The woman with a soft Irish lilt who answered the phone told her Clive and the family were not yet back. To try at around seven.
Ellie sighed and replaced the phone. But just that short phone call had made her aware again of Clive and she tried to picture him laughing uproariously with his sons, striding over the fields but for some reason she just couldn’t get him into focus.
Yawning, she curled up on the sofa and laughed to herself. Well, of course you can’t picture him striding over the hills, there aren’t any in the centre of Dublin... and the next thing she knew was waking with a start to hear Oliver and Jill returning.
‘Not there,’ said Oliver briefly, removing his coat. ‘Some sort of house party going on, I think. Jill said she could swear the redhead who swept up after us was Debra Carlysle.’
Ellie couldn’t understand why the information did nothing for her already gloomy spirits.
‘Anyway, Jill managed to track down the housekeeper and left a message for Theo to say that we had called to say thank you and that we are very grateful to him for coming to your aid. Oh God,’ he said, looking at the clock. ‘It’s not six thirty already, is it? Must dash, my guests await me.’
Within twenty minutes, both Oliver and Jill had departed for the hotel where they were hosting a small drinks party before dining with Gregory Merton, the local MP, Joe McPhee, and the very distinguished historian that Jonquil had interviewed on PrimeMovers when Ellie had made her first appearance as a guest.
It was meant to be a social occasion, a small dinner party with their wives, but Ellie knew that Oliver and Joe were quietly whipping up influential support for their campaign and the presence of Carol Fallon confirmed it. After Ellie’s very competent handling of PrimeMovers the night before, they had all agreed that it would look like a pressure group if she was included.
She stuck her tongue out at her brother. ‘And to think I spent all day looking after your children...’
‘Is that what you call it?’ he scoffed.
‘... and all I’m getting is beans on toast on my own. Miserable lot,’ she grumbled.
After they had gone she strolled through to the kitchen to investigate the possibility of something more exotic than baked beans, and on impulse decided to try to ring Clive again in Ireland. She wanted to tell him how hard she had to tried to visualize him climbing mountains in O’Connell Street and was smiling as she asked if he was there.
‘I’m afraid not,’ said the same voice. ‘He’s out at the airport collecting Joanne.’
Ellie knew she was being unreasonable, but she stiffened.
‘Joanne?’
‘Yes. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to make it, but she rang to say she could, now isn’t that delightful?’
‘Delightful,’ agreed Ellie. ‘No, no message. I’m just a friend from London.’
Now why wasn’t she angry? Hurt? Oh, don’t be so stupid. Well, what about deceived? No, not Clive. Then what?
Why aren’t you falling about in a heap, like you were when you found out about Beth Wickham?
No idea, except I think he’s so lovely that I hope he has a smashing weekend. But deep in her heart she knew the reason she wasn’t falling about was that the unspoken words between her and Clive were all too obvious. Still, she couldn’t help feeling just a little put out and just a little bit sorry for herself. Poor Ellie, she told herself, still looking for love in all the wrong places.
When the phone rang, she half hoped it would be Clive so that she could tell him what an idiot she was being. But when Jenny put her head around the door, it wasn’t Clive on the phone, but a Mr Stirling.
‘He wanted to speak to Oliver or Jill. But I said only you were here. So he said that you would do.’
‘He said that, did he?’ snapped Ellie. Charming, she thought acidly, but nevertheless went and picked up the extension. ‘I’m sorry, my brother and sister-in-law are dining at the hotel,’ she said. ‘I know they want to thank you personally for helping me, but I gather you’ll make do with me.’
‘That of course would be an unexpected pleasure,’ he laughed. ‘Well, you sound as though you’ve recovered — so will you come and join us for dinner tonight?’
‘Us?’ said Ellie, mentally reviewing the clothes she had brought with her. It was only later that she realised her first instinct had not been to refuse.
‘Just a few house guests. Unfortunately, they all seem to be quite fond of me, which I realize can hardly recommend them to you, but I’m sure you could overlook it.’
‘I’m not prejudiced by anyone’s lack of judgement,’ she said lightly. ‘Just not sure what dining with you and your friends would achieve.’
