Jumping off the bus and making her way down the Strand towards the café where she was meeting Lucinda Penwood, Tina smiled happily. It was good to be back. She hadn’t anticipated how much she’d miss the hustle and bustle of central London when she was no longer working there.
The short time since leaving Kirsty’s and starting to work from the flat had made her appreciate how lucky she was to have the chance to give up commuting every day on overcrowded public transport. The downside of working from home, though, was the solitude and lack of office stimulation. Not to mention the buzz London itself generated. She’d definitely have to make sure she met up here with clients as often as possible – if only for the personal high it gave her.
The café she’d chosen was close to her old office. It was one she’d always liked using, and the staff knew her there. Kirsty took her clients to a modern, arty one nearer to the centre of Covent Garden so there was little chance of them bumping into each other.
A family with several children, a couple of tourists, and a single man with an empty coffee cup and a newspaper were occupying the tables and chairs on the pavement as she walked past into the café itself.
Nigel, the manager, greeted her like an old friend, saying how nice it was to see her again and how was she?
‘Your table for two – inside or out this afternoon?’
‘Inside, please,’ Tina said. It was easier to hold a private conversation in the large room that ran the length of the building, where the tables were spaced well apart and without the noise of traffic.
Nigel showed her to a table set back by the long wooden counter and with a good view of the door. Tina took out her iPad. With ten minutes still to spare before Lucinda arrived she had time to read a couple of pages of something. If she could concentrate.
Tina glanced up as an elegant woman entered. Lucinda? No, Nigel was showing her to a table by the window. What would Lucinda be like? Her initial letter with the manuscript had given few personal details: she’d written a couple of features for a national magazine, and a trade magazine had published three of her articles on finance – how to budget and manage your credit cards, that kind of thing – but this was her first novel. She’d said something about a big birthday coming up and wanting to have a novel published by the time that landmark happened. Maybe Lucinda was facing the big three-oh like her.
A tall, dark-haired man with olive skin entered and, to her surprise, Nigel pointed him in her direction.
‘Tina Matthews?’
‘Yes. Do I know you?’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘May I sit down?’
Tina looked at him. He had the most amazing blue eyes. Mesmerising. She shook herself. ‘I’m sorry but I’m waiting for someone.’
‘I know. Lucinda Penwood.’
‘Yes. Oh, please don’t tell me she’s sent you to tell me she can’t make it. I was really looking forward to meeting her.’ Tina sighed.
‘No. She’s here.’
‘Where?’ Tina said, looking around.
‘In front of you.’ There was a short silence before he continued. ‘I’m Lucinda.’
Tina burst out laughing. ‘Really? You don’t look like a Lucinda to me.’ She kept the thought that he was far too handsome to herself.
‘Honestly. I am she,’ the man said, his eyes twinkling. ‘Otherwise known as Lucien Eldrich. You may call me Luc.’
‘OK… Luc. I’ll ask Nigel to bring tea over and then you can explain yourself.’
Tina waited while Nigel placed the sandwiches, cakes and finally teacups, teapot and milk on the table, before leaving them with a cheerful ‘Enjoy’.
‘So why the pen name?’ Tina asked as she poured the tea.
‘I simply thought a female name would work better for a romantic time-slip,’ Luc said, politely offering her the plate of mixed sandwiches before taking a couple for himself. ‘As for the surname, I thought it went well with Lucinda. I know men do write romance but it’s not usual – it seems to be a genre more for women writers. What do you think?’
‘I think it could be a very shrewd move on your part,’ Tina said. ‘Although the men who do write romance well tend to be very successful.’ Thoughtfully, she sipped her tea. ‘Maybe even just an initial followed by the surname would work. No…’ She shook her head. ‘We’ll go with the full name from the beginning but create a mystery about who exactly Lucinda Penwood is, get the book flying before we reveal the name Lucinda to be the pen name of a man.’
