oh, God, how I wish we needn't worry like this!'

‘Goes with the kisses,' she said quietly.

On reaching home, she found her fears justified. Rusty was already there.

‘You didn't go to the pub tonight?' she asked, trying to sound her natural self.

‘I don't always go to the pub,' he answered mildly.

‘Usually you do.' She hung up her jacket, fussed with her hair. ‘I was just out for a breath of air, myself.'

‘Bit late, wasn't it?'

‘It wasn't dark. Would you like something to eat?'

‘No thanks. I had a good meal at the cafe before the evening shift.'

They exchanged long level glances, and she knew that this would be as good a time as any to tell him about herself and Ben. But then she looked away, deciding to leave it to some other time. It was late, they were tired. She didn't feel like it.

‘Bed, then,' Rusty said. ‘Same old routine.'

She looked at him, surprised. He felt the same, then?

‘It's what most people have, isn't it? Routine?'

‘I don't mind it, as a matter of fact.'

‘Can be comforting.'

‘Yes.'

And with that, they went to bed, and, surprisingly for Jess, slept long and deeply. In the morning, however, she didn't really feel refreshed.

Sixty-Six

In mid-September, Jess was asked to attend another meeting with John Syme in Glasgow, where he told her, as pleasantly as possible, that Keys and Keys would take over ownership of the Princes on the first of December.

‘I'm afraid it means notices going out earlier than Christmas, Jess. Sorry about that.'

‘Going out when?'

‘Third week in November.' John gave a regretful smile. ‘So people will be finishing at the end of the month.'

Jess tightened her lips. ‘That's a nice Christmas present, John.'

‘I know, I know. But we could hardly expect Keys and Keys to pay out wages when they're just waiting for the demolition men.'

‘And they're coming when?' Jess asked, wincing a little. ‘Earlier than the New Year now?'

‘No, I think they'll wait till after Hogmanay. But the whole cinema and the cafe will have to be cleared in December. All photographs and equipment, furnishings, seats, the Wurlitzer organ, the lot. In fact, we already have a buyer for the organ, and several cinemas are interested in the photographs and furnishings. I don't think we'll have any difficulty getting buyers, materials still being so hard to get.'

‘When . . . when will we have to show our last picture, then?'

John looked thoughtful. ‘I should say that last week, when the notices go out. You'll have to find something good, Jess. So that we can go out with a flourish.'

‘With a funeral march, I'd say.'

‘Ah, now, Jess, we've been through this before. Change has to come. We agreed on that.' John rose to refill their coffee cups from the Cona machine in the corner of his office. ‘And if the board were to find enough to make small bonuses to those leaving, would that sweeten the pill?'

‘It would! It would make all the difference, John!'

‘All right, I'll see what I can do. Don't say anything for the moment, though.' As they drank their coffee, he studied her. ‘You're looking a little under the weather, Jess. Are things getting you down?'

‘You could say that.'

‘Have you given any more thought to that job at the Citadel? Don't fancy following Ben Daniel, for example? I must say, I wasn't too pleased to hear he'd jumped the gun and got himself a job in Glasgow. Now your husband will have to try to cope on his own in the projection box until we close.'

‘Yes, well, I might look at the details,' Jess said hoarsely. ‘Though I'm no' sure what I want to do at the moment.'

And that's no lie, she thought sombrely.

Back in her office, she read through the particulars of the job at the Citadel. The salary was good, but the picture of the cinema was dreary. Just a large, characterless building dating from the late 1930s, but not even art deco in style. Not in any style at all, unless you could say functional. Some of the Glasgow cinemas were very attractive, if not, of course, as attractive as the Princes, but this was not one of them.

And then there was the drawback of being only assistant manager, instead of manager, with the manager being an unknown quantity. Might be nice, might be awful. Did she want to work for someone else, anyway, when she'd been used to making her own decisions, running the cinema her way?

Of course, even if she applied for the job, she might not get it, and when her heart lifted at the idea of not getting it, she put the particulars away. She would not be applying to work at the Citadel, and that was final.

Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was time for the intermission and Ben's tea break, which meant he would be looking in – something he'd lately taken to doing, disregarding Edie's stares. Sure enough, his tap came on the door, and he slid in, closing the door behind him and coming to take her in his arms.