by Rhoda Baxter
‘Of course you're going to deny it. You'd be stupid not to.’ Whatever else she could call him, she knew he wasn't stupid.
‘But Jane, why would I do it? I knew you wanted to be left alone. What possible reason would I have to tell the press where you are?’
Her anger reignited. ‘How should I know how your twisted mind works? Maybe you just wanted your face in the papers? Or to tell everyone you'd slept with a famous bird.’ The minute she said it, she wondered if that was true. Her stomach twisted with disgust at the thought.
Marsh's face was a picture of horror. ‘That's just ridiculous. I can't believe you'd even think that.’
‘And what about Dominique?’
‘What about Dominique?’ He looked genuinely puzzled. ‘What does she have to do with anything?’
‘Oh, so you deny that you two are still together?’
‘Oh course I bloody deny it! We split up ages ago.’ His frown was turning into a glare. He was losing his calm, but she didn't care.
‘Who lives with you in your flat then?’
‘My sister. Stevie.’
‘Oh yeah? What about the perfume?’
He stared. ‘What bloody perfume?’
‘Aha!’
‘For heaven's sake!’ He reached in his bag, tore a corner off a protruding piece of paper and scribbled something down. ‘Here. She's there now. Call her.’
Jane didn't move.
Marsh let the paper drop. He stepped closer and his eyes flashed with anger. ‘Look, you insane woman, Keith is lying. He wanted to stitch me up. It was probably him that told the magazine in the first place.’
Jane backed away. ‘Why on earth would Keith lie? What does he have to gain?’
‘You don't know the guy.’ His tone was bitter.
‘You're right. I don't know him any more than I know you.’
‘And yet you trust his word over mine?’
When Jane didn't respond, he went on. ‘I knew it was a mistake to fall for you. Before I met you, I was set to be promoted. Now, thanks to all this, I'll be lucky to have a job tomorrow. And you know what? Until five minutes ago, I would have thought it was worth it.
‘I would have thrown away the job of my dreams and started over, just to be with you.’ His mouth twisted down at the corners. ‘And it turns out that you don't even trust me enough to stand up for me when Keith spins you a ridiculous yarn. I can't believe I was so stupid!’ He glared at her, hurt and resentment etched on his face.
All the fight suddenly drained out of her, leaving her close to tears again. ‘I don't know who to believe any more.’
The anger in his eyes subsided. ‘Perhaps that's something you need to work out for yourself. I'm just sorry I got involved.’
He turned and walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Text from: Marsh, To: Stevie
Am coming home. Make coffee.
##
Text from: Stevie, To: Marsh
Oh dear. Guessthings didn't go well then. I will have coffee ready. And I've just been out 2 get more ice cream. Chunky Monkey Ok 4 u?
##
Text from: Marsh, To: Stevie
Thanks :-)
##
Text from: Stevie, To: Marsh
Ur welcome. Us Winfield kids should stick 2gether, right? X
* * *
Jane stared at the door for minutes after Marsh left.
‘Well, that didn't go so well,’ said Polly, making Jane jump.
Her thoughts were a jumble of hurt and anger. The piece of paper with Marsh's phone number lay at her feet. She picked it up.
‘For what it's worth, I believe him,’ Polly said.
‘I don't know, Polly. I'd like to, but who else would have known where we were going for dinner?’
‘God, he could have mentioned it to anyone.’
‘I don't think he did. He was always very keen on keeping everything hush hush. Which is why it makes sense that he's probably still got a girlfriend. I mean, there's clearly a woman living in that flat from time to time.’ She waved a hand, as if gesturing at a shelf full of cosmetics. ‘There's Cosmo magazines and cellulite scrub and everything.’
‘Maybe it is his sister's, like he said.’
Jane sank into a chair. ‘Maybe.’
‘Look, why don't you call the flat and find out. He said she was there at the moment.’
Jane looked at the paper. ‘What if it's Dominique and she pretends to be his sister?’
‘So phone and ask for Dominique then. If it's her, she'll say so, won't she?’
‘I guess.’
Polly thrust the phone at her. ‘Go on. Do it before he gets home.’
To her surprise, her hands were shaking as Jane punched out the numbers. She took a deep breath and put the receiver to her ear.
‘Hello.’ A female voice.
‘Uh …’ Her throat had gone dry.
‘Hello?’
‘Is Dominique there, please?’
There was a short silence. ‘Who is this?’ the woman said on the other end. When Jane didn't reply, she continued, her tone frosty. ‘Dominique doesn't live here. She never has. I don't know where she is, so I can't take a message.’
‘Oh. Can I ask who I'm speaking to, please?’
‘This is Stevie Winfield. Who are you?’
Not knowing what to say, Jane hung up.
‘Well?’ said Polly, who was perched on the end of the sofa.
