‘Ms Thomas?’
Eve smoothed out her skirt as she stood up. It had been more than a year since she’d attended a business meeting, although they had been a key feature of her work for Karen for nearly two decades. Given that those meetings had been at the behest of someone else, this felt like a momentous occasion. She stepped towards the receptionist, attempting to smile.
‘Yes, hello, that’s me.’
‘The acquisitions officer has a free half hour now. He’s happy to see you straight away.’
Eve followed her through a large glass foyer into the depths of the council building where the light abruptly dimmed and her eyes struggled to adjust. One lift ride later, she found herself entering a meeting room named after someone with a vague connection to the town. The receptionist left with a promise that Christopher Berry would be there in a few minutes and, much to Eve’s relief, he appeared almost immediately. Having prepared for this meeting all morning, she was keen to get it over with.
‘Ms Thomas,’ Christopher said as he shook her hand, ‘it’s a pleasure to meet you finally. I’m sorry for your loss, I know it hasn’t been too long for you.’
‘Did you ever meet Karen?’ Eve queried.
‘Of course, of course. She attended many functions here.’
Christopher’s words were warm enough, but there was an undercurrent of something else. Eve leaned back into her stiff chair and frankly met his gaze.
‘I understand Karen wasn’t the easiest person to work with or, indeed, to communicate with. She was very set in her ways and difficult to speak to if you weren’t exactly on her wavelength.’
Christopher rubbed his chin. ‘I suppose most artists are.’
‘Perhaps, but I’ve never thought artistic genius should preclude basic decency. Anyway,’ she went on rapidly, ‘I don’t wish to waste your time, so I’ll come right to the point. We exchanged emails on a few pieces the council was hoping to acquire for their collection.’
‘Our negotiations were unsuccessful,’ he replied carefully.
‘Yes. You must understand, Mr Berry, that while I nominally handled such things, the final decisions were always Karen’s. May I be permitted to speak candidly with the proviso the words do not go beyond these walls?’
Christopher nodded. ‘Certainly.’
‘I’m afraid Karen always viewed this place as provincial, I’d imagine that’s the best way of putting it. She laboured under the belief that her work should be seen in more prestigious locations than the local gallery. If there was to be a legacy for her, it wouldn’t be in this town.’
‘That’s rather misguided,’ he murmured.
‘And her own opinion entirely, I hasten to add. This town is more than capable of holding its own in the artistic world given half the chance. Indeed, the only way we can improve the situation for emerging artists is for the more accomplished ones to claim it as their territory. Thinking back, I don’t think Karen was overly concerned with cementing a legacy for anyone but herself.’
Christopher pressed his lips together, as though he was weighing up what to say next. Eve waited in silence until he chuckled and cleared his throat.
‘I’m aware you may be setting me a trap here, Ms Thomas, but I’ll bite anyway. I’ve got nothing to lose unless you’re recording this conversation.’
‘I assure you, I’m not. Be as candid as you like.’
‘In all honesty, I found Karen’s opinions of the town to be disrespectful. When we made offers in person - very reasonable ones for a local gallery - she outright rejected them with the intimation she could be persuaded if the fees were higher. I felt blackmailed, as did my predecessor in the role.’
Eve crossed one leg over the other. ‘It wasn’t about the money, it was power. As long as you kept asking and she kept saying no, she was in control. If she allowed an acquisition and suddenly you had the ability to choose where her painting was displayed and what people felt about it, the power wouldn’t be hers anymore. I’m sorry she felt that way, truly.’
‘I appreciate that, thank you.’
‘Now, you must be wondering where I’m going with all this,’ she said after a moment.
Christopher grinned. ‘I am, yes.’
‘I’m here to offer you Karen’s entire unsold collection along with journals, photographs - anything that would make a valuable addition to your gallery and the council’s stock.’
‘That - that’s quite an offer, Ms Thomas.’
‘Don’t mistake it for a gift,’ she warned.
‘No, I wouldn’t, I just . . .’ He trailed off and ran a hand through his neat hair. ‘I do have to ask, though, did you have a figure in mind? You know how stretched council budgets are and we’d need a fairly compelling reason for the acquisition to happen right now rather than in ten years’ time.’
‘In ten years, their value will have increased significantly, you know that.’
‘Well, yes, but that doesn’t negate the expenditure -’
‘It isn’t money I want, Mr Berry.’
‘Then I’m afraid I’m confused,’ he said.
