That little tramp. Lucy Summers had wasted no time in snaring Kirk Kelner. Bridget had to read the first few paragraphs several times before she believed them. Of course, she never normally read such rags but Dorcas had rung her that morning to say she’d heard Hartley’s ex had pulled Kirk Kelner.
Dorcas’s voice had sounded teasing on the phone, like she was goading Bridget by telling her Hartley’s ex must be stunning if she could pull someone like Kelner.
Bridget had played it down, saying with a laugh, ‘Oh you know the tabloids. They probably said hello to each other and they’ve made a story out of it.’
The last thing Bridget wanted Dorcas to know was how much she detested Lucy.
‘Then again,’ Bridget added, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirk was interested in Lucy. She is quite stunning, after all.’ It had almost killed Bridget to say that but she was most pleased she had. Dorcas had been silenced. Now she could only tell the friends in their set that Bridget seemed to have no bad feelings towards Lucy, quite the opposite in fact.
‘So, erm, how are things going with Hartley?’ Dorcas had asked when she had finally collected her thoughts.
‘Oh darling, it’s as though we’ve never been apart.’
Ha, that had got her. Bridget couldn’t wait for Dorcas to spread that little gem around. That would get everyone talking. She prayed the rumour mill would go into overdrive if everyone thought she had started up where she had left off with Hartley.
Her mother had been spreading the word within her own set too, which was excellent as it consisted of many of her own friends’ mothers. She was subtly letting them know her daughter was once again close to the Earl, dropping into their conversations details of where they had been for dinner or the latest on Hartley’s Foundation. Mother would be pleased with how Bridget had handled Dorcas.
Dorcas’s news of the front page had simply confirmed Bridget’s suspicions that Lucy was a gold-grabbing slut. She was no better than the wannabes who hung around clubs waiting for their chance with stars. Hartley had made a lucky escape.
But Bridget couldn’t help feeling a rising sense of irritation. Who did Lucy think she was? The picture they had of her on the front page was stunning – a fact Bridget hated to admit, even to herself. What if Hartley read the article and wondered what he was missing? Why couldn’t Lucy just go away? With Lucy in the limelight with Kirk Kelner, Hartley would be forced to think about her all over again. Bridget must ensure she planted some key bits of information in his head.
Yes, Bridget could well have spoken to a friend who was in Sheekey’s last night and witnessed what a fool Lucy had made of herself. She was all over the actor like a rash. Excellent. And anyway, it probably wasn’t far from the truth.