earth - a new earth, as she put it to me. On being informed that it was a marriage of true minds, or intended to be such, I offered my help.'
'The marriage of true minds,' repeated Jemima. 'How on earth did they meet?'
'It was a media romance. They happened to be on the same television programme—'
'Good God!' exclaimed Jemima. 'I arranged it. Chloe wanted some publicity for her new book. Some kind of round-table chat to do with industrial sponsorship of the Arts. Isabelle Mancini was the chairman. I knew she would be managing one of her wonderfully poised plugs for Taffeta - somehow she always makes that magazine sound far more socially committed than the New Statesman. As she adores Chloe' - Jemima hesitated and Valentine said nothing - 'I thought she would hardly object if Chloe plugged her new book. I watched most of it to see how she made out. Wait. The lighter. I suppose it was his, Lionnel's. That's where I saw it - on telly.'
'Afterwards Lionnel whirled her away for dinner at the Mirabelle. Coup de foudre was the expression used; I was far too frightened to enquire any further.'
'And not a whisper in the Press. No goggling in the gossip columns. No daring speculations by diarists. Perhaps Lionnel fixes them.'
'On the contrary. He's very worried about it. The Press hate him, serious papers as well as muck-rakers. That kind of gentleman-buccaneer always tots up a number of enemies among the less piratically minded. No, he's particularly keen on silence at the moment because he's hoping to go respectable. I mean really respectable. He's being tipped as the new Chairman of the Committee for Arts and Caring Industry. Now that could be very big indeed in the respectability stakes. You know how keen the Royal Family are on the CARI They may not be crazy about the arts or industry separately but they find the combination quite devastating. The mere thought of CARI sends them into ecstasy. Lunch with Prince Philip every other day. The Prince of Wales to breakfast. Jogging with Princess Anne. You know the form.'
'Hence the Camargue and that Taffeta cover story, I take it. But why the clandestine weekend in London first?'
'At the last minute Lionnel was called for some meetings at number ten; couldn't of course refuse. He suggested a kind of romantic breakaway in his official suite, attached to the office, since Lady L was hardly likely to rumble him there, so blatant it's actually safe. As for Camargue, Chloe plans that to be a trial honeymoon - Chloe will be doing the trying. She intends trying to persuade Lionnel to commit himself to a divorce after the CARI announcement has been made. Her view is that she's already got her man wriggling on the hook. He says he hasn't felt this way for years, youth returned and all that sort of rot. Now she reckons on landing him in the Camargue. My view,' concluded Valentine in a pious voice, 'is that for something the size of the Lion of Bloomsbury you need a net and not a fishing-rod. But Chloe never understands anything about the animal kingdom. Her novels are full of mistakes in that respect.'
The colossal figure of a winged lion couchant which faced them, so much mightier than the bird-gods, leant picturesque credence to what he had just said. Such creatures were not to be captured lightly, but by stealth and imagination.
'Scheherazade, indeed. I can't help hoping she gets away with it.'
'That's just the trouble. At this very moment she's in danger of getting away with nothing. You see Lady Lionnel may well have rumbled the Camargue plan, and it's all my own silly fault.' Valentine gave a theatrical gesture of putting his hand to his forehead and smoothing back the fair hair. 'Or shall I blame country life in August? Nothing to do. Mischief made. First step: over comes Francesca Lionnel to tea with Mummy. Second step: she tells Mummy that Sir Lionnel's gone to the Camargue to have a real holiday, and as they're opening the gardens to the public, he's taken Tommy
'The marriage of true minds,' repeated Jemima. 'How on earth did they meet?'
'It was a media romance. They happened to be on the same television programme—'
'Good God!' exclaimed Jemima. 'I arranged it. Chloe wanted some publicity for her new book. Some kind of round-table chat to do with industrial sponsorship of the Arts. Isabelle Mancini was the chairman. I knew she would be managing one of her wonderfully poised plugs for Taffeta - somehow she always makes that magazine sound far more socially committed than the New Statesman. As she adores Chloe' - Jemima hesitated and Valentine said nothing - 'I thought she would hardly object if Chloe plugged her new book. I watched most of it to see how she made out. Wait. The lighter. I suppose it was his, Lionnel's. That's where I saw it - on telly.'
'Afterwards Lionnel whirled her away for dinner at the Mirabelle. Coup de foudre was the expression used; I was far too frightened to enquire any further.'
'And not a whisper in the Press. No goggling in the gossip columns. No daring speculations by diarists. Perhaps Lionnel fixes them.'
'On the contrary. He's very worried about it. The Press hate him, serious papers as well as muck-rakers. That kind of gentleman-buccaneer always tots up a number of enemies among the less piratically minded. No, he's particularly keen on silence at the moment because he's hoping to go respectable. I mean really respectable. He's being tipped as the new Chairman of the Committee for Arts and Caring Industry. Now that could be very big indeed in the respectability stakes. You know how keen the Royal Family are on the CARI They may not be crazy about the arts or industry separately but they find the combination quite devastating. The mere thought of CARI sends them into ecstasy. Lunch with Prince Philip every other day. The Prince of Wales to breakfast. Jogging with Princess Anne. You know the form.'
'Hence the Camargue and that Taffeta cover story, I take it. But why the clandestine weekend in London first?'
'At the last minute Lionnel was called for some meetings at number ten; couldn't of course refuse. He suggested a kind of romantic breakaway in his official suite, attached to the office, since Lady L was hardly likely to rumble him there, so blatant it's actually safe. As for Camargue, Chloe plans that to be a trial honeymoon - Chloe will be doing the trying. She intends trying to persuade Lionnel to commit himself to a divorce after the CARI announcement has been made. Her view is that she's already got her man wriggling on the hook. He says he hasn't felt this way for years, youth returned and all that sort of rot. Now she reckons on landing him in the Camargue. My view,' concluded Valentine in a pious voice, 'is that for something the size of the Lion of Bloomsbury you need a net and not a fishing-rod. But Chloe never understands anything about the animal kingdom. Her novels are full of mistakes in that respect.'
The colossal figure of a winged lion couchant which faced them, so much mightier than the bird-gods, leant picturesque credence to what he had just said. Such creatures were not to be captured lightly, but by stealth and imagination.
'Scheherazade, indeed. I can't help hoping she gets away with it.'
'That's just the trouble. At this very moment she's in danger of getting away with nothing. You see Lady Lionnel may well have rumbled the Camargue plan, and it's all my own silly fault.' Valentine gave a theatrical gesture of putting his hand to his forehead and smoothing back the fair hair. 'Or shall I blame country life in August? Nothing to do. Mischief made. First step: over comes Francesca Lionnel to tea with Mummy. Second step: she tells Mummy that Sir Lionnel's gone to the Camargue to have a real holiday, and as they're opening the gardens to the public, he's taken Tommy
Similar Books
