The Dating Mr Darcy Trilogy. Katie Oliver

      There was a smattering of applause.

      “Well done, you!” Rhys said. “You were a natural.”

      “The pictures look great,” the photographer told Natalie. “Poppy Simone couldn’t have done a better job herself.”

      Natalie beamed. “Thanks.” As she turned away to pick up her mobile, her smile faded. Crikey – she’d forgotten to contact Poppy about the re-launch. “I need to make a call.”

      “Go ahead. Come and see the shots when you’re done.”

      She nodded distractedly and scrolled to Poppy’s number. She’d completely forgotten to ask if her friend could appear at the re-launch. She only hoped it wasn’t too late…

      “Hi, Poppy,” Natalie said. “Good, how’re you? How’s Pen? Super. Listen, I’ve a huge favour to ask, it’s for the store—”

      Five minutes later, she clicked off, her smile gone and her mind racing. She’d left it too late. Poppy was booked for a shoot in Sri Lanka and wouldn’t return to London until the day of the re-launch. She promised to come if she got back in time.

      Natalie closed her eyes. Rhys would be furious. She’d pitched Poppy in the business plan as the re-launch’s biggest draw, second only to Dominic and the Destroyers, of course. Now the famous supermodel wouldn’t be there.

      Her heart sank. How would she tell him?

      “Natalie, there you are.” As if her thoughts had summoned him, Rhys appeared. “I wanted to talk to you, but we’ve both been so busy I’ve not had a chance.”

      “If it’s about Poppy Simone, she can’t do it,” Natalie blurted out in a guilty rush. “She has another commitment.”

      He frowned. “Can’t do what — the re-launch? Why?”

      Natalie bit her lip. “She’ll be in Sri Lanka.”

      He narrowed his eyes. “You said there was no question Poppy Simone would star in the re-launch fashion show. You hung your entire business plan on it.”

      “I know. But I…well, I left it a bit too late to ask,” she admitted. “I forgot. I only just called her now.”

      “What?” Rhys snapped. “Natalie, we discussed this well over a month ago! You assured me you’d taken care of it!”

      “I meant to, but with everything going on, I forgot.”

      Anger suffused his face. “We can’t afford a mistake like this. We need a big name to bring people in, and now all we have is Dominic – that’s if Klaus’s lawyers let us use him.”

      Natalie blinked back tears. “I really am sorry—”

      “Sorry doesn’t cut it. Fix it. I don’t know how, and I don’t give a shit. But you’ll get someone else, and straight away. Otherwise,” he finished grimly, “the re-launch will be a failure, and your family can kiss Dashwood and James goodbye. And it’ll be on your arse if it fails. Not mine.”

      He turned and strode angrily away, his intention to ask Natalie about her drink at the Connaught with Ian Clarkson completely forgotten.

       Chapter 26

      The print ad featuring Natalie in Phillip’s exclusive new clothing line appeared simultaneously in Elle, Bazaar, Marie Claire, British Vogue, and Glamour magazines, as well as in the London tube trains and stations.

      If the tabloids hadn’t already invaded her privacy enough, now it was impossible to go anywhere without someone shouting her name, or taking her photo, or asking if she’d sign her autograph on a bit of paper.

      “It’s insane!” Natalie complained to her sister at week’s end. “I just want to make it stop.”

      “Oh, stop whingeing. You’re Britain’s ‘It’ girl, you’re all anyone’s talking about! I wish I had your problems,” Caroline said irritably.

      “No, you don’t,” Nat said, and felt the beginnings of a headache. “You have no idea what I’m dealing with.”

      Her sister set two cups of tea and a plate of chocolate biscuits on the kitchen table and sat down with a sigh. “All right, then, tell me what’s wrong.”

      “I promised Rhys that Poppy Simone would appear at the re-launch. But I left it too late, and she’s booked for a shoot in Sri Lanka, and now we haven’t a single big name, other than –possibly – Dom’s, for the fashion show. Rhys is livid. I’ve never seen him so angry.”

      “Oh, Natty,” Caro sighed, “you’ve gone and made a mess of things, haven’t you?”

      “Yes, and I don’t know how to fix it. Who can I get to appear at the re-launch on such short notice? I’m not exactly friends with Giselle or Heidi.”

      Caro stirred sugar into her cup. “You must know someone. Someone famous, I mean.”

      “Not really, not unless you count Phillip.”

      “Phillip? Isn’t he the designer who’s doing the clothing line for the store?”

      Nat nodded. “His clothes are flying off the shelves.”

      “I’m not surprised, they’re great. Everyone loves the ads, too.” Caro set her cup down. “Natalie, I just had a thought.”

      “What? Ask Dominic to take me back? Not a bad idea, I suppose, since Rhys is sure to sack me. Maybe Keeley needs another backup singer—”

      “No. Besides, you can’t sing.” Caro leaned forward. “There’s a model who’s the muse for a hot new fashion designer. She’s very popular with the British public right now.”

      Natalie sniffed. “And who is this wondrous creature? Chloe Sevigny? Katy Perry? Do I know her?”

      “You know her very well.” Caro grinned. “I’m talking about you, you berk!”

      “Me?!” Natalie scoffed. “You can’t be serious.”

      Caro leaned forward. “Nat, the tabloids can’t get enough of you and Rhys. A photo of you on the cover guarantees a sell-out. Mr. Banks owns the newsagents round the corner, and he told me so,” she added. “And you said yourself that Phillip’s clothes are flying out of the stores.”

      Natalie shrugged. “So?”

      “So,” Caro said with rising excitement, “you can do the appearance at the re-launch! You’re every bit as popular as Poppy right now. You can model the clothes, sign autographs and pose for pictures. And perhaps Phillip could design something new, just for the re-launch.”

      “I don’t know,” Natalie said doubtfully. “I’m not a celebrity, or a supermodel.”

      “No,” Caro declared, “you’re not. Even better – you’re you! You’re real, and relatable. And you’re the best chance we have to save Dashwood and James from closing its doors forever. Maybe,” she added ominously, “our only chance…”

      Early Sunday morning Natalie left her sister’s house and returned to London. She’d heard nothing from Ian, thank God. On the other hand, Rhys was furious at her, and rightly so. Her promise to get Poppy Simone for the re-launch had fizzled. She’d let him – and Dashwood and James – down.

      She parked across from the Connaught hotel. She intended to march up to Rhys’s room and tell him her plan…and hope that he didn’t laugh in her face or throw her out on her arse.

      But the front desk clerk informed her that Rhys Gordon had checked out that morning.

      Disappointed, Natalie thanked him and turned away to leave. Rhys must have moved to his new flat, then.