by Susan Lewis
Skye paused for a moment, then shook her head. ‘There’s no way he’ll just turn up here,’ she decided. ‘How would he explain it to your mum?’
‘I don’t know, unless he brings Nadia with him. She’s joined us on holiday loads of times in the past.’
Seeing there really might be a problem brewing, Skye said, ‘Look, if you’re definitely not interested . . .’
‘Are you kidding? How can you even say that?’
‘. . . then tell him to drop dead, or fuck off. That should do it.’
Only wishing it would, Tierney gazed down at her mobile, feeling so worried and wretched she could hardly make herself think. In the end, she decided she had to tell Skye about the photos, otherwise she would never understand why the situation was so serious.
By the time she’d finished her admission she had Skye’s full attention.
‘OMG,’ Skye murmured, ‘the sneaky bastard.’
‘He hasn’t threatened to show anyone, or anything,’ Tierney quickly assured her, ‘but the way he keeps sending them to me . . .’
‘Let me see,’ Skye interrupted, holding out a hand for the phone.
‘No way! Anyway, I’ve erased them, and somehow I’ve got to make him do the same.’
Skye didn’t deny it. ‘The trouble is,’ she said, ‘he’s obviously really getting off on them, so . . .’
‘I don’t need to hear that,’ Tierney cried. ‘I just want you to tell me what to do.’
After giving the matter some careful consideration, Skye said, ‘How about you turn the tables on him? If you threaten to tell your dad . . .’
‘Are you out of your mind?’
‘I don’t mean actually tell him, but if you say you’re going to . . .’
‘He’ll know there’s no way I’d do that.’
Skye thought again. ‘Tell you what, if he does turn up here I’ll deal with him. I’m probably more his type anyway, given all the stuff he’s into . . .’
‘Skye, this isn’t a joke. If I don’t do what he wants he might turn nasty.’
‘I’m trying to help you here,’ Skye insisted crossly.
‘And you think shagging him is going to do that?’ Turning away in frustration, Tierney pressed the phone to her head and tried not to cry.
‘Listen,’ Skye said, coming to give her a hug, ‘think about this sensibly. There’s no way in the world he’s ever going to show those pictures around. It would be the end of him if he did, because everyone would want to know how he got them.’
‘He could say someone sent them to him.’
Skye was shaking her head. ‘Then they’ll want to know who it was, and when they find out there’s no one they’ll realise it was him who took them. OK, it won’t look good for you, but it’ll look a whole lot worse for him.’
Seeing how that could be true, Tierney wiped away her tears as some of her tension ebbed.
‘Don’t worry,’ Skye said gently, ‘we can handle this. It’ll all be fine, I promise.’
Chapter Seventeen
‘I THINK YOU’D better take a look at this,’ Stacy said, carrying her laptop from her bedroom into the kitchen where Lainey, still in her nightie, was wrestling with the coffee machine.
Lainey looked up and immediately wished she hadn’t moved her head so quickly. Having stayed late at dinner with Adriana and Lorenzo last night, she really wasn’t feeling her best this morning. ‘What is it?’ she asked, stifling a yawn. ‘God, how much did we have to drink last night? No, don’t answer that. How come you’re up so early?’
‘It’s gone ten o’clock,’ Stacy pointed out, though she too was still in her nightie. ‘I thought I’d work from home this morning, i.e. bed, and when I went online to check my emails Diana had sent me a link to this.’
Feeling the onset of unease crawling through her hangover, Lainey took the computer and went to sit down. The small headline on page nine of the tabloid leapt out at her, turning her hot and cold. Trouble at Hollingsworth Hall? (This was how some of the tabloids referred to Bannerleigh Cross.)
With a horrible tightening in her chest she scanned the short paragraph, as though only skimming the words would somehow make their detail less real. However, there was no escaping their ugly intrusion into her life, so taking the coffee Stacy was handing her she returned to the beginning and read more carefully.
