When she questioned him about it, he had glared at her and stomped off into the backstage gloom, returning only as the scene change approached. As was usually the case when he fell into a mood, Elsie ignored it: she had learned from experience that it was far better to refuse to rise to his behaviour than attempt to challenge it. By the time the actors and technicians broke for refreshments, Lucas had practically worn a trench pacing the concrete floor behind the wooden flats of the set.
Irritated by her boyfriend’s behaviour, Elsie had joined the rest of the theatre group at the front of the stage for coffee and was in half a mind to abandon the rehearsal – and Lucas – altogether for the night. Just as she was describing his weirdness to a friend, a bright follow-spot blazed into life, causing the company to follow its beam to the set’s Act II, Scene II balcony. Standing there, with a bunch of red roses clamped between his teeth, was Lucas. Elsie stared blankly at him, as the others cheered and wolf-whistled.
He had swung his legs over the edge of the wooden balcony – revealing that he had changed into a pair of bright red tights and green breeches, although his favourite black Doc Marten boots were still very much part of his outfit. Grasping the set’s rope ladder disguised as an ivy length, he made a decidedly wobbly descent down the side of the painted flat, looking considerably more confident once he landed on the stage. Elsie, who was still coming to terms with the ridiculous spectacle of her boyfriend cavorting about in quasi-Elizabethan garb, could only watch in disbelief as he sashayed towards her. Dropping the bouquet to one hand in a single movement, he faced her in the middle of the stage.
‘I have a little something for you,’ he grinned, gyrating his velvet breeches as wolf-whistles sounded again.
‘What are you doing?’ she hissed under her breath, the avid scrutiny of the theatre company beginning to make her face burn.
‘Fair maiden, wilt thou hearest my dearest plea-eth?’
‘Lucas …’
And then, he dropped to one knee as everyone in the performance space drew a collective breath, producing a black velvet box from the pocket of his breeches and revealing a ring that Elsie now kept in the kitchen dresser with the small gold band that was to follow. They were both in tears before Elsie even accepted; by the time Lucas placed the ring on her finger most of their friends in the room had joined them, leading Lucas in later years to proclaim the scene as ‘worthy of a Dynasty season finale’ for its need of tissues.
That moment now seemed a lifetime away as Elsie and The Sundaes neared the starting point of the tour that would ultimately lead to another proposal.
‘Elsie! Do you have the tickets?’ Daisy called from the front of the group.
‘Of course I have.’ As she was speaking, a large white coach pulled up beside them and a slightly harassed-looking woman with a clipboard and a chignon so tight she could hardly move her face hurried out from the tour company’s office.
‘Bonjour. You are here for the tour, yes? Bon. Follow me, if you please.’
‘More than happy to follow her anywhere,’ Woody winked at Elsie as they climbed into the luxury coach. ‘Bossy ladies make this rocker a happy man!’
‘Psst! Elsie!’ Lewis hissed, already midway down the coach seats.
Pausing to allow Sheila room to remove her coat and store it overhead, Elsie made her way over. ‘What?’
‘Just wanted to let you know, we all remembered to’ He pulled down the neck of his hoodie to reveal his choir T-shirt. ‘When you give us the nod, we’ll all strip off.’
‘Easy, tiger,’ Sasha giggled from the seat next to him. ‘Bet you never realised you had such power, eh, Els?’
Enjoying the lightness of the atmosphere, Elsie played along. ‘I knew there was a reason I came to Paris.’
Armed with cameras, the members of the choir sat on the edge of their seats as the coach tour began. Yvette, the uptight tour guide, produced a microphone and launched into a suitably bored commentary on the history of the city, her eyes barely looking at the landmarks that drew the enthusiastic clicking of camera shutters from her guests. It amused Elsie to think of the poor woman delivering the same ‘interesting, informative facts’ (as the brochure had termed it) day in, day out.
‘Do you think she books informative coach tours when she’s on holiday?’ Elsie whispered to Olly, who was sitting behind her and Daisy.
‘Probably. Can you imagine her talking you through her holiday snaps, though? Purgatory personified!’
