Part Three
My Tart Will Go On
Cressida McLaughlin

Copyright

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

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www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain in ebook format in 2020 by HarperCollinsPublishers

Copyright © Cressida McLaughlin 2020

Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020.

Cover illustration © May Van Millingen

Cressida McLaughlin asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © 2020 ISBN: 9780008333553

Version: 2020-02-24

Dedication

To the BookCampers

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Part Three: My Tart Will Go On

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Acknowledgements

Keep Reading …

About the Author

Also by Cressida McLaughlin

About the Publisher

Part Three

Chapter One

‘All we have to do is convince her to stay.’

‘Yes, Lila. That is the obvious part. It’s how we do it that’s more complicated.’

Delilah sighed in frustration and kicked a pebble. It skittered along the smooth golden sand of Porthgolow beach and, a second later, was chased by a particularly boisterous Marmite, his tan and black body a dark smudge against the sinking Cornish sun. Lila glanced at Charlie, who was rubbing her forehead, as if trying to massage an answer out of it. But Lila knew she was trying to ward off exhaustion, staying awake as long as possible so as to keep at bay the jet lag that had been threatening her all day.

‘Can’t we just explain that she’s sending Estelle to an early grave?’ Charlie said. ‘Not to mention the damage she’ll be doing to her own career, just when she’s at the start of it, too.’

‘But her agent will have done all that,’ Lila countered. ‘And if she’s having a really tough time, then the prospect of her career getting ruined isn’t going to be a big enough carrot. It sounds like she wants to give up acting altogether.’

‘So what do we do, then?’ Charlie asked. ‘Do we let her do it? If she’s willing to risk so much, then maybe there isn’t anything we can do.’

Lila squeezed her hands into fists. She imagined Estelle coming to an abrupt, unhappy end. She thought of how Keeley would be viewed by everyone who currently loved and respected her. She couldn’t believe it was the right decision, not for Keeley or anyone else. Her gaze was drawn to the waves, and she remembered Sam hoisting her onto his shoulder, his arms around her.

‘There has to be. Keeley’s upset, but she’s so good natured. If she’s really thinking of causing pain to so many people, then she’s not thinking rationally. She’s unhappy because she’s missing Jordan, and feeling isolated and lonely despite being constantly surrounded by people. Maybe she’s started to believe that all the attention is false, because they need her to be there. Maybe, in a weird sort of way, she’s trying to prove that by walking out.’

Charlie squatted and held out her arm, and Marmite came bounding towards her, a long trail of seaweed in his mouth. Lila thought it was testament to how much she had missed her dog while she’d been in America that she hugged him despite his slimy toy. ‘That is some twisted logic,’ Charlie said. ‘But it actually makes sense. So, if that’s the case, what are we going to do?’

Lila put her hands on her hips and looked out to sea. Porthgolow was such a beautiful place, with its quaint seafront, its curved, sandy beach and mellow water. Reenie’s yellow hut jutted out on one side of the cove, Daniel’s luxurious glass hotel on top of the opposite cliff. She hadn’t spent a lot of time in the village since she’d moved here, but now, with the day’s baking done and Charlie insisting that it wasn’t just Marmite who needed a stroll in the fresh air, Lila realized how stunning it was. With Charlie back to help with the bus, Lila knew things would get easier, and she could stop taking her temporary home for granted.

She bit back a gasp as an idea popped into her head, as bright as a shooting star. ‘I have a plan!’ she announced. ‘But I’m going to need your help. Yours and Sam’s and … everyone’s really. Everyone I know – and beyond.’

Charlie narrowed her eyes, but Lila could see she was excited. She was always, Lila knew, up for a challenge. And they would have to put their whole hearts into this one. The future of Estelle depended on it.

‘A video?’ Sam said, sitting on the edge of one of Gertie’s tables and folding his arms. He looked gorgeous when he was confused, but Lila decided that now probably wasn’t the time to tell him. Instead, she reached out and pushed his sandy hair off his forehead, unable to stop a giggle when his confusion turned to surprise.

‘What?’ she asked innocently. ‘You looked too serious. This is not going to be a serious video – I mean, the purpose of the video is absolutely serious, but the video itself doesn’t need to be.’

‘I took a bit of convincing too,’ Charlie said, from behind a cake stand piled high with muffins. ‘But I do think Lila’s idea makes sense.’

‘Explain it to me, then.’ He tugged at the bow of her apron, which she’d tied round the front due to the string being far too long.