‘She said she was Stevie Winfield.’ Jane looked at the number on the paper. It was a London number, but that was all she could really deduce from it. ‘It might not have been the number to his flat. He had hours to cook something up. He could have asked Dominique to pretend to be Stevie …’
Polly made a disgusted noise and rolled her eyes. ‘I give up! If you won't help yourself, then there's no point me even trying. You really have to let go of this Ashby thing, Jane. If you don't, you'll end up sabotaging every single relationship you have. Just because Ashby was a rat bag doesn't mean Marsh is, too. Until you get that into your head, you're never going to be happy.’
Chapter Twenty-Seven
From: Marshall, To: Susan
Hi Susan, The finalised report, as promised. Let me know if you need anything else. Marshall.
##
From: Stevie, To: Louise
He's just texted to say he's coming home. Apparently, it didn't go well. I can't believe she took Keith's word over Marsh's. What a moron.
##
From: Louise, To: Stevie
Keith can be very persuasive and charming when he wants to be. It comes from having no scruples whatsoever. Jim says both Marsh and Keith have been suspended. Apparently, most people have a lot of sympathy for Marsh. Not surprising really, I'm sure most people would love to have the chance to thump Keith. Poor Marsh. It's the first time in years that I've seen/heard him get worked up about anything that wasn't about you or work. He lets his heart start beating again, only to have it stomped on.
##
From: Stevie, To: Louise
I hope he's not going to be down in the dumps for ages. I hate leaving him by himself when he's depressed, but I do have to go back to college.
##
From: Louise, To: Stevie
He won't be. It didn't take him long to recover from Dominique.
##
From: Stevie, To: Louise
I think this might be different. He wasn't in love with Dominique, even though he probably thought he was in the beginning. I think he was almost relieved when they split up. I don't think he was that surprised to find out she was cheating on him. He was just embarrassed about the scene she made. He really liked Jane. You should have seen his face when he talked about her. It would have made me puke if it wasn't so sweet.
##
From: Louise, To: James
Jim, I'm worried about Marsh and Stevie. Is there anything we could do to help, do you think? On the plus side, Marsh's predicame
nt seems to have made Stevie forget how heartbroken she was over Buzz. Also, please don't forget that you've got to pick Molly up from the childminder at lunchtime tomorrow. I'm going to the Natural History Museum with the twins' class, remember?
##
From: James, To: Louise
I won't forget Molly. What sort of a father do you take me for? I've set a reminder on my phone. I don't see what we can do for Marsh and Stevie. I'm doing my best to get Marsh off the hook in the office, but there's only so much I can do. I don't think he's going to make it to partner this time round, which is a real pisser because they'd already decided to promote him. If only he'd postponed his bust up by another half a day, they would have announced it! I don't know what else we can do for them, aside from being there if they need a shoulder to cry on. Don't worry. Those two are tough. They've been through worse together and come out relatively normal. Love Jim.
##
From: Susan, To: Eric
Come and see me tomorrow. 9.25. Susan.
##
From: Eric, To: Keith
Why did you have to drag me into this? I've just been summoned to talk to the partners about your little run in with Marshall.
##
From: Keith, To: Eric
Relax. I'll take care of it. We're partners. Marshall is not. Disciplining partners would look bad. K man.
##
From Stevie, To: Aunty Caroline
Hi Aunty Caroline, I know it's short notice, but can Marsh and I come down to you for the weekend? We're both suffering from broken hearts at the moment and could do with cheering up a bit. Yes, Marsh had a new girlfriend! A nice one this time, not like Dominique. I hope they can get things sorted out and they get back together. I've never seen him quite so loved upas he was when he was with her. Would it be Okfor us to come tomorrow? We'd help with the farm and the B&B and things, obviously. Love Stevie.
##
From: Aunty Caroline, To: Stevie
Hello Stevie darling. Of course it's Okfor you to come and stay for the weekend. You can stay for longer if you'd like. There aren't many tourists around at the moment since it's winter, so we're not that busy with the B&B. I'll get two rooms ready for you and Marshall. I'll have to bump two of our regulars up from single to double rooms, but that's not a problem. It'll be lovely to see you both. I'm sorry to hear you're both suffering from broken hearts. I'll have to bake you a nice cake to cheer you up. Love Aunty Caroline and Uncle Frank.
##
Text from: Stevie, To: Marsh
FYI: When u get back from moping around in coffee shop, we r going 2 c Aunty Caroline for the weekend. I've persuaded her 2 make 1 of her cakes 2 cheer us up. No need 2 thank me!
##
Text from: Marsh, To: Stevie
Hang on. I can't just take off like that. Especially on a weekday.
And I’m not moping. I’m working.
##
Text from: Stevie, To: Marsh
I thought u were suspended from work. It's not like you'll be going in anyway!
##
Text from: Marsh, To: Stevie
There's no mobile reception at Aunty C's place. I won't know it if they do want me to come in! It does sound tempting though. I'll call Susan and see what she says.
