Born to Dance

by June Tate

  As the company broke for lunch, he approached Rob Andrews. Holding out his hand, he introduced himself. ‘Charles Kendal, one of your backers.’

  ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Mr Kendal. What can I do for you?’

  With a sly smile, Charles said, ‘I’m sure you already have an inkling about that. Why don’t you and I go and have a sandwich and a beer, then we can talk?’

  Lily smiled with pleasure as she saw the two men leave the theatre. Glancing over towards Shirley and Bonny her mouth tightened. Those two would soon realize she was not to be messed with!

  Once in the nearby pub, the two men sat in a quiet corner. Charles came straight to the point. ‘Lily wants a solo spot. What do you have to say about that?’

  ‘She isn’t nearly good enough.’ Rob didn’t mince his words. ‘You have watched the rehearsal all the morning. You must have seen for yourself that she is just an average dancer.’

  ‘I agree.’

  This comment took Rob by surprise. ‘Then you must realize that I can’t give her a solo spot.’

  Charles sipped his beer. ‘There is always another way to skin a cat than the obvious one, Mr Andrews. If we can work something out between us, our problem will be solved.’

  Rob looked thoughtful. He liked Charles Kendal. Realizing the man was canny, he asked, ‘Have you any suggestions?’

  ‘As a matter of fact I have.’

  Giles Gilmore greeted his secretary as he walked into his office in Jermyn Street. ‘Good morning, Jennifer, any messages?’

  ‘I’ve put a list on your desk, Mr Gilmore. Jessie Matthews called and asked that you call her back. There’s some problem she wants you to take care of. The rest are not life-threatening.’

  ‘That makes a change,’ he laughed.

  Giles came from a theatrical background. His father, James, was an agent, his mother, Frances, had been a well-known singer but had given up her career to become a wife and mother. Giles had helped his father before branching out on his own. He started with a small theatre, which he bought, and put on his own shows before selling out at a profit. He then bought properties around London and sold them on, amassing a small fortune, which he ploughed into backing West End shows, which made him a renowned angel in the business. He had a nose for success and every producer with a show to finance hoped for his interest.

  Giles moved effortlessly among the glitterati of the theatre and with big businessmen in the City. His financial acumen was recognized by them all. His success had bought him a fine apartment in Sloane Square and a house in Virginia Water. He was unmarried, but was never without a good-looking woman on his arm when the occasion merited one, such as on an opening night.

  Whilst working for his father, Giles had had to do business with a wide spectrum of clients, which had sometimes taken him into the seedy world of the City. He had dealt with boxing promoters, for instance. A rough and tough world inhabited by a doubtful mix of people, many of whom were unscrupulous. But Giles, although full of charm, could be as ruthless as the next man. This sometimes had made him a few enemies. Especially when he had come across a betting syndicate who had paid one of his fighters to throw a fight. The fallout had been spectacular. He’d taken the men to court, which meant some of those involved had served time. He had been threatened, and for some time after had employed a bodyguard. Now he had moved on.

  It took a lot to excite the business side of Giles Gilmore, but when he’d seen Bonny Burton dance with her partner at Peter Collins’ publicity party, he had felt a certain buzz. Here was a truly talented girl. One who, so far, seemed untouched by life in the theatre. He knew without a doubt this girl could become a big star with the right backing.

  After he had dealt with Jessie Matthews’ problem, he made discreet enquiries. It would seem that Rob Andrews was handling all Bonny’s business affairs, so there was no agent involved. Andrews, he felt, was more than a little protective of his young star, for which he didn’t blame him one bit, but if the show was a success, Giles wanted to be in a position to take over this charming girl’s career. He picked up the telephone and made a call.

  Lily Stevens walked on to the stage at the following morning’s rehearsal with great expectations. Charles had assured her he’d had a word with Mr Andrews and they had come to an agreement.

