Deranged Marriage (24 page)

THE MARRIAGE PACT MAN

JILTED SWEETHEART GOES TO COURT OVER BROKEN PROMISES

George
Conway
,
thirty
,
had
everything
a
man
could
wish
for
.
He
was
a
successful
lawyer
living
an
extravagant
life
in
New
York
.
But
although
his
career
was
steaming
ahead
he
had
more
important
matters
to
attend
to
.
He
left
New
York
for
London
to
seal
a
promise
made
ten
years
earlier
.
He
arrived
in
London
with
the
sole
purpose
of
being
reunited
with
childhood
sweetheart
,
Holly
Miller
.

Since
the
age
of
twelve
Holly
and
George
had
been
inseparable
,
as
friendship
grew
into
love
,
and
adolescence
gave
way
to
adulthood
that
love
grew
.
When
they
were
twenty
,
they
both
declared
that
they
would
be
together
forever
and
they
signed
a
marriage
pact
promising
to
marry
each
other
at
the
age
of
thirty
.
Both
were
building
successful
careers
,
so
much
so
that
when
George
was
offered
a
job
in
New
York
,
Holly
felt
she
wasn’t
ready
to
give
up
her
job
in
public
relations
.
They
parted
tearfully
but
knew
that
one
day
they
would
be
together
.

At
the
beginning
of
December
last
year
,
George
returned
home
to
claim
his
bride
.
Their
passion
was
instantly
rediscovered
,
but
Holly
then
turned
against
the
man
who
loved
her
.
Despite
sleeping
with
him
,
she
told
him
that
she
had
a
new
man
in
her
life
,
Joe
McClaren
,
thirty
-
two
,
and
she
had
no
intention
of
marrying
George
.

Distraught
,
he
didn’t
know
where
to
turn
,
so
he
turned
to
the
law
to
help
him
.
Unfortunately
it
did
not
.
Now
George
is
appealing
to
Holly
,
to
the
love
that
they
share
because
he
knows
that
they
are
meant
to
be
together
.

‘Although
Holly
has
behaved
despicably
towards
me
and
towards
Joe
,
I
forgive
her
because
she
is
the
love
of
my
life
.
’
Conway
said
.
‘All
I
can
do
is
use
the
powerful
medium
of
the
press
to
appeal
to
her
.
Holly
I
love
you
and
I
know
you
love
me
.
Please
marry
me
.
’

Wiping
away
a
tear
,
George
Conway
manages
a
smile
as
he
leaves
and
waits
for
his
one
true
love
to
respond
to
him
.

If
you
know
Holly
Miller
,
or
if
you
have
a
marriage
-
pact
story
contact
the
Daily News.

Oh I knew Holly Miller all right, but not the one in the paper.

Chapter Twenty-two

When Max and Lisa emerged about two hours later, I had my head in the oven.

‘Shit Hol, what are you doing?’ Lisa screamed.

‘Cleaning the oven,’ I replied, pulling my head out and displaying my pink rubber gloves for them to see.

‘You scared me,’ Lisa said, going to the fridge to get her morning piece of celery.

‘Sorry.’ I peeled off the gloves and put the kettle on. ‘I’ll make you both coffee to compensate.’

‘Holly, the newspaper. Do you want me to get it?’ Max asked.

‘No need.’ I pointed to the counter where the newspaper lay open at page thirteen. Max and Lisa started to read it when the phone went. I went into the sitting room to take the call.

‘Hello.’

‘Hol, it’s me.’

‘Oh Freddie, thank goodness. Did you see it?’

‘Yes, so has Francesca. We don’t think it’s anything to worry about. I mean I know it’s a pack of lies, but it isn’t that damaging. It’s on a crap page, and it’s not that big, well it does fill the whole page but most of that is the photo.’

‘Freddie, why do you sound so stressed?’

‘We called the
Daily
News
to refute the story, they refused to print your side.’

‘Why would they do that?’

‘Not interesting enough.’

‘Shit. Can’t we make it interesting?’

‘Well, not unless we offer them the pregnancy exclusive. That might make it too interesting.’

‘What are we going to do?’ I needed Freddie to tell me that it would be all right.

