Girl on the Run (19 page)

From: Marshall, To: Susan

Hi Susan
,
　The finalised report, as promised. Let me know if you need anything else
.
　Marshall.

##

From: Stevie, To: Louise

He's just texted to say he's coming home. Apparently, it didn't go well
.
　I can't believe she took Keith's word over Marsh's. What a moron.

##

From: Louise, To: Stevie

Keith can be very persuasive and charming when he wants to be. It comes from having no scruples whatsoever
.
　Jim says both Marsh and Keith have been suspended. Apparently, most people have a lot of sympathy for Marsh. Not surprising really, I'm sure most people would love to have the chance to thump Keith
.
　Poor Marsh. It's the first time in years that I've seen/heard him get worked up about anything that wasn't about you or work. He lets his heart start beating again, only to have it stomped on.

##

From: Stevie, To: Louise

I hope he's not going to be down in the dumps for ages. I hate leaving him by himself when he's depressed, but I do have to go back to college.

##

From: Louise
, To: Stevie

He won't be. It didn't take him long to recover from Dominique.

##

From: Stevie
, To: Louise

I think this might be different. He wasn't in love with Dominique, even though he probably thought he was in the beginning. I think he was almost relieved when they split up. I don't think he was that surprised to find out she was cheating on him. He was just embarrassed about the scene she made
.
　He really liked Jane. You should have seen his face when he talked about her. It would have made me puke if it wasn't so sweet.

##

From: Louise, To: James

Jim
,
　I'm worried about Marsh and Stevie. Is there anything we could do to help, do you think
?
　On the plus side, Marsh's predicament seems to have made Stevie forget how heartbroken she was over Buzz
.
　Also, please don't forget that you've got to pick Molly up from the childminder at lunchtime tomorrow. I'm going to the Natural History Museum with the twins' class, remember?

##

From: James, To: Louise

I won't forget Molly. What sort of a father do you take me for? I've set a reminder on my phone
.
　I don't see what we can do for Marsh and Stevie
.
　I'm doing my best to get Marsh off the hook in the office, but there's only so much I can do. I don't think he's going to make it to partner this time round, which is a real pisser because they'd already decided to promote him. If only he'd postponed his bust up by another half a day, they would have announced it
!
　I don't know what else we can do for them, aside from being there if they need a shoulder to cry on. Don't worry. Those two are tough. They've been through worse together and come out relatively normal. Lov
e
　Jim.

##

From: Susan, To: Eric

Come and see me tomorrow. 9.25.
Susan.

##

From: Eric, To: Keith

Why did you have to drag me into this? I've just been summoned to talk to the partners about your little run in with Marshall.

##

From: Keith
, To: Eric

Relax. I'll take care of it. We're partners. Marshall is not. Disciplining partners would look bad
.
　K man.

##

From Stevie, To: Aunty Caroline

Hi Aunty Caroline
,
　I know it's short notice, but can Marsh and I come down to you for the weekend? We're both suffering from broken hearts at the moment and could do with cheering up a bit. Yes, Marsh had a new girlfriend! A nice one this time, not like Dominique. I hope they can get things sorted out and they get back together. I've never seen him quite so loved upas he was when he was with her
.
　Would it be Okfor us to come tomorrow? We'd help with the farm and the B&B and things, obviously
.
　Lov
e
　Stevie.

##

From: Aunty Caroline, To: Stevie

Hello Stevie darling
.
　Of course it's Okfor you to come and stay for the weekend. You can stay for longer if you'd like. There aren't many tourists around at the moment since it's winter, so we're not that busy with the B&B
.
　I'll get two rooms ready for you and Marshall. I'll have to bump two of our regulars up from single to double rooms, but that's not a problem. It'll be lovely to see you both
.
　I'm sorry to hear you're both suffering from broken hearts. I'll have to bake you a nice cake to cheer you up. Lov
e
　Aunty Caroline and Uncle Frank.

##

Text from: Stevie, To: Marsh

FYI
: When u get back from moping around in coffee shop, we r going 2 c Aunty Caroline for the weekend. I've persuaded her 2 make 1 of her cakes 2 cheer us up
.
　No need 2 thank me!

