Jimi pushed his leg into mine, making me want to sigh.
‘I honestly think we’re all agreed: this is a stunning image.Theimage,’ Julie-Ann continued.
Mandy was obviously taken aback being overruled like this, but she couldn’t think of an immediate rhetorical slur to hurl at all of us. I pretended to focus on an abstract picture on the wall.
‘It seems to me that fashion is no longer just about clothes,’ Jose said profoundly. ‘Look how much talking this image does. Your audience will love it.’
‘But baby, I’m an influencer!’ Mandy exclaimed. ‘I kickstart trends. The whole point is that I wear clothes – and make-up, accessories, bunion corrector socks or whatever the hell it is that needs some influencing. When did that change? I mean I love clothes!’
‘So do I!’ I said, finding my voice and giving Mandy some support.I’m not having Jose talk me out of a job here.‘And youwillbe wearing clothes, don’t worry about that. I worship at the altar of the best design talents in the world. But I think Jose makes a good point. Don’t let the clothes wearyou– you wearthem.’ I paused, and then said calmly, ‘That’s the difference between being an influencer and a bad influence.’
I turned my attention back to the image of Mandy on the screen. The more I looked at it, the more I loved it. Mart had captured such a perfect moment. It was ethereal and unguarded, yet there was something so strong and defiant about the shot too.
Jose said, ‘When your fans see this, they will love you for it, Mands. Just like I do. You’ll be more influential than ever.’
‘For what it’s worth, I love it too,’ said Jimi, contributing to the conversation. ‘“Don’t let the clothes wear you” is a killer concept. It’s going to fly online.’
I was chuffed he had quoted me, and felt my cheeks redden.
‘Yes,’ added Julie-Ann. ‘Thisis what will endear you to the British public. Not Mandy Sykes trying to look like an English toff, but being yourself. The Brits likerealness.’ She glanced at me to accentuate her point. I knew I was looking very ‘real’ this morning, slightly sweaty and in my gym gear. ‘The tide has turned. We need much more of this to build a social campaign. We need another shoot.’
The tide has turned. That’s just given me a brilliant idea.
‘West Wittering!’ I announced. The room turned to look at me. ‘It’s on the Sussex coast, not far from here. There’s a long sandy beach and dunes.’
‘Sounds delightful. But what about it?’ asked Julie-Ann.
‘We could do another shoot there, get away from the stuffy stately home vibe and keep it as natural as possible. If we want realness, it’s the perfect backdrop drawing together the wholesomeness of nature with the imperfect beauty of the human form – it will be wild, windy, provocative. With any luck, it will rain, to complete the picture.’
‘This is so far outside my comfort zone, I think I’ll need my passport,’ Mandy muttered, a glacial expression on her face.
Chapter Fifteen
WEEK THREE
Imanaged to spend the next few days quietly getting on with the styling assignments asked of me, without drawing any unnecessary attention to myself. Using the gym with Jimi had become one of the highlights of my days here. Between putting me through my paces on the Pilates machine, we would talk about all kinds of things – from how guacamole is one of the best inventions known to mankind, to Mandy’s volatile moods, and how much he was missing the Miami sunshine. Sometimes I would feel a frisson of attraction between us. We had neglected to discuss our love lives with each other, so I wondered whether he was attached. Although sometimes I questioned whether he was even straight, because he seemed a bit too good to be true. From time to time, I’d notice his cap and sunglasses perched on another statue in an ornate corner or stone alcove in the house, and it became our running private joke to guess how long it would take Philippa to notice and remove them, replacing them quietly and neatly back in Jimi’s room and mentioning nothing of it.
Jimi was enough of a distraction to ensure that even when Mandy turned down my polite request to wear the floral silk chiffon gown to an afternoon event, or the tuxedoto a premiere, it didn’t have the power to get me down for long. No one had mentioned emailing me my P45 yet, so I considered this a win.
As the days went on, I noticed I was spending less time checking my phone for messages from Rob. And it was only towards the end of the week that I realised I hadn’t heard from him for a few days.
It was the day of the cocktail party, and Mandy had announced via WhatsApp that she was giving us the afternoon off to get ready.
Fancy a chat?I messaged Rob on WhatsApp.There’s a party here tonight, but I can speak first?
To which he replied,I’m sorry I’ve not been in touch, I’ve been in a weird frame of mind. I’ll drop you a line when I’ve cheered up. Have fun.
This wasn’t like Rob. I immediately pressed the little green phone icon. Perhaps if he heard my voice, he’d feel better.
He didn’t pick up, although he was online according to WhatsApp.
Then another message arrived.I’m not up for chatting right now. Have a great time. Love you x
Outside the window I noticed a lone magpie on a low branch of a tree, the branch still bare from winter. It was cold, crisp, and sharp outside today. Even sharper now that I had a tight, spiky feeling in my chest. I had been so looking forward to telling Rob I planned to wear a jumpsuit this evening, and the silver boots he gave me for Christmas – he always said my bum looked sexy in that jumpsuit. Tearssprung in my eyes. I realised I felt homesick for Rob. I fought back tears by anchoring my eyes on the magpie.
Where’s your wife and your children?
I scanned the area around the bird in a bid to spot another magpie. I’ve always been superstitious about them. In fact, I still blame the E I got for A-level Economics to the fact I saw a lone magpie on my way to school that morning.
