“Wait, Carly. Slow down. You mean a reporter called here about the video?”
“Si, es verdad.”
She must really be upset. It took me a second to translate, and in that second my father stepped out of the sitting room. “Lindsay, may I have a word?”
With Carly blocking his view of my face, I crunched my eyes shut. Argh! I did not need this now. “Dad, it’s not a very good time.”
“You’ll have to make it a good time, then. In the library, please.”
Crapcrapcrap.
The last time I’d been summoned to the library, which was his formal study and not just the place in the kitchen corridor where he paid the estate bills, it had been over going to America for more than just the single term that St. Cecelia’s deemed sufficient to broaden one’s horizons. But I had plenty of other memories, most of them involving the wooden spoon that probably still lived in the bottom right-hand drawer of his desk.
“Sit.” He waved me into the cracked leather chair on one side of his desk, and he sank into the one behind it that was dented in the shape of his body. Or maybe it was his father’s body—or his granddad’s. The chair was so ancient, it was hard to tell. The dogs followed me in and lay on either side of him.
“Dad, this is all a mistake.”
“Which ‘this’ would that be?”
“Um. How many are there?”
“Let’s start with the most pressing. I’d like to know why I got a phone call from a reporter from the London Daily Mail while you were out. And why our Shani is locked in her room in tears. And why you were not about the place to explain any of these things.”
“Dad, I swear, it was all a huge mistake.”
“Yes, so you said. Things that reduce one’s friends to tears usually are.”
“I took a lot of video with the camera you gave me, and I made some clips. Sent them to people.” I swallowed. “I switched the clips by mistake and sent the wrong one to Carrie. She sent it to Anna Grange as a joke, and the band made a video of it.”
“According to London Calling, YouTube is also involved.”
“I know.” The clip had bubbled to the top at YouTube, which meant we were not just talking about a single celebumentary in the UK that would be forgotten with tomorrow’s scandal. We were talking about visibility to the whole planet. And that meant California. And Yasir.
“Go on.”
I dragged my horrified thoughts back to the immediate problem. “That’s it. That’s all there is. I was stupid and not paying attention, and the clip went to the wrong person.”
“That still doesn’t explain how I came to be harboring a fugitive princess. Nor does it explain why I wasn’t told about it.”
My hair, wet with snow and perspiration, slapped my cheeks as I shook my head. What a wreck I must look. No wonder Alasdair didn’t want to kiss me.
“She isn’t a princess. It’s all a misunderstanding. She was talking about being a Christian. The royal house of God and all that.”
He blinked at me like an owl over the scratched and ancient surface of his desk, and reached down to pat one of the dogs’ heads, as if for comfort. “Shani became a Christian four weeks ago? That’s what this is about?”
I nodded, relieved that he got it. “It’s like an in-joke with them. But taken out of context, misunderstood the way the band misunderstood… well, you can see what’s happened.”
He was silent for a moment before his focus sharpened on me. “Carrie sent the clip out, you said? Is that where you went?”
I nodded. “I tried to talk to her, but the upshot is, our friendship is over. She’s in this jealous fog that won’t let her see what she’s done. The girl I used to know is…” My voice trailed away. Gone? Outgrown? So self-centered she wasn’t sorry? All of the above?
“I’m sorry for that.”
I shrugged. “So am I.”
“So now what, Lindsay? How are you going to make this right?”
“Me?”
“You began it.”
“Dad, it was a simple mistake!”
“Aye. We all make mistakes, simple or complicated. But we do what we can to put them right.”
“Like you did with David Nelson?” Now I was the cat, lashing out with claws bared when I was cornered.
He flinched, as though I’d put a fist right into his solar plexus. “There was nothing I could do about that poor young man. He’s been diagnosed a sociopath, you know. Incapable of forming relationships, even if I’d wanted one after what he did to you.”
“That should come in handy in jail.”
“We’re not talking about my mistakes, Lindsay. We’re talking about what you’ll do about yours.”