When news reached us that Tom Hollingsworth had recently moved out of the family home we couldn’t have been more surprised. This was a marriage that had always seemed rock-solid from the outside, however, sources tell us that Lainey, Hollingsworth’s wife of 16 years and mother of two of his children, is devastated by the break-up and has gone away for a while to try and come to terms with it. Nadia Roundtree, Hollingsworth’s literary agent, said yesterday, ‘I am not aware of any kind of rift in Tom’s marriage. It’s not unheard of for Lainey to take the children away while Tom is finishing a book. I don’t think you should read anything into it.’
So we won’t, for now.
Feeling sick and angry, Lainey looked up as Stacy came to sit with her. ‘Where the hell did they get this?’ she snapped. ‘And anyway, it’s wrong. He hasn’t moved out . . . Or not that I know of.’ Her heart was pounding with dread. What if he’d waited for her to leave before coming to collect his things?
‘How could he have done that without your Aunt Daffs knowing?’ Stacy protested when Lainey voiced her fear. ‘Think about it sensibly. If he’s been there packing you can be absolutely certain she’d have told you.’
Of course she would have, and besides, Tom would never be so underhand. He wasn’t a coward . . .
She’d never thought he was a liar and a cheat before, either.
‘You know the gossip columnist’s maxim,’ Stacy was reminding her, ‘never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.’
Lainey shot to her feet, hot tears scalding her eyes. Why was this happening? Why couldn’t she escape it, even here? Yesterday had been so wonderful, picnicking with Marco, exploring Montepulciano, dining with his family last night. Now, this morning, it was as though the world was mocking her, forcing her to remember what a mess her life really was and how very much she was hurting. ‘He hasn’t even rung,’ she said angrily.
‘He might not have seen it yet,’ Stacy pointed out.
Lainey waved a dismissive hand, as though trying to detach herself. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she declared. ‘Let’s try to forget it. I ought to go and check on the girls, make sure Skye isn’t still mad at me after last night.’
Sighing, Stacy said, ‘What the heck was the girl thinking? I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw her come out of the pool house. None of us could.’
Shuddering simply to recall the shocking vision of Skye stalking towards them in a swimsuit cut so low at the front it might have exposed her pubic hair if she had any, and almost totally revealing her boobs, Lainey wasn’t sure whether she wanted to groan or give in to her hangover and throw up. Almost as bad was the scene that had followed, when she’d leapt from her chair and pushed the girl back into the pool house.
‘What on earth do you think you’re doing?’ she’d hissed. ‘You’re making a complete exhibition of yourself. Now either take it off and put on a proper swimsuit, or get dressed, but you’re . . .’
‘You can’t tell me what to wear,’ Skye had protested angrily.
‘I can while you’re in my care, so do as you’re told or get in the car and we’ll all go home.’
Skye glared at her mutinously.
‘Is that what you want,’ Lainey challenged, ‘to ruin a lovely evening for everyone? Because that’s what’s going to happen if you don’t make yourself decent right now.’
Whatever Skye had muttered in response Lainey hadn’t caught, though she was sure it was something about her being jealous and out of touch. Well, Skye could tell herself that if she wanted to – what concerned Lainey far more was the kind of influence the girl could be having on Tierney.
Lovely, something else
to worry about along with everything else.
How much worse is it going to get?
Don’t even go there with the suspicion of Tierney being involved with a married man, it can’t be real, I simply won’t allow it. Nevertheless she had to find a way of broaching it with Tierney again, just to be certain.
‘Lainey, are you in here?’ Max said groggily as he came in through the door. He was another who’d had more than a skinful last night, though thank goodness he hadn’t become aggressive or obnoxious. He’d simply hit more than his usual number of bum notes on the guitar, and managed to knock a glass of wine all over himself.
Would the Stefanis ever want to entertain them again?
‘I’m here,’ Lainey said, as Max peered through his sunglasses, trying to find her.
Spotting her in a shaft of sunlight he said, ‘Ah, right. Daffs just rang. She’s trying to get hold of you, she said, but you’re not picking up.’
Lainey’s heart contracted. Please God Aunt Daffs wasn’t about to confirm what it was saying in the paper.
