B004D4Y20I EBOK (53 page)

‘That’s bizarre. Run him through Google,’ Neave said, ‘or even better, get a private detective on to him.’

‘That seems a bit extreme …’ Poppy frowned. ‘Do you really think it’s that serious?’

‘You have to admit, it’s very odd behaviour, darlin’. It’s not right. You need to get to the bottom of it.’

‘Maybe.’ Poppy turned over another page of her colour chart. ‘I just don’t feel like I can face it right now. I can’t believe I’ve lost George. I loved him and now I’ve found out he doesn’t even exist.’

‘Ah, poor lamb,’ said Neave sympathetically. ‘Course you can’t face it. Don’t you worry – you just take care of yourself, OK? I’m comin’ back in a few days. We’re flying to LA tonight and then after a few meetings we’re catching a flight back to London. As soon as I’ve had a chance to catch my breath, I’ll take you out for a drink. We’ll have some fun; we’ll be single girls together, all right?’

Poppy smiled. That did sound fun. She had a feeling that while Neave might not enjoy glossy parties, she would certainly know how to enjoy herself when she felt like it. ‘OK.’

‘Good. Now cheer up, darlin’. I’ll see you soon.’

Jecca put the phone down, looking satisfied.

‘Who was that?’ Ferrera said from behind his newspaper. He had listened to Jecca’s side of the conversation but she had kept it brief and had done most of the listening.

‘My lawyers. They seem to think I’ve got a strong case. They’re confident it will be in court in just a few months. In other words, before
Tea Rose
is launched in November, which is exactly what I wanted. I want to be in there for that. I want to be a part of it.’ She walked over to him and sat down. ‘You know, that company should rightly be mine. All of it. It was my Italian ancestors who made it what it was. The Trevellyans have always been parasites, making their money out of my family’s talent and skill.’

‘They weren’t too bad at the business side of things,’ Ferrera said carelessly.

‘Yes, and I’m a Trevellyan too, don’t forget that. I have a right to everything those girls have got and I intend to get it.’

‘This is becoming an obsession for you,’ observed Ferrera.

‘So?’ demanded Jecca, quick to rise to the bait as usual. ‘You’re obsessed with your business. Why is it wrong for me to be the same?’

‘You take it further than I would.’

‘Perhaps.’ Jecca smiled to herself. ‘It’s only natural to feel passionate about something that is my family’s heritage. But yes, I do persist where most people would stop.’ She fingered the locket that hung on a chain round her neck. ‘But my challenges are more extreme than most.’ She looked thoughtful. ‘Particularly as one of my best sources of information has just dried up.’

‘How so?’ Ferrera asked.

‘Oh, nothing … just someone who kept me abreast of things.’ Jecca smiled at him. Her charm was extraordinary when she chose to use it but Ferrera was beginning to learn not to let that sensuous smile and the melting dark eyes override his sense of danger where Jecca was concerned. ‘What’s your plan for the day, my darling?’

‘I’m going to New York this evening. I told you that.’

Jecca pouted. ‘Of course. Have you changed your mind about taking me with you?’

Ferrera shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not. This is business. I won’t have time for partying and socialising and you’d just get bored in the penthouse with nothing to do.’

‘No, I wouldn’t!’

‘Yes, you would. You’re staying here. The matter is closed.’ He folded up his paper with the barest hint of irritation, to show Jecca she should stop pushing him. ‘Surely you’d rather stay where you can keep a close eye on things at Trevellyan.’

‘There is that, I suppose,’ Jecca said thoughtfully.
‘And
I may make a rather startling move very soon. Surprise everyone.’

‘Beware of surprises,’ Ferrera remarked, getting up. ‘The harder you concentrate on planning them, the more likely you are to be surprised yourself. At least, that’s what I’ve always found.’ He walked towards the door. ‘By the way, I want you to keep me informed about anything you do. Do you understand? I will not be compromised by your actions, Jecca. Do I make myself clear?’

‘Crystal, darling, crystal!’ Jecca blinked big eyes at him, looking as innocent as she could.

He could see all too clearly that she had no intention of obeying him. She truly believed she could outwit him, and that he and his company were just a useful stepping stone towards her greater ambitions. ‘Good,’ he said calmly. ‘I’m glad we understand each other. You know how to reach me.’

