Under New Management

by June Hopkins

  Dan has moved next to his dad and thinking much the same thing. Someone is the culprit.

  “What’s goin’ on, mate? Mollie ain’t in here. You’re not trying to say that Mollie did that are you?” Jim snaps. Kieran looks at Jim and pulls himself together.

  “God no! Of course not. Serena did, but she also hit Mollie and now I don’t know where Mollie is. I need to find her.”

  This sparks a reaction from the entire room. Lindy flies into action, her temper ignites in seconds as the lioness in her awakens. As others question Kieran, Lindy rushes from the room. Lou follows after her and Jack follows Lou. As Lindy scoots into the corridor she turns to the front door and sees Johnny walking a dejected looking Serena towards her.

  Lindy doesn’t miss a beat. Marching up to the pair of them she comes to a halt in front of Serena. “You nasty bitch!” she yells and through blurry eyes, Serena stares at Lindy in alarm, “I’m sorry, are you addressing me?” she slurs and raises a haughty chin.

  Lindy slaps Serena hard across her face as Johnny shouts, “Whoa! Jesus, what is it with you women tonight?”

  Lindy sticks her face into Serena’s, glaring at her with hatred. “How dare you strike my daughter? You had better hope to God that you haven’t marked her like you have Kieran, because I swear to you, if you have I’ll be back! And you won’t be acting in anything for a very long time, not without plastic surgery anyway.” Lindy hisses the words and leaves Serena in no doubt that she means it.

  Serena has never been slapped in her life, she is always the attacker. She doesn’t like it and she is genuinely frightened. The woman is a lunatic! Serena shrinks back behind Johnny. As Lindy throws her another look of hatred, she turns on her heel and heads off down the corridor to look for her daughter.

  Watching the entire performance, Jack and Lou are dumbstruck. Lou’s reaction to the drama is to cling onto Jack’s arm and Jack is happy to let her. He is absolutely made up and Lindy is a heroine. Lindy marches past them with a face like thunder and Lou eventually gets a hold of herself and scuttles after her.

  Serena is sobbing again, clinging to Johnny like a child. Jack shakes his head as Johnny gives him a beseeching look and just says, “I’ll get Marylyn. Perhaps she can look after Serena. Though having seen Kieran’s face, Serena will be lucky if she doesn’t get another slap.” He looks at Serena with distaste and heads back into the dining room. Johnny decides he’s had enough of being lumbered with the outcast and propels her into the dining room, where he dumps her unceremoniously onto a chair.

  Megan grabs hold of his arm and fumes in his ear, “What the hell is going on?”

  Serena sobs pathetically in her chair. Meanwhile, Jack lets the others know what happened in the corridor. Jim puffs up his chest, “That’s my girl,” he says with pride.

  Julie kneels down by Serena, passing her a tissue and speaks calmly to her. Marylyn forces Kieran to sit down while she takes a look at his face properly. The scratches are nasty but not deep. Hopefully they won’t scar, but they need to be cleaned. Marylyn is at boiling point with Serena. If Kieran doesn’t learn his lesson tonight she’ll throw the pair of them out in the morning. Enough is enough. The woman is clearly deranged. She throws Serena a look of contempt as she leaves the room to find the first aid kit.

  Lindy meanwhile, rushes into the toilet and immediately sees one of the two doors is shut and hears her daughter’s soft sobbing coming from behind it. At least Mollie is there. As Lou barges in behind her, Lindy tells her to let the others know that Mollie is fine and to ask Jack to arrange the return transport. They’re leaving. Mollie is not going to want to stay here. Lindy goes to work on talking Mollie out of the toilet.

  Eventually the car is brought round to the front of the Hall. Mollie is bundled into the back under her father’s arm without even saying ‘goodnight’ to their hosts. Jack takes Lou completely by surprise when he drags her to him and snogs the face off her. When he lets her go, she staggers back, lets out a giggle at his theatrical wink and turns to get into the car. Jack slaps her playfully on the backside making her shriek and tells her he’ll see her tomorrow. Given the atmosphere in the limo isn’t the most jovial, Lou tries to hide her elation.

