Born to Dance

by June Tate

  ‘Sorry about this, princess,’ said Mickey as they drove away. ‘This kind of publicity isn’t good for you.’

  It was the last thing on her mind and she said so.

  Mickey told the driver to take them to a hotel he knew of. ‘At least there we will have some privacy,’ he said. ‘The press have all the pictures they need for their editions.’ He looked across at Charlie Black, but he said nothing, his gaze downcast. His shoulders hunched.

  Mickey settled them in a quiet corner of the residents’ lounge and ordered some drinks. Then he looked at Charlie. ‘Right. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.’

  ‘Nothing’s going on,’ the young boxer stammered.

  Mickey didn’t raise his voice but he was insistent. ‘Don’t lie to me, Charlie. I saw the look on Wally Cole’s face when you hit the canvas. He’s behind all this, isn’t he?’

  The young man went white. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘For God’s sake, Charlie I’m trying to help you here, and how can I do so when you won’t level with me?’ He paused. ‘Have you been gambling again? Is that what all this is about? Are you into that bastard for a lot of money? Because nothing else makes any sense.’

  Charlie Black crumbled. Fighting back the tears he said, ‘I owed him seven hundred pounds and he said if I threw the fight it would clear my debt.’ He looked at Mickey, his eyes full of fear. ‘He said he’d kill me if I didn’t!’

  ‘Jaysus!’ Mickey put his hand to his head. ‘Why in the blazes didn’t you come to me and tell me what was going down?’

  ‘I was too scared to tell anyone. What’s going to happen to me now, Mickey?’

  Bonny watched the interchange, horrified by what she heard.

  ‘I don’t know, my son. You have betrayed Foxy, the one man who took you in, who gave you a chance. Even if he knew the truth, how could he ever trust you again?’

  ‘I’ve been such a fool, but I was so scared. I didn’t have a choice.’

  ‘The hell you did! You made that choice when you started gambling again.’ Mickey was furious. ‘Not only that, you’ve tarnished the sport of boxing. You heard the crowd. They realized you threw the fight. You lose their trust; you’ll never get it back. You had a great career ahead of you and you threw it all away tonight!’

  Bonny leaned forward. ‘Can’t you do anything?’ she asked Mickey.

  ‘I’m not sure that I can.’ Looking at Charlie he said, ‘You realize I’ll have to tell Foxy.’ As Charlie started to protest, Mickey said, ‘You owe him the truth, at least. What he’ll do about it I don’t know, but he has to be told. If Wally got to you, maybe he will want to make another financial killing with another fighter, and we certainly can’t have that.’

  Eventually, Mickey ordered a taxi to take the boy home and another for himself and Bonny. In the back of the vehicle he put his arm around her and apologized for getting her involved with tonight’s proceedings. ‘I’m worried about the publicity, darlin’, you saw the crowd. The press will have a field day tomorrow and your picture will be in all the papers for the wrong reasons. I wouldn’t have had this happen to you for all the world.’

  She caught hold of his hand. ‘I’m more worried about young Charlie Black. He said that man, Wally something, threatened to kill him. Was he being serious?’

  ‘I’m afraid so. Wally Cole is a dangerous man. I don’t know how he’s kept out of prison. Had Charlie not carried out his orders, then he’d have been found floating in the Thames … unless he’d had the sense to tell Foxy about it. That was his only way out, but I guess the kid was more scared of Wally than of his manager.’

  The following day, the pictures of the two boxers and Bonny leaving the venue, surrounded by an angry mob, was front-page news. When Giles Gilmore saw it he was livid! What the bloody hell was the girl thinking of? All publicity was supposed to be good publicity, but this, with the accompanying story with suspicions of fight rigging, was not what his star should be involved with. He would have to do something to counteract the fallout. But first he would have to talk to Bonny herself and find out exactly what this was all about and how she got entangled. He drove to the theatre.

  Bonny was sitting in Rob’s office, listening to his fury when he’d read the papers. He flung one down in front of her. ‘Look at it! My God, how could you get yourself involved in such a mess?’

