See You at the Show (28 page)

“We can deal with the fallout from a separation between you and Samantha, that can be done.
 
But you and Stevie, that needs to be kept under wraps.”

“Until after the Election.”

“Yes.
 
Until after the Election.
 
You do still want to win this Election, don’t you, Daniel?”

“Of course I bloody do.”

“Then you can still do it.
 
You’re going about it all in the most utterly and completely foolish way but I have every confidence you can still do it.
 
If you let
me
take control.”

“Of my life?”

“Of what you do behind closed doors.
 
And that’s where it’s going to have to stay, for the time being.
 
We have no other choice.”

“
We
?”

Angus ignored him.
 
He had a plan and it was the only one he could think of.
 
He just hoped it was going to be enough, because Daniel Madison wasn’t the only one with ambition, and if this all went wrong then it wasn’t just going to be
his
career that went down the pan.
 
Angus was one of the most talented spin-doctors around but even he had his work cut out here.

“We’ll make sure she is kept totally secret; you have my word on that.
 
She’ll be safe, but she’ll be kept very much a secret, and that is going to involve a team of people that will need to know when you intend to see her,
where
you intend to see her...”

“This is crazy, Angus.”

“It’s necessary.
 
If you want to become our next P.M.
 
She cannot be made public, Daniel, not yet.
 
Once you’re through the door of Number Ten we can take it from there but for now, she has to remain a secret or you can kiss goodbye to your political career.
 
You know it’s the only way, think about it.
 
Unless you really want to give everything up.
 
Everything you’ve worked so hard for.
 
Is that what you want?”

Daniel looked at him.
 
Angus was right.
 
There didn’t seem to be any other way.
 
He was one step away from getting the job he’d always dreamed of.
 
One step away, and Angus was giving him an option that he hadn’t even thought about.
 
The only option left if he didn’t want to stay with Samantha.
 
Which he didn’t.
 
 
It was risky, and it was going to take some work to pull it off but it meant he could have everything he wanted – the political career of his dreams, and the woman he was falling in love with.

Daniel sighed, throwing his head back for a second before looking at Angus.
 
“Ok.
 
Ok, let’s go with that.
 
It doesn’t appear I have much choice”

Angus looked at him.
 
“It’s more than you deserve, Daniel.
 
You’re not thinking straight in my opinion, and I really wish you’d give this more thought.
 
Can’t you just think about staying with Samantha?
 
At least until after the election…”

“And then what?
 
Once we’re in Number Ten will I have to stay with her at least until the first budget, or until we’ve pushed a few bills through Parliament?”

“I just wish you’d give it a bit more thought.
 
Try thinking rationally, try thinking about what this could all mean for your career.”

“You’ve just told me we can work through this, Angus.”

Angus sighed heavily.
 
“Ok.
 
Ok, I’ve tried.
 
You’ve obviously made your mind up, although I still think you’re putting a lot at risk here, Daniel.”

“That’s my decision.”

Whoever this woman was she’d changed Daniel Madison and it didn’t make Angus feel comfortable.
 
He had a lot of work to do now, that was for sure.
 
A lot of work.
 
And that’s what he was going to have to concentrate on for the foreseeable future, whether he liked it or not.

“You’ll need to speak to her, Daniel.
 
You’ll need to make sure she completely understands what’s going on.
 
It’s imperative she complies with everything or it’s all going to come crashing down around you.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

Angus looked at him.
 
This was his friend, a strong and determined man, a man who he’d thought was rock solid and steady in every aspect of his life but he’d seen a vulnerable side to him here.
 
Daniel Madison was in the throes of falling in love and that was leaving him exposed to some extent.
 
Angus was going to have his work cut out for him, no doubt about that, but he could help him.
 
He didn’t agree with what was going on, he didn’t think that what Daniel was doing was right in any way but if he wasn’t going to change the way he was feeling then he had no choice but to take control.
 
Until their ultimate goal was complete.
 
After that, once Daniel was through the door of Number Ten maybe things would change, maybe then he’d see what was really important, stop this ridiculous affair and go back to Samantha.
 
He certainly wasn’t making Angus’s life easy but he was his friend and he’d do all he could to sort this mess out.
 
Until he came to his senses.

Angus started to gather his things together.
 
“Right.
 
I’d better get going.
 
There’s a lot to sort out.
 
Call me when you’ve spoken to Samantha, let me know how she’s taken it.
 
Then we can get the ball rolling.”
 
He stood up, picking up his briefcase and newspaper.
 
“Daniel...you’re not going to tell Samantha about...?”

“Credit me with some intelligence, Angus, please.”

Angus nodded, looking at Daniel once more as he turned to go.
 
“You
are
sure, aren’t you?
 
About what you’re getting into here?
 
You’re really sure it’s what you want?”

Daniel nodded.
 
“I’m sure.”

“Then the fight begins now.
 
And I hope to God you’re ready for it.”

