Maximum Exposure: The Heartlands Series

by Harper, Jenny

  On the road to Kelso, she began to think. Jay Bond was playing with the Herald like a new toy, not handling it like a fragile one. She had to find out how he was planning to rescue the paper. Maybe she could work in a word for Sharon at the same time. Why not? It could be her good deed for the day.

  The conference she was photographing turned out to be dull in the extreme. The paper was doing a special supplement about the day-long meeting. It was good money and heaven knows they needed the income, but finding ways to make groups of people talking or keynote speakers speaking look interesting was always a challenge, and it was not one that Daisy felt particularly inspired by today. She did her best though, and at four, packed her cameras away and stepped out of the hotel for the first time since she’d arrived at nine. The sunshine had gone and the sky was heavy with the threat of more snow. Across the square, she could see her car. There had clearly been a heavy fall at some point during the day and she had to spend five minutes scraping the windows. As she swung the car out of the square, the first flakes drifted down from the grey skies and two minutes later the snow was swirling down heavily. At home, in the cottage, she’d have watched it with childlike pleasure. But now, all she could think about was getting back to Hailesbank in one piece.

  Three miles up the road, the snow developed into a blizzard and she was struggling to see through the windscreen. The car felt steady enough, but a van, coming the other way, slid and skidded towards her and she turned the wheel in alarm. A second later, she was in the ditch, cursing.

  ‘Sod it!’ She stuck the car into reverse and revved up. Nothing. The wheels were simply spinning. Daisy peered out of her window. There was no sign of the van, she was on her own. Cautiously, she opened the door and hopped out. There didn’t seem to be any damage but the angle of the car had left one back wheel in the air, leaving the other to take up the traction and the soft snow was compacting into a mass of ice as she tried to rev, making it impossible to get out.

  ‘Shit! What am I going to do?’ she wailed uselessly up into the swirling snow. Ben. He’d know. Stumbling back to the car, she found her mobile and dialled the office.

  ‘Hailesbank Herald, how can I help?’ Somehow she’d got straight through to Jay Bond.

  ‘Oh Jay. Hi. Hi, it’s Daisy,’ she was flustered. ‘Is Ben there please?’

  ‘Sorry, Daisy, I sent everyone home early. The snow’s pretty bad here. You OK?’

  Bother, she’d have to tell him, she didn’t really have any other option. ‘No. Not really. I’m stuck in a ditch. Well, in a snowdrift in a ditch, I guess.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘Just outside Kelso.’

  ‘Can you leave the car there and walk back in?’

  ‘When I say just outside, I mean four or five miles. I don’t fancy walking in this blizzard.’

  ‘No. Wouldn’t be sensible. Can you hitch a lift?’

  Daisy looked out at the road dubiously. ‘Apart from the van that forced me into the ditch, there’s not been anything past for ages.’

  ‘OK, Daisy. Listen, I’ll come and get you.’

  ‘Yes?’ Daisy’s heart lifted at the thought of rescue. ‘That’s really kind, Jay, but how will you get here? I mean, the weather’s totally rubbish.’

  ‘I’ve got my Discovery. I’ve been dying to give it a proper test.’

  ‘Oh. Great.’ How Jay had managed to blag a really smart vehicle in the current economic climate, heaven knows. ‘Well, if you’re sure, Jay, that’d be brilliant.’

  ‘I’ll be there in half an hour. I just need to close everything up here and I’ll be with you. Keep warm, won’t you?’

  ‘Will do.’

  Daisy looked around. The snow had stopped and a break had appeared in the clouds. Now that she’d stopped panicking about being stranded, she realised that there was something magical about the view. If she walked another thirty or forty yards up the hill, she’d have a spectacular line of sight right across to the countryside. It was too good to miss. Grabbing her camera, she rammed a woollen hat on her head and climbed out of the car.

  Twenty minutes later, it didn’t seem like such a great idea. The snow was up to her knees and her jeans were soaked. The climb, though, proved to be worth it. Although the light was grey, the scene was majestic. She lifted her camera, photographed the gnarled tree at the top of the hill, its branches laden with snow. A few forlorn sheep stood and stared at her. Black and white, on white. She took pictures of them too. Below her, in the distance, her car, its rear end in the air, half buried in snow, looking like a wreck. Who could have guessed that the scene of desolation would offer so many fantastic opportunities?

