Martha Fletcher has only ever had one job- Executive Assistant to Sam Courtenay.
She'll schedule his diary, pick up his dry cleaning, usher girls out of his apartment first thing in the morning... nothing was out of bounds until one night, that blur...
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When I hired Inell Whitlock, I wasn't sure how long she'd last at Courtenay Galleries. After sacking our last curator, Ros, for the way she treated Martha, I did my due diligence in finding a replacement and I must say, I picked one of the best out there. Ok, I lie, it was really Martha who scouted every single gallery and museum in London and in Europe, hoping to find the best of the best, but I'm the one who hired her and I would take all the credit for bringing Inell on board.
"I received an email from your sister-in-law yesterday," Inell carefully says just as I bring our weekly meeting to a close. Patting down the front of her pink dress, she closes the cover of her iPad and looks up at me from under her eyelashes. I sigh heavily and nod at her to tell me what it is Sophie's emailing Inell about. "She wants me to curate a collection for some annual even you hold every November. Does that ring a bell with you?"
I nod. "Unfortunately, yes, that does ring a bell," I confirm. Adjusting my tie ever so slightly so that it loosens at my neck, I lean back in my chair and look up at the ceiling. "It's the Courtenay Foundation Ball. Sophie and a few others host a fundraiser every year by showing off clothes at the Victoria and Albert. Why does she want you to curate a collection? We have paintings, not fancy dresses."
"Apparently, the theme is-" Inell open her iPad once again and scans the email in front of her. "Schiaparelli and Her Artists. According to Sophie, she worked with quite a few artists, including Dali, Picasso, and Man Ray. Those are just the painters. There are photographers and-"
Holding up my hand, I motion for Inell to stop talking. "Yes, I'm starting to get the picture. Before I agree with you helping Sophie, I think you should have a chat with Martha so that you have a real understanding of what working with my sister-in-law entails. I adore her but she is demanding, pigheaded, and will probably push you to the brink of insanity. By all means, carry on but not before you have all the facts."
Inell laughs at my warning, gets up and leaves my office, walking directly into Martha's room opposite mine. I watch as both women chat, Martha's face contorted in pain for the longest time. Suddenly, she laughed and nodded along, her hands gesticulating wildly as if sharing a story with Inell.
Shaking my head at the way they interacted, I go back to my own work, looking over the plans for the expansion of the gallery. Last week, Evelyn was approached by the owners of the building adjacent to ours and informed that they were selling the premises, currently used as a clothing shop, giving us first refusal. Evie was all for purchasing the building whereas I was cautious in expanding so soon after we took over. Our father passed away barely three years ago and since then, Evie and I have been finding our feet running the business he loved more than he loved any of us. It was hard at times and I relied heavily on Inell and Martha to keep me afloat; with Evie being part time here at the gallery- the other part of her week being a PA to our brother, Daniel- I was burdened with all the day to day headaches. Did I really want to take on another project so soon?
