‘And this is Irene.’
‘Hello,’ Irene said, politely shaking his hand.
‘And— Where’s Jenny disappeared to?’
They all spun around but Jenny was suddenly nowhere to be seen.
‘That’s strange,’ Noah said, looking towards the door. ‘She was here a minute ago.’
‘She can’t have gone far,’ Aiden replied. ‘Anyway, it’s time to take our seats. The presentation is about to start.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Would it be okay if Sam and I came and joined you at your table for the meal afterwards?’ Aiden asked, looking at Elle and putting his arm around Pippa’s waist.
Elle smiled. ‘Would it be okay? It would be more than okay.’
‘I’ve got to go this way now,’ Sam said, pointing to a different door. ‘I’ll look forward to chatting with you on stage and with the rest of you at the meal.’
Once they were through the door, Elle looked for Jenny but she was still nowhere to be seen.
‘Where do you think Jenny’s gone?’ she murmured to Noah.
‘I’ve no idea. Maybe the bathroom?’
‘I don’t want her to miss this presentation.’
‘She won’t, she’ll catch us up,’ Noah reassured her.
They all made their way towards the seats in front of the stage, and one of the organisers directed them to the front row.
‘You need to save a seat for Jenny,’ Elle whispered to Irene, who placed her bag down on the seat next to her.
Elle studied the hordes of people filtering into the chairs behind them, but there was still no sign of Jenny.
A few seconds later, Flynn stepped on to the stage and switched on the microphone. ‘I’d like to welcome you all to Starcross Manor for this very special presentation.’ The whole room hushed and all eyes focused on him. ‘I’ve been a part of this community for quite a while now and it never ceases to amaze me, the talent that keeps popping up in this village.’ He smiled at Elle.
‘Jenny needs to hurry up! Otherwise she’s going to miss it,’ Irene whispered.
‘I’ve just texted her but I’ve not had a reply.’ Elle switched her phone to silent and put it back in her handbag.
‘It’s an honour for me not only to be holding such a presentation here today at Starcross Manor, but also to welcome to the stage the international bestselling author Sam Stone. His career has spanned over three decades, his books have sold over nine million copies and have been translated into fifteen different languages. Without further ado, please welcome to the stage – Mr Sam Stone.’
There was rapturous applause all around the room as Sam walked up to the microphone.
‘Sam Stone is a very romantic name. He sounds like a movie star,’ Pippa whispered to Aiden, all gooey-eyed.
Aiden placed his hand on her knee and squeezed it. ‘It’s not his real name, you know. It’s a pseudonym.’
‘No way. I never knew that.’ Pippa swung a glance towards him. Just then Jenny appeared from nowhere and sat down next to Irene. She looked ghastly white.
‘Are you okay?’ asked Elle. ‘We wondered where you had disappeared to. You look kind of pale.’
Jenny nodded. ‘I’m okay.’
Pippa leaned forward to attract Elle’s attention. ‘Elle, did you know that Sam Stone is a pseudonym? He doesn’t write under his real name.’
‘Gosh! No! I didn’t know that at all. What’s his real name?’ she asked, glancing over towards Pippa and Aiden.
‘Matt Harrison,’ Jenny replied, locking eyes with a very shocked Elle.
ChapterForty-Four