##

Text from: Marsh, To: Stevie

Hang on. I can't just take off like that.
Especially on a weekday.

And I’m not moping. I’m working.

##

Text
from: Stevie, To: Marsh

I thought u
were suspended from work. It's not like you'll be going in anyway!

##

Text from: Marsh, To: Stevie

There's no mobile reception at Aunty C's place. I won't know it if they do want me to come in
!
　It does sound tempting though. I'll call Susan and see what she says.

##

From: Marshall, To: James, Louise

Stevie and I are heading to Wales to see our Aunty Caroline for the weekend. We should be back by Monday. I've spoken to Susan and she agrees that it's most unlikely I'll be asked back into the office tomorrow anyway, so I may as well go away
.
　Mobile reception at Aunty C's is pretty awful, so don't expect much communication from me – or Stevie, Lou! I'll check email each night though
.
　Hopefully, I'll see you on Monday, Jim
.
　Marsh.

##

From: James, To: Marshall

Is Aunty Caroline the one who used to send those fantastic cakes
?
　You lucky bugger.

At around five on Friday morning, Jane gave up trying to sleep and dragged herself out of bed. She made herself a coffee and sat on the sofa wondering what to do.

She missed Marsh. It hurt so much to think she could never hold him again that she wanted to forgive him.

No,
she told herself. That was a stupid idea. She had let her heart rule her head with Ashby and look how that had ended. She had to accept the evidence. No one but Marsh had known about the booking at the restaurant.

She blew her nose. Splitting up with Ashby had hurt a lot. But that was nothing compared to how miserable she was now. She dreaded seeing Marsh when she went to work. It would be really hard to remain objective. And it would all be so horribly public.

He would probably try to talk her round. There was a risk she might give in and forgive him, only to be devastated when he betrayed her again.

To make things worse, everyone would be talking about her. The magazine article, all the stuff about her and Ashby, her very loud argument with Marsh, had all been discussed. They would all be waiting to see how she was dealing with it.

What had Marsh meant about possibly not having a job tomorrow? Had something else happened that she didn't know about? Was she out of a job too?

She couldn't access work emails from Polly's, so the only way she could find out was to phone someone. But she didn't know anyone well enough to phone them up at five in the morning. She would just have to wait until she got into work.

Her head throbbed and her eyes burned. Her nose and throat were swollen and raw. All she really wanted was to go home to her mother. But she'd run away before, and it hadn't made any difference.

London hadn't been a refuge. She'd just spent her time looking over her shoulder and jumping at shadows. Then, just when she had started to believe that the gossip columns had forgotten about her, the paparazzi had turned up. She hadn't escaped her past.

Perhaps Polly was right. The only way to deal with it was to accept it.

The first step was to go to work. Jane sighed and drained her coffee. Since there were still several hours to go before she needed to leave the house, she might as well have a good long bath.

* * *

Cause Celeb Blog

Ashby Thornton's rival in love

Ashby Thornton's ex
-girlfriend, Jane Porter has a new boyfriend, but who is he?
Cause Celeb's
Amber Jackson finds out.

Jane's new
hottie is Marshall Winfield, a patent lawyer specialising in chemistry, at London patent law firm Ramsdean and Tooze. Good-looking and brainy too! Jane met Marshall when she fled Manchester to hide away from her heartbreak at losing Ashby. Is this just a rebound romance, or have Jane and Marshall discovered a chemistry of their very own? Look for a detailed exclusive in next week's issue!

* * *

Thankfully no one else was waiting for the lift. Jane used the few seconds of solitude to gather her thoughts.

On the underground journey in, she had worried that everyone would stare at her, but no one had paid her any attention.

London was big and impersonal enough for her to go about in peace. But work was a different matter. She wasn't just a nameless face in the crowd. The office gossip network would have been busy so it was fair to assume everyone had seen the article and photograph. It would be pointless to pretend it had never happened. Her insides trembled at the thought of facing everyone, but she didn't have much choice.

