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“Well, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the movie. The cinematography was spectacular, especially this one rather curious scene where the two main characters—a half-Indian girl and an Indian prince—make love in a castle tower in Italy while a sinister drone hovers above them and captures every moment of their lovemaking,” Lucie said as she glared into Charlotte’s eyes.
“A drone? Like the ones that were all over Issie’s wedding? He he he…how fun!” Rosemary laughed.
Charlotte’s jaw dropped and the snail slime began to crack around her mouth.
“Well, I think I’m going to have me some of that treacherously spicy kimchi,” Lucie said archly as she stormed out of the room, knowing Charlotte was bound to follow.
Sure enough, Charlotte, her face freshly washed, came into the kitchen a few minutes later and nonchalantly sidled up to the wooden counter where Freddie sat with Marian and Lucie, gobbling down his beef galbi as he recounted the movie to his mother.
“And then these Italian dudes are trying to blackmail the young maharajah with the drone footage! Meanwhile, there’s a dance sequence on the rooftop of a villa, where these pretty girls start twirling and whipping the shirtless buff Italian dudes with their long saris.”
Marian slapped her knee, howling with laughter.
“Lucie, if you aren’t going to eat, you should come with me. You’ve got to try this foot-soaking tub. It’s so relaxing,” Charlotte said gingerly.
Lucie got up from her barstool and marched Charlotte into the library, closing the door behind them tightly. “So thoughtful of you to suggest a relaxing soak, Charlotte. After all, I don’t think I’ll ever get to relax again once this film premieres next month at the Toronto International Film Festival.”
Charlotte sank down on the buttoned leather sofa. “I can’t believe it! I just can’t believe it!”
“Believe it. It’s all there in high definition!” Lucie seethed, as she sat in the club chair directly across from Charlotte, as though she were sta
ging an interrogation. “How could you, Charlotte? How could you tell Olivia everything, after you made me swear never to breathe a word to anyone?”
“But I didn’t tell her!”
“What then, Olivia Lavistock is psychic?”
“I mean, I only told Olivia about the drone thing right after I’d discovered you and George at the villa. After you had both run off into the woods, I went back to the party in utter panic! I didn’t know what to do, I needed her help,” Charlotte sputtered.
“You told me you had told no one!”
“I haven’t told a soul since that night, I swear. The only person I confided in was Olivia, who I thought was my friend. How in the world was I supposed to know she would use it in her goddamn movie!”
“Well, clearly Olivia doesn’t have an ounce of imagination. She stole every bit of our story and put it in her film.”
“Oh my poor girl, I’m so sorry!”
Lucie snorted. “You always say that, but are you ever really sorry?”
Charlotte began to tear up. “I truly am! I’ll never speak to Olivia again!”
“Well, you shouldn’t have spoken to her in the first place.”
“What was she thinking?!” Charlotte moaned, shaking her head. “At least she made her characters Indian.”
Lucie rolled her eyes. “Yes, it’s a fine example of cultural appropriation.”
“What I mean is, I don’t think anyone would ever link you and George to this film.”
“Anyone except the four hundred people who attended Issie’s wedding. Just think what Mordecai von Ephrussí’s going to say when he sees the film! You know he’ll see it!”
“Ugh, that insufferable toady!”
“And that’s not the worst of it, Charlotte! George was right there!”
“Christ Almighty, I forgot he was at the screening!”
“I had to sit through that god-awful movie with George on one side of me and Cecil on the other!”
