Page 88 of A Scottish Highland Hideaway

Ezra sat forward, his cleft chin growing hard. “I don’t know for sure. I have my suspicions, but it could be a few people. There are a number of names I’ve shamed in the book, and some of them aren’t thrilled about that, to say the least. But there’s nothing in the book about either of you. I didn’t know about you when I wrote it, so I don’t know how they found out.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his hands. “I… I had to leave London for a while. I had to get away because…” He took a deep breath and met his daughters’ eyes. “It turns out that an eminent film director has spread rumours throughout the industry that I stole a confidential movie script, because his father is named and shamed in my book. He tried to blacklist me and I lost roles over it, but please believe me when I say that I didn’t do it.”

Caroline chewed the inside of her mouth. “That’s awful! But Ezra, you haven’t said what it was you saw during your career that’s stirring up trouble. What are they afraid that you’ll reveal?”

I could see how hard it was for Ezra to talk about this, especially with Caroline and Laura when their relationship was only minutes old. “The exploitation of young actors and models, blackmail, sexual assault, as well as the awful and, frankly, illegal working conditions imposed on staff at a well-known London fashion house. You name it, I saw it.”

Caroline’s insistent words made me start. “You have to name and shame the people responsible. It’s important, Ezra. It matters.”

Ezra’s reluctance was clear. “But Caroline, they’re threatening you and Laura.” Realisation gripped his features. “I’m not worried about myself. I’ve been in this game for a long time now, but I couldn’t bear it if they hurt either of you in order to get to me.”

Laura appraised her father with a cool stare. “A tad late to enter the Father of The Year competition, isn’t it?”

“Touché,” I muttered under my breath at Ezra.

“I’m sorry but I agree with Caroline,” Laura went on, “you have to carry on and not waver. You have to clear your name and you’re right to expose what they did. How will anything change if you had stayed quiet??”

Ezra shifted in his chair. “But it could be dangerous. I’d never forgive myself⁠—”

Caroline was imploring. “And we’d never forgive you if you try to redact what you’ve said and let them off scot-free. It’s important, Ezra. This kind of thing really matters.”

Ezra pushed himself upright in his chair. He studied the images of the pretty, forthright young women in front of him. “I admire your courage, I really do. I think we ought to go to the police, but that will mean that the story will leak about us … about us possibly being family. Are you sure you’re ready for that?” He sighed. “Obviously I’m not going to win any medals, but when I said I didn’t know either of you existed, I was telling the truth.”

There was a considered silence.

“If you want to do something for us now, you’ll push on with publicity for your autobiography and make sure it continues to receive the fanfare it deserves,” announced Caroline, the emotion in her voice practically bouncing off the cream walls of her office. There was also an odd expression on her face.

“Are you all right?” I asked her.

She didn’t reply.

Ezra grew more frustrated. “You don’t know what it feels like to have carried around something like this.”

“Oh yes, I do,” bit back Caroline, her distraught image on the laptop screen giving me cause for concern.

“Caroline? What is it?”

Her eyes, daubed in beige shadow, glittered with tears. “I was sexually harassed at work eight years ago.”

Ezra stiffened beside me.

Laura lent closer to the camera. “What? You never told me that.”

Caroline swallowed. “It’s not a time in my life I like to revisit.”

Ezra’s heated glance at me was a mixture of anger and confusion. “What happened?”

“I ended up leaving.”

Ezra struggled to contain himself. “And the bastard who was harassing you? What happened to him?”

“He was transferred. And promoted! Can you believe it? They removed the problem and foisted it on to someone else in another department, and gave the guy a pay rise.”

Ezra stared with incredulity at Caroline’s troubled image on my laptop.

“I couldn’t stay after that. I needed a fresh start.” Caroline gathered herself. “Since then, attitudes and procedures have changed to a large degree, although there’s still so much room for improvement. I’m convinced that had it occurred now, the outcome would’ve been so much different.”

Laura’s voice broke. “I agree with Caroline. You have to expose what these people did and stick by your autobiography.”

For a moment, it was as though Caroline had almost forgotten about Laura being present. She widened her eyes in surprise, before they misted over again.