‘Then would you allow me to accompany you?’ he asked.
He was starting to remind her a little of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins . She wasn’t sure it was entirely proper to pick up an escort for a wedding at the ceremony itself, but arriving with a total stranger had to be better than arriving alone.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘That would be lovely.’
Ted held out his arm for her to loop hers through. This felt horribly intimate, but he was grinning as if the whole thing was one jolly jape, so Evelyn decided to go with the flow. She gave a little curtsey, bowed her head and accepted his arm. Then the pair of them followed the other guests out on to the street to head to the George and Dragon, where there was to be a finger buffet and dancing until closing time.
The pub wasn’t far from the register office. Evelyn had tried to memorise the route from her A to Z so she wouldn’t have to ask anyone, but as it turned out there was no need. Ted had it covered.
‘Come on,’ he said as he led her along, their arms still linked. ‘I can get us there.’ He pointed down an alley that was stacked with wooden packing cases and empty apple boxes. ‘There’s a shortcut down here.’
Evelyn eyed the narrow alley with suspicion, but Ted added, ‘Don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe. I know this part of town like the back of my hand. I have to do deliveries round here for my boss.’
‘What do you deliver?’ asked Evelyn, curious to learn something of her new companion.
‘Oh, this and that,’ he replied non-committally. ‘Trust me. Sneaking down this way cuts a good five minutes off the walk.’
Without waiting for her to object, he pulled her down the alleyway and for the first time Evelyn began to feel uncomfortable. She could hear her sister Joan’s voice in her head, warning against going off down dark alleyways with strange men, and for once she knew Joan would be right. It was madness to follow him. She should say something, refuse to go that way and insist on sticking to the main roads, but it felt rude to object when he was being so kind as to escort her. And anyway, Ted felt like someone she could trust, and she considered herself to be a good judge of character. Then, before she could get too cocksure about her own perspicacity, her tricksy mind pulled her back to the Hilton Hotel. She had been wrong then, totally wrong.
There was nothing she could do about it now, however, so she allowed herself to be led along, all the while trying to make a mental map of where she was in case she had to retrace her steps at speed. But there was no need. Soon enough they emerged back on to a bustling main road and found themselves right outside the George and Dragon.
‘There you go,’ Ted said, grinning like the cat that got the cream. ‘Told you. Like the back of my hand.’
He opened the wooden swing door and held it for her so that she could go in first. She shuffled inside, pausing after a few feet whilst her eyes adjusted to the gloom. The pub was full of men, all nursing pints and cigarettes. The stench of stale beer, stale tobacco and grime wafted up out of the semi-darkness, making her feel queasy. She thought she might just retreat outside for some air, but Ted was at her back and guiding her steadily towards the bar.
‘Just over here,’ he said as he steered her forward. ‘The function room’s up those stairs.’
Upstairs the air was a little clearer and Evelyn immediately felt better. The room was about half full, and she recognised a few of the outfits as belonging to other wedding guests, although none of the faces were familiar. Then she saw Jim, looking too hot in the suit that must have been his one concession to his parents. She gave him a little wave.
‘Evelyn!’ he called over to her, and one or two people looked round. This pleased her. She imagined that Brenda and Jim might have told some of their guests that the actress Evelyn Mountcastle would be coming to the wedding.
‘And you’ve met our Ted, I see,’ Jim added as they got closer to him.
Our Ted? Evelyn wondered if the two men might be related, but then Jim went on to explain.
‘Ted and me was at school together,’ he said. ‘He was a bit of a rascal.’
Out of the corner of her eye, Evelyn saw Ted pull a face, objecting to Jim’s description of him. He must have been trying to make a good impression on her. It was sweet, really.
‘But he’s pulled his socks up since then,’ Jim continued, eager to correct any misapprehension, ‘and now you couldn’t hope to meet a finer citizen.’
‘No need to lay it on with a trowel, mate,’ said Ted. ‘Evelyn and me are getting along just fine without your introductions.’