Guardian Girl (The Chronicles of Staffordshire) by NC Simmons Read Free Book Online

for three weeks, not just two. I… I succumbed to exhaustion due to my work schedule and my studies. When I first began modeling, I believed I was invincible, able to do everything. I modeled every week. I competed in equestrian trials every weekend. I studied until late into the evening. I worked non-stop. But I could not have been more… Wrong. I was not invincible. I was… naive. No… I was stupid. I was…
    “…A child.”
    Lenore looked up, her eyes red and damp. She sniffed, striking an award-winning balance between composure and brokenness. “One night I collapsed in my Paris hotel room. By the time my chaperone found me, I was in a poor state. He immediately took me to hospital for treatment. The doctor who saw me diagnosed two weeks of bed rest and urged my father to make me give up modeling. He believed my health was at risk if I did not cut back.
    “But quitting was never an option for me, Mr. Trainor. I… I love what I do. I love modeling. I love equestrian competition. I love my studies. I simply needed to learn how to balance my loves and take better care of myself. So to recuperate away from the pressures of the paparazzi, my father took me directly from Paris to a private facility in Switzerland. That was where I found balance again. I learned how to take better care of my health and draw better boundaries about my activities. For the first time in my life I learned… I learned how to say, ‘No’.”
    Lenore pointed firmly at the interrogator, a trembling note of righteous indignation driving home her frustration. “ That, Mr. Trainor… That is where I ‘disappeared’ to! A health ranch!”
    Lenore softened and concluded her scripted monologue. “After that horrible experience, Mr. Trainor, I reduced my work schedule, I learned new relaxation techniques to help me better manage my stress levels, and I changed my diet.”
    Lenore pointed at the host with a supplicant, open-palmed gesture, making his very presence in her house a repudiation of his accusations. “And as you can personally confirm for your viewers, Terry, I am once again a whole, healthy girl. Since I came back from my illness, I have not missed a shoot, a show, a class, or a competition. I believe these past two years have proved that I am fully recovered and I am prepared to begin a new phase of life at Paulson.”
    What was good for the sucker-puncher was good for the sucker-punchee. Lenore leaned toward the host. “I trust, Terry, that revealing such a humiliating, deeply personal experience on your show… On live TV… Should sufficiently address any lingering concerns you or your viewers may have about my wellbeing.”
    The Producer raged in Trainor’s ear-piece. “Bloody hell! This interview is OVER! Get us out of this segment! Cut to the bloody India / Pakistan test match, for Christ’s sake! Just soften it up, dammit!”
    Lenore sat back, dabbed away errant tears, straightened her dress, pushed a few loose strands of hair from her eyes, and resumed her elegant, cross-calved pose. The Director’s calm voice defused the Producer’s fury. “Terry… 2 minutes… Time to wrap, mate.”
    The interviewer glared at his prey. Lenore boxed him in. Everything Lenore volleyed his way deflected attention from the central issue; for several weeks a 40-something mystery man was seen intimately engaged with the then-16-year-old supermodel. Upon publication of the photos, the mystery man vanished from the face of the planet, never to be seen again. Then Lenore disappeared for more than two weeks.
    Something happened in Paris, of that Trainor was certain. If he pursued Lenore with just two minutes to go, he would appear desperate. Lenore was too popular, too polished, and too composed for Trainor to continue the chase. Despite her near breakdown, she appeared convincing on camera; a sympathetic teenage girl who simply went through a health scare.
    “No, Lenore… Thank you for clearing up that situation. Now… Since we are