by Susan Lewis
Lifting a hand to signal the waiter, he ordered two glasses of the best they could offer, and turning back to her said, ‘So how surprised were you to find yourself cast in the role of Marianne Rhodes?’
Her eyes widened. ‘On a scale of one to ten, I think that would be a twenty,’ she told him wryly. ‘I didn’t even know Marianne’s name at that point, so I had no idea I was being considered for any other part than the one I was up for.’ Her eyes narrowed playfully. ‘Did you?’ she ventured.
Seeming almost pleased by the challenge, he said, ‘Not at first, but when I saw you again at the audition it occurred to me that we should at least bear it in mind.’
Recalling the way he’d whispered to Marlene at the start of the interview, she said, ‘Am I allowed to ask if the others agreed, or did you have some persuading to do?’
‘Some,’ he admitted, ‘but not much after the screen tests came in. The decision was unanimous then. Actually, for a beautiful woman you photograph extremely well, which isn’t always the case, as I’m sure you know.’
She did, but slightly embarrassed by the compliment, she dropped her eyes to his hands, bunched on the table. Then, realising their elegant masculinity was also having an effect on her, she looked at him again, saying, ‘I shall be doing my utmost to make sure you don’t regret your decision. I’m starting riding lessons on Friday, by the way.’
‘Good. I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble coming up to the standard we need for on-camera, because there are plenty of ways to make you appear an expert in the saddle. And I’m pretty sure you’re going to be pleased with the horse we’ve cast to play alongside you. He’s an eight-year-old Arabian stallion whose lineage, I’m told, can be traced back to the Bedouins. I’ll go so far as to say that when you see him you might feel you’re in the presence of equine royalty. He’s magnificent.’
As such a vital part of the amazing new world she was entering into, Susannah was as excited about meeting the horse as she was about meeting anyone else. ‘What’s his name?’ she asked. ‘I know in the series he’s Silver, but in life?’
He grimaced. ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to ask someone else, I don’t have that information. However, to quote one of the directors, together you’re going to make a visual feast with your blonde hair and the horse’s silvery colouring. Thank you,’ he said, as a waiter set down their champagne. Then, raising his glass, ‘I guess we should drink to you, Marianne, Silver and Larkspur.’
She smiled into his eyes. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly. ‘To everyone involved in the Larkspur Centre of Equitation.’
As their glasses touched his eyes remained on hers, and feeling a slight dissembling sensation inside her she looked down as she sipped.
‘Do you ride?’ she asked, putting her glass back on the table.
He nodded. ‘I have several horses at my home in Derbyshire.’
She looked surprised. ‘Does that mean you live near where we’ll be shooting?’
‘About ten miles away, but I’m generally only there at weekends. During the week I’m here, in London, or in Europe or the States.’
She wanted to ask what his house was like, if it was where he’d lived with Rita Gingell and what kind of relationship he had with her now, but it would be wholly inappropriate to start digging into his private life, so she merely said, ‘You evidently travel a lot.’
‘More for business than pleasure, unfortunately. How about you?’
She almost laughed. ‘Hardly ever,’ she said. ‘I have a daughter, Neve, at school and … Do you have children?’
He nodded as he sipped. ‘Three. Two sons and a daughter. Thomas, Elinor and Christian. Thomas is on a gap year at the moment. The last I heard, which was yesterday, he was still in Thailand. The other two are at boarding school during the week and either come to me at the weekend, or to their mother.’
‘Rita?’
‘That’s right. She lives in Cumbria now with her new partner and his children. Occasionally they all come down to Derbyshire so we can get together as a family – or families – for the weekend, but it doesn’t happen often.’
‘That sounds as though your break-up was amicable.’
‘Not at the time it was happening, but we’d reached the end of the road as a couple, so there was no point stringing it out. How about you? You’re married, I believe.’
