Woman of the Hour (36 page)

I hurried out to the team and looked at the long list of comments. There were a few vicious troll messages. One emailer called her a marriage-breaking whore who should be sacked on the spot. Another emailer wrote that she felt sorry for any child born to such a vain, irresponsible and immoral woman. These were massively outnumbered by positive tweets and emails wishing her luck. One woman offered to knit bootees for the baby and a lot of tweets were saying #GoFizzy.

‘GoFizzy is trending,’ Simon said.

‘Good. Give them to me now.’

‘They’re still coming in,’ Molly said.

‘Go on tracking them but there’s enough here to show Julius.’

Ziggy printed off two sets of comments and I walked down to his office with Martine in attendance. He was pacing around his room.

‘I’m fucking seething. Using the station to air her secrets!’

‘It’s going to be a firestorm and we’ve got to manage it somehow,’ I said.

‘I know. Saul called. He’s on his way in. Says we need to rush out a report for the board.’

‘Early indications are that the audience are with Fizzy,’ I said.

I handed the sheets over to him. I stood by his desk and we both read through the comments.

‘She’s made a fool of us all,’ he said.

‘The media are downstairs in force so I suggest we put a brave face on it and don’t let them know we’re angry.’

He looked at me and nodded slowly as the sense of this dawned on him.

‘Give me a line I can use,’ he said.

I scanned the comments again and was struck by the level of empathy that was being expressed by our viewers and the warmth of their wishes for Fizzy. Most of them felt that a baby was an event to feel joyous about.

‘We underestimate our audience. I think you should say we know our viewers are generous people who can understand Fizzy’s decision and their comments show this very clearly.’

‘And if they ask me if I knew she was going to do this?’

‘Tell them yes, absolutely, and you support her one hundred per cent because that’s the StoryWorld way.’ I couldn’t resist adding: ‘Real people, real life, real stories, live.’

I went to find Ledley in the atrium. While I had been upstairs the space had been transformed into a Jamaican street party with yellow and green banners that said
Go Luscious with Ledley
and huge sunflowers in silver pots at the end of the tables. The heating had been turned up and the atrium flooded with yellow light to create the feel of a summer day. The giant barbecue ran along one wall and the caterers were laying out cooked chicken legs and browned sausages onto silver platters. I spotted Ledley talking to the musicians who had formed into a line with their steel drums. He was back in one of his printed pattern shirts with the sleeves rolled up and green jeans tucked into boots. Guests were arriving and there was already a clutch of photographers in the atrium with more arriving as Fizzy’s announcement went viral. The senior PR woman was clad in an acid-pink suit and she and puppy woman were handing out press packs about Ledley’s marinade. I pushed my way towards Ledley.

‘It’s going to be a great party,’ I said.

Ledley is rarely angry but this morning I could see that he was and that he was just about holding it in check.

‘Why did she decide to go public today of all days, my launch day?’ he said in a low voice.

‘Who knows? She’s been so volatile recently.’

‘I thought we were mates. I didn’t think she’d try to upstage me.’

‘I doubt it even occurred to her. She’s so self-obsessed,’ I said, but as I was saying these words the thought occurred to me that perhaps Fizzy had chosen today to punish Ledley for sitting in for her on the sofa. I spotted Harriet standing at the edge of the gathering and she had a drink in her hand. I felt a spasm of irritation that she’d left the others upstairs to get on with the work while she joined the party. I thought about going over and telling her to get back upstairs until the work was done but Gerry arrived at that moment.

‘What a fantastic turnout, Ledley,’ he said.

He and Ledley did an awkward high five. The PR woman in pink came over.

‘I’m going to have to steal Ledley from you. Capital FM and LBC and the Food Channel are queueing up to interview him.’

Gerry and I wandered over to the drinks table. The choice was rum punch, carrot juice punch and pineapple punch.

‘Did you know she was going to do that?’ he said.

I reached for a non-alcoholic punch.

‘Not today.’

‘But you knew she was going to reveal all on camera?’