  As Jack stands watching the car leave he feels rather pleased with himself. Enough with the games; he’s been wanting to kiss Lou since she first pulled away from him earlier. He smiles smugly to himself feeling satisfied with the outcome. As he congratulates himself he is interrupted by someone behind him who is clearing their throat to get his attention. Jack turns and bestows a wide self-congratulatory smile on Jed the gamekeeper.

  A little tipsy and still wrapped up in his own thoughts, Jack says absentmindedly,

  “Alright Jed? How’s it going? Bit late for you, isn’t it? But then again, I suppose that’s the point of a gamekeeper, catching poachers and stuff, ain’t it? I guess that’s when you normally work, eh? At night? Wouldn’t be much point in the day would there?” Jack smiles stupidly at Jed, aware that he is talking bollocks and shuts up.

  Jed is looking nervously about, not catching his eye and Jack feels a sense of unease which sobers him up slightly. Jed has his attention.

  “Thing is... There was someone here... On a bike. A motorbike. Dressed in black he was. I tried to catch him but...” Jed tails off.

  “Alright mate. Don’t panic. I wouldn’t expect you to catch him if he was on a motorbike. What was he doing?” Jack asks with a calmer voice than he feels inside.

  “Well to be honest, I ain’t sure. I thought he was a poacher see, but I ain’t never seen a poacher on a motorbike afore. Too much noise, obviously.” Jed scratches his head as he ponders that thought, before continuing, “Anyway, I ain’t sure but I think he was in that there tree.” Jed points towards the tree growing at the side of the house. It stands near the last of the dining room windows. Its sturdy branches are certainly strong enough to bear the weight of a person. Jack mulls this over and comes to the only conclusion he can. Paparazzi. Shit!

  Jed pipes up again, “I’m sorry, I did try but I was over there see,” pointing across the drive in the direction of the river. “I was too far away. I shouted at him but he had a bike see and well, I couldn’t keep up. He fell off though before he got to the drive but still couldn’t catch him.”

  Jack feels sorry for Jed. “Hey mate, look, don’t worry about it. These things happen. We should have been more careful. I think it was probably a photographer chancing his luck. We should have got security in, but it’s not your problem mate. Why don’t you get off home? We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Righty-ho. If you’re sure and um, I thought I saw a camera. But why do they wanna be taking photos of you for? You famous or something?” Jed’s a little confused. He doesn’t own a TV - he can’t be doing with it. His radio and a good book is all he needs. He wouldn’t know a celebrity if they jumped up and bit him on the backside.

  Jack laughs. How refreshing. “Well mate, some might think so, but nothing to write home about. You get off and I’ll sort it.” Jed mutters a ‘thank you’ and slips away to his cottage.

  Jack rubs his chin thoughtfully. He stares at the tree and realises that whatever took place in the dining room this evening could well be on memory card now. What worries him more though is what exactly took place outside. By his calculations, anything from the front steps to the drive below would have been within range. Seems to Jack that whoever was taking photos could well have just won themselves the lottery. He goes inside to break the news.

  By the time he returns inside, he’s relieved to find that Serena has been dispatched to bed. Marylyn, Kieran, Johnny and Megan are still in the dining room and drinking brandy.

  Jack also helps himself to one before he breaks the bad news.

  Taking a good gulp of his Brandy, Jack enlightens the others. Kieran’s head snaps up. He’s abruptly torn from his thoughts of murdering Serena and getting away with it and hugging Mollie and never letting her go.

  Johnny goes very pale
as he realises there is every likelihood that a picture of his kiss with Serena is now winging its way to the front pages as they speak.

  With a ‘whoosh’ Kieran lets out a breath. Christ that’s all he needs! He only hopes to God that Serena slapping Mollie is dropped in favour of Serena attacking him.

  Megan is watching Johnny and notices the fear in his face. The colour has literally drained from him and she goes cold.

  “Johnny, what’s going on? I have a feeling there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  Johnny sighs and stares at her with wide eyes. He needs to think and fast. Taking a deep breath he looks at her and says simply, “She kissed me. Serena kissed me. Outside, on the step.”

