Peggy had procured almost half of the restaurant at the Four Seasons for this event and it appeared every waiter who was employed there even though there were only 14 guests, including Bette and herself. Bette was seated at the opposite end of the table to Peggy, who was sat at its head. As well as Franklin there she was surrounded by various people, some of whom she recognised from the Provocations opening in New York.

All of them had been eager to congratulate her on not only stealing the show away from MOCA but meeting the protests and objections she had, least of all from Faye Buckley. It seemed that even in New York they had seen or had heard about their televised confrontation. Bette met all questions with a smile and the politic she had displayed over the last few weeks was once again faultless.

She had thought it would be easy to lie to these people, none of them knew her, only her reputation. Peggy had not been sparing in her praise of Bette, and many had come there tonight just to meet the person who had garnered such lavish attention. Bette acted accordingly, humble enough to endear herself to the admirers she had already won and astute enough to show that those who were still unsure that she did actually deserve all the accolades Peggy was bestowing upon her.

Bette’s mind was on automatic pilot. She was thankful that Peggy was sat on the opposite end of the table or else she might actually have to engage herself in the topics being discussed. For all the acclaim she was receiving Bette was relieved that those surrounding her appeared to be more eager to talk about themselves and their own art collections more than anything else.

Only once was Bette’s attention brought back to the table when she had felt her eyes wonder around the room as a conversation was conducted across her. She glanced across the table and found Peggy in a similar situation, and when their eyes met Bette smiled sheepishly as though she was a schoolgirl caught in a daydream when she should have been paying attention to the board in front of her. Peggy smiled back widely as though she understood that even applause as deserved as this sometimes it was all too much.