Chapter 23 #2
My insides twisted. ‘No. I saw an email on his laptop from a colleague at the newspaper asking when their editor could expect his latest column – Fox’s latest column – to be submitted.’
I flopped my head back against the pillows. ‘So I asked him about it, and he confessed. Said he’d been planning to tell me, but he’d fallen for me and just couldn’t bring himself to do it.’
Hurt swirled around inside me again. ‘He’s probably been laughing about this behind my back.’
‘I don’t think he would have been doing that,’ said Jade. ‘Didn’t you just say he’d told you that he’d fallen for you?’
I rubbed my red nose. ‘Yes, but I don’t believe him. Well, I did, but not anymore. How can I after this? Jade, he publicly mauled the TV series I was in. His words have ruined acting careers.’
I was fighting to forget the way I felt when he grinned at me; how my body had responded to his. I wanted to banish the memories of the chocolate swirls in his dark eyes. I pushed my mobile closer to my ear. I cleared my throat. ‘There’s something else.’
‘What?’
I didn’t want to say the words aloud, because I knew it would make the bliss of earlier haunt me again. ‘We slept together this afternoon. For the first time.’
Jade sighed. ‘Oh, honey.’
My chest was rising and falling harder. ‘It was wonderful. I was so happy. And then I saw that email, and everything came crashing down.’
Jade tutted. ‘Right. So, when are you going to leave that house? Have you started packing your things?’
I pushed around my hair for something to do. I’d been mulling all this over for the past hour. The sensible thing to do would be to pack, tell Grandpa to do the same and drive us straight back to Strath Ross.
In all honesty, that was what my common sense was screaming at me to do.
But then there was Alison, Bennett and Cayla. I couldn’t let them down. I couldn’t just walk away. The Lords had been wonderful to me, and there was no way I could leave Cayla when I’d told her to return to her acting and not give up. I’d be such a hypocrite if I did.
Cayla had agreed to portray Florence and was putting herself out there because of what I’d said to her and my faith in her. How could I abandon her now when she was on the verge of making her debut?
No.
It wouldn’t be for much longer. Just a few more days.
I could do it.
I’d acted opposite some right rude cretins in my time and been stuck with them for hours on end. The Ramblings was a big, old house. I would just make sure I avoided Evan and concentrated on what I had to do. ‘I’m not leaving The Ramblings,’ I blurted. ‘At least not yet.’
‘But how can you stay there after what you just told me?’
‘Because I have to,’ I said, trying not to think too much about what I was doing. ‘It’s only for a few more days. I’ll just keep myself to myself where Evan is concerned, and as soon as the first Florence tour is over, Grandpa and I will be out that door.’
‘But I thought you told me before that you and Evan had been working closely together on this.’
‘Yes, we have been, but thank goodness most of the work is done now. It’s just a case of tying up any loose ends and a few more rehearsals.’
‘What are you going to tell your grandpa?’ asked Jade.
Despite feeling like I’d been chewed and spat out a hundred times, I managed a short laugh. ‘Grandpa would be challenging Evan to a duel at dawn tomorrow morning on The Ramblings lawns, so I’m not telling him anything until we leave.’
Cayla shimmered into my mind again. ‘I’ll stay and see the first guided tour performance out.’ A lump balled in my throat. ‘Then I’m leaving here, and I won’t be setting eyes on Evan – or Fox – ever again.’
* * *
I had dinner that evening in my room.
I couldn’t face the prospect of sitting across the table from Evan.
Pretending to have a migraine, I stayed cocooned upstairs, and Louise insisted on bringing me up a tray of fish pie and vegetables while describing what a lovely afternoon she, Grandpa, Alison and Bennett had had at the pancake emporium.
She was brimming with excitement too about the outfits that were having their final touches done by Mindy at Stitched Up!
‘You’re all going to look so authentic,’ she gushed.
Once I’d thanked Louise for delivering my dinner to me, I made an attempt to eat some of the fluffy golden fish pie topped with potato and served with broccoli, but the food clogged up my throat. I pushed the tray away from me and took a sip of water.
Evan was Fox.
Every time I thought about it, my heart plummeted to the ground.
Feigning weariness after my migraine, I decided to have an early night.
I’d just finished brushing my teeth and had changed into my dressing gown when I heard a soft knock on the door. ‘Are you alright, lass?’
I opened the door and beckoned my grandpa in. ‘Yes, I’m fine,’ I lied. ‘Don’t worry. I think it’s just overwork and a little too much sun today.’
He narrowed his eyes at me, but I just bent down and bestowed a kiss on his bristly cheek.
‘An early night will do the trick.’
‘Are you sure you’re telling me everything, Daisy chain?’
Was I really that bad an actor after all? ‘Of course I am. Now, stop worrying and go and relax. Sleep well, and see you in the morning.’
He loitered a few more moments, concern in his eyes. ‘Och, ok, but you know you can talk to me. You always can.’
‘I know.’
I hugged him and ushered him out of the bedroom.
I clicked the door closed behind him. I felt guilty for not being honest with him, but things would be awkward enough over the next three days without my grandpa throwing himself into the mix.
I stood by the bed and was about to remove my dressing gown and jump into bed when there was another rap on the door.
I tugged it open. ‘Grandpa, I told you, I’m fine…’
It was Evan.
He examined me. ‘Please, Daisy. Let me explain.’
I tightened my dressing gown around myself, covering up my yellow, shorty short pyjamas. ‘I’ve got nothing to say to you, Evan. Or should I say Fox. Or perhaps you have yet another identity I don’t know about.’
He shook his head. ‘No, I don’t. Just that one.’
‘Just that one?’ I repeated with a stab of hurt. ‘Just that one? The one that every actor fears? The one that mauled Sinister and my colleagues’ performances? The one that’s making me struggle to get another acting gig at the moment? Just that one?’
Evan looked wounded. ‘Please, Daisy. I wanted to tell you. But it just got out of hand.’
‘You mean I found you out.’
I gripped onto the edge of the door, willing myself not to get lost in his gaze. I dropped my voice. It was shaking with emotion. ‘We made love this afternoon. You let me fall for you like an idiot, and all the time…’
Evan moved to speak, but I cut across him. ‘I’m staying here with Grandpa until Saturday after the first tour performance is over, and then I’m gone.’ I folded my arms. ‘I’d really rather leave now and never set eyes on you again, but your parents have been amazing, and I’m supporting Cayla.’
‘Daisy, this situation doesn’t look good, I’ll grant you, but me being Fox has nothing to do with us.’
‘Of course it does,’ I erupted. ‘You didn’t tell me. You let me rant on about him and the review, when all the time you were the one who’d written it!’
‘Everything ok here?’ Dane had appeared at the top of the staircase and was eyeing us both.
My eyes were glazed with temper and pain. ‘Everything’s fine,’ I insisted.
‘Didn’t sound like it just now.’
‘Evan was just going.’
Evan’s jaw gritted.
‘Goodnight,’ I announced, closing my bedroom door with a decisive bang, leaving Dane and Evan on the landing.