I needed to backtrack, to distance myself from any involvement in her revelation.

‘I knew she was pregnant and something had to be said sooner or later.’

‘She’s playing for high stakes, but then she is a Leo, of course. They’re a courageous sign, willing to take risks.’

He sipped on a pineapple punch.

‘The viewers are with her so far,’ I said.

‘And you’ve no idea of the father?’

‘Gerry! She’s entitled to keep that a secret, don’t you think?’

He smiled at me.

‘You’re too good for your own boots sometimes, Liz.’

I saw Julius walking down the stairs to join the party and Martine was behind him. He was smiling as if he didn’t have a care in the world and as if it was a normal occurrence for his top presenter to do an unscheduled piece to camera about her personal life. There was no sign of Bob. He would be lying low for the foreseeable. The hubbub in the atrium was building and the steel drums were adding their ecstatic rhythms to the noise.

Saul Relph appeared at my side. It is rare for him to make an appearance at PR events and this was the first time I’d seen him since our exchange of emails. My face got hot as he leaned in towards me.

‘Everything all right with you, Liz?’

‘All good, thanks.’

‘I’m glad to hear it because you are a valued member of the team.’

His words were warm but how he said it was stiff. I could tell he couldn’t wait to get away from me and it still rankled that he had implied I was somehow complicit in Julius crossing the line that night. He was about to leave my side as a stir rippled through the atrium. Fizzy had walked in. The guests broke into spontaneous applause as Ledley walked over and hugged her. The cameras were popping. That would be the picture tonight and the big story would be her pregnancy not his marinade.

‘And
she
is very important to our continued success,’ Saul Relph said as we looked at Fizzy who was smiling at the cameras and looking rather beautiful.

‘I agree; our viewers love her.’

She had indeed outflanked us all.

Let me see now: Martine dislikes me; Bob loathes me; Molly is angry with me for promoting Simon; Fizzy doesn’t trust me and Julius is waiting for an opportunity to get back at me. He likes nothing better than a good fight and he will relish trying to cut me down to size. But I have a deputy and I can delegate more to Simon. I can start to put Flo first.

I watched Saul Relph walk over to Julius and slap him on the back. They seemed to be sharing some joke and looked comfortable together. The power relations at the station may not have changed fundamentally but I have learned an important lesson. It’s not about doing the right thing at StoryWorld, it’s about doing the smart thing. I would never be able to tell Mum that I had resorted to blackmail to get my way at work. Part of me felt horrible that I’d had to stoop to that. But another part of me felt proud that I was finally on my way to being one of the boys. I had put my career and my needs first instead of always thinking about the feelings of others.

Chalk Farm flat, 7 p.m.

Tomorrow I’ll get Simon to collate all the radio interviews and press coverage of Ledley’s launch. I hope for Ledley’s sake that his marinade gets a mention. Fizzy may look soft and pretty on the outside but she has a core of steel. I turned my phone off and tapped on Flo’s door.

‘Do you fancy doing some baking, sweetheart? I thought we could make cupcakes.’

She got off her bed.

‘Oh yeah, and I’ll choose the toppings.’

We went into the kitchen and I got out the twelve-hole baking tin and the flour, caster sugar, butter and eggs.

‘Can I do it all?’

‘Yes please. I’ve had one of those days.’

I sat down at the table and watched her cream the butter and sugar and beat in the eggs.

‘Vanilla extract?’ I said.

‘Just a teaspoon,’ she said.

‘Maybe put the oven on to heat up,’ I said.

She did and then started to fold in the flour. She has a graceful way of doing things and is more precise in her movements than I am. She placed twelve paper cups into the tin and spooned the mixture into them.

There was a comfortable silence between us as the kitchen filled with the sweet smell of cakes baking and Flo beat the buttercream for the topping. I can do this. I can be an effective boss at work and ruthless when I have to be and a loving, patient mum at home. Television, StoryWorld, is my career and I’m not going anywhere. But Flo comes first and I will set limits on how much of me they get.

