LITMIR.BIZ

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      ‘What for?’ asked Mr Ruby.

      ‘Well – libel. Look at it, for God’s sake!’ the young man brought out. ‘Well, I mean to say, look!’

      The other two men glanced at him, but the Sommita without turning her head said: ‘Thank you, darling,’ and extended her arm. The intention was unmistakable: an invitation, nay, a command. The young man’s beautiful face crimsoned, he rose and, maintaining a precarious hold on his portfolio, advanced crouchingly to imprint a kiss upon the fingers. He lost control of his portfolio. Its contents shot out of their confine and littered the carpet: sheet upon sheet of music in manuscript.

      He fell on his knees and scrabbled about the floor. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he gabbled. ‘Oh hell, I’m so bloody sorry.’

      The Sommita had launched a full-scale attack upon the Australian press. Rupert, she said, indicating the young man, was absolutely right. The press should be sued. The police should be called in. The photographer should be kicked out of the country. Was he to be suffered to wreck her life, her career, her sanity, to make her the laughing stock of both hemispheres? (She was in the habit of instancing geographical data.) Had she not, she demanded, consented to the Australian appearances solely as a means of escape from his infamy?

      ‘You are sure, I suppose,’ said Mr Reece in his pallid manner, ‘that it’s the same man? Strix?’

      This produced a tirade. ‘Sure! Sure!’ Had not the detested Strix bounced out of cover in all the capitals of Europe as well as in New York and San Francisco? Had he not shot her at close quarters and in atrocious disarray? Sure! She drew a tempestuous breath. Well, she shouted, what were they going to do about it? Was she to be protected or was she to have a breakdown, lose her voice and spend the rest of her days in a straitjacket? She only asked to be informed.

      The two men exchanged deadpan glances.

      ‘We can arrange for another bodyguard,’ Montague Reece offered without enthusiasm.

      ‘She didn’t much fancy the one in New York,’ Mr Ruby pointed out.

      ‘Assuredly I did not,’ she agreed, noisily distending her nostrils. ‘It is not amusing to be closely followed by an imbecile in unspeakable attire who did nothing, but nothing, to prevent the outrage on Fifth Avenue. He merely goggled. As, by the way, did you all.’

      ‘Sweetheart, what else could we do? The fellow was a passenger in an open car. It was off like a bullet as soon as he’d taken his picture.’

      ‘Thank you, Benny. I remember the circumstances.’

      ‘But why?’ asked the young man called Rupert, still on his knees assembling his music. ‘What’s got into him? I mean to say, it doesn’t make sense and it must cost a lot of money to follow you all over the globe. He must be bonkers.’

      He recognized his mistake as soon as it escaped his lips and began to gabble. Perhaps because he was on his knees and literally at her feet the Sommita who had looked explosive leant forward and tousled his blond hair. ‘My poorest!’ she said. ‘You are quite, quite ridiculous and I adore you. I haven’t introduced you,’ she added as an afterthought. ‘I’ve forgotten your surname.’

      ‘Bartholomew.’

      ‘Really? Very well, Rupert Bartholomew,’ she proclaimed, with an introductory wave of her hand.

      ‘…d’you do,’ he muttered. The others nodded.

      ‘Why does he do it? He does it,’ Montague Reece said impatiently, reverting to the photographer, ‘for money. No doubt the idea arose from the Jacqueline Kennedy affair. He’s carried it much further and he’s been successful. Enormously so.’

      ‘That’s right,’ Ruby agreed. ‘And the more he does it the more – ‘ he hesitated – ‘outrageous the results become.’

      ‘He re-touches,’ the Sommita intervened. ‘He distorts. I know it.’

      They all hurriedly agreed with her.

      ‘I’m going,’ she said unexpectedly, ‘to dress. Now. And when I return I wish to be given an intelligent solution. I throw out, for what they are worth, my suggestions. The police. Prosecution. The Press. Who owns this – ‘ she kicked the offending newspaper and had some difficulty in disengaging her foot – ‘this garbage? Who is the proprietor? Attack him.’ She strode to the bedroom door. ‘And I warn you, Monty. I warn you, Benny. This is my final word. Unless I am satisfied that there is an end to my persecution I shall not sing in Sydney. They can,’ said the Sommita, reverting to her supposed origins, ‘stuff their Sydney Opera House.’

      She made her exit and did not neglect to slam the door.

      ‘Oh dear,’ said Benjamin Ruby quietly.

      ‘Quite,’ said Montague Reece.

      The young man called Rupert Bartholomew, having reinstated his portfolio, got to his feet.

      ‘I reckon I’d better – ?’

      ‘Yes?’ said Mr Reece.

      ‘Take myself off. I mean to say, it’s a bit awkward.’

      ‘What’s awkward?’

      ‘Well, you see, Madame – Madame Sommita asked me – I mean to say, she said I was to bring this – ‘ he indicated, precariously, his portfolio.

      ‘Look out,’ said Ben Ruby. ‘You’ll scatter it again.’ He did not try to suppress a note of resignation. ‘Is it something you’ve written?’ he said. It was more a statement than an enquiry.

      ‘This is right. She said I could bring it.’

      ‘When,’ Reece asked, ‘did she say it?’

      ‘Last night. Well – this morning. About one o’clock. You were leaving that party at the Italian Embassy. You had gone back to fetch something: her gloves, I think, and she was in the car. She saw me.’

      ‘It was raining.’

      ‘Heavily,’ said the young man proudly. ‘I was the only one.’

      ‘You spoke to her?’

      ‘She beckoned me. She put the window down. She asked me how long I’d been there. I said three hours. She asked my name and what I did. I told her. I play the piano in a small orchestra and give lessons. And I type. And then I told her I had all her recordings and – well, she was so wonderful. I mean to me, there in the rain. I just found myself telling her I’ve written an opera – short – a one-acter – sort of dedicated to her, for her. Not, you know, not because I dreamt she would ever hear of it. Good God no!’

      ‘And so,’ Benjamin Ruby suggested, ‘she said you could show it to her.’

      ‘This is right. This morning. I think she was sorry I was so wet.’

      ‘And have you shown it to her?’ asked Mr Reece. ‘Apart from throwing it all over the carpet?’

      ‘No. I was just going to when the waiter came up with this morning’s papers and – she saw that thing. And then you came. I suppose I’d better go.’

      ‘It’s hardly the moment perhaps – ‘ Mr Reece began when the bedroom door opened and an elderly woman with ferociously black hair came into the room. She held up a finger at Rupert, rather in the manner of summoning a waiter.

      ‘She wanta you,’ said the woman. ‘Also the music.’

      ‘All right, Maria,’ said Mr Ruby, and to the young man, ‘Maria is Madame’s dresser. You’d better go.’

      So Rupert, whose surname was Bartholomew, clutching his opera, walked into La Sommita’s bedroom as a fly, if he’d only known it, into a one-way web.

      ‘She’ll eat

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