Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
A ll too soon, I was on my way back to Bannock House. The journey was smooth, and the Flower Power van was filled with excited chatter from Amber and Rowan.
They were speculating about which celebrities might appear at Ezra’s book launch, and how they might get to meet their favourites. The radio was belting out Scottish reels and optimistic, hopeful songs about fresh starts. I let the joy of their chatter wash over me.
The beginning of a new year was hovering, waiting to be welcomed. I hoped the next year would bring better things for everyone. I wondered what Marcus would be doing tonight and hoped he was surrounded by friends.
As for Zach … well, he was in my past, I concluded with a painful lurch in my chest. I was determined that when I woke up tomorrow morning, I would look only ahead, not behind.
* * *
Excited squeals and gasps escaped from Amber and she shot forward in the passenger seat as we passed through the gates and the tyres scrunched and spun on the gravel.
“It’s even more gorgeous than in the photos you showed us, Bailey.”
“It’s like Cinderella’s castle,” Rowan chimed in.
“Hardly,” I laughed.
They fell into an almost reverent silence as I parked outside the entrance. Mum was going to have a fit! But there were half a dozen other trades vehicles there and what looked like a couple of security people, holding one finger to their ear. I didn’t see how my pink-and-white van was out of place.
We clambered out and fetched our three wheelie cases first, which landed on the gravel with a decisive crunch.
“Come on,” I said, once we draped our respective evening dresses with a flourish of plastic over our arms. “Let me introduce you to my parents, then we can grab a cuppa and get the flowers out from the back of the van.”
Dad bounded down the steps to greet us and proceeded to pump Amber and Rowan’s hands up and down in enthusiastic handshakes. Then he gave me a big bear hug and a kiss.
Mum sashayed her way towards them, revelling in their jaws dropping at the sight of her coiffed glamour.
Once introductions had been made, Mrs Bamber furnished the three of us with a pot of tea and slices of her gorgeous cherry and almond stollen, filled with marzipan and Jamaican rum. Then Mum insisted on showing Amber and Rowan their accommodation for the night.
“Rowan, this is your room,” announced my mother, sweeping like the grand dame that she was along the corridor and opening the door with a dramatic flourish. “I’ve allocated you the Rannoch Room.”
I mouthed the word “What?” at Mum. Since when did we have names for the guest rooms? Her response to me was a narrowed eye, daring me to question it in front of our guests.
Nevertheless, Rowan’s delight was evident as she stepped inside. Her room looked out onto a section of the walled garden.
The room interior was a mixture of duck-egg blue walls and mint-green furnishings, with a canopied double bed, small sofa, and an en suite bathroom to the right, fitted out with white and beige marble tiles.
I noticed Mum had replaced the flowery wallpaper that used to be in here.
“It’s gorgeous,” said Rowan, placing her wheelie case by the sofa and drifting towards the sash window, framed by a set of tie-back emerald-green curtains.
Outside, the walled garden was stippled with hard frost. There were pale pink clouds of heather and glossy ivy snaking up the trellis. In the far corner, sat an ornamental bird table, where a robin and a sparrow were jumping and flitting about for seed.
“I’m so pleased you like it,” glowed Mum. “Now, Amber, let’s show you to your room.”
Amber wobbled behind my mother like an excited baby deer in her platform trainers to the next-door room. Again, Mum placed her manicured hand on the brass handle and paused for dramatic effect. “This is the Katrine Room.”
This time, I didn’t bother making a questioning face at her. This was obviously a new thing of hers, naming the guest rooms after famous Scottish Lochs. Whatever floats her boat , I thought to myself.
Amber erupted in a fit of admiring giggles. She guided her leopard-print wheelie case into the room and was confronted by gold-embossed wallpaper and complimented by burnt-orange fixtures and fittings. The double bed possessed a brass headboard and amber scatter cushions and, similarly to Rowan’s room, there was an en suite bathroom, but this one featured biscuit and white tiles.
I recalled this room having previously had that same wallpaper, but the bedding and cushions were new. Poor Dad. Mum had clearly been on a serious spending spree. That must be why she kept steering me away from the guest rooms over Christmas.
The view from the sash window was the same as Rowan’s, though you could see more of the lawns and the woodland beyond the walled garden from here. The trees thrust their eager, bare branches up towards the sky. They looked as though they were on fire in the low sun of the late afternoon. Amber fingered the satin curtains.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you, Countess Tweed Muir.”