##
From: Marshall, To: James, Louise
Stevie and I are heading to Wales to see our Aunty Caroline for the weekend. We should be back by Monday. I've spoken to Susan and she agrees that it's most unlikely I'll be asked back into the office tomorrow anyway, so I may as well go away. Mobile reception at Aunty C's is pretty awful, so don't expect much communication from me – or Stevie, Lou! I'll check email each night though. Hopefully, I'll see you on Monday, Jim. Marsh.
##
From: James, To: Marshall
Is Aunty Caroline the one who used to send those fantastic cakes? You lucky bugger.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
At around five on Friday morning, Jane gave up trying to sleep and dragged herself out of bed. She made herself a coffee and sat on the sofa wondering what to do.
She missed Marsh. It hurt so much to think she could never hold him again that she wanted to forgive him.
No, she told herself. That was a stupid idea. She had let her heart rule her head with Ashby and look how that had ended. She had to accept the evidence. No one but Marsh had known about the booking at the restaurant.
She blew her nose. Splitting up with Ashby had hurt a lot. But that was nothing compared to how miserable she was now. She dreaded seeing Marsh when she went to work. It would be really hard to remain objective. And it would all be so horribly public.
He would probably try to talk her round. There was a risk she might give in and forgive him, only to be devastated when he betrayed her again.
To make things worse, everyone would be talking about her. The magazine article, all the stuff about her and Ashby, her very loud argument with Marsh, had all been discussed. They would all be waiting to see how she was dealing with it.
What had Marsh meant about possibly not having a job tomorrow? Had something else happened that she didn't know about? Was she out of a job too?
She couldn't access work emails from Polly's, so the only way she could find out was to phone someone. But she didn't know anyone well enough to phone them up at five in the morning. She would just have to wait until she got into work.
Her head throbbed and her eyes burned. Her nose and throat were swollen and raw. All she really wanted was to go home to her mother. But she'd run away before, and it hadn't made any difference.
London hadn't been a refuge. She'd just spent her time looking over her shoulder and jumping at shadows. Then, just when she had started to believe that the gossip columns had forgotten about her, the paparazzi had turned up. She hadn't escaped her past.
Perhaps Polly was right. The only way to deal with it was to accept it.
The first step was to go to work. Jane sighed and drained her coffee. Since there were still several hours to go before she needed to leave the house, she might as well have a good long bath.
* * *
Cause Celeb Blog
Ashby Thornton's rival in love
Ashby Thornton's ex-girlfriend, Jane Porter has a new boyfriend, but who is he? Cause Celeb's Amber Jackson finds out.
Jane's new hottie is Marshall Winfield, a patent lawyer specialising in chemistry, at London patent law firm Ramsdean and Tooze. Good-looking and brainy too! Jane met Marshall when she fled Manchester to hide away from her heartbreak at losing Ashby. Is this just a rebound romance, or have Jane and Marshall discovered a chemistry of their very own? Look for a detailed exclusive in next week's issue!
* * *
Thankfully no one else was waiting for the lift. Jane used the few seconds of solitude to gather her thoughts.
On the underground journey in, she had worried that everyone would stare at her, but no one had paid her any attention.
London was big and impersonal enough for her to go about in peace. But work was a different matter. She wasn't just a nameless face in the crowd. The office gossip network would have been busy so it was fair to assume everyone had seen the article and photograph. It would be pointless to pretend it had never happened. Her insides trembled at the thought of facing everyone, but she didn't have much choice.
The doors pinged. Jane drew a deep breath and stepped out. Pleasance, the receptionist looked up from behind the glass doors. She looked a little frazzled.
‘Morning, Jane. Feeling better today?’
‘Morning.’ Jane forced a smile. ‘Yes, thanks. I think I've got over the shock a bit now.’
‘We all knew ages ago, you know.’
‘And I thought I was doing such a good job keeping a low profile.’ Jane hoped her tone sounded light.
‘To be fair,’ said Pleasance, ‘it was only news because they made such a fuss about you disappearing in the first place. That really backfired on you, e
h?’
‘Looks like it.’
The phone rang. ‘Good morning, Ramsdean and Tooze.’ Pleasance frowned, her eyes flicked to Jane. ‘May I know who's calling please?’ She listened for a moment, the corners of her mouth tightening. ‘Could you be more specific, sir? Perhaps, the name of your company?’ A slight nod. ‘Yes. Why don't you do that? Goodbye.’ She hung up and sucked her teeth. ‘They have been calling all morning. Ever since they found out where you work. Every other call is for you or Marsh.’
Jane sighed. ‘I'm sorry.’
‘Just as well Marsh isn't coming in today.’
Jane's chest clenched from a mixture of disappointment and relief. ‘Why? Where is he?’
Pleasance gave her a funny look. ‘You should know.’
Of course, people thought they were still together. Jane shook her head.
‘Oh.’ Pleasance's expression went from surprise to concern. ‘What happened?’
Jane shrugged. ‘It's complicated.’
‘Have you two had an argument? Is that why he hit Keith?’
‘What?’ She couldn't imagine Marsh hitting anyone. But then, she hadn't thought he'd be the sort of person to talk to the press either. Obviously she was a terrible judge of character.
