their
surroundings. 'We're just creators of illusion half the time.' She glanced past
Catriona and her pretty face hardened. 'And talking of creations, here comes
Moira.'
Catriona longed to turn and stare, but she kept herself strictly under control.
She was glad she had, when a husky and very feminine voice said from
beside her, 'I thought Hugo had placed an embargo on sightseers, Miss
Fenton.'
Moira Dane was tall, with a figure just bordering on voluptuousness,
becomingly encased in a black velvet trouser suit. Her violet eyes examined
Catriona minutely, then dismissed her as an obvious nonentity.
'I don't think he intended a complete ban, Miss Dane,' Sally replied
smoothly. 'He just got a little annoyed with visitors at every rehearsal.'
A faint colour rose in Moira's cheeks.
'Well, I'm glad he's being a little more reasonable,' she said with a shrug. 'As
it happens I'm meeting a cousin of mine for lunch, and I'm sure she'd like to
watch the run- through as well as your little friend.'
Her last inflection had an unmistakably questioning note, and Sally
hastened to repair the omission by performing formal introductions.
'Catriona Muir?' Moira repeated. 'Now I do believe I re heard that name
somewhere before. I wonder where it could have been.'
'You must be thinking of someone else, Miss Dane,' Catriona said steadily. 'I
only arrived in London last week.'
'Nevertheless--' Moira shrugged again. 'It will come back to me eventually.
Things always do.'
'No doubt,' Sally said shortly. 'Well, you must excuse us now. We're
lunching too.' And she swept Catriona away.
'Does Hugo really dislike visitors?' Catriona asked anxiously once they were
out of earshot. Sally grinned a little.
'He doesn't care for Moira's visitors very much,' she retorted. 'They won't
keep quiet during scenes, and they do incredible things like asking Jan the
production assistant to bring them coffee. Hugo got good and mad and said
he wasn't providing free entertainment for gaping onlookers any more, but
he was very sweet when I asked if you could come along.'
Catriona felt relieved, but at the same time she knew the concession had not
pleased Moira, and she hoped their paths would not cross again during the
afternoon's important rehearsal.
The studio canteen facilities were housed on the top floor of the building.
There was a cafeteria section at one end, partitioned off from the restaurant
which had waitress service.
Both sections were already quite crowded when they arrived, but Sally led
the way unhesitatingly across the thick carpet with its brilliant geometrical
pattern in red, gold and black.
'Mr Lord's table, Molly,' she told the waitress who came to meet them, and
they were shown at once to a reserved place by the window. There was a
breathtaking view over the city and Catriona was soon trying to spot
landmarks and find the blue ribbon of the Thames winding its way in the
distance.
'Oh, Sally, I've never enjoyed myself so much in my life,' she said
impulsively, turning to look at her friend, who was giving the menu the
same kind of rapt attention she had been paying the landscape. 'The only
blot on it is having to be nice to that Lord man.'
'Well, don't let that spoil your day,' a voice she knew only too well chipped
in curtly, and Jason Lord swung himself into the third chair at the table.
'You've never allowed good manners to stand in the way before, Miss
Muir—why bother now?'
Catriona was blushing to the roots of her hair. She had been guilty of a piece
of schoolgirlish rudeness, and had been well repaid for it.
'I didn't know you were there,' she managed at last.
'I'm sure you didn't.' He handed her a menu. 'What's your pleasure, Miss
Muir—or do you prefer another bite at the hand that intends to feed you?'
'Stop teasing her, Jason,' Sally said chidingly. 'You know what they say
about eavesdroppers, anyway.'
'Oh, I'm used to hearing no good of myself, aren't I, Cinderella?' He
surroundings. 'We're just creators of illusion half the time.' She glanced past
Catriona and her pretty face hardened. 'And talking of creations, here comes
Moira.'
Catriona longed to turn and stare, but she kept herself strictly under control.
She was glad she had, when a husky and very feminine voice said from
beside her, 'I thought Hugo had placed an embargo on sightseers, Miss
Fenton.'
Moira Dane was tall, with a figure just bordering on voluptuousness,
becomingly encased in a black velvet trouser suit. Her violet eyes examined
Catriona minutely, then dismissed her as an obvious nonentity.
'I don't think he intended a complete ban, Miss Dane,' Sally replied
smoothly. 'He just got a little annoyed with visitors at every rehearsal.'
A faint colour rose in Moira's cheeks.
'Well, I'm glad he's being a little more reasonable,' she said with a shrug. 'As
it happens I'm meeting a cousin of mine for lunch, and I'm sure she'd like to
watch the run- through as well as your little friend.'
Her last inflection had an unmistakably questioning note, and Sally
hastened to repair the omission by performing formal introductions.
'Catriona Muir?' Moira repeated. 'Now I do believe I re heard that name
somewhere before. I wonder where it could have been.'
'You must be thinking of someone else, Miss Dane,' Catriona said steadily. 'I
only arrived in London last week.'
'Nevertheless--' Moira shrugged again. 'It will come back to me eventually.
Things always do.'
'No doubt,' Sally said shortly. 'Well, you must excuse us now. We're
lunching too.' And she swept Catriona away.
'Does Hugo really dislike visitors?' Catriona asked anxiously once they were
out of earshot. Sally grinned a little.
'He doesn't care for Moira's visitors very much,' she retorted. 'They won't
keep quiet during scenes, and they do incredible things like asking Jan the
production assistant to bring them coffee. Hugo got good and mad and said
he wasn't providing free entertainment for gaping onlookers any more, but
he was very sweet when I asked if you could come along.'
Catriona felt relieved, but at the same time she knew the concession had not
pleased Moira, and she hoped their paths would not cross again during the
afternoon's important rehearsal.
The studio canteen facilities were housed on the top floor of the building.
There was a cafeteria section at one end, partitioned off from the restaurant
which had waitress service.
Both sections were already quite crowded when they arrived, but Sally led
the way unhesitatingly across the thick carpet with its brilliant geometrical
pattern in red, gold and black.
'Mr Lord's table, Molly,' she told the waitress who came to meet them, and
they were shown at once to a reserved place by the window. There was a
breathtaking view over the city and Catriona was soon trying to spot
landmarks and find the blue ribbon of the Thames winding its way in the
distance.
'Oh, Sally, I've never enjoyed myself so much in my life,' she said
impulsively, turning to look at her friend, who was giving the menu the
same kind of rapt attention she had been paying the landscape. 'The only
blot on it is having to be nice to that Lord man.'
'Well, don't let that spoil your day,' a voice she knew only too well chipped
in curtly, and Jason Lord swung himself into the third chair at the table.
'You've never allowed good manners to stand in the way before, Miss
Muir—why bother now?'
Catriona was blushing to the roots of her hair. She had been guilty of a piece
of schoolgirlish rudeness, and had been well repaid for it.
'I didn't know you were there,' she managed at last.
'I'm sure you didn't.' He handed her a menu. 'What's your pleasure, Miss
Muir—or do you prefer another bite at the hand that intends to feed you?'
'Stop teasing her, Jason,' Sally said chidingly. 'You know what they say
about eavesdroppers, anyway.'
'Oh, I'm used to hearing no good of myself, aren't I, Cinderella?' He
Similar Books
