Can You Keep A Secret?

I feel a stab of panic.

'Jack, this wasn't me,' I say frantically. 'It wasn't. You have to believe me. That's not why I

asked about Scotland! I didn't want to… to sell your secret!' Tears are streaming down my

face, and I brush them away roughly. 'I didn't even want to know such a big secret. I just

wanted to know your little secrets! Your little stupid secrets! I just wanted to know you…

like you know me.'

But he doesn't look round. The car door closes with a heavy clunk, and the car moves away

down the road. And I'm left on the pavement, all alone.

TWENTY-SIX

For a while I can't move. I stand there, dazed, with the breeze blowing on my face, staring at

the point at the end of the road where Jack's car disappeared. I can still hear his voice in my

mind. I can still see his face. The way he looked at me as though he didn't know me, after all.

A spasm of pain runs through my body and I close my eyes, almost unable to bear it. If I

could just turn back time… if I'd been more forceful… if I'd marched Jemima and her friend

off the premises… if I'd spoken up more quickly when Jack appeared…

But I didn't. And it's too late.

A group of party guests comes out of the courtyard onto the pavement, laughing and

discussing taxis.

'Are you all right?' says one curiously to me, and I give a start.

'Yes,' I say. 'Thanks.' I look one more time at where Jack's car disappeared, then force myself

to turn around and make my way slowly back up to the party.

I find Lissy and Jemima still in the little office, Jemima cowering in terror as Lissy lays into

her.

'… selfish immature little bitch! You make me sick, you know that?'

I once heard someone say Lissy was a Rottweiler in court, and I could never understand it.

But now, as I watch her striding up and down, her eyes blazing in fury, I'm actually pretty

scared myself.

'Emma, make her stop!' pleads Jemima. 'Make her stop shouting at me.'

'So… what happened?' Lissy looks at me, her face alight with hope. Mutely, I shake my head.

'Is he-'

'He's gone.' I swallow. 'I don't really want to talk about it.'

'Oh, Emma.' She bites her lip.

'Don't,' I say in a wobbly voice. 'I'll cry.' I lean against the wall and take a couple of deep

breaths, trying to get back to normal. 'Where's her friend?' I say at last, and jerk my thumb at

Jemima.

'He got thrown out,' says Lissy with satisfaction. 'He was trying to take a picture of Justice

Hugh Morris in his tights, and a bunch of lawyers surrounded him and bundled him out.'

'Jemima, listen to me.' I force myself to meet her unrepentant blue gaze. 'You cannot let him

find out any more. You cannot.'

'It's OK,' she says sulkily. 'I've already spoken to him. Lissy made me. He won't pursue it.'

'How do you know?'

'He won't do anything that would piss Mummy off. He has a pretty lucrative arrangement with

her.'

I shoot Lissy a 'can we trust her?' look, and she gives a doubtful shrug.

'Jemima, this is a warning.' I walk to the door, then turn round with a stern face. 'If anything

of this gets out — anything at all — I will make it public that you snore.'

'I don't snore!' says Jemima tartly.

'Yes you do,' says Lissy. 'When you've had too much to drink you snore really loudly. And

we'll tell everyone you got your Donna Karan coat from a discount warehouse shop.'

Jemima gasps in horror.

'I didn't!' she says, colour suffusing her cheeks.

'You did. I saw the carrier bag,' I chime in. 'And we'll make it public that you once asked for a

serviette, not a napkin.'

Jemima claps a hand over her mouth.

'… and your pearls are cultured, not real…'

'… and you never really cook the food at your dinner parties…'

'… and that photo of you meeting Prince William is faked…'

'… and we'll tell every single man you ever date from now on that all you're after is a rock on

your finger!' I finish, and glance gratefully at Lissy.

'OK!' says Jemima, practically in tears. 'OK! I promise I'll forget all about it. I promise. Just

please don't mention the discount warehouse shop. Please. Can I go now?' She looks

imploringly at Lissy.

'Yes, you can go,' says Lissy contemptuously, and Jemima scuttles out of the room. As the

door closes, I stare at Lissy.

'Is that photo of Jemima and Prince William really faked?'

'Yes! Didn't I tell you? I once did some stuff for her on her computer, and I opened the file by

mistake — and there it was. She just pasted her head onto some other girl's body!'

I can't help giving a giggle.

'That girl is unbelievable.'

I sink into a chair, feeling suddenly weak, and for a while there's silence. In the distance

there's a roar of laughter from the party, and somebody walks past the door of the office,

talking about the trouble with the judiciary system as it stands …

'Wouldn't he even listen?' says Lissy at last.

'No. He just left.'

'Isn't that a bit extreme? I mean, he gave away all your secrets. You only gave away one of

his-'

'You don't understand,' I stare at the drab brown office carpet. 'What Jack told me, it's not just

anything. It's something really precious to him. He came all the way here to tell me. To show

me that he trusted me with it.' I swallow hard. 'And the next moment he finds me spilling it to

a journalist.'

'But you weren't!' says Lissy loyally. 'Emma, this wasn't your fault!'

'It was!' Tears are welling up in my eyes. 'If I'd just kept my mouth closed, if I'd never told

Jemima anything in the first place…'

'She would have got him anyway,' says Lissy. 'He'd be suing you for a scraped car instead. Or

damaged genitals.'

I give a shaky laugh.

The door bursts open, and the feathered guy I saw backstage looks in. 'Lissy! There you are.

They're serving food. It looks rather good, actually.'

'OK,' she says. 'Thanks, Colin. I'll be along in a minute.'

He leaves and Lissy turns to me.