A Wild Affair

Glancing around the little room. Carmen inspected everything in it carefully. 'Can we have a photographer here tomorrow? Joe and the rest of his crew will be in Liverpool for a few days, we'll have plenty of time. I'd like some pictures of her here with you and then some taken of her going around some London tourist traps.'

Lilli smiled, giving Carmen a nod. 'Be my guest, can I come along when she goes around London?'

'Why not?' shrugged Carmen. 'Great idea—you're showing her the sights, the two of you should make some great pictures.' She walked to the door. 'I'll be along around ten o'clock tomorrow, don't let her out of your sight, will you? I don't want any of this story breaking through other channels. I have this exclusive, remember! Or the whole thing is off!'

When she had gone, Quincy collapsed into a chair, closing her eyes with a deep sigh. The whole day had been a strain, she was exhausted and it was wonderful to be able to relax and feel at home.

Lilli stood in front of her in a classic dancer's pose, her hands on her slender hips, her feet placed carefully, one heel tucked neatly into the instep of the other foot.

'I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw those pictures of you in the paper. I thought I was hallucinating.'

'You and me both,' Quincy agr

eed without opening her eyes. It helped to tell herself it wasn't really happening—it might be the response of the ostrich, digging its head into the sand, but it certainly made her feel more able to go through with this whole ridiculous charade. If she kept telling herself she had fallen down a rabbit hole and was in a crazy Wonderland where nothing was real, she could cope with things.

'You aren't very talkative,' Lilli remarked. 'What's he really like? Come on, Quincy, give! Tell me all about him, I'm dying to hear some of the inside story.'

'Don't ask me,' said Quincy. 'Ask his publicity department, they invented him.' Her voice held an unaccountable sting which surprised her as much as her sister and she opened her eyes a second later, angry with herself.

Lilli was staring at her, round-eyed. 'Well, well,' she drawled, starting to smile. 'That doesn't sound like an adoring fan.'

'I'm not,' Quincy said furiously, getting up. 'I didn't even fill in that stupid competition form—Bobby did. Didn't Mum tell you what happened?'

'No,' said Lilli, looking even more surprised.

Quincy told her and Lilli laughed a good deal, which at first annoyed Quincy, and then made her suddenly start to laugh too, seeing the funny side of it for the first time.

'What a hoot!' grinned Lilli. 'Trust Bobby—that boy is a hatful of surprises!' Her face softened as she said that—there was a strong bond of affection between Lilli and Bobby. The long gap between them, in age, had made their relationship a very special one. By the time Bobby was born, Lilli had been a skinny, long-legged schoolgirl already obsessed with dancing, spending all her spare time limbering up and doing ballet exercises, but she had been fascinated by the new baby and eager to take care of him when she was at home. She had spent little time with him since she went away to London, but that old fondness still persisted. Between Lilli and Quincy there had always been a trace of rivalry. They were so close in age, both girls, and they had competed instinctively, quarrelled over possessions, argued and squabbled. That rivalry had died down as they grew up, especially after Lilli left home, but they had never been as close as Lilli and Bobby had been.

'You spoilt him,' Quincy accused, half laughing.

'Of course I didn't,' denied Lilli. 'Boys will be boys, that's all.'

'And Joe Aldonez was probably spoilt by his mother,' Quincy went on, ignoring that. 'He was certainly spoilt by someone. He goes around the world expecting women to fall at his feet.'

'How fascinating,' said Lilli, amused. 'And did you?'

'No, I didn't!' Quincy snapped, bright pink.

'Why are you crimson, then?' Lilli asked.

'Because I'm annoyed,' Quincy threw back.

'If you say so.' Lilli began to whistle softly, her lips pursed, and Quincy glared at her. 'What shall we do about supper?' Lilli went on to ask. 'I'm not a great cook. There's some salad in the fridge, or we could go out to the local Chinese restaurant.'

They went out, in the end, and had spare ribs and chicken in lemon sauce, with fortune cookies served with their tea afterwards. Lilli refused them, but Quincy ate one and spread out the little fortune on the table to read it. Irritably she crumpled it up and threw it in the ash tray.

'What did it say?' Lilli asked.

'Nothing,' said Quincy.

Lilli quickly fished it out and read it, giving Quincy a wicked grin. 'When the hunter spreads his nets, the wise bird stays in the air,' she read aloud. 'Sound advice, Quincy,' she teased. 'I hope you remember it.'

Quincy looked around for the waiter. 'Shall we go?' she asked. 'I'll pay the bill—this is my treat. Thanks for having me to stay, I'll try not to get in your way too much in the flat.'

She shared her sister's bedroom, sleeping on a small and very uncomfortable fold-away bed which, when not in use, doubled as a table. Quincy found it hard to get to sleep because she kept expecting the contraption to fold up with her inside it.

Carmen Lister and a photographer arrived as arranged next day and Quincy gloomily allowed herself to be posed around the flat, and then, for the rest of the day, to be shepherded around London and photographed looking at the Tower of London or the Old Bailey, feeling very silly and conscious of a build-up of impatience and resentment inside herself. She felt like a wooden doll whose arms and legs were manipulated by someone else. Her smile creaked and her head ached. It was all so crazy, so pointless. Why was she doing it? There must be an easier way of getting Bobby a transistor, she told herself, and shied away from admitting inwardly that her desire to acquire a good new radio for her brother was not the only motive for her being here. She had agreed to co-operate largely because she had been hypnotised by Joe Aldonez into doing so.