‘Yes, but we’re not together any more.’ She took another sip of champagne, and was on the point of telling him about Alan when the menus arrived, and by the time they’d decided what to eat the subject had returned to the programme.
‘Ordinarily,’ he said, picking up his glass again, ‘Marlene would be taking you to lunch now, but as she’s one of the topics I want to discuss with you, she was happy for me to meet with you instead.’ He took a sip and continued. ‘She, and the two series producers, will be hosting a lunch for the others next week, by the way, which you’ll also be invited to. Today … Well, I wanted to start by talking to you about rumours you may already have heard …’ He stopped expectantly.
She shook her head.
‘If you haven’t, then I’m sure they’ll come your way soon enough. There are some murmurings on the industry grapevine that I coerced Marlene into casting you against her better judgement. I want to stress here and now that this isn’t true. Marlene was completely supportive of your casting, and frankly had she not been it wouldn’t have happened, because there would be no point in me sanctioning a series where the executive producer was unhappy with the choice of a leading character.’
‘No, of course not,’ Susannah mumbled, appalled to think that a few malicious minds were turning her casting into something so embarrassing for him and humiliating for her.
‘Don’t look so worried,’ he smiled, ‘these things always happen and the rumours will die down soon enough. I just wanted to be clear where you stand with Marlene. However dour, sharp, critical or downright fierce she might seem – and believe me she could win awards for it – please don’t make the mistake of taking it personally. You have her full support, and you’ll soon discover that she’s a first-rate producer who doesn’t see it as her job to win a personality contest, only to get the programme to the top of the ratings, which is something she has an excellent track record of doing. She’ll give the series one hundred per cent of herself, and will expect no less from you.’
Feeling herself relaxing a little, Susannah said, ‘Does she usually use you for a character reference?’
His laugh made her laugh too.
‘I admit I’d heard how exacting she can be,’ she said, ‘and I was a little nervous – now I think I’m terrified.’
Still laughing, he said, ‘I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble standing up to her. And do so. She has a lot of time for plucky spirits, and remember, as one of the leads, you will have your own power, just don’t use it in a way to make yourself unpopular, though I somehow don’t imagine you will.’
Sitting back in her chair, almost as though to escape the pull of his charm, she said, ‘So how involved will you actually be with the programme yourself?’
‘On a day-to-day basis, not very,’ he replied. ‘I’ll probably visit the set once or twice a month, depending on other commitments. I’ll be viewing each episode before it goes out though, and occasionally I might give a few notes, but only ever through Marlene, never directly.’
‘So we won’t know if they’ve come from you?’
‘Unless she wants you to.’
Glancing up as their food arrived, Susannah watched the Caprese salad she’d ordered being set down in front of her, and in spite of how delicious it looked she knew already that she was too excited to manage more than a few mouthfuls.
‘The next subject I want to bring us on to,’ he said, after the waiter had finished grinding black pepper over their meals, ‘is publicity. You’re probably starting to get an idea by now of how much is going to come your way over the next few weeks as we get ready for the launch. Obviously it
won’t stop at transmission, because once the series is under way the public’s interest in you will almost certainly grow. So my advice to you is make a friend of the press. Be available, up to a point that’s reasonable, be charming and accommodating, again where reasonable, but whatever you do, don’t lie to them. If you do you’ll be found out and the last thing you’ll want is them turning against you.’ He took a mouthful of food, then filled their glasses with water.
‘I know what I’m saying is basic common sense,’ he went on, ‘and the publicists will go over it again this afternoon, I’m just keen to stress how important it is for you to start dealing with any skeletons you might have in your cupboard now. Whatever they are, presuming you have some and most of us do, once you’re in the public eye you can be certain that sooner or later the skeletons will be too. So you could do yourself an enormous favour by outing them yourself right at the beginning, then you should have nothing to fear from some ambitious young hack eager to make a name for him or herself somewhere further down the line.’ His eyes started to twinkle. ‘This is the point at which I invite you to tell me your deepest, darkest secrets, but it’s OK, you don’t have to answer. This is simply to get you to think about what I’m saying, so you can assess the situation for yourself before you start spilling the beans. How awful would it be for you, or your family, if the whole world knew … It’s up to you to fill in the blank.’
