by Jenny Oliver
He only paused when he saw writing he was familiar with. Copies of Enid’s diary pages. He paused. His eyes skimmed over the first few lines. It all seemed a bit more real now he knew Jane and Martha, had been on Enid’s boat, walked round the island – more familiar, more like his own history. And, if he was honest, if someone questioned him now, he’d have no idea how it ended.
So standing by the shredder he started to re-read, saw the bits about his grandmother and great-grandfather, envisaged James Blackwell home from war sitting in the garden with a blanket over his knees, saw Enid leaving the island in a motorcar – desperate to get James’s attention, to tell him about her baby. He saw the very gate of the Blackwell family home that he had been so relieved, so many times, to see shutting behind him, but this time they were shutting Enid and her child out.
8th May 1945
The war is over. I think we’re all a bit in shock. Everyone’s jubilant. As am I, except Fred says now we should get married. Now there’s no war.
Monday 30th April 1945
It’s in two weeks. The wedding. Saturday. We’re having the reception at the cafe.
Fred doesn’t know but I tried to see James today. He thinks I went to London to buy a dress. He gave me the money. But I drove to James’s house instead with Bernard – Kate watched Martha, VERY reluctantly. She’s such a bloody stickler. I didn’t ring the bell this time. I snuck in. I climbed over the wall. He was in the garden, still so vacant, still sitting, and I got so close. So close. I almost reached him. I shouted his name and I think he heard me because he looked up, looked around. You’ll never guess what I shouted… What came out of my mouth when I was finally given the opportunity to shout – ‘’It’s Enid. Enid from The Ritz!’
I thought you’d find that funny. Enid from The Ritz. Don’t think I’ll ever have call to say that again.
The butler caught me. I was out on my ear. He practically hurled me over his shoulder.
Thursday 2nd May 1945
I went to The Ritz. Can you believe it? On Tuesday and Wednesday. How stupid. I told Fred that it was more wedding stuff – couldn’t decide on a dress. I went just on the off-chance James might come. I sat in the Palm Court drinking tea for as long as they’d let me.
He didn’t come.
I don’t mind. It was the longest of long shots. I do feel somewhat of a fool now, however. And I’ve blown all of Fred’s money on trips to London and The Ritz. Kate’s horrified. I begged her to help me make a dress – she’s much better at it than me. She says she’ll adapt one of her mother’s. God knows what Fred’s going to think when he sees it. We’re going to have our work cut out.
I know it was bad of me to spend his money, but it was worth it. At least now I can say I tried everything.
Tuesday 9th May 1945
It’s over.
It’s hideous. Wretched. I feel sick and cold and angry.
The paper today had a piece on the death of James Blackwell. Died in a light aircraft accident. The cause is unknown.
I can’t believe they let him fly a plane.
Maybe they didn’t let him. Maybe they didn’t know.
It was two days ago.
All I can think is that he heard me.
He heard me.
I have to pull myself together. I have a baby. And the wedding is in two days.
11th May 1945
The day was as nice as I think anyone could have hoped for. There was a break in the rain and the sun shone all day. The blossom is out and it was beautiful. Big white petals fell like confetti. When I looked up and saw it falling, I allowed myself the silly little thought that he had made it happen. James. Up there in the sky, watching.
‘Will, I think you are probably needed now in this meeting. They’re all getting a bit tetchy. Will?’ Dolores had walked halfway into the office.
Will gave his head a shake, brought himself back to the present where he was standing holding the last diary page in his hand. ‘Right. Yes. Sorry.’
‘Are you all right, Will?’ Dolores asked, coming a couple of steps closer.
‘Yes. Yes. Absolutely fine.’
What was it with Blackwell men? All doing what they should. All trapped by expectations. If he had a child, Will thought, staring at Dolores’s round, anxious face, he would want him/her to run as far as possible from this business, from any life they felt they should live. He would want them to run free. To do whatever it was that made them happy.
