Rescuing Rose (38 page)

'Nothing, except that you said she'd been trashed all over the papers. '

'Well, she has. '

'But she's got plenty to compensate her I'd say. '

What on earth was she talking about?

'I'm sorry, I don't understand. Her husband's left her, and she's been made to look ridiculous. '

'Aah, ' she said, 'the poor love. But her new single's still going to go into the charts at Number One on Sunday, so that'll make up for it. '

'Is it? How do you know?'

'Because the Midweek Chart comes out on Wednesday afternoons—I saw it three hours ago. It's based on sales from certain shops; and according to this week's chart, "Shame On You" is heading straight for the top. '

'Oh. I know nothing about pop music, ' I said. 'But, well, good luck to her. '

Claudia looked at me, through narrowed eyes. 'But don't you think that's interesting?'

'What?'

'That she's going to be at number one with this song, when her last single more or less bombed. '

'Interesting?' I looked at her blankly. 'I don't know what you mean. '

'I'll tell you what I mean. Two weeks before her new song's released, Electra gets saturation coverage, not just in the tabloids, where she'd expect it, but in the broadsheets as well. '

'Yes… ?'

'It's all a bit fishy don't you think? I mean, why the hell would Electra write to you about her problems?'

'Well, ' I said, bristling, 'because she said I give my readers
excellent
advice, that's why. '

'But didn't you find it
surprising
, that she'd confided in you?'

'Well… ye-es, I suppose I did. But on the other hand, she seemed genuinely desperate. '

'Oh she was, ' said Claudia. 'But not for advice about her personal life. That woman has an army of therapists so why on earth would she need you?' I felt the penny loosen, then slowly begin to drop.

'A friend of mine's writing an unauthorised biography of Electra, ' Claudia explained with another sip of champagne, 'so I know quite a lot. I think someone's been spinning, ' she concluded. 'Yeah… that's what I think. '

Ah
. Now I told her what Serena had said about having had a tip-off. Claudia's elegantly plucked eyebrows went up in a knowing way.

'But who would the tip-off have come from?' I said, staring at her, as I struggled to work it all out. 'Kiki Cockayne's boyfriend is very pissed off at being dumped. Maybe it came from him. '

'I doubt it, ' Claudia said. She took a packet of Marlboro Lights out of her bag. 'I think it came from her. '

I stared at her. 'But if Electra just wants publicity, ' I said wonderingly, 'then why on earth involve me? All she has to do is tip off the press herself about her relationship with Kiki, then bingo! The long lenses arrive. '

'I think it's more sophisticated than that, ' said Claudia, thoughtfully. A twin plume of smoke streamed from her elegant nostrils and she tossed back her head. 'You see by involving you in it, the story becomes much bigger, because you're well known too. And then the press keep going with it all week about the rights and wrongs of spilling your guts to an agony aunt, and whether or not an agony aunt's loyalty is to her readers or to her editor, and whether or not agony aunts should be professionally qualified and whether or not they give good advice. It gives it a variety of interesting angles, all of which lead back to Electra which guarantees that she stays in the public eye. '

'But how could they have known that I wouldn't just give her letter straight to my own editor, which is what some agony aunts
would
have done?'

'Well, it wouldn't have mattered to them if you had, because then they get the exclusive in the
Daily Post
. But this way it's so much better because it involves an attack by the
Daily News
on a columnist from its deadly rival, which adds hugely to the scoop's appeal. You've become a big part of this story, Rose. '

'Yes, ' I said bitterly, 'I know. '

'I guess they just knew that you wouldn't let on to your editor about Electra's letter. '

'Well it's true. The only time I'd ever breach a confidence is if I thought someone was putting themselves, or others, at risk. And I've publicly said that, many times, in the media interviews I've done. '

'So they decided to target your assistant instead. She didn't have as much to lose as you. She didn't have the fancy job and the nice salary; so she was tempted—and she cracked. ' I felt my lips purse up like my mother's used to, like a drawstring bag.

'She certainly did. '

'I love conspiracy theories, ' Claudia went on knowingly, 'and I think I know who's behind this. I can't prove it, of course, but you might want to try as you've lost your job. ' I heard the door bell ring again; it was late, people were beginning to leave.

'Who
is
it then?' I said.

'Well, in my opinion I think it's.

Suddenly I felt a subtle pressure on my elbow and turned to my left. I felt as though I'd fallen down a mineshaft. I was looking at Ed. In a nanosecond my pulse had accelerated from a steady, perfectly legal seventy, to a one hundred and thirty Ferrari burn.

'Rose, ' he said softly. I turned to Claudia, who was looking at Ed, slightly awe-struck, in the way that all women do.

'Claudia, ' I said, my heart beating so loudly I was worried she'd hear it, 'could I call you some time?'

'Sure. I've got to go now anyway, but, here… ' she opened her bag and handed me her business card. 'Give me a ring. '

'Rose, ' said Ed again. 'I… ' he shrugged with embarrassment, then smiled. 'You look very… well. In fact you look lovely, ' he added.

I stared at him, my legs trembling violently. Oh shit. Ed was so attractive; he eclipsed every other man in the room.

'Ed, ' I said with lethal civility. 'What a surprise. 'Blocks of protective ice shot up around me like the bricks of an igloo and I saw him flinch at the tone of my voice. 'I thought you weren't coming, ' I added pointedly with another sip of champagne.

'Well, ' he smiled guiltily, 'I've gate-crashed. I know I'm not meant to be here. ' I glanced around for Mary-Claire, and couldn't see her; but my eye lighted on Bella, who was looking aghast. 'I'm here on my own, ' he added, reading my mind.

'Oh. I see. And why's that?'

