The Mill House Read Online Free Page B

she should hit back like this.
    'Emma, I'm sorry,' she said hurriedly. 'I didn't mean ... I shouldn't have ...'
    'Hey you two, what are you gassing about in here?' Josh demanded cheerily as he joined them. 'Roses are looking good, Mum. Still taking care of them yourself, are you? We can always get a gardener to give you a hand. Just say the word.'
    Her son's presence brought a smile back to Emma's papery-white face. 'You're so kind, darling,' she told him shakily, 'but I enjoy pottering about out there. There's not much else for me to do these days, though Julia was just telling me about her beauty routine. I'm thinking about giving it a go. Maybe they'll have more luck with me.'
    'You're gorgeous enough as you are,' her dutiful son informed her, completely missing the barb, which Julia took heroically, even gratefully, and let pass.
    Tea was drunk - a viscous brown brew that Emma knew Julia detested - in the air-conditioned conservatory that Josh had treated his mother to earlier in the year. It was her special place, she repeatedly told him. In here she could enjoy her plants and read the paper with plenty of light, and admire her garden without getting burnt by the sun or eaten alive by midges and mosquitoes. They - Josh and Emma - talked at length about Shannon and Daniel, both glowing with pride at the children's various sporting and scholarly accomplishments, until finally they landed themselves on the glistening beach of their absolute favourite topic, Joshua.
    Emma listened raptly as her son regaled her with tales of his most recent battles with legendary publishing figures, all of which he'd won, of course - she wouldn't be able to handle the failures, so only Julia was made party to them. Next came his most recent trip to New York, followed by an unexpected dash to LA to finalise a movie deal, and crowding up his diary for the weeks to come were dozens of book fairs, literary festivals, keenly contended prizes and the endless round of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, launch parties, cocktails, author tours and glittering award galas that went with the territory of being one of London's hottest literary agents. 'So I might not be able to pop in quite as often as you'd like for a little while, Mum,' he told her.
    All this demand and heady prosperity was thanks, in the main, to a chance meeting some seven years ago with a fluffy-haired nymphet from Leeds University by the name of Claudia Barnes,
    who'd written an hilarious and brilliantly crafted story about two aliens - Paul from Pluto and Suzie from Saturn - who met whilst attempting to blend in with the community of a North Yorkshire town. Almost immediately it had struck the right chords with Josh, who'd managed to whip up an impressive publisher's auction, both sides of the Atlantic. This had resulted in a staggeringly high figure for a first novel, that had since turned into a series of books, three movies and worldwide publication. And all due to Josh Thayne's eagle eye for a winner (or a blonde) and tenaciously adroit negotiating skills. Now, every author with breath in their body, and publisher with dollars on his mind, wanted to be in Josh's magic sphere, which Julia could hardly blame them for, as it was a wonderful place to be - except when he was chalking up his attributes with his appalling mother.
    'The trouble with you,' he told her, as they finally roared out of the estate and down through the highly desirable village of Chalfont St Giles, with its quaint village green, designer shops and olde worlde pub, 'is you have a phobia about mothers.'
    Julia rolled her eyes. 'Since I am one, that doesn't really add up,' she responded.
    'Yes it does. You can't stand your own, you can't stand mine, and you can't stand yourself either.'
    Her head came round.
    He glanced at her, shifted down and came to a straining pause at a roundabout.
    'Two out of three,' she told him.
    He circled to the right, and sped along an empty Amersham Road. 'Is that you claiming to like