The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella
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The Undomestic Goddess
By
Sophie Kinsella
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
The Undomestic Goddess
THE DIAL PRESS
Also by Sophie Kinsella
SHOPAHOLIC & SISTER CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
SHOPAHOLIC TIES THE KNOT SHOPAHOLIC TAKES MANHATTAN CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
To Linda Evans
THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS A Dial
Press Book /July 2005
Published by The Dial Press
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved Copyright © 2005 by Sophie Kinsella
Book design by Lynn Newmark Endpapers by Dana Leigh Blanchette
The Dial Press is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication Data is on file with the publisher.
ISBN: 0-385-33868-6
Printed in the United States of America Published simultaneously in Canada
www. dialpress .com
10 987654321 BVG
The Undomestic Goddess
Chapter One
Would you consider yourself stressed?
No. I’m not stressed.
I’m… busy. Plenty of people are busy. I have a high-powered job, my career is important to me, and I enjoy it.
OK. So sometimes I do feel a bit tense. But I’m a lawyer in the City, for God’s sake. What do you expect?
My handwriting is pressing so hard into the page, I’ve torn the paper. Dammit. Never mind. Let’s move on to the next question.
On average, how many hours do you spend in the office every day?
14
12
8
It depends.
Do you exercise regularly?
I regularly go swimming
I occasionally go swim
I am intending to begin a regular regime of swimming. When I have time. Work’s been busy lately, it’s a blip. Do you drink 8 glasses of water a day?
Yes
Someti
No.
I put down my pen and clear my throat. Across the room, Maya looks up from
where she’s rearranging all her little pots of wax and nail varnish. Maya is my spa beauty therapist for the day and is in her forties, I’d say. Her long dark hair is in a plait with one white streak woven through it, and she has a tiny silver stud in her nose.
“Everything all right with the questionnaire?” she murmurs.
“I did mention that I’m in a bit of a hurry,” I say politely. “Are all these questions absolutely necessary?”
“At the Green Tree Center we like to have as much information as possible to assess your beauty and health needs,” she replies in soothing yet implacable tones.
I glance at my watch. Nine forty-five.