Mum preened. “My pleasure. And please do call me Vanessa.”
Remembering why we were here, I steered Mum to one side while Amber trotted off to admire the view. “Everything going to plan so far?”
“What a silly question,” tinkled Mum, “of course it is.”
Once Rowan and Amber had made themselves at home in their rooms and unpacked their belongings, we started ferrying our floral handiwork into the house.
“How on earth could you turn your back on all of this?” Amber asked.
“I haven’t,” I insisted. “But I’m an adult and I have my own life now. This is my parents’ home and my parents’ life, not mine.”
“I guess,” said Rowan. “But it’s all so beautiful.”
I gave an optimistic smile. “Yes, it is. But it comes with strings attached, and being independent gives me a freedom I never had when I lived at home.”
“And what about Marcus?” asked Rowan, squinting. “Does he embrace all this?”
“More than I do,” I admitted. “He will inherit it, of course, and he’s always known that, so it’s different for him.”
Amber asked me when Marcus would be arriving.
A pang of sadness struck me. “I don’t think he’s coming. He’s away with friends at the moment.”
No need to air our dirty laundry in front of the girls , I thought.
“Right,” I announced, changing the subject and unlocking the doors of the van. “Let’s get this lot inside and then we can start setting up for tonight.”
My mother was clearly in charge, directing the various teams with an efficiency that spoke of years of hosting parties such as this. She pointed one lacquer-nailed finger here and there to various harassed guys in overalls. They were juggling a huge life-size portrait photograph of Ezra. It was a stunning black-and-white image of him in his younger days, sporting a tux and looking like James Bond. There were also Chinese lanterns, rolls of King Angus tartan supported at either end by puffing, red-faced men, and what looked like a catering company boss speaking to a small group of apprehensive-looking students in smart black trousers, skirts, and shirts.
“Everything all right, Mum?” I asked.
She swept her dark hair back from her made-up face. “It will be, once Ezra and his team get here. I expected them to be here already.” Her attention fell on the extravagant pastel-blue wildflowers and Scottish globe thistles I’d arranged in a round cream vase I was cradling in my arms.
Amber was behind me, carrying three frosted navy goblets, which we’d spun with an array of blue roses, cream tea roses, and delicate traces of matching blue ribbon.
Rowan brought up the rear, juggling an arrangement of ice-blue candles surrounded by ivy, frosted cones, and dried twigs.
Mum blinked for several seconds at the displays. “You made these?”
“ We made them,” I said with a smile, nodding at Rowan and Amber. “We have about a dozen more just like them back in the van to retrieve.”
As if on cue, my mobile pinged in my pocket, signalling the arrival of a text. I set down the arrangement on a nearby table to look at my phone. It was from Ezra.
“He’s on his way,” I assured her. “He and his ‘people’ left Heather Moore about half an hour ago.”
Mum nodded, and I could tell how much she was in her element right now.
“Bailey? How are you? I’m Corrie. Good to meet you at last.”
I spun round to see Corrie, the assistant at Ezra’s management agency, trundling her wheelie case along the hall floor. “How lovely to see you.”
She was pretty in a funky sort of way, with short dark hair and lots of silver jewellery.
“This is going to be a great night,” she beamed, nodding at my mum.
“I feel like I know Corrie so well,” laughed Mum, lightly grazing her on the cheek with a kiss in greeting. “We’ve exchanged so many emails and phone calls! Your room is the last one along the upstairs corridor.”
Corrie nodded. “Thank you. Ezra, Denise, and the rest of the entourage should be here soon.”
“Oh, you didn’t travel with them?” asked Mum.
“No,” answered Corrie briskly. “I had some things to attend to.”
Mum gazed past my shoulder, smiling at Amber and Rowan, who were still hugging the floral displays they were holding while admiring the vaulted ceiling. “Your staff seem like nice girls.”
Staff?! “They’re my colleagues and friends, Mum.”
“Of course they are, darling. Oh, excuse me one moment.”
Mum left to direct an anguished-looking man in overalls who clearly hadn’t yet benefitted from her precise instructions.
I turned to Amber and Rowan. “Right, ladies. Let’s get this show on the road.”
* * *
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my old bedroom, I placed one hand on my stomach and gulped with a mixture of excitement and apprehension at the night ahead.
I had piled my waves up into a messy chignon and slipped into a full-length champagne-coloured dress with spaghetti straps, which I’d bought to cheer myself up post-Declan and then never worn.
