New Boss at Birchfields (6 page)

Rage earned her along the road on winged feet. Then as she began to simmer down and consider the situation detachedly she realised that, obnoxious as his manners might be, still she had got the job. Just let
Mr.
Blane Lennox be as nasty as he liked! She would learn to become indifferent to anything he might say or do as long as she held it.

But as she drew near Amulree Cottage she was struck by the thought that Hettie would hardly relish the idea that she was going to work for her sworn enemy. How on earth was she going to break the information?

She found her godmother setting the table in a leisurely way with rose-patterned china.
‘
Did you have a nice walk, dear?
’
she greeted Briony.
‘
I
’
m so glad you came in now. I was just on the point of making tea.
’
Her voice dwindled as she ambled off into the kitchen.
‘
We may as well finish
the scones I made this morning.
And there
’
s some delicious heather honey I got in the village.
’

As they took their places at table and Hettie poured, she said,
‘
I only wish I could keep you with me, Briony. It
’
s so nice having a young face in the house. And I
’
ve been so lonely since I lost Roy. Is there any possibility you could stay on for a while?
’

Briony instantly seized the opening this gave her, but she decided to be cautious in presenting her news.
‘
Oh, but I
’
d love to stay!
’
she said.
‘
But if I were to remain for a while I
’
d need to find something to do. But there doesn
’
t seem to be many jobs around here.
’

‘
No, that
’
s the trouble,
’
Hettie agreed.
‘
Certainly nothing to do with the business world. We don
’
t even have a big hotel where you might find something to do—say, work as a receptionist.
’

‘
But I wasn
’
t thinking of anything like that,
’
Briony said quickly.
‘
In fact what I
’
d like is something more
—
well, outdoors.
’

Hettie looked at her enquiringly.
‘
But what had you in mind? Girls don
’
t work on the land here, you know. Even if there were anything like that going, it
’
s very exhausting. You
’
d hardly be fit for it.
’

‘
I wasn
’
t thinking of that,
’
Briony told her.
‘
What I had in mind was something to do with riding. I used to love riding. And,
as long as Daddy was alive, I always had a pony.
’

‘
Yes, it would be nice if you could ride while you
’
re here,
’
Hettie said agreeably.
‘
But after all, it would only j be a pastime. It wouldn
’
t be of any financial help.
’

‘
Well, as a matter of fact it occurred to me I might be able to combine the two things. You were telling me some of the children from Laureston School are keen to learn riding. It would be a nice job. I
’
ve always got on well with children.
’

Hettie put down her cup.
‘
Just a minute! I thought the children from Laureston School were to be trained by that Lennox fellow?
’

‘
Yes,
’
Briony tried to sound casual,
‘
and I believe he
’
s looking for someone suitable to teach the younger ones.
’

Hettie sat up straight and stared at her incredulously.
‘
Do you mean to tell me you would actually take a job with that
—
man!’

At any other time Briony would have smiled at the vehement way Hettie brought out the word, but now she said,
‘
Oh come, Hettie, beggars can
’
t be choosers. You know I
’
ll be lucky to get a job anywhere.
’

‘
But not with that scoundrel!
’
Hettie thumped the table with her fist.
‘
Never, never, never,
’
her voice rose,
‘
will anyone from Amulree Cottage work for him!
’

‘
But I
’
ve already taken the job,
’
Briony told her ner
vously.
‘
I saw him this afternoon and he
’
s agreed to take me on.
’

She glanced apprehensively at her godmother and was appalled by the change which had come over her features.

Hettie rose to her feet, her usually mild expression quite transformed by rage. She pointed to the door.
‘
I should very much have liked to have kept you with me,
’
she said in a low choked voice,
‘
but I
’
m afraid I shall have to ask you to leave.
’

Although Briony had anticipated that Hettie would be difficult, she had not expected anything as appalling as this. There was nothing for it, she realised, but to let Hettie know the real reason for her arrival at Abergour.