  Megan’s head falls back in defeat and she closes her eyes. When she opens them again everyone in the room is watching her.

  “Did you kiss her back?” she asks Johnny in a strangely quiet voice.

  Johnny is terrified. There’s bound to be a photo and what will it show?

  Jack had explained that a photographer would have had a good view if they’d been located in the tree.

  Deciding in that moment he should tell the truth Johnny whispers, “Yes.”

  Megan looks at him in a way which speaks volumes about how hurt and disappointed she is in him. Slowly she stands and leaves the room without saying another word.

  When Megan has closed the door, Kieran jumps up and towers over a cowering Johnny.

  “You stupid, fucking idiot! What the hell were you thinking? I really hope it was worth it mate, because you may have just lost the best thing that has ever happened to you.” Kieran snarls before turning away from Johnny in frustration and refilling his glass with another brandy.

  Jack shakes his head at Johnny and simply says, “Prat.”

  Marylyn puts down her glass and throwing Johnny a look of bitter disappointment, tells him to sleep in one of the other bedrooms before leaving the room in search of her daughter.

  Johnny feels ridiculously sorry for himself. What had he been thinking? One stupid, thoughtless moment, very probably captured forever. This was unlikely to ever go away. These things are filed and regurgitated again and again whenever a tabloid needs a photo to illustrate any story. He sighs heavily. No point in trying to sort out anything tonight. He may as well try and get some sleep. He’s going to need to have his wits about him tomorrow. Johnny gets up and says a dejected, “Goodnight,” to the other men who in turn just glare at him. He leaves the room to find a bed, preferably one at the other end of the house and far away from Serena.

  Kieran and Jack stay up for another hour as they discuss the PR strategy and damage limitation. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot they can legally do. They have no idea who the photographer is, so move on to the source of information. Someone had to have leaked the fact that Serena and Johnny were at the Hall this weekend. However, given that the paps had been stalking Johnny, it wouldn’t be impossible for someone to have followed him and Megan. Even Serena, for that matter. She had just returned from London today.

  Kieran is livid with himself. He should have known better. This is his fault. He hasn’t been on top of things since they arrived here; since Mollie, if he’s honest. They should have got their security adviser in. Serena might be a lunatic, but she is also an A-list celebrity and never safe from the paps. She only got back into the country undetected because she travelled by private jet.

  Kieran will never forgive himself if Mollie turns up on the front page of Sunday’s edition of the Sun or Mirror, not to mention the American papers.

  The men decide to call in their security adviser and make the necessary phone call. He isn’t going to be happy with them, but better late than never. By early tomorrow morning a team should be with them. A bit late, but the fallout from this could be huge and neither of them wants to take any chances. Now the word is out that they are all at the Hall it wouldn’t be long before more paps and camera crews were crawling all over the place. They had seen it all before. Kieran is scared that if Mollie’s photo appears, journalists will be swarming all over Sedgwick in pursuit of any gossip about the mysterious woman. He worriedly shoves his hands through his hair. If he’s right he is going to need to speak to Mollie early in the morning. She and her family will need to be prepared.

  Brian reaches his hotel at ten fifteen. He had found a cheap motel less than ten minutes’ drive from the Hall. It takes him less than fifteen minutes to send a description of his photographs to all his contacts. As he waits for a response he undresses and inspects his injuries, then showers. Nothing more than bruising and he can live with that. Oh yes, all the bruises would be well worth it.

  Brian is a well known pap. He may be a weasel of a little man who only produces a steady stream of C- and D-list stuff but he is honest in his craft. His contacts know it and if Brian says he has these photos, it is safe to say that he really has. He has a collection here which will sell worldwide. Clear shots of Serena Bonart launching a physical attack on an unknown woman. Serena, violently scratching multi-millionaire Kieran McLaren and to top it off Serena snogging Johnny Morgan. Johnny has his arm in plaster, which importantly helps to date them. All of these photos, not to mention the others of the evening’s events are a veritable treasure trove. The chances of taking this sort of bulk footage are millions to one. Brian has managed to capture an entire storyboard of a very interesting evening.