46

TO EVERYONE’S SURPRISE
, it was Claudine who enthusiastically brought together the last elements of the relaunch. She provided the wonderful products for the new Trevellyan range, and managed to persuade her friends to sell them at very reasonable prices, considering their properties. It was Claudine who spotted that the nude pink was quite wrong for the shop front, and Claudine who picked out the delicate blue that would replace it. Poppy had brought several suggestions to the table but Claudine, with her unerring good taste, knew which it should be immediately.

‘This one,’ she declared. ‘Chic. Modern. Still linked to your original navy blue but with a lavender, almost pinky base. This is the one.’

They had all agreed at once. The nude pink would be reserved only for
Tea Rose
. The subtle blue would become the company colour.

It was Claudine who went with Tara to the factory
near
Birmingham to oversee setting up the production of
Tea Rose
according to her new formula, and spent an afternoon training the lab workers there in her own, very special ways.

‘You’re brilliant, Claudine,’ Tara told her, and Claudine only shrugged as if slightly surprised that it had taken everyone so long to realise what she had known all along.

‘I’m glad to be of help,’ was all she said.

Then, back in the office, she provided the answer to what had seemed their biggest dilemma.

‘How did the
Vogue
interview go?’ Donna asked.

‘Very well,’ Tara said. ‘It was quite fun to get all dressed up again to be photographed, even if it did remind me of that awful night at Spencer House.’ She shuddered slightly. ‘But the interviewer was very polite. She didn’t even mention Jecca once. It was all about our glamorous lives and based around our successes and our talents. They loved
Tea Rose
. I had to promise to send over some bottles as soon as we have them.’

‘We can’t give away too much product,’ said Donna sternly.

‘No, but
Vogue
…’

‘OK, point taken. Yes,
Vogue
can have whatever they want. What about you, Jemima? How did the interview with the
Chronicle go?
’

‘Funnily enough, they wanted to know all about Jecca,’ Jemima said drily. ‘Unlike the ladies at
Vogue
, they couldn’t get enough of it. But thankfully they had no interest in anything to do with my home life
aside
from how much money I spent on clothes, where I get my hair done, and how much Herne Castle is worth. I have to go down there tomorrow for pictures. They want the lord and lady at home.’

‘When’s it out?’ Donna asked.

‘Saturday.’

‘I still don’t understand why you’ve done an interview with them,’ Poppy said, frowning. ‘Aren’t they a little bit downmarket for us?’

‘Good publicity,’ Donna said quickly. ‘I used a contact. Who cares if it’s upmarket or downmarket. It all helps.’ She swiftly changed the subject. ‘So that leaves us with two big questions. Who’s our face? And what’s going to happen with the States?’

‘Any news on Kate Beckinsale?’ asked Tara.

Donna shook her head. ‘Doesn’t look good, I’m afraid. We’ll have to think of someone else to approach.’

‘The sale of the Loxton contents is going through soon,’ said Poppy. She felt uncomfortable talking about the
Tea Rose
face, as though it was her fault that Neave had said no. ‘So we’ll have more cash to put into our budget for the US campaign.’

‘And I’ve got three viewings of Eaton Square this afternoon, from the kind of girls whose daddies pay in cash,’ announced Jemima. ‘I’m sure that will mean another couple of mill for the US campaign.’

Donna sighed and shook her head. ‘It isn’t going to be enough, ladies. It just isn’t. We’ve spent so much already. I know we should be able to afford it, with the millions you’re pouring in from your own money, but we won’t.’

They were all silent and morose as Donna’s words sank in.

Claudine frowned. ‘But I don’t understand. If we can’t afford it, why should we pay for it?’

‘Because we need to launch in America,’ Tara said wearily. ‘If we don’t, we may as well not bother launching at all.’

‘So get someone else to pay for it,’ Claudine said with a shrug.

They all looked at her, bewildered, having forgotten she was even in the room.

‘No one will lend us that kind of money,’ said Tara. ‘Not without the kind of securities that we just can’t offer.’

‘You don’t need to borrow the money,’ Claudine said impatiently. ‘Do you think you are the only small perfume house with this problem? Of course not. Plenty of small European houses, with a great success here and in America, do not have the kind of power and presence needed to manage their business in the States. So, they go into partnership with someone who can. They go to a big company, creator of hundreds of bestselling fragrances – not just luxury perfumes but the smells that go into our laundry, our cleaners, our shampoos, our mouthwashes, our medicines, everything – and license them to do that work for them. A company that has the money and the network to distribute their perfume.
Et voilà
– money and success for everyone.’

