Love notes by Avis Exley Page B

gave her the perfect
excuse. She stretched herself out on the beautician’s couch and
closed her eyes as the beginnings of a plan began to emerge.
     
     
    The following morning Erika gave
Marty ample time to have breakfast and catch up with his calls to
Los Angeles, before going to his suite around ten.
    “I need to go to London earlier
than I thought,” she announced as soon as he opened the door. “Can
we leave first thing Monday?”
    Whatever Marty had been
expecting, it hadn’t been this and he couldn’t disguise his
pleasure at the thought of leaving Yorkshire.
    “Where’s the fire?” he asked.
“Three days ago, it was the last place on earth you wanted to
be.”
    Erika walked into his living
room where she grimaced at the mess of papers, clothes and
half-eaten food strewn around the elegant suite. His bedroom looked
even more untidy, with wet towels flung on the floor and his bed
unmade, but she forced down her revulsion and pressed on.
    “The problem with my throat is
worse than ever.” She coughed weakly and sounded upset. “I need to
see the doctor urgently.”
    “How bad is it?”
    “I struggled with my vocal
exercises this morning. I’d hoped a few days’ rest might restore
some of my missing range but it’s still compromised. And I’m having
to work too hard to hold the top notes.”
    “Which means?”
    “This sore throat could be
permanent damage, not just an infection. Here, feel. My larynx is
swollen.”
    She lifted her chin and invited
Marty to touch her neck but he backed away, narrowing his eyes as
he looked at her suspiciously. “Is this anything to do with Aiden
Thirstan?”
    “What? No!” Erika’s horrified
reaction was entirely genuine as she asked herself how Marty could
have got wind of Aiden’s suspicions so quickly. She steadied
herself and tried to remain outwardly calm. “I swear it has nothing
to do with him.”
    “Only it’s strange that your
ex-boyfriend turns up in this God-forsaken hole and five minutes
later you want to head down to London.”
    “I’ve told you, I have a throat
problem. Aiden has nothing to do with this.”
    “For all I know, you’ve started
seeing him again,”
    Relief at Marty’s mistake
flooded through her and she relaxed enough to feign offence. “I’ve
told you, I want nothing more to do with him. Not that I’d be able
to meet him in secret with half of London’s paparazzi on my trail.”
She waited for the truth of this to sink in. “Trust me, Marty. This
isn’t a trick. I need to see a doctor if I’m to prevent serious
damage to my voice.”
    Marty stood before her, caught
between relief at having an excuse to head down to the capital, but
terrified that his main source of income was about to dry up. Money
took priority and he snatched up the hotel phone to dial reception.
“I’ll have a car here within the hour. We’ll be in London in time
for dinner.”
    “No!” This wasn’t at all how
Erika intended it to go and she panicked. “There’s no point in me
going today. The doctor can’t see me until six on Monday.”
    “Three days! Does he know who
you are?”
    “He knows exactly who I am which
is why he’s seeing me at the end of the day. He’s clearing his
clinic before I arrive so there’s no chance of this getting
out.”
    Marty was all too aware of the
potentially-disastrous effect this news could have on Erika’s
future prospects – no record company would dare extend a contract,
or sponsor a stadium tour, if its star had a career-threatening
throat problem.
    As a confirmed control freak,
this took Marty beyond his sphere of influence and he cursed
obscenely.
    “We can still go today. The
European promoters are desperate to talk to me about a tour and I
can catch them over the weekend.”
    “Then why not go on ahead?”
Erika leapt upon this perfect excuse to get rid of Marty. “Sort out
the hotel. See your people. Get back to civilisation.”
    “I can’t leave you alone
here.”
    “Why not? I’m far