What the Tadhg Hennessy ‘Cinderella’ story tells us about women in music
Is Tadhg Hennessy dating his old bandmate Laura McDermott?What we know about the most mysterious woman in music
Ally or saviour complex?Tadhg Hennessy’s Cinderella story
After looking at this I have to lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling again for a while.
Then I text Tadhg.
The doorbell rings twenty minutes later, which was just enough time for me to shower, dress and put my contact lensesin, because I’m still stupidly vain and I couldn’t bear the thought of him turning up and seeing me looking like the scruffy waif from that dreadful photograph.I can hear low voices coming up from the hall, and a few moments later there’s a knock on my bedroom door.When I open it, Tadhg is standing there, looking like he hasn’t slept in at least twenty-four hours.Well, that makes two of us.
‘Shit, Laura,’ he says.‘I am so sorry about this.’
‘Me too.’
We just stand there for a moment, and I realise he’s waiting to be invited into the room, so I say, ‘I suppose you’d better come in.’
I sit on the bed and he takes the chair by the dressing table.He looks too tall for it.
‘Are you okay?’he says.‘Sorry, that’s a stupid question.’
‘No, I’m not,’ I say.‘Okay, I mean.And neither are my parents.I had to explain to them that I’m not actually destitute.’
‘Oh Christ,’ he says.‘I’m so sorry.I keep saying it, but I really am.’And he sounds it.But what do I know?
‘Was it you?’I say.‘That story.Did it come from you?’
‘What?’he says.‘No!No, of course it didn’t!’
‘Last week,’ I say, ‘you said Hugo wasn’t going to object to us working together.Was this why?Did you say he could use me for publicity?’
‘Jesus!’Tadhg looks genuinely horrified.‘Of course not!Oh my God, Lol, I would never … Is that what you’ve been thinking?’
My face must give him all the answer he needs.
‘I swear I had nothing to do with this story,’ he says.‘It’s all fucking Hugo.Who is no longer my manager, by the way.’
‘But did you know?’I say.‘Did you know he was going to do it?’
‘No!’he says.‘Of course I didn’t.’
‘So he didn’t mention it when he called over that day?’
‘He just said he’d been thinking that me working with someone who wasn’t a professional musician would be even better publicity than working with those producers,’ says Tadhg.‘And I told him you and me were focusing on songwriting and we didn’t need any publicity.I said maybe we could discuss making it public in the future, but right now it was a private arrangement.Working with you was my priority, and he could tell Ahlberg and Johns I’m otherwise engaged.He said he understood.He didn’t mention leaking any story to the media – he didn’t mention any publicity plan in particular.I realise now that he was asking for details about you but I swear, Laura, I didn’t tell him anything apart from the fact we were in college together.I didn’t even give him your full name.’
I remember Hugo asking for my surname that day.Asking where I worked.He must have been fishing for info because he knew Tadhg might shut down his scheme, and he wanted to be able to go behind his back and get someone to research me.
‘I never thought he’d do anything like this,’ says Tadhg.‘AndI know you don’t owe me anything at the moment, but I really hope you believe me about this.’
I do.But still.But still.I think of my parents calling me yesterday, worried and upset.I think of Aisling.I think of all those articles.All those terrible comments.All those messages.All those thoughts about me.They’ve all been unleashed and I can’t stop them and I can’t unsee them.And they’re going to keep coming, at least for a while.Why did I think I could ever be okay with any public scrutiny?
‘I believe you.’I can see the relief on his face.‘I’m sorry for accusing you of something so awful.’
‘That’s okay,’ says Tadhg.‘I understand.It would never have happened if you weren’t working with me.I’m so sorry about that.’
Then I remember something.
‘But … but last week you said you couldn’t really trust Hugo,’ I say slowly.‘At least not like you trusted his dad.So did you actually tell him not to leak the story about me?Like, explicitly tell him?Or did you just say it didn’t need any publicity?’
