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. There were a few different areas being presented in 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 show screen films, television shows, and even three-dimensional films. It was expected this would be the first time many of the visitors would have ever seen 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.”
“Good,” Ben said. “We open in an hour. Go prepare everyone.”
The festival itself would open to the public in mere minutes. The Telekinema was locked down tight until it officially opened. Lady Vivian would have to be there to give her speeches out front and at the ribbon cutting ceremony shortly after that. Then the public could purchase admittance to the theater and see the movies scheduled for the day.
When the young usher wandered off, Anya went over to Ben and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped. “Christ, Anya, are you trying to make me die young of a heart attack?”
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Lady Vivian asked me to give you a message.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’m naturally jumpy today. What did the boss say?”
Anya relayed the message, and he made notes in his booklet. “All right, I’ll take care of it. Shouldn’t she be here already?”
“There were a few last minute items she had to see to before she left. She’ll be here in time for the big event.”
He didn’t appear happy. Maybe this was aging him prematurely. Ben wasn’t that much older than her. He had at least five years to her twenty-one, but he looked even older than Lady Vivian who would celebrate her thirty fourth birthday in a few months. Ben had dark spots under his eyes, and his skin almost seemed paler than normal. His blond hair probably didn’t help. It was so light it almost appeared white. He ran his hand through those fair locks, leaving a rumpled mess in its wake. “This is complete chaos.”
Anya glanced around her but didn’t see it the same way he did. “It looks like a well-oiled machine to me. Everyone is doing their assigned tasks, and when it is time to open the doors it’ll go smoothly.”
“From your lips to…” he said and glanced up to the ceiling
“…his ears.”
“I doubt we need his approval today.” She wasn’t particularly religious. Anya didn’t want to believe in a higher power or fate. She wanted to make her own way in the world and liked to think she made the decisions, not some all-powerful entity.
“I’ll take any support,” he said simply. “We need this to go well.”
He wasn’t wrong. “It will be fine.” Her tone wasn’t too enthusiastic, but she didn’t know what else to say to him. She wanted to wander around and