Eve laced her fingers together. ‘I confess, I’m talking in riddles. Let me be a little plainer. I want to do the council a double service, if you will. Hand over Karen’s collection and take a piece of land from them that I know they’re eager to see developed.’
‘I think we’re moving beyond my pay grade here,’ Christoper admitted.
‘Probably, but you can frame the offer appropriately, I’m sure, The piece of land I’m interested in adjoins the railway. It’s long been earmarked as a piece of land suitable for acquisition by the Caldwater Foundation.’
‘The Foundation? Wait a second, are you some relation to Isaac Thomas by any chance?’
‘Yes, he’s my brother.’
Christopher arched an eyebrow. ‘You’re very well connected.’
‘Have you met him?’
‘On several occasions. I know he works very diligently for the Foundation and its aims.’
Eve noted the measured tone with interest and wondered whether there was friction between Christopher and Isaac too. Yet it would be unprofessional for him to speak openly against one of the most respected men in the town and she wouldn’t put him in that invidious position. So, she simply smiled.
‘Absolutely, and I’m equally keen for the Foundation to succeed in its objectives. I know they’ve reached a stalemate over the location of their new leisure hub and that the railway site is the most likely to suit their needs. I’m equally aware of the hoops the Foundation will need to jump through to purchase the land as a charity, and I’d like to circumvent them if I can. You see, if I acquire the land as a private investor and lease it back to them, many of the objections brought about by the council owning the land in the first place will disappear. Isaac doesn’t know about this proposal, by the way. I want it to be a surprise for him and the Foundation, a present of sorts.’
Christopher opened his mouth then closed it again. His composure impressed Eve who might have expected someone in his position to either bite her hand off or react indiscreetly. As it was, he seemed to be considering everything that she had said to the point of complete indecision. She took pity on him and stood up.
‘Listen, I’m not trying to trample you into commitments you have no right to be making. I approached you because of our prior correspondence when you were scrupulously polite and sincere, no matter how negative my responses were forced to be. If this deal does go ahead successfully, Mr Berry, those qualities are the ones that brought it into being.’
He blinked and rose to his feet, offering his hand again. ‘Thank you for that. I’ll pass your offer on to my colleagues and we’ll be in touch.’
Lizzie swung out her arm then brought it back to her side.
No matter how close they’d been over the last couple of days, she wasn’t sure that Eve was ready to show off that they were a couple in public. Funny, Lizzie was the one who’d never been with a woman before, but the whole thing felt natural, like she was where she was meant to be.
She swung out her arm again and, this time, Eve caught hold of it. That was enough to make Lizzie grin, despite the gloomy street and the fact they were about to pitch a completely crazy idea to Jamie with no idea how he was going to react.
‘Have you thought about how you’ll phrase it?’ she questioned.
Eve glanced sideways. ‘I thought I’d ask about his plans and go from there. You know, you don’t have to be present if it’s going to make you uncomfortable. Talking about money can be an awkward business. I’m anesthetised to it after dealing with some of Karen’s outlandish demands, although the worst thing was that some people actually paid those ridiculous sums.’
‘I’d like to stay,’ Lizzie answered as the Majestic appeared in the distance. ‘Might do some good for him to know you’ve talked it through with someone else, even if it’s just me.
‘Don’t diminish your role. I wouldn’t have the courage to do this if it wasn’t for you.’
Eve punctuated that with a long squeeze of her hand and Lizzie ducked her eyes towards the pavement. She still couldn’t get used to Eve thinking stuff like that, even though it left her with a warm tingling in her chest every time it happened.
There was only Jamie in the foyer when they walked through the main doors. He clocked their joined hands and managed a little smile, but his expression sobered as they got to the desk.
‘Is everything all right after the other day?’ he asked.
‘Isaac and I had a few robust discussions about it,’ Eve said, resting her free arm on the desk. ‘In fact, that’s part of what I want to talk to you about.’
Jamie’s brow furrowed. ‘You want the money back, don’t you?’
‘Certainly not. I was hoping to understand what your plans are for this place, beyond the police clearing you and the insurance paying out as they should.’
‘You’re more confident of that than I am,’ he muttered.
‘I admit it’s not straightforward. You know they want the land out from under you. If you can’t show that the Majestic is a going concern, they’ll try every trick they can to persuade you that selling is the right thing to do. Up to and including a compulsory purchase order.’
He scrubbed at his eyes, looking around the foyer for a few seconds. Whatever film was going on in the theatre rumbled behind the doors and Jamie finally sighed, coming around the desk to stand with them.
