The Birthday Party by Veronica Henry Read Free Book Online

forward, anxious.
    ‘It’s Raf …’
    Polly’s heart gave a lurch. What had happened to him? Had there been some sort of accident? An image flashed into her mind,
     of Raf’s beautiful body crushed under a lorry. She couldn’t bear it. Her mouth was dry with panic. She could barely speak.
    ‘What’s happened?’ she croaked.
    To her relief, Delilah smiled. ‘He’s doing the movie. He’s taken the part.’
    Sweet relief flooded through Polly. ‘That’s … fantastic,’ she breathed, still feeling a bit shaky.
    ‘I know. I think …’ Delilah replied. ‘It’s going to be … weird.’
    For a moment she looked totally at a loss. Then she slapped her hands decisively on the worktop. Delilah was never thrown
     by anything for long.
    ‘Right,’ she said, ‘action stations. We need to get Tony over here for a meeting as soon as. And Miriam. Work out when we’re
     going to announce this. And who to. Get on to the film company – tell them part of the deal is we control the publicity. Ask
     Dickie Rushe for lunch tomorrow. And Genevieve Duke – she’s going to play Raf’s wife …’
    Polly had already grabbed a notebook out of her bag and started writing notes. She’d been expecting a quiet day, and now it
     was going to be anything but. The Rafferty machine was whirring into action.
    Tony was the Rafferty publicist, responsible for keeping bad things out and getting good things in to the press. Miriam was
     the Rafferty family’s agent – although Raf hadn’t acted for years, she still dealt with various things he was asked to do,
     occasional public appearances and voice-overs. She would benegotiating his contract, just as she had recently negotiated Coco’s.
    Delilah was running her hands through her mane of hair, looking slightly overwhelmed. Polly knew her mind would be working
     overtime, working out all the ramifications of this new departure. There was no doubt it was going to have a huge impact on
     all of their lives.
    ‘The girls …’ she was saying. ‘We need to tell the girls.’
    ‘They’re coming tomorrow, aren’t they?’
    ‘I think so. Coco’s being tricky. I don’t know what’s up with her. I’m sure Violet will come. And I haven’t heard from Tyger
     all week.’ Delilah looked at Polly. ‘Track her down for me, will you?’
    Polly nodded, scribbling furiously. Any thoughts she’d had of a restorative cup of tea were out the window. Any thoughts she’d
     had of escaping early tonight to attend Weight Watchers at the local primary school were out the window. Life was going to
     be full-on for the duration. Still, when it was hectic there was less opportunity to eat.
    Welcome to the Rafferty diet …
    Having given Polly her orders, Delilah ran up the sweeping staircase and along the upstairs corridor to the master bedroom.
     She threw herself onto the bed, shutting her eyes and breathing in deeply to try and calm herself.
    Why did she feel so horribly unsettled?
    Ever since Raf had phoned to tell her he was doing the movie, she’d had a tight knot in her stomach. She should be ecstatic,
     jumping up and down for joy. She was the one who had encouraged him, after all. Instead, she felt nothing but dread. Now it
     was a reality, she suddenly wished she’d told Dickie it was out of the question when he had first mooted the idea.
    Had she secretly hoped that Raf wouldn’t take the bait? That he wouldn’t have the courage? What kind of a bitch was she, that
     she couldn’t be happy for her husband? Was she …jealous? She knew he was going to be in the limelight. Was there some kind of green-eyed monster lurking in her that was resentful
     of his incipient success?
    He would be successful. Of that she had no doubt. The formula was practically tried and tested. With all those talented people
     on board, the film was hardly going to bomb at the box-office. And that would lead to other things. More roles. A higher profile.
    Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted? To be