God, wasn’t that exactly what Jane had said?
He didn’t like order, he realised. It just kept him from thinking about other possibilities. The chances he had let slip by.
‘Will?’ Dolores asked. ‘You’re not having some kind of seizure, are you? Do I have to get the first aid girl?’
Will laughed. ‘No. No, I was – sorry, I was miles away. No seizures. Right. OK. This meeting.’
‘Yes, your aunt’s just arrived.’
‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘My day just gets better and better.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jane was all packed.
Jack and Emily were giving her a lift to the airport.
She hadn’t packed her cagoule this time but, at the last minute, she’d thrown in that under-the-clothing purse belt, just in case. She sat in the back of the car nervously checking her passport, her tickets, her purse and her phone. She’d checked her phone a lot in the last couple of days. She knew she’d told Will that they would leave it as is, but she had hoped for a little text. He was being sensible though. No contact was better than feigning friendship.
‘This is Drop-off, Jane.’ Emily turned round in her seat. ‘Are you sure you don’t want us to loop round again and park in Short Stay? I’m totally happy to wait with you. I love the airport. And you’re so early.’
‘No.’ Jane shook her head. ‘No I’ll be fine. Honestly.’
‘Sure?’
‘Yeah. Of course,’ she said, getting out of the car.
Jack went round to the boot and pulled out her suitcase. Emily gave her a hug. ‘Take care. Have stupid amounts of fun. God, I’m jealous,’ she said.
‘No you’re not! You have a wedding to plan. I’m going to come back and find you and Annie have turned into crazy bridezillas.’
Emily laughed. ‘Probably. My wedding planner will have to make sure we’re not having the same theme.’
‘You have a wedding planner?’ Jane made a face.
‘Of course. Doesn’t everyone?’
Jane shook her head, incredulous. ‘I will miss you.’
Emily looked sad. ‘Me too. Remember to Instagram, yes? You remember how to use it?’
Jane rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, Emily, I’m not completely stupid.’ Then Jack appeared with her suitcase and she said, ‘Right. OK, I think this is my cue to leave and go and catch my plane. Jack, thanks for driving. Good luck with the bride wars,’ she whispered in his ear as she gave him a hug.
‘Thanks.’ He winked and then handed her a copy of the day’s paper. ‘If you get a minute, have a look at this while you’re waiting. Makes interesting reading,’ he said, tapping the article that was face out.
‘Oh OK, I will, thanks. OK, guys, adios,’ Jane said, giving Emily another quick hug and setting off across the road, pulling her wheelie bag behind her.
The plane was on time, everything was going as it should. Jane had given herself an hour extra on top of the time suggested to get there before the plane. She sat on one of the uncomfortable plastic seats with her Costa cappuccino and waited. Feeling halfway between a cool, solo traveller and a terrified late-thirty-year-old who quite wanted to go home.
A couple sat down opposite her; the guy was travelling, the woman seemed to just be there to see him off. Jane watched her reach into her pocket and pull out a lizard wrapped in a handkerchief.
She glanced around to see if anyone else was watching. No one was. She watched the couple petting the lizard, stroking its little head and showing it round the seating area. She wondered if
Security would make her leave but they weren’t through Passport Control so they could probably have anything with them.
She wanted to tell someone about the lizard. Just as a quick aside. But then she remembered that was why she was here. To get used to not telling someone.
She looked away from the couple with the lizard and picked up the newspaper Jack had given her, skimming over it to find the article he’d meant.
She knew instantly which one it was. CEO William Blackwell Signs Over Hotel Chain. She frowned and looked up before reading on, almost to see if someone was watching, as if it was all a big hoax. The woman opposite had put the lizard back in her pocket and had stood up to give her boyfriend a hug. Jane looked back down at the paper. The Blackwells hotel chain has been sold to the Buton West Chain Group to be convertdeveloped into their budget TravelStay brandresorts. William Blackwell takes one hotel with him and the original investors have been paid out… It is thought that the property William leaves the company with is the original hotel, begun by his father.
