Polls Apart

by Clare Stephen-Johnston

  “Anna, Anna. Give us a smile. Look this way, Anna. That’s it love,” the photographers were saying. The reporters, on the other hand, always stuck to the more formal “Ms Lloyd”. “When was the last time you spoke to your husband?” a female voice shouted. “What did the Prime Minster say to you, Ms Lloyd?” a male reporter cut in.

  Anna knew she had two choices: stay and talk to them or smile and walk away quickly. She thought the latter would be the most sensible option, but there was something about the cameras flashing and the way they were all beckoning her that she just couldn’t resist. She moved closer to the pack and waited as the reporters jostled to get right in front of her.

  “I spoke only briefly with the Prime Minister,” Anna began. “This was not a political visit, but rather a chance to celebrate and acknowledge women who have displayed enormous courage in their lives…”

  “Have you spoken to your husband?” another reporter interjected.

  “I’ve not spoken to my husband since he made the announcement that we were to separate.”

  “Are you going to divorce?” a male voice rang out.

  “I’m just taking one day at a time right now, thanks. I’ve only just started to get back on my feet after everything that’s gone on and I’m obviously very concerned about the effect all this is having on my sister and her family, since some of the recent reports have involved her.”

  “Will you be voting Alliance on May 6th now?” a young male reporter cheekily asked.

  “No, I’ll be voting SDP as I always have.” Anna smiled. “I may not like my husband very much right now, but I do still believe he’s the right man to lead this country.”

  Suddenly there was a rush of questions that all merged into one loud roar and Anna decided it was time to move. She could see her driver waiting for her a little further up the street so she thanked the reporters then turned around swiftly. They were still calling for her even as she closed the door of the car and when she turned to see what the thump was to her right, she realised the photographers were chasing the vehicle down the street, smashing their lenses against the window to catch whatever shot they could. Anna knew she should be finding this experience deeply, deeply unsettling. But instead, she felt totally numb; the camera flashes providing a comforting break from reality. She wondered if that was why she had craved fame so much all these years: because the world of celebrity had seemed to provide a perfect refuge from the past.

  Except now she could see that shelter was built on sand and its walls made of paper.

  Once they had cleared Downing Street and were making their way back towards the hotel, Anna checked her mobile phone. She had two missed calls: one from Libby and one from Richard. Anna quickly dialled the person she most needed to talk to.

  It took several rings before Libby finally answered.

  “Hi Anna,” she said in a tone that was neither warm nor cold.

  “Libby, I’m so sorry. I’ve felt so awful these last few days. I really, really hope I haven’t ruined everything for you. I hadn’t planned on telling that reporter about what we did, but once I started talking I just couldn’t stop myself. It just had to come out.”

  “It’s okay, Anna. You were right when you said it was only a matter of time before the press got on to it. We’ve been lucky to keep it secret for this long.”

  “How are Dan and the kids? Is everything all right?”

  “All right? They’re all bloody delighted. We’ve never been so popular. I’m now some kind of local hero, while the kids have had more play-date requests in the last week than they have since the beginning of the year.”

  Anna laughed with relief. “So I haven’t ruined your life?”

  “No, but I have you to blame for the fact I’ve now been asked to sit on countless boards for women’s refuges, not to mention the events I’ve been asked to speak at. I’m already booked for the Women’s Institute next month. Dan’s finding the whole thing hilarious. He just loves the fact that I suddenly have to be nice to everyone.”

  “Have the photographers gone?”

  “They packed up yesterday. They must have got sick of looking at my crumpled face and bird’s-nest hair every morning.”

  “I’m sorry, Libby. For everything I’ve put you through. And not just these last couple of weeks, but all the times I’ve been too busy to talk. I realise now what I’ve missed and I just felt so devastated when I thought we might never speak again. I really need you Libs.”

  “Don’t be silly Noo-Noo,” she replied softly, Anna’s heart swelling with the warmth of hearing her sister call her the pet name she used in childhood. “I couldn’t turn my back on you. Why don’t you come over and have dinner with us?”

  “I’d love to. I’m meeting Joy at four but I could be with you by six.”

  “Great. I’ll see you then.”

  Anna stared back down at the handset as she tried to figure out whether it would be a good idea to call Richard back or not. She was still badly hurting from their split, but she was also incredibly curious as to what he would have to say. In the end, her decision was made for her when her mobile rang again.

  “Hello Richard,” she answered tersely.

  “Anna,” his voice broke. “I’m so, so sorry. I allowed myself to be talked into something I knew wasn’t right. I’ve hurt you and I’ve humiliated you and I’m so damn sorry. I told the campaign team today that our marriage could no longer be based on politics, but what is best for the two of us. I need you back, Anna. Can you please forgive me and come back to me?”

  Anna sat in silence for a few moments, absorbing what her husband had just said.

  “Anna?” His voice was full of insecurity.

  “I’m still here, Richard. You dumped me on national television without even the slightest warning and then, when you’ve taken a kicking in the polls for it, you call me out of the blue and ask me to come back. Do you think I’m completely stupid or something?” Anna’s voice was picking up in both pace and volume. “Do you think I’m such a sad excuse for a human being that I would allow you to shit all over me in front of the whole world and then just hold the door open for you to do it all over again – as and when the political need takes it?”

