Chapter Thirteen
‘You look different,’ Daisy stared at Anna, a puzzled expression on her face. ‘I can’t put my finger on why, though — you haven’t changed anything.’
Anna grinned back at her. They were at the Angel on Monday night and she’d been struggling all day to keep the smile off her face. Working with Daniel today had been the best and she was positively fizzing.
Daisy gasped. ‘Oh my God! That’s what it is! You’re happy.’
‘Oh, I am.’
‘I can’t remember the last time you were happy,’ Daisy said. ‘That’s why you look so different.’
Anna laughed. ‘I’ll get us some wine, shall I?’
‘You’d best get a bottle. I think this is going to take some time.’
When Anna returned from the bar and poured them both generous glasses of wine, Daisy said, ‘Right, now, I want to know everything. Have you met someone?’
‘No!’ Anna shook her head. ‘Not like that anyway. Oh, Daise, you won’t believe what a difference my new job has made.’ They hadn’t had a chance to meet up since Anna had started working for Daniel. They’d spoken briefly on the phone a few times, but Anna had been guarded at first — she couldn’t figure Daniel out — but now she wanted to tell Daisy everything.
‘The job that you didn’t want to take, because your new boss was rude and difficult?’
Anna smiled again. ‘He likes things a certain way, that’s true, but his bark is worse than his bite when you get to know him.’
‘And you’ve got to know him?’ The insinuation was clear in Daisy’s voice.
Anna scolded her friend. ‘As a person, yes. Not in any other way.’
Although, when he’d leaned over her, to look at her photographs this afternoon, she couldn’t help remembering that her heart had started to beat more quickly.
As soon as the photographs had been delivered to the promoter, Daniel had turned to his famous diary. ‘We haven’t got much on for the next few days. How about we look at your work?’
‘Are you sure?’
He nodded. ‘I told you on Saturday I wanted to see them.’
Hesitantly Anna switched on her laptop, opening up the folder that housed her latest work. She bit the inside of her cheek nervously, still unused to showing her photographs to others. Daniel didn’t say anything as he flicked through the images, his face so expressionless that Anna didn’t know what to think. Her stomach clenched with anxiety until he reached the last one and turned to her.
‘They’re exceptional,’ he said simply.
‘They are?’
‘Yes, they are. I love the way you’ve captured the old and the new architecture. You have a good instinct with light and angles — these images aren’t what the average person would see. They make you look at the buildings in a different way. These alone would be enough for an exhibition. You don’t need the ones you took in Chester. In fact, I think a different location would muddy the waters.’
‘You think they’re good enough for an exhibition?’ she asked incredulously.
He nodded. ‘With a bit of work, yes. The only thing I don’t understand is why has no one spotted your talent before?’
She bowed her head, her face flushing with heat. ‘Because the only person I’ve ever showed them to before was my ex, Mark, the manager of The Whigmore. He made me believe they weren’t good enough, and so I’ve never been brave enough to do anything with them.’
‘Well, he was wrong. They are good enough, or they will be, and so are you. He’s done you a disservice in stopping you from believing in yourself.’
Anna stared at him open-mouthed. She had never once doubted that Mark was telling her the truth about her talent. But judging by the way he had treated her recently, she should have realised he may have acted to serve himself. Now she felt foolish for taking his opinions at face value.
Daniel broke her silence. ‘The first thing we need to do is decide which photographs we want to use, then we can get to work on making them the best they can be. Are you up for that?’
‘Oh, definitely.’ And suddenly the past and Mark didn’t matter. It was the future which counted, and she had a feeling that the future looked bright.
She and Daniel had worked all afternoon, selecting the best photographs. He was right — there were more than enough for an exhibition. Daniel suggested how she could edit some of them, and some that she should retake at a different angle, and she couldn’t wait to get started. The new photographs would have to wait until the weekend, but she had every intention of getting out first thing on Saturday morning, regardless of what was going on with her family.