The doors pinged. Jane drew a deep breath and stepped out. Pleasance, the receptionist looked up from behind the glass doors. She looked a little frazzled.

‘Morning, Jane. Feeling better today?’

‘
Morning.’ Jane forced a smile. ‘Yes, thanks. I think I've got over the shock a bit now.’

‘
We all knew ages ago, you know.’

‘
And I thought I was doing such a good job keeping a low profile.’ Jane hoped her tone sounded light.

‘
To be fair,’ said Pleasance, ‘it was only news because they made such a fuss about you disappearing in the first place. That really backfired on you, eh?’

‘
Looks like it.’

The phone rang.
‘Good morning, Ramsdean and Tooze.’ Pleasance frowned, her eyes flicked to Jane. ‘May I know who's calling please?’ She listened for a moment, the corners of her mouth tightening. ‘Could you be more specific, sir? Perhaps, the name of your company?’ A slight nod. ‘Yes. Why don't you do that? Goodbye.’ She hung up and sucked her teeth. ‘They have been calling all morning. Ever since they found out where you work. Every other call is for you or Marsh.’

Jane sighed.
‘I'm sorry.’

‘
Just as well Marsh isn't coming in today.’

Jane's chest clenched from a mixture of disappointment and relief.
‘Why? Where is he?’

Pleasance gave her a funny look.
‘You should know.’

Of course, people thought they were still together. Jane shook her head.

‘Oh.’ Pleasance's expression went from surprise to concern. ‘What happened?’

Jane shrugged.
‘It's complicated.’

‘
Have you two had an argument? Is that why he hit Keith?’

‘
What?’ She couldn't imagine Marsh hitting anyone. But then, she hadn't thought he'd be the sort of person to talk to the press either. Obviously she was a terrible judge of character.

‘
Of course. You left early and missed all the excitement. It was quite incredible.’ Pleasance's eyes flicked to someone behind Jane. ‘Wasn't it, Ruth?’

‘
What was?’ said Ruth, as she unfurled a long scarf from around her neck.

‘
Marsh punching Keith in the face.’

‘
He didn't actually punch Keith. Nearly did, though. That's what Val said.’

Pleasance's reply was cut short by the phone ringing again.

Ruth laid a hand on Jane's arm. ‘Come on. I'll fill you in on what happened.’

As she followed Ruth through the office, conversations stopped and eyes tracked their progress across the floor. Jane could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She hated being stared at. It made her feel exposed and vulnerable. She focused on the back of Ruth's head and walked on,
being careful not to look at anyone.

Once they were in their office, Ruth gave her an account of the previous day's excitement.

‘And what happened afterwards?’ She imagined there would be repercussions. People weren't allowed to go around threatening to hit other people in law firms.

‘
They're both suspended. Susan's interviewing people to get to the bottom of it all and then the partners will decide what action to take.’

Suspended!
The Marsh she knew would have been devastated by that. But, she reminded herself, she didn't really know him that well.

Her head was starting to hurt again. She rubbed her temples.

She'd thought Keith was pleasant, if a little misunderstood. She'd seen Marsh as shy and, basically, a nice man. It was hard to believe that either of them would sell her story to a newspaper.

She wanted to believe Keith was lying and Marsh was in the clear, but try as she might, she couldn't think of a single motive for Keith to talk to the magazine. His name was never mentioned, so he couldn't be doing it for publicity. He might have been paid, but she doubted
Cause Celeb
was that desperate to know her whereabouts. It wasn't that big a story, surely. The only one who had anything to gain was Marsh.

‘
Jane,’ said Ruth. ‘Are you Ok?’

‘
It's just … so hard to believe that either of them could do this.’

‘
Surely, you don't still suspect Marsh told the magazine?’ Ruth said.

‘
Well, I can't see who else did.’

‘
Marsh would never do that. Especially not to someone he was going out with.’

Jane bit her lip. It was no longer a secret that she and Marsh were seeing each other. After all, it was all over the gossip press. But she hadn't realised he'd talked about her to Ruth.