  “Anna, please…”

  “You can forget your apologies. In fact, you can forget you were ever bloody married to me. You hurt me more than I can ever, ever tell you. I loved you. I loved you and you cast me out like a leper. Now you live with the consequences and you deserve every bit of bad press that you get. I hate that the Alliance Party have a chance of winning now, but I’m not prepared to live a lie just to get you votes. Goodbye.”

  Anna cut off the call and hurled the phone into her bag before letting out a frustrated cry. Her heart was racing and her head pounding with the force of blood pumping around her body. Nothing stung more than the pain of betrayal. Yet she had been betrayed by nearly every person she had ever loved. Everyone, but Libby.

  “You still want me to take you to Crouch End?” her driver asked cautiously.

  “Yes please, John. I’m fine. Just putting Richard straight on a couple of things.”

  “Rascals coffee house it is then,” he smiled.

  As she reached the top step of the stairway, Anna could see Joy already sitting on their favourite sofa in the coffee house where they had been holding their meetings for years. It had a downstairs section with only a couple of tables which were invariably empty so it was perfect for them to hold a private conversation – and for Anna to go unnoticed. Only, whereas before their coffee sessions would have involved a considerable amount of bitching, gossip and laughter, today’s meeting would be a lot more formal. As she made her way down the stairs, Anna noticed the tension on Joy’s face, her mouth set in a grimace as she sipped her coffee, seemingly lost in thought.

  “Hello Joy,” Anna said as she reached the last step. Joy got to her feet and stepped forwards to kiss her on each cheek, though Anna noticed the broad smile with which she usually greeted her
was missing.

  “You look good, Anna,” she said distantly. “You’d never know you’d been through a life crisis.”

  “I don’t feel I’m quite through that crisis yet,” Anna replied, trying to keep things upbeat even though she felt decidedly shaken by her phone call with Richard. “It’s more Libby I’ve been worried about lately,” she continued. “This whole thing has had a huge impact on her.”

  “It must have been tough.”

  “Yes. It’s been bloody awful, but in a strange sort of way I think we both feel a big burden has been lifted from our shoulders. After all, I have nothing left to hide – and I can’t tell you how good that feels.”

  “I’m glad you’re finding some peace in all this. I wish I could say the same for myself,” Joy sighed.

  Anna sensed an uncomfortable shift in the conversation. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I’ve had to ask a lot of questions of myself these last couple of weeks. Being married to Henry and working for you has not been without its complications.”

  “I can imagine,” Anna smiled.

  “Since Henry took on the communications job for the Democrats, he’s become almost obsessed by your influence over Richard. He would ask me on a daily basis who you were meeting with, what you were saying, what jobs you were considering. It became impossible to separate work from our marriage and, I’m afraid, I feel like I’ve been too influenced by Henry in the last couple of years.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I knew he was going to tell Richard to cut you off and I didn’t warn you.”

  Anna sat back in her chair, taking a few moments to let what Joy had just told her sink in. “I’m shocked on both counts here, Joy. First that you seem to be implying Henry instructed Richard to leave me rather than it being Richard’s decision, and secondly that you had the chance to help me out in a bad situation and you didn’t. Isn’t that what I employ you for?”

  Joy stared at her feet, the two women staying silent as the waitress arrived with the peppermint tea Anna had ordered upstairs. She looked between them as she set the cup and teapot down, trying to work out what was going on before deciding to make a hasty retreat.

  “Actually, I’m not sure quite what it is you employ me for now, Anna. You haven’t listened to a word of advice I’ve given you in months. Regardless of what I’d say, you’d just do your own thing anyway. I guess that’s what fame and power do to a person.”

  Anna studied Joy’s face for signs of irony, but there were none. She was absolutely serious.

  “Where is this all coming from?” Anna asked, still stunned by the sudden outburst. “We used to get along so well. I had no idea you felt like this.”

  “And when is the last time you stopped to consider how anyone else actually felt? There’s only one star on the Anna Lloyd show. No one else gets a look in.” Joy’s eyes were blazing, betraying what looked like years of pent-up anger.

  “Well, you’re showing your true colours now, aren’t you.” Anna said, reaching for her handbag, which she then clutched defensively to her stomach. “To think I trusted you, Joy, when all along you just resented me.”

  “I don’t resent you. I pity you,” Joy replied defiantly, her flushed cheeks the only indicator of her discomfort.

  “I don’t understand this, Joy. But, I think it goes without saying that we can’t work together any more after what you’ve just told me.”

  “Well, I’ll just have to deal with that.” Joy turned and looked away from Anna who was by now fighting back tears. She quickly got to her feet and made her way up the stairs, all the time trying to work out what had caused Joy to feel so bitter. She had thought they got along so well and, although Anna knew she could be a bit self-centred sometimes, she always thought they had a balanced friendship in which they could both confide their secrets. But then, perhaps Joy was angry that Anna hadn’t shared her biggest secret of all – which she’d had to read in a Sunday newspaper like everyone else. Whatever it was, Anna knew there was no going back. She just hoped things between them wouldn’t turn nastier.