Although I did feel rather glamorous as I studied my reflection, I couldn’t disguise the trepidation in my eyes. I could hear the hum of voices and detect the clinking of cutlery in the Great Hall.
God, I hoped tonight went well. Ezra, Caroline, and Laura had gone through an emotional rollercoaster and from where I was standing, this party of Ezra’s was a two-fingered salute to the people who’d been threatening him.
I adjusted one of my dangly earrings and glanced down again at my mobile on the dressing table. I’d made three more attempts this afternoon to reach Marcus, but he still wasn’t picking up. I wished I had him here tonight for support.
Checking my appearance again in the mirror, I picked up my mobile and dialled Marcus once more. Still nothing.
I threw the phone onto my bed in frustration. Maybe I should give him some space and wait for him to contact me.
I looked down at my watch. It was approaching 6pm and the party was due to begin in an hour. My stomach swished with nerves. I just hoped everything was going to go smoothly and there were no dramas. Nobody would try to do anything stupid, surely. Ezra had kept his invitee list very selective and there were security people here, to check in the guests as they arrived.
I stood at the window with its brocade cherry-red curtains and rope tie-backs.
It seemed so long ago since this had been my room. I looked out onto the mermaid fountain, which Marcus and I adored so much as kids. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
There was a discreet rap on the door. When I said, “Come in,” Amber and Rowan entered, looking gorgeous in all their finery.
Rowan’s red waves were intricately styled and she was wearing a stunning electric-blue boat neck dress. Amber, meanwhile, looked equally glamorous in a lemon-coloured knee-length dress which had transparent lacy sleeves caught at the wrists with big buttons. She had undone her usual plaits and opted for a tousled ponytail instead.
We broke into appreciative smiles and gasps and admired each other’s outfits. It was obvious how excited they both were about this evening. I wished I could relax and enjoy it the way they were obviously planning to. I wondered when Ezra, Caroline, and Laura were going to arrive.
“Ezra’s been looking for you,” announced Amber. “He’s just arrived with Caroline and Laura and a very glamorous blonde woman who looks like Dolly Parton.”
“Ah, I bet that’s Denise Gold, his manager.”
“Yeah, and he’s busy charming the pants off your mum.”
“Thanks for that image.”
I reached for my clutch bag on the dressing table and popped my phone into it. “You two head downstairs. I’ll be right behind you.”
I watched the two of them, visions of elegance, negotiate the grand staircase in their heels.
I took one last look at myself in the mirror, then swished down the carpeted corridor, the paintings on the wall of gun dogs and ancestors in sumptuous gowns and brocade and breeches following my every step.
Mum had designated the four bedrooms towards the rear of the house as places where guests could freshen up, and I recalled Mum saying to Corrie she’d been allocated the fourth and last room, which was the one with the claw-footed bath. It also possessed views of the kitchen garden, where our trusted gardeners grew an assortment of fresh vegetables for Mrs Bamber to conjure into delicious meals.
It was at that moment that Mum knocked on my bedroom door and stuck her head round. Her face broke into an admiring smile. “Oh darling! You look beautiful!”
“Thanks, Mum. See? No dirt under my fingernails.”
She pulled a face. “I’m sure there isn’t.”
Then she gave a playful slap to her forehead. “Would you mind checking on that young lady Corrie for me before you come down?”
I started to make my way out of my room. “Of course. Is everything all right?”
“I hope so. She commented to one of the gents in overalls that she seemed to be having a bit of an issue with her shower.”
I clicked my door closed behind me. “She can use my bathroom if there’s a problem. I’ll go and tell her.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’d better head back down there just to check all’s ok, before I get ready myself.”
I arrived at Corrie’s door and knocked. There was no reply.
Over the banister, I could see people I didn’t recognise drifting around below in the Great Hall. There were chimes of laughter and glimpses of sparkles and satin.
I knocked on the door again then reached for the door handle but I didn’t need to turn it as the door swung open, making me jump. It hadn’t been closed properly. I blinked, not expecting that. I called out again. “Hello? Corrie? It’s Bailey. Are you there?”
I poked my head around the side of the door, but the room was empty. All I could hear was the hum of people below and cars arriving outside.
I edged my way in, noticing Corrie’s chequered coat lying on top of the satin bedspread and the outfit she’d arrived in draped across the gilt armchair in the corner. It was turning into a chilly, Highland Hogmanay night out there.