‘Eve, I’ve tried everything to figure it out. I’ve read all the books on marketing in the library, talked to everyone who might be able to help. It just all comes back to the same thing.’
‘Money,’ she said.
‘Exactly. I haven’t got any, my dad’s not got any. My nan needs what she’s got. I’m not taking any more from her.’
‘What about private investors?’
Jamie sniggered. ‘No chance. I mean, look around. Would you invest in this place?’
‘That’s exactly why I’m here,’ Eve replied.
Lizzie watched Jamie’s reaction, trying to gauge if he was anything other than surprised. It might’ve been in her head, but she thought there was a flicker of relief before his shoulders lowered.
‘I can’t take anything under false pretences. Unless you’ve got a magic wand, there’s nothing we can do. The main thing I wanted was for my nan not to be here when it went down. I wanted her to remember how it’s been all her life, not see the mess I’ve made of it.’
As his voice cracked, Lizzie bit down hard on her lip. She remembered how he was that first night when Paul and his mate had bust his nose, how scared he’d looked. This was worse because it was more that he’d been beaten down over time. It was something she’d seen so much growing up that she instinctively reached a hand out to his arm.
‘Just listen to what Eve’s got to say, yeah? Maybe we can fix it together.’
Jamie clenched his fist at his side then nodded. ‘Okay, I’m listening.’
Although she began hesitantly, Eve soon got into her stride.
Her conversations with Lizzie earlier had served as a reminder that sincerity and honesty were the most important elements of this, so she was clear about the possibility of failure. She was also clear that the idea to turn the Majestic into a community hub was just that - an idea that may or may not be to his liking.
By the time she’d finished, he was silently chewing on his thumbnail. The film that was playing in the theatre had gradually been building in intensity, with bass notes growling through the walls. Perhaps the realisation that the foyer would be flooded with customers shortly prompted Jamie to speak sooner than he would’ve wanted to.
‘It’s crossed my mind before to use the other rooms, make it something different. One of my nan’s mates was talking about bingo and I keep getting asked about a cafe.’
‘But?’ Eve said.
Jamie shook his head. ‘You don’t know how bad it is, how much it’d cost. I’ve had people quote for stuff over the years - it’s insane. I know you’re well off and all that, but it’d be chucking good money after bad.’
‘Even if that were the case, it’s my choice to do that.’
‘I’d be taking advantage,’ Jamie insisted.
Eve risked a glance at Lizzie, seeing her shift her weight from one foot to another. The phrase was becoming familiar now; too familiar almost. Yet she was more equipped to handle it after understanding that neither she nor Lizzie were capitalising on their circumstances. They were grasping an opportunity for something unique between them in the same way that the Majestic could prove to be a singular partnership with Jamie given half the chance.
‘Let me be honest with you,’ she said after a moment. ‘I have the money, that’s not an issue at all. In terms of ready money, I’m selling my house as rapidly as I can. That’s going to yield about half a million, I’d expect, and I only want to reinvest perhaps a third of that into a new property. There are other investments I can cash in over time worth far more than the house but, for an initial investment, I’d be looking at around £300,000.’
Jamie’s jaw dropped.
‘It’s for real,’ Lizzie supplied when he swivelled towards her.
‘Yeah, but why - but what - I don’t -’
‘I want to do this,’ Eve interjected. ‘With your permission, of course, but this is something I want to do. I can see how much you love this place, how much it means to you and Beryl. I would hate to see it levelled by my brother of all people when I possess the means to save it. There’s no way the land can be subject to a compulsory purchase order under the current proposals unless it’s a failing business. Together, we can ensure that it becomes far more than just a cinema. We can do bingo, create a cafe - we can do whatever we want to do with this beautiful building and preserve it for the future.’
As Eve concluded, Jamie just gaped at her. She tried to see it from his perspective, wondering if she sounded like a deranged old woman. Then Lizzie’s hand slipped into her own again, as if she knew what she was thinking. Jamie saw the movement and a weak smile drifted across his face.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ he admitted.
Lizzie cleared her throat. ‘Think about it, that’s all.’
‘I will,’ he promised as he glanced at his watch. ‘Film’s got about ten minutes left. Do you want a hot chocolate making?’
It was easier to retreat into that type of normality. Eve nodded her agreement then stepped away from the desk to give him some privacy, taking Lizzie with her.
‘What do you think?’ she whispered.
‘Like I said, he’s looking for the catch,’ Lizzie answered, resting their shoulders together. ‘But he’s interested. I saw the look on his face before - he’s definitely interested.’