Read Online Summer at the Star and Sixpence by Holly Hepburn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Holly Hepburn
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Mrs Brady!’
The room erupted into thunderous applause as JoJo and Jamie entered the marquee. Nessie spotted Franny dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief and smiling at Henry Fitzsimmons in a way he seemed
oblivious to. Maybe that would be the next wedding of the year, Nessie thought, struggling to keep her face straight.
She slipped out midway through the speeches to check for messages from Sam. She wasn’t expecting anything yet – it was a good few hours’ drive to London and her sister
wouldn’t get in touch until she had news. But she checked all the same. After that, she headed back to the Star and Sixpence, looking resplendent at the top of the green in the glorious
late-afternoon sun. Apart from the fact that Sam should have been there, basking in the glory of a job well done, Nessie realised she wasn’t really missing her sister in a professional
capacity. The hard work had been done in the days and weeks preceding the wedding, and she’d have been lost without her then. Unless this was the calm before the storm, Nessie thought, biting
her lip. She hoped not: she wasn’t sure she could handle any more surprises today.
Sam met Nick in Golden Square. It had always been one of her favourite London gems, tucked away almost unnoticed behind the bustling Soho streets, like an emerald nestled
behind a flashy, attention-grabbing diamond. Nick wore a baseball cap and dark glasses to disguise himself and Sam was grateful for his thoughtfulness – the last thing she needed was a throng
of adoring
Smugglers’ Inn
fans following them on their way to the office of his PR advisor.
‘Lizzy knows the basics but I’ve left the details for you to fill in,’ Nick said as they arrived at the deserted offices. ‘Between the three of us we should be able to
manage the situation.’
Sam placed her hand on his arm. ‘Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate this.’
He took off his sunglasses and smiled at her. ‘No problem. Anything for you.’
The door buzzed and they took the lift up to the fifth-floor offices of Goldman PR. Lizzy greeted them both with warmth in spite of the fact that Sam knew she’d been pulled away from her
family to deal with this. Then again, when your client was Nick Borrowdale, you went the extra mile.
‘Tell me everything,’ Lizzy said, once they were seated in her office with a steaming pot of coffee between them. ‘I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that honesty is
the best policy here – whatever you tell me will remain strictly between us.’
It felt strange to Sam to be on the other side of the desk. She knew Lizzy by reputation and had always been impressed by the way she’d managed Nick’s public persona. Not that he
needed much handling – once his star had gone well and truly supernova he’d become a PR dream. Which made it all the more important that his role in this mess be managed the right
way.
After Sam had spilled out the whole sorry tale, Lizzy sat back, looking thoughtfully between Sam and Nick. ‘Forgive me for asking this, but what is your actual relationship? Are you seeing
each other?’
‘No,’ Nick said. ‘We spent the night together on occasion if it suited us, but not since Sam left London.’
Was it Sam’s imagination or was there a hint of regret behind his words? She shook the thought away. ‘I’m in a relationship with someone else. The thing with Will happened
before I met him but he doesn’t know about it.’ She paused. ‘Yet.’
Lizzy sighed. ‘You worked in PR for years, Sam, so you know how this is likely to go. From the sounds of things, the story is going to run. We need to think about damage limitation and how
we do that depends on who’s running the story.’
‘The journalist I spoke to was from
The Sunday Planet
,’ Nick said.
‘She means the source,’ Sam explained. ‘Not the outlet.’
Lizzy nodded. ‘If Marina Pargeter is behind the story then we could try to cloud the waters, suggest that Sam isn’t
The room erupted into thunderous applause as JoJo and Jamie entered the marquee. Nessie spotted Franny dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief and smiling at Henry Fitzsimmons in a way he seemed
oblivious to. Maybe that would be the next wedding of the year, Nessie thought, struggling to keep her face straight.
She slipped out midway through the speeches to check for messages from Sam. She wasn’t expecting anything yet – it was a good few hours’ drive to London and her sister
wouldn’t get in touch until she had news. But she checked all the same. After that, she headed back to the Star and Sixpence, looking resplendent at the top of the green in the glorious
late-afternoon sun. Apart from the fact that Sam should have been there, basking in the glory of a job well done, Nessie realised she wasn’t really missing her sister in a professional
capacity. The hard work had been done in the days and weeks preceding the wedding, and she’d have been lost without her then. Unless this was the calm before the storm, Nessie thought, biting
her lip. She hoped not: she wasn’t sure she could handle any more surprises today.
Sam met Nick in Golden Square. It had always been one of her favourite London gems, tucked away almost unnoticed behind the bustling Soho streets, like an emerald nestled
behind a flashy, attention-grabbing diamond. Nick wore a baseball cap and dark glasses to disguise himself and Sam was grateful for his thoughtfulness – the last thing she needed was a throng
of adoring
Smugglers’ Inn
fans following them on their way to the office of his PR advisor.
‘Lizzy knows the basics but I’ve left the details for you to fill in,’ Nick said as they arrived at the deserted offices. ‘Between the three of us we should be able to
manage the situation.’
Sam placed her hand on his arm. ‘Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate this.’
He took off his sunglasses and smiled at her. ‘No problem. Anything for you.’
The door buzzed and they took the lift up to the fifth-floor offices of Goldman PR. Lizzy greeted them both with warmth in spite of the fact that Sam knew she’d been pulled away from her
family to deal with this. Then again, when your client was Nick Borrowdale, you went the extra mile.
‘Tell me everything,’ Lizzy said, once they were seated in her office with a steaming pot of coffee between them. ‘I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that honesty is
the best policy here – whatever you tell me will remain strictly between us.’
It felt strange to Sam to be on the other side of the desk. She knew Lizzy by reputation and had always been impressed by the way she’d managed Nick’s public persona. Not that he
needed much handling – once his star had gone well and truly supernova he’d become a PR dream. Which made it all the more important that his role in this mess be managed the right
way.
After Sam had spilled out the whole sorry tale, Lizzy sat back, looking thoughtfully between Sam and Nick. ‘Forgive me for asking this, but what is your actual relationship? Are you seeing
each other?’
‘No,’ Nick said. ‘We spent the night together on occasion if it suited us, but not since Sam left London.’
Was it Sam’s imagination or was there a hint of regret behind his words? She shook the thought away. ‘I’m in a relationship with someone else. The thing with Will happened
before I met him but he doesn’t know about it.’ She paused. ‘Yet.’
Lizzy sighed. ‘You worked in PR for years, Sam, so you know how this is likely to go. From the sounds of things, the story is going to run. We need to think about damage limitation and how
we do that depends on who’s running the story.’
‘The journalist I spoke to was from
The Sunday Planet
,’ Nick said.
‘She means the source,’ Sam explained. ‘Not the outlet.’
Lizzy nodded. ‘If Marina Pargeter is behind the story then we could try to cloud the waters, suggest that Sam isn’t
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