“Corrie?” Maybe she was still struggling with the shower in the en suite bathroom.
I knocked on the closed bathroom door, but there was no response. I clicked that open but she wasn’t in there either. Oh well. She must be downstairs somewhere and managed to use someone else’s bathroom.
I was about to leave and head downstairs, when something on the bed drew my attention. It was poking out from one of Corrie’s coat pockets and looked like a typed note, very similar to the one Ezra had received.
I approached the bed.
Glancing over my shoulder to make sure she wasn’t standing there; I reached for the piece of paper and eased it out of the pocket. It was a folded-up sheet of A4.
I focused on what it said.
Then gasped.
I wobbled in my heels.
It couldn’t be.
My eyes scanned the bold black capital letters on the note in disbelief. It said:
YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR DAUGHTERS IN DANGER. RETRACT CONTENTS OF YOUR BOOK. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
My head was racing. What was Corrie doing with a threatening note? It was identical to the last one Ezra received.
My breathing came out in a series of fast and furious gulps. Why did Corrie?—?
A dark thought erupted.
No.
My imagination was running riot. She wouldn’t have anything to do with this. She was part of Ezra’s management team.
I sank down on the corner of the bed. This didn’t make any sense.
I could hear more tinkling laughter wafting its way up the grand staircase from the Great Hall. Maybe Corrie had discovered the note and didn’t want Ezra to see it right before the party? She would tell Ezra about it, but hadn’t had an opportunity yet. Or perhaps someone had sent it to her, for Ezra’s attention?
I got up, absently smoothing my dress and still clutching the note. I made a move to push it back into her coat pocket, when my fingers brushed against something else. It was another piece of paper.
My heart hammered in my ears. I tugged it out. This too was folded up. I opened up the second sheet of paper. This one contained scribbled, personal notes about Caroline and Laura, as well as small photos of them – and scribbled beside them, was written Ezra’s weakness , in messy handwriting.
What the hell?! My heart raced. It was too much of a coincidence. What was Corrie doing with all these strange notes?
With my head still fizzing with confusion, I stuffed both notes back into her coat pocket where I found them. Should I mention those notes to her? No. I couldn’t. She would know I’d been snooping around. There could be an innocent explanation. But the thought festered with me; why hadn’t she said anything?
It didn’t look good.
I began to back away from the bed. Was she in league with someone? Perhaps someone that Ezra was naming and shaming in his book? Maybe they were in this together and were intending to split the proceeds of any blackmail money?
“Can I help?”
My blood froze.
I swung around. Corrie was framed in the doorway. There was a harsh angle to her feline features.
“I-I was looking for you.”
Her light, cool eyes travelled to the bed and her coat. “Well, here I am.”
I felt my hands tumble over each other as I stood there.
“What for?” she asked.
“Sorry?”
“Why were you looking for me?”
My stomach rolled over and over, but somehow, I managed to find my voice. “To discuss final arrangements for this evening.”
Corrie’s gaze became flinty. She looked powerful and capable in her pillar-box red dress, with its slashed neckline and matching jacket. “Everything’s in hand.” Her eyes flickered over me. “So, what are you doing in my room?”
I could feel a lump sticking at the base of my throat. It felt like my dress was clinging to my suddenly damp skin. “Why do you have those threatening notes?”
A glimpse of resignation settled on her face. “Ah. That’s a pity.”
“What is?”
“You finding them.”
Corrie turned and in one swift move locked the guest room door.
My legs jittered against my dress. Oh no. I’d put my clutch bag down on top of the bed. It was too far away to reach it. My mobile was inside.
I folded my arms, my heart pumping crazily against my ribs. Would someone even hear me if I cried out? There was a lot of noise and gaiety to contend with from downstairs. “Why?” I croaked. “Why have you got those notes and details about Caroline and Laura?”
She rolled her made-up eyes. “Isn’t it obvious?” She gestured to her coat on the bed. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how explosive King’s autobiography is. There are a number of influential people not very happy about its release.”
I took an unsteady step backwards in my heels. I could feel the bedframe digging into the backs of my knees. “But what do you get out of it?”
