Chapter 21
It’s impossible not to pick up on the atmosphere as I make my way in to breakfast. The seating arrangement has changed, for one thing.
Gina and Lynette are sitting next to each other, chatting quietly, and Suzie has been forced to move down to make room.
From her facial expression, she’s far from happy about that.
To be fair, Grace doesn’t exactly look ecstatic either, and she hasn’t even been bumped from her usual spot.
Next to her, Tess is quietly sipping a cup of coffee and seemingly ignoring the torrent of non-verbal tension in the room.
‘Is it all right if I sit next to you?’ I ask Suzie.
‘Come to join the mortals now your little playmate has left?’ she replies sarcastically.
‘On second thoughts, maybe I’ll sit at the end where I normally do,’ I tell her, backing away. I’m not in any mood for barbed remarks today.
‘No, it’s fine,’ she says with a sigh. ‘Sorry. I expect you’re missing Finn, aren’t you?’
‘A little, yes.’
‘Come,’ she instructs. ‘Sit next to me. Gina’s obsessed with her new friend, so I could use some conversation.’
‘Thanks a lot!’ Grace complains. ‘You make it sound like I’ve been completely ignoring you as well.’
‘Of course you haven’t,’ Suzie soothes her. ‘But I’m aware none of us have really given Laura a chance, and I’m just wondering if perhaps we should, that’s all.’
Grace’s facial expression is enough to tell me what she thinks of that idea, and it’s not positive. I’m also a little suspicious of Suzie’s motives, so resolve to keep my guard up.
‘I’ve never asked you what you write,’ I say to her as I take my seat and Cara, used to our preferences by now, places a steaming coffee in front of me.
‘I’m working on a saga,’ she tells me.
‘Like Gina’s?’
‘No, twentieth century. Basically, it follows three generations of the same family through the pre-war era, and then the two world wars, showing how they’re affected by the tremendous social upheaval that took place during that time.’
‘Wow. That sounds like a big project.’
‘It is, particularly as I don’t get that much time to work on it when I’m at home. These retreats are literally the only opportunities I get to immerse myself fully in it. I love my family, but they are time hogs. How do you manage it?’
‘My family consists solely of a dog,’ I tell her with a smile. ‘As long as she gets her walk, she’s pretty easy.’
She leans in conspiratorially. ‘I probably shouldn’t admit this in front of Gina, but I’ve read all of your books and I love them.’
This does catch me by surprise. ‘Really?’
‘Oh, yes. Who can resist a gritty murder plot? Tell me though, why write as a man?’
As I explain the publisher’s rationale to her, I become aware that the other conversation around the table has stopped.
‘That’s ridiculous,’ Gina declares crossly when I’ve finished. ‘My husband reads lots of books written by women.’
‘She’s right,’ Tess tells her. ‘Your husband is an exception, I fear.’
‘Really? Maybe I should resubmit my book as Gerald,’ she muses.
‘But you’ve already got a publisher lined up,’ Grace reminds her. ‘You’ve made it.’
To her credit, Gina does have the grace to look a little uncomfortable, and I notice Lynette’s mouth twitch up. They may have buried the hatchet, but it seems there is still a little bit of residual rivalry there.
‘Yes, the great Florianus,’ Lynette says, flashing a grin. ‘You were lucky to land a deal with them, weren’t you?’
‘I was, but there’s never any harm in aiming higher,’ Gina says, evidently trying to deflect Lynette.
‘Florianus are lovely, but quite small in the grand scheme of things. And, with Tess’s edits and your, umm, more florid scenes, it might be worth me scoping out some bigger players for a wider audience. ’
Lynette obviously feels she’s pushed her sister as far as she dares without hostilities breaking out once again, as she focuses back on her breakfast.
‘Actually, I do have some news on that front,’ Tess says to Gina.
‘I know you’ve found the edits hard, but I was having a chat with a friend of mine last night, and I happened to mention your book.
She’s an agent and she’s offered to have a look at the first three chapters with a view to submission if you’re interested.
She has a number of authors contracted to the big five, so it might prove fruitful. ’
Gina looks like all her Christmases have come at once. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. Don’t look so surprised. It’s a good book. It just needed slimming down a little. Nobody’s making any promises here, but it’s got to be worth a try, unless you’re completely tied into this Florianus crowd.’
‘No, not tied at all,’ Gina tells her, beaming. ‘I have complete freedom.’
‘Then that’s something to consider. Now, how is everyone else getting on? Suzie, Grace, anything to show me?’
‘No,’ they chorus.
‘And Laura has her own editor, so it looks like another quiet morning in the garden for me. If any of you need me, you know where I am.’ She pushes back her chair and heads in the direction of the bedrooms.
‘That’s amazing news,’ Grace says sycophantically to Gina as soon as Tess has left the room. ‘I’m so pleased for you. Maybe, if they’re not going to be publishing you, Florianus might be looking for another author. You don’t happen to have the details of their submissions department, do you, Gina?’
Gina looks uncomfortable, clearly trying to find a way out of this hole without revealing Florianus’s secret, to Lynette’s evident delight.