‘Well for now, nothing babes. I’ve blackmailed every sub-editor on every tabloid to call me if they pick it up. Luckily, we’ve given them enough good stuff to get into their good books. I’m preparing a press release for you which we’ll send round to everyone if the story isn’t dead today. Even the
Daily
News
have agreed to let me know if they are going to continue running the story. They don’t think it’s going to get any more coverage to be honest. If that is the case then it’s over.’

‘Freddie, you know Cordelia won’t let it be over.’

‘She might not have any choice. Shame there isn’t a general election or something. Unfortunately it’s a quiet time for news, that’s our biggest problem.’

‘Yeah, well I’m not enough of a bitch to wish for a world disaster just to suit me.’

‘I know. Hol, Francesca and I are on top of this. I’ll e-mail the planned release for your approval, and we’ll take it from there.’

‘What would I do without you?’

‘That’s a bloody good question.’

I went back into the kitchen where my two guests had made their own coffee.

‘So?’ I asked.

‘It’s a pile of shit,’ Lisa said.

‘Yeah and we’re going to e-mail the paper and tell them that,’ Max added.

‘You’d do that?’

‘Of course. I have to go into the studio now, so I’ll mail them from there. What does work say?’

‘Freddie thinks it will all be over soon.’

‘Fingers crossed.’

By the end of the morning I was exhausted. Lisa had been brilliant, fielding calls from people; but I spoke to my parents, who were very reassuring; my sister, who was hysterical should they connect me to her famous husband; and again to Freddie. No news from his end, I wanted to believe desperately that that was good.

Lisa made lunch, which was no mean feat for her, and I guess the reason we had a tuna salad.

‘It’s very good for you,’ she explained, when she put it in front of me.

‘It is,’ I replied.

‘You know that oven thing earlier?’ she asked.

‘Um.’

‘Is that you nesting?’

‘What?’

‘You know they say pregnant women get urges to clean everywhere because they are nesting.’

‘Makes me sound like a bird. I guess I did get an urge to clean though. Normally I have to bribe myself to go near that oven. How come you’re an expert on pregnancy all of a sudden?’

‘I told you, we’re thinking about trying for a baby, but I still want to see how yours turns out first.’

‘Any baby made from you and Max is bound to be gorgeous.’ Not only was Lisa in possession of model looks, but so was he. I didn’t think my baby would stand a chance in the beauty stakes compared to theirs, even if it was Joe’s. Lisa just smiled.

She came with me to my doctor’s appointment. I saw the same doctor as before, who told me much the same as I had been told at the hospital. She went through all the tests I needed to have done, gave me leaflets, said she would arrange an appointment with a gynaecologist and finally she asked me how I was. I decided to give her a potted version as I knew she had a waiting room full of people. I was growing to like her. She had sympathetic eyes, and a comforting smile. She wasn’t one of those cold horrid doctors who made you want to stay away. I could imagine she was ultra busy because everyone would want to come to see her, even if just for a chat. I pulled myself out of my silent thoughts as I heard her mention antenatal. I asked her if I could go to Francesca’s yoga teacher and she seemed to think that that would be all right. As long as I had a chat with my gynaecologist about it, and went to at least a couple of birthing lessons. I promised I would.

Even though I could picture the scene and I didn’t like it: Lisa, clutching her celery, accompanying me, a class full of happy, smiling, smug couples, assuming that we were lesbians and probably keeping well away from us in case it was contagious. The men would be calling their pregnant women honey, and Lisa would be taking the piss out of each and every one (the only silver lining). The teacher, although I am not sure if they are called teachers, would tell us both off for giggling too much and I’d sulk like I did at school. I really, really didn’t want to have to go through that, but if it was my punishment I would take it like a woman.

By the end of the day, there was no news about any more media interest in my life. I received the press release Freddie had prepared, I approved it, dealt with a couple more work-related things, then I made a chicken casserole for dinner. As I was never that keen on cooking, I guessed I was ‘nesting’ again, but after consulting Dr Miriam discovered it was probably a bit early for that. Actually I was trying to keep myself occupied and my mind off other matters. Max came home, we had dinner, and then, straight after, I fell into bed exhausted. It was a dreamless sleep.