‘Oh come on,’ said Ruth. ‘I know you and Marsh did your best to keep it a secret, but it was really obvious. You went red whenever he came in, and he couldn't keep his eyes off you. It was all quite funny, really. You guys were trying so hard to be nonchalant that it just made it all the more obvious.’

‘
Right,’ said Jane, barely above a whisper. She opened her email. There were several messages waiting for her. One was from an unfamiliar address: StevieNoWonder. Spam that had got through the office filter, probably. She moved her mouse to delete it just as her reminders pinged. She flicked to her calendar.

‘
Seriously, Jane. There's something you should know.’ Ruth leaned forward. ‘Val said—’

‘
I've got a meeting with Susan. In two minutes!’ She looked up at Ruth, feeling slightly panicked. ‘Why does she want to talk to me?’

‘
She's doing the investigation into what happened.’ Ruth shrugged. ‘She interviewed me about it yesterday. It makes sense that she'll want to talk to you. You're a key player in the whole drama.’

‘
I'd better go then.’ Jane shot to her feet. She was already in trouble. She didn't want to be late as well.

Susan and another woman were sitting in the office when Jane knocked.
‘Come in, Jane. Sit down.’ Susan indicated a chair across the desk. ‘This is Alison, from the regional office.’

Alison, who was small and matronly and looked out of place in a suit, shook Jane's hand and gave her a warm smile. The tension in her shoulders slackened slightly. She sat down.

Susan leaned back and steepled her fingers. ‘Jane, as you probably already know, I'm trying to find out the truth about the assault that Marshall is alleged to have made on Keith yesterday morning. I gather you're a key part of this, so can you tell me, in your own words, what happened yesterday.’

Jane outlined what she knew, including what had happened the night before. From their expressions, she could tell that none of it was news to Alison and Susan. When she had finished, there was a short silence while Susan made notes.

While she waited, Jane's worries about her position resurfaced. She was, after all, still on her probationary period. ‘Am I in trouble?’ she blurted.

Susan looked up, frowning.
‘I'm not exactly pleased. But I do understand that all of this is not really your fault. You seem to have done your best to avoid being in the papers.’

Jane felt a great weight lift off her shoulders.
‘Thank you.’

‘
However,’ said Susan. ‘You should have told us about this situation when we interviewed you.’

‘
It didn't seem relevant at the time,’ said Jane. Remembering where she was, she added, ‘I thought you might not give me the job if you knew.’

Susan raised an eyebrow.
‘You underestimate yourself Jane. But, I suppose it didn't seem that relevant at the time, since you hoped you had escaped. However, when this wretched
Cause Celeb
campaign started, you should have mentioned your concerns.’

She waved Jane's attempt to speak aside.
‘It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. We will work out how best to manage it. I have emailed you a list of journal articles that I need. I'd appreciate it if you can get copies to me by lunchtime, so that I can read them before I meet the client.’

Susan's change of tack confused Jane for a moment.
‘Er … Ok.’ Unsure whether she was dismissed, she looked at Alison, who gave her a small nod. Before she reached the door, Susan called her name. She turned back.

Susan was tidying papers on her desk.
‘Marshall Winfield is an exceptional young man, with maturity far beyond his years,’ she said. She looked up briefly and then back at her papers. ‘The same cannot be said for Keith Durridge.’

Jane almost ran to the Ladies. She needed a moment of privacy to sort her thoughts. Susan's last comment had taken her by surprise. Had she said to believe Marsh and not Keith?

The only thing that pointed to Marsh telling the press was her assumption that no one else knew where they were going for dinner. What if that assumption was wrong?

Locking herself into a cubicle, she sat down on the closed lid and buried her face in her hands. Right now she didn't want to talk to anyone. The only person she really wanted to see was Marsh.

The intensity with which she missed him surprised her. It wasn't just that she missed his touch, she missed having him to talk to. In the few weeks she'd known him, she had been more comfortable than she'd thought possible. He had been more than just her lover. She had genuinely felt as though she'd met her soul mate.

Tears escaped and ran onto her fingers. She wanted to believe that Marsh was the man she'd fallen in love with, not the conniving weasel that Keith suggested. But did she want it badly enough to be made a fool of all over again?