Dorothy laughed. “I think it’s marvellous she can do that and sing at the same time. A talented girl. Of course, when she’s edged, she’ll be bound to demonstrate even if she’s not onstage!”
Lilian’s song ended, and Vernon appeared onstage to offer her another cocktail, which he presented with showy gallantry, making a bow as he gave it to her. One or two of Lilian’s audience called out jokes. Lilian grinned mischievously at those who did, took a large swallow of her drink, and handed the glass back to Vernon, dismissing him with a brief wave of her hand, to even greater merriment on the part of those watching. Lilian clearly adored the attention and she knew how to keep it.
Now she spoke into the microphone, her voice unnaturally loud in the room. “You’re a simply top-hole audience. I need to thank Vernon Singleton for asking me to sing here again. He clearly recognises a good thing when he sees it, eh, Vernon?” There was a small cheer from the crowd, who seemed to respond to Lilian’s energy, loving her even when her vanity came to the fore. “For my last song, I’m going to sing a song that I think is the cat’s pyjamas. And I think it’s time you pushed some of those chairs out of the way and danced! When I finish, the band will keep playing. So sip your giggle water, take the hand of whoever’s near you, and dance!”
With her final word, the band struck up again, playing a song clearly written to be danced to. Bouncy and jovial, the words Lilian sang were secondary to the rhythm. And that rhythm spread around the room infectiously, with many couple sliding their chairs to the side and dancing. All of them danced the swivelling, twisting movements Lilian had been performing herself. Evelyn watched, fascinated.
“Don’t feel like a dance yourself?” Dorothy asked her.
“I wouldn’t know how.” Evelyn found she regretted the fact.
“It’s not hard to learn. Ask Lilian to show you. It really is super good fun.”
“I’m sure.” Evelyn wondered if she could make her joints move in the way the dancers were managing. She hoped so.
Dorothy had not finished. “You know, Evie, it’s funny, you being here really makes me see what a performance this all is. Our lives. There’s nothing we do that you can’t learn. How awfully shallow we all are! Isn’t it just shocking?”
“I suppose so.” Evelyn was not really sure how to respond to Dorothy, who seemed intent on offering philosophical interpretations of their day-to-day existence with rather alarming consistency. Evelyn had never known anyone to think so much about the way they lived their life as Dorothy seemed to.
Lilian’s song finished just as Evelyn drank the last of her cocktail, reluctant to drain the glass. It was difficult to say if the gin was affecting her, since she didn’t usually drink gin and she wasn’t really sure just how it was supposed to affect her. She was looking down at her empty glass and assessing if she felt anything different when Lilian returned to the table breathless, her face flushed pink, her skin damp with perspiration, and her eyes shining.
“Brava, my dear,” Dorothy said, without any great enthusiasm.
“Marvellous as ever, Lilian. Sometimes it surprises me you’re my sister.” This was James, whose praise did not sound wholly approving.
“Thank you, both.” Lilian beamed at them and turned to Evelyn. “Well, Evie, what did you think?”
“I found it extraordinary,” Evelyn said, before realising that Lilian might misunderstand. “I mean, you were wonderful, but I’ve never heard anything like it either, so it was also, well, enlightening, I suppose. I’d love to hear more.”
“Oh, you’ll have plenty of chances for that, don’t worry,” James said, good-naturedly. “She sings at every opportunity.”
“I don’t blame her. It must feel just wonderful to be up there, to have everyone in here watching you and dancing with you.”
“Oh and how! You just don’t know until you’ve tried it, Evie!” Lilian spoke loudly, clearly still filled with the energy of her performance.
“I don’t think I’ll ever try anything of the sort. I can’t perform.”
“Oh, fiddlesticks! Everyone can perform in some way. I bet you can sing.”
Evelyn was surprised Lilian didn’t view singing as a unique talent of her own. “Not really. I mean, I used to sing with a choir at my school, but that was years ago now, I was just a girl.”
“Well then, perhaps I’ll give you singing lessons, darling. I love to teach.” Lilian seemed quite taken with her idea.
“Don’t believe her, Evelyn,” James warned. “I once watched her trying to teach our young cousins to speak French. She reduced two perfectly decent children to tantrums in less than half an hour.”
“Hush, brother dear. I’m not offering to teach her French and she’s not ten years old. This is entirely different.”
“That remains to be seen.”
Evelyn smiled, understanding that James was teasing his sister. Something about their relationship made her think of Edward, and a shock of loss and pain made her catch her breath.
“Anyway, you’re scaring Evie,” Lilian declared, glancing at Evelyn with something like concern in her expression. “How about we get more drinks?” She suited the action to the word, standing up and waving across the cafe. “Yoo-hoo, Vernon, dearest? Same again over here, please!”
Evelyn followed Lilian’s gaze and saw Vernon roll his eyes and give a wearied nod of acquiescence. She watched him disappear behind the bar, stopping briefly for a word with a group of people gathered close to the back of the cafe, where a door led through to what Evelyn supposed were the private rooms of the building. The three people laughed good-naturedly and one responded, although Evelyn could not hear what was said. However, her attention was drawn to the speaker. She leaned closer to Lilian, as she settled back in her chair, and gestured towards the back of the room. “Who is Vernon talking to?”
Both Lilian and Dorothy peered in the direction Evelyn indicated. They seemed delighted