‘It might save you the trouble of having to ring so many of them to find out what I’m like,’ came the reply.
She swallowed hard. ‘Oh, I know that already,’ she replied, trying to sound unperturbed. ‘However, my job requires that I at least try to find someone who will disagree with me.’
‘There you are then,’ Theo said, unmoved. ‘I’m providing you with plenty of raw material to work on. You can hardly refuse.’
Her mind flew to Clive with his family in Dublin. What would he say? She knew without even asking.
‘Stop looking for a purpose behind everything. Do what your spirit tells you to do.’
So what was stopping her accepting Theo’s invitation?
Her common sense told Ellie he was ruthless. Her practical nature said that she should politely refuse and replace the phone. Her head reliably told her she was being ridiculous.
‘Very well then,’ she heard herself say. ‘Why not?’
‘I’ll send my car over for you,’ he said.
‘I’ll walk,’ she said. ‘It’s a pleasant evening. It’s only fifteen minutes.’
There was a pause. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Eight o’clock?’
It wasn’t hard to understand why he had become so powerful, she thought as she ran upstairs to tell Jenny she would be going out. He simply never took no for an answer and just assumed that whatever he asked for or suggested, would get the result he wanted.
Her make-up took less than ten minutes, her hair, freshly shampooed earlier, was swept up into a loose chignon, secured by two diamante combs. Rummaging through her clothes she pulled out a black crepe camisole top, and pulled on some narrow black trousers. Appropriate but not looking as though she wanted to impress.
Grabbing the phone as she hopped around sliding her feet into a pair of patent black flat shoes, she managed to get through to Jill, who was only too grateful to be given a breather from the bumptious MP.
‘Goodness me,’ Jill giggled down the phone. ‘Dining with the enemy, eh?’
‘I just thought it might help,’ said Ellie lamely, wondering who she was fooling. ‘And I bet he’s offering more than baked beans and... well, it seemed rude to refuse, after today.’
‘I quite agree,’ said Jill. ‘Do let him know that I will take the first opportunity to thank him personally, it’s just that he’s so elusive. And Ellie...’
‘Yes?’
‘You will be careful, won’t you?’
‘You mean take a torch?’ Ellie asked.
‘That too,’ Jill said. ‘But you know what I mean.’
*
The house, unseen from the road, lay at the end of a long, curved drive, approached through trees which gave way to a vast lawn that fronted the entire length of the grey-stone house.
Unless you actually saw someone drive in from the road, almost quarter of a mile away, how would you know anyone was here? Walking these lanes, with the aid of a torch was not new to Ellie.
Once or twice when Ellie and Oliver were small, they had crept up the drive to explore, but had decided that it was too imposing and unfriendly to be of interest, preferring the more comfortable chaos of the old manor that was their home.
It was too dark for Ellie to decide whether the house still felt like that, but with lights blazing and the drive lined with cars her h
eart sank and she could remember very clearly the day she had run, heart pounding, as fast as her seven-year-old legs would carry her, down the drive, terrified that at any second a powerful voice would boom out asking her just what she thought she was doing.
The stolen milk from the doorstep had been icy cold and slippery in her hands. The manservant who had spotted them, was not fast enough.
Oliver had been running ahead, clutching another illicit bottle, twisting his head to make sure his little sister was still behind. ‘C’mon Ellie, quick, quick,’ he had urged her and he had grabbed her hand and pushed her into the bushes only seconds before a large black car swept past, allowing them their one and only glimpse of Robert Stirling at the wheel. Looking back she realised that Theo must have been away at school.
Silly children, she thought. Even sillier adults. What on earth are you doing here?
For all her composure as a journalist, Ellie still loathed walking into a crowded room on her own, unless she knew people already there. And with the first flush of confidence that she had felt accepting Theo’s invitation now fading fast, she regretted having come.
Tonight, however, she was spared the ordeal of a lone entrance. As she mounted the shallow steps to the door, it was opened almost instantly by the ever discreet Finlay, who greeted her like a familiar visitor with a cordial good evening.