‘They’re, umm, rather specialised in what they publish,’ Gina says after a brief pause. ‘I’m not sure you’d be a good fit.’
‘I’m happy to take my chances,’ Grace persists.
‘That’s as may be,’ Gina replies, her tone now frosty. She’s obviously keen to shut this down as quickly as possible. ‘But I think they’re currently closed to submissions. They literally only opened for a few days and, by all accounts, they were swamped. I guess I was just lucky.’
‘That you were,’ Lynette observes drily, earning herself a sharp look from her sister. Maybe the hatchet isn’t totally buried after all, and this is just a temporary ceasefire.
‘All I’m saying is maybe you could put in a word,’ Grace says, clearly unwilling to let it go.
‘I’m really not sure that would do any good,’ Gina replies curtly, pushing back her chair and standing up. ‘You need to find your own feet in this world, Grace, not rely on others to pull you up. Lynette, shall we?’
As the two sisters leave the dining room together, Grace leans across the table to Suzie and me.
‘I know we’ve been friends for ages,’ she murmurs crossly, ‘but she’s been completely up herself since she got this deal. I don’t mind saying that I’m really starting to hate her. “You need to find your own feet, Grace.”’ She parrots Gina’s voice. ‘Well, fuck off, Gina.’
I’m unable to keep my eyebrows from shooting up. Until now, I’d thought Suzie and Grace’s loyalty to Gina was unwavering.
‘Don’t look like that, Laura,’ Grace continues. ‘You can’t possibly like her either. She’s basically dismissed your writing as doggerel from the moment you arrived.’
‘I don’t really have any opinions either way,’ I lie, causing Suzie to snort with laughter.
‘Good try,’ she says. ‘But I can smell the bullshit. I’m still not completely sure what it is about you that winds her up so much.
I mean, you’ve done nothing to antagonise her beyond being successful, but she can’t seem to forgive you for that.
I’m with Grace. I think Gina might need to find herself some new friends unless she gets over herself.
This whole Florianus thing has gone straight to her head. ’
DI Harrison felt…
What? What did DI Harrison feel? Come on, Laura.
The body of the man she murdered and, with the help of her now deceased father, bricked up in an alcove twenty years ago has just been discovered.
She’s going to be all over the place, worrying about whether there’s any evidence she might have overlooked that could tie her back to Darren, and reliving his past abuse. So what did she feel?
With a sigh, I delete the words. It’s no good.
I can’t concentrate today. It’s nothing to do with the shift in power dynamics among the Double-Doubles, although it was nice to have a semi-civilised conversation with Suzie and Grace for a change.
I can’t get Finn out of my head. I never asked him what time his pitch was, but all I can think about is him getting ready for it.
He’ll be going over his presentation, running his hand distractedly through his hair in the way he does when he’s absorbed in something.
His eyes will be alight with enthusiasm and it wouldn’t surprise me if his mouth is twitching, half forming the words as he reads through the text of his submission.
I really hope he lands it. Picking up my phone, I open WhatsApp and send a short message.
Thinking of you today. Good luck. xx
I watch the screen for a while but, although I can see it’s been delivered, the ticks don’t turn blue. He’s probably in the zone, or maybe he’s already in there. I try to picture the scene. A large room full of corporate types in grey suits, with Finn in the middle, pitching for all he’s worth.
‘Just keep the speed down,’ I murmur, as if he could actually hear me. ‘They won’t follow you if you get carried away and talk too fast.’
It’s become clear to me that I’m not going to get anything done until I hear from him. I need something to distract me, so wander in the direction of the house.
‘Everything OK?’ Cara asks as I approach the terrace, where she’s laying out the usual sumptuous array of pastries.
‘Yes. I think I’m going to go out today. Hugh recommended a couple of places to visit when I arrived, but I’ll confess I can’t remember what they were.’
‘The obvious one is Cordes-sur-Ciel,’ she tells me.
‘But I’d avoid that. Pretty as it is, it’s a terrible tourist trap and parking is a nightmare.
If I were you, I’d head for Castelnau-de-Montmiral.
It’s gorgeous and much less touristy. If you’re feeling brave, you could continue on into Gaillac for lunch.
There are a number of good restaurants there. I’ll give you a list if you like.’
‘Thanks.’
I can’t resist helping myself to a pastry while Cara grabs leaflets and writes down addresses on a piece of paper.
I wonder briefly whether I should invite Tess to come with me, but decide in the end that I’m not feeling especially sociable.
I’d rather just let my mind wander where it wants as I take in the scenery, and having to make conversation will feel like a chore.
Hopefully, I’ll get some inspiration and be able to concentrate when I get back.
Oh, who am I fooling? I know exactly what I’m going to be thinking about all day, and it’s not going to be Claire’s predicament.
God, I hope I do hear from Finn. I never asked him to tell me how it went, and he might be so caught up in what he’s doing that he forgets to let me know. As I bundle my stuff into the car, I send him another message.
Let me know how you get on. xx
Right, enough now. Stop harassing the poor boy, Laura.