see from this/ she said, handing Marielle a copy of the blueprint,
"what sort of areas I intend to cover. If you know anyone with an interest in any of these fields - fashion, interior design, gardening, cookery, entertainment, et cetera - and who may like to contribute, I'll be happy to see them. There is one stipulation, though. Whoever they are, they must be bilingual because my intention is to make the new 52
magazine bilingual, since to cater just for the Englishspeaking population imposes unacceptable limitations on the circulation. It will be a community nagazine and, as the French make up by far the greater part of the community, it would be insane to cut them out. And here/ she said, delving into her briefcase again,
"is a list of people I would like to meet, the editor of the NiceMatin being the most important. Maybe your assistant, when she next graces us with her presence, can fix up some meetings for me.
"Now, about recruitment..."
she continued. To begin with we shall be quite a small team consisting of myself, David Villers, you, a general assistant, a sales and marketing director, an advertising director and two subs. As well as the deputy editorship I would like you to take on the role of production director."
Not even a glimmer of a response.
"But the most important person at this stage is the designer. I have already recruited someone in London who will come down to oversee everything from the look of the magazine to the launch of it. His name is Jeffrey Silver. He drew up the blueprint you are looking at there and he's had considerable experience in getting new magazines off the ground. On the list of people I would like to meet I've included several advertising agencies. They will handle the actual launch, which I hope will take place at the end of August."
There was a tightness around Marielle's mouth that told Penny how royally pissed off she was, but she said nothing.
"Uh, before we go any further/ Penny said, looking through more documents she had taken from her briefcase, her mind clearly dealing with several things at once,
"maybe you could hire a team of decorators to come and spruce the place up a bit. Oh yes/ she said, as her eyes alighted on a memo she had sent Sylvia,
"there are two extremely important points here, the first being 53
that the new magazine will be a bimonthly as opposed to a monthly and, second, it will no longer be free. We'll need to discuss the setting of a price with David when he comes."
"And when will that be?"
Marielle asked coldly.
"I've no idea,"
Penny answered, continuing to lay things out on the desk. After a while she stopped and looked up at Marielle, who hadn't moved.
"I'm sorry,"
Penny said,
"I obviously didn't make myself clear. When I asked if you would sort out the decorators, I meant now."
Then, with a beaming smile.
"There's no point in dragging our heels, is there?"
Marielle's nostrils flared, but, slipping off her coat, she went to sit at her assistant's desk.
Ts there a photocopier?"
Penny enquired, glancing around.
"There."
Marielle pointed at a small, desktop job.
"Well, that's not going to get us very far, is it?"
Penny remarked.
"Make task number two the hiring of a decentsized copier, one with all the magical little functions but no tendency to break down. Incidentally, did you manage to contact any estate agents to find me somewhere to rent?"
"Yes. We have a rendezvous with her tomorrow morning."
Penny nodded.
"Her"
wasn't quite what she'd had in mind, for she'd been planning a blitz on house-hunting, but one agent was a start.
It was much later in the day, after Penny had gone through the laborious task of copying virtually everything in her briefcase for Marielle's perusal, that Marielle at last spoke without prompting.
"Your ideas,"
she said, fixing Penny with her sharp, green eyes,
"are ambitious, to say the least. I am wondering where so much money is coming from."
"From the Starke Organization,"
Penny
"what sort of areas I intend to cover. If you know anyone with an interest in any of these fields - fashion, interior design, gardening, cookery, entertainment, et cetera - and who may like to contribute, I'll be happy to see them. There is one stipulation, though. Whoever they are, they must be bilingual because my intention is to make the new 52
magazine bilingual, since to cater just for the Englishspeaking population imposes unacceptable limitations on the circulation. It will be a community nagazine and, as the French make up by far the greater part of the community, it would be insane to cut them out. And here/ she said, delving into her briefcase again,
"is a list of people I would like to meet, the editor of the NiceMatin being the most important. Maybe your assistant, when she next graces us with her presence, can fix up some meetings for me.
"Now, about recruitment..."
she continued. To begin with we shall be quite a small team consisting of myself, David Villers, you, a general assistant, a sales and marketing director, an advertising director and two subs. As well as the deputy editorship I would like you to take on the role of production director."
Not even a glimmer of a response.
"But the most important person at this stage is the designer. I have already recruited someone in London who will come down to oversee everything from the look of the magazine to the launch of it. His name is Jeffrey Silver. He drew up the blueprint you are looking at there and he's had considerable experience in getting new magazines off the ground. On the list of people I would like to meet I've included several advertising agencies. They will handle the actual launch, which I hope will take place at the end of August."
There was a tightness around Marielle's mouth that told Penny how royally pissed off she was, but she said nothing.
"Uh, before we go any further/ Penny said, looking through more documents she had taken from her briefcase, her mind clearly dealing with several things at once,
"maybe you could hire a team of decorators to come and spruce the place up a bit. Oh yes/ she said, as her eyes alighted on a memo she had sent Sylvia,
"there are two extremely important points here, the first being 53
that the new magazine will be a bimonthly as opposed to a monthly and, second, it will no longer be free. We'll need to discuss the setting of a price with David when he comes."
"And when will that be?"
Marielle asked coldly.
"I've no idea,"
Penny answered, continuing to lay things out on the desk. After a while she stopped and looked up at Marielle, who hadn't moved.
"I'm sorry,"
Penny said,
"I obviously didn't make myself clear. When I asked if you would sort out the decorators, I meant now."
Then, with a beaming smile.
"There's no point in dragging our heels, is there?"
Marielle's nostrils flared, but, slipping off her coat, she went to sit at her assistant's desk.
Ts there a photocopier?"
Penny enquired, glancing around.
"There."
Marielle pointed at a small, desktop job.
"Well, that's not going to get us very far, is it?"
Penny remarked.
"Make task number two the hiring of a decentsized copier, one with all the magical little functions but no tendency to break down. Incidentally, did you manage to contact any estate agents to find me somewhere to rent?"
"Yes. We have a rendezvous with her tomorrow morning."
Penny nodded.
"Her"
wasn't quite what she'd had in mind, for she'd been planning a blitz on house-hunting, but one agent was a start.
It was much later in the day, after Penny had gone through the laborious task of copying virtually everything in her briefcase for Marielle's perusal, that Marielle at last spoke without prompting.
"Your ideas,"
she said, fixing Penny with her sharp, green eyes,
"are ambitious, to say the least. I am wondering where so much money is coming from."
"From the Starke Organization,"
Penny
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