Deep in thought, she helped herself to a chocolate brownie. ‘That way we’d generate a second lot of extra publicity when we do reveal you to the world. Women would be falling over themselves to buy this exciting book written for them by a sexy, handsome man. That’s my professional opinion, of course,’ she added hastily, realising what she’d said. No way did she want Luc to get the wrong impression. ‘Or we could keep up the pretence for several books. So there would be no photos, no personal details, no publicised meetings with publishers, no interviews with the media, etc.,’ Tina added. ‘You’d have to keep a low profile and trust me to do the deals. You also have to write a second book as quickly as possible.’
‘It’s almost finished,’ Luc said, reaching for one of the meringues.
‘Is it a sequel? Or a stand alone?’
‘Sequel. So…’ Luke said. ‘Is Tina Matthews Literary Agency going to sign me up?’
Tina looked at him thoughtfully. ‘You’re happy with keeping your identity a secret for at least a little while? No bragging about it to your family or mates? Maybe even keeping the mystery going for a couple of years?’
Luc nodded, ‘Yes.’
‘And you definitely haven’t been approached by Kirsty – or Leah – since I left the agency?’ Tina held her breath waiting for the answer to that question.
‘No.’
Tina looked at him, knowing that however much she wanted to represent him, and however much she felt drawn towards him as a person, in all fairness she needed to say something else.
‘Before I agree to take you on as a client I have to tell you this. Even though I have lots of contacts in the publishing world, I’m going to be a very small agent working among the giants of the industry. Hell, my office is in the corner of my bedroom, not in the Gherkin, and I doubt I’ll ever rise to those dizzy heights.’ She took a deep breath. ‘What I’m trying to say is, I have a good friend in one of the biggest agencies in London who, if I told her about your book’s potential, would snap you up as a client. I’m happy to speak to her if you decide signing with a larger agency would be the best thing for you. And that really is what it’s all about – the best way forward for you.’ She looked at Luc. ‘Obviously I hope you’ll sign with me but I’d understand if you’d prefer a much bigger agency.’
‘I’m more than happy to sign with you,’ Luc said. ‘Everyone tells me there has to be a certain rapport between a writer and his agent and I feel certain you and I will get on. I already know we like each other.’ His blue eyes sparkled with mischief as he smiled at her.
Tina smiled back at him before she opened her bag and took out some papers. ‘In that case I’m more than happy for you to become the first official client of the agency. But you do need to read the details of my standard contract, get it checked out by the Society of Authors, and make sure you’re happy with everything before you sign.’
‘OK,’ Luc said.
‘In that case, congratulations. You’re my first client.’ She raised her arm and held her hand out, ready to give him a high five.
‘It’s an honour,’ Luc said as their hands hit. ‘I hope we’ll be good for each other.’
‘More tea?’ Tina said, lifting the teapot. ‘I should be offering you champagne really but we’ll save that for another time.’
Half an hour later Luc glanced at his watch and stood up. ‘Sorry, but I have to get home. I’ll get the signed contract back to you ASAP.’ He held his hand out for her to shake. ‘Thanks for taking me on as a client,’ he said. ‘I’m really looking forward to working with you.’
Tina laughed. ‘You’ll probably hate me when the fourth or fifth round of edits lands on your desk, but yes, I’m looking forward to working with you too.’
Sitting on the bus on her way home, Tina’s thoughts naturally centred around Luc. Looking forward to working with him was the understatement of the year. And it wasn’t just about his book. In the past she’d always kept her personal and professional lives separate, but something inside her this time was telling her she’d struggle to do that with Luc. There had been an undercurrent of chemistry between the two of them from the moment he’d introduced himself. She’d sensed there had been a spark on his side too.
But he was her first client and could personally make or break the agency, so any chemistry that reared up between them would have to be dealt with or ignored. Life would have been a lot simpler if she’d met Luc Eldrich under different circumstances. Even easier if he didn’t ooze charisma by the bucket-load.