The night before, Elsie had anticipated the entire coach tour being a constant source of nostalgia for her, each new landmark summoning a bittersweet picture of Lucas as she ticked it off the mental list of places they had discussed. But today, with the jewels of Paris passing slowly by, she found the experience calming – as if each new sight was a further step in the journey she had been making over the last six and a half months.
‘Do you think we’ll see it soon?’ Aoife asked Danny, as the coach drove round the Arc de Triomphe.
‘Wait! I just saw it! I saw the Eiffel Tower!’ Danny yelled and every head turned to look – apart from Elsie’s.
As the coach continued round the landmark, the celebration soon faded as the buildings and trees of the roundabout obscured the tower from view. Elsie breathed a sigh – she knew the moment would soon be here but she was determined not to seek it until the last possible moment. Finally, when every other landmark in the tour itinerary had been visited, Yvette stood to address the party. ‘And now, we arrive at our final destination – La Tour Eiffel!’
Applause reverberated through the air-conditioned body of the coach. With her heart crashing loud in her ears, Elsie raised her head.
And there it was – rising majestically from four enormous iron-girded feet and soaring proudly into the graphite sky. The scale of it was stunning, far greater than she had anticipated, the effect evident in the reverent hush that settled around her. Yvette continued her deadpan commentary as the coach slowly navigated the line of identical-looking vehicles, but nobody was listening. Instead, all eyes were trained on the magnificent structure, following its criss-crosses of wrought iron towards its summit.
‘Isn’t it awesome?’
Elsie wrenched her eyes away to look back at Olly. ‘Yes, it is.’
‘It’s one of those landmarks everybody knows, but somehow that doesn’t prepare you for actually seeing it. And I never thought an iron tower could be a thing of beauty – but this is.’
‘So, Mesdames et Messieurs, I will escort you to the entrance where we will be admitted to the Tower. Please be aware that there may be a small wait for the elevators. We have approximately ninety minutes here. Please return to the coach no later than three p.m. Follow me, if you please.’
Crowds of tourists swarmed like picnic ants around the base of the famous landmark, with long queues stretching away from the entrances. Yvette led Elsie and The Sundaes past the lines of disgruntled visitors, checking them in at a different entrance. Leaving her behind at the gate, the group then gathered around Elsie and Woody.
‘Do we queue for the lift or tackle the stairs?’ Aoife asked.
Not wanting to give the game away at the last moment, Danny stared pointedly at Elsie. ‘I don’t mind either way.’
‘Although,’ Elsie interjected, right on cue, ‘it might be worth waiting for the lift so we can have more time to enjoy the view up there.’
‘You know, Els, I think that’s a good point,’ Danny agreed.
‘I’m down with that,’ Woody said. ‘Besides, I don’t do stairs. Not the ones you can see through, at any rate.’
Their decision made, they joined the queue for the elevator. Olly nudged Elsie’s arm.
‘This is it, then?’
Calling on every last ounce of resolve, Elsie smiled back. ‘Here at last.’
Ten minutes later, they were ushered into the lift and Elsie felt her nerves lurching as the ascent to the second tier began. Through the windows Elsie could see the ground disappearing and the al
most hypnotic passing of the Tower’s ironwork frame as Paris fell away. When the elevator doors opened, a sharp blast of cold wind blew in. Slowly, everyone filed out, the surprising height of their new surroundings impressing each one as they instinctively gravitated towards the railings at the edge of the platform. The crowded tier was a mass of grinning people – posing for photographs and jostling for the best views. Danny exchanged looks with Elsie and led Aoife a little way away from the rest of the choir.
‘How long is it going to be before he does the deed?’ Sasha asked.
‘I think they’re going to look at the view for a bit,’ Elsie replied. ‘Everyone just stay within sight of Woody and me and we’ll give the signal.’
Sheila shivered. ‘Should I take my sweater off now? Only it is a little breezy up here.’
‘No need for your striptease just yet, girl,’ Woody leered. ‘Leave that particular delight until I give you the eye, if you get me.’
