Chapter 10 #2
Heather zoned out until the questions were over. Then, she posed for photos with Elizabeth, Clara and Estella while everyone else had coffee in the lounge. All the while, she thought about Matty. Willing him to call her. Text. Anything.
Once the photographers had finished and left the room, Elizabeth unhooked the necklace from Heather and carefully laid it back in its box. Heather unhooked the heavy earrings from her ears and handed them over.
‘Well, that seemed to go well,’ Elizabeth said briskly.
‘You’ll get the hang of these things, Heather.
’ She pursed her lips. ‘Clara and Estella find it’s best for me to organise them, and direct the questions.
The press can be unruly. You have to control the narrative.
’ She added, meaningfully, ‘It would have been nice if you’d mentioned you were going to drop that comment about not changing your name.
Or, ideally, not made it at all. They’ll have a field day with that.
’ Elizabeth pursed her lips. ‘In future, dear, you’ll need to disclose all statements to me before any kind of press interactions. ’
‘Right. Well, I don’t intend on making it a habit,’ Heather said, testily. ‘And it would have been nice if you’d asked Uncle James if you could have journalists here. He’s very private. You didn’t give him much choice.’
‘Hm. There wasn’t time,’ Elizabeth said breezily.
‘And I think you’ll find that, as a Campbell, you will have plenty of interactions with the press, going forward.
In fact, I’ll book you in for some media training.
I have a team.’ She swept regally out of the room before Heather could retort, followed by Estella.
They clacked along the corridor in their sky-high heels.
‘Come on. Let’s have coffee. There are some people I want to introduce you to, Estella. Ahead of Fashion Week.’
‘Estella’s modelling for Chanel,’ Clara said, as she and Heather walked behind to the lounge. ‘Elizabeth says she’ll get me on the catwalk if I learn how to deport myself with more grace. She’s not sure that I have the right energy for Chanel,’ she added. Heather stared at her in disbelief.
‘Are you joking?’ she asked, incredulously. ‘Deport yourself? What does that even mean?’
‘The way I walk. Elizabeth says I’m clumsy and have terrible posture.’
‘That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,’ Heather retorted. ‘You are very elegant. Anyway, who cares what Chanel thinks?’
‘Elizabeth does. And I do.’ Clara looked downcast. ‘I hope your wedding pictures come out well. I’ve got a dress that really doesn’t have any room for error.’
Heather didn’t know how to answer that.
When they walked into the lounge, though, Heather saw someone who made her forget all of her concerns, just for a moment: her twin, Violet.
‘Twinnie!’ Violet turned as Heather walked in and opened her arms wide. Without thinking, Heather ran to her and hugged her sister tight. ‘Babe. You okay?’ Violet lowered her voice, her head against Heather’s hair.
‘I’m okay.’ Heather felt tears in her eyes, and she dashed them away with the back of her hand. ‘It’s just so good to see you. I didn’t think you were getting in until tomorrow.’
‘Got an early flight; landed in Inverness in the early hours and hired a car. Didn’t want to miss the fun.
’ Violet grinned at her. ‘And, since the in-laws from hell are here, I thought you might need me.’ Heather’s twin scanned the room, looking Estella and Clara up and down with a disdainful air.
‘The Campbells of Glenorchy, if you please. How on earth did you not know about this?’
‘Don’t. It’s a whole thing,’ Heather sighed.
‘Mum said Lady Campbell’s trying to take over everything. Did you just have a press conference, by the way? Primmy said, but I didn’t believe her.’
‘That is indeed what we were just doing, yes. I could do with a coffee, or something stronger… I’m supposed to be off coffee, only matcha, but I feel like I deserve the caffeine hit.’
‘I bet. Come on, then. I can see Uncle James’s housekeeper’s made some lemon cake. I could eat the whole thing. Only stopped for a quick bite on the way.’
They made their way to the coffee and helped themselves; Violet cut herself a huge slice of cake and pushed a third of it in her mouth without even putting it on a plate.
There was also a plate of large chocolate-drizzled home-made macaroons and some oat cookies.
Heather reflected that James’s housekeeper Claire had never knowingly under-catered an event, and seemed to have a horror of anyone being mildly peckish.
‘Ummm. So good,’ she mumbled. She swallowed. ‘I can’t believe I missed the press conference. I mean, that’s actually what I do. I could have covered it for, I dunno. One of the women’s magazines.’
‘Vi, I really don’t want the press here at all.’ Heather lowered her voice. ‘She just invited them all here without asking anyone.’