'Start from the beginning,' I say calmly, just like an agony aunt. 'When did it all begin?'
'OK, I'll tell you,' whispers Clare, and looks nervously about. 'It was about… six months ago.'
'And what happened?'
'It all began on that Scottish press trip,' she says slowly. 'I was away from home… I said yes without even thinking. I suppose I was flattered, more than anything else.'
'It's the old story,' I say wisely. God, I'm enjoying this.
'If Philip knew what I was doing, he'd go crazy,' she says despairingly. 'But it's just so easy. I use a different name – and no-one knows!'
'You use a different name?' I say, impressed, in spite of myself.
'Several,' she says, and gives a bitter little laugh. 'You've probably seen some of them around.' She exhales sharply. 'I know I'm taking a risk – but I can't stop. To be honest, you get used to the money.'
Money? Is she a prostitute? 'Clare, what exactly are you-'
'At first it was just a little piece on mortgages in the Mail,' she says, as though she hasn't heard me. 'I thought I could handle it. But then I was asked to do a full-length feature on life insurance in the Sunday Times. Then Pension and Portfolio got in on the act. And now it's about three articles every week. I have to do it all in secret, try to act normally…' She breaks off and shakes her head. 'Sometimes it gets me down. But I just can't say no any more. I'm hooked.'
I do not believe it. She s talking about work. Work!
Only Clare Edwards could be such a disappointment. There I was, thinking she was having a steamy affair, ready to hear all the exciting details – and all the time it was just boring old…
Then something she's just said tweaks at my mind.
'Did you say the money was good?' I say casually.
'Oh yes,' she says. 'About three hundred quid a piece. That's how we could afford our flat.'
Three hundred quid!
Nine hundred quid a week! Bloody hell!
This is the answer. It's easy. I'll become a high-flying freelance journalist, just like Clare, and earn nine hundred quid a week. What I have to do is start networking and making contacts at events instead of always sitting at the back with Elly and giggling. I must shake hands firmly with all the finance editors of the nationals and wear my name badge prominently instead of putting it straight in my bag, and then phone them up discreetly when I get back to the office with ideas. And then I'll have ?900 a week. Hah!
So when I arrive at the press conference, I pin my name badge on firmly, take a cup of coffee (no champagne – blast) and head towards Moira Channing of the Daily Herald.
'Hello,' I say, nodding in what I hope is a serious manner. 'Becky Bloomwood, Successful Saving.'
'Hello,' she says without interest, and turns back to the other woman in the group. 'So we had the second lot of builders back, and really read them the riot act.'
'Oh, Moira, you poor thing,' says the other woman. I squint at her badge and see that she's Lavinia Bellimore, Freelance. Well, there's no point impressing her – she's the competition.
Anyway, she doesn't give me a second glance. The two chat away about extensions and school fees, completely ignoring me – and after a bit I mutter, 'Good to meet you,' and creep away. God, I'd forgotten how unfriendly they are. Still, never mind. I'll just have to find someone else.
So after a bit I sidle up to a very tall guy on his own, and smile at him.
'Becky Bloomwood, Successful Saving,' I say.
'Geoffrey Norris, Freelance,' he says, and flashes his badge at me. Oh, for God's sake. The place is crawling with freelancers!
'Who do you write for?' I ask politely, thinking at least I might pick up some tips.
'It depends,' he says shiftily. His eyes keep darting backwards and forwards, and he's refusing to meet my eye. 'I used to be on Monetary Matters. But they sacked me.'
'Oh dear,' I say.
Then the guy I've never seen before plonks himself down next to me. He's got dishevelled brown hair and smells of cigarettes, and is looking around with twinkling brown eyes.
'It's a joke, isn't it?' he murmurs, then meets my eye.
'All this gloss. All this show.' He gestures around. 'You don't fall for it, do you?'
Oh God. Another weirdo.
'Absolutely not,' I say politely and look for his name badge, but I can't see one.
'Glad to hear it,' says the man, and shakes his head. 'Bloody fat cats.' He gestures to the front, where three men in expensive suits are sitting down behind the table. 'You won't find them surviving on fifty quid a week, will you?'
