TIME MACHINE CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
"It's not right" wailed Ethan, "He's just a bloody nurse who can sing a bit and he's going to get that lovely meal."
Cal sighed.
"Ethan, put a bloody sock in it! I'm jealous, if you must know, because he'll meet Taylor Ashbie and she's drop-dead gorgeous. But I'm not kicking off like a whiney little drama queen!"
"He could have taken one of us and not his boyfriend."
"Are you saying that Jess wouldn't be the first one you asked? Get real, Ethan. You're a pain in the butt lately."
"Please" said Jess wearily, "Please stop it, both of you."
It was Cal who hurried over to her and kissed her cheek.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Look, tell you what, I'll go over to the machine later and see if there's anything at all we can do to get it moving."
"Yeah" Ethan grinned nastily, "And then come back here and tell us, and we'll leave bloody Ben behind."
Ethan was going to regret those words before the evening was out.
"Oh Miss Ashbie, it's really you!"
Lloyd and Jamie had waited for Taylor outside the entrance to The Grange, despite the wind that had gathered momentum. Strong gales were forecast for the rest of the week and the organisers were happy that they'd chosen the best night of the week for the concert. At any other time Taylor would have brushed them aside rudely but now she wanted to deflect attention from. So she allowed Jamie to kiss her cheek – which left him in a state of near-ecstasy – and let Lloyd rub close against her. How many lads his age had fondled such a firm breast, after all? She blew kisses to both of them and swept down the hall where an eager servitor had waited to take her coat.
"We did it!" whooped Jamie, "Thanks to those teachers, we're going to have memories to treasure for years to come!"
"If you can get that device back from her when the evening's over" said the more cynical Lloyd.
"Just trust me, pal. I can do this."
"Miss Ashbie, welcome!" the handsome Captain Spiller enthused as he kissed her hands enthusiastically. She wondered who the two men were who stood with him; no doubt two poor sods who would be signing up as cannon fodder later. They were both very attractive in their way.
"May I introduce the young man who will be singing with you later, Mr Benjamin Chiltern?" Spiller said. Taylor looked closer at the dark-haired young man. Lord, he was handsome! She wondered why there was no lady with him.
"Did your wife not attend tonight, Mr Chiltern?" she probed.
"I'm single, and the good doctor here did a kind favour for me so I thought a meal at this wonderful place, and hearing you sing, might be a pleasant reward for him."
She smiled. No wife to get in the way. She wanted to make a little more intimate music with young Benjamin after the concert. He was so innocent looking, it would feel like corrupting an angel and the dark side of Taylor loved that.
Ben had thought long and hard about the two songs he was to sing later. Just two songs, the Captain had told him regretfully, due to time constraints. In reality it had been Taylor herself who, not realising her singing partner would be so attractive, had made sure that she was the star of the show, with the guest given just two solos and a duet with her. She had charmingly explained this to Captain Spiller, blaming a 'demanding agent'. Ben, with his usual open-hearted attitude, was happy to sing two songs. He had chosen "All The Things You Are" and, craftily, "Over the Rainbow", for, even though it came from a much later period in time, had the kind of message of hope and comfort that the people at the dinner would like to hear. He'd just said to the young man who played the piano in rehearsals: "If I sing these can you pick up the tune?" The young man could, and liked them very much.
Taylor had also chosen her music carefully. Nothing of German or Austrian origin, so no Lehar or Strauss. Offenbach seemed the best option. Then two songs with a strong National feeling, and the duet with Benjamin: "Keep the Home Fires Burning". Taylor actually didn't give a damn who won the war as long as she had good food to eat and money in her pocket. And tonight she had a hidden agenda. Her source had told her that there were documents hidden in The Grange that, in the hands of the German army, would cause a major setback for Britain. Taylor had no worries about Britain losing the war; if that happened she had been assured of a good position and home in Germany.
Ben's songs went down well with the crowd, and Captain Spiller was more than pleased with the gamble he'd taken in asking an unknown singer to entertain. There was a sincerity in Chiltern's singing that contrasted well with Taylor's flirtatiousness during the Offenbach adaptation, originally sung in 'La Belle Helene', Offenbach's comical take on the Helen of Troy legend, now the lament of any woman who can't help having affairs despite her best efforts to stop herself. Taylor made the most of the song by flirting with the men in the audience. One thing Spiller did notice was Dr Keogh's apparent resentment as Taylor stroked Ben's cheek in passing. Maybe the good doctor had heard about Taylor's reputation and feared for his friend. Or maybe… well, Spiller thought, none of my business. He did, however, consider having a private word with Ben and Dylan about another subject… enlisting. So many able-bodied young men were needed at the Front.
Taylor slipped out of the little room, carefully locking the door behind her. They were all downstairs, chattering away, and she had the document she needed, such a slim piece of paper that safely slipped inside her dress. Heinrich would pay her well for this soon. Taylor mentally planned her trip to London where she would pass on the information.
As she walked back discreetly into the drawing room she was delighted to see that poor dear Dr Keogh had been cornered by an old officer and was having his ear bent, while Ben stood on the balcony alone.
"Ah, Mr Chiltern, please pardon me, I just came out for some fresh air."
Ben tried not to back away from the heaviness of her perfume, and said easily:
"Well, there's plenty of fresh air all right. The forecast isn't good for the next few days."
The forecast! Did the little numbskull really want to talk about the weather?
"I enjoyed our duet, Mr Chiltern… may I call you Benjamin?"
"Of course, and thank you."
She suddenly moved closer, stroking his arm.
"I think we could make sweeter music together, you and I, if we walk in the gardens."
Ben moved back a little, the smile frozen on his face.
"I think you've possibly made a mistake there", he said a little coldly.
He bowed formally and walked back to the drawing room. Taylor fumed. He would pay for this.
And, half an hour later, she realised just how dearly he would pay.
"A telephone call for you, Miss Ashbie."
The shy young officer indicated the telephone in the vestibule. Taylor thanked him but her heart was pounding. A call could only mean one thing; something had gone very wrong.
The message had been heavily coded, but Taylor had understood it completely. A member of the intelligence corps had been warned that a spy was at the gathering and that a search would be made. She would need to get rid of the document fast, her source had said, if possible, implicate somebody else. Taylor's eyes glittered. She knew just who to palm off the document with. A perfect revenge for Chiltern's rejection.
As Taylor approached Ben, her new act was one of the contrite woman. She came out on to the balcony again, and he, naturally, walked away from her.
"Please" she said softly, "Please hear me out."
The easy tears shone in her eyes.
"I behaved badly back then. Sometimes I feel so lonely and forget myself…"
Ben's innate kindness was his downfall.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek, a gesture of friendship, nothing more. With the dexterity born of her training in such things, she slipped the document into his jacket pocket without his even noticing.
"No hard feelings, Taylor" he said gently, and she could have laughed in his face. Instead she let her lip quiver as she thanked him for his courtesy.
Such a shame, such a handsome young man, but better his skin than hers.
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