A self-satisfied smirk spread over her features. “Oh, don’t be gauche, Bailey – Lady Anastasia . It doesn’t suit you. Money. What else?” She slid me a triumphant smirk. “My initial plan had been to tell the press about you and where you were now, but that money would’ve been small fry, compared to what I can get if I help these people force old man King to retract that book of his.” She performed a sarcastic tutting noise. “I’d hoped that drunken waste of space of an ex of yours might keep your nose out of everything, but I underestimated you.”
I stood there, blinking at Corrie, trying to take it in. “So, that’s how Declan knew about me? You found him and told him where I was?”
Growing fear reared up inside me.
“Yep. A bit of detective work on your Irish rover proved to be very valuable. He likes a drink, does your Declan. I hoped he’d make more of an inroad with that trashy Stargazer , magazine, but he was too pissed half the time to be of any value. Never mind. Things are going just as I hoped.”
I studied her, my chest heaving with adrenalin. “So how and why did this all start?”
She appraised me from top to toe. “I was contacted by a ‘concerned party’ who said they’d reward me if I could get some dirt on our friend Ezra and shut him up.” She cocked her head to one side. “I was racking my brains, trying to think how I could do it. Then the arrival of those two bimbo daughters of his changed everything.”
I shook my head, disgusted. “How could you do something like this? Ezra’s only telling the truth in his autobiography. These people deserve to be outed.”
Corrie gestured around the guest room. “Oh, I know he is. But come on! That’s rich coming from you lot!”
“What do you mean?”
“You landed gentry have been taking what isn’t yours since time began.”
“You can’t justify what you did.”
Corrie’s temper flared. “I don’t have to justify anything to you, you stuck-up bitch!”
I couldn’t take any more steps backwards. I was pinned against the frame of the bed. The air in the room was cloying and oppressive. It smelled of flowers and Corrie’s dark, fruity perfume.
I couldn’t equate the ever helpful and charming Corrie on the phone with the avaricious, sinister version I was confronted with now. My head was struggling to accept it. “And so, you came up with the idea of threatening Ezra’s daughters?”
She performed a sarcastic, slow-hand clap. “Well done! They were a gift, those two. It was tricky at first, trying to think of his Achilles heel. We did wonder about going for some of his former lovers, but there’s quite a list, I can tell you. So, when those two women came along, we gambled on him feeling protective towards them, so we threatened them and the old bugger went for it. It was perfect. And of course, working for Ezra’s management team, meant I had all the knowledge about them at my fingertips.” She grinned, displaying white, but slightly uneven teeth. “At first, these people named in Ezra’s autobiography investigated the legal route, but unfortunately, what King wrote was legally watertight and all true. That wasn’t ideal.” She gave a shrug. “So, alternative methods to persuade him to reconsider his actions had to be deployed. And that’s where Caroline and Laura fit in. The best Christmas present I could’ve wished for.”
My clutch bag, containing my mobile, glittered on top of the bedspread. I took a couple of steps to the side.
Corrie glanced at my bag and back at me. She shook her head. “I wouldn’t, if I were you.” There was a deep element of threat in her voice. What was she capable of? A lot, going by the situation she’d got herself into, just for money.
I could hear my breathing escaping from my chest in a loud, ragged rush. Should I scream? Would anyone even hear me? The noise from the party was growing louder and more enthusiastic.
I had to do something. Anything.
I opened my mouth and prepared to yell for help.
“Bailey? Bailey! Where are you?”
My head whipped towards the locked bedroom door.
That voice… It sounded like Zach!
No. I must have imagined it.
“Bailey! Are you ok?”
Oh God. It was Zach! What was he doing here?
“Zach,” I managed, rising fear in my voice. “Oh God, Zach! Help me! I’m in here!”
Corrie swore and rushed towards me, a blur of incensed red satin.
Panic rose up in my throat. In desperation, I lunged across the bed, snatched up one of the heavy glass table lamps and hurled it at her with all the force I could muster.
As the lamp connected with her arm, Corrie yelped in pain and staggered backwards.
I scrambled to right myself on top of the bed, as loud, desperate kicks pounded against the door.
Another male voice rang out this time. “Sis! Move! Get away from the door!”
Marcus?!
I sprang onto the carpet, my heels dangling half off my feet and my hair escaping out of its up-do.
“Anastasia!”
Marcus called out again from outside the room.
“Marcus! Help!”
Corrie was sprawled on the teal carpet, still clutching at her upper arm and trying to right herself in her spikey, crimson heels.
There was another heavy-footed bang against the door, before it splintered away from its hinges with a giant crack.
