Chapter 1
Kerry
walked through the crowded room and pulled up short shaking her head. She stood
and watched a slight smile hovering about her lips. There was her best friend,
the famous or the infamous depending on your point of view, actor Jacqueline
Roycroft holding court amongst the fawning crowds that surrounded her at her
latest movie’s promotional luncheon.
Lady Jacqueline, better known as Jac to her intimates was
the only daughter of the Earl of Beauleigh, a well known British aristocrat who
had enhanced his considerable fortune with his financial empire. Born to a
world of privilege and wealth, she was surprisingly careless of formality and
often at odds with her father over what he thought was behaviour unbecoming of
his daughter. He was a pillar of the establishment and was careful of keeping
up appearances and would do anything not to sully the proud ancient Beauleigh
name. The truth was, Jacqueline detested her upper class upbringing, and in
fact rebelled against its snobbish, snooty, upper class restrictions in any way
she could. Even though she loved her father dearly, they were often at odds
with one another over the direction of his daughter’s life. Kerry knew that her
best friend was nothing like her public persona was portrayed. She had a very
loyal close circle of friends, but she was painted as a wealthy socialite, a
spoilt aristocrat’s daughter. A good time party girl, with a champagne and
caviar life style who dabbled in acting as a hobby, and attracted the attention
of the world press like bees to a honeypot. That she was a talented actor meant
nothing. Not many outside those who had worked with her, knew her dedication to
her craft, and just how hard she worked at it. Kerry knew Jac played up to the
paparazzi and the press, delighting in their misconception of her personality,
and often encouraging this misinterpretation with the most outrageous antics.
Kerry knew Jac couldn’t care less what people thought of her, only what her
real friends thought mattered. Only her close circle of friends got to see the
real woman, the real person behind the public façade that Jac presented to the
world.
The
truth was Jac did like to enjoy herself and have a good time. And it was often
that the streak of mischievousness that ran through her family’s blood, came to
the fore and prompted the occasional wild behaviour that had her father pulling
his hair out in despair. But he was relieved the family’s wild streak was
limited to his daughter and not her more staid older brother Richard, who had
dutifully settled into the family business, and provided his son with an heir
to the earldom. His daughter on the other hand was a free spirit and she had
inherited the Roycroft wide streak.
Kerry
suppressed a laugh as she watched Jac in action, amused at her friend’s
predicament. She that knew how much Jac hated these functions, as they harked
back to her upbringing, where she was expected to conform to a role of the
socialite and attend the endless rounds of boring parties of the social
calender.
A
veil of bland politeness masked Jac’s face, as she absently twirled a wine
glass in her hand, and only the slight droop of those normally smiling lips
betrayed a hint of the boredom she was feeling. Her shining expressive pale
green eyes were vacant, as she answered those about her mechanically but
politely as she made small talk. I’ll go and rescue her Kerry thought to
herself.
I
looked up and spotted Kerry hiding on the fringe of the crowd. She had a hint
of a smile upon her lips, and I could read her mind, she was clearly amused at
my predicament, being stuck here in the middle of a sycophantic group of movie
moguls, all wanting a piece of me. Pulling a face at her as I caught her eye,
she laughed and made her way over to my side.
Kerry
and I had met years before, at a finishing school for young ladies in
Switzerland. Kerry was a daughter of an Australian media magnate, and we had
clicked from the first moment of meeting. Soul sisters in trouble, clearly we
both were not suited to that type of schooling, and rebellion had run riot. We
both suffered painfully for the two torturous years we were boarded there. But
looking back, I think the two of us were a whole bunch of trouble and a thorn
in the side for the staff, and we still laughed at the relief the head mistress
had shown when we both graduated. We had been inseparable ever since, and she
was now my manager and a trusted friend.
‘Jac,
you’re wanted on the phone.’ Kerry said to me poker faced as she pushed her way
to my side. She held up her cell phone to make it more pointed.
‘Kez,
thanks.’ I turned to the crowd around me. ‘Will you please excuse me, I must
take this call, I’ve been expecting it. I know you all will forgive me for this
interruption.’ I took hold of Kerry’s arm and tucked it into my own, and with a
wink only she could see, we made our way to a quiet spot away from the crowd.
‘Thanks
for the save darling.’ I grinned at her. ‘I was going demented there. God I
hate these meaningless events. I mean the movie shouldn’t have to live and die
on these stupid promotional functions they keep making us attend. God I need a
drink.’ I looked at my empty glass, before resting it on the table beside us.
