What’s Carol doing here? Natalie’s cottage is on the other side.
I watch her carefully. Something about her manner is completely different to usual.
I’m used to seeing Carol running around after Natalie, like a dogsbody.
But now, she looks upright, confident and full of self-assurance.
I can’t hear what she’s saying, but the tone of her voice is different too. It
positively rings with authority, like an executive doing business.
What a transformation
. Is it just because Natalie isn’t around?
Carol
reaches the door of my cottage.
Then
she slows, looks left, right. And then straight in my direction.
I’m frozen to the spot, and she stares at me. Her face flashes with guilt.
We both stand for a moment, like rabbits caught in the headlights. And then I break the deadlock and breeze towards her, aiming to appear as though I think nothing is out of the ordinary.
“Carol.
Hi,” I say, walking towards her and aiming for a casual tone. “Did you need me for something?”
My mind is whirling, trying to catch up with what I’ve just seen.
Was she about to go into my cottage?
“Oh,
hello, Issy. I’m arranging some things for Natalie.”
As she speaks, Carol seems to collapse into her old subordinate self. Her shoulders sag, and her voice
quavers a little.
“Ok. I’m just picking up a sweater.” I walk past her and push open the door to my cottage.
I’m keeping my voice light, but we both know I’ve seen something I shouldn’t.
“Yes, it is a lot cooler
in England than Barcelona,” replies Carol. She waves her hand. “I’ll see you later, Isabella.”
As I duck into my cottage, my heart is pounding.
What does this mean? Was she snooping for information? Is Carol the leak?
I have no real evidence to suspect her. But I’ve no other reason to attribute to her strange behaviour either.
I grab a sweater, trying to work through what I’ve seen. It occurs to me suddenly, that if Carol is the leak, she could even be dangerous. What if she’s waiting outside for me, desperate to make sure I don’t report her suspicious behaviour?
I take out my mobile phone.
No reception
. Damn. My previous affection for the countryside evaporates instantly. I can’t call James and tell him what I’ve seen.
I stare at the cottage door for a long moment, before deciding I don’t have a choice.
I can’t cower in here indefinitely. Taking a deep breath, I open the door and step out quickly.
Outside
is green lawns, stone cottages, and nothing else. Carol seems to have completely vanished.
Momentarily relieved,
I set off at a jog for the meeting place. I need to tell James about what I just saw. As soon as possible.
By the time I arrive, James has already gathered everyone together and begun speaking.
Crap. I can hardly interrupt him.
I try and calm myself.
James told you Berkeley Estate was secure. It’s not like press can get in here.
This makes me feel slightly better. When James has finished speaking, I can tell him
about Carol’s suspicious behaviour.
“Thank you all for coming at short notice,” James is saying.
The crew and actors make up around thirty people, and I see that Natalie is one of them. Carol isn’t here.
I catch sight of Callum and Will, but they’re too near the front for me to join. The hair and make-up girls are also in the group. And I recognise David, the props handler.
“I’m sure by now,” adds James, “you know what’s been going on.”
There is an uncomfortable shifting, in the atmosphere of the assembled people. I hear some whisper words like ‘leak’ and ‘press’.
“Someone has been calling the press with information,” continues James. “And the information they are supplying could be very damaging. To all of us.”
His eyes flare at this last part, and then his voice softens.
“I don’t need to tell most of you that you are a family to me,” he continues. “We have worked together for years. And I truly value you. I can hardly believe that someone would betray that trust.”
A hush descends on the group.
“I know that whoever is responsible is here in front of me now,” continues James.
They might not be!
I want to scream.
Ask Natalie where Carol is!
James catches my eye, and I see a flicker of confusion pass over his handsome features.
“I’m not asking you to confess in front of everyone,” he continues. “But I do ask, that whoever is making these leaks, is decent enough to tell me.”
His green eyes are full of sincerity.
“I value each and every one of you,” he says. “And I ask that whoever has made the leaks, understand that they’re jeopardising a lot for everyone here.”
He looks down at his hands for a moment, and then
back at the group.
“Thank you,” he concludes. “We’ll now have an actor
’s meeting as planned. Anyone who wants to talk can find me afterwards.”
As soon as James is finished talking, the small crowd begins talking animatedly amongst themselves. I wonder what effect James’s words had. Certainly, it seems as though the crew feel real loyalty to him.
Many look positively furious that someone is leaking to the press.
I move determinedly towards him. I want to run. But I can’t risk that I might look suspiciously over familiar.
As I approach, I see that Will is already talking to James, and I have to wait a maddening few moments for their conversation to end.
Then Will drifts away, and I move quickly towards James.
“James!”
“Issy?” James lowers his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Carol,” I hiss, breathlessly
. “Natalie’s assistant. I saw her snooping around my cottage. I think she could be the leak.”
James’s face darkens.
“When did you see this?”
“Just now. Just before this meeting.”
James’s face sets sternly.
“Thank you for telling me,” he says, after a moment. “We have the actor’s meeting now
, Issy. I’d be grateful if you would join the others in the ballroom as planned.”
“But…” I am baffled by his tone. Is he going to track Carol down?