'Well… no,' I say. 'More like fifty quid a minute.'
The man gives an appreciative laugh.
'That's a good line. I might use that.' He extends his hand. 'Eric Foreman. Daily World.'
'Daily World?' I say, impressed in spite of myself.
Gosh, the Daily World. I have to confess a little secret here – I really like the Daily World. I know it's only a tabloid, but it's so easy to read, especially if you're on a train. (My arms must be very weak or something, because holding The Times makes them ache after a while. And then all the pages get messed up. It's a nightmare.) And some of the articles in the 'Female World' section are actually rather interesting.
But hang on – surely I've met the Daily World's personal finance editor. Surely it's that drippy woman called Marjorie? So who's this guy?
'I haven't seen you around before,' I say casually. 'Are you new?'
Eric Foreman gives a chuckle.
'I've been on the paper for ten years. But this finance stuff isn't usually my scene.' He lowers his voice. 'I'm here to stir up a bit of trouble, as it goes. The editor's brought me on board for a new campaign we're running. "Can We Trust the Money Men?"'
He even talks in a tabloid voice.
'That sounds great,' I say politely.
'Could be, could be. As long as I can get past all this technical stuff.' He pulls a face. 'Never been good at figures.'
'I wouldn't worry,' I say kindly. 'You don't actually need to know very much. You'll soon pick up what's important.'
'Glad to hear it,' says Eric Foreman. He peers at my name badge. 'And you are…'
'Rebecca Bloomwood, Successful Saving,' I say, in my best networking manner.
'Glad to meet you, Rebecca,' he says, and fishes in his pocket for a business card.
'Oh, thanks,' I say, hastily reaching into my bag for my own business cards. Yes! I think triumphantly as I hand it over. I'm networking with the national newspapers!
I'm swapping business cards!
Just then the microphones all come on with a
screech of feedback, and a dark-haired girl at the
podium clears her throat. Behind her is a lit-up screen,
with the words SACRUM ASSET MANAGEMENT against a
sunset.
I remember this girl now. She was really Snotty to me at a press briefing last year. But Philip likes her, because she sends him a bottle of champagne every Christmas, so I'll have to give this new pension plan a nice write-up.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' she says. 'My name is Maria Freeman, and I'm delighted to welcome you all to the launch of the Sacrum Asset Management Pension Series. This is an innovative range of products designed to combine flexibility and security with the powerful performance associated with Sacrum.'
A graph appears on the screen before us, with a wiggly red line rising and failing above a thinner black one.
'As Graph 1 shows,' says Maria Freeman confidently, pointing to the wiggly red line, 'our UK Enterprise Fund has consistently outperformed the rest of its particular sector.'
'Hmm,' murmurs Eric Foreman to me, frowning at his brochure. 'So, what's going on here, then? I heard a rumour that Sacrum Asset Management wasn't doing too well.' He jabs at the graph. 'But look at this. Outperforming the sector.'
'Yeah, right,' I murmur back. 'And what sector would that be? The Crap Investments Sector? The Lose All Your Money Sector?
'
Eric Foreman looks at me and his mouth twists slightly.
'You think they're fiddled their figures?' he whispers.
'It's not exactly fiddling,' I explain. 'They just compare themselves to whoever's worse than themselves, and then call themselves the winners.' I point to the graph in the brochure. 'Look. They haven't actually specified what this so-called sector is.'
'Well blow me,' says Eric Foreman, and looks up at the Sacrum team sitting on the platform. 'They're canny bastards, aren't they?'
Really, this guy has no idea. I feel almost sorry for him.
Maria Freeman is droning on again, and I stifle a yawn. The trouble with sitting near the front is you have to pretend to look interested and be writing notes, 'Pensions,' I write, and draw a swirly line underneath. Then I make the line into the stem of a vine and start drawing little bunches of grapes and leaves all the way along.
'In a moment I'll be introducing Mike Dillon, who heads up the investment team, and he'll be telling you a little about their methods. In the meantime, if there are any questions…'
'Yes,' says Eric Foreman. 'I've got a question.' I look up from my grapevine, slightly surprised.
