by Rosie Harris
‘Not at all.’ There was so much more she wanted to add but once again an inner caution made her hold back. She knew he had always cared for her but at this moment she didn’t want to complicate their relationship in any way; not when they were about to start up in business together.
Chapter Thirty-five
Cardiff had never looked so splendid, Fern reflected as they walked towards the city hall, all the relevant documents that were needed to register their dance studio and qualify for a licence safely packed into her large handbag. She never thought she’d get to this point and even now it seemed like a dream.
The Portland Stone edifice with its imposing clock tower gleamed like a welcoming beacon in the winter sunshine. To her mind, the winged dragon over the main entrance symbolised power; the power to achieve anything you set your heart on doing.
Rhodri had suggested that it might be better if he went on his own to deal with the officials on a man-to-man level but for once she had refused to let him assume responsibility.
‘We’re in this together,’ she’d stated resolutely.
‘I was only trying to be helpful,’ he pointed out. ‘I know it’s your money and your idea, but you know what officials are like; they prefer to deal with men.’
‘Then they are going to be disappointed, because I intend to be there and to have my say if necessary.’
‘If you want to impress them that much perhaps you should wear one of your revealing costumes,’ he laughed.
As it was she was dressed almost as soberly as he was. She’d chosen a plain navy skirt, pin-tucked white cotton blouse, a navy-blue coat and hat and sensible black shoes.
‘You look more like a school marm than a dancer,’ Rhodri teased when she made no reply.
‘No, I look like a businesswoman,’ she told him sharply.
When it came to the actual registering of the business, Rhodri admitted afterwards, he was glad she’d been there as well. Her responses to the sharp questioning about what was involved in their dance scheme were so much more concise and knowledgeable than his would have been. Once it became clear that she was the one who was going to answer his questions the official had treated her with the greatest respect possible.
When everything was signed and sealed the atmosphere between them was so friendly that he even asked her informal questions about the Folies Bergère and seemed to be very impressed when she told him that she’d been a solo dancer there.
Before they left, Fern invited him to come along to their opening evening as their guest. ‘I will be giving a demonstration dance which I think you would enjoy watching,’ she told him.
‘In that case then I will most certainly be there,’ he told her gravely. ‘Would it be in order for me to bring along a colleague?’ he asked, his eyes twinkling.
‘You certainly carried the day there,’ Rhodri told her admiringly as they left the building. ‘We really are in business at last so why don’t we have lunch somewhere special to celebrate?’
Fern was on the point of refusing and reminding him of all the hundred-and-one jobs that still needed their attention before they opened. Then she remembered how hard Rhodri had worked over the last few weeks and accepted his suggestion.
He had been so practical as well as enthusiastic right from the very beginning that she knew she could never have achieved so much working alone. She was more than grateful to him for the way he had not only compiled all the work that would have to be carried out but also listed what it was all going to cost so that they didn’t overspend.
He had kept within their very tight budget by carrying out almost all of the preparatory work himself. He had decorated their new premises from top to bottom and laid a new floor in the room they intended using as a dance studio. In between doing all that he’d also negotiated a deal with his former suppliers for stock so that they would be able to open the music shop at the same time as the studio.
Working together they had turned the attic rooms at the very top of the building into cosy living accommodation for them both. As well as sharing a good-size living room and adjoining kitchen they also each had their own bedroom.
They had agreed from the very start that everything to do with the dance studio and the shop must be contained downstairs. Behind the shop was a storeroom and behind the dance studio a cloakroom for patrons and a tiny slip of a room that was to be Fern’s office. When they came up to their ‘sanctuary’ it was to relax.
A special lunch would be a wonderful way to celebrate the culmination of all their hard work. It would also give them the time to talk over any final last-minute changes they thought necessary in respect of the grand opening they were planning at the weekend. They also had to finalise a day for the professional signwriter to bring along the work they’d commissioned him to do. Fern was very much looking forward to seeing the name MARIA’s DANCE ACADEMY appear in gold lettering above the front of the premises.
‘It’s a bit early for lunch, even a special lunch,’ she demurred looking up at the city hall clock. ‘Why don’t we take a stroll around Cathays Park first; that’s if you don’t mind being seen out with someone who dresses like a school marm?’
‘I don’t mind how you are dressed,’ Rhodri told her, ‘not as long as we’re together.’ He took her hand and squeezed it. ‘I think we make a wonderful team, don’t you?’