  Brian quickly contacts various other paps and journalists and gives them the low down. He quickly manages to secure a fee from each of them for the precious location of his shots. There is always more to tell and if the celebrities haven’t buggered off, there is the possibility of more footage and of course, a story to build.

  The excitement that Brian is generating in his world is reaching phenomenal proportions. When Brian’s email hits, the bidding war begins in earnest. Before eleven he has managed to sell his haul of photographs for a staggering half a million pounds and has ensured a deal that will produce royalties for any future publication. Brian has done very well indeed. It is safe to say that he is over the moon.

  Chapter 31

  Kieran wakes at six forty-five the next morning in a different bedroom. He hasn’t slept much at all. He showers and puts on a pair of jeans and a cashmere sweater which his mother had taken from his room the night before. He hadn’t wanted to go anywhere near Serena.

  Marylyn had left the boys in the dining room late last night and had gone upstairs to find her daughter. She then let herself into her son’s bedroom. She saw Serena sparked out on the bed fully dressed and breathing heavily. Quietly finding Kieran’s clothes she left the room without covering his guest. ‘Serves her right. With any luck she would get hypothermia’, Marylyn had thought nastily.

  Kieran inspects his face in the mirror. The scratches have scabbed over a little but are still a livid red. He glowers into the mirror; he hasn’t time to worry about his injuries, he has more important things to do. He swiftly heads downstairs to the kitchen and brews coffee. While it is still hot he gulps it down and leaves the Hall. He’s going to the local newsagent. Scratched face or no scratched face he needs to see if they are all to be front page news today.

  Pulling out of the courtyard and round to the front of the Hall Kieran stops the car as he realises he has company. Two large black minibuses and a BMW are parked on the drive. He turns off the engine and gets out to greet the security detail.

  As Kieran walks to the vehicles eight burly looking men, most of whom he knows, get out and mess around opening doors and boots to retrieve their kit.

  Kieran calls “Hello” to them all as he heads towards the BMW and the friendly, open face of his Head of Security.

  Dominic Blake has worked for the McLarens since the beginning. Dominic and Kieran have been friends since school and Dominic was leaving the army at the same time as Kieran inherited.

  Kieran had given him the money to set up his own security business, along with the contract for overseeing the McLaren hotel chain. Do
m has built up a lucrative solid business and with Kieran’s help he landed other contracts and has a good team around him. Dom would do anything for Kieran.

  “Dom! Great to see you mate!” The two men greet each other with a bear hug. They are both the same height at 6ft 2ins, but Dom’s build makes him stand out. He has wide shoulders and bulging biceps. He’s a nice looking chap with a friendly face, but he has a keen mind and can be far from friendly if called for. Dom knows his stuff and he isn’t happy with Kieran for getting himself into this situation. As they pull apart, Dom gives Kieran a look that tells him he has been a total knob. Kieran, who doesn’t need telling, has the decency to look shamefaced.

  “Don’t say anything mate. I know, I know, I should have listened to you.”

  Dom shakes his head. “Well that’s good to hear but it isn’t going to put this right.” He reaches into the front seat and drags out a number of papers. He shoves them at Kieran. “Now, how the hell are you going to get out of this little lot?”

  Kieran grabs the bundle and stares at the front page of the top one. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “Come on. We’d better go in. I’ll fill you in. You can bring the cars round the back. Just follow me.” Kieran heads for his car, gets in and reverses it back through to the courtyard behind.

  Half an hour later, the security team, with Kieran, are all sitting in the dining room tucking into a mountain of bacon sandwiches made by a shifty looking Angela.

  Angela started early this morning. Before going to bed she’d realised what had happened last night. She’d had a feeling they wouldn’t sleep much. May as well be prepared and get an early start. She didn’t want to appear guilty. She’d seen the vans pull up as she drew the curtains in her pretty attic room before rushing down to the kitchen to start cooking. It wouldn’t hurt to earn some brownie points and in her opinion men were always hungry.

  Angela took three frying pans from the cupboard, greased them and filled them with bacon. She then set to buttering three loaves of bread and took the tea urn and a large cafetiere out of the cupboard.