“I don’t know. What d’you want me to do—field the calls from the reporters and explain?”
“No, goosey. I want you to go up to your friend Shani and tell her what you’ve told me.”
“I need to give her a day or so to cool down.” I could talk to her tomorrow, while we were cleaning and decorating and had work to distract us.
“No. You’ll do it tonight. The ball is Thursday, and half the guests will have seen London Calling. You need to have it resolved by then. That poor girl is going to need all of you to stand by her.”
What could I say? That an angry Shani was more than equal to it? Given a horde of reporters and a ballroom full of curious guests, I’d put my money on her any day.
“All right.” That was vague enough to make him let me go.
“See that you do it, lassie,” he said as I left. “You don’t have so many real friendships that you can afford to waste them.”
I set my jaw as I stalked down the corridor to the kitchen stairs. Hmph. What did he know? I had flocks of friends. But with them, I hadn’t made the kind of mistake that would provoke an international incident.
Not lately, anyway.
IF I DIDN’T GO to Shani and do as he asked, Dad would know about it by breakfast. He’d turn sad, disappointed eyes on me, and if there was anything I couldn’t stand, it was Dad’s disappointed face. Not that I hadn’t been on the receiving end of it a number of times. But do you like knowing you’ve let down the one person on earth who still thinks you’re the best thing that ever happened to him?
Right. I don’t, either.
I heard voices on the other side of the door when I knocked. They hushed immediately, which wasn’t a good sign.
“Shani? It’s Mac. Can I come in?”
“I’m in bed.” Her voice was muffled by the closed door.
“I need to talk to you.”
“You’ve done enough.”
“Shani, please. I don’t want to say this from out here in the corridor, but I will if you make me.”
Someone who wasn’t Shani murmured, and the door opened.
Gillian.
I brushed past her to see that Shani was in bed—or on it, at least. They’d been watching something on her Mac. “Did Danyel send a Happy New Year video?”
“That’s none of your business.”
I sighed. Okay. They weren’t going to make it easy for me. With a glance at Gillian, who was guarding the door like those dogs you see in pictures of Chinese temples, I said, “Can I have a word? In private?”
Gillian crossed her arms and stuck out a hip. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Must keep temper. “I’ve done nothing to hurt you.”
“That’s only a matter of time.” She held four fingers in the air. “So far you’ve ditched Lissa before you even knew her, put Carly in danger of a stalker and tried to steal her boyfriend, and now embarrassed Shani and gotten her into trouble in front of a whole country.” With all the fingers down, her hand made a fist. “I can only imagine what you’ve got in store for me.”
“I didn’t mean to do any of those things. And what’s this about ditching Lissa? That’s ridiculous.”
“She means when Lissa came here last year with Gabe, negotiating to use the house for a set,” Shani said. “You went off on your hor
se so you wouldn’t have to meet her. What happened to your horse, anyway?”
“She’s in winter stable.” I had to resolve this. Had to get my so-called friends back on my side. We had work to do. “And I have no memory of that day at all, if it even happened.”
“Are you calling us liars?” Gillian said with a dangerous glint in her eye. She glanced over my shoulder, as if judging the distance she’d have to throw me out the door.
“Don’t be dramatic. I came in here to apologize to Shani. I don’t need you mucking things up.”
“Me?” She really knew how to act the wronged maiden. Broadway didn’t know what it was missing. “I’m not the one dishing the accusations here.”
“For someone who’s supposed to be a Christian,” I shot back without missing a beat, “I’m not seeing any signs of forgiveness or understanding.”
Gillian flushed, but I couldn’t tell if it was from chagrin or fury. “There has to be repentance before there’s forgiveness.”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing, you carnaptious cow. What else do you think an apology is?”
“Stop it, you two.” Shani sounded exhausted. “I can’t stand it when my friends fight. Say what you came to say, Mac, so I can watch Danyel.”