‘Nice to see you again, Miss Carter,’ he said, handing her coat to a younger man who disappeared with it across the stone-flagged hall to what appeared to be a cloakroom. ‘Mr Stirling asked me to let him know when you arrived. If you’ll just come with me.’
‘No need, Finlay.’ She heard Theo’s voice and turned to see him closing double mahogany doors behind him, which immediately drowned out the light babble of voices coming from the other side.
‘Good evening, Eleanor,’ he said, taking her arm. ‘You look quite beautiful — as indeed I knew you would. Although I was, of course, quite taken with the wellingtons and the wet parka.’
Recognizing the light flirtation for what it was and knowing it was not meant to be taken seriously, Ellie simply smiled. ‘I thought you knew my hobby was getting soaking wet. Glad not to have disappointed.’
He smiled. She made a mental note that dinner jackets always made men look good, not just on him.
‘Do you always travel with your staff?’ she asked as Finlay discreetly withdrew.
‘Only Finlay. He’s more than just a butler. Couldn’t do without him. And much as I would like you to myself,’ he smiled, ‘I must introduce you to everyone else.’
Oh, just enjoy it, Carter, she told herself. What’s the harm in liking a little flattery, no matter how insincerely intended? But even so, she felt the fact that he held her hand leading her into the room was a proprietary gesture that she could have done without.
‘My dear, how marvellous to see you again,’ said Lady Broughton, bustling across the room. ‘You were superb on the television last night. I knew you were committed to the environment but I said to Theo, now there’s a girl...’
Her voice tailed off as Theo cut in with, ‘Absolutely, Sally, you can talk environment and rainforests with Ellie to your heart’s content later on.’
Lady Broughton waved impatient hands at him. ‘Don’t be so bossy, Eleanor may well want to talk about it now.’
‘No she doesn’t,’ he said firmly. ‘She wants to meet everyone else first, don’t you?’
Theo then proceeded to introduce her to his other guests who included the managing director of his UK company, Jeremy Wolff, a silver-haired man in his fifties, with his elegantly gowned wife, who must have been in her fifties but looked forty.
They greeted Ellie warmly, the wife asking her in a whisper if the item in Jed’s column about the Prime Minister was true and was Taylor Carnforth really a coke freak?
‘Don’t know about Taylor,’ Ellie lied, ‘but I think Jed’s stuff must be true. At least he hasn’t had a writ yet.’
Theo’s closest friend Jack Ferguson, who was also his lawyer, and his tawny-haired wife Maggie were introduced next, Ellie instantly liking the pretty, obviously down-to-earth young woman who she guessed was probably in her early thirties.
‘Got to see Carlysle’s face when she sees this,’ Ellie heard her say gleefully to her husband as she moved out of earshot to be introduced to Sarah Broughton’s husband, Sir Findlay, who was as retiring as his wife was gregarious and made rare appearances at social functions.
‘Wretched man,’ he said grumpily. ‘Just won’t take no for an answer. All this way, to talk to people I’ve never met. ‘
‘And because he’ll play poker with you till dawn,’ interjected Lady Sarah. ‘You know you don’t mind. You’ve just got so used to saying you do.’
Ellie thought they were delightful.
Five minutes later, all introductions complete, Ellie was deep in conversation with Max Culver, who was teasing her about sneaking off to the beach without him, when Debra Carlysle herself swept dramatically into the room.
Swathed in a figure-moulding black silk dress, her mane of red hair cascading around her bare shoulders, she paused for just a fraction of a second framed in the doorway and then moved smilingly towards Theo in a cloud of perfume that lingered in her wake.
As an entrance it was unbeatable.
‘Perfect timing,’ giggled the irrepressible Maggie into Ellie’s ear. ‘She was probably waiting on the landing until Finlay tipped her the wink that everyone else was here. But just clock the rocks, will you? Bet they’re real as well.’
Ellie’s eyes widened at the diamonds hanging from Debra’s ears, and trailing around her wrists. Theo waited as Debra gushingly greeted his most intimate friends.