I watched open-mouthed as Zach and Marcus bundled in. My big brother swooped me into his arms. “Christ! Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
I let out a grateful sob and managed to shake my head as I clung to him. “What are you doing here?”
Zach hoisted one arm under Corrie and yanked her roughly to her feet.
He gestured out to the corridor and two of the burly security guards, who had been recruited by Ezra’s management team, entered the room and hauled Corrie away. “Can you keep an eye on her please?” asked Zach.
One of the towering guards, who was sporting a hipster-style beard, glowered down at Corrie, who jutted her chin out in defiance. “We’ll take her down to the service entrance, sir.”
The two security guards hoisted her away, and I could hear her protesting all the way down the hall.
Zach smoothed back his sweep of dark hair. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
Bewildered, I stared from Zach to Marcus, who was still holding me in his arms. I felt as though I was dreaming underwater. “Will someone please tell me what the hell’s going on?”
Zach glanced at my brother, before focusing on me. “So, you know about Corrie then, Bailey?”
I suddenly felt very vulnerable, standing there with my messy hair and crumpled dress.
“Yes,” I faltered, “but only because I found two threatening notes in her coat pocket.” I pointed to the coat still lying on top of the rumpled covers. “And details about Caroline and Laura.” My head was swimming. “How did you find out what she was up to?”
“I’m a journalist, remember?” Zach said, smirking at me across the room.
Marcus gave my arm a comforting squeeze.
Zach thrust both hands into his trouser pockets. “This was the development I hinted at before. I got a tip-off from one of Corrie’s colleagues at Sublime Entertainment, who I know from when I worked with him on one of the London papers. He told me she seemed very interested in Caroline and Laura – unhealthily so. He also started to notice her splashing cash she always claimed she never had.”
Zach eyed Marcus and me. “This colleague of Corrie’s began feeding me information and kept watching her. He said she started working late when she never used to before, and was forever disappearing from her desk with her mobile, taking a variety of frequent calls.” He went on to explain that Corrie had been acting suspiciously around her PC at work, looking up information on Ezra’s former partners, as well as trying to find out about his general movements, the hotel accommodation for his book tour, and looking into his inner circle of close friends.
“She’d seemed unnaturally interested in him,” explained Zach. “They’ve got other clients at the agency of course, but anything to do with Ezra and she was always volunteering to deal with it. I suppose she was hoping to stumble across something juicy from his past and wanted to be in a position where she was able to use it on behalf of the shady individuals who were paying her.”
My breath quickened again. Thank goodness Zach and Marcus showed up when they did. Lord knows what Corrie was capable of.
“So, when did you find out about Corrie and what she was up to?”
Zach shot me a charged look. “I got confirmation just after … I last saw you in Heather Moore and that was when I returned to Glasgow. It seems Corrie has a tendency to hang around with the wrong sort of company; people you wouldn’t want to upset.” Zach gave his brow a wipe with the back of his hand. “Corrie and her boyfriend are rumoured to have been involved in a number of unpleasant online blackmailing scams.”
My mouth dropped open. “But why didn’t you tell me as soon as you found out about her?”
He took a few steps towards me and caressed the top of my arm. Marcus was observing both of us. “I’ll speak to you in a minute.” He offered Zach a small, grateful smile and vanished out into the corridor.
Zach’s expression was etched with concern. “I wanted to take as few risks as possible. I thought the less you knew, the safer you’d be.”
“And that’s the only reason? Why you disappeared?”
Zach dropped his gaze. “No, it wasn’t the only reason.”
I heard the sound of chattering and clinking glasses travelling up from downstairs.
His deep, dark eyes locked with mine. “I knew I was beginning to fall for you, Bailey. But I didn’t want to put you in danger.”
“Danger? What do you mean?”
Zach sighed as he gazed down into my eyes. “That’s why I lost my job a couple of years ago at the London Inquirer . I got too close to a high-profile media mogul who was taking backhanders from a political party.”
I stared up into his face. “What?”
Zach rubbed at his stubble. “You’ve heard of Sir Clifford Bain?”
I frowned up at him. “Of course. Always wears a cravat and smokes a cigar. Didn’t I read recently that he’s invested a lot of money in boxing?”
“Yes. That’s him. I’ve learnt that the cash he’s pumped into it comes from the party he’s been pushing in his newspapers.” Zach eyed me. “Bain’s name has been attached to a few other dodgy deals as well, which I’m also looking into.”
