More of My Favourite Job

We all know that Derbyshire has a pretty hilly terrain, and the Lilybank hotel was situated at the top of what seemed at times, to be a small mountain! It could be approached by either one of two very steep roads, with the Lilybank at the apex, and when you bear in mind that hardly anyone had cars in those days, walking around Matlock made for pretty hefty thigh muscles!  At the bottom of one of the roads stood the magnificently named Matlock Ritz.  And no self respecting Pop Star of the Fifties failed to play there!  (but bear in mind that we were now in the Sixties....) The forthcoming events poster proclaimed with much pizazz, that Eden Kane and Sheffield's very own home grown talent, Ron Lindsey and his Group, would be appearing there next  week. 

Just for a laugh, myself and some of the other young people who worked at the Lilybank, thought it would be good fun if Eden Kane came to stay here, so, never one to resist a challenge, I left a letter for him with the manager of the Matlock Ritz. 

 It was whilst I was having my lunch break a few days later, that one of my fellow conspirators came rushing in - "Guess who's in the bar, looking for you?"  I almost choked on my crumble - not because Eden Kane had actually come to the Lilybank, but because he had caught me in my dowdiest clothes and no make-up!  It took no persuading at all to ask her to keep him talking whilst I dashed up to my room to  make myself more presentable.  Meanwhile, Eden booked into the hotel. We met in the bar and  had a bit of a laugh about the letter.  He was performing that evening, but said he'd come in the bar afterwards, and he did.  But what had started out as a bit of innocent fun, somehow changed.   His advances were unwanted, but it's always difficult to get this over to any guy, let alone a Pop Star, who was no doubt used  to getting what he wanted.  I escaped to my room up on the top floor, which was where the staff lived. When the  knock came, I refused to answer it at first, until a female voice giggled "It's only me - let me in".  It was Joan, one of the waitresses. "He's knocking on all the doors, looking for you", she whispered.  We giggled conspitatorily, it was all just a bit of fun, wasn't it?  We peeped out of the door, and finding the coast clear, decided we would all congregate in one room. 

One of our habits was to gather in someone's room, after the evening shift and play cards, so this is what we decided to do, but, for once, kept the noise down, so that we could listen for footsteps in the corridor.  We could hear someone knocking on each of the doors, and my name being called, eventually, afraid that his activities would draw the unwelcome attention of the managers, one of the lads went out to tell him that everyone, including me, had gone to the chinese restaurant in Matlock Bath - another of our after work habits.  This seemed to work, and eventually we all went back to our own rooms, but every time I heard a floor board creak out in the corridor, I held my breath.  I didn't want any trouble - and Eden seemed a like a very determined character.  He left the next morning.  Perhaps eventually realising that his kind of 'fun' wasn't mine!