‘That’s amazing, Anna,’ Daisy said now. ‘It’s what you’ve always dreamed of.’
‘I know.’ Anna took a large gulp of her wine. ‘I can barely believe it’s actually going to happen. I keep having to pinch myself.’
‘And it’s all down to one man,’ Daisy said. ‘I thought you were going to work for Daniel Redfern, not the other way around.’
‘Oh, I’m still working for him. We’ve got a shoot on Wednesday and I’ll be the one lugging all the equipment around. Nothing’s going to change in that department. And I don’t want it to, either. I’m learning so much just by watching how he works.’
‘I see.’
Anna turned to her friend and looked at her sharply. ‘What’s that supposed to mean? I know that tone of voice.’
‘Nothing . . . it’s just that you sound as though you’re a little bit in love with him.’
Anna almost choked on her wine. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve done that before, remember? And look how badly it ended. I’d never be stupid enough to do it again.’
‘Okay, I believe you,’ Daisy said guardedly. ‘It’s just that you sound really enamoured with him.’
‘Because I admire him as a professional. You know how long I’ve wanted to take my photography seriously and this is my chance. I’m blown away that he wants to mentor me and I’m not going to risk that by getting emotionally involved.’
‘No, I can see why you wouldn’t want to do that,’ Daisy said. ‘But why is he taking such an interest in you? What’s in it for him?’
‘He was telling me at the weekend about his uncle who helped him when he was starting out, and he wants to do that for me, to give something back.’
‘That’s good of him.’
‘It’s certainly good for me.’
Daisy frowned. ‘What do you mean, he told you at the weekend? What were you doing with him then?’
‘Oh, we needed to work because a shoot had gone wrong last week and the deadline was first thing this morning. He had to be in Cheshire, where his son lives, so he took me with him so that we could work on the images together.’
It was Daisy’s turn to splutter on her drink. ‘You went away for the weekend with him?’
‘Yes, for work. It was all totally above board. I stayed in the spare bedroom if that’s what you’re thinking. Well, one of them.’ Anna carried on regardless of her friend’s expression. ‘You should see the house he’s got up there, and that’s just his weekend home.’
‘Anna, please be careful.’
‘I will and I am.’ Anna put her glass down. ‘Oh, Daisy, of all people I thought that you at least would be happy for me.’
‘I am.’ Daisy reached over and gave her a hug. When she pulled away she added, ‘I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all, and if you’re pinning all your hopes on just one person — well, that’s a risk isn’t it?’
‘I can see where you’re coming from,’ Anna said. ‘But it’s the thought of an exhibition that’s making me so giddy, nothing else.’ Although, as she tried to convince her friend, Anna couldn’t help remembering the look of admiration in Daniel’s eyes as he assessed her photographs, and the way it had made her feel — as though her whole body was glowing. She shoved the thought away and changed the subject, before it became even more uncomfortable.
‘Anyway, I bet you can guess who wasn’t happy at me being away for the weekend.’
‘That doesn’t take Einstein to work out. I’m surprised they even let you go.’
‘I didn’t give them a choice. Although Jack . . .’ She broke off, remembering all she had done for them and the state they’d made of the house while she was away.
‘Although Jack what?’
As she told her, Daisy’s expression was one of pure horror. ‘That brother of yours is a complete misogynist. How dare he say it was your punishment for going away. I hope you didn’t clear it up!’
‘Nope.’ Anna smiled. ‘And I have no intention of doing it either. It can stay like that until they do it for themselves, and I mean it this time.’
Daisy smiled back. ‘Good for you. And, seeing as how I’m sure you don’t want to go home just yet, how do you fancy going for a pizza?’
‘I’d love to,’ Anna said.
* * *
‘You look like the cat that got the cream,’ Charlotte said as she and Daniel were seated in the Olive Grove, a Mediterranean restaurant in Chelsea that was a favourite of theirs.
