“You’ve spent time with her,” Mum said to her. “A lot of time. How can you defend her? She was lying and, apparently, conducting an affair with your grandson!”
Grandma looked at me. “I think affair is a rather sordid word, Anna. More to the point, I think it’s a gross underestimate of the true nature of their relationship, hmm?”
I held her gaze for a moment before I couldn’t anymore.
“That’s what I thought,” Grandma continued. “And I can defend the girl quite easily. As Helena said, she was in a difficult situation and did what she thought was best. Was it the wrong choice? Absolutely. But if it’s true that her friend’s business was threatened by someone within the household, then can you blame her?”
“Well?” Dad asked Nancy, tapping his fingers against the back of the sofa. “Were you aware of her real identity? And did you have a part in keeping that information secret?”
Camilla held out her phone. “I have my email here. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said to Dad.
“Quite all right, dear.” He leant forwards and took the phone, looking at the screen. “Sent two days before we met her.” He held the phone out to me, and I walked over and took it.
It was true.
It was all there.
Nancy had known.
I looked at Mum. “She knew. She kept it a secret. And I know one hundred percent that she’s done everything she could to ruin the party.”
“She didn’t do that good a job, did she?” Grandma asked, just as cheery as ever. “Darn thing is still going ahead.”
Mum stood up and threw up her hands. “I’m not listening to this. I need to lie down. I have a migraine.”
“Mother!” I called after her, but she walked out, ignoring me.
Dad shook his head. “Leave her, son. You know you won’t get a conversation out of her tonight.”
“Well, she has just found out that her right-hand woman is a lying, conniving, scheming—”
“Mother,” Dad warned her.
“—bitch,” Grandma finished with a smile at Nancy. “The question now is what do we do with you?”
Nancy’s jaw tensed.
Dad turned to me. “It’s on you.”
I took a deep breath and looked at her. “Luckily for you, it’s not my place to fire you.”
She relaxed.
“But you are suspended pending an investigation for improper conduct,” I said firmly. “Do not show up for work tomorrow. I don’t want to see you here until you’re ready to fully admit to my mother what you’ve been doing.”
Nancy glared at me.
“Rupert, please escort Ms Porter from the property.”
“Of course, Lord Hugo.” He all but marched her out of the library and closed the door behind him.
I let out a long breath and sat down, burying my head in my hands. My heart was thundering, and I couldn’t even blame my mother for walking out and going to have a lie down—my head was thumping like someone was hitting me with a brick.
“So, you’re Camilla,” Grandma said, breaking the silence. “The real one.”
I peered up.
Camilla smiled reluctantly. “Yes, I am.”