Page 114 of The Last Saturday In July
‘I know some of the old panelling around the chimney was damaged.’ Jess peered closely at the wood surrounding the mantelpiece. To the right, was a large, slightly newer-looking panel. If she was correct, this was one of tunnels that had been used for the virtual tour, which meant it should be safe. Taking a deep breath, Jess pushed, and as the panel shifted to one side, a blast of icy air rushed into the room. In silence, the two women stared into the dark space.
Jess found her voice. ‘I guess they didn’t lock it again.’ She turned to Chelsea. ‘Please don’t do this. I’ll go down and tell them that you don’t want to go through with it. But if you go ahead, I can’t guarantee that you’ll be safe.’
Chelsea grabbed hold of Jess’s hands. ‘I’ll be okay, I promise. But if Leo finds out that you’ve helped me, he’ll sue. So, I need you to do one more thing.’
Chapter 47
JESS didn’t have time to phone Ian, before there was a loud banging on the door to the suite. Checking that Chelsea had locked the bedroom door from the inside, she hurried over and peeked through the spyhole. Ian and Leo stood in the hallway.
‘Shit.’ She wiped her hands on her dress.
‘Jess, can you open the door please?’ Ian’s voice was strained.
Jess swallowed hard. ‘Hang on.’ Fumbling with the key, she unlocked it, jumping back when Leo practically knocked her over as he burst past her into the room.
‘Where is she? Chelsea?’ He marched into the sitting room and Jess heard him curse again, before he started to rattle the bedroom door. ‘Fuck sake, now she’s locked herself into the bedroom.’
‘How did it go, Jess?’ Ian whispered. Before Jess had a chance to reply, there was another shouted expletive from Leo, before he reappeared in the little hallway.
‘Why has she locked herself in the bedroom?’
Jess flashed Ian a quick look. ‘Chelsea said she needed some time to herself. In fact, I was just about to call Ian when you knocked on the door.’
Leo dropped his voice. ‘So, she’s come to her senses? We can actually get on with this? Because Bobbi Grayson is wrecking my head about her schedule, and our guests are starting to get edgy. All I can say is thank fuck they all agreed to hand over their phones when they got here.’
‘Your guests are fine, Leo.’ Ian sounded firm. ‘There’s plenty of entertainment for them, and we’re passing around finger food now, to help soak up some of the alcohol.
As for Ms Grayson, she should know that even the finest weddings are never one hundred percent on track.’
Jess tried not to gag as vomit rose to the back of her throat. How would they react when they realised that this particular wedding had been completely derailed? But she’d promised Chelsea she would help. Which meant playing for time.
‘Why don’t you just give her a few minutes, Leo? Go and relax in the sitting room, get a glass of champagne. I’m sure you’d appreciate a bit of downtime, if you’ve been mingling with your guests all morning.’
Leo shot her a filthy look, but he turned on his heel and stalked past them.
Ian turned to Jess. ‘What happened, Jess? Why did Chelsea want to talk to you?’
This was it, Jess thought. She could destroy her career, or she could fudge the truth. Chelsea had given her a way out, there was no reason why she shouldn’t take it. All she had to tell Ian was what she’d just told Leo. When they eventually discovered that Chelsea was gone, they’d all assume that she’d discovered the tunnel by herself. It was the easier option, she knew. But she’d told enough lies this past month, to last a lifetime.
‘I found the tunnel in the bedroom beside the fireplace.’
For a split second, Ian looked confused, but his expression quickly cleared to one of horror. ‘Please tell me you didn’t ...’
‘It wasn’t locked, Ian. After the fire, I’m guessing you didn’t get a chance to lock it again.’
He turned white. ‘We meant to get around to it. There was so much to do, we didn’t get time.’ His hands closed around Jess’s arms. ‘What have you done?’
‘She asked me, Ian, she begged me,’ Jess whispered furiously.
‘Ian?’
Ian jumped as Leo shouted at him from inside the suite.
‘Coming.’ He looked at Jess. ‘I’ll have to write a full report, Jess, you know that?’ His voice cracked.
‘This will destroy Linford; it’ll destroy the group. Leo will probably sue us for everything we’ve got.’ He released her arms so quickly she almost lost her balance. His mouth set in a thin line, he walked into the sitting room. ‘I think we’ve waited long enough, Leo. I’m going to get somebody up here to take off the lock on the bedroom door.’
‘There’s a fucking tunnel?’ Leo stared in disbelief at the castle’s old escape route, before whirling to glare at Jess. ‘Did you tell her? Did you show her this?’
