Liv nodded. ‘Essie’s agent won’t extend the deadline.’
His eyes flashed briefly. ‘You’ve conversed with Marlon?’
‘Don’t worry. I didn’t say anything about the Essie situation. I wanted to see if there was more time available to write.’
Anthony pursed his lips and thought for a while. ‘Please talk to me in future,’ he said.
‘But I feel like I’m bothering you.’ She didn’t say thathemade her feel that way.
‘I’ll make the necessary arrangements for a full-time salary, on your new pay rate. It may take me a few days to set up a contract.’
‘Thank you,’ Liv said. ‘I need time to let my other clients know anyway.’
‘Let’s keep in touch.’ Anthony stood up and shook her hand.
As he walked away, he chatted to Shakespeare for a while before leaving.Liv watched him and felt a rush of emotions catching her off guard – worry, panic and pure excitement. Also, a growing sense of fascination about Anthony she couldn’t ignore. Why did he claim his relationship with Essie was purely businesslike, when several things indicated otherwise?
More than anything, Liv felt rather proud of her new go-getting attitude and felt like blowing on her fingernails and polishing them on her blouse.
She was actually going to be a full-time writer. Whether she’d be able to finish Essie’s last ever book was a different matter. But she was going to damn well try.
Chapter 10
Handprints
While waiting for Anthony to sort out her new contract, Liv continued to empty bins for Platinum and make sandwiches for Tarkers and Jules for the next few days. She didn’t want to jump the gun by giving up these jobs, or telling Jake about her new role, until she had something in writing. She dug out her cleaning agency contract and groaned when she saw her notice period at Platinum was one month. She wanted to do things by the book, and didn’t want to leave the Cardinals without a cleaner either.
While she cleaned, dusted and scrubbed, Liv listened toBig Little Liesby Liane Moriarty. She devoted every moment she could to typing up Essie’s manuscript. As she tapped away, she finally felt like she had a mission in life. She wanted to show Anthony, and herself, that she could do this.
Fortunately, Liv wasn’t a complete novice when it came to using computers. She’d taken IT lessons at school, and an evening course to help Mack and Johnny with their homework. She could use Word and type, even if she only used two fingers.
Many of Essie’s sentences and paragraphs were messy and disjointed,but Liv loved seeing the book slowly taking shape on screen. She couldn’t wait to finish inputting and start to work on the story itself.
However, the thought of summoning up her own words felt like a huge step in the dark. She worried her prose would be more likeThe Very Hungry Caterpillarrather than Essie Starling. She wondered why Essie hadn’t passed her task on to someone more experienced. The author had only ever read her childhood poem, hardly enough to instill a sense of confidence in Liv’s abilities. So, whathadEssie seen in her?
Wanting to see and feel close to the author again, Liv looked up the Constellation Prize footage on YouTube. There were several videos of Essie’s acceptance speech and Liv clicked on one of them. Might she glimpse Anthony in the audience, too?
Essie stood on stage, her face illuminated by spotlights. Her eyes swam with tears and she hugged the crystal star to her chest. ‘I’d like to thank everyone who voted for this award. You have no idea what it means to me. I want to keep taking Georgia Rory on adventures for as long as you want me to. I’d like to say a huge thanks to Hank, and Ted, Meg at Peregrine, and…’ She reeled off many more names Liv had seen in the acknowledgements in her books.
‘Finally,’ Essie said, ‘I’d like to thank someone very special who helped me to write. He encouraged me to live and to love, and this award is for him.’
Liv’s ears pricked. She moved her face closer to the screen.
The camera panned to Hank grinning proudly in the audience, and Ted standing there with a stern expression. There was a brief shot of the bearded, tattooed man she’d seen in the hidden photograph.
Essie was about to speak again, but a tear trickled down her cheek. ‘Thank you. That is all.’ She performed a small curtsy then swept off the stage.
While watching, Liv’s body flooded with pride, too. Her cheeks glowed and she realized her own eyes were wet. The version of Essie in the video was so unlike the guarded figure she knew. The Constellation was a real pinnacle in the author’s career. Was her illness really enough for her to walk away from it all?
In the video, Essie stopped to pose for photographs in front of a banner.
Liv noticed the date of the awards was printed on it, 1 November. She frowned and drummed her fingernails on the desk for a while. It was the same date as the Book Twenty deadline Essie requested, and the fictitious date of her death. Was it just a coincidence?
Liv searched around some more.
There was only one video taken at the Constellation after-party. It was jerky and dark, made by someone wandering around the room with a low-resolution phone or camera. It lasted an hour and Liv yawned, stopping the film after ten minutes. No wonder only a few people had watched and liked it.
When she started to type again her heart still swelled at seeing Essie in her prime.
