Page 51 of The Only Way Is Up

Tom cleared his throat, worried this conversation was about to plunge into wailing melodrama. ‘Have you spoken to her? To Will?’

‘I see this as a time of reckoning.’ Gerald sat upright, straightening his tie. ‘So I’m going to sell this house and the land, and put it all on the table. See if we can build something out of the mess I’ve made.’ He looked at Tom uncertainly. ‘And, er, I was rather banking on your support.’

Tom frowned. ‘I’m not sure what I can do—’

‘There’s a poem by Philip Larkin—Ah, there he is.’ The estate agent pulled into the parking space behind them, so Gerald stuck his hand out of the window in greeting. ‘Er . . . I forget the name of it, the Larkin. It includes the line “We should be kind, while there is still time”.’

Tom knew the poem; it was about killing a hedgehog with a lawnmower, but now probably wasn’t the time to mention it. He wondered if there was still time for him and Daisy. Then he thought of Tessa, who’d run out of time all too soon. Gerald and Melanie and Will were lucky; they had everything to play for.

‘There’s still time, Gerald.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Daisy waved Melanie, Ruby and Will off to another day of ski classes, pulling her scarf up over her nose. The weather felt as dark as her mood, with battle-grey skies and heavy snow. She ordered a coffee in the bar by the top cable car station and sat down in the window, her legs pressed against the radiator.

Deep cleansing breaths, Daisy.

Katie had sent her a link to the news story first thing, with a WhatsApp that just said ??? WTF call me??? She’d meant to tell Katie about Christian and the photographer yesterday, but part of her had hoped it was just an opportunist pap and would all come to nothing. But that was wishful thinking, because the Daily Mail had featured them as the top story on their website as an exclusive, and it was clear whoever had taken those pictures was a pro, which suggested it had all been organised in advance. By Christian, probably, or more likely that manipulative little shit Benny. Now she wondered if Christian’s nerves were less to do with facing Daisy and more to do with looking like a dick on skis in the tabloids; he never liked doing anything badly.

Daisy had explained Christian’s appearance to Melanie and Will over breakfast, giving them the same version of the story she’d shared with Ruby. They’d all read the online coverage and dismissed it as the usual tabloid rubbish, although Will had been massively weirded out to see his headmaster implicated in some kind of celebrity love triangle. But nausea and anxiety were still wriggling in Daisy’s belly, worrying that right now some hack in London had got their hands on a picture of Tessa and was writing a gleeful follow-up.

‘Dead Ringer! Hunky Head’s Tragic Wife was TV Star Daisy’s Double.’

And it would all be her fault for dragging Tom into her mess of a life. He hadn’t signed up for this, and she absolutely shouldn’t have kissed him. That was perfectly clear now. So should she set him straight on Christian turning up? Or would it actually be better for everyone if he thought she was a liar and a cheat? The thought made her feel sick.

Christian first, then. She needed to know he’d definitely left Vergallen and wasn’t going to stir up more trouble. She pulled out her phone and tapped out a message.

There are some pap shots of us from yesterday in the Mail. Did you organise them?

The blue ticks appeared almost immediately, then a reply.

No, I promise. Why would I do that? It could have been pics of you slapping my face

This was a fair point.

OK. I had to ask. Where are you now?

In taxi to Zurich. I thought about what you said, decided to check into a clinic. Four weeks.

Daisy briefly tried to imagine how much that was costing, then dismissed it as not her problem. She wondered if it was their conversation that prompted this decision, or whatever had happened afterwards. A question wormed its way into her head, and she’d asked it before she could stop herself.

Did you see Sophie again last night?

No, I deleted her number. Farmer couple who own B&B cooked me foul dinner

Daisy smiled.

Did they have a daughter?

Yeah but she was 17 with hands like snow shovels. I’d have died on those mountains.

Daisy snorted with laughter, despite the headache that had set in several hours ago. Christian could be funny when he was on form. Probably a good time to wrap this conversation up, while things between them were on a high.

Take care, Christian

I will, thanks. Sorry about everything x

‘So you definitely didn’t know he was coming?’ clarified Katie, having listened to the entire saga in silence. Daisy had moved outside to avoid being overheard, taking shelter under an overhanging roof that was dangerously heavy with snow. It would be just her luck to get dumped on from a great height on top of everything else.