head waiter began, and Kay pressed Tony’s arm.
‘No, don’t,’ Tony said. ‘The view isn’t as important as a good meal and a bottle of fine wine. And, of course, the company you keep,’ he said, smiling at Kay as he placed a hand in the small of her back and guided her to another table.
Luis beckoned one of the waitresses to take their coats and left them with the menus. ‘Grilled steak, don’t you think?’ Tony asked. ‘Could you manage that?’
Kay nodded distractedly. Her mind was taken up with what she was going to say later. She had decided she must tell him tonight before he heard the news from Julie.
Tony ordered their steaks and a bottle of wine. When Luis brought the wine he said, ‘On the house, Mr Chalmers. To make up for your disappointment over the table.’
‘Very kind of you,’ Tony said politely.
Kay noticed that several of the other diners were looking their way. Tony Chalmers was not only the son of an influential and wealthy businessman but had also demonstrated great bravery and piloting skills during the war. On one occasion he had brought his badly damaged Lancaster bomber back from a mission and made a crash landing in Kent, thus saving the lives of his crew. He could have ordered them to bail out over occupied Holland, but he chose to bring them home. It was this that had gained him his Distinguished Flying Cross.
Tony waited until Luis had poured the wine and then he looked straight at Kay and said, ‘So you’ve given notice at Sampson’s?’
‘Yes. But how did you know that?’
‘Don’t look so surprised. This is a small town. Word gets round. I suppose you did plan to tell me?’
‘Of course. Tonight, as a matter of fact.’
‘So that’s why you weren’t concentrating before. I could have said we’ll have fried toad’s legs and you would have agreed. But this is good news, Kay. I never liked the idea of your working in a grocery shop. You are far too intelligent. I often felt like telling your mother that it was you she should have sent to college, not Julie.’
‘Julie is very bright.’
‘Maybe so, but she hasn’t got the same – how shall I put it? – style, class, elegance as you have.’
‘Elegance? You go too far.’
Kay smiled but Tony shook his head. ‘I don’t think I do. Even when you go whizzing round town on that old bicycle, you display ladylike qualities that your younger sister could never aspire to. Why are you laughing?’
‘Oh, Tony, I love the compliments, but you do sound a trifle pompous.’
‘Do I? Good grief. Am I turning into my father? Or worse still, my mother?’ He turned to look at his reflection in the window, pretended to study it closely, then shook his head. ‘No, there’s still time to save me. Promise me you’ll save me.’
Kay hesitated. ‘I’m not sure what you mean. Tell me how I can save you.’
Here it comes , she thought. One of those moments that in a romantic novel or a film would lead to a proposal. She looked across the table, but Tony must have changed his mind. He was leaning back and smiling at the young waitress who had arrived with their meal.
‘Ah, here we are,’ he said. ‘The fried toad’s legs.’
The girl looked at him nervously. ‘No, sir, it’s steaks. One well done, one medium rare. I don’t think we do toad’s legs.’
Kay smiled up at her. ‘He’s teasing,’ she said. ‘The steaks are exactly what we want, thank you.’
Tony topped up their glasses, and while they ate their meal the conversation was entirely inconsequential. It wasn’t until they had finished their peach Melbas and were drinking their coffee that Tony asked, quite straightforwardly, ‘So what are you going to do now that you’ve left Sampson’s? Have you found another job?’
‘Not exactly.’ He looked puzzled and she hurried on. ‘I mean, I shall do something eventually, but first I have to go to London to sort out the affairs of an old friend of my mother’s.’
How clumsy that sounds ,
‘No, don’t,’ Tony said. ‘The view isn’t as important as a good meal and a bottle of fine wine. And, of course, the company you keep,’ he said, smiling at Kay as he placed a hand in the small of her back and guided her to another table.
Luis beckoned one of the waitresses to take their coats and left them with the menus. ‘Grilled steak, don’t you think?’ Tony asked. ‘Could you manage that?’
Kay nodded distractedly. Her mind was taken up with what she was going to say later. She had decided she must tell him tonight before he heard the news from Julie.
Tony ordered their steaks and a bottle of wine. When Luis brought the wine he said, ‘On the house, Mr Chalmers. To make up for your disappointment over the table.’
‘Very kind of you,’ Tony said politely.
Kay noticed that several of the other diners were looking their way. Tony Chalmers was not only the son of an influential and wealthy businessman but had also demonstrated great bravery and piloting skills during the war. On one occasion he had brought his badly damaged Lancaster bomber back from a mission and made a crash landing in Kent, thus saving the lives of his crew. He could have ordered them to bail out over occupied Holland, but he chose to bring them home. It was this that had gained him his Distinguished Flying Cross.
Tony waited until Luis had poured the wine and then he looked straight at Kay and said, ‘So you’ve given notice at Sampson’s?’
‘Yes. But how did you know that?’
‘Don’t look so surprised. This is a small town. Word gets round. I suppose you did plan to tell me?’
‘Of course. Tonight, as a matter of fact.’
‘So that’s why you weren’t concentrating before. I could have said we’ll have fried toad’s legs and you would have agreed. But this is good news, Kay. I never liked the idea of your working in a grocery shop. You are far too intelligent. I often felt like telling your mother that it was you she should have sent to college, not Julie.’
‘Julie is very bright.’
‘Maybe so, but she hasn’t got the same – how shall I put it? – style, class, elegance as you have.’
‘Elegance? You go too far.’
Kay smiled but Tony shook his head. ‘I don’t think I do. Even when you go whizzing round town on that old bicycle, you display ladylike qualities that your younger sister could never aspire to. Why are you laughing?’
‘Oh, Tony, I love the compliments, but you do sound a trifle pompous.’
‘Do I? Good grief. Am I turning into my father? Or worse still, my mother?’ He turned to look at his reflection in the window, pretended to study it closely, then shook his head. ‘No, there’s still time to save me. Promise me you’ll save me.’
Kay hesitated. ‘I’m not sure what you mean. Tell me how I can save you.’
Here it comes , she thought. One of those moments that in a romantic novel or a film would lead to a proposal. She looked across the table, but Tony must have changed his mind. He was leaning back and smiling at the young waitress who had arrived with their meal.
‘Ah, here we are,’ he said. ‘The fried toad’s legs.’
The girl looked at him nervously. ‘No, sir, it’s steaks. One well done, one medium rare. I don’t think we do toad’s legs.’
Kay smiled up at her. ‘He’s teasing,’ she said. ‘The steaks are exactly what we want, thank you.’
Tony topped up their glasses, and while they ate their meal the conversation was entirely inconsequential. It wasn’t until they had finished their peach Melbas and were drinking their coffee that Tony asked, quite straightforwardly, ‘So what are you going to do now that you’ve left Sampson’s? Have you found another job?’
‘Not exactly.’ He looked puzzled and she hurried on. ‘I mean, I shall do something eventually, but first I have to go to London to sort out the affairs of an old friend of my mother’s.’
How clumsy that sounds ,
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