who knew? The bottom line was that her mid-forties were around the corner and Molly was still single. Even worse was that she was slowly being shut out from the most exclusive society events. Those girlfriends she had spent night after night with at L’Equipe Anglaise, Tramp and Annabel’s in the 1980s and 1990s had all disappeared to grand Scottish country estates, to Manhattan’s Upper East Side, or to mansion houses on Palm Beach. Every now and then she would receive a invitation to an event like today’s christening, but she was never invited to spend a week at the villas, or to intimate dinners with the prize husbands. It was obvious why. She was a single, beautiful woman and therefore a threat, plus Molly was part of their past, a past she knew they did not want to be reminded of.
She picked on a crab claw before throwing it into a plant pot behind her. She took a deep breath, assuring herself that the situation was purely temporary. She was Molly Sinclair, the supermodel. She had lived longer on her wits than any of these nobodies. She stalked off to the bathroom to take a line of cocaine. She’d show them. All of them.
Karin popped open her compact and checked her reflection. She had to be looking her best for a charm offensive. As godmother, Karin’s attendance at Evie’s christening had, of course, been de rigueur, but it was also an ideal opportunity to drum up business for the charity benefit gala dinner she had planned for the following month. With so many society players in the room in such a buoyant, benevolent mood, it would have been foolish to let the opportunity pass to sell tickets for her ‘Stop Global Warming’ benefit gala. Like many of the women in the room, Karin had dipped her toe in charity work before, but after Sebastian’s death she had needed a more substantial project to sink her teeth into, and an exclusive high-profile dinner for eight hundred was just the solution.
‘How are the auction prizes coming along?’ asked Christina, who had already donated a week on the Levys’ yacht the Big Blue as a lot.
‘Fine,’ replied Karin. ‘Except I had to fire the events assistant yesterday. You don’t know anyone suitable, do you? I need someone young, keen, presentable – someone with a brain.’
Christina shook her head blankly.
‘I can ask Martin if you like,’ said Diana. ‘I think his company use some agency.’
‘I’d be grateful,’ said Karin, in her usual cool, efficient manner. ‘They don’t have to be experienced, just keen. I’ll be handling the important matters like guest lists and table plans.’
‘Ahh, I see,’ smiled Diana, playing with a pebble-sized solitaire diamond dangling around her neck. ‘Now you’re single …’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Karin, waving a hand dismissively. ‘I’m only interested in raising as much money as possible. Do you know what’s happening to the icecaps?’
‘Of course I do,’ said Diana. ‘The snow was awful in Megève this year.’
‘Hey, why don’t we ask Molly Sinclair?’ said Donna, nodding towards the tall woman across the room. ‘She’s a consultant at Feldman Jones PR and Events. She must know someone suitable.’
‘If we must,’ said Karin coolly. Karin barely knew Molly, but knew of her; an eighties almost-supermodel, a coked-up has-been, still on the circuit peddling her overt sexuality, trying to bag whatever half-rich man would have her.
Donna waved her friend over.
‘Everyone here knows Molly, don’t they?’ said Donna, getting weak smiles from all three women. ‘Do you know of any good PAs or events assistants, Molly?’
‘What’s it for?’ purred Molly in her smouldering smoker’s voice.
‘Karin’s Stop Global Warming benefit. She’s trying to do it without a committee,’ said Christina sternly.
Karin smiled thinly. A committee was the last thing she needed. She was happy to let a handful of select, connected friends sell tickets on the fund’s behalf, but the controlling streak in Karin would not allow any meddling in her vision. She wanted the glory to be all hers.
‘Will you be coming, Molly?’ asked Diana, absently wondering how Molly managed to look so good. If she’d had a lift, it was amazing.
‘Tables are very expensive,’ said Karin quickly. ‘One thousand pounds a plate and selling out quickly.’
Molly shook her head, hair swooshing from side to side across her shoulders. ‘Can’t make the actual dinner, unfortunately. I have friends coming from the States that night,’ she said, accepting another glass of champagne from a waiter.
Inwardly, Molly was wincing at the ticket price. A thousand pounds! It was outrageous! Her coke allowance for a month. Six months’ gym membership. A good dress. She knew the event was a worthwhile investment, but she just didn’t have that much money sloshing around.
‘Speaking of friends, I tell you who you should invite,’ smiled Christina, taking a delicate sip of a white Russian. ‘Adam Gold.’
‘Who’s he?’ asked Karin.
‘Karin, darling, you’re slacking,’ smiled Christina through glossy lips. ‘New York real-estate and investment guy. He’s behind some of those fabulous new condo developments in Manhattan, Miami and Dallas. He’s also very sexy and very wealthy. Just made the Forbes list this year.’
Molly’s ears pricked up. Forbes list! That meant net worth a billion dollars minimum.
Karin gave Christina her best uninterested ice-queen expression. ‘Billionaire or not, he’s unlikely to come from New York for a party, even this one.’
‘Oh no, haven’t you heard?’ said Diana, widening her baby-blue eyes. ‘He’s just moved to London. Martin says he’s rolling out his property developing all over Europe, Moscow and Dubai and the Far East.’
‘We could do with a shot of new blood,’ said Christina, smiling. ‘Not that I want to touch, of course,’ she added, stealing a glance at her husband, who was smoking a Cohiba on the terrace, ‘but I do like to look.’
‘Darling, get him invited,’ smiled Christina, touching Karin’s knee meaningfully. ‘The tickets will fly out the door once word gets out that he’s coming.’
‘Well, I am in London that evening,’ said Molly slowly. ‘Perhaps I could pop by afterwards …?’
Karin and Molly’s eyes locked and they recognized in the other something they had encountered many times before. Rivalry.
‘I hate to disappoint you, sweetheart,’ said Karin coolly, ‘but there won’t be any after-dinner tickets for the benefit night. It’s just not that kind of event.’
Molly smiled. It was her sweetest, most earnest smile, a smile that had lit up a dozen magazine covers and persuaded many people, people much richer and more powerful than Karin, to do her bidding. Yes, thought Molly, Adam Gold sounded like just the sort of man to get her right back where she belonged, and she wasn’t going to let an uptight, jealous little control freak like Karin Cavendish stop her from getting him. And her smile grew just a little wider.