‘Do I?’ Daniel couldn’t help smiling. He’d really enjoyed working with Anna today. When he’d seen the photographs she’d taken in Chester at the weekend, he’d thought she had talent, but he’d been completely blown away when she’d shown him the rest of her work, although he still seethed with anger when he thought about how her ex-boyfriend had convinced her not to have any faith in herself. If he ever bumped into him, he knew what he would like to do to him. If Anna hadn’t applied for a job as his assistant she may never have realised just how talented she was. It made him even more convinced that he wanted to mentor people who wouldn’t normally have a chance.
‘You know you do,’ Charlotte said. ‘So what’s it all about?’
‘Well, you could say I’ve had a bit of an epiphany and I’ve got you to thank for it,’ he said cryptically. ‘That’s one of the reasons I asked you to dinner tonight.’
‘You’ve got me intrigued now.’ She took a sip of champagne.
‘You were the one who encouraged me to give Anna the job.’
Charlotte put her glass down onto the table with such a jolt that some of the champagne splashed over the top. ‘You haven’t!’
Shocked at her response, the smile slipped from his face. ‘No! Of course I haven’t! She’s my employee.’
‘Oh, that’s a relief.’ Charlotte visibly relaxed. ‘For a moment there I thought—’
‘You’ve got a filthy mind,’ he interrupted her.
‘It’s all working out, then?’
‘And then some.’ He smiled again. ‘Not only is she a good assistant, and I have to admit I was wrong about her being difficult to work with, she’s the complete opposite, but she also has considerable talent as a photographer.’
‘Really? You’ve seen what she does?’
‘Oh, yes, it’s amazing. She’s completely self-taught, but a good photographer needs to have instinct and she’s got plenty of that.’
‘And why does the fact that she’s a good photographer make you so happy?’ Charlotte looked puzzled.
‘Because . . .’ Daniel paused before continuing. ‘She’s given me my spark back.’
‘For your own photography?’
‘No, well, yes, maybe, but I was thinking more for other people.’
Charlotte frowned. ‘I don’t follow.’
‘I’ve been getting bored with the amount of photoshoots I’ve been doing recently.’
‘You’ve got such a good reputation. Everyone wants your photos to grace their magazines.’
‘I know, but seeing what Anna is doing has made me realise how lacking in creativity my work is these days.’
The waiter took their order and left them to continue their conversation. ‘Without influence and without contacts, it’s not easy to be successful in the art world. I was lucky I had my uncle to mentor me and I’ve realised that I want to give some of that back.’
‘So you’re going to mentor Anna?’
‘To start with, yes. But I’m thinking about setting up a photography school for underprivileged kids.’ He paused, but before she could answer he continued. ‘In Manchester.’
She gasped. ‘You’re moving!’
‘No, at least not at the moment. I still need to be in London, because I’ll need my commissions here, but I want to spend more time in Cheshire . . . I miss Ben. He’s growing so fast and I don’t want to miss out.’
She reached out and put her hand over his. ‘I know you don’t.’
‘So this way I get the best of both worlds.’
‘It will mean more travelling.’
‘I don’t mind that.’
‘And what about Anna? Will you expect her to travel with you?’
‘Sometimes, maybe. But everyone’s working so much more remotely since Covid, I don’t see why she can’t keep things ticking over here while I’m away.’
Charlotte gasped for the second time. ‘I don’t believe it. Daniel Redfern, control freak extraordinaire, is actually loosening the reins.’
He grinned at her. ‘Complete personality transplant.’
‘You’re telling me.’
The waiter came with their food. As they started to eat, Daniel said, ‘Besides which, with my help, I think Anna will be busy in her own right.’
‘In what way?’
‘I want to set up an exhibition for her.’
‘Ah, I see.’ Charlotte smiled back at him. ‘That’s the real reason you invited me here tonight. You want me to use my contacts to get her some exhibition space?’
‘Oh, you got me there.’
‘I might be able to do that. I’d have to see her work first, though, to get some idea of the kind of space we’d need.’
