bed.’
‘He’s very … peculiar,’ Cara said. She was pushing linguine round her plate, whose rim was decorated with a precise ring of clam shells. ‘Tall, and very thin and very brown, with straggly white hair tied back and lots of threads and thongs and beads tied round his wrists. Grace says he’s very clean.’ She gave a brief shudder. ‘I don’t care if you could eat off him. He gives me the creeps. Especially as he and Ma have the same eyes. I kept looking at his eyes and thinking “How
dare
you have her eyes?” even though I knew it was insane.’
Daniel reached across the restaurant table and poured more sparkling water into Cara’s glass.
She said, ‘I’m not very good at forgiving people. I mean, it wouldn’t matter to me how beautiful someone was, if their behaviour was shite. And his has been shite personified. Being anywhere near him made me feel kind of …
contaminated.
’
‘I know,’ Daniel said. He let a little silence fall, and then he said, ‘Could we talk a bit of business?’
Cara put her fork down. ‘I would
love
to talk a bit of business.’
‘We have to reschedule that meeting.’
‘Of course.’
‘And I think, Car, that we have to talk to Ashley.’
Cara had picked up her wine glass. She put it down again abruptly. ‘Ashley? Why Ashley?’
‘Because I’ve been doing a bit of thinking while you wereaway, and I think we need Ashley to understand something.’
Cara leant forward. ‘Have you been talking to Leo?’
Daniel smiled at her. ‘You know I hardly ever talk to Leo. Lovely chap and all that, but not an inhabitant of my planet. No. I think we have got to talk to Ashley, on her own, about where we go from here, and what needs to be different.’
‘Now? Right now? After what’s happened?’
Daniel said seriously, ‘Especially after what’s happened.’
Cara pushed her plate aside and folded her arms on her table mat. She said, ‘D’you know, Dan, that what I hated while I was in Stoke – I mean, I hated seeing Ma so upset and Grace being so shoved about, as usual, but what I hated was that
he
– that all this stuff about
him
– was getting in the way of the company, kind of distancing it, as if he had the power to somehow blot it out for us, this thing that Ma started, that we’ve all made, that’s our lives, really, and he could just wander in, all old and forlorn and greedy, and just kind of get in the way, obliterate it, make us all forget to put it first, where it should be …’ She began to hunt about in her pockets for a tissue. ‘Sorry, Dan, sorry. And all the people in the factory were so sweet. I mean, they were fascinated, of course, but so concerned and puzzled. Oh damn. Have you got a tissue?’
Dan passed his napkin across to her. Then he reached to touch her elbow. He said, ‘I know, sweetheart.’
She blew her nose on the napkin and said gratefully, ‘I know you do.’
‘That’s why I want to talk to Ashley. I want to try and depersonalize the whole thing. I want the brand to be as cosy and domestic as ever, but I want the company to grow up and be altogether more professional.’
Cara blotted her eyes and put the napkin down. She said, ‘But what about Ma?’
‘That’s it, really.’
‘What, Dan? You’re not plotting …’
‘I’m evolving,’ Daniel said. ‘I want to evolve the company. Susie could be the best ambassador the company could ever have.’
Cara looked at him for a moment, then she sat back and put her hands in her lap. ‘Wow,’ she said admiringly.
He glanced up. ‘D’you get it?’
‘Our spokeswoman,’ Cara said. ‘Our living advertisement. On panels, talking about entrepreneurs …’
‘Woman entrepreneurs.’
‘School boards, mentoring groups, non-executive positions in other companies …’
‘All that.’
‘Well done, Daniel!’
‘And,’ he said, ‘if she can’t bring herself to send Morris away, it’ll shield her from him. She’ll be too busy. We’ll keep her too
‘He’s very … peculiar,’ Cara said. She was pushing linguine round her plate, whose rim was decorated with a precise ring of clam shells. ‘Tall, and very thin and very brown, with straggly white hair tied back and lots of threads and thongs and beads tied round his wrists. Grace says he’s very clean.’ She gave a brief shudder. ‘I don’t care if you could eat off him. He gives me the creeps. Especially as he and Ma have the same eyes. I kept looking at his eyes and thinking “How
dare
you have her eyes?” even though I knew it was insane.’
Daniel reached across the restaurant table and poured more sparkling water into Cara’s glass.
She said, ‘I’m not very good at forgiving people. I mean, it wouldn’t matter to me how beautiful someone was, if their behaviour was shite. And his has been shite personified. Being anywhere near him made me feel kind of …
contaminated.
’
‘I know,’ Daniel said. He let a little silence fall, and then he said, ‘Could we talk a bit of business?’
Cara put her fork down. ‘I would
love
to talk a bit of business.’
‘We have to reschedule that meeting.’
‘Of course.’
‘And I think, Car, that we have to talk to Ashley.’
Cara had picked up her wine glass. She put it down again abruptly. ‘Ashley? Why Ashley?’
‘Because I’ve been doing a bit of thinking while you wereaway, and I think we need Ashley to understand something.’
Cara leant forward. ‘Have you been talking to Leo?’
Daniel smiled at her. ‘You know I hardly ever talk to Leo. Lovely chap and all that, but not an inhabitant of my planet. No. I think we have got to talk to Ashley, on her own, about where we go from here, and what needs to be different.’
‘Now? Right now? After what’s happened?’
Daniel said seriously, ‘Especially after what’s happened.’
Cara pushed her plate aside and folded her arms on her table mat. She said, ‘D’you know, Dan, that what I hated while I was in Stoke – I mean, I hated seeing Ma so upset and Grace being so shoved about, as usual, but what I hated was that
he
– that all this stuff about
him
– was getting in the way of the company, kind of distancing it, as if he had the power to somehow blot it out for us, this thing that Ma started, that we’ve all made, that’s our lives, really, and he could just wander in, all old and forlorn and greedy, and just kind of get in the way, obliterate it, make us all forget to put it first, where it should be …’ She began to hunt about in her pockets for a tissue. ‘Sorry, Dan, sorry. And all the people in the factory were so sweet. I mean, they were fascinated, of course, but so concerned and puzzled. Oh damn. Have you got a tissue?’
Dan passed his napkin across to her. Then he reached to touch her elbow. He said, ‘I know, sweetheart.’
She blew her nose on the napkin and said gratefully, ‘I know you do.’
‘That’s why I want to talk to Ashley. I want to try and depersonalize the whole thing. I want the brand to be as cosy and domestic as ever, but I want the company to grow up and be altogether more professional.’
Cara blotted her eyes and put the napkin down. She said, ‘But what about Ma?’
‘That’s it, really.’
‘What, Dan? You’re not plotting …’
‘I’m evolving,’ Daniel said. ‘I want to evolve the company. Susie could be the best ambassador the company could ever have.’
Cara looked at him for a moment, then she sat back and put her hands in her lap. ‘Wow,’ she said admiringly.
He glanced up. ‘D’you get it?’
‘Our spokeswoman,’ Cara said. ‘Our living advertisement. On panels, talking about entrepreneurs …’
‘Woman entrepreneurs.’
‘School boards, mentoring groups, non-executive positions in other companies …’
‘All that.’
‘Well done, Daniel!’
‘And,’ he said, ‘if she can’t bring herself to send Morris away, it’ll shield her from him. She’ll be too busy. We’ll keep her too
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