Remembering that she’d turned her phone off on the way to the Stefanis last night (to try to stop herself hoping for a call from Tom), she went to dig it out of her bag. If he had tried contacting her this morning he wouldn’t have been able to get through, which was small comfort when he could easily have done what Aunt Daffs had and rung one of the children.
Sensing Max’s eyes on her as she waited for her phone to fire up, she attempted to give him a smile. Why was he looking so much like his father this morning? Why was his mere presence making her heart beat faster and harder?
‘Are you OK?’ he asked.
She was about to say she was fine, when she found she couldn’t, and turning to the laptop, she pushed it towards him. ‘You might want to read that,’ she said, and leaving him to it she went out on to the terrace to call Daffs.
‘Sorry,’ she said as soon as she heard her aunt’s voice. ‘I had my phone turned off. Is everything all right?’
Sounding as breezy as ever, Daffs replied, ‘Yes, sweetheart, everything’s fine with us, I was just a bit concerned about you when I couldn’t get through.’
‘We’re all OK, don’t worry. How’s Dad this morning?’
‘The same as usual, just about to go for a walk with Sherman, as soon as he’s finished his breakfast.’ She ran on almost seamlessly, ‘So how’s the search going for your mother’s family? Any luck yet?’
‘Some,’ Lainey admitted, ‘but there’s still a way to go. Have you . . .?’ She tensed as Max suddenly shouted, ‘Fucking bastards!’
‘Oh dear,’ Daffs murmured. ‘Was that Max?’
‘I’m afraid so. I probably ought to go and talk to him, but before I do, have you – have you seen anything of Tom since we left?’
‘No, dear, he hasn’t been here. I expect he’s engrossed in his book, down there at his friend’s place in Cornwall.’
‘I’m sure you’re right,’ Lainey smiled, wanting to hug her aunt for confirming that Tom hadn’t packed up and left behind her back.
After ringing off, she stayed where she was, gazing out over the valley, so peaceful and perfect, trying to stop her emotions getting the better of her. It seemed so wrong to be here without him, so unsettling and strange, especially when it was a place for romance, laughter, love . . . Not for trying to deal with betrayal, and all the heartache and lies that came with it.
Checking her phone as it rang, her heart jolted when she saw it was him. She allowed it to ring several times before finally clicking on.
‘At last,’ he exclaimed accusingly. ‘Where have you been? Did you get my messages?’
So he had rung. It should have made her feel better, but somehow it didn’t. ‘Not yet,’ she replied, ‘but I’ve seen an online version of today’s paper if that’s why you’re calling.’
‘I tried ringing last night,’ he ranted on. ‘Where were you, for God’s sake?’
‘With friends.’ The words felt oddly like a door closing. This was the first time since they’d been together that she’d had friends he didn’t know.
‘I thought something had happened when you didn’t pick up,’ he told her. ‘I’ve been worried out of my mind.’
‘Then why didn’t you call one of the children?’
‘I was about to if you hadn’t answered now.’ Taking a moment to get himself in better check, he said, ‘So you’ve seen the piece . . .’
‘I just told you I did. How did they find out?’
‘I’ve no idea. Please tell me it wasn’t from you.’
She gasped. Incensed, she cried, ‘How dare you even think it, never mind say it?’ and before he could utter another word she cut the line dead. ‘Jesus Christ,’ she seethed, as tears rushed to her eyes.
‘Was that him?’ Max growled from the doorway.
Lainey nodded, keeping her head down
Coming to slip an arm round her shoulders, he said, ‘Forget the bastard. He’s a waste of fucking space.’
Too upset to wish he wouldn’t swear, Lainey had to turn away. His male scent was so much like his father’s.
‘What are you going to do?’ he asked.
She could only shrug.
‘The others are up and about,’ Stacy cautioned, coming out to join them. ‘I was wondering if you wanted Tierney and Zav to see the piece?’
Lainey’s eyes moved to Max. ‘I suppose Tierney should,’ she said uncertainly.
He nodded. ‘I don’t think Zav needs to, yet.’
