by Lynn Watson
She turned to the bay window and watched as the sweep strode into the middle of the road and, with a melodramatic flourish, brought his hands down to his knees three times and then released his captive to gain its balance and soar into the sky, leaving a stream of soot and feathers in its wake. When she moved nearer the window to get a better angle, she saw Lily sitting on the opposite kerb, knees together, scooter up against the wall and hands shielding her eyes from the sun as she twisted round to follow the flight until the bird wheeled over the roofs behind her and disappeared from view.
Chapter 3
It was a warm, sunny day and the ducks were in a playful mood, swooshing down and doing underwater headstands as Fran walked past the pond to the shop. She was settling into the job as smoothly as she had predicted and now, a month in, she was getting ideas about how the frocks side of the business could be developed. If she could attract Daniela’s attention today, she would suggest a few possibilities, just to sow the seeds.
The customers were more varied than she had expected. She had imagined most would be women over forty-five, but there were plenty of twenty-and thirty-somethings, even some teenagers coming in to browse or buy individual items. This reflected the demographics of inner London, of course; the streets, parks, cafés, shops, pubs, cinemas and restaurants, all were thronging with young people of every nationality. Chaddy, who had helped her move and stayed on for a few days before leaving for Hong Kong, had commented on it when they explored the neighbourhood.
‘Look, Mum, there’s an old person over there, two of them even. They must be lost!’
As she passed the café and came to the shop window, she paused to check the display that she and Daniela had created the day before. The mannequins were now in green and silver dresses and Fran had chosen the scarves and lingerie items to drape across the furniture. Daniela liked her idea of having matching ribbons on the chocolate boxes, so these were now light green and silver. The effect was pretty satisfying, for a first attempt.
Inside the boutique, elegant evening gowns hung alongside flamboyant frocks, practical daywear and mildly offbeat outfits for the office, lunch date or festival picnic. It was a clever blend of contemporary and vintage, although there were gaps in the accessories, an unmet demand for items that people could buy along with their main purchase – belts, for instance, and small evening bags.
The chocolates, which Fran had first assumed to be part of the display, actually sold well and were priced on a sliding scale, so the more a customer splashed out on clothes, the higher the discount on a box of truffles. They had an established reputation too, with people saying they had been recommended by a friend, or that their last box had been devoured in no time. Fran initially found it counter-intuitive to link chocolates with shopping for clothes, but she could now see that in this context, with a luxury tag and a slightly bohemian feel, it was positively good for business.
There were the awkward individuals, of course; the ones who were stressed out because they had left it late to get a wedding gift, or who returned their purchases with a bad grace and no receipt. Daniela had warned her about two or three particularly grumpy regulars and reminded her to stay polite and not take it personally. Although she had much more limited retail experience than she had implied at the interview, she didn’t find any of this tricky and felt she had negotiated far more difficult situations with unreasonable office colleagues.
As for unwanted purchases, an ex-lover had once asked her to return an unsuitable shower curtain. He sought the favour because she was ‘the kind of person who can take things back’, while he would likely be arrested or escorted off the premises. The idea of being someone who could take things back had become a standing joke between her and Judi, who was one of the very few people who knew about her kleptomaniac streak. The story also had a serious point in reminding her, as part of her resolve to get on in London, that she should continually check her preconceptions.
There were plenty of characters passing by and a few who stopped to gaze at the display or wandered in to look around. They included an extremely old woman, one of the vanishing few of the older-old generation who were still living locally. She was tiny and stooped, wearing a wide straw hat and pushing a wheelbarrow full of bulging plastic bags, which she parked in front of the kerbside bike rack. She would pull out a dress and hang it across the rail so she could inspect it in detail from every low angle, then replace it neatly and move on down the rail to select another. She was especially fond of velvet and silk, although she rarely touched the material.
Then there was a cross-dressing customer, a man called Alex who was always on the lookout for an evening frock or day dress to fit his angular frame. He would sometimes come in as a woman, also called Alex, and he’d been careful to tell Fran early on that this would happen from time to time. Like many other customers, he seemed to value her opinion and she always tried to be honest, while having a keen eye to making a sale. After putting a foot wrong once or twice by suggesting an alternative option when what the customer wanted was confirmation of their initial selection, she realised it was a delicate art and she needed more practice to perfect it.
On this particular morning when she was hoping to get Daniela’s attention, her opportunity came when Daniela returned from the café with coffee and a vanilla pastry for them both and asked how things were going, any sales?
‘One so far; a white scarf. Something I wanted to say, Daniela, is that customers are enquiring about belts and evening bags, which they’re looking to match with their new dress. I was thinking, maybe we should consider extending the range to include some of these. There’s a man on the leather market making gorgeous belts and leather bags, and someone else there appears to be doing a good trade in embroidered silk bags, but the leather market is miles away and I haven’t seen anyone selling quality pieces like that in this area. I know you take things from local craftspeople, jewellery for example, so we could see if they want to bring in samples.’ She paused. ‘Sorry, it turned into a bit of a long speech.’