Gee, how to make me feel utterly welcome. “I found out how London Calling got that princess video. I sent the wrong clip to my friend Carrie by mistake, and she put it up on YouTube. The band got hold of a copy and made a song out of it. The television people have an eye on things like the “most watched” lists, and that’s how it got on their radar.”
“It never left your computer, huh?” Gillian looked triumphant, as though she’d suspected it all along.
“It was a mistake. I’ve owned up to it, I’ve confronted Carrie about it, and now we’re not friends anymore.”
“No big loss.”
I hung onto my temper by a fraying thread. “Maybe not to you, but we’ve been tight since we were little. I’ve known that lot my whole life, and since I plan on spending the rest of it right here, losing her means losing a friend in my future, too.”
“You have us.”
I whirled to see Carly and Lissa in the doorway. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.” Carly crossed the carpet to give me a hug. “I’m sorry about Carrie.”
“I’m not,” Gillian told her. “Anyone who could sell a friend down the river for a few comments on YouTube doesn’t deserve her.”
“Are you always this merciless?” I asked.
“Only when people mess with my friends.” She propped her right hand, still fisted, on her hip.
“Are you including me in that number?” I demanded. “Do I need to apologize to you, too?”
“Ease up, Gillian.” Lissa took the fisted hand and shook it, and Gillian’s fingers loosened slowly. “We need to stick together on this one. Shani needs us all. Save this mad-on for when we really need it.”
“When would that be?” Carly wanted to know. “What do you think is going to happen?”
“I’d like to know that, too,” Shani said from the depths of the canopied four-poster. “Can I sue that band or something?”
Lissa shook her head. “That video was posted on a site that’s public domain.”
“But it was private. I could sue that Carrie girl, maybe.”
“What for?” I only sounded a little bitter. “Jealousy? Stupidity? Besides, she doesn’t have a bean to call her own. Her dad’s a grocer, for Pete’s sake.”
“Just a thought. Always looking out for a secondary income stream.” Shani subsided. “So go on about what might happen.”
“The tabs are already calling,” Lissa said. “I bet it won’t be long before they show up here.”
“I hope they don’t block the drive,” Carly said. “I’m expecting a lot of deliveries tomorrow.”
“You’ll be lucky if that’s all they do,” Lissa told her. “What if they disguise themselves as delivery people to get inside the house?”
Shani, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, slid over to sit on the edge of it, as if preparing to escape. “Great. Ambushed by caterers carrying Canons.”
“We have cannons,” I said helpfully. “In the armor room downstairs. Pistols, too, though I don’t think they’re loaded.”
Carly leaned over. “One n.”
“Oh.” Then a thought occurred to me. “Has anyone told Rashid?”
“What for?” Shani wanted to know. “It’s not like he’ll loan us Farrouk and Bashir to check people’s IDs at the gates.”
“No, I meant does he know this is happening, with the video and all?”
“I hope not,” Shani whispered. “I really, sincerely hope not.”
chapter 17
WE NEED to get serious here.”
We all looked at Carly. “This isn’t serious enough?” I demanded. “We’re covering every angle we can.”
“I don’t mean about that. I mean we need to clear everything up among ourselves first, and then we can move on and deal with the rest of it. And that means we pray.”
Lissa and Shani exhaled, as if this was the idea they’d been waiting for all along. Me, I wasn’t so sure. Especially with Gillian standing there looking like a single crosswise word would unleash Massively Cranky Warrior Woman, who would proceed to stomp me into the Turkish carpet.
“I’ll start,” Lissa said.
I blinked in surprise. Gillian always started things off at prayer circle, not Lissa. But maybe she needed to be prayed for tonight.
Maybe I did, too. As Lissa’s clear voice laid out the situation for the Lord, I closed my eyes and tried to—as she might say—go with the flow. Carrie’s little dig about my Christianity still hurt, like a paper cut on your finger that stings no matter what you try to do to protect it.
