convince himself.
‘That’s because she’s jealous of Taggie,’ said Freddie wisely. ‘It was only later she got really upset, which was when you told us you’d just seen Cameron with Tony — and she did know all about Dermot MacBride and the Shakespeare plays. ‘
‘I don’t believe it,’ muttered Declan. ‘She wouldn’t. I must find her.’ He stumbled towards the door.
‘For Christ’s sake, drive slowly,’ warned Freddie.
As Declan walked into The Priory Maud came out of the drawing-room with a glass of champagne in her hand. She was wearing a black polo-neck jersey, a black coat, black stockings, black flat shoes and a black beret on the back of her head. She was very pale, she wore no lipstick, but her skin had a glowing luminosity and her eyes were huge and dreamy. Declan thought she had never looked more beautiful, and suddenly knew she was as guilty as hell.
‘Darling — I got it!’ she said ecstatically.
‘What?’
‘The part — Nora — in
How little she knows about anything, thought Declan — how can a child have done such terrible things?
‘Where’s Taggie?’ he asked.
‘Cooking supper, I think. You don’t seem very pleased for me, darling.’
As if in a dream he led her into the drawing-room, shutting the door and then opening it again to let in Claudius and Gertrude. Gertrude had a Bonio sticking out of the side of her mouth like a pipe. She could sit there for hours, saliva hanging in festoons. Declan leant against the door for support, watching Maud put a log on the fire. Despite all Maud’s grandiose plans for The Priory, there were still no curtains at the windows which were as black as her clothes.
‘How long have you been having an affair with Tony?’ he asked almost conversationally.
Maud’s face went as blank as a digital clock in a power cut.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Don’t prevaricate. I’ve got evidence.’ Declan threw the photographs down on the sofa. Slowly Maud examined them.
‘Rather good, that one.’ She took a leisurely sip of her champagne. ‘I might use it as a publicity photograph.’
‘How long’s it been going on?’
‘Since September.’
‘So you told him everything?’
Maud shrugged: ‘I really don’t remember. We found so much to talk about.’
This can’t be happening to me, thought Declan. I don’t feel anything. It’s as though we’re discussing two characters in a play.
‘But why Tony? Bas I can understand, but not —’ for the first time he betrayed any emotion — ‘not that filthy venomous toad.’
Maud looked at him for a moment, her hand gently stroking Claudius’s ears.
‘Because he was kind, because he listened to me, because he was interested in me as a person — not just as a hole between two legs.’
Her sudden uncharacteristic coarseness shocked Declan almost more than her betrayal.
‘Tony!’ he said in amazement, ‘kind?’
Suddenly Maud flipped. ‘You’re so obsessed with your fucking franchise,’ she yelled, ‘you don’t know anyone else exists, except when you want to fuck them. You couldn’t even forget it for one moment to get back for my first night, when I really needed you. Christ — I needed you! And then swanning in and ordering me away from my own first-night party.
‘I was only fooling around with Tony until then. It was only after that that it got serious. He arranged for me to meet Pascoe Rawlings. He saw that a car delivered me to Pascoe’s office last week and brought me back. He fixed for me to be driven to the audition today, and even though he’d got his IBA meeting this afternoon, he still rang me this evening to see how I’d got on. You’d even forgotten I was going.’ She laughed; it was a horrible sound without any merriment. ‘The great interviewer, so praised for his judgement of character and his consideration to the staff, who doesn’t know a thing about his own wife.’
‘Can’t you understand that he’s using you?’ said Declan slowly. ‘The only thing that turns Tony on is acquisition. You’ve just lost us the franchise, and you were going to stand by and let me blame Cameron.’
‘Serve her right — arrogant little bitch,’ cried Maud hysterically.
Outside in the hall Taggie could hear her mother’s screams getting louder and louder. Oh God, her father didn’t need upsetting any more when he had the IBA meeting in the morning. Next moment the drawing-room door burst open.
‘I’m leaving you,’ screamed Maud.
‘Come back,’ roared Declan.
‘Never, and don’t send Ursula looking for me at the Lost Property Office, because I won’t be there.’ She shot past Taggie and out of the front door, banging it so hard the whole hall rattled.
Taggie ran to open it. Outside it was snowing again. She watched Maud drive off in her car, hell for leather, down the drive.
‘What on earth’s the matter?’ she said, turning to Declan, who was standing as if blasted white by lightning.
‘She was the mole.’
Taggie gave a gasp. ‘She couldn’t be. She can’t have meant to.’
‘She did,’ said Declan in a voice of utter despair, ‘because I neglected her. It’s all my fault. I blamed Cameron last night and Rupert today, and just now I blamed her. But through my focking obsession and hubris I’ve brought us all down.’
50
For Rupert next morning the press was crucifixion — ranging from highly moralistic pieces about the chronic Tory failure to keep their noses clean to double-page spreads with pictures charting the rise and fall of the Tory party golden boy. The tabloids had dug up several of Rupert’s more bitter exes, who, having done a great deal more than kiss, were now only too happy to tell. The seamiest tabloid of all had a huge frontpage headline: ‘
‘
‘“
‘This is the final fucking limit,’ howled Billy Lloyd-Foxe, hurling the
‘The Beeb will sack you if they find out,’ said Janey, who was painting her nails because it was less hassle than cleaning them. ‘And as I turned down a hundred grand yesterday to tell all about our life with Rupert, and this suit cost nearly as much, I don’t think you can afford to.’
‘I don’t care,’ said Billy mutinously. ‘Rupert’s my best friend, and anyway since Beattie implied I was gay yesterday, I shall certainly be snapped up by Radio 3.’
At Freddie’s house, the remnants of the Venturer consortium gathered before the meeting. With no Bishop, no Professor, no Cameron and none of the moles, their numbers were utterly depleted and their bid in tatters. The second day of Rupert’s memoirs was even worse, with intimations of underage school girls. Freddie had spent half
