Page 72 of It Takes Three To Tango

“That bad, huh?” His shoulders lower as he lets out a breath, and he looks so glum that I think I might have gone too far. The door opens, and a waiter comes in pushing a trolley. We both watch him as he transfers a tray onto a low table between several wingback chairs in front of an unlit fireplace, before going away again as soundlessly as he entered.

I look back at Noah. “Shall we try again?” He brightens considerably to show me a slightly less nervous smile.

Once we both have a cup of tea and are ensconced in the very comfortable wingback chairs, I ask Noah to tell me a bit about himself. I learn he was privately educated, studied at Oxford for an MA in World Literature, but has just returned to complete his Masters in publishing.

“Up to now, my job has been working for a dealer in antique books. I’m good at it. I like hunting down rare editions of books and attending auctions.”

“Then why do you want to be a literary agent?” I ask, sensing a but.

“The books I deal in are all by dead authors. I’d like to get to know some living ones.”

I let out a genuine laugh and decide I like Noah very much.

“Why me?” It’s an honest question, and it looks like the nervousness that the last few minutes of chatting have managed to dispel is going to creep back.

“I hope you don’t mind that I contacted you,” he starts. “But I would really like to represent you with your current project.”

Now he does have my attention.

“How do you know about it?” I haven’t told anyone about it except my parents... and of course Helen.

“Well, we were at an event a while ago, for my course and with some people in the industry. Your agent was there, and whilst she didn’t mention any names, she was telling people what to do when your authors ‘go rogue’ as she described it. Then later, I overheard her say one of her authors was trying to ask her to sell a biography of a nobody. Her exact words were, ‘I mean, who’s ever heard of Estrella Winters?’”

I can’t help scowling at the indiscretion of my former agent, but somehow it doesn’t surprise me, and only adds weight to the belief that my earlier action was the correct one. But that’s not what interests me here.

“And you have?”

“Oh, yes. I know she’s not as widely well known as the Hollywood stars, but I dealt in some vintage books recently, photographs of the stars from the forties to the sixties. She appeared several times in those.”

I’m impressed, but I’m still not connecting the dots.

“How did you know it was me if Helen didn’t mention me by name?”

“Ah, this is where I might have overstepped the mark, I’m afraid.”

I sit and wait for him to continue, and with a slight intake of breath, he does.

“Our fathers. I think they like to talk about us, and as we’re both in books, so to speak, I think it gives them some commonground. Your father mentioned it to mine, who told me. I put two and two together with what Helen had said and, I’m sorry to say, I begged him to ask for a contact for you.” He wrinkles his nose and makes a slight grimace. It is indiscreet, and my dad is a lawyer so he should know better. But now I know he’s proud of me, so I can imagine him mentioning it to Noah’s dad with some pride. It fills me with a warm glow, and so I can forgive him.

I look around the room, remembering where I am, and wonder how much business is done, how much has been won and lost, on a chance word or a name dropped here and there in the right ears. It’s the way things are conducted behind the closed doors of gentleman’s clubs and it seems apt that this is where he set up the meeting.

“Well, indiscretion of former agents and the gossiping of our fathers aside.” His face relaxes and his eyes brighten at that. “ What makes you think you can sell this book?”

He reels off a list of potential publishers, some I’d never heard of, who could be interested in the biography, and not for the first time since we met, I’m impressed by him.

“So, would you consider taking me on as your agent, at least for this book?” he finishes. I am very tempted, but I don’t want to rush into it. I want to step away and have time to consider all my options.

“I’d like to think about it, if I may?”

“Thank you.” He gives a relieved smile. “Now, would you like to stay for lunch? They have an excellent restaurant here.”

I have no doubt about that.

“You don’t have to woo me with lunch,” I say teasingly.

“If I was going to do that, I would have opened with it,” he quips and I laugh. “I’m asking because I like you.”

“Then thank you, I accept.” I have a feeling Noah and I are going to be good friends.

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