[read part One here]

*

“Hi, Melly — sorry, I’m still trying to figure out this wretched phone, it keeps going dark on me.”

“Not to worry, Lara. Thanks for calling back. I saw the photos of you at La Terrazza with Oleg Sokolovski. Lovely to see you in the news again.”

“Oh, those old snaps. It was a fun occasion, but Oleg’s not been around recently and even the builders have gone a bit quiet. Anyway, I’ve got some rather exciting news.”

A scrabbling sound ensued, followed by a muffled yap. “Quiet, Teddy! Piers my agent called. It looks like I’m being considered for another telly thing. He said it would be a fantastic opportunity for me.”

“Really? What is it?”

“It’s based somewhere in France in this old chateau. Another of those endurance type shows but not as tedious as ‘Big Brother.’ It’s called ‘Oubliette’. Piers said it would be a breeze and the chateau is lovely, it has a wine cellar and there are stables where I can go riding.”

“It does sound intriguing, but do you really need this sort of exposure, I mean, after the last time — ”

“I desperately need the money. I can’t really go on like this. It’s big loot and a totally new format with mystery guests. The rights are being sold for the US version as we speak.”