Her phone pings. A message from Anna:On shift tomorrow, so sending best wishes for you today.
Could there be some collusion going on? Is Eleanor whipping all the sisters in to support her? But no more messages arrive. Nothing from Lily or Phoebe. She should not expect otherwise, though. Her relationship with the twins has always been difficult.
She takes Eleanor’s advice, and heads to bed for the few hours of sleep she can get. But her mind refuses to switch off. It focuses instead on the imminent farewell with Ben. Working with him has been like pleasure and pain have become cross-wired in her brain. When she looks back on the last few weeks, she realises how much she has enjoyed being around him, working with him. At times, there have even been hints of their old camaraderie. But every memory is tainted with the anguish of watching him fall for someone else. When she considers the whole, she would much rather leave than stay and watch his full-throttle pursuit of Lou after the election is over. She can imagine them holding hands in public and kissing on the doorstep and just the thought curdles her stomach. How hard would it be to witness that? And it won’t be her or Pamela beside Ben at civil functions; it will be Lou, looking sleek and happy.
She hopes Lou realises how lucky she is. Ben at university had been full of unwarranted self-assurance verging on arrogance. Ben now is justifiably confident. She has seen him grow even in the matter of the last few weeks. Each test passed has given him new strength and new knowledge. She has no doubt he will continue to mature and deepen as he takes his place in Parliament and starts to work for the people who need that strength. And she will be left behind. Her only comfort will be knowing she has had some small part in the making of the whole man.
The following morning, Sean picks Jasmine up from her rented apartment for the short journey to the campaign office. She would normally walk but today every second will count – every parcel of energy needs to be reserved for later. She has her head down, checking her email on her phone, when she hears him say, “What the hell is going on here?”
A trio of black SUVs is parked outside of the office. It looks like the FBI have come to play, except Britain doesn’t have an FBI. For one moment, she wonders if the Labour Leader is back for one last impromptu push but then she recalls yesterday’s news story where he was overseas. She realises how silly the thought is. Leaders don’t do anything unannounced. The goal is always maximum press coverage, and it takes planning and organisation. She dearly hopes a local drug dealer has not set up shop outside of their headquarters.
Sean pulls up behind the cars and Jasmine clambers out, searching in her bag for the office keys. It is early enough the light is not good and she edges towards the streetlight. Car doors slam and Jasmine looks up. “Mummy?” she says. Then she turns. “Eleanor?” As more bodies appear, she says, “Lily, Phoebe, Jacob, Daddy? What’s going on? Why are you all here?”
Her father answers in his booming posh voice. “Surprise, surprise!” he shouts with his arms thrown wide, and Jasmine hopes he doesn’t wake the sleeping neighbours. “We’ve come to help.”
He crushes her into a bear hug. Jasmine struggles to resist at first and then realises this is futile. As soon as her father feels her relax, he loosens his arms and lets her step back.
“But you all don’t support the Labour Party.”
“No,” he agrees. “But we support you. Behold, three drivers, two volunteers, and Phoebe who will ride shotgun with Lily.”
“Have you driven up today?” Jasmine dearly needs drivers, but not if they are already exhausted.
“We came up yesterday and stayed in a hotel locally,” her father answers. Jasmine looks at Eleanor. Her sister must have already been in Hayburn when she called last night. But Eleanor smiles broadly and shrugs in return.
Sean has made it to Jasmine’s side. He holds out his hand. “Lord Larkford, I presume. I’m Sean Exmore.”
Lord Larkford ignores Sean’s hand and envelopes him in a manly hug. “I’m sorry for your loss, son. I’m immensely grateful to you and your father for helping my daughter all these years.” Jasmine spots the twinkle in her father’s eye and the use of the epithetson, and wonders if Sean realises he should flee now, before her Machiavellian father undertakes to run Sean’s life for him.
Another vehicle pulls up. Jasmine recognises Ben’s car. She is dismayed to see Lou climb out. Her heart plummets but regains some normality when Lou is followed by Dave and Hattie. They haven’t seen Hattie for a while. Jasmine had assumed she was lost to the cause, but it seems Lou has pulled her back in. As everyone piles into the office, Jasmine finds Eleanor beside her.
“Your candidate looks remarkably like the boy you dated at university. You know, the one you stayed with at Christmas? What was his name again?” Eleanor says, combining innocent and sly in one sentence. Jasmine stares at Eleanor, wondering how much her sister knows and how much she has managed to put together from social media. She could have sworn her family were oblivious to her daily life but when Eleanor winks at her, she promises herself never to underestimate them again.
Election Day
Although the office is large enough to accommodate several volunteers and their desks, somehow it seems too cramped to fit her family. The ceiling is too low and the walls too close to contain their volume – dozens of people talking all at once in loud, posh voices. Jasmine is still trying to extricate herself from her mother’s embrace when she hears Ben’s voice over the rest call, “What is going on here?”
She turns quickly but not quick enough. Sean is there before her, mischief in his words as he says, “Ben, let me introduce you to Lord Larkford, Jasmine’s father.”
“Oh.” Ben looks discomfited.
“And Lady Larkford.” Sean twists to where Jasmine is standing still beside her beautiful and immaculate mother. “And her sisters – Eleanor, Lily, and Phoebe.” Sean indicates Eleanor but waves his hand generally between the twins.
“And her brother-in-law, Jake.” Jasmine pleads he won’t go further with that introduction. Sean knows Jake was Petey’s sister’s ex and how he ended up married to Eleanor but Ben knows none of it. They had split up before Jake became anything other than an extra in her life.
But, for the first time here in Hayburn, it feels like her tribe outweighs Ben’s and the fact is not lost on Sean.
Her father’s head drops to one side as he watches the dynamic. She is sure he misses nothing. “We’ve come to offer our aid to Jasmine today,” he says with the slightest emphasis on Jasmine. “I must say the role of chauffeur rather than chauffeured is new to me, but I’m hoping it will be enlightening.”
Jasmine catches a look pass between Jacob and Eleanor, followed by a smile on both faces, but she is more focused on making sure her father behaves.
“Volunteers are always welcome,” Ben says with a politician’s smile. “Today of all days, doubly so.”
“By the way, Gillian sends her love.” Lord Larkford fixes his eyes on Jasmine. “That package you sent her has proved very useful. I believe it has all fitted together rather well.”
Jasmine, who has received a regular stream of messages and photos from Gillian keeping her updated on Natasha and her boys, knows this is not for her benefit. She cannot say how the nuanced messages might have progressed as the little tableau is interrupted by her phone ringing.
Pamela is calling. “One of my tellers is stuck home with a sick child. She was meant to be covering the polling station at the Westfield Scout hut.”