  By the time she’d finished, the snow had started again, but even so, getting back to the car was easier than the climb had been. It was downhill and she had already beaten a kind of a path that she could follow. There was still no sign of Jay. She turned the engine on. At least she’d had the sense to throw an old wool coat in the back, as well as one of Lizzie’s fabulous silk and velvet scarves. It didn’t matter that it was red, a colour she never dared wear, it felt luxurious and cosy. She huddled behind the steering wheel, listening to the radio and rubbing the steamed-up window from time to time to peer out.

  Jay arrived shortly before six, inching along the road with great care. Road? She could hardly see it. The edges had long since disappeared. White lines? The only white line visible was the broad swathe of snow between the tops of the walls that marked the edges of the fields.

  ‘Hi! Thank God you’re here.’

  ‘How much further to Kelso?’ Jay looked strained.

  ‘Not more than four or five miles. I did it in ten minutes on the way out.’

  ‘We’ll have to head for there, Daisy. There’s absolutely no way I’m going back the way I’ve come. Grab your camera gear and hop in.’

  They rolled slowly down the hill. Half a mile on, they wound their way between a thickly wooded stretch of forest. Here the way was clearer and, fifteen minutes later, the first houses on the outskirts of Kelso appeared. They might even be able to walk now if they had to.

  It didn’t come to that. They crawled back into the square at a quarter to seven, nearly three hours after Daisy had left it.

  ‘We’ll have to hole up for the night and hope it’s cleared a bit by morning,’ Jay said, switching off the engine. He looked exhausted. His shoulders had slumped and he no longer had the arrogant air that she’d so disliked when she’d first met him.

  ‘OK,’ she said. ‘I don’t have any clothes with me though.’

  ‘Nor me. Never mind. Let’s find somewhere to stay.’

  They tried every hotel, but with no success. Other travellers had beaten them to the accommodation. At the last hotel they picked up a local tourist brochure with the telephone numbers of a dozen or more guest houses and phoned them all, but with no luck.

  ‘Right,’ said Jay determinedly. ‘We’ll go back to the hotel in the square. I’ll insist we camp down in the lounge if we have to.’

  When they returned to where they’d started, their luck turned. ‘Someone’s just phoned to cancel their reservation, sir,’ said the clerk on the desk. ‘Seems they can’t get through. The snow’s quite bad, I believe.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ grunted Jay. ‘Can we take the room?’

  ‘Certainly sir.’ He signed them in and handed them the key.

  A room? One room? Just one room for her and for Jay? Christ. She’d have to share a room with her boss. Perhaps he would offer to sleep in the lounge.

  ‘Can we help with your bags?’

  Jay laughed. ‘Bags? I don’t think we need help. Can we purchase a couple of toothbrushes?’

  ‘I’ll put them on the bill, sir.’

  They made their way upstairs. Daisy prayed that the room would, at least, be a twin and in that her luck held out, but as the door swung to behind them, she stood inside, gripped by unaccustomed shyness and embarrassment.

  ‘Looks all right,’ Jay flicked a switch and t
win lamps came on at either side of the two beds.

  Daisy stood, still rigid. Turning, he caught sight of her face. ‘You all right?’

  Then, the situation he’d put her in evidently dawning on him, he said hurriedly, ‘Hey Daisy, I’m sorry. I should have asked. Are you OK about this? I promise you, absolutely, I have no agenda here, but … listen …’ he stepped away from her hastily. Maybe he had had a sudden vision of a sexual harassment suit, or even worse, a rape charge, ‘… you can sleep in here. I’ll grab some rest downstairs. It would be nice to be able to snatch a quick shower before I decamp, though?’

  Daisy’s hand stole into her pocket for the comfort of Tiny Ted’s presence, but of course it was empty. ‘It’s all right,’ she said in a small voice. ‘You can stay.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  Daisy had never spent a night in a hotel with anyone other than Jack. If she was honest, she’d never slept with anyone but Jack. Of course, she’d been very young when she’d fallen in love with him. Reflecting on it, she began to realise just how young she’d been. A schoolgirl. She’d thought she was so grown up, but she’d known nothing. Jack had enfolded her in his arms and in his care and for ten glorious years she hadn’t had to worry about anything. She walked nervously across to the bathroom and looked in. It was large, solid, and had a lock on the door.