Agreeing with that, she accepted the tissues Stacy was offering and dried her eyes. ‘I should go and shower,’ she said. ‘What are we meant to be doing today, can anyone remind me?’
Glancing at his watch, Max said, ‘Brett and Ricky should be here in about an hour. Some mates of theirs are in Siena today. They’ve invited me and the girls to tag along, but we don’t have to go . . .’
‘No, carry on with your plans,’ Lainey insisted. ‘I’ll take the boys to Assisi.’
Looking awkward, Stacy said, ‘I think you arranged for them to go sailing with the Stefani children today.’
Recalling the conversation through the fog of last night, Lainey agreed, ‘You’re right, I did. Was I supposed to be going too?’
‘I’m not sure. I didn’t hear that bit. Do you want me to ring and find out?’
Lainey gave it some thought and nodded. ‘Yes, if you wouldn’t mind, and if I am meant to be going can you say I’ve got a headache – which won’t surprise them – so would it be all right if the boys came without me?’
‘That means you’ll be here on your own,’ Stacy objected. ‘I’m meeting Lorenzo today to talk olive oil, but I could always cancel . . .’
‘No, no, don’t do that,’ Lainey came in quickly. ‘I’ll be fine, honestly,’ and deciding to leave her phone on the table she took herself off to her bathroom.
As soon as the door was closed she began sobbing. She’d been trying so hard to hold on, to be strong for the children and for herself, but hearing him so angry on the phone, knowing he must be worried for Kirsten far more than for her, was tipping her over the edge. And how could he have thought she’d contact the paper herself?
It was so awful, so devastating, everything she treasured falling apart like this, that she just couldn’t bear it. Nothing mattered without him, not who she was, why she was here, or even what her future might be.
Unable to catch her breath, she leaned over the sink and turned on the taps. She didn’t want anyone to hear what a state she was in. She needed to get herself under control, force herself into the shower and back out there to face the world. The mere thought of it was making her cry even harder. She couldn’t cope with this; she was going to pieces. She wanted her father so badly she hardly knew what to do. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t himself any longer, he was still the only person in the world who could put an arm around her and make her feel as though she was special, and right now she needed that more than she ever had before.
&n
bsp; ‘Do you reckon I should go and apologise to your mum?’ Skye was asking as Tierney came back to their room.
‘No, she’s really upset at the moment,’ Tierney told her, feeling close to tears herself after standing at her mum’s bedroom door and hearing how hard she was crying. She’d stayed there for ages, wondering if she should go in, but for some reason she hadn’t felt able to. ‘There’s stuff in the paper today about her and Dad breaking up,’ she said, staring at nothing as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
‘Oh no, that really sucks,’ Skye responded sympathetically. ‘At least my mum never had to deal with anything like that. I guess it’s what happens when you’ve got a famous dad.’
Tierney didn’t reply. She was barely even listening. If Brett and Ricky hadn’t already turned up she’d have gone downstairs to chat to Max, but she couldn’t say anything in front of them. Actually, she wouldn’t have minded going in to have a little cuddle with Zav, but he hadn’t seen the piece on Stacy’s laptop yet, so if she did he’d think she was weird.
So she was stuck here with Skye.
Though she felt horribly guilty about wishing Skye would go home, she couldn’t help thinking it would be better if she did. For one thing she, Tierney, wouldn’t have to worry about what might happen when Christie turned up next week, presuming she was going to. And for another, Maudie might be able to fly out and take Skye’s place. Both her parents really liked Maudie – not that her dad counted any more, and as far as she was concerned he never would now.
However, she still had to sort out what to do about Guy, because if he did turn up here she was depending on Skye to help get rid of him.
‘Did you hear what I said?’ Skye asked, turning to find out if Tierney was listening.
‘What?’
‘I asked what they’re saying in the paper about your rents.’
Tierney’s mouth turned dry as her nails dug into her palms. At least they hadn’t mentioned the other woman and Julia, but they would once they found out and then the whole world would know that her parents were breaking up because her dad had gone off with another woman.
‘Was it bad?’ Skye prompted.