Sheila reddened and gave a nervous laugh. Maintaining a line of sight to Elsie and Woody, each of The Sundaes moved away. Daisy and Olly pretended to pose for each other’s photographs, Graeme and Stan moved to the railing to survey the view, while Lewis, Sasha and the other young members of the choir huddled together a little way from the edge. Woody pulled a tobacco pouch and rolling paper from his jacket pocket and began to roll a thin cigarette as he and Elsie maintained a respectful distance from Danny and Aoife, who were standing hand in hand by the view overlooking the Seine.
At least it’s not the Champ de Mars side, Elsie thought, one of her anticipations about this moment now laid to rest, and at least it’s not sunset. She could see the nervous glances of the choir and feel her anxiety building as the moment approached.
Ten minutes passed. Sasha and Lewis were getting jumpy, twice misinterpreting Woody’s encouraging smile for the signal to reveal their choir T-shirts and having to scramble back into their top layer garments when they realised their mistake. Determined to stay calm, Elsie maintained her watchful vigil on the young couple now entwined by the wooden railings.
Hurry up, Danny. What are you waiting for?
And then, it happened. Danny looked over his shoulder at Elsie and gave a single, slow nod. Elsie smiled at Woody and they both made eye contact with the choir. Suddenly, every member was struggling out of coats and shrugging off sweaters and hoodies, the discarded top layers ultimately winding up with Olly, who was thus unanimously appointed Guardian of Surplus Garments. Proudly sporting their choir T-shirts, The Sundaes headed towards Woody and Elsie. As they drew level, Elsie hummed the opening note and counted them in.
They began to sing, ignoring the startled glances of the international visitors they passed. Nearing Danny and Aoife, the volume of their song increased, causing Aoife to turn round in surprise.
‘Guys, what are you doing?’ she laughed, seeking answers from her boyfriend only to discover that he, too, had abandoned his jacket to reveal his Sundaes T-shirt and was joining the singing.
As they reached the first chorus of ‘Umbrella’, The Sundaes began to clap in time and sway from side to side, much to the amusement of the gathering crowd around them. Some of the onlookers began to sing along, while others filmed the scene on their phones and camcorders. Delighted with the response and thrilled by the sheer temerity of the moment, the choir threw themselves wholeheartedly into the song. Elsie could feel tears building and when she looked across at the others she saw that she was not the only one. Knowing that they were doing it for Danny – and for Irene – only deepened the impact of this amazing moment.
At the right time, as the choir dropped their voices to hummed harmonies, Danny lowered himself slowly onto his right knee. A loud cheer broke out from the crowd surrounding them and Aoife’s hands flew to her face as he opened a small blue box and held it up to her.
‘Aoife Mary McVey, I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. So that’s why we’ve come all this way – because I wanted to show you how much I love you. I love you with everything I am. Will you marry me?’
Reaching the end of their song, The Sundaes paused as the large crowd around them waited for Aoife’s response.
‘Yes!’
Bursting into tears, Danny kissed her and slipped the ring onto her outstretched hand, barely completing the task before the members of the choir launched themselves at the happy couple in an energetic dog-pile of congratulations, as the onlookers applauded and photographed the celebrations.
Laughing uncontrollably, The Sundaes pulled back, revealing a very dishevelled young couple wearing matching grins.
‘Go, Danny boy!’ Stan exclaimed, catching Danny in a headlock and ruffling his hair.
‘I can’t believe you all did this for me,’ Aoife said, wiping tears from her face and hugging every member of the choir. ‘So I take it the other concert isn’t happening?’
‘Hey, angel, there was only ever one show on our Paris tour,’ Woody replied, ‘and that was all for you.’
Danny hugged Elsie, Daisy and Woody in turn. ‘Thank you. You were amazing.’
‘Was it like you planned it, Danny?’ Daisy asked.
‘No. It was better.’
Aoife kissed Danny and beamed at the choir. ‘And you knew my favourite song, too! That was so amazing. When did you get to practise it?’
‘Whenever D-Boy took you home early,’ Sasha grinned.
Aoife gave Danny a playful punch. ‘I wondered why we kept having to give your mum lifts everywhere! Is there actually anything wrong with her car at all?’
