New Boss at Birchfields (22 page)

Andy, who was never very talkative, nodded dolefully.
The two boys stared at her enquiringly and Briony put on a great show of applying metal polish to a buckle. Her head bent, she rubbed vigorously.

During the following days the tension didn
’
t ease up. Each morning when she arrived, Blane managed to select for her the most disagreeable jobs he could think up, and what was more, managed to provide her with another task as soon as she had completed the first.

The boys were unnaturally subdued as they went about their work, keeping a wary eye out for trouble and avoiding encounters with their employer as much as possible. Briony became aware that their attitude towards her had changed subtly. There was very little chatting now at the tea-breaks and even the transistor was toned down, as though they were afraid its cheerful, sound might bring down Blane
’
s wrath on them. It was clear they were holding her entirely responsible for Blane
’
s irascibility.

A few days later as they lounged in the tack room moodily munching sandwiches washed down by steaming mugs of strong tea, she burst out irritably,
‘
I wish you two wouldn
’
t put all the blame on me! After all, he may have quarrelled with Senga, and is simply letting off steam on us!
’

Johnny refilled his mug and shook his head decisively.
‘
No, it
’
s not Senga. I
’
ve kept an eye on him when she brings the kids down from the school. But they seem to be as thick as thieves. Great pals, like they always were!
’

Briony felt her heart sink. Yes, it was true. Senga with her ready wit was the only person who could bring a smile to Blane
’
s grimly set features.

By her silly behaviour that evening after their jaunt to Aberdeen she had as good as thrown Senga into his arms. How naive she had been! But then she had always found it difficult to hide her feelings, and it would be too late to begin now, she suspected with a sigh.

Johnny had begun to speak to Andy, his voice a background to her thoughts. Suddenly she became aware that he was saying,
‘
It doesn
’
t look as if there
’
ll be a present from the boss this time.
’

‘
Present?
’
she queried.
‘
Why should he give you a present?
’

‘
For his birthday, the day after tomorrow,
’
Andy put in.
‘
Ever since we began to work here the boss has remembered our birthdays. It looks like this time Johnny is going to be out of luck.
’

It was on the tip of Briony
’
s tongue to ask what shape Blane
’
s remembrance took when, as though guessing her interest, Johnny said with a grin,
‘
He doesn
’
t give a birthday party, you understand.
’

The idea seemed to both boys to be so completely ludicrous that they burst into laughter.

‘
But he usually gives a cheque, and very welcome it is too!
’
Johnny ended.

‘
No, there
’
s no use wishing for that this year,
’
Andy told him with his usual solemnity.

Johnny
’
s face fell as he laid down his mug.
‘
Well, that
’
s that! I suppose I
’
d better get back to work and not hope for anything.
’

The two boys left the tack room in silence.

If only she were back in their good graces Blane
’
s ostracism might be a little more endurable, Briony thought, as she washed up the mugs and replaced them on their shelf. Then an idea struck her. Why shouldn
’
t she give a birthday party for Johnny? After all, she wasn
’
t the high-and-mighty Blane Lennox. And even if the boys thought it unusual, they would put it down to inexperience, and she had the feeling they would most probably thoroughly enjoy it.

She would make sausage rolls, she decided. That would be the sort of feast Johnny and Andy would enjoy. With chocolate mousse to follow. Johnny had often said it was his favourite sweet. Perhaps too, she thought, growing ambitious, one of those special iced cakes which Annie kept in cardboard boxes, just in case one of her customers might have a birthday coming up!

Annie could still be glimpsed in her inner shop as Briony was going home that evening, and as she made her
purchases
she could see Annie
’
s eyes quicken with interest.

‘
So you
’
re going to have a party! Now whose birthday could it be? Not Hettie
’
s, I know, because hers isn
’
t for a couple of months yet!
’
Annie queried as she parcelled up the pink and white iced cake.
‘
It
’
s lucky for you I
’
ve got a couple of pounds of frozen pastry left. Now which will you have, puff or short—although there
’
s nothing like the home-made stuff, if you ask me.
’

Briony nodded placatingly.
‘
I suppose so, but I
’
m afraid I
’
m not very good at making it. The puff never seems to rise and the short
’
s much too hard.
’

Annie sniffed.
‘
That
’
s what
’
s wrong with the younger generation. Everything
’
s done for them. In my young
day now
—’
And she went into one of her rigmaroles
about the good old days.

After the evening meal, when Hettie had taken out her electric sewing machine and started sewing, Briony went into the kitchen and began to assemble the materials she had purchased from Annie Skinner.

