timetobeinearnest
suggested that I send it to his agent, Elaine Greene at MCA, and gave
me an introduction. My memory is that I took the manuscript in
person.IcanrecallanimposingbuildinginPiccadilly,thelargeletters
on the brass nameplate, and meeting this dark-haired, rather intimi-
dating American woman who accepted the manuscript but was not,
asIremember,eitherparticularlyeffusiveorencouraging.
Elaine was at that time married to Hugh Carleton Greene, Director
General of the BBC, and after reading my manuscript she had gone
with him to have lunch or dinner – I forget which – at All Souls
College, Oxford. There she had sat next to Charles Monteith, a
DirectorofFaberandFaber.Elaine,anenthusiastfordetectivefiction,
had saidhowsad she was at the deathof thecrime writer CyrilHare,
whose novels, mostly set in the world of law, are some of the most
elegantly written in the genre. One, Tragedy At Law, is in my view
among the most enjoyable classical detective stories. Charles
Monteith said that Faber would now start looking for a replacement
for Cyril Hare, and Elaine told him that she thought she had found
one. She sentthemanuscripttohim nextdayandCharlesacceptedit.
Ithinkthissuccessproducedsomeuneaseamongmydaughters,who
had read that any writer of real talent could paper his or her walls
withrejectionslips.Theytactfullypointedthisout,anxioustoarmme
against future disappointment. I retorted with some tartness that
children with no faith in Mummy’s talent would not get new bicycles
out of the proceeds. A couple of extremely good bicycles as well as
othersmalltreatsconstitutedformefinancialsuccess.
I have remained with Faber and Faber ever since, and remained
alsowithElaineuntilherdeath.Afterthatheryoungerpartner,Carol
Heaton,tookoverandIammorethanhappytobeinherhands.
Icanrememberthemomentofthattelephonecallwithgreatclarity.
I was late home from work and returned as usual to an empty house.
My husband was in Goodmayes Hospital, the children both away
and my parents-in-law had retired to Suffolk. The telephone rang
almost as soon as I unlocked the door. Elaine had been trying to get
me earlier and had made one last attempt. Receiving the news that I
was at last to be a published author was one of the most exciting
momentsofmylife,farmoreexciting,inretrospect,thanreceivingthe
first six free copies of the novel. It would have been good to have
someone with whom to share the news, but I don’t recall that this
matteredatthetime.ItwassufficienttoknowthatIwasgoingtobea
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