What became of us

whacking great commission for a novel, haven’t they?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘They asked me if I wanted to be commissioned. I said no. I didn’t really know what they meant. They said to let them know if anyone else made me an offer.’
    ‘You don’t understand the word commission? What kind of useless agent have you got?’
    ‘I haven’t got an agent,’ Manon said.
    ‘Oh, for God’s sake, hello, is there anyone in there?’ Annie pointed at Manon’s head. The car swerved alarmingly. She put both hands back on the steering wheel.
    ‘You’ve had the sort of reviews normally only accorded to books that have already been bestsellers in the States. And you’re beautiful. Every publisher in London would kill to get a novel from you. For God’s sake!’ she practically screamed.
    ‘Do you know any agents?’ Manon asked.
    ‘You must know agents. The Compton Club is oozing with them.’
    ‘I’m the hat check girl.’
    ‘You’re a bloody moron,’ said Annie. ‘Tell you what, I’ll ask Holly.’
    ‘Holly?’
    ‘My new best friend. Very tall, red hair. She’s always in the club. Used to be an agent, but then she became a film producer. You know the movie Jane and Mabel?’
    ‘I didn’t see it, but obviously, I’ve heard about it.’
    ‘She’s the producer. She’s hot and she knows everyone here and in LA. She used to work at Louis Gold. I’ll ask her who you should get.’
    ‘Would you?’ Manon sounded ridiculously grateful.
    ‘Get a grip,’ said Annie, a little embarrassed. ‘It does my image no end of good to be known as a friend of yours.’
    ‘Why?’ Manon asked, bewildered.
    ‘Because you’re class. You’ve got lit. cred.,’ she said, pleased with the term. ‘You have to be careful how you say that,’ she added, ‘and everyone wants to get into your knickers. Which reminds me,’ Annie continued, ‘what happened last night to make you miss the last bus?’
    ‘They run all night.’
    ‘So?’
    The pause was so long that if Annie hadn’t been concerned with turning right at the T junction onto the main road she would not have succeeded in remaining quiet. Annie could not stand silence.
    ‘Roy and I went to Joshua Street,’ Manon said eventually.
    ‘A walk down Memory Lane?’
    ‘Sort of.’
    ‘And then?’
    ‘And then we came back to Geraldine and Trevor’s.’
    Annie waited, then realized that was all Manon was intending to say. She wasn’t going to get away with that. Not with ten miles still to go.
    ‘Hang on, what happened in between walking down Joshua Street and seeing me on my bike in the early morning?’
    ‘We went into Joshua Street,’ Manon admitted.
    ‘You broke in?’ Annie asked, shocked.
    ‘No. Roy still had the keys.’
    ‘You slept there?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Together?’
    Manon turned and looked at her.
    ‘Yes,’ she said simply, suddenly unable to see the point of pretending otherwise. They were all grownups now. Ursula would no doubt find out, but she didn’t think that she was in much of a position to criticize.
    ‘It’s not the first time, is it?’ Annie said.
    ‘No. How did you know?’
    Annie was about to tell her about seeing them kiss outside the Ashmolean, but decided it would make Her look as if she had been spying on them.
    ‘I just have an intuition about these things,’ she replied, enigmatically.
    ‘You don’t mind?’ Manon asked.
    ‘Why should I mind? Oh, I was only joking about fancying Roy myself, if that’s what you mean.’
    ‘I thought so,’ Manon said.
    Then Annie fell quiet and it was so strange to be with her and not to hear the sound of her voice that Manon began to feel uncomfortable.
    ‘You didn’t while Penny was alive?’ Annie finally asked.
    ‘No. Well, technically yes, on the last day of finals.’
    ‘Jesus H. Christ!’ said Annie. ‘What does the H. stand for, by the way? I’ve never known...’
    ‘When you were all out,’ Manon said. She wondered why it was so difficult to admit to a simple act of love that had taken place so long ago.
    ‘Did Penny know?’ Annie demanded.
    ‘I never told her,’ Manon said.
    ‘And Roy didn’t tell her, did he?’
    ‘I don’t think so,’ Manon said.
    ‘He must always have been in love with you,’ Annie announced.
    She was very loud, but she was also very perceptive, Manon thought.
    ‘Poor Penny,’ Annie said.
    ‘No, he loved Penny. He was just infatuated with me,’ Manon said.
    ‘That sounds like a nice difference, but it’s still