It was NEVER the case to " keep things private ",,as it wasn't unusual for Neville to have rang Jeremy in the past,for assistance to calm Sheila down. What Neville didn't want was the unnecessary fuss in case it was another storm in a teacup.
How was Neville to know that Sheila really meant " business " this time,,and how would Jeremy realise that his father was in a more desperate situation than he'd ever been in with Sheila.?