Chapter 5: The Fitting

My father came in and lowered himself carefully onto the one spare chair.

"I heard every word on that recording," he said.

He said it to his hands.

"I heard it, and I stood there, and I chose the loan.

"I've been sick about it for two days."

I didn't say it was all right, because it wasn't.

"What does Honoria want from you?" I asked.

"She wants us both at the fitting on Thursday.

"She says if you come and smile, the Grand stays ours until the wedding."

"And after the wedding?"

He didn't answer.

"Then I'll come," I said. "And you will not sign anything else, Dad. Not a page. Not a cheque."

He nodded, and he cried a little, quietly, and Clement went and stood in the hall to give him the room.

On Thursday afternoon, Clement taped a small recorder to my back, under the strap of my bra.

I had to turn my back to him and hold up my jumper.

His fingers were quick and impersonal, and then they weren't.

They stopped for half a second at the bottom of my ribs.

"The tape holds better on dry skin," he said, in an odd voice.

"Fine."

"If you can't get to the study, leave it. Don't go looking for a way."

"You said Crispin keeps a second phone in there."

"I said I've seen him use one. I didn't say go and find it."

"I'm going to find it," I said, and he rubbed the back of his neck.