  Rob put the dancers through the first two numbers without making any changes and then when it came to the number which involved a statue, centre stage, he made an announcement. ‘I’ve decided to use a dancer instead of a figurine, so Lily, I want you to stand on this plinth and don’t move.’

  She hurried forward. Rob gave her a box to stand on.

  ‘This, of course, will be taller in the actual production,’ he explained. ‘Then, at the end, you jump down and dance around it, then exit left. Let me show you what I want.’

  Lily was thrilled. At last she had her solo spot. But the dance was very brief and before she knew where she was – she was off stage!

  She fumed. ‘Is that it?’ she asked after the number finished.

  Rob raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘I don’t understand?’

  ‘I have about three minutes after I get down, then I’m off stage!’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I was given to understand that I was to have a solo spot.’

  He gazed steadily at her. ‘And that’s exactly what you have, Lily. Now, everyone, get into your places for the next number,’ he called and walked away.

  Shirley was convulsed with laughter. She clung on to Bonny, holding her stomach as she laughed until the tears ran down her face. ‘Oh Bonny, did you see the look on her face? She thought she was going to be a star.’

  ‘Now don’t be unkind,’ Bonny remonstrated. ‘She can’t help the way she is. I think Rob has been sneaky but really clever. I saw him yesterday with Lily’s boyfriend. I suppose they thought this up together. Otherwise how could Rob get away with it?’

  ‘If that’s the case, Lily’s in for a bit of a shock. She certainly expected much more. I bet she gives the old boy hell tonight.’

  Lily was indeed raging at Charles when she burst into their apartment after rehearsals. She stormed up and down the room, calling Rob every name under the sun. But Charles just sat, smoking his cigar, sipping his drink until eventually she stopped in front of him.

  ‘So what are you going to do about it?’

  ‘Absolutely nothing!’

  The girl was stunned. ‘What do you mean, nothing?’

  ‘You have your centre stage spot. That’s what you asked for and that’s what you’ve got.’

  Her eyes flashed with anger. ‘For a few moments only. That’s not what I was expecting. And frankly, it’s not good enough!’

  ‘No, Lily, you are not good enough!’

  She couldn’t believe what she’d heard and was speechless.

  ‘I sat through a morning’s rehearsal yesterday. I watched the numbers being performed and I watched you. Lily, darling, you are a lovely girl. You delight me between the sheets, but as a dancer …’

  The girl was outraged. ‘How dare you make that assumption! You haven’t seen me at my best, as that bloody Rob Andrews hasn’t given me the opportunity to show my talent.’

  He cast a cool and icy glance in her direction. ‘Your talents, my dear, are purely sexual. There, you are a star, but on two feet … there is much to be to be desired.’

  Her legs seemed to give way and she sank to her knees on the carpet. ‘Charles, how could you say that?’

  ‘Because it’s true and Rob Andrews is right. You are only in the chorus because of me. Now, unless you can accept that and stop bleating about how unfair it all is …’

  His threat wasn’t wasted on Lily. She knew that she now had to be clever if she wanted to maintain her comfortable position with Charles and continue to enjoy his lifestyle, and that to do so, she would have to concede. ‘Have I been foolish, darling Charles?’

  He smiled, knowing he had won.

  The following day, Giles Gil
more sat in the office of Peter Collins. With a determined look in his eye, he spoke. ‘Peter, I have a business proposition for you.’

  Nine

  Rob Andrews was holding a meeting with the set designer, going over the details of the backgrounds to feature in his numbers, when Peter Collins walked in with Giles Gilmore. ‘Rob, can I have a word?’

  Folding the plans of the sets, Rob nodded to the set designer and then walked over to the two men. ‘What can I do for you?’

  ‘You know Giles, I believe?’

  ‘We did meet briefly the other night.’

  ‘Well, Mr Andrews, we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future,’ said Giles with a smile.

  ‘Really, how so?’

  ‘I have just bought the contracts for you and Miss Burton from Peter. I am now your manager!’

