Page 10 (1/2)

She already knew all that, but she pretended surprise ‘Yes? That is sad What’s wrong with her?’

‘God knows She has never been strong, I gather’

Still casual, she murmured, ‘How many children do they have?’

‘Just one Cathy’

She noted the inti of shock Did he knorie’s daughter well enough to call her that, or did the press all use her pet name?

‘What’s she like?’ she asked, keeping her eyes down on her linked hands on the polished bar table, struggling not to betray anything by her face, by her voice, but it wasn’t easy; eh

‘Beautiful,’ he said with a bitter tang to his voice She looked up then, startled, but this time it was Steve who avoided her stare, his eyes fixed on his e to himself ‘She’s clever and cool-headed, a political animal Of course, it’s in her blood She coenerations She has travelled from coast to coast with her father round she walks on, she has always been more of an asset to him than her mother, who almost never shows up Cathy sat on platforns, talked to the pressshe knew exactly how to talk to people, she could have had a career in politics any time she wanted it’

‘But she didn’t?’ Sophie took in everything he had said, and thirsted to hearabout this other woman whose existence dominated Gowrie’s life

He shrugged without answering ‘She may once have done, but not any more’

Why not? Sophie wondered What had changed? ‘Does she have a career?’

He grimaced, his face sardonic ‘Several, none of thener for a while, she’s an expert on eighteenth-century porcelain, she paints and writes articles for specialist s I wouldn’t call any of them a career Anyway, she’s married now’

She nodded absently ‘To an Englishman I know’

‘Why are you so interested in Gowrie?’ Steve asked abruptly, and her nerves jumped

‘Wellobviouslyif he should become president of the United States that would make him the most powerful man in the world’ She knew she had stammered, sounded odd, but he had taken her by surprise He kept couessed too much

She got up unsteadily, very pale ‘Thank you for the drink Ito move away just as his producer appeared in the doorway, looking agitated He didn’t come over to them, but stared fixedly at Steve, held up his wrist, tapped his watch pointedly