William Venables was the first to arrive at the Tamara, at exactly nine o’clock. He was the host this evening, reciprocating James’s supper of last week.
Once the waiter had led him to his favorite table, William asked for the wine list and ordered a glass of water.
It was a lovely evening, a reflection of the sunny August day. William enjoyed having James in Hull so much at the moment. He and his father, Clarence Venables, believed James’s idea for an arcade in their fine city had been a stroke of genius. There was no doubt in their minds that it would be a resounding success. They knew that Falconer was quite brilliant when it came to business and were admiring of him.
William’s life had changed quite a lot since his cousin James had arrived for a long period. His only disappointment was that James wouldn’t stay with them. He had declined gracefully, explaining that the B&B was closer to the arcade and more convenient.
Nonetheless, William and James did spend a great deal of time together, going out at the end of the working week. Hull was called the City of Gaiety for a reason and they enjoyed the variety shows, the music halls, and eating out. Of course, the Tamara was their favorite. Saturdays and Sundays were fun.
When Natalie was working in Hull, William enjoyed himself more than ever. He genuinely admired her drive and ambition, and how she handled her independence. And he thought she was beautiful with her luxuriant chestnut hair and soft brown eyes. In fact, he had quite a yen for her.
The problem was Peter Keller, whom he had only recently met. Natalie seemed much taken with him. On the other hand, from what he had observed, Keller seemed reserved, even withdrawn at times. And William had no insight into him.
He did not quite understand the situation between Natalie and Keller, but hoped to find out from James today or tomorrow, when they were spending time together.
Natalie attracted him more than any other woman since his fiancée, who had died suddenly some years ago. She was very much his type, and they seemed to see eye to eye on many subjects. Given a chance he could easily fall in love with her.
He longed to have a wife now, start a family, and be grounded.
A small sigh escaped, as he thought of his loneliness. James had become his best friend over the past few years and they had spent some good times together. He wished his cousin was here in Hull more.
“My goodness, you look very beautiful tonight, Miss Parkinson!” James exclaimed, staring at her in admiration. He was always careful to address her correctly in public.
He had been waiting for her for several minutes in the foyer of the B&B, and now that she had arrived he was captivated.
Natalie was wearing a fashionable summer frock which suited her admirably. Its background was a light cream covered in colorful small flowers. It was cut full in the skirt, had short sleeves and a V-shaped neckline. The fabric was light and the frock billowed around her as she walked.
“Thank you kindly, sir,” she said, and kissed him on the cheek. “I think we’d better get going if you want to stop at the arcade to see Joe.”
“I do. And you’re right.” Opening the front door, they went outside together and headed for the main street. It was still light and, although the bright sky of daytime had dimmed, it was still blue and cloudless. Dusk had not yet descended.
Walking along at a good pace, and in step, they chatted about the progress the builders had made. James was still a bit surprised that there had been recent inquiries about renting. And chuffed about it.
When they reached the arcade, they saw that it was empty. The builders had packed up and gone home. They stopped at the small hut where the night watchman sat. He told them Joe would be walking around the site, on patrol, so to speak.
Within moments, they spotted him and he came over to greet them, his wide grin in place.
“Evening, miss,” he said, inclining his head.
“Hello, Joe,” she responded, with a smile.
He looked at James. “Good evening, Mr. Falconer.”
“Glad to see you, Joe. I have something for you.” Falconer took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it over.
“Thanks, sir, but what is this?” Joe glanced at the envelope.
“I have written you a letter of employment, which allows you to patrol the arcade, at will. I have given you the address of the B and B where I live when I’m in Hull, and the address of Malvern House in London. That’s our main office. You know where the little office is here.”
“Thanks very much, sir.” Joe put the envelope in the inside pocket of his jacket.
Falconer went on. “You should know that Miss Natalie Parkinson is my assistant on the Hull project. She stays at the B and B here, and works at Malvern House in London. The other young lady you met earlier has the same address but has now returned to London. I will be here in Hull all week. By the way, the other young lady is Miss Lucy Charteris.”
Joe nodded his understanding. “So I know where to find yer, Mr. Falconer, night or day. Should I be needin’ yer.”
“That’s correct, Joe. Also, there is some money in the envelope—”
“Oh, Mr. James, yer didn’t ’ave ter do that!” Joe cut in.
“Yes, I did,” Falconer answered. “To tide you by for the moment.”
“Thank yer, Mr. James. Thank yer ever so much.”
James nodded, and took out his pocket watch. “Oh, we must be going. We are meeting Mr. William Venables at the Restaurant Tamara. See you later, Joe. We’ll say good night after supper on our way back.”
Joe grinned, saluted them, and wished them a good dinner.
William stood up and waved to them as Natalie and James walked into the Tamara. He was smiling with pleasure to see that Keller was absent, and was mesmerized by the way Natalie looked. Always lovely, she looked unusually stunning tonight.
Spectacular, he thought, as she walked toward him. Her chestnut hair shone like silk, piled high on her head, and her face was creamy-pink and flawless. The smile in her eyes seemed just for him.