***

“What’s up?” Mark asked, sitting down beside Stevie as she pulled another cigarette out of the packet and lit it.
 
She must have chain smoked about half a dozen in a row and she felt a little sick, but at the same time they were calming her down.
 

She looked at Mark.
 
Her handsome, rock star lover.
 
Why couldn’t she just close her eyes and when she opened them everything would be back to the way it had been before?
 
Back to that ridiculously complicated confusion of a life they’d had before because she’d known where she’d been with that.
 
She could handle that.
 
She didn’t know if she could handle this, this wanting to be with someone so bad it hurt.
 
And she hadn’t even realised she’d felt like this until now.
 
Or maybe she had and she just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

“Nothing’s up.”

“Liar.”

She smiled at him.
 
“Ok.
 
I’m a liar.”

He moved closer, his hand brushing against hers.
 
“Do you fancy going out tonight?
 
Something to eat, a few drinks...”

“Mark, shut up will you?
 
Please.”
 
She sighed, throwing her cigarette away, looking down at the ground.
 
“We need to talk.”

He didn’t say anything.
 
He knew what was coming and no matter how hard he tried to avoid it, it wasn’t going to go away.
 
But the pain in his chest was unbearable.
 
The fear of what she was going to say immense.
 
Mark Cassidy had never had these feelings before and they hurt.
 
Like hell.

She looked up at him.
 
He didn’t deserve to be strung along anymore.
 
It was pointless pretending he hadn’t said he loved her, even though they’d tried to carry on as if everything was normal.
 
It wasn’t.
 
She still had feelings for him, of course she did.
 
She still cared about him, she still felt her skin break out in goosebumps when he touched her, she still thought he was one of the sexiest men alive.
 
But she didn’t love him back.
 
Not in the same way, she couldn’t give that back to him and it wasn’t fair on him to keep going with whatever it was they had.
 
She loved Daniel.
 
She loved another man.
 
And she couldn’t change that.

“I’m in love with someone else, Mark.”

He looked away, not wanting to hear it.
 
He’d known it was coming but he still didn’t want to hear it.
 
He wanted her to love
him
, that’s what he wanted.
 
Why couldn’t she love
him
?
 

“Who is he?”
 
A pointless question because he already knew.
 
She was in love with a powerful, important man.
 
Mark had seen him, on TV that morning.
 
He’d sat there and watched him, this surprisingly handsome man.
 
He’d watched as he’d spoken in that perfect English accent about things that didn’t interest Mark because all he could think about was that this man was sleeping with his girl.
 
This man had got under her skin, made her fall in love with him and it hurt too much to even think about it.

“He’s a very special man, Mark.”

“And I’m not?”

She looked at him, reaching out to touch his face, stroking that perfect jaw line, the ever-present stubble rough beneath her fingers.
 
“Of course you are.
 
And you know who he is.
 
I’m not stupid, Mark.
 
I know Johnny’s told you.”

“Why, Stevie?
 
Why him and not me?”

“I don’t know.
 
I really don’t.
 
Maybe you were just too late, I can’t say, Mark.
 
I don’t know.”

“What we had was so good though, baby.”

“But it was never anything set in stone, was it?”

“I thought that’s what you wanted?”

“It was.
 
Baby, it was.
 
But Daniel he...he got inside my head in a way that nobody else has ever done.
 
I have to be with him, and I don’t know how that’s gonna work, everything’s so complicated because of who he is.
 
But I have to try, Mark.
 
I have to try.”

“So...what are you saying?
 
What does that mean for us?”

“It means it’s over.”

“Jesus...”

“It has to be.
 
I thought I could do it, I thought I could carry on seeing you and being with him but – he’s won, Mark.
 
His world’s won.”

“You’re killing me, baby.”

“I know.
 
And I’m sorry, I really am.”
 
She was finding it hard to keep the tears at bay as she looked at him.
 
What she still felt for this man, she couldn’t just switch it off.
 
But it wasn’t love.
 
It wasn’t the same as what she was feeling for Daniel.
 
“I don’t want to hurt you, baby, but I can’t pretend to feel something I’m not.
 
And I can’t love you like
you
love
me,
Mark, I can’t do that.”

“Can’t you try?
 
I can change, Stevie, if that’s what you want.”

“No, baby, no.
 
I don’t
want
you to change, you’re a beautiful man – a pain in the fucking arse most of the time but you’re a beautiful, incredible man I just...I just can’t love you the way you want me to.”

He took her hand as she stroked his cheek, his fingers tightening around hers because he didn’t want to let her go.
 
He really didn’t think he could do it.
 
“What’s gonna happen then?
 
With you and him?”

She shrugged, making no attempt to let go of his hand as they sat together.
 
“I have no idea.
 
I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear.
 
Look, you won’t say anything, will you?
 
Please?
 
I’m aware Dave and Johnny know about me and Daniel, but nobody else.
 
And it needs to stay that way.
 
He’s a very important man and I don’t want to be responsible for ending his career.
 
Which could happen, if this got out.”