Fern let his question hang on the air and they walked around the beautifully laid-out park. Some of the flower beds were already showing signs of spring; displays of golden daffodils and multicoloured polyanthus, crocus and early hyacinths made glorious patches of colour against the fresh, crisp green of the grass.
When they reached the Temple of Peace the gleaming white mausoleum-style building that had been built in memory of those brave soldiers and sailors who’d died between 1914 and 1918, they stood for a moment in silent contemplation.
Fern’s thoughts were of Glanmor and she wondered what he would think of her latest enterprise. She recalled how jealous he’d once been of Rhodri.
Fleetingly, Fern wished that it was Glanmor who was walking by her side but since that could never be she owed it to his memory and to Maria’s to make a success of her venture and with Rhodri at her side she knew she would. She would never forget how he had kept Maria’s money safe and untouched even though there must have been times, when his own business was failing, when he must have been desperate to use it. Now they were partners and she owed him her loyalty in thought as well as action.
Fern enjoyed their celebratory meal. They toasted each other and raised their glasses to the success of their new venture before tucking in to the delicious spread that they had ordered.
‘We really must get back to work, there’s still so much to do,’ Fern sighed after Rhodri had paid the bill.
‘Agreed!’ As Rhodri pushed back his chair the waiter hurried over with their coats and helped Fern into hers.
On impulse she handed him an invitation to their opening the following Saturday night and was delighted by his enthusiasm when he read what it was all about.
‘Well, we know that at least there will be two people in the audience now,’ Rhodri said, grinning, as they left the restaurant.
‘There will be a great many more than that once the posters go up,’ Fern told him confidently.
The next few days were so hectic that they hardly had time to eat, let alone sleep.
‘I think we should pack in now and have an early night,’ Rhodri commented on the Friday night. ‘If we carry on at this rate then you’ll be too tired to dance at our opening tomorrow,’ he added as they both yawned heavily. It was quite late in the evening and they had been selecting the gramophone records they intended playing on the opening night and stacking them up in readiness alongside the gramophone which was on a small raised platform at one end of the dance floor.
‘Not a bit of it. I will be so excited and keyed up that the problem will be stopping me once I get started,’ Fern told him.
‘In that case the
re is still one more thing we have to check out and that’s the demonstration dances we are going to do together tomorrow night.’
Fern looked at him in astonishment. ‘Why ever do we need to do that? We won’t have any problems; it’s like breathing; it’s natural for us to do things together.’
‘Well, we haven’t danced together for a very long time; the last time I took you to a proper dance was before you went away over five years ago.’
‘We’ve danced together since then; the night I put my Folies Bergère costume on and gave you a demonstration.’
Rhodri didn’t answer but went over to the gramophone and selected a record, placed it on the turntable, and lowered the needle on to it. As the strains of a Viennese waltz poured out into the room he turned and held out his arms to her.
As they circled the floor in time to the music Fern found that her tiredness seemed to ebb away leaving her in a pleasantly blissful state. She let her thoughts drift and rested her head against Rhodri’s shoulder as they circled the floor.
When the music stopped Rhodri went on holding her in his arms and when she made no resistance his lips found hers. Her response seemed to inflame him and it took a supreme effort from both of them to draw apart.
‘I think you were right, I probably should have an early night, tomorrow is our big day and I’m sure we’ll find countless things that need our attention in the morning,’ Fern said. Quickly she moved towards the door. Her heart was thudding crazily and she wasn’t too sure what her response would be if she stayed there any longer and Rhodri tried to make love to her.
‘This has to be a business partnership and nothing else. Unless we both concentrate all our efforts physically and mentally into making it a success we might very well fail. It’s a new venture for both of us so we need our wits about us,’ she told her reflection in the mirror when she reached her own room and had shut the door firmly behind her.
The opening evening was a tremendous success. Fern couldn’t believe how well everything had gone and even Rhodri was impressed by the number of people who had turned up. There were so many more than they had expected that at least twenty were standing because there were no available seats.
Fern’s opening solo, with her wearing one of the glamorous costumes that she’d worn at the Folies Bergère and brought back with her as a memento, never expecting to wear it again, was an overwhelming success and met with cheers as well as hearty hand clapping.
The demonstration dances they performed together were carried out in perfect accord. Fern felt that she was under an incredible strain, though, because she was so aware of being in Rhodri’s arms and pretty certain that he was feeling the same way.
Those attending had been given a glass of wine before the proceedings had started and Fern was sure this had done a great deal to help towards the goodwill and interest everybody showed. Proof came at the end of the evening when twelve of the people there immediately signed up to come to the first classes that they would be holding.