Jane looked up again, a massive smile on her face. Well done, Will. She wanted to text him. She almost texted him. But she didn’t. Instead she read the article again, pride swelling inside her.
She read it again as she queued for Passport Control and then again as she sat and waited for her plane. It made her bubble up with excitement for him. So pleased that he would now start his adventure, too.
It made her want to go and find him. To walk into his house or office or wherever he was and congratulate him. But she had a plane to catch.
Her flight flashed Boarding on the screen. Her urge to run was overwhelming. What was she doing? Why on earth did she want to go away on her own?
She thought about turning back up at Cherry Pie, having not even boarded the plane. She’d feel like such a failure.
It’s OK, she told herself. This is all part of the adventure.
She stood up and headed towards her gate. There was already a queue. She joined the end and then looked behind her at the long corridor she’d walked. There was still time to turn around.
She’d never been on a plane before.
She breathed in through her nose.
Come on, Jane! Pull yourself together. You’re not even on the plane!
She handed the steward her ticket and waited in the holding pen. She read the article again. It was like a comforter. Well done, Will, she kept repeating in her head.
They called the people in the first rows to board. She stood up and walked out the exit and over the concourse. It smelt of fuel and sunshine and hot Tarmac.
Her heart started to flutter when she saw the plane.
This is it, Jane.
She was really pleased she hadn’t turned around.
She walked up the steps. The stewardess pointed her in the direction of her seat. She got her book and her water out of her bag and put it in the hold, then sat down by the window and strapped on her seatbelt. She read the safety card twice and then the in-flight magazine as the plane began to fill up.
The cabin crew walked through, closing the overhead lockers.
Jane looked out the window at the little trucks and the baggage carts. She saw the mirage on the runway and the planes taking off.
‘Excuse me, but I think that might be my seat?’
She didn’t turn immediately. She stayed looking out the window as a smile pulled at the corner of her lips.
‘No,’ she said as she sat back. ‘No, I asked for window.’
Will was leaning on the headrest of the seat in front. ‘It is my seat but I don’t want to argue with you,’ he said. ‘And, actually, I think I’ve probably ended up with the better view.’
Jane rolled her eyes. ‘That’s a terrible line.’
He laughed and sat down.
‘Are you following me?’ she asked, her whole body relaxing as she felt him next to her.
‘Yes.’ He nodded. ‘But in a good way.’
‘Yeah?’
‘I was thinking about what it’s like being on holiday and you really need someone to point at stuff with. I didn’t think you should have to learn to be alone.’
Jane was having trouble formulating any sort of reply. She was just staring at him. Staring at his face, at the sharp line of his nose, at the few tiny freckles, at the dark hair and the dark eyes and unable to quite believe that he was sitting here next to her.
‘At any point if you want me to go, I’ll go,’lWill said. ‘I know you have to find yourself and all that stuff. So I’ll leave you whenever you want. I just thought: Hey I’ve just got rid of thirty hotels. I’ve got some spare time on my hands.’
She didn’t know what to say, but she didn’t have to say anything because she felt Will put his arm around the back of her neck, lean over and kiss her and she had never felt more amazing in her whole life.
When he pulled back, he looked into her eyes and said, ‘I can’t quite work out what you’re thinking?’
‘I’m thinking, maybe we can learn to be alone together,’ she said, biting down on a smile and then reached up, put both her hands on his face and kissed him back.
The plane started its journey towards the runway and suddenly they were going really, really fast. Jane glanced, slightly nervous, up at Will who rested his forehead to hers and said, ‘It’s gonna be OK.’ She moved her hand so her fingers could link with his, and they stayed like that for the whole duration of the flight.
CARINA™
ISBN: 978 1 474 03082 3
One Summer Night at the Ritz
Copyright © 2015 Jenny Oliver
Published in Great Britain (2015)
by Carina, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
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