We’ll Meet Again

Anton Du Beke

EMOTIONS are running high, and the future looks uncertain as the staff at London’s exclusive Buckingham Hotel prepare for a war that will bring darkness, danger, duty and sacrifice.

Put on your dancing shoes, polish up the sequins, and glide seamlessly into the glitz and glamour of Mayfair as the shadow of war falls over the luxury hotel which has become the much-loved stage for Strictly Come Dancing star and all-round entertainer Anton Du Beke’s richly nostalgic novel series.

The king of dance – and now king of romance – Du Beke (pictured below) returns to sweep us off our feet and waltz us back in time to the upstairs and downstairs dramas of the residents and staff of the Buckingham Hotel in 1939 as Britain is plunged into war in Europe. We’ll Meet Again is our fourth trip back in time to the music and magic of the Buckingham’s magnificent Grand Ballroom where dreams, dancing and dilemmas are part of everyday life, but where the advent of war is now casting a long shadow over the anxious staff and residents.

In September of 1939, in the days after the declaration of war, the hotel staff are fully aware that they must do all that they can to keep their important guests happy, but behind the scenes they are scared. Away from the glamour of the hotel’s renowned ballroom, they must face the new reality that some of the staff will be leaving home and loved ones to fight on foreign fields, while those left behind will have the responsibilities involved in holding the hotel and the country together.

Newlywed Nancy knows that her brave husband, debonair dancer Raymond de Guise, will want to fight for his country and enlist in the forces. She loves and supports him but cannot help feeling heartbroken at the thought of them being apart, and the dangers he will face.

With a new hotel manager at the helm, and the lights that once lit up nearby Berkeley Square blacked out, no one knows what the future holds but as fashionable society retreats from London and staff depart to sign up for service, one thing is certain… life at the Buckingham will never be the same again. 

We’ll Meet Again delivers the same heady mix of real social and British history and a story filled with nostalgia, suspense, romance and intrigue as the once busy, bustling hotel becomes

determined to keep the music playing and the dancers dancing… gaining one small victory in the midst of wartime. And Du Beke – whose research and inspiration came from speaking to war veterans – doesn’t put a foot wrong as he whisks readers round the ballroom, through the humble staff quarters, and into the opulent guest rooms for another helping of golden age dance, loves, losses and emotion-packed dramas.

As always, the cast of flamboyant characters from all walks of life – not least the delectable Nancy and the debonair Raymond – take leading roles as the hotel’s high-standing reputation is compromised, and the dangers and changes wrought by wartime become more real and urgent with every passing day.

There is music, rhythm and some now trademark fancy footwork in this warm and wonderful story but there is also gritty period detail and Du Beke’s sharp insight into the fears of a country facing its second European war in twenty years, and the comfort and consolation to be gained from friendship, family and camaraderie. But with a promise from the author that there will be more return trips to the Buckingham, the last dance is far from over!
(Zaffre, paperback, £8.99)