'Oh yes?' Maria Freeman smiles sweetly at him. 'And you are…'
'Eric Foreman, Daily World. I'd like to know, how much do you all get paid?' He gestures with his hand along the table.
'What?' Maria Freeman turns pink – then regains her composure. 'Oh, you mean charges. Well, we'll be dealing with those…'
'I don't mean charges,' says Eric Foreman. 'I mean, how-much-do-you-get-paid? You, Mike Dillon.' He jabs at him with his finger. 'What are you on? Six figures, is it? And bearing in mind what a disaster the performance of "Sacrum Asset Management was last year – shouldn't you be out on the streets?'
I'm absolutely gobsmacked. I've never seen anything like this at a press conference. Never!
There's a kafuffle at the table, and then Mike Dillon leans forward towards his microphone.
'If we could get on with the presentation,' he says, 'and… and leave other questions for later.' He's looking decidedly uncomfortable.
'Just one more thing,' says Eric Foreman. 'What would you say to one of our readers who invested in your Safe Prospects plan and lost ten grand?' He glances briefly at me and winks. 'Show them a nice reassuring graph like that one, would you? Tell them you were "top of the sector?"'
Oh, this is fantastic! All the Sacrum people look like they want to die.
'A press release on the subject of Safe Prospects was issued at the time,' says Maria and smiles icily at Eric. 'However, this press conference is restricted to the subject of the new pension series. If you could just wait until the presentation is over…'
'Don't worry,' says Eric Foreman comfortably. 'I won't be staying to hear the bullshit. I reckon I've got everything I need already.' He stands up and grins at me. 'Good to meet you, Rebecca,' he says. 'And thanks.' He extends his hand and I shake it, without quite knowing what I'm doing. And then, as everyone is turning in their seats and whispering, he makes his way along the row and out of the room.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' says Maria Freeman, two bright spots burning on her cheeks. 'Due to this… disturbance, we will have a short break before we resume. Please help yourself to tea and coffee. Thank you.' She turns off the microphone, climbs down from the podium and hurries over to the huddle of Sacrum Asset Management personnel.
'You should never have let him in!' I hear one of them saying.
'I didn't know who he was!' replies Maria defensively.
'He said he was a stringer for Wall Street Journal!'
Well, this is more like it! I haven't seen so much excitement since Alan Derring from the Daily Investor stood up at a Provident Assurance press conference and told everyone he was becoming a woman and wanted us all to call him Andrea.
I head towards the back to get another cup of coffee, and find Elly standing by the coffee table. Excellent. I haven't seen Elly for ages.
'Hi,' she grins. 'I like your new friend. Very entertaining.'
'I know!' I say delightedly. 'Isn't he cool?' I reach for a posh chocolate biscuit wrapped in gold foil, and give my cup to the waitress to be refilled. Then I take another couple of biscuits and pop them in my bag. (No point wasting them.)
Around us there is an excited buzz of conversation; the Sacrum people are still clustered at the front. This is great. We'll be able to hatter for hours.
'So listen,' I say to Elly. 'Have you applied for any jobs recently?' I take a sip of coffee. 'Because I saw one for New Woman the other day in the Media Guardian, and I meant to ring you. It said it was essential to have experience on a consumer title, but I thought you could say-'
'Becky,' interrupts Elly in an odd voice, 'you know which job I've been going for.'
'What?' I stare at her. 'Not that fund manager job. But that wasn't serious. That was just a bargaining tool.'
'I took it,' she says, and I gaze at her in shock.
Suddenly a voice comes from the podium, and we both look up.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' Maria is saying. 'If you would like to resume your seats…'
I'm sorry, but I can't go and sit back down there. I have to hear about this.
'Come on,' I say quickly to Elly. 'We don't need to stay. We've got our press packs. Let's go and have lunch.'
There's a pause – and for an awful moment I think she's going to say No, she wants to stay and hear about personal pensions. But then she grins and takes my arm – and to the obvious dismay of the girl at the door, we waltz out of the room.
There's a Cafe Rouge around the corner, and we go straight in and order a bottle of white wine. I'm still in slight shock, to tell you the truth. Elly Granger is going to become a Wetherby's fund manager. She's deserting me. I won't have anyone to play with any more.
