asked.
‘There wasn’t one,’ Sir Edward said crossly. ‘We went up to her room when we got back from Borodino to see if she was still sulking and half her things were gone. She’ll be back,’ he added. ‘We’ve barely been out here six months. She’s spent most of those at school. Not to mention half this holiday moping upstairs. Where’s the wretched child going to go? Anna just needs to ring round Alex’s friends …’ Running his hand through silvering hair, Sir Edward looked at the pen on his desk and then at files piled in his in tray.
Lady Masterton caught the glance and her face tightened. Now was when Tom should leave. If he was wise, he’d simply ask permission to go, but a question needed answering. ‘Where was the party?’
Husband and wife turned, as if they’d forgotten he was there.
‘The one she wasn’t allowed to go to.’
‘Who told you about that?’ Sir Edward demanded.
Catching Lady Masterton’s eye, Tom lied. ‘Your stepdaughter, when we were talking on New Year’s Eve. She seemed upset about it. Actually, she seemed upset about everything.’
‘So you taught her how to cut her wrists?’
‘I wanted to shock her into thinking about what she was doing, sir.’ Tom hesitated. ‘Before she did something really stupid and it was too late.’
‘I don’t see what it had to do with you.’
‘Nothing, sir. It had nothing to do with me.’
‘Quite so.’ Sir Edward sat back as if he’d won a debating point.
‘I’ll ring round,’ Lady Masterton said. ‘Although I doubt she’s with anyone we know. One of the mothers would have called me by now. Whether Alex wanted her to or not. And yes,’ she added, before her husband had done more than draw breath, ‘I’ll sound everyone out as discreetly as possible.’
Tom watched her go.
‘Fox, I have reports to check.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Wait outside. I’ll call for you if I need you.’
Lady Masterton looked surprised when Tom joined her.
‘Important papers,’ Tom said.
Taking a
Country Life
from a side table, he buried himself in the ads at the back. He could buy a two-bedroom mews house in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea for £98,000. The same sum would secure a small island in a Scottish loch with a shooting lodge ripe for conversion. If he didn’t like that, there was a cottage in Hampshire with a hundred yards of its own bank and fishing rights. He’d be fifteen miles from Caro’s parents if he bought that.
Good for seeing Charlie.
Mind you, being able to afford any of them was only slightly more likely than finding money for the castle in northern Spain, 200 hectares, a vineyard and its own stables. Offers around £500,000.
When Tom closed the magazine, he realized that Anna was still making calls. She was explaining that Alex had had a sleepover while they were away and like an idiot she’d forgotten where. She didn’t suppose … Anna Masterton was a convincing liar, at least to anyone not looking for the panic in her voice.
6
Kisses for Mayakovsky
A stark black-and-white sticker on the girl’s bedroom door announced
Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics.
A smiling sun below it declared
Atomkraft? Nei Takk
. Inside, posters were plastered so thickly they overlapped. A huge fishing net hung from her ceiling. It had been spray-painted black and silver. A poster of a vaguely familiar movie star claimed pride of place on the biggest wall.
His collar was up, a slash of light lit his eyes.
‘Bela Lugosi,’ Anna Masterton said.
A flyer for Killing Joke, The Pale Fountains and Heist at the Hammersmith Palais rested under the glass sheet that topped her bedside cabinet.
Anna sighed. ‘We didn’t let her go.’
Of course you didn’t,
Tom thought.
‘And that?’ he asked.
A postcard of a wolf peering through wire with fir trees behind.
‘She got it from an East German girl at the swimming pool. The one having the party. We’re caged, you see. It’s free …’
Turning it over, Tom found a
‘There wasn’t one,’ Sir Edward said crossly. ‘We went up to her room when we got back from Borodino to see if she was still sulking and half her things were gone. She’ll be back,’ he added. ‘We’ve barely been out here six months. She’s spent most of those at school. Not to mention half this holiday moping upstairs. Where’s the wretched child going to go? Anna just needs to ring round Alex’s friends …’ Running his hand through silvering hair, Sir Edward looked at the pen on his desk and then at files piled in his in tray.
Lady Masterton caught the glance and her face tightened. Now was when Tom should leave. If he was wise, he’d simply ask permission to go, but a question needed answering. ‘Where was the party?’
Husband and wife turned, as if they’d forgotten he was there.
‘The one she wasn’t allowed to go to.’
‘Who told you about that?’ Sir Edward demanded.
Catching Lady Masterton’s eye, Tom lied. ‘Your stepdaughter, when we were talking on New Year’s Eve. She seemed upset about it. Actually, she seemed upset about everything.’
‘So you taught her how to cut her wrists?’
‘I wanted to shock her into thinking about what she was doing, sir.’ Tom hesitated. ‘Before she did something really stupid and it was too late.’
‘I don’t see what it had to do with you.’
‘Nothing, sir. It had nothing to do with me.’
‘Quite so.’ Sir Edward sat back as if he’d won a debating point.
‘I’ll ring round,’ Lady Masterton said. ‘Although I doubt she’s with anyone we know. One of the mothers would have called me by now. Whether Alex wanted her to or not. And yes,’ she added, before her husband had done more than draw breath, ‘I’ll sound everyone out as discreetly as possible.’
Tom watched her go.
‘Fox, I have reports to check.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Wait outside. I’ll call for you if I need you.’
Lady Masterton looked surprised when Tom joined her.
‘Important papers,’ Tom said.
Taking a
Country Life
from a side table, he buried himself in the ads at the back. He could buy a two-bedroom mews house in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea for £98,000. The same sum would secure a small island in a Scottish loch with a shooting lodge ripe for conversion. If he didn’t like that, there was a cottage in Hampshire with a hundred yards of its own bank and fishing rights. He’d be fifteen miles from Caro’s parents if he bought that.
Good for seeing Charlie.
Mind you, being able to afford any of them was only slightly more likely than finding money for the castle in northern Spain, 200 hectares, a vineyard and its own stables. Offers around £500,000.
When Tom closed the magazine, he realized that Anna was still making calls. She was explaining that Alex had had a sleepover while they were away and like an idiot she’d forgotten where. She didn’t suppose … Anna Masterton was a convincing liar, at least to anyone not looking for the panic in her voice.
6
Kisses for Mayakovsky
A stark black-and-white sticker on the girl’s bedroom door announced
Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics.
A smiling sun below it declared
Atomkraft? Nei Takk
. Inside, posters were plastered so thickly they overlapped. A huge fishing net hung from her ceiling. It had been spray-painted black and silver. A poster of a vaguely familiar movie star claimed pride of place on the biggest wall.
His collar was up, a slash of light lit his eyes.
‘Bela Lugosi,’ Anna Masterton said.
A flyer for Killing Joke, The Pale Fountains and Heist at the Hammersmith Palais rested under the glass sheet that topped her bedside cabinet.
Anna sighed. ‘We didn’t let her go.’
Of course you didn’t,
Tom thought.
‘And that?’ he asked.
A postcard of a wolf peering through wire with fir trees behind.
‘She got it from an East German girl at the swimming pool. The one having the party. We’re caged, you see. It’s free …’
Turning it over, Tom found a
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