Page 276 of Edge of Eternity (The Century 3)

"He's so busy, since Labour won the election. He's in the cabinet now."

"And you?"

"I'm doing a new film."

"Congratulations!"

"But you fired your manager."

"Eric felt Plum Nellie was a one-hit wonder. But we haven't given up. However, we must get some more gigs. All we've got in the diary is a few nights at the Jump Club, and that won't even pay the rent."

"I can't promise that International Stars will take you on," Evie said. "They agreed to talk to you, that's all."

"I know." But agents did not meet people just to blow them off, Dave figured. And clearly the agency wanted to be nice to Evie Williams, the hottest young actress in London. So he had high hopes.

They went inside. The place was different from Eric Chapman's office. The receptionist was not chewing gum. There were no trophies on the lobby walls, just some tasteful watercolors. It was classy, though not very rock-and-roll.

They did not have to wait. The receptionist took them into the office of Mark Batchelor, a tall man in his twenties wearing a shirt with a fashionable tab collar and a knitted tie. His secretary brought coffee on a tray. "We love Evie, and we'd like to help her brother," Batchelor said when the initial pleasantries were out of the way. "But I'm not sure we can. 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' has damaged Plum Nellie."

Dave said: "I don't disagree, but tell me exactly what you mean."

"If I may be frank . . ."

"Of course," said Dave, thinking how different this was from a conversation with Eric Chapman.

"You look like an average pop group who had the good luck to get your hands on a Hank Remington song. People think the song was great, not you. We live in a small world--a few record companies, a handful of tour promoters, two television shows--and everyone thinks the same. I can't sell you to any of them."

Dave swallowed. He had not expected Batchelor to be this candid. He tried not to show his disappointment. "We were lucky to get a Hank Remington song," he admitted. "But we're not an average pop group. We have a first-class rhythm section and a virtuo

so lead guitarist, and we look good, too."

"Then you have to prove to people that you're not one-hit wonders."

"I know. But with no recording contract and no big gigs I'm not sure how we do that."

"You need another great song. Can you get another from Hank Remington?"

Dave shook his head. "Hank doesn't write songs for other people. 'Love Is It' was a one-off, a ballad that the Kords didn't want to record."

"Perhaps he could write another ballad." Batchelor spread his hands in a who-knows gesture. "I'm not creative, that's why I'm an agent, but I know enough to realize that Hank is a prodigy."

"Well . . ." Dave looked at Evie. "I suppose I could ask him."

Batchelor said breezily: "What harm could it do?"

Evie shrugged. "I don't mind," she said.

"All right, then," said Dave.

Batchelor stood up and put out his hand to shake. "Good luck," he said.

As they left the building, Dave said to Evie: "Can we go and see Hank now?"

"I've got some shopping to do," Evie said. "I told him I'd see him tonight."

"This is really important, Evie. My whole life is in ruins."

"All right," she said. "My car's around the corner."

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