Page 59 of The Honeymoon Affair

I nod.

Graham takes his coffee black with three lumps.

‘Well,’ he says, when Effie leaves, ‘Charles has certainly provided us with an interesting read.’

‘More than interesting,’ I say. ‘Riveting. Compelling. Exciting. Completely enthralling.’

‘You think?’

I feel my stomach tense.

‘I absolutely do, and I hope you do too,’ I say.

‘I do, actually.’ He stirs his coffee. ‘It’s great fun. And beautifully written.’

‘No more than anyone would expect from Charles.’

‘But it’s clearly not a literary novel. Not by any stretch of the imagination.’

‘It’s literary crime in the tradition of P. D. James,’ I say. ‘I think it’s a great direction for him to have taken and it will bring lots of new readers to his books.’

‘It’s nothing like what I was expecting.’

I tell Graham that we can do great things with it, raise Charles’s profile even higher and maybe even win the Golden Dagger or another crime award. Then I list all the things Xerxes can do to make that happen.

He smiles. ‘You’re a born saleswoman, you know that, Ariel?’

‘I’m merely pointing out the advantages of having a book like this from him.’

‘I think he should work with a different editor,’ says Graham.

I’m not sure how Charles or Sophia will feel about that and say so.

‘Sophia agrees that someone who specialises in crime might be a good idea,’ Graham assures me. ‘We have a recent hire who’s a better fit for this book. Sydney Travers.’

‘It’ll be a different experience for Charles to work with a man,’ I say.

‘Syd is a woman,’ says Graham. ‘She joined us earlier in the year. She’s edited crime before. So perhaps it’s a serendipitous moment for us all. I wanted you to meet her anyhow, because I’ve earmarked her for Avery’s latest. As you know, his own editor is off on sabbatical next year.’

I wince. Given the edge between Charles and Avery, the idea of them sharing an editor isn’t exactly compelling. On the other hand, Graham is committed to publishing the book, which means that Charles will get paid and so will I. The most important thing is making sure Charles has the right editor, but I can’t ignore the commercial reality of the situation. Besides, Avery’s next book isn’t due for ages yet, so he and Charles won’t be being edited at the same time. Honestly, keeping tabs on these guys and their fragile egos is a juggling act in itself.

‘Sounds great,’ I say.

‘I’ll call her now.’

Graham picks up the phone and has a brief conversation. A moment later, a young woman, ebony hair in a severe ponytail and wearing a black skirt and white blouse, walks into the room. She looks as though she’s lost her way from the barristers’ offices.

‘Syd, meet Ariel. Ariel, this is Sydney Travers. She’s read the book already.’

‘And I love it.’ Behind her black-framed glasses, Syd’s brown eyes light up. ‘So clever and refreshing and smart. It does need quite a bit of work to make it the best it can be, but I’m sure we will get there.’

‘Excellent,’ I say. ‘Graham says you’ve edited crime before?’

‘For Strychnine Books,’ she replies.

Well, that’s a positive. Strychnine is a niche crime publisher and has published some great novels.

‘I’ll talk to Charles and we can set up a Zoom. I doubt we could do an in-person meeting this side of Christmas,’ I say. ‘He’s very excited about the novel and definitely wants the best possible people working with him.’

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