When the door closed behind the last of their audience they exchanged smiles of satisfaction. Rhodri led Fern back into the empty room and placed a record on the gramophone, knowing that they were far too keyed-up to sleep. As the strains of the waltz they’d been dancing to the night before drifted across the room he took her in his arms and once again she let her head rest on his shoulder.
This time, when the music stopped, she didn’t pull away from him but stayed in his arms and gave a deep sigh of contentment.
‘A tremendous success and a perfect evening,’ he murmured, his lips against her hair.
‘Yes, you were right, we really do make perfect partners,’ she agreed, looking up at him and smiling.
‘Does our partnership have to remain a strictly business arrangement?’ he asked hopefully. ‘You surely know how I feel about you; how I have always felt about you from the first day you came to help Maria.’
‘I’m not sure; I think it might be detrimental to our business dealings if we let our personal feelings take over,’ Fern murmured. Inwardly she was zinging with happiness because he’d told her he loved her and she knew that she felt the same way about him.
‘On the contrary, I think our business might benefit,’ he told her gravely. ‘We could share so many more thoughts if we were married and together all of the time.’
‘Mmm!’ Playing for time she pretended to be giving his remark some deep thought. Tonight had been a revelation of how well they worked as a team and how her feelings towards him had changed from merely wanting him as a good friend and working partner to someone she loved deeply.
‘Come on,’ Rhodri coaxed, ‘you know it’s what you want as much as I do. You can’t go on mourning for Glanmor for the rest of your life. I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to do that and I know Maria would want us to be happy,’ he added forcefully.
She knew that was true; Maria had tried hard to push her and Rhodri together and had always been telling her what a fine man he was and what a good husband he would make. If that was the case, she wondered why he had never married.
As if reading her thoughts Rhodri went on in a very serious tone, ‘I’ve waited all these years for you, Fern; there’s never been anyone else for me, not since the day Maria introduced us. I knew then that I didn’t stand a chance because you’d already given your heart to Glanmor but I’ve never stopped hoping that perhaps one day you might change your mind. I’ve always thought of you as being my perfect partner.’
Fern smiled. ‘Well, that’s come true in a way. Tonight we’ve proved how very successful we can be working together. It’s going to take time and a lot of hard work, but I’m sure that together we can build Maria’s into something outstanding.’
‘As long as we stay together,’ he muttered. ‘I’m not sure that I can tolerate our present situation; not any longer. If I have to go on seeing you and working so close to you day in and day out then I want us to become complete partners.’
Fern bit down on her lower lip; she knew quite well what Rhodri was leading up to but she didn’t answer him because she couldn’t trust her voice.
The very thought of not having him by her side filled her with alarm. In the past weeks she had come to rely on him so much that she knew that if he walked away then she wouldn’t know what to do. She needed him; he meant so much more than a mere business partner.
‘We are complete partners; I promise I will always consult you before making even the slightest change in our set-up,’ she said with a bright smile.
‘That’s not what I am talking about and you know it,’ he said abruptly. ‘Fern,’ he pulled her into his arms, ‘I love you deeply and I know you have feelings for me. This is a new start for both of us and I want us to be married as soon as we can arrange it.’
Before she could answer his mouth was on hers, silencing any protests she might try to make; sealing their future with a deep, intense kiss. As she submitted to his embrace she knew it was time to let go of the past; Glanmor would always have a special place in her memories but now, she couldn’t imagine life without Rhodri being part of it.
Epilogue
1927 was a difficult year bringing hardships to most people because of the continued after effects of the General Strike. Even so, due to Fern and Rhodri’s hard work, determination and optimism Maria’s thrived.
When baby Maria was born, she soon became one of the attractions. Tucked up cosily in her basinet in a safe corner of the dance floor, little Maria slept soundly as Fern danced or instructed. If she wakened there was always someone to talk to her until Fern was free to attend to her.
Later when she could sit up and watch what was going on around her, she would clap her hands in delight and chortle with excite-ment if either Fern or Rhodri swept her up in their arms and pirouetted around the floor with her.
Three years later, when baby Glanmor was born, the routine was much the same. He was a placid baby and loved nothing better than to watch his little sister dancing to the music or being s
wirled around in their parents’ arms.
Fern was so happy that there were times when she wondered if it was all a sublime dream; then one of the children would demand attention and she was quickly brought back to reality as she combined her role as dancer with that of wife and mother. Life was good.