Daniela looked thoughtful. ‘No, you’re right that the customer doesn’t always like the belt that comes with the frock, or they want a belt when there isn’t one. It’s an excellent idea, well done. Are you happy to ask them?’
A few days later, before Daniela had a chance to view the belts and bags, she invited Fran to have dinner with her and Vicky at a local restaurant. Fran accepted straight away and took advantage of a quiet period in the shop to try on dresses, finally choosing a royal blue one that she felt would suit the occasion, without quite knowing what the occasion was. Daniela had said they would be ‘going over a few things and getting to know each other better’ and, as a humble sales assistant, Fran felt pleased and flattered. She was also mindful of the new online venture that Daniela had only elaborated on by saying it involved a special brand of chocolates that would be marketed separately. Maybe they would reveal more after a glass or two of wine.
When the evening came, she was ready in good time but then took a video call from Max, who was doing a postgraduate degree in California. He had just given a presentation to his colleagues and it had gone well, so he was in an expansive mood.
‘You should come over for a visit, Mum, do the big West Coast trip and we could drive up to Yellowstone or wherever – there are loads of places I haven’t seen yet.’
‘Yes, I really want to, Max. I will sometime, but you’re there for three years and I’m settling into London and spending on things for the house, so I don’t think there’ll be a big trip yet. Miss you lots though, and Chaddy too.’
‘Yeah, cool, how’s she doing in Hong Kong? I must give her a call.’
‘She’s fine, just arrived and still finding her way around. Look, Max, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to cut short our chat because I’m invited out to dinner by my boss and mustn’t be late. Let’s talk at the weekend.’
After this delay, she changed into low-heeled shoes and walked briskly to the restaurant, which
was down a narrow alley beyond the café and the shop. Daniela and Vicky were in the bar area waiting to be shown to their table and both greeted her with a double kiss. Daniela was in a striking deep-purple frock and lilac jacket, while Vicky wore a low-cut, lacy top and a black pencil skirt. Her suede jacket was a light tan colour with a long diagonal zip and went perfectly with her brown ankle boots.
Fran took in all this detail as she followed the waitress and her two colleagues to the corner alcove. From the back, she noted again the contrast in their size and body shape, Vicky having a slim, boyish figure next to Daniela’s shapely curves. Fran was pleased she had chosen the slinky-fitting blue dress, which Daniela quickly recognised and complimented her on.
Once they were settled, Daniela said she had reserved the alcove so they could talk freely without risk of being overheard. The wine arrived and as they ordered from the extensive menu, Fran warned herself to eat and drink slowly, so she could listen properly and ask intelligent questions. The gist of it, as she had hoped from the snippets picked up so far, was that Daniela wanted her to increase her hours and lead on the promotion and marketing of the new chocolate enterprise. They were expanding the Frocks and Chocs website and the sales there were growing nicely. The new online business was highly commercially sensitive, due to what Daniela called the ‘secret ingredient’.
‘It enhances the health-boosting qualities of dark chocolate, which are being studied by scientists around the world. We have a trial website running and plan to launch the main website in the autumn. There’s been a positive response but we face fierce competition globally, so we have to be light-footed to stay ahead of the game.’
Fran’s head was buzzing with questions. ‘What does…, I mean, where do they come from, the chocolates? Are they made in the UK?’
‘No, but that may change. I’ll give you a little more information now, so you can make a decision. If you want to join us, I’ll give you my “chocolate briefing” when you have signed the contract and the confidentiality agreement.’
Fran nodded, her curiosity piqued. Vicky gave her a knowing wink while Daniela continued.
‘The cocoa beans are grown in South America and the chocolate is produced there. It was my cousin Osvaldo who started it. He asked me to go into partnership with him, as I was in the chocolate business already and he wanted access to export markets in the UK and continental Europe. I go to South America regularly to see him – it is safest that way. You will probably never meet him.’
‘You mentioned a secret ingredient, Daniela…’
‘Yes, please be patient, I’m getting to that. Our cocoa beans make extremely rich chocolate. The secret element is a natural plant product found in the rainforest, which is added to the cocoa beans at an early stage in the preparation process. The effects of this mix are to heighten the imagination, set it free and harness it at the same time. It makes people more curious and inventive, so they can see things differently, discover or reawaken their talents and be inspired to pursue their passions.’
Daniela was becoming passionate herself, hands gesticulating perilously close to her wine glass and the half-full bottle of red on the table. She had a chunky gold ring on both little fingers. At this point, she stopped and looked at Vicky, inviting her to take over.
‘This is where you come in, Fran,’ said Vicky. ‘We need your skills to refine the message and hit the right note for the type of customers we aim to attract. It’s a fine line because we want to create a buzz without drawing too much attention or making the headlines. Not yet anyway; that will come later, but only when we’re ready for it. We believe you’re right for this role – your personality and your skill set, it all fits.’
