Page 189 of Edge of Eternity (The Century 3)

Dave was distraught. "All my friends are coming!" he said. He was thinking of Linda Robertson in particular.

Curly said: "I'm sorry about that."

Dave turned to Lenny. "Be reasonable," he said. "What's in a name?"

"It's my group, not yours," said Lenny stubbornly.

So that was the issue. "Of course it's your group," said Dave. "But you taught me that the customer is always right." He was struck by inspiration. "And you can change the name back to the Guardsmen tomorrow morning, if you want."

Lenny said: "Naah," but he was weakening.

"Better than not playing," said Dave, pressing his advantage. "It would be a real comedown to go home now."

"Oh, fuck it, all right," said Lenny.

And the crisis was over, to Dave's intense relief and pleasure.

They stood at the bar drinking beer while the first customers trickled in. Dave limited himself to one pint: enough to relax him, not enough to make him fumble the chords. Lenny had two pints, Geoffrey three.

Linda Robertson showed up, to Dave's delight, in a short purple dress and white knee boots. She and all Dave's friends were legally too young to drink alcohol in bars, but they went to great lengths to look older, and anyway the law was not enforced strictly.

Linda's attitude to Dave had changed. In the past she had treated him like a bright kid brother, even though they were the same age. The fact that he was playing at the Jump Club turned him into a different person in her eyes. Now she saw him as a sophisticated grown-up, and asked him excited questions about the group. If this was what he got for being in Lenny's crummy outfit, Dave thought, what must it be like to be a real pop star?

With the others he returned to the dressing room to change. Professional groups usually appeared wearing identical suits, but that was expensive. Lenny compromised with red shirts for everyone. Dave thought that group uniforms were going out of fashion: the anarchic Rolling Stones dressed individually.

Plum Nellie were bottom of the bill, and played first. Lenny, as leader of the group, introduced the songs. He was seated at the side of the stage, with the upright piano angled so that he could look at the audience. Dave stood in the middle, playing and singing, and most eyes were on him. Now that the worry about the group's name was out of the way--at least for the moment--he could relax. He moved as he played, swinging the guitar as if it were his dance partner; and when he sang he imagined he was speaking to the audience, emphasizing the words with his facial expressions and the movements of his head. As always, the girls responded to that, watching him and smiling as they danced to the beat.

After the set, Byron Chesterfield came to the dressing room.

He was about forty, and wore a beautiful light-blue suit with a waistcoat. His tie had a pattern of daisies. His hair was receding either side of an old-fashioned brilliantined quiff. He brought a cloud of cologne into the room.

He spoke to Dave. "Your group is not bad," he said.

Dave pointed to Lenny. "Thank you, Mr. Chesterfield, but it's Lenny's group."

Lenny said: "Hello, Brian, don't you remember me?"

Byron hesitated a moment, then said: "My life! It's Lenny Avery." His London accent became broader. "I never recognized you. How's the stall?"

"Doing great, never better."

"The group is good, Lenny: bass and drums solid, nice guitars and piano. I like the vocal harmonies." He jerked a thumb at Dave. "And the girls love the kid. You getting much work?"

Dave was excited. Byron Chesterfield liked the group!

Lenny said: "We're busy every weekend."

"I might be able to get you an out-of-town gig for six weeks in the summer, if you're interested," Byron said. "Five nights a week, Tuesday to Saturday."

"I don't know," said Lenny with indifference. "I'd have to get my sister to run the stall for me while I was away."

"Ninety pound a week in your hand, no deductions."

That was more than they had ever been paid, Dave calculated. And with luck it would fall in the school holiday.

Dave was annoyed to see Lenny still looking dubious. "What about board and lodging?" he said. Dave realized he was not uninterested, he was negotiating.

"You get lodging but not board," Byron said.

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