  ‘It wasn’t my fault,’ she protested. ‘Mickey was only trying to help one of his friends who was in trouble!’

  ‘Mickey O’Halleran again! Well, it seems to me the sooner you stop seeing him the better.’

  ‘How dare you tell me how to run my life!’

  ‘I dare because what happens to you reflects on the show and on me as your dance partner. You need the public’s support if you are to become a star. They won’t tolerate you if there is a whiff of scandal around you.’

  At that moment, Giles Gilmore strode into the room. ‘Rob’s absolutely right!’ he snapped. ‘We have to do something to counteract this.’ He paced up and down.

  In the gym, Mickey and Charlie were ensconced with Foxy Gordon in his office, where Mickey was explaining to the trainer what had happened the previous night and why.

  Foxy glared at the culprit. ‘How could you let me down like this? You gave me your word that your gambling days were behind you.’

  ‘I’m really sorry, Foxy. What will happen to me now?’

  ‘You’ll have to appear in front of the boxing commission. They will have to look into these accusations. You are finished in the fight game, son. There’s nothing I can do, and frankly, I could never trust you again.’

  ‘I can’t tell them about Wally Cole. I’ll be a dead man if I do.’

  With a shrug, the trainer said coldly, ‘That will be your choice. As for me, I wash my hands of you. You had the chance to really make something of yourself, and you threw it all away, now you will pay the price. Collect your stuff from the locker room.’

  When the boy had left them alone, Foxy swore. ‘That bloody Wally Cole! I’m going to have a few words with him. I will not have him mucking about with my fighters. This is my livelihood and theirs. I’ll make sure the bugger keeps clear in future or I’ll shop him myself.’

  ‘You have no proof,’ Mickey said.

  ‘Charlie Black is my proof. I’ll persuade him to tell the truth.’

  ‘He’ll be too scared.’

  ‘We’ll see about that. Once he realizes his career is finished, maybe he’ll see he has to pay Wally back. The kid loves boxing. It was his life until he started gambling. I’m sure he’ll come good at the right time.’

  Mickey was doubtful and said so.

  But the following morning, the body of Charlie Black was fished out of the Thames, and the proof Foxy needed died with him.

  Fifteen

  The death of the young boxer made the front pages again. There was to be an autopsy, of course, but the general consensus of opinion was that Charlie Black had taken his own life. Mickey O’Halleran and Foxy Gordon thought otherwise, but their hands were tied without proof.

  ‘Poor little sod,’ said the champ. ‘He didn’t stand an earthly, did he?’

  ‘Now you listen to me, Mickey He had the best chance in the world. He had the makings of a world-class boxer; it was his gambling that ruined it all and that was down to him!’

  ‘I can’t believe you are so heartless. Don’t you have any pity at all for him?’

  ‘No! To get anywhere in this game you have to be ruthless. I’ve no time for losers.’

  ‘Well, I will be at his funeral when the time comes. Gambling is a sickness, Foxy, and he just wasn’t strong enough to fight it.’

  ‘You’d be better off getting back to your training than wasting time worrying about Charlie,’ snapped the trainer.

  ‘You don’t have to worry about me, but I do worry about you, Foxy. A man without compassion is a sad person.’ And Mickey rose from his seat and left the room.

  Bonny read the news of Charlie Bl
ack’s demise with a heavy heart. She had felt a great deal of sympathy for him, listening to him and Mickey talk. The fact that he said he feared for his life made her wonder if his death was indeed suicide, as was rumoured, or something far more sinister, and she realized she had inadvertently become involved with dangerous people.

  Giles Gilmore called a press conference to explain that his star had just happened to be at Charlie Black’s last fight, purely by chance, and had nothing to do with the young fighter whose death was such a sad loss to boxing.

  He parried questions about her being seen with Mickey O’Halleran so often, and was there an engagement in the offing?

  ‘Certainly not! Miss Burton is far too busy to be seriously involved with anyone, now and in the future!’ He then called an end to any more questions.