Lila tried to ignore the spark of electricity. She reminded herself that he had simply touched her clothing, but her mind couldn’t help taking it further: what if he’d tugged hard enough to undo the bow, and the next thing she knew they were ripping at each other’s clothes – although somewhere a lot more appropriate than a bus in the middle of a television set.

‘Lila?’ Sam prompted. ‘The video?’

‘Oh – yes! The video. Keeley feels lonely here. Everyone’s fawning all over her and tugging at her hair and—’ Sam raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s different, I’m not part of the hair and make-up team. Anyway, she feels like none of it’s real, that she would rather be with Jordan where she knows the affection is genuine. So I thought if we made a video, got everyone to say something about her – Toby and Aria, Winston, Bert, Darius, Sarah – all the crew. Maybe even people further afield. You know: “Keeley, we love you, we’re so glad you’re in this production”, et cetera. We can show her how important she is – how much people care about her. Because they do, don’t they? She’s the first person I got to know on set, she took the time to talk to me when I knew nobody other than Charlie. You did too, of course, but—’

‘I get it,’ Sam said. ‘Completely.’

‘You do?’

He nodded. ‘I think it’s a great idea. And a very thoughtful one. I honestly had no clue she was struggling, or I would have done something sooner.’

‘None of us did. It’s as if she’s been holding it in, trying to contain it and then … wham! She’s decided the only thing she can do is leave, that there are no half-measures. I don’t know if this will make a difference, but we’ve got to try.’

‘And that, Delilah, is why everyone loves you.’

Her heart skipped a beat. ‘They do?’

‘Unquestionably.’

‘Oh,’ she said, taking a step towards him. ‘But what if I don’t want everyone to love me. What if I only want—’

Charlie cleared her throat loudly. Lila stepped back and Sam gave her a mischievous grin.

‘So we’ve decided,’ Charlie said. ‘The video is happening. Now all we need to do is film it. What are you thinking, Lila? Borrow a camera from the team here? Find a good backdrop to shoot everything against? Sam, try one of these – it’s a new recipe with chunks of dark chocolate.’

‘Don’t mind if I do.’ He chose a muffin and took a bite.

‘I am not thinking either of those things,’ Lila said, taking her phone out of her pocket. ‘This is my tool of choice and, in terms of backdrop, let’s just see how it goes. We don’t want it to be too polished,’ she added, when she saw Charlie’s exasperated expression. ‘It has to be real, otherwise Keeley will think it’s more of the same and it won’t make any difference.’

Sam and Charlie stared at her.

‘Trust me,’ she said. ‘I know what I’m doing.’

As Sam took his coffee and muffin back to his trailer so he could start his transformation into Robert Bramerton, and Charlie checked on the scones in the oven, Lila tried not to think about how those very words: Trust me, I know what I’m doing, so regularly preceded disaster.

‘What does Keeley Klein mean to you?’

Daniel shrugged. ‘I don’t know her.’

‘That, Daniel Harper, is not a good start.’

They were standing in the gardens of Crystal Waters, the sun a flaming orb behind them, the sea flat and shimmering beneath its sunset glow. The wooden hot tub, which Lila hadn’t yet had a chance to sample, bubbled gently alongside them. It was a beautiful setting and, as long as she kept Daniel at this angle, he wouldn’t be a silhouette. She had thought adding a bit of the Porthgolow magic to her video wouldn’t do any harm, as it would remind Keeley that she was leaving Cornwall behind, as well as the people in it.

‘I said I’d do anything to help you, Lila, but if I don’t know Keeley, then what can I say about her?’

‘Well, are you looking forward to Estelle?’

‘Of course. I can’t wait to see the end result, to get a taste of what you and Gertie have been working so hard on.’

‘Excellent. So say that, but mention Keeley instead of me and Gertie.’

Daniel laughed and shook his head. ‘Right.’ He glanced at the floor, as if taking a moment to compose himself. When he looked back up, his expression was serious and tender all at once. Lila could see he meant business. She held her phone up and, giving him the three, two, one with her fingers, hit record.