Zach explained further. “Bain has majority shares in the London Inquirer and when he found out one of its reporters – namely, me – had been sniffing around his business affairs, he leant on the board and my editor had me sacked.”
His handsome face took on a pensive look. “He also made sure no other newspaper title would touch me.”
I let out a stunned gasp. “That’s awful. Having your job taken away from you just because you were doing the right thing and trying to expose corruption…”
His eyes never left my face. “Not only that, but Bain also had his people threaten me and anyone close to me. Said I’d regret it if I persisted with my investigation.”
Zach stroked my cheek. “I swore to myself that I wouldn’t get you caught up in anything. I knew I was falling for you, but no matter how hard I tried to keep you at arm’s length, my feelings started getting in the way.” He hesitated, before carrying on. “Then when I found out who you were, I knew I definitely couldn’t put you in the firing line of anything risky. It was bad enough when I didn’t know you were Lady Anastasia, but then when you told me that, I decided I was taking too much of a chance.” He gave a small smile. “I didn’t want you splashed across the papers again and seeing as you do come from a high-profile family, I wasn’t prepared to take the risk that you, your parents or Marcus could come to harm.” He pinned me to the spot with his earnest gaze. “I almost told you a couple of times about this and what I was involved in.” Zach performed a small smile. “I didn’t want to keep any secrets from you, but the thought of putting you in potential danger was too much of a risk that I wasn’t prepared to take.”
Zach examined my face. “See what you’ve done to me? I was beginning to let my heart rule my head and I was so worried in case Bain’s cohorts discovered you too.”
I searched his face. “Believe me, there have been plenty of times when I wished I didn’t have a title! After Declan made such a fool of me, I knew I had to get away from everything. I wasn’t trying to deceive you, but I learnt the hard way that I can’t trust my instincts when it comes to knowing who to trust.” I let out a sigh. “It was so important to me to know that I could do it on my own, and that my success is because I’m good at what I do and not because of who my parents are.”
Zach nodded. “I know that now.” He continued to trace his hand down my cheek. My stomach swirled at his touch. “I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t have feelings for you and also trying to protect you at the same time. I thought that if I kept you at a distance, I could control my feelings for you but it didn’t work that way. Quite the opposite.” Zach gave me a rueful smile.” I’ve been so pig-headed and stupid.”
“We’ve both been stupid and pig-headed.” My heart was pumping in my ears.
Zach’s lips morphed into a grin. “I can’t argue with that.”
“I just wish you’d told me before you left. It hurt that I opened up and trusted you but you didn’t do the same.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I hated the thought of anyone else hurting you – I wasn’t prepared to risk that. I would never have forgiven myself. That’s why I’ve been keeping tabs on you from a distance.”
My stomach flipped.
“You thought I’d abandoned you, but in fact, I was never far away.” Zach’s voice was earnest. “When you said you weren’t going to back away from all of this with Ezra and you were still going to try and help, I realised why I was falling in love with you.”
My legs wobbled.
“When I got offered the Stargazer position by Adam, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do.” Zach eyed me, willing me to understand. “But it was the only opportunity I was offered to keep me investigating, reporting, and writing – and the way I saw it, exposing those who deserve it.”
I studied his lips. I thought he’d abandoned me, but Zach had been there all along.
“Yes, I’ve been writing the trashy celeb stuff, but that’s been more like a smokescreen. I’ve been investigating Stargazer magazine over a mass phone hacking controversy, involving so many celebrities. I’m still gathering the information.”
“Really?”
Zach nodded his dark head. “There have been rumours about them for a while with the phone hacking thing. When I got offered the job with them, it was the perfect way in – and of course, the money came in handy when the London Inquirer got rid of me, just for doing my job.”
I stared at this wonderful, moral man who I’d doubted.
An excited rush travelled through my whole body. I wanted Zach to kiss me. I couldn’t think of anything else. I didn’t want anything else. Or anyone.
Zach’s intense brows gathered. “All the while, I’ve been investigating Bain’s shenanigans, the phone hacking allegations against Stargazer , what Corrie’s been up to, and also trying to look out for you.”
He let out an infectious laugh. “You could say I’ve had rather a busy in-tray.”
I felt my shoulders slump under my strappy dress. “I’m so sorry, Zach. I’ve been such an idiot.” I threw my hands up in the air. “But now I don’t care who knows about me. Not anymore.” I shot him a dreamy smile. “All I care about is you.”