  After, he had a talk with Bonny and told her that hopefully he’d stemmed any fall from grace for her from the public, but no way was she to contemplate going to the funeral of the young boxer, as the press would be out in force. ‘I do not want to see further pictures of you that involve you in any way with this whole mess. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes, totally, but don’t you feel sorry for the young man?’

  ‘He’s not my business but you are. His career is over, yours is just starting, you’d be wise to remember that!’

  As Giles predicted, the funeral was covered in all the newspapers. The coroner had brought in a verdict of accidental death, which had allowed the Black family to bury their young son. True to his word, Mickey O’Halleran was at the funeral, as was Foxy Gordon as the boy’s manager. The two of them hardly spoke. Both gave separate interviews after the funeral, saying the boy had been a rising star with great potential, and how sad they were at the loss to boxing, and expressing their condolences to the family.

  After the funeral, Foxy Gordon made a visit to the Four Feathers pub in the East End of London, where he knew he’d find Wally Cole.

  He walked up to the bar and ordered a large brandy. Glancing around he saw Wally seated with a couple of his hard men, and picking up his glass, he walked over to the gang leader.

  Wally gazed at the promoter. ‘Hello, Foxy. How are you?’

  Foxy returned his gaze and coldly remarked, ‘I was surprised not to see you at young Black’s funeral this morning.’

  Cole’s eyes narrowed. ‘Why would I be there? I didn’t know the boy.’

  Foxy sat beside the man. ‘Now, we both know that to be a lie. He was a regular at your poker school and your dog fights. He was into you for a bundle.’

  The villain just raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment.

  ‘But, of course, he settled his debt when he hit the canvas in the sixth round, didn’t he?’

  ‘Did he?’

  Foxy felt his anger rising. He knew he had to tread carefully, but he was here to make a point and make it he would. ‘Don’t arse about with me, Wally. You had that lad over a barrel. He was too terrified of you to come to me and tell me what was happening – until it was too late. How convenient that he went into the Thames!’

  ‘Convenient for whom?’ asked Cole with a smirk. ‘Certainly not for him. Such a waste of talent, don’t you think?’

  Foxy could hardly contain himself. He wanted to swipe the smile off the man’s face, but he knew to do so at this moment would be hazardous. But he too had come up the hard way and was no slouch.

  He glared at Cole. ‘You just keep away from any of my boys in the future or I’ll have you, I give you my word! You will forever be looking over your shoulder – wondering when.’

  Knowing Foxy as well as he did – after all, they had grown up together – Wally Cole knew that this was no idle threat. But he couldn’t be seen to be backing down by his men. ‘How’s the champ’s training going?’

  Foxy rose to his feet. ‘Just remember what I said.’ He downed his drink, put the glass on the table and walked out of the bar. He then made his way to his gym, changed into a loose pair of trousers and a singlet and worked through his anger with a punchbag.

  Mickey and Bonny didn’t meet again for some time, as he was in training and she was appearing in the closing weeks of the show, which was still being performed to packed houses.

  The atmosphere between Bonny and Rob had been somewhat cool for a few days after the scandal, but as time wore on, their love of the dance and the theatre brought them closer together once again, and they relished the performance and the adoration of their audience, who gave them a standing ovation each night as the final curtain fell.

  The photographs in the papers were now of the two of them, appearing at various prestigious venues. Always together and smiling. All arranged, of course, by Giles Gilmore, but thoroughly enjoyed by Rob.

  The press had a field day. Has the champ lost his lady? printed one paper. And others headlined in a similar vein.

  When once Bonny protested, fed up with the public speculation about her love life, and said she’d rather have an early night and go to bed, Giles snapped at her. ‘Once you are established, you can. At the moment I’m building you for stardom. Keeping you in the public’s eye. It’s necessary!’

  Rob was happy because O’Halleran was out of the picture. What he didn’t know was that flowers arrived for Bonny at regular intervals, and letters, telling her what he was doing and how much he was longing to see her again.

  It was the final performance and the theatre was packed. It had the feeling of a gala night, and the men dressed in evening clothes, the ladies in their finery and jewellery. Adrenalin was flowing back stage and the atmosphere was electric.

