What Goes on Tour(46)

"What do we do?" Kate asked.

Libby retrieved her house keys from her pocket. "We'll go straight up to  the house. Hopefully they won't notice us until we get close and we can  get inside before they realize we're not already there."

Her heart pounded in her chest. She didn't want any more pictures of Kate splashed across the television.

They were still a hundred yards from the house when the first reporter  spotted them. The cameraman with him turned on his camera and pointed it  in Libby's direction.

Libby seized Kate's hand. "Walk faster." She kept her head down,  shielding her face with the brim of her hat, and kept her body between  Kate and the cameras. The other reporters realized what was going on and  moved toward her.

"Who's the girl with you?"

"Kent said your relationship was temporary. Does that mean you're not dating Kent?"

Libby felt like she'd been shot, but she didn't stop walking. She'd look up Adrian's statement when they were safely inside.                       
       
           



       

"Why did Kent abandon his father?"

Libby ignored the questions and trotted up the steps to her front door.  Her hand shook as she fumbled to put the key in the lock, but finally it  went in and she opened the door, pushing Kate in front of her.

She slammed the door behind her and let out a deep breath. "Are you all right?"

Kate turned to her, her eyes flashing. "No, I'm not. I'm mad. Those  stupid reporters ruin everything. I want to tell them what I think of  them."

Libby shepherded Kate away from the entrance where the reporters  wouldn't be able to hear the girl's shouts. "I know it's unfair. Let's  have something to eat. Maybe they'll go away."

On cue someone knocked on the door. Libby flinched but ignored it.

She put on the kettle and searched through the cupboard for something to  feed Kate. Her eyes fell on a box of instant soups and she pulled them  out.

Kate paced up and down the kitchen.

"Can you fetch my laptop?" Libby asked. "It's in my carry-on bag in my  room." That would give her something to do for a moment and Libby wanted  to get online and read what Adrian had said.

Libby pulled out some mugs, tipped the powdery substance in and poured boiling water over it, stirring it vigorously.

It was then she heard Kate talking loudly.

Libby dropped the spoon and raced to the front door, which was wide  open. Kate was standing on the porch, her notebook in her hand, talking  to the reporters who were standing around her, cameras rolling.

Libby's stomach plummeted. No. She blinked, hoping the vision of Kate in front of the reporters would disappear.

It didn't.

She faltered, unsure what to do.

"Kent is my uncle. He's been taking care of me since my parents died.  Emily quit as my nanny and Libby took her place." Kate glanced down at  her notepad.

Libby couldn't stop her now, not without causing a scene, which might make matters worse.

"My grandpa is not a nice man and you shouldn't believe what he says. I  would appreciate it if you would leave us alone now, because I'm not  allowed out and you're ruining my whole holiday. Thank you."

Kate closed her notebook, turned and walked inside with her head held high.

The reporters looked stunned. Libby hesitated and then followed up  Kate's words. "As you can see you're upsetting my friend. Please leave  now."

She closed the door and went to find Kate.

Kate was face down on her bed sobbing. Libby ignored the nausea she felt  and sat down next to Kate and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, Katie." She  couldn't be mad at the girl for what she had done. She'd been cooped up  for days and wanting to speak out about it.

Libby closed her eyes briefly. Adrian was going to be furious when he  saw the footage. He might even think Libby had encouraged Kate to give  the statement.

"They made me so mad. The things they said about you and Uncle Ade. It's  not true. You're both good people and I love you both." Her voice was  muffled against the pillow.

Libby's heart swelled and her eyes grew moist. "I love you too, kiddo."

Kate sat up then, wiping her hand over her eyes and nose. "Really?"

"Of course."

Kate threw her arms around Libby and hugged her tight. "Will you come  back with us? You and Uncle Ade can get married and we can all live  together and we won't have to be apart."

Libby's throat closed up. There was nothing she wanted more in this  world, but she couldn't lie to Kate and say it would happen. "I don't  know, Kate. It's not something your uncle and I have discussed."

"But you love him, don't you?"

If only life was that simple.

Kate was waiting for an answer.

Libby couldn't answer her. "Why don't we talk about this later? Our soup  is going cold and I need to ring your uncle and tell him what you did."

Kate bit on her thumbnail. "You're going to tell on me?"

Libby forced a laugh. "No, I'm going to prepare him. You might have your face on television."

"But they wouldn't do that, would they?" Kate looked incredulous.

"They might." Libby was certain they would. It was too good a sound  bite. And Adrian was going to be furious. Nerves played table tennis in  her stomach.

Kate bit her lip. "They really are stupid heads."

"Yep, they really are."

Libby led the way into the kitchen and handed Kate one of the mugs. Then she set her laptop up on the kitchen table.

Kate sat at one side of the table glumly stirring the soup around.

Libby dialed Adrian's cell but it went through to voicemail. She didn't  want to explain what had happened in a voice message, so she said, "It's  Libby. We're both fine. Call me when you can."                       
       
           



       

One of the reporters had implied that Kent had made a statement. She  turned to her laptop and after a moment found an article on one of the  Perth-based news pages.

Quickly she scanned it. The article said Kent denied all Emily's claims  of a relationship. When asked about Libby, he said she was doing some  temporary work for him and refused to answer any questions about Kate or  his father.

Libby bit the inside of her lip. She picked up her phone and called George.

"What's wrong?"

"Is Adrian with you?"

"Hang on, I'll put you on speaker."

"Is Kate all right?" Adrian's voice came through full of concern.

"Yes, we're both fine. We went for a walk on the beach and when we returned there were reporters waiting at my house."

George swore.

"We got inside without too much trouble."

"Then what happened?" Adrian's voice was quiet but his tone said he knew there was more to come and he wasn't happy.

Libby stood and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. "Kate made a statement to the reporters."

There was silence.

"What did she say?" George asked.

"She said Adrian was her uncle, Emily had quit and her grandpa wasn't to  be trusted. She said the reporters were ruining her holiday and told  them to go away."

"You let her speak to the reporters when I said she wasn't to?" Adrian  didn't give her a chance to respond. "Did they get a picture of her?"

"They had video cameras. I'm pretty sure they were on."

"You'd better bring her back to the hotel." The phone went dead.

Libby hung up in shock. Adrian's voice had been so cold. He thought  she'd let Kate talk to the reporters against his wishes. She would have  to explain when she got to the hotel.

She pressed her hands to her eyes. It was her fault. She knew Kate was  angry and she should have kept a closer eye on her. She should have  taken the time to convince Adrian to let Kate speak.

She walked down the hallway to check outside. The reporters had left.  Obviously they had got what they'd come for and were returning to edit  their pieces for the next news bulletin.

Libby returned to the kitchen, where Kate was still stirring her uneaten soup. "We need to go back to the hotel."

"Is Uncle Ade mad?" Kate asked in a whisper.

"I think he's a little upset," Libby said, forcing a small smile. "Are you going to eat your lunch?"

Kate shook her head.

"Then we'd better get going."

Libby carried Kate's suitcase back out to the car. She debated taking her own luggage and then packed it just in case.

She wasn't sure how welcome she would be.

***

Adrian paced the room, unable to sit down. How could Libby have gone  behind his back like that? He'd trusted her, been so sure she'd  understood him, understood why he didn't want Kate in front of the  media.

Could he have been so wrong?

"It might not be too bad," George said from where he sat at the laptop, trying to find further details.

Adrian grunted. It hardly mattered what Kate had said. The issue was  that she'd said anything. Libby had let her and Susan would be furious.  The last conversation he'd had with Susan had not gone well. It would  only take one more thing before she'd be suing for custody of Kate.