Free The Exciting Life by Karen Mason Page A

elocution
classes,’ Iris replied, sitting in the chair by Annie’s desk. ‘I’ve
known plenty of actresses and they were made to get rid of their
accents as soon as they got their first job.’
    ‘ Probably her agent’s idea of being modern,’ Patrick said,
pulling out one of the many tea chests that littered the room and
sitting on it. ‘What did you want to see me about anyway? Did you
get anywhere with Kenneth Holland?’
    ‘ Yes. I want to hold a fashion show at Bruno’s.’
    ‘ A fashion show?’ he laughed. ‘Would old Kenny approve of that?
Isn’t he a bit pious?’
    ‘ I won him round eventually, by pretending that I care about
his charity. We can make sure some journalists are there, and it’ll
be in the papers the next day. Then Oscar’s father will get to see
it and think you’re the right person to make a film with his
son.’
    Patrick
smiled and leaned forward, chucking Iris under the chin.
    ‘ What would I do without you and your deviousness?’ he
laughed.
    The door
opened and as Annie entered, Iris noticed Patrick automatically
spring back – as if he didn’t want her witnessing the moment of
intimacy between him and Iris.
    ‘ I can’t believe Veronica Owen is going to be wearing a pair of
my shoes,’ she said as she sat down at the desk. ‘It’ll get us so
much publicity.’ She sat back and looked at Iris and Patrick. ‘So
what’s this about Bruno’s?’ she asked.
    ‘ I want to hold a fashion show there, in aid of your brother’s
charity,’ Iris said.
    ‘ I beg your pardon?’ Annie uttered.
    ‘ Iris wants to do me a favour,’ Patrick interjected. ‘I’ve got
the chance to invest some money in a film being made by an
acquaintance called Oscar London. Trouble is, his father is a
manager of a department at the BBC and he isn’t going to want his
son being associated with the son of a villain. Iris came up with
the idea that if I did something charitable, it might just be
enough to change his mind.’
    ‘ And I think that’s a wonderful idea,’ Annie said. ‘But can’t
you support another charity?’
    ‘ Don’t you want to help your brother?’ Iris asked innocently.
‘Only when I met up with you both that time, he was accusing you of
being selfish. I thought if you did something like this for him at
your nightclub, it might change his opinion of you.’
    ‘ Nothing will change Kenneth’s opinion of me,’ Annie sighed.
‘But thank you for trying to help.’
    ‘ Oh come on Annie,’ Patrick urged. ‘It’ll be great publicity
for Bruno’s too. You don’t like it when people accuse us of just
running a dive for crooks and low-life’s. If a charity fundraiser
was held there, it would change what people think of
it.’
    ‘ I suppose so. But who’s going to provide the clothes and the
models?’
    ‘ Leave that all up to me,’ Iris said. ‘I’ll do it.’
    ‘ You’re lucky to have such a supportive girlfriend,’ Annie said
to Patrick. ‘She obviously wants to see you do well.’
    ‘ And you as well,’ Iris replied. ‘You’ve been such a good
friend to me Annie. I want to repay you for giving me the job
here.’
    ‘ Okay,’ Annie smiled. ‘Why not? Maybe it’ll be the thing to
bring Kenneth and I closer together.’
    Iris
went for her lunch break soon afterwards, leaving Annie and Patrick
alone to talk business. This left a bitter taste in her mouth, as
she was perfectly aware that Patrick respected Annie far more than
he did her; and they had so much more in common. Iris wasn’t even
sure if she was in love with Patrick – he didn’t excite her like
Leo, and most of the time he just treated her like a pretty
accessory on his arm. But she couldn’t sit back and see Annie
Holland steal him from beneath her nose. Annie always got the long
end of the straw - leaving Iris to get the dregs, and she was
determined this wasn’t going to happen again.
    She went
to a telephone box on Piccadilly Circus and called the offices of
Tanner Beresford. This