The door between the two rooms was open and Hettie switched off her machine to ask,
‘
And now what are you about?
’

‘
I
’
m going to try to make sausage rolls,
’
Briony told her.
‘
It
’
s for Johnny Howie
’
s birthday. I
’
m going to have a little party for him during the morning break. It
’
s the day after tomorrow, so I thought I
’
d better get started now.
’

Hettie nodded approvingly.
‘
That
’
s something I
’
m glad to hear. He
’
s a nice bright boy, and he doesn
’
t get much pleasure in his life, what with his mother being an invalid. Well, it
’
s good to hear someone
’
s taking an int
e
rest in him, for I can
’
t see Blane Lennox being particularly worried about whether he has a birthday celebration or not.
’

Briony began to roll out the pastry. Then, without stopping to think, she said,
‘
Yes, I
’
m afraid you
’
re right. Blane Lennox is in a black mood these days. But it
’
s not only with Johnny—he
’
s out with all of us.
’

‘
Aha, so you
’
re beginning to see through him, are you?
’
exclaimed Hettie.
‘
You
’
re getting a taste of the real Blane Lennox at last!
’

For a few minutes Briony worked in silence.
‘
Tell me, Hettie,
’
she said at last,
‘
why is it you dislike him? It seems to me that fixing up the flat for you was an extraordinarily generous thing to do.
’

For a moment Hettie seemed taken aback and even faintly embarrassed.
‘
I see, so he
’
s told you about the flat, has he?
’

‘
Yes, and he showed it to me. I must say it looked like a perfect little jewel. If I
’
d been in your place I
’
d have been thrilled to bits.
’

‘
Oh, you would, would you!
’
Hettie rejoined, switching on her machine again and stitching furiously. But at the end of the seam she switched off again to say,
‘
It just so happens that I left because I had to. Oh, I know it sounds very generous, very bighearted, his equipping the flat for me, but that
’
s how he wanted it to sound, so that his neighbours would have a good opinion of him. But he had no intention of letting me stay there—not even from the first!
’

‘
You mean, he actually told you to leave?
’
Briony asked slowly.

Hettie sniffed.
‘
Oh, not in so many words. He
’
s too smart for that, is
Mr.
Blane Lennox! But he got that housekeeper of his, that Jean McPhee, to do his dirty work for him. Why, the way that woman spoke to me
—
I shan
’
t forget it till my dying day.
’

‘
Are you sure?
’
Briony asked frowningly. Somehow this did not sound at all characteristic of Blane. To get his housekeeper to act for him did not seem the sort of thing he would do.

‘
Well, perhaps he didn
’
t exactly put her up to it,
’
Hettie said grudgingly,
‘
but he should have kept her in her place, instead of letting her say anything she likes.
’

Briony sighed and returned to her cooking once more. But Hettie
’
s words lingered uncomfortably in her mind. If Blane intended to marry Senga he would realise that she would hardly tolerate the interfering Hettie sharing Birchfields. Could her godmother have hit on the truth, and had Blane, in his usual autocratic way, decided to get rid of her?

‘
Now look what I
’
ve done!
’
Hettie switched off the machine in exasperation.
‘
I
’
m so upset I
’
ve done this seam all squinty. You know, Briony, I could cook up those sausage rolls in a twinkle, if you
’
d unpick this seam for me.
’

Although she did not relish the thought of unpicking the seam, Briony saw that Hettie was too upset to continue sewing and that she
’
d much rather have a go at the sausage rolls. She laid down the rolling-pin, washed her hands, and goodnaturedly took up the scissors and began to unpick the seam.

‘
The oven
’
s not hot enough,
’
Hettie told her reprimandingly, as she turned the switch higher.
‘
And why on earth did you get puff pastry?
’

Briony sighed.
‘
I thought perhaps the boys might like it better.
’

There was a short pause while Hettie expertly greased a baking tray. Then she said, with an air of casualness that didn
’
t deceive Briony,
‘
You know, I
’
ve been thinking about you and I
’
ve been wondering if there
’
s any chance you might take up with that fellow in Aberdeen.
’

‘
What?
’
Briony glanced up in amazement.

‘
You
’
re very young. And after all, couples have their differences—especially when they
’
re engaged. That
’
s the time for quarrels and arguments, but after a while they resolve their problems and often things turn out right for them in the end. Wouldn
’
t it be a good idea to get in touch with him? After all, he
’
s not so far away now, and the main thing is that he
’
s nearer your own age, and that can be very important, you know.
’