Zach’s fingers brushed my shoulders. His touch made my skin prickle. “You’re a wonderful, gorgeous, brave woman with a kind heart.” His expression softened even more as he gazed down at me. I could hear the ceilidh band firing up downstairs and there were hoots of excitement from the guests.
An involuntary gasp escaped from my throat as Zach placed one hand at the base of my back and pulled me to him. “Lovely dress.”
We were hypnotised by each other, reading every detail of each other’s faces. I admired the arch of his dark brows and the deep curve of his mouth.
Our lips moved closer until they were inches apart. At last, they met, before I reached my arms around his neck and our kiss deepened. After what seemed like ten minutes, we parted.
Zach grinned against my mouth. “I’ll have to kick more doors down if that’s the response I get.”
Now it was my turn to grin at him. Then my mind turned over everything Zach had just told me. “So, what happens now with your Bain investigations?”
“The proverbial is about to hit the fan,” admitted Zach with a twinkle. “Just got to get a lawyer to go over the details and then it’ll all get published.”
Zach gave me a wink. “Working for Stargazer and reporting on Z-list celebrities gave me the cover I needed, not only to check out Bain and his misdemeanours, but also this phone hacking scandal.” Another smile toyed with his lips. “Could you see me giving up on a good story?”
We took each other’s hands and moved out of the guest room. Marcus was standing outside gazing down over the banister. He turned and looked at me. A watery smile spread across his face. “I was so worried about you.”
I held out my hand and he took it. “I’m so sorry, Marcus. I should’ve told you straight away when Mum revealed she’d given Samuel money to vanish out of your life with Jabob, but you don’t know the whole story. She begged me not to tell you.”
“I know,” he smiled softly.
I gawped at him. “You know?”
“Mum collared me when I arrived. Told me all about that snake asking her for money, otherwise he’d go to the press.” Marcus nodded. “He put Mum in a difficult position and she did what she thought was best.”
I gripped my brother’s hand. “I was just worried that after Finn Coulter, Mum might’ve been up to her old tricks again.”
Marcus was puzzled. “What’s Finn got to do with it? “
“Let’s just say Mum encouraged him to find employment elsewhere.”
My brother looked appalled. “Are you being serious?”
“I’m afraid so.”
I squeezed his hand and promised to tell him about it another time.
Marcus rubbed my fingers. “God. I’d no idea.” He searched my face. “Perhaps in an odd way, she did me a favour with Jacob. I was just so hurt when I thought Mum was interfering behind my back.”
“I know she loves us both, but she has to stop with the incessant meddling,” I said.
Marcus sighed and shook his head in disbelief. “When I found out about what she’d done, I thought Mum had offered Samuel the money and paid him off. I didn’t know Samuel had bloody blackmailed her for it in the first place!” He blushed. “Siobhan tried to tell me as much, but I was so shocked, I pretended I wasn’t feeling well and left the meeting.” My brother snatched up my other hand. “When Ezra called me…”
My mouth dropped open. “Ezra?”
“Who’s talking about me?” A deep, crumbly voice travelled to us from the top of the stairs. “I say, it’s all kicking off tonight! I just saw Corrie being manhandled by two security guards.”
Ezra was dressed in his tux and accompanied by Denise, Caroline, and Laura and a couple of harassed-looking young ladies in glittery frocks, who I presumed were from his management team. And behind them, was Joshua in a very similar suit to Ezra.
My mouth sprang open. “Joshua?”
Joshua gave me a wink. “Och, Ezra thought it might be a good idea to bring me along as a decoy, if things got a bit tasty.” He let out a chuckle. “I did wonder why that dark-haired young woman kept bobbing up wherever I was.”
Ezra grinned. “So, your doppelganger idea wasn’t so crazy after all, Bailey.” He looked from me to Marcus. “Ah. Splendid! So, you took my advice then, young man?”
Marcus blushed. “I did.”
I marvelled at Ezra. “What did you say to him?”
“Let’s just say I reminded your brother how important it is to surround yourself with family. I’ve just spent the most wonderful Christmas with my daughters and I can’t tell you what joy they have brought to my life. I never imagined…”
I could tell he was getting emotional, and I was so glad he was getting to have the experience of fatherhood at last.
“Writing the book felt like a way to confront the ghosts of my past, and I’m so glad I did. But the girls are my future, and I want to go into the new year with them by my side.”