‘You remember Eleanor, of course,’ he said as they approached her and it wasn’t lost on Ellie that his hand was placed lightly around Debra’s slender waist.
‘Do I, darling? If you say so, I’m so bad with faces. Sweet little top,’ murmured Debra condescendingly, her eyes already gazing in a bored fashion over Ellie’s shoulder to her director.
‘Darling Max,’ she said, kissing him on both cheeks. ‘Are you enjoying yourself? I’m sorry, did you say something?’ she asked sharply, turning back to Ellie, aware that Jack and Maggie were having trouble with sudden coughs having heard Ellie say quite distinctly: ‘Well, he was.’
‘Er... a drink, Debra,’ said Theo. ‘Come and talk to Jeremy. He was asking me this afternoon about the progress the film is making.’
‘Yes, but I bet he won’t tell her what Jeremy was asking,’ said Maggie mischievously as they moved away. ‘How soon she was going to Paris so that he can get Theo’s attention.’
‘Why? Does she distract him that much?’ asked Ellie, amused.
‘Not sure,’ said Maggie candidly. ‘But you can’t tell with Theo, can you?’
‘I wouldn’t know,’ smiled Ellie and asked Maggie how many children she had.
Theo’s closest friends were relaxed and entertaining, his staff discreet, the food ambrosial and Theo himself was a charming and attentive host, he made what Ellie knew to be an exacting task a seemingly effortless exercise, ensuring that his guests’ every need was met instantly. Jokes and light-hearted banter eclipsed the formality of the setting which was, like his London apartment, a wonderful mixture of classic elegance and stylish charm.
‘Interview me,’ Jack pleaded when Ellie, seated between him and Max, told him only a handful of interviewees had ever interested her personally.
‘I wouldn’t mind getting you interested in me,’ he said, ducking as Maggie shrieked ‘swine’ and threw her napkin at him.
‘I’d probably run off with you,’ Ellie teased him and looked up to find Theo watching her over the rim of his glass.
His eyes held hers and then slowly, very slowly he smiled at her with a degree of intimacy that couldn’t be mistaken. For a very brief moment, Ellie felt as though she had been caught in a bright light. She smiled back, an exchange that was not lost on Debra, sitting
as close to her host as her chair would allow.
‘Be careful, Jack,’ the actress drawled. ‘Theo says Eleanor is after all his secrets — none of us are to be spared. We must all be charming to her and then she will only write nice things, is that not so, Theo?’ and the accompanying laugh was as artificial as her eyelashes as she reached out and closed her hand over his.
Ellie, aware of the silence that now hung over the table, flushed at the obvious insult but knew there was just enough truth in it to hurt.
Pride made her drag her eyes away from the bracelet she had been adjusting on her arm. Pride made her meet his gaze with a cool look and pride made her slowly smile at Jack and Maggie, who were looking so outraged she wondered if two such civilized people could between them be every bit as murderous as they seemed.
And why not, after Debra had so bitchily exposed them all for the hypocrites they were? All primed to deal with her.
Before Ellie could speak she heard Lady Broughton’s carefully controlled voice from the far end of the table.
‘Personally, I find the press as useful as they find me,’ she said calmly, earning a surprised look from Ellie. ‘As indeed so many in your own profession do, Debra. After all, why pay out all that money for Gavin to attract their attention? Doesn’t make sense. Don’t you agree, Max?’ she said, turning to the director who she had just persuaded to make a short promotional film on her favourite theme.
‘Which reminds me,’ she went on remorselessly, ignoring Debra’s furious retort that Gavin was paid to keep the press from hounding her, not to intrude on her privacy. ‘Eleanor, what can I do to help you with this campaign I hear you’re involved in? Now move over, Jack, I want to talk to Eleanor.’
With which she swept from her place at the table to join Ellie, leaving Debra rolling her eyes theatrically saying, ‘How very droll,’ to a totally unsmiling and silent Theo.
‘Perhaps we could have coffee in the drawing room,’ said Theo, also rising. ‘And Max has a surprise, a preview of Debra’s new film.’
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