Weeks in Naviras by Chris Wimpress Read Free Book Online Page A

reshuffling tonight.’
    I didn’t say anything, or even nod, even though she was expecting me to. ‘You know I’m not going to give you a line, Liz,’ I said finally.
    ‘Oh I don’t want anything on-record, Ellie.’ When she wasn’t on the TV and projecting her voice she was quite demure. ‘Can I just have a quick word with you? You’ll want to hear this.’
    I looked around for a quick exit from the corridor; saw the entrance to an office which looked empty. ‘In here,’ I said.
    Once inside Liz closed the door behind us. ‘I wanted to warn you about something I think’s about to come out. Not on the news, but possibly the blogs.’
    ‘Rosie Costello?’ I didn’t see any point in beating round the bush.
    She tilted her head back slightly. ‘I just wondered if you knew, that’s all.’
    ‘Well, I’ve always wondered if someone would bring up her history with James.’
    ‘Well,’ Liz pursed her lips. ‘There’s chatter that she’s not really up to the job and that Weeks -  sorry, your husband – has ulterior motives in making her press secretary.’
    ‘I don’t know anything about that, honestly,’ I said firmly. ‘And as for their history, I’ve told you before. They broke up a few months before James and I started seeing each other.’ I was confident and firm about that, which must’ve come across because Liz blinked slowly, took a small step back. ‘Then you’ve nothing to worry about, then.’
    ‘I don’t understand why it might be a story now,’ I muttered. ‘People have known about it for years.’
    ‘Well, it might seem like that to you, but outside the party hardly anyone’s aware of it. He’s a dark horse, your husband, and people haven’t really dug deep before now. Are you going to do any interviews, by the way?’
    ‘I suppose I’ll have to at some point. You could talk to my new assistant if you like, Anushka. Have you met her?’
    Liz chuckled. ‘I have, yes. Good choice, by the way. But I won’t be bidding for you, because I don’t do the girly stuff, Ellie. Not my style. But be careful who you do speak to, though. I’d be happy to help if you want some pointers.’
    ‘Thanks, Liz. That’s kind of you.’
    Of course it wasn’t kind of her at all, it was self-serving. She was positioning herself to get an interview with James and we both knew it. But you don’t resent people for being like that, in those situations. Not much, anyway.
    Liz was looking out the window into the courtyard outside. ‘I should get home. I’ve been at it all day, and I’ll be here all day again, tomorrow. I’m starting to forget what my husband looks like.’
    ‘Sure, at least I always know where mine is all the time, I just have to turn on the TV.’
    ‘Well that’s a blessing and a curse at the same time.’ She rubbed her eyes. ‘My other half knows how that feels, and he still complains I’m never at home. No overlap, Ellie, you’re sure?’
    I paused for a second. ‘Look, Liz. You know what James is up against. The old guard are desperate to find something to brief about, and they’ve got nothing real so they’re probably focusing on this. It’s none of anyone else’s business what James got up to before he was in office..’
    ‘When you say in office,’ interrupted Liz. ‘Do you mean before he was in Number 10, or a minister, what?’
    ‘Well, before he was an MP. And Rosie, she came before that, so it’s nothing. If people want to put it in the diary columns, that’s fine, but nobody’s really going to care. I don’t care, neither should you.’ I could hear my voice rising, becoming pinched.
    ‘Oh, there won’t be anything from me on the news about this, I promise. I agree with you, honestly.’ I think Liz wanted to touch me, but she didn’t know me quite well enough. ‘But I think there’s something else, Ellie. I’m not sure. If they were just having an affair, it’d be out there by now. Something else. It’s just a feeling.’
    I wasn’t