So, okay, maybe I wasn’t the kind of card-carrying Christian Carly was. Or Gillian on a normal day, when she wasn’t being a pit bull. But I’d been baptized right here in the house chapel, hadn’t I? I went to church with Dad when he gave me that look on a Sunday morning. I was a good person, fundamentally. Sometimes the externals didn’t match up, like when I was annoyed with people and treated them badly. And, yeah, I wasn’t above cribbing the answers to tests from my schoolmates if I could get away with it, or being seen with the right people at the right clubs even though I couldn’t stand them in real life.
Were those crimes? Would they get you kicked out of the Christian club? What did being a Christian mean, exactly? And more important, how was it going to help us now?
“Father, please put Your hands around Mac and Shani and Gillian tonight,” Carly said quietly. With a start, I realized Lissa had finished and I hadn’t heard a word she said. “We all need Your help to get us through the next few days, especially if we have to deal with reporters. Thank You for giving Shani a friend like Gillian, who really cares about her and wants to protect her. But thank You for giving her a friend like Mac, too. You’ve put her in the camera eye a lot, so she has experience with this kind of thing, just when we need it. She’s sorry she made a mistake, Lord. We all are. Help us to forgive each other so we can move on to helping Shani. Amen.”
Bless Carly. There was a reason all of us loved her. She was like the soft heart in the center of our group. The one who had the guts to keep things real and pointed in the right direction when they got all in a boorach, as the country people would say. A mess. Like now.
Shani’s prayer was a desperate mumble that I hoped the Lord heard, because I sure didn’t. I caught Rashid’s name, and our names, and that was about it.
Silence. Dead air.
That meant they were waiting either for me or for Gillian. When Gillian didn’t move or speak, I opened my mouth. Any prayer of mine would probably just bob uselessly about on the ceiling, but someone had to say something.
“Father, I know You’re not used to hearing from me,” I said awkwardly. “About me, yeah. But from me, no. So if You can find it in Your h
eart to listen, here’s what I need. I need to be friends with Gillian again. I need to help Shani, since I bunged everything up in the first place.” My lips began to tremble, and I tried to rush words through them. “And I need You to know these girls are the best friends I could ever have. If it’s You that’s put me in their way, then thank You.” My voice began to spiral out of control and I knew I wouldn’t last. “Please help them all forgive me. Amen.”
Silence.
Sniffle.
Gulp. Sniffle-sniffle.
More silence.
And then I was engulfed by a pair of strong arms and a cloud of Vera Wang perfume. “Forgive me for not trusting you, and for being such a mo guai nuer,” Gillian said in my ear, and burst into tears.
To this day, I don’t know if she was speaking to me or to God.
But it doesn’t matter one bit, does it? Because both of us heard. And did.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Date: December 30, 2009
Re: Please explain
My heart’s blood, the most disturbing news has reached us here in Italy. I received a note in my personal e-mail correspondence begging me to look at a segment of an English television programme ( www.londoncalling.co.uk/episodes/cgiset=12-29-09).
You cannot imagine how astonished your father and I feel. My precious one, is it possible? Of course it cannot be. It is a slander by that pathetic girl who disobeys her parents’ wishes and plays fast and loose with her loss and your exalted position.
We must, however, see you and hear it from your own lips. Please present yourself here at the palazzo tomorrow by the dinner hour. The royal jet is leaving Roma at this moment to collect you in Yasir.
I will be desolate until we see one another again.
Your affectionate
Mama
“I’VE NEVER SEEN anything like this,” Carly breathed, pausing in the open double doors of the ballroom. “It’s like something out of a movie.”
I couldn’t help but feel a glow of pride in the old place as I gathered up the packaging from the twinkle lights. According to custom, all the rubbish had to be put outside in the dustbin before midnight on this last day of the year, so I needed to keep up. At four o’clock on New Year’s Eve it was already dark outside, which only made the pretty lights more effective. We’d decided to keep things fairly simple, given the late notice, and I had to admit that delegating the room design to Lissa had been a smart move on my part.
Tidings of Great Boys Page 15