‘Very funny.’
‘I’ll be fine. Go have fun!’
44
21 DECEMBER
Margaret and I arrive at Le Vieux Bistrot in the Latin quarter. It’s a small family run cosy restaurant that serves raclette and fondue and, while these dishes are slightly old fashioned, visitors to Paris usually delight in the theatrical nature of the experience.
‘I hope you likefromage.’
‘I could live on it.’
We’re seated at a table for two and order wine, French onion soup for entrée and raclette for main.
‘This place is divine,’ Margaret says, taking in the cave-like aesthetic of the small space. ‘I sometimes wish I lived anywhere other than London.’
Things have been so hectic; I haven’t noticed the change in my agent’s demeanour until right this second. She’s usually swearing and blustering in her high energy way. I’d figured she was here solely to get her hands on Chloe’s manuscript, but now I take a moment to study her, I sense it’s more than that. Her shoulders are high, and there is a certain stiffness about her that’s out of character.
Our wine arrives. I take a sip, enjoying the swirl of the robust red while I wait her out. Soon, two steaming bowls of French soup are deposited on our table, and a sweet fragrant smell permeates the space between us. If there’s one thing Margaret is, it’s forthright, so it won’t take long for her confession, now that we’re alone.
Margaret swizzles her wine and then blurts, ‘I’ve left the agency.’
Shock knocks me sideways. ‘What!’ Margaret has been at Thames Literary her entire career of forty-odd years. Is there even a Thames Literary without her? While she’s not the owner, she’s the face and has the biggest stable of well-known authors who have been loyal to her.
‘But… why?’
‘That celebrity “author” was the nail in the coffin. I couldn’t stand it another minute. Why do we have to bend and scrape on one knee like a sycophant to the likes of him? Sure, his cosy mystery has sold well, but so what? We’re allowing a guy to swan in, behave horribly, and we can’t say a word, because the rules don’t apply to him.’
My mouth falls open. ‘Did he do something when you met him that was a catalyst for this?’
She takes a sip of wine. ‘He told my new assistant she’d be gorgeous if she had her teeth fixed. And it devolved from there. He went into detail about a sex act she could perform… Actually, I’ll leave it there. It washeinous. She was in tears and quit that afternoon. I talked to the powers that be and can you guess what they said?’
I sigh. ‘Something like “She’s too sensitive. She’ll never make it in the biz if she can’t take a joke. He’s known for his ‘humour’. He doesn’t mean anything by it.” Shall I continue?’
‘No, you’ve summed it up. And so I lost a fantastic staff member due to him and there was no point even telling her to godown the legal route, because I understand he’s got a prestigious law firm on his side, and she won’t be able to fund the fight against that behemoth.’
I know that feeling of powerlessness. ‘It’s awful. And so… you also quit?’
‘Not before I threatened them with going to the press with details about what they let slide, because they figure he might be their new cash cow and I’m supposed to turn a blind eye to his behaviour. It’s not just him. It’s all the reality stars, the two-bit celebs, or big-name male authors and the deals they get and how I’m to allow them to treat our staff badly because they bring in the most money.’
‘Youwent to the press?’
‘I bloody well did.’
‘But I haven’t heard anything about this news breaking? I’ve been distracted with the hotel and my deadline, but I would have thought my industry friends would have told?—’
‘I got legal advice first, found out where I stand. What I’m risking and how to best survive the onslaught when it does go to the press.’
‘Smart. So when will that be?’
‘An hour ago.’
‘What!’
‘Yeah. I did an in-depth interview withThe Times. And spoke on the record to several tabloids too. He and the agency will be feeling the pinch right about now, I would guess.’
If I raise my eyebrows any higher, I’ll fall over backwards. ‘So you’re hiding out here while the dust settles?’
