Page 45 of First Impressions
‘If you say so,’ Anna said reluctantly. But she had a very bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling indeed.
Chapter Nineteen
‘You will come tonight, won’t you?’ Anna asked on the morning of the exhibition, before her father went to work.
‘Of course I will. Harry and I will both be there. I’ve even had my suit dry-cleaned for the occasion.’
‘I’d take you myself, only I have to be there early.’
‘Don’t worry about that. Harry and I can quite easily get the train, and you’ll be busy enough without worrying about the two of us.’
‘Just as long as you’ll be there,’ she said. ‘Tonight won’t mean anything to me if you’re not.’
‘I wouldn’t miss this for the world.’ He pulled her into a hug. ‘I know I don’t always show it, but I am very proud of you. And your mum would be too.’
And that’s what she wanted to do tonight, she thought, as she stood on the threshold of The Whigmore — she wanted to make them both proud. Her mum would have loved to be here and it brought a tear to Anna’s eye that she wasn’t around to see it. But at least her dad had promised to come. And Harry. And of course she didn’t want to fail in front of her former boyfriend, employer and the entire artistic world. She’d bought herself a new dress for the occasion, navy satin that cinched in at the waist, highlighting her figure, before falling to just below the knee in folds, accentuating her long legs. She knew she looked good — she should do, she’d spent a fortune on the dress and ages on her hair and make-up — but did she look like a professional photographer? How many times had she walked through this door without a moment’s hesitation? But now this tiny step meant so much.
‘You look gorgeous,’ Daniel said, his words reassuring as she took a faltering step forward.
‘I’ve never been so nervous in my life.’
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Daniel said. ‘But the only thing that matters tonight is you and your photographs, and I can tell you, without any hesitation, they are absolutely amazing.’
‘You think so?’ Anna asked, seeking further assurance.
‘I know so,’ he replied.
* * *
Charlotte had been busy setting up the exhibition, not letting Anna even see what she was doing, never mind giving her any say in how the photographs were displayed. Initially Anna had been furious with her — they were her photographs after all. But Charlotte had reassured her that she knew what she was doing and that she was determined to make the exhibition a success, so she’d felt she had no choice but to let Charlotte get on with it, no matter how alienated it made her feel. But now, as Charlotte led her around the gallery, she had to admit the woman had exquisite taste. The photos were hung to show their greatest dramatic effect. Even though she’d spent the last few weeks staring at them while she edited, here in the gallery they looked completely different. Anna allowed a small smile to play on her lips. Daniel was right — they were good. And even if tonight wasn’t a success, she knew she’d done her best work, and for that she could be proud of herself.
‘Happy?’ Charlotte asked.
‘Very,’ Anna replied. ‘You’ve done an excellent job.’
Charlotte smiled. ‘And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.’
‘I still think I should be paying you commission for anything that sells. That’s if anything does sell,’ she added, feeling a small crisis of confidence.
‘And I’ve told you before, I don’t want, or need, your commission. You’ve given me something to get my teeth into and I haven’t felt this motivated in a long time. If my name islinked with launching your career, that will be payment enough. I’m thinking of setting up my own agency to launch young talent and to organise their events.’
‘Daniel did mention that, but all the same, you’ve put a lot of effort into this.’
‘It has been an absolute pleasure, so don’t give it another thought.’
‘You must be thinking along the same lines as Daniel. He was talking about mentoring young artists.’
‘Yes, I know. That’s what gave me the idea. He nurtures the talent and then passes them on to me.’
‘You have it all worked out,’ Anna said. ‘I just hope that my photos are a success and I don’t let you down.’
‘Well, we don’t need to worry about that.’
‘Don’t we?’
‘No. I had a bit of a pre-launch earlier this afternoon with some of my contacts and I’ve already sold half a dozen photos. Have a look for the images with the red stickers.’
Anna gasped as she took another look around the gallery. Some of her favourite pictures had been sold and she felt proud that her work would soon be displayed in other people’s homes. At the same time, she was a little sad that she’d have to let go of some of her babies.
