â a latte, which was Ellieâs.
As soon as Piano went back to her desk and started to work, Ellie seized her chance. Making sure her back was to Piano, so that hopefully she wouldnât be able to overhear, Ellie went to Francesca, who was taking a few seconds to enjoy her drink.
Quickly, Ellie outlined her idea to the Deputy Editor. âSo, you see it would be perfect!â she said, letting her enthusiasm show. âThere may well be all sorts of inside stuff that our readers would love to know!â
Francesca sipped her coffee and then set the paper cup down. âI agree that it would be a great story,â she said. âBut I think the chances of it working are very slim. Most celebrities are zealous about keeping their childrenâs lives private. You probably wonât get past the agent, because theyâll have instructions to refuse any approach to children.â
âBut this girl isnât a young child, â said Ellie. âSheâs practically grown upâ¦like me.â
Francesca smiled. âSo she is, but all the same, sheâs still going to be under eighteen, so the chances are itâll be a blind alley for you.â She looked at Ellieâs crestfallen expression. âHow are you doing with the quiz?â
âUmâ¦Iâm pretty well halfway through.â
âOkay, well that must be finished first, but afterwards, if you like, see how far you can get with setting up an interview with this girl. If the answer is yes Iâll certainly clear it with Angel, but Iâm not going to trouble her with the idea unless it looks as if itâs going to come off. Is that fair?â
Ellieâs eyes lit up. âThatâs great, Francesca. Thanks!â
âRight then. Finish that quiz by lunchtime, and you can use the afternoon to make contact with Elizabeth Broadstairsâs daughter, whatever her name is.â
âItâs Albion,â said Ellie, quick to demonstrate that she already knew about her subject.
Francesca shook her head. âAlbion Broadstairs? Poor kid,â she muttered to herself before dismissing Ellie with a wave of her hand and getting back to work.
Ellie was thrilled. True, Francesca had thrown up a possible problem that Ellie in her haste hadnât thought of, but sheâd been given the go-ahead to try, that was the important thing. She did have to finish the quiz first though. She took a gulp of coffee and raised the lid of her laptop. Question Five , she thought to herself breezily, here I come !
Your best friend has bought a dress that looks awful on her. Do you:
A. Tell her it looks lovely.
B. Tell her itâs not the best sheâs ever bought and if she decides to return it, youâll happily go with her.
C. Tell her it looks dreadful.
That was good, but she could change dress to tunic and leggings, or maybe shorts and leggings. In Ellieâs opinion, they definitely didnât suit some people! Ellie and Hannah had always been good at helping each other with clothes, and Ellie knew that if they had been doing this quiz together they would both have answered honestly and helpfully. There was no point in saying something looked cool, if it didnât. As the clothes looked totally awful, the right answer had to be B. A true friend would never be untruthful about that sort of thing. It would be far better to get her money back and spend it on something that did suit her. And it usually helped to have a friend to give an opinion when buying clothes.
Ellie took another gulp of coffee. Honesty was important as well as loyalty. Hannah had to understand how much this job meant to her. Surely she would, given time? Meanwhile, Ellie was determined to crack on and get a scoop for the magazine once sheâd finished the quiz. And when the summer was over, sheâd make it up to Hannah. She didnât know how, but sheâd find a way, somehow. For now though, she had a job to