  Rob looked astonished and angry. ‘You what?’ Then, glaring at Collins, he asked, ‘You did this without consulting me?’

  ‘Yes, old chap. Giles made me a good offer and I feel he can do more for you in the future than I can, so I wasn’t being absolutely selfish, I did have both your interests at heart. Giles is prepared to invest a considerable amount of money in you and Bonny. With his help you will go far.’

  ‘But you’ve never seen us perform, so on what have you based such a decision?’

  ‘As a matter of fact, I have. I heard that Peter was going to Southampton to watch a show and this made me curious, so I made it my business to find out why. I liked what I saw.’

  ‘So this is a fait accompli and there isn’t anything I can do about it, is that what you’re saying?’

  ‘I wouldn’t put it quite like that,’ said Giles, ‘but if you insist, yes, that about wraps it up.’

  ‘Then perhaps you would be good enough to enlighten me. After all, I have no idea just what it is that you can do for us and that makes me very nervous.’

  Laughing heartily, Giles said, ‘Believe me, you will be delighted with my plans. I suggest that you and Miss Burton come to my office after rehearsals and we can discuss the future.’ He handed Rob his card. ‘Shall we say six o’clock this evening?’

  As the two men walked away, Rob read the card. Giles Gilmore. Impresario. Jermyn Street, London. Now he was intrigued.

  Bonny, unfamiliar with the business side of the theatre, was more than a little confused by the news, however, when Rob sought her out shortly after his conversation with Giles. ‘What do you mean, he bought our contracts?’

  ‘He’s now our manager and not Peter Collins. Collins has sold us as a package. We have to meet Gilmore this evening to hear his plans for the future.’

  ‘Is this good news, Rob?’

  ‘Time will tell. I’ll pick you up in a taxi at a quarter to six. Then we’ll see what Mr Gilmore has up his sleeve.’

  As she and Shirley walked to their digs, Bonny told her friend what had transpired.

  ‘Well, imagine that. Who is this man?’

  ‘I’ve only met him briefly, he said he was something to do with the theatre, but honestly, Shirley, I have no idea.’ She gave the matter some thought. ‘He does have a certain air about him, you know. He comes across as somebody important with a lot of clout, and there is something about him that is truly fascinating, but I believe he could be quite ruthless. Although he oozes charm, there is a certain steeliness about him too.’

  ‘Is that good?’

  ‘I really don’t know, but it will be interesting to find out. All I do know is that Rob is not happy about it.’

  Rob Andrews was fuming about the change of circumstances. With Collins he knew exactly where he was. He had complete control over the choreography of his part of the show and that was just as he liked it. Now, things could change and he wasn’t at all sure that would sit well with him – and he had decided if the meeting tonight didn’t please him he would fight for the things he wanted. Giles Gilmore would learn that he was no pushover.

  For his part, Giles was more than a little aware of the hostility from Andrews, and if he had been in the man’s position he would have felt the same. However, he felt that the ideas he had for a new show would meet with the approval of the talented musical director. If Rob became too difficult, then of course he would deal with that too. Bonny was the star he was most interested in. True, at the moment, it was in a partnership with Andrews, as it would serve to establish her in the public’s eye when the present show opened. After that it would be up to him as her manager to decide her future, and he had already made up his mind: she would be a solo artist. Eventually, Rob Andrews, as her partner, would become redundant!

  In the East End of London, an impresario of another kind was making his plans too. Charlie Gordon, known as Foxy, was a fight promoter and ran a boxing agency and gym. He had several fighters of repute on his books and his successes in the fight world were impressive. He was a tough individual with a colourful past. Not particularly tall, he was thickset and muscular and could lay out a man with a fast right hook and sometimes a knee in the groin when the occasion arose.

