Part 30 (1/2)

'Yes, my dear, how can I help you?'

'I'm calling from the Frontline Club in Paddington. We have a coat here that we think you must have left behind.'

'The Frontline Club? I don't know it I'm afraid, my dear.'

'But you were here quite recently with Luke Norton.'

'Luke Norton? I'm sorry you have the wrong man. I haven't seen Luke in years.'

365.

'Oh, I'm so sorry. We must've made a mistake. I do apologize, guv'nor.'

'Not to worry, my dear. I hope you find the coat's owner.'

'I 'ope so too. Thank you for your help m'Lord.'

Click.

'What do you say to that, Luke?'

'I...'

'Who did you spend 179.80 in the Frontline Club on? Falsifying expenses is a sackable offence you know. You're in serious trouble, Luke.' Her desk phone rang. 'Excuse me one second. h.e.l.lo?... Oh! h.e.l.lo.' She listened intently, nodding. 'Yes, yes, I see. Well, if she's going to call Thea directly, then wonderful. Excellent. Thank you for letting me know.'

She hung up.

'Well.'

She stared at Luke.

'I'm going to give you one more chance it seems. That was Minnie Maltravers' a.s.sistant. She's going to do the interview. Tomorrow. In the studio. And she'll only talk to you.'

38.

The office was in uproar. Minnie was due to arrive in an hour and the interview was going to take place face-to-face live at seven forty-eight, just after the commercial break. The network had been flagging it all day: 'Tonight Minnie Maltravers speaks exclusively to the Seven Thirty News Seven Thirty News about about that that adoption.' adoption.'

Minnie's people had sent over a new list of demands that made Barbra Streisand sound like a hermit.

'She wants her dressing room decorated with white roses and white curtains, it's got to have an MP3 and DVD player,' Alexa read incredulously from an email. 'There are to be two boxes of Pop Tarts, a box of Fruit Loops and a ”bowl of fresh tuna salad, with h.e.l.lmann's mayo, eggs, relish and tuna (albacore, solid, white, in spring water)”. The only acceptable brand of water is Volvic.' This is even madder than in Scotland. Are you sure this isn't a joke?'

'I wish,' said an ashen-faced Thea. She'd been up all night again, negotiating terms with Leanne, eventually triumphing by insisting that Minnie be not allowed to see the questions in advance. To keep going, she'd had eight espressos, making her as fidgety as a gra.s.shopper at a disco.

Her phone rang. 'Luke?' she said tersely. She was keeping her tone as professional as possible.

'I was wondering if we could have a quick word. I'm in the canteen.'

'OK.'

He'd be wanting to discuss the wording of one of the questions. Thea hurried out of the newsroom and along the corridor with its big window looking into the studio. With less than an hour to go before the programme started, lighting men stood on ladders working out the most flattering angle to illuminate Minnie's still flawless features. In a special make-up room hastily constructed at the back of the studio, scented with Jo Malone pomegranate noir candles, Minnie's second-favourite make-up artist (the favourite had given birth that morning and had resisted all Thea's very best pleas and bribes to come) mixed colours in a palette as if she was Pica.s.so. Carlo the hairdresser, flown in again first cla.s.s from New York and put up in the Lanesborough, fiddled with tongs and straightening irons. She pushed open the door of the canteen. Luke was sitting at a table in the far corner, frowning over the list of questions and nursing a cup of tea.

'You must know those by heart now,' she teased him. Since the weekend she'd been feeling distinctly ill-at-ease with him, but she'd decided the only way to play it was to carry on as normal.

'Yup,' he said. Under his make-up he looked white. Thea stared at him. She'd never seen him like this before.

'Are you OK?'

'Fine. Yes.'

'What did you want to see me for?'

368.

'I...' He sat back in his chair. 'Christ, Thea, do you think it's going to be all right?'

Thea was astonished. Confident, controlled Luke Norton didn't ask things like that. 'Of course it is,' she said. 'Minnie's on her way in right now, I've just spoken to Leanne and you are going to have the world exclusive with her. It'll be a triumph.'

'But suppose it's not.' He looked at her beseechingly. 'So much is resting on this, Thea. I know I'm out of favour with Dean and Roxanne.' Before Thea could interrupt, he held up a hand. 'It's not just the presenting side of things, there... well, I'm in trouble about something else too. And the school fees keep going up and Hannah's asking for more alimony and it's all...' He exhaled. 'Tonight, has to be a success.'

'And it will be,' Thea said, trying to hide her unease. Seeing Luke nervous was like seeing the prime minister on the loo. It ruined your image of him.

'Thea, I'm sorry I've been running a bit hot and cold recently. I... It was an amazing night we had in Scotland, but you can understand why I backed off. You're such an incredible woman but... I am am married and...' married and...'

'I understand,' she said quickly.

'But my marriage is on the rocks. I can't fool myself any longer. And... I don't want to be presumptuous but it would be wonderful to think the... connection we've always had was still as strong as ever.'

Thea felt as if she'd been spring cleaned. It was all coming right. So suddenly. They'd got the interview and Luke loved her.

'Thea?'

369.

'Luke, I-' Her phone rang. 'h.e.l.lo? Leanne? Oh. OK. Great. We're all ready for her.' She hung up. 'I've got to run, Luke. Minnie's coming in now.' 'Shall we have a drink after the show?' She smiled at him. 'After the show would be great.'

After much discussion it had been agreed that the interview with Minnie wouldn't be the lead item on the show. Even Dean agreed that would be far too much against the serious spirit the Seven Thirty News Seven Thirty News still paid lip service to and would garner them a pasting from the critics. Instead, they'd get the day's main headlines dispatched before the first advert break, devote the next two sections to the Minnie interview, then allocate five minutes to other news at the end. So, as Luke read the headlines about freak storms devastating America, disastrous sales figures for Marks & Spencer and another suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, Minnie sat in make-up, surrounded by bodyguards, having her powder touched up and her curls tweaked. still paid lip service to and would garner them a pasting from the critics. Instead, they'd get the day's main headlines dispatched before the first advert break, devote the next two sections to the Minnie interview, then allocate five minutes to other news at the end. So, as Luke read the headlines about freak storms devastating America, disastrous sales figures for Marks & Spencer and another suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, Minnie sat in make-up, surrounded by bodyguards, having her powder touched up and her curls tweaked.

'Is everything OK this time?' Thea said in a low voice to Leanne.

'Yup. It really is. Minnie's astrologer told her she should do the interview today, so there's no way she'll back out.'

'Great.' Thea still wasn't wholly convinced. She looked at the clock. 'She needs to be in the studio in five minutes when the adverts start.'

'No problem, Thea.'