Where was Keller? Well, he didn’t care. He had her to himself tonight, and he was going to make it clear he wanted to take her out next week. Alone.
As for James, he also looked in top form. William noticed the impact they had made on their arrival. And every woman in the restaurant had her eyes on James. He was handsomer than ever, William thought, as he shook hands with James. He then gave Natalie a light kiss on her outstretched hand.
William helped her to sit down, and then he and James sat on either side of her.
“I’ve ordered a bottle of white wine,” William announced. “I know you two have been working all day, and I think a drop of vino helps everyone unwind.”
“How nice of you, William,” Natalie murmured, turning to him, a smile on her face.
“Yes, very kind of you,” James said, then went on. “Peter Keller sends his apologies to you, William. His aunt died and he had to go to her funeral.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for his loss,” William responded, as always correct and polite. But he was pleased Keller was in London and not Hull.
James started to speak as the waiter came to the table and filled their glasses, and once they had clinked them, he said, “You’ll never guess who came to see me today.”
William glanced at him and said, “I hope it was someone you were happy to see…”
“It was indeed!” James declared. “Joe Turner, who used to work at Venables.”
“Of course I know there’s only one Joe in your mind,” William replied with a small laugh. “You don’t have to add his surname. And he’s a good man. Genuine. How was he?”
“He asked for a job and I gave him one. He’s going to patrol the arcade at night. And when the place is finished, I’ll keep him on. As head of security. He’s had a bit of a difficult time, William. A sick wife, no money. He told me Venables let him go.”
William stared at James and said slowly, “Yes, Annie became rather ill, and he was off for a long period. We did let him go but, as for money, we made sure he was all right. It was a shame though.”
The waiter returned to the table with menus, and said he would come back in a few minutes.
Natalie announced, “Irina sends you her best, William. I had a letter from her the other day.”
“Send her my love when you reply,” he answered. “I suppose she’s settled in by now. Is she enjoying Saint Petersburg?”
“They all are.” Laughter bubbled up. “You see, it became a family trip. My parents went along with Aunt Cheska and Irina. Aunt Cheska invited all of us to go. What I mean is she included me and my brother, Sandro. But we had to decline because of work.”
“She is really very generous,” James observed. After a sip of wine, he went on, “She’s also very philanthropic with all her charities. That’s admirable.”
“It is,” Natalie agreed. “She undertook them when her husband Edward Forrester, died—”
“I didn’t know she’d had a first husband!” James exclaimed, interrupting her.
“Oh, perhaps I never mentioned it,” Natalie murmured. “But, yes, she did. She married Edward when she was eighteen. He was twenty years older than her, but a marvelous man. Extremely successful in business. They’d been married about six or seven years when he dropped dead. Just like that. He stood up from the breakfast table one morning, took about three steps, and collapsed. By the time she had run over to him, he was dead.”
“My God, how awful,” James said. “What a shock for her.”
“It was. It had been a good marriage, and she grieved for some time. Then she slowly got better and picked up her life. In his will Edward had a clause that said his charities must be maintained by her. But he left his fortune to her. A huge fortune.”
James thought, so that’s where all her money comes from. Not from Lorne. He felt sure he was correct about that, but he knew it was wiser to remain silent.
The waiter came back, and the three of them glanced at each other. It was Natalie who announced, “I suppose we’re going to order the same as usual?”
William read the menu. “I will have the caviar and blinis as a first course, and I notice they have goulash tonight. That will be my main entree.”
“Sounds delicious.” Falconer glanced at his own menu and chose the hot borscht soup, to be followed by poached salmon. Then he said to Natalie, “I bet you’re going to have the borscht soup and chicken Kiev.” A brow lifted questioningly.
“Of course I am. I can’t resist my Russian favorites.”
Once they had ordered, they sat sipping their wine and chatting about the arcade and its progress, the Venables wine business, and, out of the blue, William brought up James’s twenty-first birthday.
William said, “I suppose your family is giving a party for your big birthday next year. But I’d like to give a bash for you up here. How do you like that idea?”
“Sounds marvelous,” James answered, pleased at William’s show of affection and his generosity. “We can talk about it more nearer the time.”
William looked happy with this answer. As James seemed to drop down into his own thoughts, he addressed Natalie. “I hope this is not a rude or intrusive question, but I was wondering if you have a special relationship with Keller.”
Taken aback for a moment, Natalie didn’t answer for a few seconds, asking herself if she did. No, she didn’t; she realized that now. She said, “No, I don’t. Peter has taken me to supper a few times, and we’ve been at the same events sometimes. But we are only friends. He is very reserved.”
“Then it would be appropriate for me to invite you to supper next week? Just the two of us?”
Although a bit surprised, Natalie looked at William. She noticed the eagerness in his eyes and his hopeful smile. “Yes, it would be lovely to have supper with you, William. Alone.”
William Venables felt a rush of relief mingled with excitement. Deep down he knew she was just the kind of woman he liked, enjoyed being with. He was going to pursue this relationship and stop dithering about her. He had wanted to be with her since the first day he’d set eyes on her. Now the moment was right.