A Prisoner Of Birth

Charlie Duncan bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

'Good to see you, Nick,' said Duncan. 'You two know each other, of course.'

'Of course,' said Sarah.

Duncan whispered, 'Be careful what you say, you're sitting behind a critic. Enjoy the show,' he added in a loud voice.

Danny had read the script of Bling Bling, but hadn't been able to follow it, so he was curious to see how the piece would work on stage, and what he had spent ten thousand pounds on. He opened the program to find that the play was billed as 'a hilarious look at Britain during the Blair era.' He turned the page and began reading about the playwright, a dissident Czech who had escaped from… The lights went down and the curtain rose.

No one laughed for the first fifteen minutes of the performance, which surprised Danny, as the play had been billed as a light-hearted comedy. When the star finally made his entrance, a few laughs followed in his wake, but Danny wasn't altogether sure that they were intended by the playwright. By the time the curtain for the interval came down, Danny found himself stifling a yawn.

'What do you think?' he asked Sarah, wondering if he had missed something.

Sarah put a finger to her lips and pointed to the critic in front of them, who was writing furiously. 'Let's go and have a drink,' she said.

Sarah touched his arm as they walked slowly up the aisle. 'Nick, it's my turn to seek your advice.'

'On what?' said Danny. 'Because I must warn you, I know nothing about the theater.'

She smiled. 'No, I'm talking about the real world. Gerald Payne has recommended that I put some money in a property deal he's involved in. He mentioned your name, so I wondered if you thought it was a safe investment.'

Danny wasn't sure how to reply, because however much he loathed her brother, he had no quarrel with this charming woman, who had prevented him being sent back to jail.

'I never advise friends to put money in anything,' said Danny. 'It's a no-win situation-if they make a profit they forget that it was you who recommended it, and if they make a loss they never stop reminding you. My only advice would be not to gamble what you can't afford, and never to risk an amount that might cause you to lose a night's sleep.'

'Good advice,' said Sarah. 'I'm grateful.'

Danny followed her into the stalls bar. As they entered the crowded room, Danny spotted Gerald Payne standing by a table, pouring a glass of champagne for Spencer Craig. He wondered if Craig had been tempted to invest any money in his Olympic site, and hoped to find out later at the opening-night party.

'Let's avoid them,' said Sarah. 'Spencer Craig has never been my favorite man.'

'Mine neither,' said Danny as they made their way toward the bar.

'Hey, Sarah, Nick! We're over here,' shouted Payne, waving furiously at them. 'Come and have a glass of bubbly.'

Danny and Sarah reluctantly walked across to join them. 'You remember Nick Moncrieff,' said Payne, turning to Craig.

'Of course,' said Craig. 'The man who's about to make us all a fortune.'

'Let's hope so,' said Danny-one of his questions answered.

'We'll need all the help we can get after tonight's performance,' said Payne.

'Oh, it could have been worse,' said Sarah as Danny passed her a glass of champagne.

'It's shit,' said Craig. 'So that's one of my investments down the drain.'

'You didn't put too much into it, I hope,' said Danny, embarking on a fishing expedition.

'Nothing compared to what I've invested in your little enterprise,' said Craig, who couldn't take his eyes off Sarah.

Payne whispered conspiratorially to Danny, 'I transferred the full amount this morning. We'll be exchanging contracts sometime in the next few days.'

'I'm delighted to hear it,' said Danny genuinely, although the Swiss had already informed him of the transfer just before he'd left for the theater.

'By the way,' added Payne, 'because of my political connections, I've managed to get a couple of tickets for Parliamentary questions next Thursday. So if you'd like to join me for the minister's statement, you'd be most welcome.'

'That's kind of you, Gerald, but wouldn't you rather take Lawrence or Craig?' He still couldn't bring himself to call him Spencer.

'Larry's got a screen test that afternoon, and Spencer has an appointment with the Lord Chancellor at the other end of the building. We all know what that's about,' he said, winking.

'Do we?' asked Danny.

'Oh, yes. Spencer's about to be made a QC,' Payne whispered.

'Congratulations,' said Danny, turning to his adversary.

'It's not official yet,' said Craig, not even glancing in his direction.

'But it will be next Thursday,' said Payne. 'So, Nick, why don't you meet me outside the St. Stephen's entrance of the House of Commons at twelve thirty and we can listen to the minister's statement together before going off to celebrate our good fortune.'

'I'll see you there,' said Danny as three bells sounded. He glanced across at Sarah, who had been trapped in the corner by Craig. He would like to have rescued her, but was swept along by the crowd as it began a reverse stampede back into the theater.

***

Sarah returned to her seat just as the curtain rose. The second half turned out to be a slight improvement on the first, but Danny suspected not nearly enough to please the man seated in front of him.

When the curtain fell, the critic was the first out of the stalls, and Danny felt like joining him. Although the cast managed three curtain calls, Danny didn't have to stand on this occasion, as no one else bothered to. When the lights finally came up, Danny turned to Sarah and said, 'If you're going to the party, why don't I give you a lift?'

'I'm not going,' said Sarah. 'And I suspect not many of this lot will be either.'

'It's my turn to seek your advice,' said Danny. 'Why not?'

'The pros can always smell a flop, so they'll avoid being seen at a party where people might think they're involved in some way.' She paused. 'I hope you didn't invest too much.'

'Not enough to lose a night's sleep,' said Danny.

'I won't forget your advice,' she said, linking her arm in his. 'So how do you feel about taking a lonely girl out to dinner?'

Danny recalled the last time he'd taken up such an offer, and how that evening had ended. He didn't want to have to explain to another girl, and particularly not this one. 'I'm sorry,' he said, 'but…'

'You're married?' asked Sarah.

'I only wish,' said Danny.

'I only wish I'd met you before she did,' said Sarah, unlinking her arm.

'That wouldn't have been possible,' said Danny, without explanation.

'Bring her along next time,' said Sarah. 'I'd like to meet her. Goodnight, Nick, and thanks again for your advice.' She kissed him on the cheek and drifted off to join her brother.

Danny only just stopped himself from warning her not to invest a penny in Payne's Olympic venture, but he knew that with a girl that bright it might be one risk too many.

He joined the silent throng as they disgorged themselves from the theater as quickly as they could, but he still couldn't avoid a downcast Charlie Duncan, who had stationed himself by the exit. He gave Danny a weak smile.

'Well, at least I won't have to spend any money on a closing-night party.'