  Bonny’s dressing room was filled with flowers from various admirers. Rob had sent some with a card thanking her for her hard work, saying how he was looking forward to working with her again. Mickey had sent a bouquet and said he would be in the audience, and a magnificent basket of wonderful blooms arrived from Jack Buchanan, saying he wished her a happy future.

  Shirley walked in and looked around the room at the floral display. ‘Bloody hell, Bonny. It’s like a funeral parlour in here! When you open the door the scent of all this nearly knocks you off your feet!’ She walked over to her friend and gave her a hug. ‘You are already on that staircase to stardom … Didn’t I tell you you’d make it, way back in Southampton at the Palace Theatre?’

  With a happy smile Bonny looked at her friend, her eyes glittering with excitement. ‘That seems so long ago, doesn’t it? Oh, Shirley, haven’t we done well?’

  ‘Yes, love, we have. And – I have some great news. Rob has told me he’ll want me for the new show that Giles Gilmore is producing. He’s doing the choreography for it, apparently’

  ‘That’s wonderful. Oh, Shirley, what would I do without you!’

  Shirley was reading the card that Mickey had sent. ‘It seems to me you are doing well on your own. Is this serious?’

  ‘I really don’t know. Mickey is such a lovely man. I could do worse.’

  With a frown Shirley looked at her friend. ‘If you are really going to get to the top of your game, you won’t have much time for Mickey O’Halleran, I’m thinking. Rob Andrews will make sure of that.’

  The ‘overture and beginners’ call came through and stopped any further conversation.

  There were so many curtain calls at the end of the show that Bonny wondered if the cast would ever leave the stage, but eventually the curtain fell finally and the cast gathered as Peter Collins came on stage, thanked them all for their hard work and invited them to an end-of-show party at the Cafe Royal.

  When Bonny returned to her dressing room it was to find Mickey O’Halleran waiting for her. He took her into his arms and kissed her. ‘Oh I’ve missed you, princess. You were terrific tonight, I was so proud of my girl. I’ve been invited to the party, so I’ll wait for you and we can go together.’

  At that moment there was a knock on the door.

  ‘Come in,’ called Bonny, still held in Mickey’s embrace.

  Rob Andrews walked in. The smile on his fac
e changed as he saw the two of them. ‘Hello, O’Halleran. I didn’t know you were here.’

  ‘I’ve come to take my girl to the party,’ Mickey declared in such a tone as to defy an argument from Rob.

  ‘I see. Well done tonight,’ Rob said to Bonny. ‘You were superb. We have two weeks free and then we start rehearsals for the new show, so I would advise you to get as much rest as you can.’

  As Rob left the room, the boxer smiled to himself. ‘That man thinks he owns you. Don’t let him run your life, darlin’, or he won’t let you breathe.’

  ‘Rob only has a professional interest in me,’ Bonny protested.

  ‘That’s what you think. Come on, get changed and we’ll go and celebrate.’

  The party was a huge success. The cast, now free, let their hair down and enjoyed the food, the drinks and the dancing. In a corner, Rob and Giles Gilmore were in deep conversation about the new show. ‘I’ve been working on some new dance routines for Bonny and me,’ Rob told Gilmore.

  Giles looked at him and said, ‘I want you to be more concerned with routines for Bonny alone. This is my opportunity to make her the star she should be.’ At the look of consternation on Rob’s face he added, ‘We will have only one or two numbers of you together, as you will have enough work on your hands as it is as the dance director.’

  As Rob made to protest, Giles interrupted. ‘This is going to be a mammoth production and you can’t wear two hats. I need your expertise and originality. Don’t disappoint me. I’ll see you in my office on Monday morning to discuss it.’

  Giles walked away to greet one of his backers. He knew that, with his grandiose ideas, the new production was going to be very expensive to finance. He needed to keep all of his angels sweet because he knew he would have to find more money to stage the new show.

  Knowing Giles and his ambitions, and after seeing the show that had just closed, Foxy Gordon knew that Giles would go all out to better it … and that would cost. He had already planned to buy more shares in the company, which would suit his plan admirably. It was going to work out just as he hoped. Revenge was going to be very sweet.