‘Cate! What a pleasure to meet you! I’m just so sorry that it can’t be Mandy who’s here to welcome you,’ Natalie said.
Cate steadied herself. She knew instantly that Natalie recognised her but if Natalie could play this silly game, Cate could too.
‘It’s such a shame about Mandy but it’s lovely to meet you. It’s a privilege to take part inLuxe Life Swap. I can only hope that the count and countess are having as wonderful a time as I am. Venice must be the most beautiful city in the world and this… this palazzo is magnificent. My husband, Phil, will be so excited to join us tomorrow. I can hardly believe this is to be our home for the next two weeks.’
Natalie forced a smile. She had to hand it to her old classmate; Cate was sailing through their awkward encounter like a true professional. Only the most eagle-eyed viewer would notice the white knuckles gripping her glass of Prosecco.
The director nodded his approval before requesting several more sequences, repositioning Cate and Natalie around the room, moving a vase of flowers here, a plump cushion there. Natalie’s face ached from the effort of smiling. At last, it was time to take the viewers upstairs. The camera crew disappeared to set up in the Gold Room. Natalie sat down on one of the crimson sofas; Cate had already perched on the edge of a chaise longue cradling her drink, her legs crossed neatly at the ankles.
Natalie waited for Cate to say something, to show some sign that she knew who Nat was, but Lucia jumped in.
‘I thought we should run through our revised schedule for tomorrow.’ The young Italian opened her leather folder and turned to Cate. ‘We were going to film you eating breakfast here, served by the housekeeper, but for that, we will wait for when your husband is here. Instead, I have arranged for you to enjoy a traditional Italian breakfast along the Fondamenta Misericordia. The canal side in Cannaregio is very picturesque; it will make nice television.’
‘That sounds perfect.’ Cate smiled. Her teeth were very white, she must have had them lightened professionally, but her eyes were tired. Natalie hoped it wouldn’t take the guys too long to set up for the next shots.
‘Allora…’ Lucia consulted her folder. ‘After breakfast, we will visit the boutiques; the viewers will love to see the fashions.’
‘About 70 per cent of the viewers of the last series were female,’ Natalie added, trying to keep her voice as normal as possible.
‘I have made arrangements for you to visit places where they know the countess very well; they will be delighted to help.’
‘You have done this already?’ Natalie said. ‘Thank you,grazie, Lucia.’
‘Lucia has made everything run so smoothly; she put me at ease the moment I arrived,’ Cate said.
‘Oh, it is nothing. It is so nice that you are here in my beautiful city.’
‘I can’t imagine anywhere better.’ Cate said. She fiddled with the stem of her near-empty glass of wine. Natalie shifted on her seat.
Lucia beamed, oblivious to the tension between the two women. ‘I will go upstairs and check on the camera crew.’
The door swung shut behind her. Neither Natalie nor Cate spoke, both waiting to see if the other would crack first. There wasn’t just an elephant in the room, Natalie thought; this was a whole Kenyan safari park.
Lucia re-entered the room. Natalie let out a breath.
‘All is ready upstairs,’ Lucia said. ‘We will film you entering the bedroom, Cate. There is no need to rehearse; we want to catch your expression as you see it for the first time and then Natalie will enter. They call your room the Gold Room; you will soon see why. I do not think you will be disappointed.’
‘I’m sure I won’t,’ Cate said brightly.
She and Natalie followed Lucia up the stairs. Natalie waited outside on the landing, glad that the Italian production company had not chosen the room with the secret grill in the floor, where she had been hiding out earlier. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to carry on a conversation in there without flushing.
A gasp from the Gold Room told her Cate was suitably impressed. Natalie counted to twenty as planned. She entered the bedroom, reciting the lines she’d rehearsed as the camera panned the gold, damask walls, sumptuous, golden drapes and high bed piled with cushions. Afterwards, a brief conversation was filmed by the windows that overlooked the Grand Canal. The sun had now set; the sky glowed blue.
The director put up his hand. ‘Basta– it is enough.’
‘Brava! Cate, you have been a true professional,’ Lucia said. ‘Let us leave the crew to tidy up. We will go back downstairs and make a final check over tomorrow’s arrangements before I leave you both.’
They trooped back down the stairs into the Red Room.
Cate took her phone from her bag. ‘Oh, I have a message! Good, it’s Phil, he’s booked on a flight for tomorrow, arriving late in the afternoon. I can forward you the details, Lucia.’
‘Fantastico! He will be in time forLa Traviataat the opera house. So, tomorrow, everything is good. I will meet you and Natalie here at eight thirty in the morning to film in Cannaregio.’
Natalie nodded. ‘That’s all clear.’
‘Tonight, we had booked a meal for Cate and Philip away from the cameras, at a small, traditional Venetian trattoria.’
‘I can eat something here; I’m sure the housekeeper wouldn’t mind fixing me something in the kitchen. I’m not fussy.’