We hope you enjoyed this book!

Jane Lythell’s next book is coming in summer 2017

For more information, click the following links

SIMPLE SOUP

Ingredients:

3 good sized onions

5–7 carrots

40 grams pearl barley

1½ tablespoons of oil (I use olive oil)

Vegetable bouillon to make the stock

1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Method:

You need a good large stockpot.

Slice the onions finely and soften them in the oil on a low heat.

Slice the carrots, but this is a soup with texture so make them big enough to have substance.

Rinse the 40 grams of pearl barley but you don’t need to pre-soak.

Make up 1½ litres of vegetable stock in a measuring jug. You need to use 4 level teaspoons of bouillon powder per litre of boiling water.

When the onions are soft and transparent, pour in the stock and bring to simmer, then add the carrots and the pearl barley.

Add the heaped teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and stir in well.

Simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally, and it’s done.

MACARONI CHEESE

Ingredients:

320 grams of rigatoni (I prefer to use this over macaroni)

220 grams mature Cheddar or Gruyère, grated

1½ tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons plain flour

500 millilitres full-fat milk

50 grams of grated Parmesan for the topping

8 black olives halved

Salt and white pepper

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Method:

Put on oven to heat to 200°C or 180°C fan.

Bring salted water to boil in a large pan and add the rigatoni.

Simmer for 10–13 minutes until it’s as soft as you like it, but better to keep it a bit al dente.

To make the cheese sauce melt the butter in a good-sized pan – you will be adding the rigatoni in later.

Stir in the flour gradually using a wooden spoon until the flour and butter have made a paste.

Keeping the flame low, gradually add the milk and simmer for at least 5–7 minutes, adding a pinch of salt and white pepper and the nutmeg as it thickens to a smooth, lump-free sauce. Keep stirring throughout.

Take off the heat and add the grated cheese.

Once the cheese has melted add the rigatoni and make sure it is well coated in the cheese sauce.

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish – this is when I add the black olives.

Top with grated Parmesan and pop the dish into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the Parmesan crust is golden brown.

FLAPJACKS

Ingredients:

400 grams porridge oats

200 grams butter

200 grams runny honey (two tablespoons)

100 grams brown sugar

One level teaspoon of cinnamon

Method:

Put on oven to heat to 180°C or 160°C fan.

Grease a baking tin. I use a tin 13x9x2 inches.

Melt the butter, honey and sugar in a large pan and add a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Turn off the flame and add in the oats, stirring well.

Transfer the mixture to the greased baking tin and flatten with a wooden spoon.

Bake in oven for 20–25 minutes until the oats are a nice golden brown.

These are very difficult to resist when warm, but it is best to let the bake cool before cutting. Turn it out and cut into squares. This usually makes 18–20 flapjacks.

Laura Palmer is an inspired editor and I love working with her. Her suggestions are so perceptive and invariably help me make the book better. Thank you.

Huge thanks to my agent Gaia Banks, the best champion anyone could ask for.

Thanks also to the wonderful team at Head of Zeus, in particular Suzanne Sangster, Kaz Harrison, Nia Beynon, Madeleine O’Shea, Daniel Groenewald, Victoria Reed and Blake Brooks.

I worked in television for fifteen years as a producer and later as a commissioning editor. It had been a while, though, so I had to do a lot of fact-checking while writing
Woman of the Hour
.

My warm thanks to Simon Frost who answered many questions on current TV practices and for setting up a great evening showing me around BBC TV Centre. Sim Harris is an expert on outside broadcasts and I benefited from his expertise.

My thanks to Helen Foster for advice on personnel and legal issues, Lynne Thomson for checking medical details, Amelia Trevette for the fashion aspects in the novel, Caroline Hilborne-Clarke for her character insights, Rebecca Mascull for our discussion on Hitchcock’s
Marnie
and to Becs Notman-Watt. Peter Lythell offered me much encouragement while I was writing. Thank you all for your time and your generosity.