Deep and Silent Waters by Charlotte Lamb

Author:Charlotte Lamb
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Fiction, Suspense, General
ISBN: 9781444770322
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2013-03-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

‘You look grisly,’ Melanie said with her usual bluntness, leaning forward across their table at the Ivy to peer myopically at Laura’s pallor and the shadows under her eyes. ‘What’s wrong? You sick?’

‘I’m just a bit edgy.’

Melanie nibbled a piece of Melba toast. ‘Edgy about what?’

Laura hesitated, then admitted, ‘Going to Venice.’ She played eyes down, toying with her glass of sparkling Malvern water, watching the ice bob and chink.

Melanie exploded, ‘Why didn’t you decide that before I signed the fucking contract? You can’t say I forced you. In fact, I warned you not to accept that part, but you didn’t listen, did you?’ Half satisfied that she had been right, half irritated that Laura had come to see that too late to get out of the contract without paying a hefty cancellation fee, Melanie then asked, ‘And what do you mean you’re edgy? Are you scared you’ll find the part difficult? Or scared of Ferrese? You don’t think he’s going to push you out of any windows, do you?’ She laughed, but something in her face wasn’t amused.

Wishing now that she had kept quiet, Laura lied, ‘No, of course not, don’t be ridiculous. I guess I’m just nervous about this part. It’s really going to stretch me and I only hope I can pull it off.’

The waiter arrived with their first course: houmous with chick pea relish for Melanie and tomato and basil galette for Laura.

‘You’ll be great,’ Melanie said, picking up her knife and fork, voice thickened by hunger. ‘I haven’t eaten a thing since yesterday lunch time, my stomach thinks my throat’s cut.’

Laura hadn’t eaten much for days, she rarely did, lived on salad and chicken or fish, but didn’t say anything. Melanie would take it as a personal attack: when she was dieting her temper was always on a short fuse, she resented anyone who seemed to her to be boasting that they ate less than she did or had lost more weight.

They talked about several other projects that had just come up on offer for the future. ‘Since word got round that you’d got the lead in The Lily the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. You are hot, girl. If this film does big box office, I’ll be able to name my own price for the next job. You can take a few scripts with you to Venice and let me know which one you like, and it had better be one with a big price tag!’

‘I don’t want to think about the future. I’ve got enough problems right now.’ Laura played with the Thai baked sea bass in front of her; it was served with fragrant rice, scented with lemon grass and lime leaves.

‘Isn’t that any good?’ Melanie was visibly enjoying her escalope of veal Holstein, which she had chosen to have with a green salad.

‘It’s delicious, I’m just not hungry.’ Her stomach was like a washing-machine, the contents tumbling over and over. She would be flying to Venice in two days and as the time got closer her fear grew stronger.

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