‘It comes with the territory Jac. And well if the film gets nominated for an
Oscar like they are predicting, things will only get worse.’ She pointed out
with a smile that made its way to her hazel eyes.
‘God
forbid.’ I screwed my nose up in disgust. ‘Are we still going to that record
launch party tonight?’ I asked changing the subject. ‘I could do with kicking
my heals up tonight.’
‘Sue wanted us to be there. She’s got it so bad for that man of hers.’ Kerry
said with a laugh as we made our way out of the function room. ‘But Brian’s a
lovely guy, you’ve not met him yet have you?’
Sticking
our heads out of the function room’s door and peeking around the corner, to
make sure no one saw us leaving, we made a dash across the lobby, giggling like
guilty school children, and let the crowd on the street swallow us up. ‘No I
haven’t yet. He’s the singer right?’ Kerry nodded ‘We were supposed to have
dinner together, but I had to cancel at the last minute, the director wanted to
reshoot some scenes so couldn’t make it. Shall we get a taxi back to the hotel
or walk?’
‘Taxi,
I’ve a few papers I want to go through before we head on out tonight.’
‘Ok
mate.’ I grinned as I imitated her Australian drawl. ‘No worries.’
She
rolled her eyes and sighed with a pretend long suffering sigh. ‘I’ll sign you
up for that freaky Aussie film if you keep that up.’
‘Actually
I wouldn’t mind reading that script again.’ I told her with a dead pan
expression.
Kerry
squirmed and pulled a face. ‘As your manager, I’ll not let you.’ She laughed
‘That film is career ending.’
‘I know, that’s why it’s so temptingly marvellous.’
Kerry looked at me sideways not sure if I was half way serious, till she saw my
smirk.
‘Jac,
you will turn me grey before my time.’ She gave a relieved smile. ‘Besides I
already said thanks but no thanks.’
‘Spoil
sport, hey taxi!’ I stepped out of the kerb and yelled. The taxi pulled to the
side and we climbed in.
‘The Savoy Hotel please.’ Kerry said to the driver.
*************
<‘Baby
you look fine, stop worrying and come here.’ Brian pulled Sue over to him and
placed a kiss on her forehead.
‘This
is the first time out in the public eye with you Brian, I want to make sure I
look ok. I mean all the media will be there won’t they?’ Sue said nervously, as
she fingered a button on his shirt.
‘You
look lovely Sue, pretty as a picture, and you’re all mine. There’s nothing to
worry about honest, we’ll all be there with you. Have you heard from your
friends at all, will they be there?’
Sue
left his arms and picked up her watch off the dressing table and placed it on
her wrist. ‘Yes, they’re both coming.’ She bit her lip and frowned, then said with
a studied nonchalance. ‘ I know you’ve already met Kez, but you won’t judge Jac
by what you’ve heard in the press will you? She’s really the sweetest thing.’
At Brian’s raised eyebrow, she smiled at him. ‘ Oh I’ll give you she has her
wild moments.’ Brian coughed ‘ Oh well plenty of them then. But not many people
know what’s she’s truly like Brian. They all think she lives one big party. No
one knows just how much she does for charity, or how hard she works, and don’t
say I told you either. She hates that getting out. In fact she’s positively
manic about keeping quiet about it.’
Brian
walked over and enfolded Sue in his arms. ‘Baby stop worrying, I’m sure we’ll
find her charming.’
‘She
is charming Brian, but don’t go expecting her to turn up looking every bit the
aristocrat, she more like to turn up ready to shock everyone. I’m sure half the
time Jac doesn’t know what she will do either, things just sort of happen
around her. And knowing Jac, she won’t miss this opportunity to needle the
press.’
Brian
pulled Sue down onto the couch. ‘How come?’
‘I
dunno, rebellion I think. They put so much shit on her at the beginning of her
acting career, you know the spoiled rich brat dabbling in theatre, trading on
her daddy’s name, and how because of who she is, doors opened for her. That’s
not fair. I’ve worked with her, she’s an amazingly gifted actor. But I really
think it’s self defence now. She delights in leading the press down the garden
path.’ Sue smiled to herself. ‘There’s the public Lady Jacqueline Roycroft, the
haughty, wild, outrageous woman, the social butterfly, with the family wild
streak in her blood. Then there’s our Jac, the one her friends know, the down
to earth no nonsense Jac, who would never see a friend in trouble, the Jac who
anonymously gives away her pay check from a movie to charity. Who knows which
one will turn up tonight. Life with Jac around keeps us on our toes and it’s
never boring. ’
Chapter 2
Index
Email!--Email-->