So much for Neil, her bozo furniture boss, and his disparaging comments about playing too safe, always rehashing old arguments and failing to come up with any creative ideas or innovative solutions. What a complete dork. Fran wanted to whoop out loud and hug these two amazing women, but instead she sat up straight, as Daniela was keeping it formal.
‘We rely on you to be totally discreet. We can expect that our business competitors will try to get hold of the formula and make a profit at our expense.’
Fran looked from one to the other, astonished at their decision to place so much trust in her and revelling in a rush of excitement. She thanked them for their confidence and said she would sleep on it, but she knew she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip past. And when she woke at four in the morning and had a predictable dawn wobble, thinking how little she knew about either Daniela or Vicky, she pushed the anxiety away and drifted back to sleep.
***
The chocolate briefing took place the next day in the office above the shop. Daniela strode back and forth in front of her large office desk, bringing her hands together and then opening her arms in a swaying, rhythmic motion as she moved. A woman on a mission, Fran thought when she signed the confidentiality agreement, someone who truly believes in what she is doing.
The secret ingredient was the seed of a blueberry-like fruit growing in a remote area of the rainforest. The seeds had been discovered by a team of university ornithologists studying the adaptive behaviour of birds. They had observed that bird species living near the fruit bushes had introduced an unusual variety to their nesting materials and the shape of their nests. These birds continued to make adaptations, while birds of the same or very similar types in otherwise similar localities followed their established nesting habits. There were also emerging signs of changes in feeding and mating behaviour among the ‘berry birds’, although those effects were less clear at this point.
The discovery had not been reported in the news media or published in a scientific journal, as the academics wanted to gather more evidence and rule out other possible causes. They were also considering whether the berry seeds might have an effect on human behaviour. They didn’t want to win round one with birds, only to hand the ultimate prize, finding out and proving the effects on human ingenuity, to their better-funded international competitors.
‘It’s important to understand that research like this involves all kinds of regulatory hoops, ethics committees and so on. Our scientist colleagues aim to circumvent this, in the short term, by teaming up with Osvaldo and his logging company and with us and our chocolate-loving customers.’
Fran listened while her mind conjured up a sunny glade in the South American rainforest, where a group of earnest scientists and rugged loggers sat on fallen tree trunks drinking beer and eating handfuls of berries. According to Daniela, testing it on themselves had convinced the group that the seeds did indeed have an effect on the human imagination and it wasn’t only hallucinogenic.
‘And now, finally, I can show you our fabulous chocolate.’ Daniela held up her ample arms for dramatic effect. ‘Let me introduce you to Junoco.’
She walked across the office and opened the twin doors to a tall metal filing cabinet. Rows of royal blue boxes were piled neatly to the top of every shelf. Daniela picked up one of the boxes, opened the lid and handed it to Fran. It was hexagonal in shape and inside, arranged in a circle, there were twelve chocolates with alternate light blue and shiny gold wrappers. Daniela watched as Fran studied the contents and then ran her fingers over the raised gold letters on the box lid: Junoco Truffles. She looked up quizzically, trying to make a connection.
‘The name Junoco – where’s it from? It sounds good, and definitely chocolatey.’
‘Yes, that’s the idea. “Junoco” rhymes with “cocoa”, but it actually comes from “Juno”. I decided to elevate the Roman goddess Juno, Queen of the Gods. Her father Saturn and her husband Jupiter were given major planets, while Juno only had a minor planet named after her and then it was later downgraded to an asteroid. So she’s with us now, with Junoco, promoting an awe-inspiring and planet-altering chocolate!
‘The truffles work in pairs, a blue and a gold one each time. For the best effect, we advise having the blue-wrapped one first and the gold one an hour later. The timing
is not critical, but they seem to be most effective taken like that. It’s what we’re recommending.’
‘How often do you take them? Does it matter?’
‘We’re not certain yet, but we’re saying maximum once a week, to be cautious. The effect can last for twenty-four hours but it varies, according to our initial reports. We are all part of the ongoing trial and we urge everyone to keep a diary.’
‘Yes, I can do that. I can’t wait to try them!’
‘Good, that’s agreed. Ideally, we recommend you involve a partner, close friend or family member, someone who’s a little adventurous and you can trust to be discreet. That way, you can talk about it while you’re experiencing the effects, observe each other and create a more in-depth record. There is only one condition – you must not pass on to your Junoco buddy any intelligence about the constituents or origin of the chocolate, apart from saying it has a secret ingredient and this is a wholly natural plant product. That gives them the same details as our customers. Do you accept the condition?’
‘Yes, of course. I’ll say exactly that: there’s a secret ingredient and it’s a wholly natural plant product.’
Fran felt uncertain whom she would ask to be her Junoco partner, but said she had a friend who was perfect for it – thinking of Judi, who was indeed perfect but was far too unwell. Daniela invited her to take two more boxes of truffles from the filing cabinet and the briefing was over. Fran had taken notes on her laptop while Daniela was talking and she now headed along the pavement to the patisserie, to reflect on what she had heard and carry out some research of her own.