After only a brief hesitation Susannah heard herself saying, ‘If the whole world knew that Neve’s father has just been released from prison?’
Though his head tilted to one side he appeared neither shocked nor worried, only mildly intrigued.
‘I wouldn’t mind for myself,’ she went on, ‘but I don’t think it would be very pleasant for Neve if the papers were to make an issue of it.’
‘What was the offence?’
‘Drugs. A young boy almost lost his life thanks to some cheap substance Duncan supplied.’
‘I see. Where is he now? Your husband, not the boy.’
‘In Glasgow, making a new life for himself. He’s a director, mainly theatre. We have as little contact as possible.’
‘Well, I’m sorry to say, this is exactly the sort of thing that you should get out right at the start. Tell the story your way, before he jumps on the bandwagon and uses your fame for his own ends.’
‘Which he probably will,’ she muttered. She looked down at her plate for a moment, her heartbeat starting to slow as she thought of her other secret, the one she’d only ever confided in Patsy, but once her face was out there, someone would be sure to recognise her …
‘Until recently,’ she said, ‘I was working at a gentlemen’s club in Kensington.’ Immediately her cheeks started to burn, certain the connotation must already be speaking for itself. ‘My job was behind the scenes, in the offices, but occasionally I helped out in reception, greeting clients, taking their coats, showing them to their tables.’
Though his eyes were on his plate she could tell he was listening intently.
‘The kind of things …’ She stopped and started again. ‘My financial situation had become … Neve needed …’ She took a sip of water and tried again. ‘One evening I waited on a party in a private dining room. I’m not sure if you know what that means …’ She paused, praying she wouldn’t have to spell it out.
‘I think so,’ he said, ‘but it can depend on the kind of place we’re talking about.’
‘This one is a little more … upmarket than some, I think, but I can’t speak for what everyone gets up to in the private rooms. I only know what happened the night I served half a dozen or so men with their food and drinks without, well, topless – and actually not very much else either.’
He nodded soberly, and she suddenly felt so ashamed that she wished she’d never mentioned it.
‘I didn’t even sit on a lap, unless I was pulled on to one,’ she went on hastily. ‘If anyone ever says differently, they’ll be lying.’
When his eyes came up they were regarding her in a way she couldn’t quite fathom. ‘Then you’d have our entire legal team to back you,’ he assured her. ‘And now I’m going to say something you probably won’t like very much, but here goes anyway: this is exactly the kind of thing, given the right spin, that the publicists can really go to town with. If you’re willing to talk about why you did it, which by the sound of it had a lot to do with providing for your daughter, there won’t be many TV viewers or tabloid readers who won’t be glued to their screens or rushing out to buy a paper. It’s sexy, you’re glamorous and it’s a mother’s sacrifice for her child.’ He was regarding her earnestly. ‘I’m sorry to be so blunt, but I’m sure you know that’s how it’s going to read. Men will love you because you look the way you do, and they’ll all wish they’d been in that room – and women will empathise with the terrible dilemma that drove you to it. Husband in prison, wife fighting to make ends meet for a daughter who is as subject to social and peer pressure as any of theirs.’
Susannah swallowed hard and lifted her glass. ‘Apart from my best friend you’re the only person I’ve ever told about this,’ she said, ‘and you’re right, I can see why it would make a good story, but …’ There were so many thoughts chasing around in her head that she hardly knew which direction to go in first. ‘There are other actresses working at the club,’ she said finally, ‘who I know won’t be able to keep my session in the private room to themselves, so yes, it would be best if I beat them to it. I’m worried about Neve though, and my aunt Lola who’s more like a mother to me.’
‘Then obviously you must tell them before you green-light the publicists.’
