New Boss at Birchfields (26 page)

‘
I—I didn
’
t expect to see you,
’
she stammered.
‘
I thought you
’
d be busy. I mean—with the treasure hunt,
and—and
—’
She stopped in confusion. She glanced
at his profile and saw that it was tight with anger.

He didn
’
t speak again until they had pulled free of the city. Then, as though he could no longer contain his rage, he gritted,
‘
So this was the important engagement! This was what you had to let me down for—Jeremy Warne!
’

‘
You must have followed me,
’
she gasped.
‘
I saw the car come along the drive this morning as the bus was
leaving Abergour, but I didn
’
t dream you
’
d
—
’

‘
You didn
’
t dream I
’
d follow you, is that it? You don
’
t seem to understand that when you love someone you learn to interpret every expression on their face and every tone of their voice, and this morning there was something about your story that rang a warning bell for me!
’

‘
But—but it wasn
’
t fair! You had no right to follow me!
’
she said in a feeble attempt to assert herself.

‘
Oh yes, I had!
’
he said harshly.
‘
I thought you were in love with me, I had to know exactly how I stood.
’

‘
If you love a person, you trust them!
’
she cried.
‘
You
should have trusted
—’

But he broke in,
‘
When you love someone you
’
re afraid that somewhere there
’
s someone who
’
s going to try to steal what
’
s closest to your heart. Perhaps, even in spite of yourself, this Jeremy Warne has influenced you. I
’
ve seen him,
I
know the type.
’

‘
You know that
’
s not true,
’
she said hotly.

‘
Isn
’
t it? It seems he
’
s a wealthy man—or at least on the way to being one. My future lies in Abergour. With him, you
’
ll have the world before you. What girl could resist? Do you think I haven
’
t thought of the difference between us? Besides, he
’
s nearer to your own age. I don
’
t forget either that this Jeremy Warne is young and good
-
looking. Compared to him, I have nothing much to offer you, have I?
’

‘
How dare you!
’
Briony blazed.
‘
I
’
d rather walk than listen to another word. Stop the car!
’
she demanded.

‘
I
’
ll do nothing of the sort,
’
he told her.

She glanced at him. The bitter rage which had engulfed him had disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he was his usual self. He had told her he could follow every nuance of her voice, but she herself, she realised, would never understand this enigmatic man; his sudden black moods, and equally sudden tenderness.

She turned her head away and gazed blankly through the window. In his jealous rage Blane did not trust her love. Very well, she would not try to convince him of it! She would offer no explanation.

But as they drove back in silence-to Abergour she felt her defences crumble and she slid down in the seat as misery engulfed her. Bleakly she surveyed the future. Was she once again to be on the losing side when she allowed herself to fall in love?

As Blane drew up outside Amulree Briony didn
’
t wait until the car came to a halt. Pushing open the door, she jumped out and hurried up the path. Hettie, who was weeding in the garden, looked up with open-mouthed amazement as Briony sped like a hurricane into the cottage.

Her first instinct was to indulge in a good cry, but firmly she held back the tears. She had no intention of turning up at the Riding School with red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Rather she determined to show Blane that his behaviour during the morning hadn
’
t got her down.

She would look her best, she decided, as she opened her wardrobe. No tatty slacks and scuffed boots—she would wear a tweed hacking jacket and jodhpurs. She selected a polo-necked sweater from the tallboy and polished her boots until they shone like glass. She combed her hair back and took her velvet riding cap from the wardrobe shelf.

When she was dressed she looked at her reflection in the mirror with satisfaction. She looked smart and
dashing, she decided, and not at all the subdued culprit Blane probably expected to turn up.

When she went downstairs again, Hettie was sitting at the table slicing Dundee cake and with a large brown teapot under the cosy. She looked up, her eyes opening in astonishment.
‘
My goodness, you do look smart! I
’
ve never seen you dressed up in that kit before. I must say it suits you down to the ground.
’

‘
It
’
s not the sort of thing one would wear when mucking out stables at the Lennox Riding School,
’
Briony agreed dryly.
‘
By the way, you were quite right about Blane Lennox! He
’
s the most arrogant man I
’
ve ever come across. I expect this is going to be my last day there, so I may as well put on as good a show as possible.
’

‘
Does this mean you
’
re throwing up your job?
’
Hettie asked, laying down her knife in surprise.

‘
Well, you should be pleased at any rate. You never particularly liked him,
’
Briony reminded her.

‘
Oh, I don
’
t know, perhaps I was a bit hasty.
’
Hettie looked a bit shamefaced.
‘
He
’
s not as bad as I thought, and he has been a good boss as far as you
’
re concerned. He has a bossy manner, I admit, and can be very arrogant at times. All the same, that doesn
’
t mean to say he wouldn
’
t make a good husband for a girl, and although I said nothing about it, I got the feeling right from the start that he was falling for you. And don
’
t tell me you
’
re not keen on him, because I know you are!
’

‘
Well, I
’
m not keen on him any more,
’
Briony retorted.
‘
We had the most awful quarrel and he let me know all too clearly that he doesn
’
t trust me.
’

Hettie sighed.
‘
Why don
’
t you sit down and have a cup of tea and a piece of cake? You
’
ll feel better afterwards.
’

‘
I wish you
’
d stop talking to me as if I were a child, Hettie!
’
Briony said petulantly, although, now that she came to think of it, she did feel that a cup of Hettie
’
s
hot strong tea and a piece of rich Dundee cake would be very welcome.

