“Thank you so much for bringing these. Oliver knows I love my flowers. I remember when I was still performing, I’d come back to my dressing room, and it would be full to the brim with bouquets. Oh, the smell was just heavenly.” She paused, and swallowed, her bloodshot blue eyes considering me shyly. “Would you like to…to stay for a cup of tea?”

I wasn’t sure if I did, but there was no way I could say no to her. She seemed so lonely, and she had clearly sequestered herself away from the outside world. I wondered if King was the only person who ever got to visit her.

“Of course,” I replied. “That’d be nice.”

She smiled again and motioned for me to follow. A moment later, we were entering a large, unkempt kitchen. The sink was full of unwashed dishes, but thankfully she set a clean-looking mug down in front of me for the tea. As she busied herself making it, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and pulled it out.

Oliver King: Did you deliver the flowers?

Alexis: Yes.

Oliver King: How did she seem?

Alexis: She seems okay. I’m still here. She invited me in for tea.

I knew saying she was okay was stretching it a bit, because there was nothing okay about this situation, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking King about the state of his mother’s mental health in a text message. There was a long stretch in between me sending the text and King replying. Elaine had made the tea and was pouring some into my cup with an unsettlingly shaky hand when I felt my phone buzz again.

Oliver King: I’m still in the meeting. I’ll call you later. Be as sensitive as you can with her.

Well, it was obvious from his response that when King had asked me to deliver flowers, he hadn’t expected his mum to invite me in.

Alexis: I will. Don’t worry. Talk to you later.

Elaine sat down across from me, her hand still shaky as she lifted her cup to her mouth. She took a sip, then set it back down. I clasped my hands together in my lap. This was one of the oddest moments of my life, sitting in a kitchen having tea with a woman who was once a global superstar. I drank some tea.

“Goodness, you must think all this is terribly peculiar,” said Elaine, gesturing around the room.

I didn’t want her to feel bad, so I said, “Oh, give me peculiar over ordinary any day. It’s far more interesting.”

Something about my response made a tiny smile crop up on her lips. “I would have dressed if I’d known I’d be having company.”

I waved her away. “Don’t sweat it. Me and my roommate Karla practically live in our PJs when we’re at home. In fact, it’s the highlight of my day, getting home and slipping into a pair. And don’t even get me started on bras. Taking those torture contraptions off after a day’s work is pure heaven.”

Surprising me, Elaine laughed, a light, tinkling sound. She settled into her seat, looking a little more at ease now. “How long have you been working for Oliver?”

“Not long. His other assistant, Eleanor, is retiring soon, so he hired me to replace her.”

“I haven’t met Eleanor,” said Elaine. “But we spoke once or twice over the phone. She seemed very nice.”

“She is. I’m going to miss her when she leaves.”

So even Eleanor, the woman King trusted the most, hadn’t met his mum? The fact that he’d trusted me to come here made me feel…I don’t know, special.

Elaine shifted closer in her seat. “Alexis…what’s he like, at the office, I mean?”

“Mr King?”

She nodded. I chose my words wisely when responding. “He’s…extremely driven. People really respect him, and he’s a good boss. He doesn’t go crazy if I make a mistake or anything.”

She seemed happy with that answer, and now I knew something else. Elaine King had never seen her son work, had never visited him at the office. She was a full-fledged hermit. We spoke for another few minutes, and then I got the feeling she wanted me to leave. Not because I’d done anything to make her feel uncomfortable, but just because being around someone new seemed to take a lot out of her. I said my goodbyes, and she walked me to the door. When I stepped outside, I immediately heard her re-doing the locks.

What on earth had happened to Elaine King?

I caught the tube home and was just settling into bed for the night when my phone began ringing. It was King.

“Hello?”

He exhaled a long breath. “Alexis, I…I’m sorry. I didn’t realise she’d ask you in. She never asks anyone in. She comes to the door to collect deliveries, but she doesn’t let people inside, except for me and her therapist. She won’t even allow me to hire any household staff.” Wow, he almost sounded upset. It was a little jarring, since he was always so suave and put together at the office.

“Look, King, it’s none of my business. I know it must be difficult having a family member who….”

“Did you just call me King?” he said, cutting me off.

“Oh, yeah, sorry, I….”

“Don’t apologise. I like it.”

A silence elapsed, and then he said, “Alexis, I’d really appreciate it if you kept my mother’s current condition to yourself. Every once in a while, journalists come sniffing about. It’s a hard job keeping them away from her.”

“I can imagine. But don’t worry, you have nothing to fear from me. I won’t tell anyone.”

He seemed curious now. “I hope this doesn’t sound like an odd request, but could you tell me what happened? The fact she let you into the house is a big deal.”