  Libby was lowering the heat on the bolognese sauce when the doorbell rang. She laid her wooden mixing spoon down and was about to head to the front door when she heard Dan in the hallway, ushering Anna in.

  “So we’ve got you to blame for our newfound local fame, have we?” he joked.

  “Libby told me you were loving the celebrity, Dan, so don’t try and tell me otherwise,” Anna replied, laughing.

  The kitchen door opened and Libby turned to greet her sister. She marvelled at how effortlessly glamorous Anna looked in her figure-hugging wool dress and knee-length black boots. It had always seemed to Libby that Anna managed to look good in anything while, in contrast, she was a lost cause on the fashion front and had long since given up trying.

  “You look sickeningly good as ever,” she said to Anna, planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “I applied extra war paint this morning before going for lunch at Number 10. Turns out I needed it.”

  “Why?” smiled Libby. “Was Kelvin harassing you?”

  “Not really. Kelvin was just Kelvin.. It was Joy who ruined my day.”

  “Is that your PR woman?” Dan chipped in from the kitchen table behind them, where he’d now seated himself.

  “It was my PR woman, yes.” Anna sat down beside Dan who proceeded to pour her a large glass of red wine.

  “What’s happened?” Libby asked.

  “She told me today that she knew Richard was going to announce a separation but didn’t warn me. She then went on to pretty much call me a selfish cow who only cared about myself.”

  “What?” Libby shrieked in outrage.

  “I never liked her,” Dan added.

  “You’ve never even met her,” said Libby.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t like the sound of her,” Dan explained. “And I’ve seen her on TV and she’s got a really dodgy American-English accent going on. I just thought she was a bit up herself.”

  “Well,” Anna continued, fuelled by her first few gulps of wine. “I think she’s been feeding me Henry’s lines as well. She as good as admitted it. When she was telling me to watch what I said to that Echo reporter, it wasn’t because she was worried about my reputation – she was too busy worrying about Richard’s.”

  “What a stupid cow,” Libby raged before turning back to her cooking to strain the spaghetti.

  “The problem is, I’m now left without a PR when I need one most. I haven’t a clue where to start looking because Richard always helped me with that before.”

  “What did she do exactly then? What do you need?” Libby asked whilst slopping the spaghetti onto the six plates laid out on the kitchen surface.

  “I need to find someone who can answer press enquiries for me, and help arrange TV and press interviews. That kind of thing.”

  “Well, I can do that,” Libby said.

  “She needs a professional, Libs,” Dan chuckled. “You can’t just suddenly call yourself a PR agent just because you’ve seen off a few photographers on the school run.”

  “It was just a suggestion.” Libby shrugged her shoulders and continued plating up, before Anna cut in.

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Why pay a stranger who I don’t even know I can trust when I can work with my own sister. You can consider yourself hired, Libby.”

  “You hear that, Dan.” Libby spun around to look at her husband. “You’re now married to a PR for a famous actress, so eat that,” she winked.

  “Oh God,” Dan droned to Anna. “You’ve only just given her the job and already she’s turned into a media monster. I’d better have another drink.”

  9

  Williams Hints at Marriage Reconciliation

  Friday, 10th April, 2009, UK Newswire – Opposition leader Richard Williams has hinted his marriage to the actress Anna Lloyd is not over, despite her apparent anger at the way he handled their recent separation.

  Following a visit yester
day to Pentonville Prison in London, Williams told reporters that he was “still very much a married man”.

  The SDP leader’s marriage was rocked following claims in a Sunday newspaper that Lloyd had previously worked as an escort girl. Shortly after, Williams publicly announced their separation in a move rumoured to have been advised by party spin doctors who were keen for Lloyd to be taken out of the political picture as quickly as possible.

  Sources close to Williams revealed he has had “second thoughts” about the separation in recent days but denied this was down to a sudden fall in support for the Democrats in the polls.

  Lloyd’s recent disclosure that she and her sister, Libby Howarth, killed their stepfather as teenagers following years of abuse, has led to a huge outpouring of public sympathy for the actress.

  Williams is later today due to give a TV interview to the AllNews 24 channel in which it is expected he will discuss his marriage amid speculation that he may be attempting to bring his wife back into the party fold.

  Richard straightened his tie and allowed the make-up girl to apply a light dusting of face powder while he waited for Esther Yarleth to arrive for the interview. From the corner of his eye he could see Henry nervously shuffling from foot to foot. The interview had been organised as an opportunity for Richard “to reconnect with the public” but, as the SDP leader had informed his campaign team earlier that morning, he actually intended to use the chance to send an appeal to Anna – an idea that had been warmly welcomed by Bob and Ray whilst Sandra and Henry’s response had been slightly more muted. “This is your call,” was all his head of communications had said.

  But Richard’s mind was firmly made up. He needed Anna back and he knew it. Not just to improve his chances of winning the election, but because without her he felt weak, inept and unable to lead a nation. Today, he would do what he should have done right from the start. He would tell the truth – and he would be honest about the situation he and Anna had found themselves in. And Henry, who was paying penance for his sins, would just have to go along with it.