‘I don’t know you, Keeley,’ he said, ‘but I’ve heard a lot about you from Lila and Charlie. This series, Estelle, sounds like a classy bit of drama, and I can’t wait to see you in it.’ Lila gave him a thumbs-up, her finger hovering, ready to end the recording, but Daniel carried on speaking so she kept filming. ‘I may know nothing about acting, but I do know a bit about perseverance. I’ve been in the shittiest hotel jobs imaginable, where you work eighteen-hour days and, even though you’re surrounded by people, you never have a meaningful conversation. It can feel isolating – pointless, sometimes – but you have to think of your goal. Do you want to be a part of something momentous? Do you want to be more in control, to have more say about your direction of travel? It seems impossible now, but look where those years of hard work, determination and perseverance have got me: running my own hotel on the Cornish coast. Don’t give up now because it’s tough, keep going because it’s worth it and because, in the process, regardless of where you want to end up, it’ll make you a stronger person.’ He gave Lila and the camera a genuine, but slightly embarrassed, smile, and Lila hit stop.

‘Wow, Daniel. That was—’

‘Over the top? You can cut out the bits you don’t want.’

‘Oh, I’m keeping all of it. It was perfect! Thank you.’ She hugged him, and Daniel put his arms briefly round her. ‘And can I book the hot tub?’

‘Any time. Just speak to Chloe on reception. In fact, let me know your next day off and I’ll put a double session for you and Charlie in the calendar.’

‘That would be amazing.’ Lila checked the video had saved and put her phone away as they made their way back to the pristine, calming reception that Lila wished was the foyer of her own house. ‘Right, I’m off. More videos to film, more inspirational words to capture. Thank you again, Daniel.’

‘Catch you later, Lila.’

She waved goodbye and, as Daniel went to add an extra-long session for her and Charlie in the hot-tub schedule, she almost ran down the hill on her way to securing her next video contributors. She didn’t have a moment to lose.

‘Keeley, we are desperate to see Estelle,’ Stella said, pressing her hand against her chest. ‘From the moment we heard what Charlie, Lila and Gertie were up to, we’ve been utterly thrilled at the idea of it. It sounds perfect: A ghost story set in Cornwall, lots of drama and beautiful women, beautiful ghosts—’

‘Not to mention delicious, strapping men wearing breeches,’ Amanda cut in, and Stella nodded eagerly. ‘It has got so much going for it. Oodles of things. And it can’t survive without its star! Lila loves you, and that means we love you too. Come and see us in Porthgolow when you have some time off.’ They both raised their wine glasses to the camera, and Lila pressed the ‘end’ button.

‘That was fabulous, ladies,’ she said. ‘Thank you!’

‘Very happy to help,’ Stella cooed.

‘Though we would have been even happier if you’d brought Sam with you again,’ Amanda added. ‘Honestly, that vision of him carrying you out of the water was just magnificent. It deserved a drama series all of its own.’

‘What’s this?’ Charlie asked, and Lila squirmed under her gaze.

She had joined them in the pub after her detour to see Daniel, intent on collecting as many snippets for her video as possible, and had forgotten that she hadn’t told Charlie the whole story of Sam’s visit to Porthgolow.

‘We were paddling,’ she said. ‘And then … Sam was just being silly.’

‘But we got the wrong idea and thought he was rescuing Lila,’ Stella added. ‘We intervened, and ended up having a fun afternoon in here. With a television star!’

‘It seems like I’ve missed out on a lot of juicy details,’ Charlie said, drumming her fingers on her glass.

‘You’ve only been back a couple of days,’ Lila protested, ‘and we’ve got a very short window to get this video done. Speaking of which,’ she pointed at Hugh, who was polishing glasses behind the bar, ‘here is my next victim.’

‘Need my help?’ Charlie asked.

‘No, you stay and catch Stella and Amanda up on all things America. I’ve got this.’

‘OK, but later on I want to hear about this beach rescue.’

‘We can tell you all about that,’ Amanda said. ‘Don’t worry, Charlie. And let us know how the video goes down.’

‘I will,’ Lila replied, hurrying to the bar. ‘Thank you for your contribution.’

Once she’d collected some rather stilted but very sweet words from Hugh, and accosted a holidaying couple in the pub and discovered to her delight that the woman had seen Keeley in one of her previous roles, a BBC3 teen drama, Lila stepped outside.

The darkness was almost complete, the seafront lit by the attractive, ornate streetlamps, the waves shushing backwards and forwards along the sand. She would go back to Charlie’s, have a mug of peppermint tea and rest her aching feet. She was already looking forward to the weekend, and hoped that, by then, she would be editing the clips into a seamless video on her battered laptop. With all the footage she’d collected in this one evening, some from people Keeley had never even met, she believed her idea could actually work – that she would be able to change her mind and rescue the entire production. She didn’t know what she’d do if they failed.

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