Frankie turns back to me. “Lovely and idyllic as that all sounded, the reality is that Gideon lives in a world where his actions have repercussions because he’s judged on everything he does.”
“I hope you’re not judging me on Christian,” I say tiredly. “I’d hate for that to be held against me.”
“Enough,” Frankie barks. “You know the reality, Gideon. It’s too late to come out as bisexual or gay or whatever the fuck you are this week. The fans will turn against you in a heartbeat because you’ll be a liar to them. Someone who has consistently lied for years in order to make money and be famous.” He shakes his head. “You’d be lucky to get a job doing panto in Margate after that. It’ll be the end of your career.”
“I think you’re m-more concerned about your own c-career,” Milo bursts out, the words emerging disjointed and halting but full of passion. “Stop forcing your homophobic b-bloody views on him. He needs to know that people will love him regardless of his sexuality.”
“They won’t.” My voice is flat, and I suddenly feel like I’m a hundred years old. “They won’t, Milo. Frankie’s right.”
Frankie shrugs, looking smug. “As I said,” he says pointedly. “We need to spin this.” He pauses. “I’ll ring Jacinta. She can come out. We can get a few pictures of her nursing you, a few pap shots of you eating out and her looking at you lovingly.”
“No,” I say harshly, glaring at him with the last of my strength. I can feel weariness beating at my body, wanting to drag me under. “That’s not going to happen,” I say slowly. “She’s straightened her act up now – got clean and she has a really nice boyfriend.” I stare at him. “You leave her alone. I mean it, Frankie.”
He subsides somewhat sulkily, which has become more obvious over the last year or so. Like he owns me and makes my decisions for me.
“Well, Gideon, we’ve got to do something. You need to stay out of trouble for the foreseeable future. The bloke fromThe Sunis sniffing around at the moment asking very leading questions.” He glares at me. “I don’t want to hear anything apart from the fact that you’re an angel for the next few months. I want you to have a reputation that Bonnie Langford would have been proud of.”
“Oh, you’ve no need to worry about that,” Milo says somewhat smugly.
“Why?” I ask, worry stirring.
His smile widens. “I’ve booked you on a cruise.”
Niall’s laughter drowns out my, “What the fuck?”
Chapter
Two
Is this heaven? Because if it is, I want my money back. It’s aterribleplace
Gideon
I stare at Milo in stupefaction. “I’m sorry. I think my illness must have affected my hearing. I’m sure you just said that you’ve booked me on a cruise?”
“I have,” he says calmly, sitting back in his chair and glaring at me.
“Does pneumonia have the side effect of aging me by forty years? Why am I going on a fucking cruise?” I look at Niall. “What the hell is happening here?”
He shrugs and Milo leans forward. “You can’t fly back to England. Your lung collapsed and there’s no way that any airline will let you fly with that.”
“So, I’ll stay here.”
He shakes his head. “No, you’re coming home so we can look after you, and a cruise is the only way to get you back.”
“I haven’t actually got a home at the moment,” I say. “I sold the Primrose Hill house a few months ago, and I don’t think the new owners will be very happy if I turn up and sit on the sofa.”
“And you didn’t buy another place?”
I flush. “I forgot.” Everyone’s heads turn towards me and I squirm slightly. “What?” I finally bark. “I was too busy.”
“Getting laid,” Milo says pertly. He grimaces at me. “It doesn’t matter because you’re coming back toChi an Mor.”
I think of the lovely Elizabethan manor house on the coast of Cornwall that belongs to Silas. “Why?”
“Because you can recuperate there with us. Away from the press.”
“Hang on,” Frankie says crossly. “Gideon needs the press.”