And how can she? She wanted to be beauty editor on Marie-Claire, for God's sake!
'So – what decided you?' I say cautiously as our wine arrives.
'Oh, I don't know,' she says, and sighs. 'I just kept thinking – where am I going? You know, I keep applying for all these glam jobs in journalism and never even getting an interview…'
'You would have got one eventually,' I say robustly. 'I know you would.'
'Maybe,' she says. 'Or maybe not. And in the meantime, I'm writing about all this boring financial stuff and I suddenly thought, why not just sod it and do boring financial stuff? At least I'll have a proper career.'
'You were in a proper career!'
'No I wasn't, I was hopeless! I was paddling around with no aim, no game plan, no prospects-' Elly breaks off as she sees my face. 'I mean, I was quite different from you,' she adds hurriedly. 'You're much more sorted out than I was.'
Sorted out? Is she joking?
'So when do you start?' I say, to change the subject because to be honest, I feel a bit thrown by all this. I don't have a game plan, I don't have prospects. Maybe I'm hopeless, too. Maybe I should rethink my career. Oh God, this is depressing. My job sounds so grand and exciting when I'm describing it to people like Martin and Janice next door. But now Elly's making me feel like a complete loser.
'Next week,' says Elly, and takes a swig of wine. 'I'm going to be based at the Silk Street office.'
'Oh, right,' I say miserably.
'And I've had to buy loads of new clothes,' she adds, and pulls a little face. 'They're all really smart at Wetherby's.'
New clothes? New clothes? Right, now I really am jealous…
'I went into Karen Millen and practically bought it out,' she says, eating a marinated olive. 'Spent about a thousand quid.'
'Blimey,' I say, feeling slightly awe-stricken. 'A thousand quid, all at once?'
'Well, I had to,' she says apologetically. 'And anyway, I'll be earning more now.'
'Really?'
'Oh yes,' she says, and gives a little laugh. 'Lots more. '
'Like… how much?' I ask, feeling tweaks of curiosity.
'I'm sta
rting off on forty grand,' she says, and gives a careless shrug. 'After that, who knows? What they said is…'
And she starts talking about career structures and ladders and bonuses. But I can't hear a word, I'm too shellshocked.
Forty grand?
Forty grand? But I only earn-
Actually, should I be telling you how much I earn? Isn't it one of those things like religion, you're not supposed to mention in polite company? Or maybe we're all allowed to talk about money these days. Suze would know.
Oh well, sod it. You know everything else, don't you? The truth is, I earn ?21,000. And I thought that was a lot! I remember really well, when I moved jobs, I jumped from ?18,000 to ?21,000, and I thought I'd made the big time. I was so excited about it, I used to write out endless lists of what I would buy with all that extra money.
But now it sounds like nothing. I should be earning forty grand, like Elly, and buying all my clothes at Karen Millen. Oh, it's not fair. My life's a complete disaster.
As I'm walking back to the office, I feel pretty morose. Maybe I should give up journalism and become a fund manager too. Or a merchant banker. They earn a pretty good whack, don't they? Maybe I could join Goldman Sachs or somewhere. They earn about a million a year, don't they? God, that would be good. A million a year. I wonder how you get a job like that.
But on the other hand… do I really want to be a banker? I wouldn't mind the clothes-from Karen Millen part of it. In fact, I think I'd do that really well. But I'm not so sure about the rest. The getting-up-early-and-working-hideously-hard part. Not that I'm lazy or anything – but I quite like the fact that I can go and spend the afternoon at Image Store, or flick through the papers pretending to be doing research, and no-one gives me a hard time. It doesn't sound as if Elly will be doing much of that in her new job. In fact, it all sounds quite scary.
Hmm. If only there was some way that I could get all the nice clothes – but not have to do the scary work. One but not the other. If only there was a way… My eyes are automatically flicking into all the shop windows as I pass, checking out the displays – and suddenly I stop in my tracks.
This is a sign from God. It has to be. I'm standing outside Ally Smith – which has some gorgeous full-length coats in the window – and there's a handwritten sign in the glass pane of the door. 'Wanted. Saturday sales assistants. Enquire within.'
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic Page 10