There was another silence as everyone considered her words, but this time with a seed of hope within it.

‘I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. It’s the perfect solution,’ breathed Donna.

‘Oh my God, you’re a genius!’ exclaimed Jemima, throwing her arms around Claudine.

Tara smiled. ‘I’d better get on a plane to New York right away.’

Jemima popped into Claudine’s temporary office before she went home.

‘Hi,’ she said shyly. ‘I just wanted to thank you for your great suggestions today. I think you’ve cracked it for us.’

‘It is what you pay me for.’ Claudine smiled at her a little mischievously. ‘How are you,
chérie?
’

‘Fine, fine – really, fine.’ Jemima sat down a little awkwardly. ‘I just wanted to say … about Paris. Well, we haven’t spoken about it since you got back.’

‘Please.’ Claudine waved Jemima’s words away. ‘Don’t think of it. I have heard that you and your husband have reconciled. That is very good. I knew that our little liaison was no more than a spontaneous bright moment, to exist only then, like a dream. I did not expect or want more. I shall treasure the memory of it because it was rather beautiful. But that is all.’

‘I suppose I shouldn’t flatter myself that you wanted more.’

Claudine shrugged. ‘You are fascinating, of course.’ She smiled her mysterious smile. ‘But so am I.’

‘You certainly are.’ Jemima laughed.

‘I am happy for you. Go home to your husband, I can see you want to be on your way.’

Jemima jumped up. ‘Good night, you fascinating thing!’ She blew her a kiss and then hurried out into the corridor, hearing Claudine laughing lightly behind her.

Jecca looked with disgust at the newspaper on the table in front of her. Ferrera had left two nights ago and she had no one she could share her feelings with. She jumped up, feeling thwarted, and started to march about the apartment.

The pictures made her sick: the golden couple smiling lovingly at each other as they relaxed on their country estate.
Yuk!
Seeing Jemima playing happy families with her tedious husband was nauseating. Jecca couldn’t believe that the papers had swallowed that crap. Everyone knew that Jemima had been cheating on him virtually since the day they were married! But something had happened to bring them back together. Well, there was nothing she could do about that.

But it was what Jemima had said in her interview that stung most of all: ‘We don’t know why Jecca has turned against the family in the way she has. She vanished without a word years ago, so it was no wonder my mother didn’t include her in the will. She rejected us long before we rejected her. If she wanted to work with us in our very exciting project here at Trevellyan, she could have approached us rather than going through the courts. Surely we could have resolved this amicably, without the vast expense of lawyers and a court case. Our fondest wish is that we can all be reconciled again.’

‘Lying bitch!’ hissed Jecca. ‘You hate my guts. And I hate yours.’ She stalked over to the window and looked out over the leafy borough of Kensington. ‘Well, well. We might just have to take this up a notch a little sooner than I expected.’

She went over to the phone, picked it up and dialled a number. ‘Hi. Yes, I want you to get me Poppy Trevellyan’s private number. I don’t know, just do it. Now.’

She put the receiver down and crossed her arms thoughtfully. At the party she had relished taking on the Trevellyan sisters
en masse
. Now she was prepared for single combat.

47

TARA HAD WANTED
to sleep on the plane, but she was far too keyed up. Only the day before her offer on the Clapham house had been accepted. That morning, she received the news she had hoped for: there was a buyer for the Holland Park house, a wealthy Arab prince who was delighted with the place because it was only doors away from members of his extended family. He would pay cash and he wanted to exchange quickly. The documents would have to be couriered to Gerald in South Africa for his signature but Tara didn’t see a problem with that. Her husband knew that he wouldn’t be living in England again in the near future, if ever.

But if things turned out the way she hoped, it meant she might be able to move into the Clapham house within two months, before the launch of
Tea Rose
. Then they could start to live their new life. And maybe after Christmas, she would take the children to South Africa for a trip to see their father. It was easy to recognise
that
calls via video phone and laptop were not going to be enough. And Edward and Imo mustn’t lose touch with Gerald, no matter what he’d done.