Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field by Melissa Nathan Read Free Book Online Page B

with anything?’ demanded Sara, her own eyes shrinking in anger.
    ‘You didn’t notice them?’ asked Harry.
    ‘No, I did not,’ shot back Sara. ‘But I did see that she is far less attractive than her sister, Georgia.’
    ‘Mmm, I agree,’ conceded Harry. ‘Convincing the audience that she is a real beauty will definitely be the biggest challenge I’ve ever had. But I’ve given the part of Jane Bennet to her real sister, Georgia Field, which should add authenticity.’
    ‘Excellent!’ said Jack, even more genuinely.
    ‘What?’ cried Sara.
    ‘Well, as you just said,’ explained Harry calmly, ‘Georgia Field is more instantly attractive than her sister and as you recall, Jane Bennet was the reputed beauty of the family.’
    ‘They were all reputed beauties.’
    ‘Well I can assure you that all of Jane’s sisters are very pretty girls, and when we tog them up in their dresses, they’ll all look just the job.’
    Sara controlled her anger but she seethed into her soup.
    Harry didn’t feel it necessary to add that Jasmin Field’s acting had a raw vitality and depth that he couldn’t wait to work on.
    Sara stood up, took his plate before the waitress had time to do so, and walked out of the room.
    Maxine wondered if it would be tactless to ask if she’d got a part. Charles belched loudly. Jack looked round the room and beamed happily at them all.
    Meanwhile in the kitchen, Sara stood leaning on the marble-topped counter. She ignored the cook when asked whether she wanted the crepe suzettes cooked on the mobile stove in the dining room or the kitchen. She was too busy hatching a plot.

Chapter 5
    Jazz hopped ofF the bus in East Finchley and walked briskly along the road towards her parents’ house. As she drew near, she could see Josie, her younger sister, and her brother-in-law, Michael, getting out of their car. Ben, their twenty-two-month-old, was holdingjosie’s hand. He’d only been walking for a few months and it still gave Jazz a jolt of excitement to see him upright on his two fat legs. He was wearing a nappy the size of a small suitcase. Josie had known Michael since her college days and Jazz had long since got over the shock of her baby sister becoming an old married woman three years before.
    Jazz ran up to greet them.
    Josie hugged Jazz absent-mindedly while locking the car door and checking she hadn’t left any vital toys in the car. She looked very tired. Michael was carrying all Ben’s paraphernalia. He had temporarily placed the multicoloured furry teddy bear on his head, while steadying his grip on various other bits and pieces, and Jazz managed not to laugh as he greeted her with his usual intense expression. Jazz picked Ben up and he just about stayed still long enough for her to give him a very loud kiss. He giggled and said her name, filling her with pride.
    As she put him down, she spotted Simon’s shiny red MX5 parked in her parents’ drive. So George still hadn’t done the dirty deed, even after a whole evening of helpful hints, courtesy of herself. And that would mean that the entire family tea would take place under his cold eye. Damn.
    The door opened wide. ‘Darlings! Come in, come in!’ Martha, their mother greeted them. She hugged them all fiercely, her bosom making contact first. ‘Everything’s ready, you must be famished.’ Martha always assumed that none of her ckildren ate in between their visits to her.
    In the lounge sat George and Simon with the nominal head of the family, Jeffrey. Jeffrey was delighted to see his other daughters. He’d been stuck talking to Simon about rugby, a sport he detested, while George had stared vacantly into the middle distance. Everyone shot up, grateful for the intrusion and there were noisy greetings all round.
    Tea was an informal, loud affair. Jazz waited for a lull to tell the family about the impression she’d made on the famous Harry Noble. She had to wait a while.
    ‘He called you what?’ asked Jeffrey,