The Charleston. Georgia Hill. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Georgia Hill
Издательство: HarperCollins
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Жанр произведения: Зарубежный юмор
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9780007562190
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      Say it with Sequins

      The Charleston

      GEORGIA HILL

      A division of HarperCollinsPublishers

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      HarperImpulse an imprint of

      HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2014

      Copyright © Georgia Hill 2014

      Cover images © Shutterstock.com

      Georgia Hill asserts the moral right

      to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue record for this book is

      available from the British Library

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

      The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are

      the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to

      actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is

      entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International

      and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

      By payment of the required fees, you have been granted

      the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access

      and read the text of this e-book on screen.

      No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted,

      downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or

      stored in or introduced into any information storage and

      retrieval system, in any form or by any means,

      whether electronic or mechanical, now known or

      hereinafter invented, without the express

      written permission of HarperCollins.

      Ebook Edition © September 2014

      ISBN: 9780007562190

      Version 2018-05-03

      Digital eFirst: Automatically produced by Atomik ePublisher from Easypress.

      For Geoff because he keeps my heart dancing.

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

       Copyright

       Dedication

       Say It With Sequins.The Charleston: A Dance Full of Laughter.

       Also by Georgia Hill…

       Coming Soon From Georgia Hill…

      

       Georgia Hill

      

       About HarperImpulse

       About the Publisher

       Say it with Sequins.

       The Charleston: a dance full of laughter.

       “I’ve danced the Charleston at many a party, although I hasten to add I’m far too young to remember the dance in its heyday. One can dance it on one’s own – but it’s far more fun with a partner. As are most things!” Dame Venetia Denning, actor.

      Step One.

      Meredith left the stage in a kind of quiet despair. There must be more to life than this, she thought, towelling the perspiration off her brow. Once again, she’d died. Once again, the jokes she’d thought so funny when hunched over the laptop had raised hardly a giggle from a live audience.

      “Not so good tonight then, Merry?” Del, the owner of The Last Laugh Comedy Club, caught up with her in the grubby excuse for a dressing room. He gave her a sympathetic smile.

      “I’m really sorry, Del. I thought the stuff about being a ginger would go down a storm with them.”

      Del laughed. “You’re so not ginger. Post-Christmas it’s always a bit flat,” he offered as explanation. “People are partied out. And there aren’t enough students, and not enough booze in the ones who are here. This lot just want cheap mother-in-law gags.”

      They stopped and listened as the crowd rallied out of its stupor to greet Fred Loss, their favourite and a stalwart of the club.

      “At least he’ll get a laugh,” Meredith bit out.

      “I don’t know what it is, Merry. I think you’re really funny, always have.” Del looked her up and down and raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps it’s your obvious assets.”

      Merry put her hands over her not inconsiderable bosom. “What, flatten myself down?” She tugged at a lock of auburn hair despondently. “Shave my head? And I’ve tried every diet known to man – and woman.” She looked down at herself. “I’m just built to be curvy.”

      Del blew out a breath. “It’s always tough on women in this business and even harder if you’re an attractive one. People say they don’t find beautiful women funny.” He shrugged apologetically. “As I said, I find you hilarious, but then I know you. Look Merry, I don’t know how to say this.” Del rubbed a hand over his face, embarrassed.

      Meredith put up her hands in surrender. “Don’t worry Del, I’ll spare you the speech. I quit.”

      “Well, it’s that…” Del began.

      “I know. I know. If the comic isn’t funny, the audience goes home.”

      “And stays home.” Del finished miserably.

      “You’ve given me a chance in a lifetime. More than a chance. I can’t thank you enough.” Merry gave a tight smile.

      The club owner grinned sheepishly. “Give my love to your aunt won’t you? Fancy a drink later?”

      Merry shook her head. “No, I’m shattered. Going home. I’ll make sure I give your regards to Venetia.”

      Merry watched as Del hurried out of the door of the tiny room, towards the bar, clearly relieved he hadn’t had to actually sack her. It had been his relationship with her aunt Venetia that had got her the