Free Polls Apart by Clare Stephen-Johnston Page B

baked beans she was about to place in the cupboard.
    “That we killed him.”
    “How could you do that, Anna?” Libby’s head was tilted like a confused child’s, all her adult mannerisms stripped away by the revelation. She turned away from Anna and clutched on to the edges of the kitchen surface for support. “What am I supposed to do now? Did you think about that? Did you think about what would happen to my children when their friends find out? No one will want to play with them because their mother is a killer. We’ll be social pariahs.”
    “No Libby.” Anna moved forwards to comfort her sister, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder which was abruptly pushed away as Libby turned back to face her.
    “You get the hell out of this house, Anna. You’ve just ruined my life in two selfish fucking hours. You’ll get wall-to-wall publicity for this, but what about me? I have a family. This isn’t a game for me.”
    Tears started to stream down Libby’s face and she gathered her arms to her waist in an attempt to console herself. “We swore we’d never tell anyone what happened,” she sobbed. “We left our past behind the day we left Wellinghurst. Now some shabby little tabloid is going to tell the world.” Libby shook her head and jabbed her finger towards the front door. “You go now, Anna. Go.”

6
Lloyd’s Interview Bombshell for Social Democrats’ Campaign
M onday, 6 th April, 2009 , UK Newswire – The Social Democrats’ election campaign was said to be in disarray last night following the publication of an explosive interview with leader Richard Williams’ wife in a Sunday newspaper.
    Anna Lloyd told the Sunday Echo that Williams had left her over claims she previously worked as an escort girl, despite having already been fully aware of her past, including a troubled childhood in which she was convicted of the manslaughter of her abusive stepfather.
    The actress revealed she had killed her stepfather at the age of fourteen following years of verbal, physical and sexual abuse of both her and her then sixteen-year-old sister, Libby Howarth, now thirty-nine. The pair spent two years at Wellinghurst Juvenile Centre before being released.
    Lloyd described spending years in poverty trying to support herself through drama school and her early years as an actress. During this period she admitted to working for the Mademoiselles escort agency for just six months. Lloyd told the Sunday Echo that she never had sexual intercourse with her clients and felt “deeply ashamed” of her past employment.
    Most damaging to the SDP is the actress’s claim that Williams had been aware of her work for the escort agency and had been fully sympathetic to her plight until the allegations interfered with his political career.
    Prime Minister Kelvin Davis last night said he was “deeply disturbed” by the way in which Williams had treated his wife and called for the Social Democrats’ leader to “do the right thing and stand down to support Anna at this distressing time”.
    Last night Williams refused to comment to reporters waiting outside his Highgate home.
    “ I feel like I’m finished here Henry. We’ve backed ourselves into a corner we can’t get out of.” Richard sighed deeply as he looked around the meeting table into the faces of his closest colleagues. Once again, another Monday morning planning meeting had been completely dominated by the negative headlines over his marriage. But today’s front pages were beyond anything they had previously feared. Even in their worst nightmares.
    “She’s certainly left us with egg on our faces, that’s for sure,” Henry replied, in a typical understatement.
    “I thought you said Joy had briefed her before the interview?” Sandra snapped at Henry. “Just what exactly is your wife telling Anna these days? Surely allowing her to plaster her darkest secrets all over the front pages isn’t good PR – even in showbiz terms.” Sandra shook her head to