Part 25 (1/2)

'You've got it?' he mouthed. Thea nodded and held up a hand to silence him as the most salient point came into focus.

'Uh. Sat.u.r.day? You mean the day after tomorrow?' 'Yes, Sat.u.r.day. Short notice I know, but that's the best time for Minnie. She's keen to put a stop to all this malicious talk once and for all before little Cristiano is irreparably damaged. Five p.m. The Balmoral Hotel.' 'The Balmoral Hotel? Is that in Scotland?' Leanne gave a dry little laugh. 'Full marks for deduction, Miss Mackharven. That's where Minnie is right now. You'd better get that Luke Norton of yours out of Guatemala and on the first plane to Edinburgh.'

33.

It was seven on Sat.u.r.day morning and Thea was standing tapping her foot by the British Airways check-in at Terminal One. Beside her, yawned creepy Rhys and George, the cameraman.

'Where the h.e.l.l's Luke?' she snapped, looking at her watch for the fourteenth time in five minutes. 'We're going to miss the plane.'

'His flight from Miami's only just landed,' soothed Rhys. 'He's probably still stuck on the plane with the door jammed.'

Thea took a gulp of her latte and wondered if she had time to run and buy another one. Since that Thursday night call she'd slept a total of three hours, so busy had she been finessing details of the Minnie interview with Leanne. The list of stipulations made sorting out peace in the Middle East look a doddle.

'Why the Balmoral Hotel?' Thea had asked. 'Isn't Minnie's castle somewhere near Inverness? Why don't we do it there?'

'She's going to be in Edinburgh on Friday night,' Leanne explained. 'It's Hope Scott's birthday party at the Balmoral and she's spending the night there, which means she'll actually be in the building on Sat.u.r.day morning and you'll have no worries about her turning up.'

315.

There was a sinking feeling in Thea's stomach. 'Should I have worries?' I have worries?'

'No, no, of course not,' Leanne said hurriedly. 'But, you know cars can break down, or get stuck in traffic. Knowing Minnie is actually on site will mean peace of mind for everyone.' She cleared her throat like a policeman about to give evidence in a black-and-white film. 'Now, some other points. Minnie will only do the interview if she is lit by candlelight.'

'Yes, that's all in hand.'

'She will be wearing an outfit by Bing Parsons and she'd like Luke to be wearing one too.'

'Absolutely,' Thea said cheerily, her mind cartwheeling as she worked out how they could persuade the hottest designer of the moment to lend them a suit.

'Hair and make-up?'

'Yes, it's all sorted,' Thea said sweetly. Minnie was very precise about who was allowed to touch her famous face and mane. 'We've got Carlo flying in from New York just like she requested to do her hair.' First cla.s.s, she thought. Another budget nightmare. 'And we've persuaded Belinda, the make-up artist, to travel to Edinburgh on the sleeper. She's too pregnant to fly, apparently.' And as a result she's demanding four times her already extortionate rates.

'This interview is going to cost us our entire monthly budget,' Thea warned Dean, when she called him for the sixteenth time shortly after two a.m. on Sat.u.r.day morning.

'Yeah, but it's going to give us viewing figures to make a donkey cack himself and win us a load of awards.' Thea could hear Farrah mumbling crossly in the background. 'It's all right, babe, go back to sleep. Spend whatever it takes.' There was a tiny pause, then he added, 'You'll have to cut back on flights and accommodation for the crew obviously. Cheapest you can find.'

'I'll book a campsite.'

'That's a good idea.' There was a tiny pause, then Dean said, 'I'm not joking, Thea.'

'Nor am I.'

Rhys said, 'I think we should check in.'

'We can't leave without Luke.'

'We may have no choice. He'll have to catch us up.'

'He's taking a leaf out of Minnie's book.' George yawned. 'I remember one of my photographer mates telling me about a shoot she did for Vogue Vogue in Cape Town. They waited four days for her to show up.' in Cape Town. They waited four days for her to show up.'

'Four days?' days?'

'In which case, what's the rush?' Rhys grinned. 'Luke could cycle to Edinburgh. Cut down on his carbon footprint.'

'I'll ring some estate agents. Ask them to show us round some houses, since we're going to end up spending the rest or our lives there.'

George and Rhys chortled. Thea didn't. This wasn't funny. They had had to catch the plane and Luke had to be with them. But just then, she saw him hurrying across the concourse pulling a wheelie suitcase like a little dog. Alexa was just behind. Thea was pleased to note how rough she looked after a night on the red-eye. to catch the plane and Luke had to be with them. But just then, she saw him hurrying across the concourse pulling a wheelie suitcase like a little dog. Alexa was just behind. Thea was pleased to note how rough she looked after a night on the red-eye.

'Jesus, I hope you've got an intravenous coffee drip on you,' he hailed them. 'I've been travelling for nearly twenty-four hours now. GuatemalaMiami, Miamihere. What a f.u.c.king nightmare.'

'It'll be worth it,' Thea said. 'Come on. Let's check in.'

'Economy?' asked Luke suspiciously.

Thea smiled brightly. 'I'm afraid so. Business was fully booked.'

'Christ, I've already gone all the way across the Atlantic in economy. I bet you Jeremy Paxman doesn't travel cattle.'

'It's only an hour's flight.' Thea tried to placate him, but Luke ignored her, striding ahead to the check-in desk.

It was was only an hour's flight, but unfortunately Thea hadn't reckoned with an hour and a half on the Heathrow tarmac due to engine trouble. Because they had checked in so late, they weren't even sitting together. Luke was at the back of the plane studying the enormous Minnie dossier Rhys had compiled, while the others were fast asleep near the front. Wedged between three burly IT consultants on their way to a rugby match and already downing lagers, Thea tried to breathe deeply but her pulse was racing. They were supposed to be at the hotel at ten, to allow plenty of time to set up before the interview at one. What would happen if they were late? Surrept.i.tiously, she pulled out her phone and texted Leanne for the third time. only an hour's flight, but unfortunately Thea hadn't reckoned with an hour and a half on the Heathrow tarmac due to engine trouble. Because they had checked in so late, they weren't even sitting together. Luke was at the back of the plane studying the enormous Minnie dossier Rhys had compiled, while the others were fast asleep near the front. Wedged between three burly IT consultants on their way to a rugby match and already downing lagers, Thea tried to breathe deeply but her pulse was racing. They were supposed to be at the hotel at ten, to allow plenty of time to set up before the interview at one. What would happen if they were late? Surrept.i.tiously, she pulled out her phone and texted Leanne for the third time.

Still not moving. Should be there by noon latest.

The reply flashed back.

We understand. Minnie happy to wait for you.

318.

By the time they'd landed at Edinburgh at half past eleven, Thea was feeling distinctly edgy, a situation not improved by the twenty-minute queue for a taxi.

'Couldn't you have ordered a limo?' Luke complained.

'They were all booked,' lied Thea. She'd completely forgotten. G.o.d, was she losing it already, like Gran? 'Oh, look, we're next. The Balmoral,' she said to the driver, as they climbed in.

'At least we're staying somewhere decent,' Luke mumbled.

'Um,' Thea said as the cab sped off, 'we're not actually staying staying at the Balmoral. It's just where we're doing the interview.' at the Balmoral. It's just where we're doing the interview.'

'So where are we? I stayed at the Scotsman last time I seem to recall. That was nice, and the Sheraton isn't bad.'

Thea shut her eyes and leant back against the sticky vinyl seat. 'We're staying in the Hootsmon.'

'Sorry?'