by Lulu Taylor
‘Here’s to the success that’s waiting for us in the future,’ he said.
‘Here’s to all of us,’ Imogen said. ‘Health, happiness …’
‘Family and friends,’ said Romily.
Allegra smiled. ‘Forgiveness and understanding.’
They all drank to their toasts.
‘Mmm,’ Romily said thoughtfully. ‘I wonder what the woman who runs Colette’s ought to wear. Vintage Dior? Pucci? Something a little bit seventies – Diane von Furstenberg, perhaps …’
‘Honey, are we talking about clothes again?’ Mitch grinned and took his wife’s hand in his.
She smiled back at him, then looked round at the circle of bright faces. ‘We’ve all had our tragedies. I think our greatest triumphs are yet to come.’
‘You bet they are,’ Allegra said, with feeling. ‘I’m only just getting started.’
Imogen smiled at her friends. ‘It’s exciting! So full of possibilities. Let’s toast the Midnight Girls – more midnight than ever now, with the clubs. Now we’re together again, we can’t fail.’
They lifted their glasses and clinked once more. Allegra lifted her eyes to the oil sketch of her uncle that hung on the wall, and smiled, sending him a silent message of thanks.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to everyone at Random House, particularly my editor Emma Rose who worked wonders and gave me terrific encouragement, Kate Elton, Louisa Gibbs, Claire Round, Amelia Harvell, Caroline Sloan and the superb sales team for their support.
Thank you to Lynn Curtis for her brilliant work on the text.
Special thanks to my splendid agent, Lizzy Kremer, who is amazingly patient, unceasingly supportive and very clever, and to wonderful Laura West at David Higham Associates.
Thank you to Emily for helping me with my research – it was hard work, going to exclusive nightclubs, but it simply had to be done.
Thank you to my family for helping so much during the months of writing, and to my friends, especially Fiona and Claire, who were so kind and generous when I needed those precious hours.
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Copyright © Lulu Taylor 2010
Lulu Taylor has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First published in Great Britain in 2010 by
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ISBN 9780099524922