  ‘Is it really all right, Daisy? If you’re at all worried –’

  ‘It’s all my fault, Jay. You being here at all, I mean. If I hadn’t gone into that ditch you wouldn’t have had to bail me out. There’s no reason why you should have to sleep on a sofa.’ She flashed a brave grin. ‘So long as you don’t snore.’

  He laughed and slumped down in an armchair. ‘Can’t promise but I’ve never had any complaints. Look, freshen up a bit and we’ll go find some food.’

  She picked up one of the toothbrushes and her handbag and closed the bathroom door behind her. Out in the bedroom, she heard him turn on the television and was grateful for the noise.

  The dining room was busy. Daisy recognised quite a few faces from the conference earlier in the day. No wonder they’d had so much trouble finding accommodation. It was also warm. Fortunately, she was a dab hand at layered dressing and that morning she’d pulled on a grey T-shirt under her woollen sweater. At least it looked presentable and, worn with Lizzie’s pretty velvet scarf, she felt half respectable. Her jeans were still sodden, but the shower and hair wash had transformed her into a different person from the Daisy who’d shivered in the car wondering if Jay would ever find her.

  ‘What do you fancy? I think I’ll have the beef.’

  She studied the menu. ‘The fish for me. Thanks.’ A whole evening with Jay Bond. Jeez. And a night. She still didn’t want to think about that bit. She’d have to slip into bed while he was in the bathroom. And despite all his promises, she’d be leaving her underwear and T-shirt on. ‘Thanks for coming for me, Jay.’

  He smiled at her and again she understood the force of the charm he could exert. The lines of his face were sculpted and sharp, his mouth shapely, his face perfectly symmetrical, his hair thick and beautifully cut. In the flickering flame of the candle on their table, he looked very attractive indeed. Funny that. How you could be dining with the most handsome guy north of the Border and still not fancy him one bit?

  ‘That’s a nice scarf.’

  Daisy had looped Lizzie’s red creation round her neck. Its folds fell softly below her chin and the ends draped in long tendrils down her back. ‘It’s not really my colour.’

  ‘It suits you.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘What do you think of the paper now?’

  ‘What? Sorry …’ The question took her by surprise.

  ‘Do you think it’s improved?’

  Daisy gulped. What could she say? She thought of Sharon. ‘Do something, Daisy.’ She thought of Jack. ‘Talk to him. Be honest.’ When would she ever get another opportunity like this? And Christ knows, her job was on the line. What did she have to lose? On the other hand, she didn’t want to make things difficult for herself if they did manage to save the paper. Again, she felt paralysed by indecision.

  ‘You can be honest,’ said Jay, clearly catching her mood.

  ‘Well,’ she began cautiously, ‘yes and no.’

  He put down the large menu and stared at her. What on earth was she doing? Criticising him would be sheer foolhardiness. He was her boss. She backtracked hastily. ‘I think Ben’s done a great job on the layout. And the headlines.’

  As her courage slipped, an image of Angus MacMorrow rose up in front of her. Angus, falling like a tree, shocked to death by the threat of closure. Angus, who’d taught her so much and been so passionate about the Herald. She owed it to him, she owed it to all of them at the paper. To Ruby, who’d obviously loved the old reprobate. To dear Sir Cosmo, who relied on the horoscopes to allow him to come in and drool over Sharon. To Murdoch, who deserved better than to be made redundant just before the end of his career. To young Dave, who wasn’t experienced enough to find another job easily. To herself, damn it. And to all the people of Hailesbank, who were missing the news of the clubs and societies that made up the beating heart of the town.

  ‘But on the other hand …’ she started. And by the time the wine came, a few minutes later, she felt as though she’d written her own dismissal.

  The waiter splashed the rich ruby liquid into Jay’s glass. He swirled it around, inhaled, and nodded. ‘It’s fine,’ he said. ‘Which is more than my editorship is, it appears,’ he added to Daisy.

