Original Sin

‘I bet he did,’ said Tess. ‘But Meredith, I’m not at all sure–’

Meredith raised her hand to silence Tess’s objections.

‘I am aware this goes somewhat against the grain of the wonderful work you have been doing to reposition Sean in the public mind, but he has done it before without incident, and it is a very good photo opportunity. It raises the profile of the pageant and hence the sun cream and, at the moment, that has to take precedence over any concerns about putting Sean, shall we say, in “harm’s way”?’

‘I appreciate that, Meredith,’ said Tess. ‘And I hear he has managed to stay sober since rehab, which is brilliant; but, even so, he’s too much of a loose cannon in the company of beautiful girls in bikinis.’

‘Which is why I want you to go.’

Tess’s mouth opened. ‘You want me to baby–sit him?’ She looked away, lest her anger show on her face. She could not believe Sean Asgill was once again interfering with her life, ruining her plans. As if unveiling Dom as an unfaithful bastard purely for his own entertainment wasn’t bad enough, now he was putting the kibosh on a much–needed trip to Lake Tahoe.

‘Not baby–sit, no,’ said Meredith. ‘I simply want you to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble. Young girls and rich men don’t mix.’

Tess blew out her cheeks in frustration and Meredith looked at her with a more kindly countenance.

‘It won’t be so bad, Tess,’ she smiled. ‘Hawaii is a beautiful island and I understand the hotel where the pageant is being held is, well, fun. If you like, the company will pay for you to stay on a couple of nights afterwards; that way you still get your break. Take an airplane flight over Mauna Loa at night – it’s som

ething you will never forget in your life. Invoice everything to me.’

Tess nodded numbly. She knew she was in no position to argue. ‘I’ll make all the arrangements tomorrow,’ she said.

‘No need,’ smiled Meredith. ‘I had my secretary book you on Saturday’s flight to Hilo. She has all the details.’

Meredith stood up and walked towards the door on her Ferragamo heels. ‘I do appreciate everything you’re doing for the family, Tess. I know your contract with us was until David and Brooke’s wedding, but I really hope you’ll stay on with us after that. Perhaps we can talk about it a little nearer the time?’

Tess wondered if now would be a good time to remind her employer of the quarter–of–a–million–dollar bonus she had been promised if the wedding went ahead. It had been mentioned at her first conversation with Meredith at the Connaught, and Tess had insisted it was put into her contract, but with rumours of financial trouble with the Asgill company beginning to surface, Tess made a mental note to double–check her contract to make sure there was no way they could wiggle out of it.

‘Oh, before I forget,’ said Meredith, slipping her slim hand into her Chanel quilt bag. ‘I received this today.’ She pulled out an envelope and handed it to Tess. It was addressed to Meredith at the Asgill’s office. Inside the envelope was a letter on blue airmail paper, the likes of which Tess hadn’t seen in a decade. She unfolded it and read the short message.

Your family has a secret.

Flipping over the envelope, she examined it.

‘Well, it’s a South Carolina postmark. I’m assuming you don’t know who it’s from?’

Meredith gave the smallest of shrugs. ‘I have no idea.’

Tess wasn’t unduly worried. One thing she had learned from her time in the tabloids was that the world was full of crackpots. At the Globe, they had regularly received letters from one of Britain’s most notorious criminals, sent from Broadmoor Hospital (the institution that in less enlightened times had been known as Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane); here, barely a week at the Asgills’ office went past without some email or letter from someone claiming to be Brooke’s best friend wanting her cell–phone number, or a long–lost relative claiming a slice of the annual profits. New York seemed to be particularly full of crazies. Tess tapped the letter against the palm of her hand thoughtfully.

‘Well, it’s not a demand or an accusation. It’s probably just another attention–seeker.’

‘Perhaps,’ said Meredith quietly. ‘But I’d like it taken care of.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll handle it,’ said Tess with as much reassurance as she could muster. ‘And get any post like this diverted to me as soon as it arrives.’

‘Thank you Tess,’ said Meredith. ‘This is exactly the reason I hired you.’

She watched Meredith leave the room and her face creased into a frown. What the hell does she want from me? she thought, annoyed. First a PR, then a baby–sitter, now they want me to be a private bloody detective!

She grabbed her coat and switched off the light, throwing the letter into the back of her drawer.

CHAPTER FORTY–TWO

‘What do you mean, you can’t make it?’ asked Brooke, cradling her phone to her ear as she pushed through the revolving door of her office building and out onto the cold street.

David’s voice sounded apologetic but firm. ‘I’m sorry, honey, but it’s impossible. The producer wants to follow up a story that has just broken on the Huffington Post. We’re going to do an extended segment about it on the show tomorrow, so it’s all hands on deck. Meetings with the researchers, you know the drill. I think it’s going to be a late one.’

‘But we’re supposed to be there in an hour,’ said Brooke, exasperated. She heard a long sigh into the phone.