Chapter One
May 4, 1951
The weather had been far better than Lady Anya Montgomery could have hoped for. In a few short hours, the Festival of Britain would start, and she had to ensure everything went off without a hitch. Her very livelihood might depend upon it. All right, that was perhaps an exaggeration. Thanks to her father, the Earl of Parkdale, she was independently wealthy, but that didn’t mean she had no goals or ambition. She had been working at the British Film Institute for almost a year as an assistant to one of the women in charge. Anya had also taken several courses at the BFI Film Academy. One day, she hoped to direct and produce her own films…
She rushed into the office with a cup of coffee for her boss. Lady Vivian Kendall was on the phone, sitting on a corner of her desk. She glanced at Anya and waved her in. She had her dark hair plaited and woven into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her cobalt, satin, jacquard dress was exquisite, a full circle skirt and black petticoats underneath giving it a nice flare. She also had a black belt, T-strap heels, and gloves. Anya felt dowdy in comparison in her simple red skirt and white blouse, and plain black Mary Jane’s. She’d wanted to be as comfortable as possible for the long day ahead of her. Clearly, Lady Vivian didn’t know the meaning of comfort. Not in the practical sense anyway.
“See that it’s done,” Lady Vivian said into the phone. “I won’t accept excuses. You know how important this festival is, and we cannot afford to have anything go wrong. It’s already been politicized more than it should be. This is supposed to be a celebration of all things British.” She sighed. “This isneeded. The war was long and brutal and something good, like this event, will be fun will benefit everyone.”
Anya didn’t want to know who she was talking to. They must have imparted some awful news, and she hoped it wouldn’t delay anything in the festival. They had all worked so hard to see it come to fruition. She stared down at her hand, and the opal ring her grandmother had given her. A floral leaf design had been woven on the sides of the silver metal and encircled the round opal at the top. When her grandmother had given it to her, she’d told her to follow her heart. She had kept that advice in mind when she’d taken the position at the British Film Institute.
“All right,” Lady Vivian said. Her voice filled with frustration. “Keep me updated. I’ll be down at the South Bank site soon.” She placed the phone on the receiver and turned her attention to Anya. “Please tell me that is coffee,” she said.
“It is,” Anya answered and handed her a cup. “I thought you might need some. I could get tea…”
Lady Vivian shook her head. “No, coffee is perfect. My mum is American and prefers it, so I’ve developed an appreciation for both coffee and tea.” She smiled. “Are you ready for an exhausting but exciting day?”
“I am.” Anya smiled at her. “I am going to the Telekinema soon. I finished everything here. Is there anything you need me to do before I leave?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m leaving after I finish this coffee. I’ll see you there, and please, have Ben find me immediately. I want to discuss the first set of films we are going to show in the cinema. There are a few small changes that need to be made.”
“All right.” Anya nodded. What changes? They had been discussing everything in detail for months, and the buildings weren’t exactly erected overnight. “I’ll let him know when I arrive at the Telekinema. He should be setting up the first film by now. I trust that one isn’t going to be changed.”
“It’s not,” Lady Vivian confirmed. “Some of the later ones today will be shuffled around. We will still have the same line up, but they are going to be screened in a different order and different days. Unfortunately, the programs already printed cannot be changed. We will make sure to post them on the marquee so the audience is aware of the modifications.”
Anya didn’t have much to add, so she nodded and turned to leave. As she reached the door, Lady Vivian called to her. “Wait.”
“Yes?” Anya asked.
“Did you finish that memo I asked you to write?”
“Of course. Did you want to review it before it’s sent out?” She should have considered Lady Vivian might want to do that. Her boss could be a bit controlling at times. She wanted to examine everything that went out in her name or she had a hand in executing.
“Yes,” she replied as she stared at a document on her desk. “Bring it to me before you leave. If there are any changes, I’ll make notes on it. Either way, I’d like it sent out tomorrow first thing to all the departments.”
Anya went to her desk and pulled the memo out of a stack of typed pages. Most of them had to be put in envelopes and mailed out. They still required Lady Vivian’s signature though, and she wouldn’t want to handle those until she was certain the festival was running smoothly. The letters were not high priority, regardless. With the memo in hand, she returned to the office. “Here it is,” she told Lady Vivian.
“Fabulous,” she said. “Set it there on my desk.”
“Is there anything else?”
“No.” Lady Vivian glanced up and smiled at her. “Go try and enjoy yourself and help me make this day the best for all of Britain.”
“I’ll do my best,” Anya told her. She left Lady Vivian’s office, for good this time, and headed out of the building. Her heart beat fast inside her chest. She didn’t know why, but it seemed like something profound might happen to her. It was probably a silly feeling, but it unsettled her a little bit.
She shook the feeling away as best she could and walked out of the building. If she hurried, she could catch the next bus to South Bank. Anya rushed down the street and stopped near a local bus stop. She didn’t have long to wait until a red double-decker pulled to a stop in front of her. After the doors swung open, she stepped inside and found a seat. It wouldn’t be long until she reached the Telekinema and she’d be able to learn firsthand everything involved in showing films to hundreds of people at a time.
* * *
Anya staredout the window as the bus rolled across some of London’s prominent streets. The trek from Lady Vivian’s building to the South Bank of the river Thames was a short one. Anya’s flat was located between both. Her parents would have preferred she stayed home, but traveling from Mayfair could be tedious at times, and she didn’t particularly wish to purchase an automobile yet. Not when she could walk to most places or take a bus for the longer treks. Perhaps she was an odd society lady in that she didn’t flaunt her wealth. She tried to avoid using her title whenever possible. Lady Vivian was aware of who Anya’s parents were but respected her wishes to drop the lady part of her title. She only used it when she was attending a high society function and it was expected.
The bus came to a stop near the river. She stood to exit, along with several other people. There were lines already at the gate. At least it wouldn’t be a total failure like some people expected. Lady Vivian would be glad to see the crowds. The festival was meant to be celebrated all through the country, but the main festivities were held at the South Bank location. A few different areas presented art, music, science, and film. Even the architecture was designed specifically for the event. No expense had been spared.
Anya went to a back entrance for those that were working the festival. She showed her credentials to the guard, and he let her pass through, straight to the British Film Institute’s pride and joy of the festival. The Telekinema was a four hundred seat state of the art cinema that was completely operated by the British Film Institute. They had plans to screen films, television shows, and even three-dimensional films. This was the first time many of the visitors would ever see any televised pictures, and Anya was excited to bring that to the masses. One day it might become the norm for a large-scale event such as the Festival of Britain.
She wandered to the area where the projector was being set up to show some of the films. Ben stood nearby, talking to one of the ushers that would be working during the showcase. “Tell the rest of the men to stand at the back of the theater once the film starts. No one likes it when their view is disrupted unnecessarily. Your job is to watch the audience and ensure no one is troublesome. Any issues and they are to be expelled from the theater without preamble. Do you understand?”
The young man nodded. “I’ll relay the message.”