“I’ll be with you shortly,” he adds, firmly.
I open my mouth, and shut it again. Maybe this is all part of some master plan. I don’t know. So I’ve no alternative but to seek out Callum and drift towards the actor’s meeting place.
Chapter
34
“Do you think the leak will reveal themselves?” asks Callum as we navigate the corridors to find the large ballroom.
“I don’t know,” I say. “The crew seem very loyal to James. But then again, whoever’s leaking has already proved themselves disloyal.”
“I thought it was rather touching,” says Callum, “that James is asking for the leak to consult their own conscience. It’s an old fashioned approach, for sure,” he adds. “But it’s the mark of James, as a man, that he would try that route.”
I’m considering this as we enter the ballroom.
It might be a testimony to James’s character, but I don’t know how effective it will be in uncovering the leak.
To
our great surprise, Natalie is already seated inside. She looks frail and vulnerable in the enormous room. And once again, I feel myself entertain feelings other than annoyance towards her.
“Hey
, Natalie,” I say, waving my hand.
“Hey,” she replies.
Callum and I take our seats. And we all sit in troubled silence.
I
t’s only a few moments later when James joins us. And the speed of his arrival makes me doubt whether he took my information seriously.
Has he tried to track Carol down?
“I hope we can all get through this session,” James says, “despite the situation surrounding it.” His eyes flicker for a moment.
“In the next hour or so, we’re going to be exploring ourselves as people. We’ll be looking at the roles we all play in everyday life.”
I’m finding it hard to follow James. And I can tell Natalie and Callum feel the same. We’re all thinking, wondering, whether the leak really will be revealed.
“We’ll be doing the same strategy
as before,” says James, “of writing down personality traits on paper and placing them in a bag. Then I’ll pull them out, and we’ll discuss. Ok?”
He looks at us all expectantly, but the mood of the group is so fragmented, he hardly gets a response.
“We’ll just get through this,” he says, “and then perhaps we can talk about the press situation. I appreciate you must all be anxious about the future. But believe me. This movie will go ahead.”
I see something
like anxiety in Callum’s eyes, and I realise he doesn’t necessarily believe this.
James stands and hands out slips of paper.
“Think of a personality trait which applies to you,” he says, “then write it out as ‘I am’.” His eyes rest on me. “It might be ‘I am brave’,” he adds, “or ‘I am loyal’.”
Callum and Natalie take their slips. But I can tell their hearts are hardly in it. I stare at my own for a moment before scrawling down: ‘I am a good friend.
’
Slowly, we all return our slips to the bag.
Then James shakes it and pulls out the first piece of paper.
He stops short, his eyes widening. Then his gaze
rests on Callum.
“I have the first paper here,” he says carefully. “It says: I am the press leak.”
Chapter
35
I feel my mouth drop open in clean amazement. Callum? Callum is leaking to the press. I simply don’t believe it.
But then I see Jame
s’s gaze switch to Natalie.
And
as we all turn to look, her green eyes fill with tears.
Natalie?
Natalie was the leak?
“It was you?” asks Callum in disbelief. “You were leaking to the press, Natalie?”
“I am
so
sorry,” she whispers. “Truly.” Her gaze switches to me, and I am overwhelmed by the loneliness in her face. “Please forgive me, Issy,” she whispers.
I turn to see Callum is every bit as shocked as I am. James looks stern, yet considered.
“But how could it be you?” I manage, after a long silence. “I was with you when the first leak happened.”
Natalie is shaking her head, and tears fall from her cheeks.
“I had my back to you,” she says. “I was walking away. I had enough time to send a text message. That’s all I needed to do.”
I am reeling from the shock of all this.
“I didn’t think you knew anything,” I say, finally.
Natalie manages a weak smile.
“I’m a good actress.”
She sure is.
“I’m not as dumb as people think,” she adds. “Of course I knew. I saw you both together in your chalet.”
“But, why Natalie?” The anger and
betrayal is loading up now. “Why would you do it? You could have ruined things for everyone. Including yourself,” I add.
Natalie looks down at the floor. She begins picking coral coloured varnish from her thumbnail.
“Because I’m sick,” she whispers. “I’m not well. It’s become like an addiction for me. I’ve been working on it. But I lapsed.”
Her expression is pleading.
“I get kind of a thrill,” she says, “when my message goes through, and the press are all desperate to get in touch.” She swallows visibly. “Then it’s over, and I feel awful,” she says with a strange little smile. “Worse than awful. And I realise I’ve hurt people. And ruined things.”
My gaze drifts over to James. What is he making of all this?
“Natalie is getting help, for her addiction,” he says. “Her assistant Carol is an expert therapist. According to her reports, Natalie has made good progress.”
What?
“Carol is Natalie’s therapist?” I can’t keep the amazement from my voice.
James nods.
“Natalie is very ashamed of her issues. We agreed that she would need a therapist with her whilst filming, but that her identity could be hidden.”
“But…
what was Carol doing, snooping around near my cottage?” I ask.
Callum starts in surprise at this.
Natalie starts picking her nail varnish again.
“
Carol was making sure it was secure,” answers James. “So your cottage wouldn’t present a temptation for Natalie.”