Daniel and Daughter

'Phoebe Raife. Everyone's talking about her. Mind you, Brenda's playing it cool. She's turned down a couple of jobs already because they "weren't quite right for Phoebe". So now the pack's out in force to see if the reality lives up to the expectation.'

The show began. As soon as Phoebe appeared Lee knew that she'd made good use of the course. This was a subtly different creature from the eager girl she'd photographed only a couple of months ago. She was still young and fresh, but she'd acquired poise. Lee could hear again the clear, arrogant young voice saying 'I'm going to the top' and she wondered how they'd ever imagined that this young woman could be told what to do.

Perhaps Daniel thought the same, for his eyes were fixed on his daughter with a kind of awe mixed with sadness.

Sonya was simply thrilled.

'Wasn't she wonderful?' she demanded afterwards. 'Like Phoebe and yet-not like Phoebe at all.'

'No,' Daniel said with a sigh. 'Not like Phoebe at all.'

Sonya looked at him with sympathy and slipped a comforting hand into his. Recently it had become common for her and Lee to dine with him, and for Sonya to retire to his study afterwards to do her homework. One evening Daniel took her in a cup of tea and remained away for nearly half an hour. Going to find him, Lee had discovered them earnestly discussing her history essay. Sonya's eyes had been bright with interest, and Daniel had seemed equally absorbed. After that they became firm friends, and she called him Daniel.

When the fashion show was over they drank champagne and waited for the models to reappear. Phoebe bounded over, an eager youngster again, and Daniel fixed an enthusiastic smile on his face by sheer effort of will.

'You were wonderful, darling,' he said.

'Did you really think so? You're not just-?'

'Wonderful,' he repeated firmly, determined to do the thing properly.

'Lee?' Phoebe turned to her in appeal.

'You made a sensation,' Lee told her truthfully. 'There's already a lot of interest in you.'

Phoebe gave a little delighted scream, then looked around the crowded room. 'Where's Mark?'

'He really wanted to come,' Lee said awkwardly. 'But now that term has started again… He's working on an essay that has to be in on Monday. He sent you his best wishes.'

Phoebe's face fell. 'Yes, of course,' she said bravely.

In fact Mark had sulkily refused to attend. He'd pleaded pressure of work, but he'd always been able to get out of that before when he wanted to, and of course Phoebe knew this. Mark was jealous, and it made him unkind.

There were a dozen people eager to claim Phoebe's attention. Sonya slipped away into a corner where she could take a sip of champagne in defiance of her mother's prohibition. Lee was left alone with Daniel, who was scowling.

'How dare he snub my daughter?' he said angrily.

'You should be glad. Phoebe can see for herself that he's being very immature, which is surely what you want.'

'Of course it's what I want. The sooner she gets over her infatuation with that high-handed young puppy the better.'

'Well, then-'

'But he's still got no right to snub my daughter and make her unhappy,' Daniel said stubbornly.

The following day Brenda accepted an assignment for Phoebe, and after that she was seldom out of work.

'It's almost laughable,' Lee complained to Gillian eventually. 'Daniel assumed I'd be keeping Phoebe in work, but I can hardly get her. I want her for that jeans ad. It's going to be a huge spread, and three days' work for the models, but Brenda ummed and ahhed for ages before letting me have one day as a special favour.'

A week later she encountered a situation that exasperated her even more.

'I can't believe it,' she fumed to Daniel. 'I just cannot…' Words failed her.

'Have a sherry,' he said soothingly, pressing her back into the leather cushions of his sofa. 'Calm down. Then tell me all about it.'

'I get a call from Lindsay Elwes, the fashion editor of Woman Of The World, which is a magazine I've always wanted to work for. It's not Vogue or Tatler, but it's coming up very fast. Lindsay wants me to take the pictures for a big wedding spread. Then we come to the crunch line. She desperately wants Phoebe to be one of the models but Brenda's not keen, because Phoebe's schedule is so tight. But I'm supposed to be able to get her because of my "personal connections". No Phoebe, no assignment.'

'It must be maddening for you, darling,' Daniel said, preserving a straight face.

'If you dare to laugh-'

'I'm not, I swear it,' he said in a shaking voice.

'It's not the only time-I mean, there have been hints before-but this is the first time an editor I really mind about has said it openly. After all the years I've been in this business, building up my credit, suddenly I'm just the door to Phoebe-a girl I started off. Did you say something?' she demanded ominously.

'I wouldn't dare. After all, what can I say except that if anyone has been hoist with her own petard- But I'm not saying that,' he added hastily, reading retribution in her eyes.

'Well, it's not fair,' she said crossly. 'I've really dreamed about that last step up. I want to be in demand in my own right, not…' She sighed.

'I guess it's not enough to take terrific pictures of fashionable people,' Daniel observed. 'You need to be fashionable yourself.'

'Oh, I'm fashionable all right,' Lee said crossly. 'As Phoebe Raife's friend.'

'She's doing well, isn't she?'

'She's a real success, and she's loving every minute of it. She was modelling jeans for me today. In fact, we had a bit of a chat.' She eyed him.

'Ah!' Daniel said uneasily.

'You're not really keeping all those promises you made her, are you?'

'I'm trying, Lee, I really am. But it's hard when I see her doing silly things. Take the food she eats-or doesn't eat. She's starving herself. Her figure's perfect, but because of this modelling nonsense she's obsessed with the fear of being fat.'

'She's not obsessed and she's not starving,' Lee explained patiently. 'She's trimmed off exactly five pounds, because the camera makes people look a little fatter. Now she's eating sensibly to maintain her new weight. She showed me her diet sheet and it's excel-lent-lots of low-fat, high-nourishment foods. She's full of energy.'

'So what would have been wrong with one little steak?'

'It was a big steak,' said Lee, who'd heard this story from Phoebe. 'And you fried it in butter and tried to make her eat it with chips. If you'd grilled it and cut out the chips she'd have eaten it.'

'She's always loved steak and chips. She used to say that no one cooked them like I did. But that seems a long time ago.'

The chasm yawned between them again. Looking across it, Lee saw blame in his eyes. 'She still loves steak and chips,' she said. 'That's why she refused them so vehemently. She was afraid she'd be tempted. It's not easy to turn down something you desperately want to eat. You should admire her strength of character.'

'Even when she's strong against me, you mean, don't you?'

'Well-'

'All right,' he broke in hastily, for he too had seen the danger. 'Let's drop it.'

'Not until I've given you your present,' Lee said, getting up.

'What present? It's not my birthday.'

She reached into the depths of her bag and pulled out a parcel. 'Open it,' she said.

Puzzled, he did so, and found himself looking at a book. 'The Low Fat Cookbook,' he said, and a grin spread over his face. 'Clever. Very clever.'

'I bought that for you this afternoon when I left work. It's just what you need to get back into

Phoebe's good books. Ask her to give you a copy of her diet sheet. It'll tell you what she needs to eat and in what amounts. Then find the recipes that fit.

'And another thing. Presentation is important. You'll need to do a lot of checking to get the amounts right, so let her see you weighing food very precisely. And don't tell her this was my idea. You thought of it and scoured the shops until you found this book.'

'Did I?' He looked startled.