‘
We all know Blane Lennox is hard to get on with,
’
Hettie said thoughtfully,
‘
but you won
’
t get a better job around these parts, as you know very well.
’

‘
It doesn
’
t look as if I
’
m going to have much choice anyway,
’
Briony told her in a subdued voice.
‘
I
’
m pretty certain I
’
m going to get the sack.
’

Hettie looked at her sympathetically.
‘
Well, never mind! You can stay on here as long as you like. You know you
’
re welcome, don
’
t you?
’

Mutely Briony nodded.
‘
I know, Hettie. And you
’
re simply wonderful. But I couldn
’
t impose on you. I
’
ll probably be able to get a job in Aberdeen—sitting at a desk, I suppose,
’
she added disconsolately.

‘
Don
’
t bother about it now,
’
Hettie told her.
‘
Finish your tea, and we
’
ll talk about it some other time.
’
When Briony arrived at the Riding School she was half disappointed, half relieved to find there was no sign of her imperious employer, and soon she was immersed in organising the children for the treasure hunt. They were wildly excited, and although she had anticipated some of the problems that might arise, when it came to the bit, everything was even worse than she had feared. Fierce squabbles burst out about the allocation of ponies, each child clinging adamantly to her own particular choice, and it took Briony all her diplomacy and patience to sort things out.

Eventually they set off, riding in pairs with the partners they had chosen. She accompanied them through a little copse of rowan trees, cautioning them to avoid low branches, but the children were so excited and talkative that she had difficulty in getting her message across. But gradually they became engrossed in deciphering the clues and settled down in earnest to try to find the treasure.

To Briony
’
s delight it was Sandra and her partner who discovered it in the oak tree, and with the two girls crowing with triumph over their find, she accompanied the children to the house for consolation prizes and the slap-up spread Jean McPhee had prepared.

They took their places at a long table laden with an assortment of trifles and jellies, crackers, cakes and big jugs of the raspberry-pink concoction so popular with children of their age. This was followed by home-made ice-cream. Soon they were tucking in heartily, discussing the day
’
s events in high-pitched excitement.

As she looked at them Briony felt herself overcome with a cloud of depression. This would probably be her last day with the children. She would miss them dreadfully, she realised. Somehow it didn
’
t seem possible that she wouldn
’
t be turning up again at the Lennox Riding School in the darkness of an autumn morning with the lights of the stables outlining Andy and Johnny as they strode whistling about the yard. It had all become so familiar now. To her this place was a second home, and she couldn
’
t even bring herself to imagine where she would be next. Some office, no doubt, tied to a desk all day!

She felt Jean McPhee glance at her with curiosity and realised that she was looking as dismal as she felt. She tried to smile.
‘
Well, the children seem to be having a good time, anyway,
’
she remarked.
‘
Would you like me to help you give out the consolation prizes before they go home?
’

‘
Oh, I think I
’
ll manage,
’
Jean McPhee answered, and then added hurriedly,
‘
Oh, I forgot,
Mr.
Blane said he wants to see you in the office as soon as it
’
s convenient.
’

Briony nodded gloomily. Yes, just as she had thought! When the party was over she would get the sack, and that would be that! Better to go now, she thought, and get it over. No use putting off the evil moment. The sooner she started making her future plans the better.
The children, engrossed in their own interests, paid no attention as she slipped away.

Slowly she approached the office door, and when Blane told her to come in she squared her shoulders and tried to assume a look as blank and unemotional as possible.

When she went in she noticed with a little pang that he was standing as she always remembered him, hands clasped behind his back, gazing through one of the windows.

He swung around as she entered and for a moment they regarded each other wordlessly. When he spoke his voice sounded stiff and formal.
‘
I just want to say how pleased I am that you made such a success of the treasure hunt. I was keeping an eye on things and I noticed how wonderfully you managed the children.
’

Startled and disconcerted by his words—they were completely unexpected—Briony stood confused and speechless.

Misunderstanding her reaction, he slowly turned once more towards the window. His voice was low when he spoke.
‘
It
’
s natural you should feel resentful. I behaved appallingly badly. After all, you have the right to choose the life you want. Why shouldn
’
t you visualise the future as something better than the Lennox Riding School? The world is before you. With Jeremy Wa
rn
e you
’
ll have all the luxuries a girl could want. Just let
’
s say I was wildly jealous and lost my head. I don
’
t expect you can forgive me, but at least I want you to know that no matter what you do or where you go, you
’
ll always be the only one I really love. I expect you and I are a bit alike in certain ways. I thought I was in love too once, but it was only a faint reflection of the real thing. It was a sort of mirage,
’
he continued quietly,
‘
with no real substance or future.
’

As his words penetrated her confused mind she felt an uprush of happiness that seemed to overwhelm her like a great wave.

Before she knew what she had done she was by his side and his arms were around her.
‘
Since I met you, Jeremy has meant nothing to me,
’
she told him.
‘
But he wanted us to start all over again, as if nothing had happened. That
’
s why I went to Aberdeen—to tell him nothing could possibly be the same again. Did you not guess that I was in love with you? I used to think the whole world must know how I felt about you.
’

For a long moment they stood close in each other
’
s arms. How wonderful to be loved as she was! A new beginning! A sort of springtime of the heart, she thought blissfully.