Zoe wiped a finger over her cheek and the eyelash slid down on to her décolletage. ‘Agh! A spider!’ She jumped back. ‘Or is it a cockroach?’

Marcel left.

Sally sat in the make-up chair, going through her lines. She had four scenes to shoot today, and, according to the sides she had been given when she arrived on set this morning at six-thirty, it was only in the last scene that she actually spoke. The other scenes involved: 1. walking out of a front door, 2. going into a boulangerie and coming out with a baguette and 3. coming into a public toilet, where she put on a wig and coat, and going out again. All without a word spoken, which was great.

Last night – or, rather, earlier this morning – after she had hung up the call from Los Angeles, Sally had wanted to sleep, but was too excited, so that when the car drew up outside her front door at 5 a.m., she was already waiting, fully dressed, having barely slept at all.

The make-up wagon was parked up, jammed among all the other movie vehicles in an open car park on the outskirts of Monaco.

Judy, the make-up girl, was charming, and immediately arranged with the Third Assistant to get a cup of tea and some pastries brought in for Sally.

While Judy applied Sally’s make-up base, Sally asked her a bit about the film. The current fashion was always to keep actors in the dark – only give them the pages they were featured in – so it was difficult to get a sense of the whole story.

‘Wish I could help,’ said Judy. ‘I only started today too, I’m afraid, Sally, and everyone else is off with the main unit, which is doing some car stuff up on a high road where Princess Grace Kelly shot some movie with Cary Grant and later died in a crash. Frankly I’m glad to be down here. IMO sounds like an unlucky place to shoot.’

‘You don’t have a cast list on you, do you, Judy?’

‘Sorry, Sally. Please could you stop talking for a moment. I need to concentrate on your lips.’

As Judy applied the lip brush, Sally mentally went over her lines again for the scene this afternoon. It was an exchange with a man named Gilbert, a scene which ended in a snog. Lord. She had forgotten this unpleasant side of showbiz. A roomful of people staring at you from every possible angle while some total stranger had his tongue down your throat. The glamorous life!

The caravan bounced a few times as someone came up the steps.