  He himself had once been a boxer with a good record in the ring. As a young man he’d been involved in bare fist fights held privately and against the law. Such bouts had left their mark on his features. His nose was twisted where it had been broken, and his left ear was well described as a cauliflower. A trainer had eventually taken him in hand, and he’d earned a good living in the ring until he decided he’d had enough and had started his own gym.

  Foxy was not adverse to breaking the law but was clever enough – hence his nickname – to cover his tracks, most of the time, but he had been in prison for being part of the betting syndicate that Giles Gilmore had taken to court several years ago. It had taken a very long time for him to re-establish himself and he never forgot the man who had been responsible for his incarceration. He had watched Gilmore’s rise to fame and fortune and vowed that one day, however long it took, he would get even with him. He could wait but he was certain that one day he’d find the right moment to teach Gilmore a lesson he wouldn’t forget. The man would pay for every year that he had spent in prison. But now, he had a prize fight to organize.

  Rob and Bonny were ushered into Giles’s office by his secretary. There was a quiet air of opulence about the room. It was tastefully furnished, with a couple of paintings on the wall; comfortable chairs were placed in front of a heavily carved walnut desk.

  ‘Please sit down,’ Giles invited. He noticed that Bonny looked a trifle perturbed but Rob Andrews sat upright and stiff, ready for battle. Giles hid a smile. ‘When I saw the two of you dance in Southampton, I was most impressed,’ he began. ‘I could see great potential being wasted and was delighted when I heard that Peter Collins had taken you both on to his books. You should be performing in the West End as stars, you deserve to be in the West End, and with my help, you will become the public’s favourite performers.’

  ‘How do you intend to do this?’ asked Rob.

  ‘It has been my aim to produce a musical that will make the theatrical world sit up and take notice. I have the finances to do this, and now with the two of you, I have the stars to front it.’

  ‘Just exactly what have you in mind?’ Rob was now becoming interested.

  For the next two hours, Giles laid his plans before the two of them. The show was to be a musical spectacular with a host of dancers of the highest calibre, with Rob and Bonny the stars.

  Rob could see that without a doubt this show, which Giles had masterminded, would be an incredible theatrical event. ‘And who do you have in mind as the musical director?’

  ‘Why you, of course, Rob. Why would I want anyone else? You have the talent, you have a fresh approach, I like your ideas and I’m sure together we can put together a brilliant show.’ Giles looked at Rob and thought, I’ve got him by the short and curlies!

  Bonny had been sitting listening to the discussion with bated breath. This sounded wonderful. It was more that she had ever imagined. Her name would be in lights over a Wes
t End theatre. It was every performer’s ambition.

  Giles turned to her and asked, ‘Well, Bonny my dear, let me hear what you think about all this.’

  ‘It all takes my breath away, to be honest. It sounds almost too good to be true.’

  Chuckling, Giles said, ‘Believe me, it will be a sensation and so will you. I believe you have even more to show the public than we have seen already.’ He turned to Rob. ‘I want Bonny to have several solo spots in the show, backed by a great chorus line, so bear that in mind, Rob, when you start to choreograph the dances.’ He rang for his secretary. ‘Champagne, please, I do believe we have something to celebrate.’

  Whilst they all drank to the future with Giles, Rob’s mind was in a whirl. He was torn between being a performer and being a dance director … The fact that Giles wanted Bonny in several solo spots would give him the extra time he needed to put something spectacular together.

  Giles watched Rob with interest; he knew what was going through the man’s mind. Rob was an exceptional choreographer and Giles understood how much that meant to him. In Rob’s mind, that was what he really loved, it was only Bonny’s talent that had put him back on the boards. His ambition was the other side of the footlights and this suited Giles’ plans beautifully.

  As they left Gilmore’s office, Rob lifted Bonny off her feet and spun her round, before placing her back on the pavement. Then, to her surprise, he kissed her. ‘This is going to be great! Gilmore can take us to the pinnacle of our careers. You have no idea just how lucky we are. Come on, I’ll buy you dinner to celebrate.’