Aysgarth Falls she had heard of but had never been to. It was a set of waterfalls not that far away. And Saturday? Well, what would she be doing but revising? She could probably give herself a day off and it would be great to go and watch how a fashion shoot worked.
She typed a reply. Would love to. Thanks. R x
What did one wear to a fashion shoot? Romany and Laura agonised over it via FaceTime, Laura making suggestions from Romany’s meagre wardrobe and Romany rejecting them as too boring, too out there, too try-hard, too safe and eventually just plain ‘too’。
‘Come on, Romes,’ cajoled Laura. ‘You have to wear something. And honestly? I doubt anyone will even notice. They’ll be busy being shot, or whatever.’
‘It’s just that Hope’s so gorgeous,’ Romany complained. ‘It was bad enough being at the spa with her.’
Laura rolled her eyes, exasperated. ‘Then don’t go,’ she said. ‘No one’s making you.’
‘No, but . . .’
‘Precisely. So just choose something!’
In the end she had gone with a black and white dress with a sweetheart neckline and a ditsy floral print, and she borrowed Tiger’s denim jacket on the absolute, solemn promise that she wouldn’t let any of the supermodels steal it. He had been entirely straight-faced as he delivered this proviso and Romany had made an equally serious promise, her hand raised Boy Scout-style.
Hope picked her up at the agreed time, which was earlier than Romany had seen for months. The back seat of the car was filled to the roof with cardboard boxes.
‘Stock,’ Hope said. ‘You can have a look through when we get there, if you like.’
Romany did like, hopeful of more freebies. She settled back into her seat, ready to enjoy herself. They set off, driving through the silent streets as the sun began to rise.
Hope peered up at the sky over the steering wheel. ‘I hope the light stays right. I haven’t got time to reshoot if we don’t get what we need today.’
‘Won’t the models be a bit cold?’ asked Romany, thinking of the last time she had dipped a toe in an English river.
‘They’re professionals,’ said Hope dismissively. ‘If they can’t hack it then they just won’t get booked next time.’
This was something that Romany had noticed before. There was a steeliness to Hope that was missing from her other guardians. She was uncompromising, focused, determined. She made Maggie look like a teddy bear. Romany liked it, though, and found it inspiring, and she tried not to be intimidated by her no-nonsense approach. Hope had told her that she’d created her business from nothing after her modelling career had slowed down, and worked hard at making it a success. Romany didn’t know whether it was doing well or not, but she guessed that it probably was.
They rarely talked about her mum. Romany didn’t mind; she wasn’t short of people to have those conversations with if she needed one. But Romany still had no idea why Hope was one of her guardians and Hope wasn’t the kind of person she felt she could ask. She was too prickly, and Romany worried that questioning her credentials might drive her away, and then she would never get to the bottom of the mystery.
They arrived at a car park that was already full of very tall women wandering about dressed in robes and those reflective crinkly blankets you saw on hospital dramas. A couple of them were already made up, striking geometrical shapes picked out on their eyes in bright metallic colours with very dark lips in unnatural blues and greys. It made them look even colder, Romany thought.
Hope shouted various questions and commands as she strode through the car park. Romany scampered after her feeling like a puppy, but happy just to be there and part of it. Who cared what her mother had in mind when Hope was as cool as this?
It wasn’t far to the river. Romany had imagined tumbling cascades of water surrounded by a leafy glade, like something out of a shampoo commercial, but actually Aysgarth Falls appeared to be far more sedate. The water fell no more than a couple of feet, but it did fall three times in quick succession and the river was very wide and majestic. Romany, whilst initially disappointed, could see that the spot was dramatic in its own understated way.
The photographer was already in the water in a pair of waders and a heavy padded jacket. By contrast, the poor models were standing barefoot in the icy water, wearing only bikinis and striking their poses as directed. Not one of them seemed to be complaining, but just looking at them made Romany shiver.
Hope was busy and everyone else seemed to be very clear what their roles were, so Romany watched from the sidelines as shot after shot was set up and then captured. So much effort went into each image, and Romany thought she would never again be able to idly flick through a magazine without thinking about today.