YOUR HOST KNOWS YOU’RE WAITING AND WILL LET YOU IN SHORTLY.
My heart is in my throat when the screen opens to show an elegant white and gold sitting room. I’ve never been to Clive’s home in Buckinghamshire. For that matter, he rarely goes there himself. He usually stays in the London flat. The camera moves down as someone adjusts the lid of a laptop. And there! I inhale nervously.
But it’s not Clive.
It’s Viv sitting in the middle of an elegant sofa.
As soon as she sees me, her expression becomes wary. “Hello? Who is this?”
It takes me a minute to realise why she doesn’t recognise me, then I gather my red curls out of the way and let her see my face.
“Oh, my word.” She laughs. “You look completely different.”
“Well, that’s the idea.” I can’t help searching the frame to see if she’s alone.
“He’s in London. Team meeting.”
“On New Year’s Day? Shouldn’t they all be at home nursing hangovers?”
“No one’s had a break,” Viv explains. “Not with the elections on the tenth of February, everyone’s been working flat out.”
Tenth of February? This comes as a shock. “The papers said it would likely be in Spring.”
A tired expression crosses Viv’s face. “It hasn’t been announced officially. The Prime Minister will go public as soon as the House is back. But everyone who matters already knows. Clive and my father have been preparing for ages.”
“How are you coping?” I ask her.
Viv sighs. “How do you think? Ever since the…” She pauses uncomfortably. “Well, you know…”
“The scandal?”
“Yes, sorry. Anyway, there’s been a massive PR campaign to sell us as the perfect political couple. I haven’t had a day off.”
It’s a hard life if you don’t care for politics. If you don’t feel the buzz and excitement. “Tenth of Feb. That’s six weeks away.”
“You said it was important.” Viv brings me back on point.
I take in a deep breath, trying to think how to tell her. Somehow, I hadn’t expected to be giving the news to Clive’s wife. But she must have her suspicions. What otherimportantreason would I have for needing to speak to him?
Her eyes scan my figure, and my hand instinctively goes to cover my still flat stomach.
Her expression changes as understanding hits her, and she drops her face into her hands. She needs a moment to absorb this, so we wait in silence. Finally, she looks up. “I wish you’d told us before; it would have saved all this work. I mean there’s no point to all the campaigning and electioneering. You know there is no way he’ll win with this in the news. He’ll have to resign immediately.”
“Which is why I didn’t tell you before, and…” Now that I know about the tenth of February, my plan has to change. “Actually, Viv, I’m glad it’s you and not him on this call. Don’t tell him, not yet. Not until after the elections.”
She shakes her head. “He has to know.”
“He will. But if he finds out now…”
She considers this. “He’ll come for you.”
“No point in all of us going through so much pain and hard work if he’s going to chuck it all in now. When the elections are over, things will be different.
“I’ll have to tell my father.”
“Of course. Sir Alan needs time to plan. I assume he can keep a secret.”
She laughs. “My father? He keeps more secrets than MI5.”