‘
It
’
s beyond my comprehension how you could consider such a thing when you know what the man
’
s like,
’
Hettie told her fiercely.
‘
After all, you have a good job
to go back to, there
’
s no reason why
—’

‘
But that
’
s just it!
’
Briony interrupted.
‘
I don
’
t have a good job any longer. I threw it up before I came North. Do sit down a moment, Hettie, and let me explain. I don
’
t know if Mummy mentioned in any of her letters that I was engaged to a man called Jeremy?
’
Reluctantly Hettie sank back into her chair.
‘
I don
’
t see what difference that makes, but I think I remember the name. Your mother told me that, of all your boyfriends, he was the one she liked best. She said you seemed likely to marry and settle down.
’

‘
She was right,
’
Briony told her.
‘
I did like him best. In fact, I was completely crazy about him. But I know now that all the love was on my side. He didn
’
t really care. He got a very good job in Aberdeen and I chucked up my job and followed him. I thought, if he felt the same way as I did, we could get married. But he let me know right away exactly where I stood. He
’
d taken up with an American girl. Her brother
’
s very wealthy—he
’
s involved in this North Sea oil business—and of course money is the important thing as far as Jeremy is concerned, and I didn
’
t stand a chance. I know
I
was a fool, but that doesn
’
t help matters now.
’

Hettie
’
s expression had softened.
‘
You
’
re not the first girl to throw everything away for love—and you won
’
t be the last!
’

‘
Well, that
’
s one mistake I won
’
t make again,
’
Briony said bleakly.

‘
You mustn
’
t let it embitter you,
’
Hettie urged.
‘
As time passes you
’
ll take a different view of things, you
’
ll see.
’

‘
No, I don
’
t think so,
’
Briony said tightly.
‘
But the fact remains that if you send me away I shall have to go home, and it won
’
t be easy for me to get another job. Mum
’
s not so well off either. Could I not stay with you here, at least for a while? After all, one doesn
’
t have to like one
’
s boss! Not that there
’
s much possibility of my liking Blane Lennox—he
’
s one of the most maddening men I
’
ve ever come across.
’

‘
So that
’
s why you wanted to take a job here,
’
Hettie said reflectively.
‘
I did get the feeling when you arrived that something had gone badly wrong for you, but I didn
’
t suspect what it was. You know I wouldn
’
t like to put you out, Briony, all the same the thought of you working for that man is almost more than I can endure. No doubt it will give him a great deal of satisfaction to make the work as difficult for you as possible, because he knows how I feel about him. Stay on here as long as you like, Briony, but as soon as you possibly can, try and get another job. Something suitable will turn up, no doubt.
’

When Briony had agreed to this, Hettie continued,
‘
Now why didn
’
t you consult me before you took this step? It
’
s all been so sudden that it
’
s come as a shock to me.
’

‘
Now, Hettie, you know if I
’
d as much as hinted what I wanted to do you would have forbidden me,
’
Briony told her.

A faint smile touched Hettie
’
s face.
‘
I suppose that
’
s true! And I would have been right to do so. But you
’
ll soon discover that for yourself,
’
she added ominously.
‘
And don
’
t come looking to me for sympathy, because I
’
ve given you plenty of warning.
’

‘
Don
’
t worry,
’
Briony said airily, relieved that Hettie had accepted the idea,
‘
I
’
m not going to let him nettle me. He can be as rude as he likes and I
’
ll remain cool and detached and completely indifferent. I should imagine,
’
she added,
‘
that would madden him more than anything else.
’

And suddenly they were both laughing.

But later on that evening when Briony had climbed the steep steps to her room, she found no comfort in the crisp linen sheets and the soft downy mattress. The events of the day flashed before her eyes in little pictures. A full moon shone through the open window and in the woods she could hear the soft cry of a night-bird, yet she turned and tossed, remembering Jeremy
’
s eyes, angry and unfriendly as he turned away from her. She had been rejected, like a lovesick and importunate schoolgirl. She had looked on helpless as he had bent his handsome blond head towards the elegant American girl.

When at last the long slow twilight of the north had filled the room with shadows she got up, crossed to the window, and stood there looking out towards Birchfields! Golden light spilled from one of the windows and suddenly there came vividly before her mind the outline of the face of that strange man, Blane Lennox, the square protruding jaw in the brown deeply lined face and those blazing blue eyes. There was a fascination about the harsh, near-ugly features. Jeremy
’
s nearly classically handsome features seemed to blur and fade. They belonged to the past, she realised with startled awareness. In the future belonged Blane Lennox, harsh as a figure carved out of granite.