BooksBarbecue
Back The Actresses
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. THE ACTRESSES
  3. About The Actresses
  4. Contents
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. About Barbara Ewing
  49. Also by Barbara Ewing
  50. An Invitation from the Publisher
  51. Copyright

She put the phone down, stood with her back to them. It was late-night shopping: down below, through the small-paned window, she could see all the people hurrying along the Old Brompton Road in the last light. Some cars, moving at a snail’s pace along the busy road, already had headlights on. For a second the memory of Pauline coming into Anthony’s study and finding them sitting there flashed into her mind. Then she turned around, shrugged in her underwear and, calculating quickly, went over to the pink designer and kissed his cheek.

‘Sorry darling, red jackets, gold belts, snakeskin shoes, sequinned tights, anything you like.’ Then she turned to the Harrods dresser and with her most charming, warmest smile said, ‘Does Harrods supply alcohol to its fitting rooms if I ask nicely?’

*

When she got home, having made her peace in Harrods with extremely expensive champagne, Banjo was sitting on the sofa in the sitting room holding a baby.

Molly’s stomach jumped in fear.

‘Hi,’ she said, throwing her bag down on one of the armchairs.

Banjo looked up at her, smiling. ‘This is Sam,’ he said. ‘Pete and Nancy have just gone to get some dope, I said I’d babysit, they’ll be back in a minute, I’ve asked them to dinner, I’ve made a nut-roast.’

‘Great,’ said Molly, kissing the top of his head. ‘Hello Sam,’ she said to the baby. Sam gurgled happily on Banjo’s knee.

‘How was the fitting?’

‘Wonderful,’ said Molly. ‘They’ve turned it into a load of crap, I’m to ditch the Scottish accent, I now wear diamantés and miniskirts. It’ll be a hit.’

Banjo laughed, bouncing Sam up and down on his knee. ‘Good,’ he said.

Pete and Nancy came back and the four of them sat round, the three young ones smoking dope, Molly drinking wine.

Pete told them all about watching Sam’s head appear into the world.

‘Unreal,’ he kept saying. ‘Unreal.’ He shook his head over and over again.

‘It was real enough,’ said Nancy smiling complicitly with Molly, ‘pethidine’s great though, I’m going to have more.’

‘What, pethidine or babies?’

‘Both!’

Molly covertly watched Banjo’s face.