can lie. You can stay silent and hope it all goes away. Or you can ’fess up. All of these depend on Richard’s co-operation.’
‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Bella never asked for this. I got her into it. I’ll do, say, confirm, whatever she’s happiest with.’ He spoke direct to Lottie, not looking at Bella.
Lottie nodded. ‘Thank you.’ She turned to her friend. ‘The first thing you have to remember is once you’ve told a story, there’s no going back. You can fudge and finesse or you can downright lie. But if you decide not to come clean, you have to keep on lying. Do you want to do that? From experience, I know it can be done. But often it’s more painful than telling the truth and it certainly goes on for longer. The tabloids have scented a story and they will dig and keep on digging after it.’
Richard said quietly, ‘She’s right.’
Lottie looked straight at Bella, serious-faced. ‘If you want to kill this story, my best advice is tell the truth – yes, it was you – and don’t elaborate. Don’t answer questions. No second press release. Certainly no exclusive to Royal Watchers or the Daily Despatch. Just shut up. Remember, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’re both unattached.’
Bella nodded.
‘Eventually he’ll date someone else and the Press will lose interest.’
Richard flinched but said nothing.
Lottie went on. ‘Of course, you could just keep your head down. You probably wouldn’t be found out. There are only four people who know – we three and Richard’s security officer. You could keep schtum and leave it to his Press Office to handle.’
Richard said quietly, ‘It’s what they’re paid for. You don’t need to be involved. You wouldn’t have been if I were anybody else. If I weren’t—’
‘Public property,’ said Bella softly. She tried to take his hand but he seemed to be lost in thought and didn’t respond.
Lottie said crisply, ‘Of course, if the Press Secretary admits it was Richard and doesn’t give up the name of the lady, the nastier rags will imply that it was a one-night stand and she was probably – er – professional.’
Bella was aghast. ‘What? They wouldn’t …’
Lottie shrugged. ‘Whatever sells their paper.’
Bella looked at Richard.
He spread his hands, in answer to her silent question. ‘I don’t know. I suppose they might. But that’s my problem.’
Lottie said, ‘And then we come to the fourth option.’
Bella sat up very straight. ‘There’s a fourth? I thought you said there were only three?’
‘Three b then,’ said Lottie impatiently. ‘Tell the whole truth. Whatever that is. Be prepared for further questions. Answer them. And keep on answering them as long as the relationship lasts.’
She sat back, looking at them expectantly. Richard got up.
Bella said to his back, ‘If you say it’s my call one more time, I will scream.’
‘Be fair, Bella. What else can he say? He’s had the paparazzi shadowing him all his adult life. He knows the score. He can cope. Can you?’ Lottie asked.
Bella ignored her. She stood up and went to Richard. ‘You said you loved me.’
He didn’t turn round. ‘Yes. Of course I love you. I would do anything … But if we tell the world we’re seeing each other, you’ll become public property too. You never wanted that. You said you didn’t.’
‘I know I did. But that was before.’
‘Before I said I loved you?’ He sounded tired. ‘Pulease.’
‘Before I knew you properly.’
He turned round then, looking oddly uncertain. ‘What?’
She said simply, ‘You learned to cope without selling your soul. So will I.’
Richard searched her face. ‘Bella, think about this. Are you sure?’
He looked so drawn she wanted to put her arms round him. ‘Are you?’
‘Me? Oh, yes,’ he said, quite as if it didn’t matter, as if that were a given. ‘I was sure the moment I saw you.’
There was complete silence.
‘Oh,’ Bella said on a long note of wonder.
He searched her face. What he saw there seemed to reassure him. His shoulders came down from under his ears and the tension lines round his mouth eased. He took her hands and swung them a little. His eyes were starting to smile again, she saw, and her heart turned over.
He drew in a long breath. ‘Well,’ he said. ‘Well.’
‘That’s settled then.’ Bella sounded a little breathless but brisk. ‘Press statement says we’re going out together.’
His fingers tightened. ‘Yes.’
‘Well, thank God for that!’ Lottie said. ‘Now, look, you’ll need to tell your nearest and dearest, along with anything you want or don’t want them to say. Someone