  ‘There’ve been lots of good ideas, Jay,’ she said, belatedly trying to sugar the pill, ‘and we appreciate you’re trying to bring up the standards. I know we’d all got a bit lazy in the last year or two while Angus was ill.’ She sighed. ‘That’s something none of us is proud of. It’s just that it isn’t really the best time to be experimenting with new ideas. With the threat of closure hanging over us and all.’ She took a big swig from her glass. There. She’d said her piece, just as she’d promised Sharon and as Jack had suggested. For better or … ‘What’s wrong?’

  Jay’s jaw had slackened and his eyes had grown round. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘Which bit? The club news? The horoscopes?’

  ‘About closure.’

  ‘That’s what killed Angus. I think so anyway. He was reading the letter from the Chairman when he had his heart attack.’

  ‘Letter?’

  ‘About the proposed closure.’ She remembered what Jack had said – ‘Does he know?’ But it was unbelievable that he would not know. ‘Surely you were told?’

  ‘Are you telling me that The Hailesbank Herald is being threatened with closure?’

  So he really hadn’t known. That seemed unfair. Surely someone coming into a new job should be told about something as critical as that?

  ‘I don’t believe it. Just wait till I see Uncle Oliver.’

  Uncle Oliver? At last she made the connections. Sir Oliver Wyndham, Chairman of the Board of the Havering Group of Newspapers. Uncle Oliver. It explained how Jay had arrived so speedily in the post after Angus’s death. It explained the smart car – a small sop, no doubt, for what was likely to be a very short-term job. And it explained how Jay had managed to land the post despite leaving Channel 69 under a cloud.

  ‘What did the letter say, Daisy? Tell me. Tell me exactly.’

  The fish was delicious. She hadn’t realised just how hungry she was. The wine was the best she’d ever tasted. And Jay Bond, once they’d let down the defences between them, turned out to be far more approachable than she’d ever imagined he could be.

  ‘About Sharon,’ she ventured, dipping her spoon in the delicious pudding and sucking a small mouthful off the end of it. To hell with the healthy diet. She’d earned this treat.

  His face stilled. ‘What about Sharon?’

  ‘She … she really likes you, you know.’

  Jay laid down his spoon on his plate. His chocolate crepe was only half eaten.<
br />
  ‘You know I’m married,’ he said.

  Daisy blushed. They had known, of course. He saw it at once. ‘And I guess you also know about my ignominious departure from Channel 69.’ Her blush deepened. ‘I guess I’d be rather disappointed if you hadn’t done your research. You are journalists, after all.’ He finished his crepe quickly, set his spoon down again, and went on, ‘I’d like to put the record straight. The newspaper reports were overblown, as you might expect from the redtops concerned. I’m not an addict, Daisy. I was mad to take drugs in the studio before going on air. But everyone did it, you know. A couple of snorts sets you up, focuses the mind, gives you an edge, sparkle, confidence. At least, that’s what it feels like.’

  He glanced at Daisy. She tried to look non-judgemental.

  ‘That was all it was,’ he went on, ‘Unfortunately, I got caught. The channel didn’t like it. My wife didn’t like the subsequent publicity and I found myself out of my lovely home on my ear, no job, amazingly few friends, and a marriage on the rocks. I tried everything, but I was getting nowhere, fast. In the end, I had to resort to calling Uncle Oliver and he sent me up here. He gave me a chance – or so I thought.’

  He paused and held Daisy’s gaze.

  ‘By the way, for the record, I’m still in love with my wife.’

  That was plain enough. Sharon wouldn’t be happy, but she couldn’t accuse Daisy of not trying on her behalf. The fate of The Herald, though, was another matter. Maybe she could do something about that.

  ‘Jay,’ she began slowly.

  ‘Daisy?’

  ‘Could we all try together? To save The Herald I mean? I’m sure if we all put our heads together, we could turn things around.’

  Jay picked up his glass. ‘There’s nothing I would like better. Let’s drink to success.’

  ‘To success.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  By morning, the temperature had risen, the blizzard had turned into rain, and most of the snow had disappeared. It was hard to believe that the day before had been so wintry. Back in Hailesbank, Daisy had to go straight to her first assignment. She parked her rescued car near the office and met Sharon at a bleak-looking warehouse across the river.