'Well, ' he shrugged again. 'I just am. ' How strange. Why wasn't that midget here? Maybe they were re-making
The Wizard of Oz
and she was busy playing one of the Munchkins. Or maybe there'd been an outbreak of swine fever in Putney and she wasn't feeling well.

'So why
have
you come?' I asked.

'Because, I, well, I simply wanted to, well… ' he cleared his throat, '… see you actually. '

'Oh, ' I said dismissively. 'How nice. ' I was so cold with him I was giving myself frostbite: I was also, to be honest, intrigued. 'But,
why
do you want to see me, Ed?' I asked pleasantly.

'Because you've had a very… hard time. It's really hurt me seeing you being attacked in the press. I, of all people, know how dedicated to your job you are, ' he said with a grim little laugh. 'So I just wanted to, well, offer you my support, that's all. '

'Oh. ' The warmth of his words was melting my igloo and large puddles were forming at my feet. 'Well… thanks. But then why didn't you just ring me up?'

'Because I don't have your number. '

'But you know where I work. '

'That's true. But I thought you might not want to speak to me. When I first got the invitation for tonight, I was amazed; and I thought you must have asked the twins to invite me. And that made me feel so happy, Rose, because, well… ' he sighed. 'Well… ' he tried again.

'Yes?'

'I've… missed you. '

'Ah. '

'In fact, ' he murmured urgently, as though he were in some distress, 'I can't stop thinking about you. ' By now my igloo had become a small lake, and I was trying desperately to stay afloat. 'Then I got Bella's messages asking me not to turn up, ' Ed went on, 'and I realised I'd made a mistake. I know I shouldn't have come, and I'm sorry, but the fact is, I just wanted to
see
you again. Face to face. '

I was going to need sunglasses at this rate. But I decided I wasn't going to make it too easy for him. And I was just about to launch into some chilly little speech about how grateful I was for his generous sentiments, when he suddenly added, 'well, that's all I came to say really. Goodbye. ' And with that he kissed me on the cheek, then went up to the twins, congratulated them, gave me a sad little smile, and left. I stood, staring after him, as he walked down the street, still aware of the light pressure of his lips on my face. I glanced around at the crowd. Henry was making a fuss of Trevor; Theo was talking to Bev, then the twins extricated themselves from their respective conversations and came up to me.

'Rose, ' Bea breathed, her eyes like saucers. 'Are you okay?'

'Ye-es, ' I lied. 'I'm fine. I… well, it was rather strange, ' I added faintly. In fact it was an emotional hit and run.

'At least he didn't stay long, ' Bella observed. 'That was decent of him. '

'What did he want?' asked Bea. What
did
he want? I looked at her.

'I don't really know. He said he just wanted to tell me that he'd been thinking of me with all this crap I've had in the press. '

'And where was
she
?'

'Good question. '

'Maybe he's dumped her, ' said Bella. My heart lifted suddenly.

'Yes, maybe he has, ' said Bea. 'Not that you'd want him back, Rose. That would be disastrous. '

'Er, yes, ' I said. 'It would. Anyway, er, it's been great, but I think I'll go home now. '

Henry was on his way out, making some excuse to Bea. He gave me a friendly wave goodbye. Theo and Beverley said that they were happy to go, too; and as we trundled back to Camberwell in the cab I was aware that Theo was staring at me.

'Are you all right, Rose?' he asked as we chugged through the streets of south London. I glanced out of the window.

'I'm fine. It was just a bit weird speaking to my husband for the first time in six months. 'Beverley reached out and squeezed my hand. 'Why is it, ' I asked, in a voice so faint, I hardly recognised it as my own, 'that it's always at the very, very moment when you finally think you've got over someone, that they come back into your life?'

'What did he say?' Beverley asked.

'He said… ' I began. 'He said that he can't stop thinking about me. '

'Oh. ' As the cab stopped, and Theo pulled down the ramp, Ed's words spun through my head again like the 'zipper' line at the bottom of the screen on CNN.
I've missed you, Rose… wanted to see you again… talk to you, face to face
. I paid the driver as Theo helped Beverley inside then lifted up the catch on my gate.

'You're such a nightmare to live with!' No, Ed hadn't said that. 'You're a mess!' No, he hadn't said that either, I reflected. He'd only said nice, kind things.

'You're always working, Rose. No, I won't clear that up!' What the—? I looked at the doorstep. There was something standing on it. It was large and square and covered with a black bin liner which had two large slashes in the side.

'Betrayed of Barnsley!' I heard. 'Depressed of Dagenham!' I gingerly lifted the bin liner, and there, staring beadily up at me, was Rudy.

'Rudy!' I breathed. 'Thank God. ' And now as I opened the front door and took him inside, I could see a note attached to the cage.

Dear Rose
, it said in thick hb pencil,
(we assume that's your name). Sorry, but we just couldn't stick it with this bird. All the awful rows gave us the hump. We've got a lot of simpathy for Ed actually. He sounds like a pretty desent sort of bloke. Yours truly, the burglars
.

My indignation at their impertinence was swept away by my relief. 'Oh it's so nice to see you again, Rudy, ' I said ecstatically. 'You can talk as much as you like. Rudy's back!' I shouted to Theo as he came into the kitchen. 'He's been returned!'

I looked in his cage—it was beautifully clean and freshly newspapered, and there was water in his bowl. A half apple lay on the floor, and a couple of large black grapes. As Theo helped me put the cage back in its place, my head reeled. What a night. I'd been told that the Electra affair was a publicity stunt, and my stolen mynah had been returned. Strangest of all, my soon-to-be-ex-husband had unexpectedly turned up and been affectionate and charming to me.
I can't stop thinking about you
. That's what he'd said I remembered as I went up to bed.
I can't stop thinking about you
. Oh. Can't Stop Thinking About You. CSThnkAU.