I smile and pull him close. “That’s what they’re emulating. They’ve taken over all sorts of venues, apparently. They set up and then pull it all down the next day and move on to another venue.” I look around. “I must say this is a good place, though. Very atmospheric.”

I pull him through the crowd to the bar, and after consulting him, I buy us each an Old Fashioned. We move off to a gilt table tucked in the corner with a view over the dance floor. A lively tune is playing, and for a few minutes we sip our drinks and watch people dancing. It reminds me of an old newsreel film, watching the almost courtly movements. Very different from a nightclub.

Jesse edges close to me, throwing his arm around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. “I love it,” he says fervently. “This is amazing.”

I shoot him a look. He’s so beautiful this close up. “You really like it?”

He nods. “I’ve never done anything like this before. Thank you, sweetheart.”

“I thought we vetoed the endearments,” I say hoarsely, ignoring the thrill that went through me at hearing it.

He kisses me quickly and pulls back, leaving the faint taste of his cocktail on my lips. I lick over the taste.

“You vetoed it. I didn’t,” he says calmly and takes a sip of his drink. “Okay, why this for a date?”

“I wanted to do something different. I’d heard about this club where you pay membership, and they organise this, and thought you’d get a kick out of it.”

“I do,” he assures me, his eyes dark and shiny in the candlelight. “I really do.”

“And I like this era,” I say slowly. “It’s fun to dress up like this and be a part of this.”

“Why this era?”

I hum contemplatively. “It was a very glamorous time,” I finally say. “It reminds me of my grandfather. He used to sing in the clubs. He was offered a recording contract at one point. They wanted to set him up to rival Frank Sinatra.”

“Did he get it?”

I shake my head. “No. They wanted him to go to America and he’d met and fallen in love with my grandmother by then.”

“Did he regret it?”

“No, never. I asked him once and he said what could Hollywood offer him that he couldn’t find with my grandmother. He said no woman could ever have been more beautiful than her. It must have been the right decision. They were married for sixty years.” I shrug. “I think they were a bit nonplussed by my father’s matrimonial habits.”

He snorts. “Just a bit.” He takes off my hat and brushes my hair back from my forehead, his fingers cool against my skin. “Were you close to them?”