She nodded and gazed down at her glass. ‘Actually,’ she went on, looking at him again, ‘I’m probably even more concerned about my partner, Alan. I just can’t see him liking the idea of me going on chat shows or appearing in papers over something like that.’
Michael took a sip of water. ‘The decision has to be yours,’ he reminded her. ‘If you want to keep it hidden and hope that no one comes forward …’
‘That would be crazy. Even if one of the girls didn’t try to sell their story – and I know they will – there are always the men I served. One of them could easily recognise me, though I suppose it’s a bit naive to think anyone was looking at my face.’
His eyes lit with humour as he dabbed his mouth with a napkin. ‘Probably,’ he agreed in a way that made her smile too.
‘As I said,’ he went on, ‘you get to call the shots, so take some time to think it over. Talk to your daughter and your aunt, and your partner, and then decide whether or not to confide in the publicists. As far as I’m concerned it will go no further than this table.’
‘Thank you,’ she said.
An hour later, when they stepped out into the street, blinking at the sudden glare of the sun and still smiling at the manager’s cheery goodbye, Susannah felt so alive that she could have flung her arms round Michael and kissed him.
‘OK, I guess you’re off to see the publicists now,’ he said, checking his watch, ‘which means we’re going in opposite directions, because I have a meeting in Cavendish Square. Thank you for coming today. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you a little better.’
She gave him a winning smile. ‘I’ve enjoyed it too,’ she told him. ‘Very much. In fact I could be in danger of gushing now, so to spare your blushes, perhaps we should make the parting swift.’ She held out a hand to shake.
‘Consider me gone,’ he told her, and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. ‘You’ve got an extremely busy few weeks ahead,’ he warned, ‘but you have my mobile number if you need it. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the pre-shoot meeting on Sunday 21st.’
‘I’ll look forward to it,’ she said warmly. ‘Oh, and thank you for lunch.’
‘My pleasure.’
As they turned their separate ways she was so thrilled and excited that she’d have called Alan right away to tell him how well it had gone, had she not been afraid he’d say something to burst her b
ubble. So once again she called Pats instead.
‘I have to remember,’ she said when she got through, ‘that all this is happening to me, not to us as a couple, which has to be difficult for anyone, no matter how supportive and happy they might be for their partner.’
‘True,’ Patsy agreed, ‘but don’t let it stop you enjoying the moment. When’s he back from Zurich?’
‘Friday. I think, when I speak to him later, I should just skim over the lunch and talk about the meeting I’m on my way to now, with the publicists.’
‘Could be wise, because I have to tell you the way you just talked about Michael Grafton to me probably won’t play terribly well with Alan.’
‘Oh God,’ Susannah groaned, ‘did I sound besotted, because I think I am. Not in a romantic way, but in a … you know, starry-eyed, grateful sort of way.’
‘So you don’t fancy him?’
‘No! I mean, he’s attractive, I’ll give him that, and incredibly charismatic …’
‘Not to mention rich, powerful …’
‘Stop! Yes, he’s all of that, of course he is, but none of it makes a difference to my relationship with Alan. Pats, I swear, I’m not making the mistake of letting him go again. My head was turned once before by someone I thought was the god of showbiz and look how badly I got burned then. So no, as far as Michael Grafton’s concerned, I’ll admit, but only to you, that I’ve probably got a bit of a crush, but I can tell you right now that it’s no more going anywhere than the one Neve has on Alan.’
* * *
‘Oh my God! That is so wild,’ Neve laughed, her eyes as round as the giant silver hoops in her ears. ‘You seriously did that?’ She looked from Susannah to Lola, her grin widening all the time. ‘Did you know?’ she asked Lola.
‘Not until today,’ Lola answered, appearing somewhat less impressed, but as she’d said herself when Susannah had told her about the little fiasco at the club, it took a lot more than a flit about a private room in fancy knicks to shock someone her age.