‘Come round tomorrow morning?’
‘Says the man in a hurry?’
‘What’s the point of hanging around? I reckon she’ll be ready in about six weeks’ time — we need to do some editing and some reshooting, but that should be enough. So we could aim for early July?’
‘You’ll be hard pushed to get a venue so soon,’ Charlotte said, but then smiled at him. ‘But I’ll come round in the morning to have a look. It will have to be first thing, though, I’ve got an appointment at ten.’
‘That’s fine.’ Daniel raised his glass to her.
* * *
‘Hiya, I’ve brought coffee and croissants,’ Anna called out happily as she nudged open the door to the studio. ‘Oh!’ She stopped short at the sight of Daniel and Charlotte huddled by the Mac that was used for editing. When they both turned to face her, Anna tried to regain her composure and said, ‘Sorry, if I’d known, I’d have brought an extra coffee.’
‘Not to worry.’ Charlotte smiled at her. ‘I’ve got to dash soon anyway. We’ve just been looking at your work.’
‘Have you?’ Anna felt affronted that Daniel had sought to share her photographs with someone else without even consulting her.
‘Yes, they really are rather good.’
‘Thanks.’ Anna put the coffee and croissants down, no longer hungry.
Daniel looked at her, frowning. ‘Charlotte has lots of contacts in the art world and she’s agreed to find a venue for your exhibition. She wanted to get a feel for your style so that she could find a space to complement them.’
‘Oh, I see.’ She was slightly mollified at his explanation, but still wished he’d spoken to her first.
‘We were thinking in about six weeks’ time,’ Charlotte said. ‘So we need to start looking for a venue as soon as possible. They usually get booked up months, if not years in advance.’
‘Yes, I know.’ She was dumbfounded. This had all happened so quickly and, because it had been taken out of her control, made it feel a little surreal and actually very scary. She turned to Daniel. ‘Do you think I’ll be ready so soon?’
‘Of course you will,’ Daniel replied, smiling confidently at her.
She suddenly felt lightheaded and clutched a table to steady herself. She’d waited so long for this moment, but it was nothing like she’d expected it to be.
‘Are you okay?’ Daniel looked concerned.
‘Yes, I’m fine.’
Charlotte looked at her watch. ‘Well, I must get going.’ She picked up an oversized Armani handbag and stood up. After giving Daniel a peck on the cheek, she turned once more to Anna. ‘Your work is really good, you know. I’m sure you’ll be a hit at your exhibition.’
‘Thank you.’
And with that she swept out of the studio, leaving a waft of Coco Chanel in her wake.
Anna watched her leave, still unable to move.
‘Ah, you sure you’re okay?’ Daniel asked again, frowning.
‘I’m fine.’ She forced a smile. ‘It’s just a bit of a shock, that’s all.’
‘What’s a shock? The exhibition?’
‘Yes.’
‘But we spoke about this yesterday.’
‘I know, but I didn’t think it would all happen so quickly.’
He smiled at her. ‘I’m sorry, I’ve steamrollered you, haven’t I?’
‘A little bit.’
‘One of my traits, I’m afraid,’ he said. ‘When I get an idea I like to run with it straight away. And, besides, you’ve waited for this for a long time. There’s no point hanging around now.’
‘But will I be ready?’ she asked again.
‘Of course you will. We’ll do it together.’
She liked the sound of that, of someone holding her hand through this. Of Daniel holding her hand through this. She pushed that last thought away. He was her employer and mentor. Nothing more.
‘So, come on then, let’s get to work. Let’s sort out what we need for the shoot tomorrow and, if we have any time left over, we can run through some of my ideas for your exhibition.’
Anna smiled and shook her head. Daniel was incredibly dynamic when he put his mind to something. Even if it was rather scary, it was good that he was being dynamic about her. No one had ever championed her like this before and, although it was a strange feeling, she was going to try to live in the moment and enjoy it.