Danny shook his head and yelped when Aoife hit him again. ‘She was in on it, sorry! We needed a plausible excuse to take you away from choir practice.’
‘No way!’ A look of horror spread across Aoife’s elfin features. ‘I’ve been saying the worst things about your mum the last few weeks! I’m going to have to apologise to her when we get home.’
‘I think she’ll forgive you. Especially now you’ve said yes to her son,’ Elsie smiled.
‘You’re all awesome. And I now hate you all for being so sneaky!’
As The Sundaes gathered around, congratulating Danny and Aoife, Elsie pulled back a little, accepting her coat from Olly and putting it on to keep the chilly wind at bay.
‘I think we should find a bar when the coach drops us back and start the celebrations,’ Stan said, flushing with pride when his suggestion was deemed brilliant by all.
Olly noticed that Elsie was hanging back. ‘Are you coming, Els?’
Her joy giving way to deep stillness as she contemplated what lay ahead, Elsie declined. ‘You go on. I’ll be down soon.’
‘You sure? I don’t mind staying with you if you want to look around a bit more?’
‘I’m sure.’ For a horrible moment, Elsie could see Olly insisting on accompanying her, which would mean having to explain it all to him to get him to leave. But Olly merely shrugged and rejoined the others, leaving Elsie alone amid the crowd.
The strong breeze had become great gusts that swirled around the heads of the visitors, whistling through the wrought-iron latticework as Elsie neared the steps to the raised viewing platform. She could feel her limbs shaking as she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her iPod – the first item she had hidden from the others. Placing the earphones in her ears, she selected the track she had uploaded back in Brighton, the night before the journey to Paris. At the time she hadn’t been able to bring herself to listen to it and now, as she pressed Play and grasped the handrail to ascend the steps to the viewing platform, the opening bars of Barcarolle caused her heart to shatter.
It was as if time itself began to slow as she approached the side overlooking the Champ de Mars, with Paris stretching away towards Montparnasse and beyond. The darkening sky had caused some of the lights far below to flicker into life and, as Elsie reached the railing, the tiny pinpricks of light became sunbursts through her tears. Suddenly, she was aware of no one around her – just her trembling fingers as they rested on the co
ld polished wood of the railing and the splendour of Paris beneath her feet. Barcarolle lilted and swelled in her ears as she pulled the second item from her pocket.
The passport photo had been taken six months after they were married, Lucas pretending he needed one for a job application before dragging Elsie into the booth just as the first picture was taken. They were laughing, their eyes full of love, the frozen moment capturing the very essence of a young couple with their whole lives together ahead of them, long before the cruel shadow of cancer fell. It was how Elsie always wanted to remember them – so much in love that everything else was meaningless. Gazing at their smiles now, as strong gusts of wind pressed her body against the railing, she was arrested once again by the force of love his gorgeous face evoked in her heart. He had been the love of her life, the one she intended to grow old with, the perfect complement to her personality – her Lucas.
Her face was stinging where the cold wind met the trails of salt water that ran down her cheeks as the moment she had dreaded arrived. Barcarolle was building to its crescendo and Lucas was waiting for her to fulfil her promise …
The very last words he had spoken had been about this moment. His breathing laboured, he had moved his lips without sound for several minutes, his tired eyes relentless in their hold of hers. Sensing his urgency, Elsie had leaned closer, pressing her face to his to hear what he was trying to say.
‘I love you,’ he whispered, each word an achievement as he fought for control of the body that was deserting him.
‘I love you, too. Don’t leave me.’
‘I love you,’ he said again, his eyes glistening. ‘C’est magnifique, Elsie … Say it …’
Pain and emotion choking her voice, she had cupped his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes for the last time. ‘C’est magnifique, Lucas.’
He had closed his eyes and tilted his chin a little, his fingers finding her cheek as their lips met. Elsie felt the sigh leaving his body and the heaviness of his hand against her face, her muffled cry causing her father and sisters to rush to her side as his family broke down around the small hospital room …
When I Fall in Love Page 30
