Arian (11 page)

Arian wandered round the emporium and once caught sight of Hari Grenfell as she swept through the first floor, her glossy hair framing her face, her eyes bright and interested in everything she saw. Arian found herself envying Hari in a way she hadn’t believed possible. She had found her way in life with unwavering persistence. She had a fine business, a great talent and the most handsome wonderful husband. Did any woman deserve such fortune?

Arian returned to Stormhill at last, just as the sunlight was dying behind the trees. Even as she entered the back door, she sensed an atmosphere that was far from peaceful. Something had happened while she’d been out and Arian couldn’t help but feel a sharp drop in her spirits. She knew instinctively that whatever had occurred, it somehow involved her.

In the kitchen, Mrs Bob was sitting at the big table pouring tea. At her side Mrs Richards was sobbing into a handkerchief, her eyes red, her whole frame shaking.

‘What is it?’ Arian asked. ‘What’s happened?’ She saw the two women look up startled and then Mrs Bob was gesturing for her to sit down.

‘There’s been that much rowing going on by here,’ she said. ‘His lordship asking questions about the accounts and upsetting poor Mrs Richards and that horrible Simples blaming everyone but himself.’

Arian felt her heart sink. It was about the missing money, the error she had found had obviously been reported to Calvin Temple.

‘What did his lordship say?’ Arian sank down into the wooden chair and rested her arms on the table. ‘Did he blame anyone, me perhaps?’

‘No, bless you.’ Mrs Bob shook her head and a tendril of greying hair fell over her forehead. ‘No, he says it must be a mistake, he don’t think none of us could be dishonest.’

‘
You
are not under suspicion,’ Mrs Richards said to the cook. ‘It’s me and Arian here who will be held responsible. It’ll be too awful if we can’t prove a mistake has been made. No good house will ever take us if we’re dismissed under a cloud.’

‘I’ll speak to his lordship,’ Arian rose to her feet. ‘I’ll convince him that it’s not anyone’s fault, it’s just an error in the figuring.’

‘That man Simples says it’s no mistake,’ Mrs Bob said. ‘It’s a clever way of pinching the money from his lordship, that’s what he says.’

Arian felt suddenly cold. In that case, the blame could only fall on herself. Calvin would know, just as Simples did, that Mrs Richards was not capable of such a blatant fraud. As it was Simples who had reported the matter, he could hardly be a suspect. No, it was she who would be accountable.

Calvin Temple, as it turned out, had company and Simples barred Arian’s way when she would have knocked on the drawing room door.

‘I must see his lordship,’ Arian insisted quietly. ‘I must try to clear up some of the misapprehensions you’ve put into his mind.’

‘I did my duty, nothing more, nothing less,’ Simples said smoothly. ‘It was
you
who brought the matter into the open. What did you expect me to do, keep quiet about it?’

‘No, of course not,’ Arian protested. ‘It’s just that you gave me the impression the matter wasn’t pressing. As it is, you’ve put me in a bad light.’

‘And how do you come to that conclusion?’ Simples asked. ‘Three of us handle the books; Mrs Richards, you and my good self. On reflection, the matter needed to be investigated and the sooner the better, don’t you think so?’

‘I suppose so,’ Arian said doubtfully. Gerald Simples’s words were so reasonable, she felt more than a little foolish in questioning his behaviour. ‘Still,’ she persisted, ‘by reporting the error yourself, it looks as though
you
were the one to find it. That seems to me underhand to say the least.’

Simples shrugged. ‘We can do without histrionics, Miss Smale. I did the correct thing by my own standards. If that upsets you then there is nothing I can do about it.’

The door of the drawing room swung open and Calvin Temple stood framed in the soft light from the gas mantles on the walls. He was looking down at Arian, his expression stern. ‘Your voices are raised,’ he said evenly, ‘I can’t allow my guests to be disturbed in this way.’

‘I must speak to you, sir,’ Arian said quickly, and Calvin lifted his hand to silence her.

‘In the morning, Miss Smale, I will be in my study waiting at nine o’clock. In the meantime, I would appreciate a little order in my house.’

He turned away and then paused, ‘Simples, I need another bottle of port, if you please.’ Then the door was closed firmly and Arian sighed in exasperation.

As she turned to go, her head high, Simples followed her into the passageway and caught her arm. ‘You are a proud little madam, aren’t you?’ he said. ‘You need a good husband to tame your temper, young lady.’

Arian’s eyebrows lifted in astonishment. ‘And you are offering yourself for the position, is that it?’

‘You could do a great deal worse,’ Simples still held her arm, ‘and if we were betrothed, I’m sure I could sort out the small matter of the missing five guineas.’

Arian was speechless for a long moment – a sign, Simples seemed to think, of encouragement. He put his arm around her waist and drew her close to him.

‘I could make you a fine husband. I could give you respectability, something you have lacked these last few years. It’s an offer not to be tossed away lightly.’

‘You must be insane,’ Arian gasped, pushing at his chest, aghast at his assumption that his attentions would be welcome.

‘I wouldn’t marry you if you offered me the world on a silver platter.’

He released her abruptly and Arian hurried upstairs to her room, breathing heavily in distress, anger and fear beating at her with dark wings.

For a moment there, in the darkness of the passageway, she had been a captive again, at the mercy of a man who had no conscience, a man who was unhinged. She had felt the pain of his violence, felt the horror crawl within her at the thought of him possessing her against her will. Somehow, in her mind, Simples had become synonymous with all the bad memories that haunted her past, and in that moment she hated him.

To Arian’s chagrin, the meeting with Calvin Temple had to be postponed because he was suddenly called away on family business. Arian fretted about the delay but there was nothing she could do but get on with her plans for taking up the position with Craig Grenfell. Now more than ever, she wanted to get away from Stormhill. True, she would be distancing herself from Calvin but he, like all men, never looked below the surface but took events at their face value.

She would have to look for lodgings, that would be the first move in her bid to make a new career for herself in the leather business. To do that, she needed money. She must see Calvin, have him pay the wages he owed her. She knew that he would be generous and would doubtless let her go without too much trouble. Perhaps he would be relieved to have her off his hands.

She smiled wryly to herself. Fortunately she had worked for him long enough to repay the outlay on her clothing. And the wages she would receive as a buyer would far supersede those she had earned as a dogsbody.

But that was unfair of her. Calvin had never treated her as anything but a lady; she had been very fortunate that he had taken her in to his home, helped her find some measure of self-respect. Suddenly, her throat was constricted, ‘Calvin, Calvin, my love, if only things were different.’

It was later that night when she heard strange sounds coming from the bedroom below. There was the crash of china and the noise of a masculine voice cursing.

Arian opened her door, the landing was quiet. She had the bedroom nearest the stairway. It seemed no-one else had heard the commotion. The other servants, with the exception of Simples, slept in the attic rooms, and of Simples there was no sign.

She made her way down the stairs and along the corridor towards Calvin’s room. She heard him blundering about and then a thud as though he had fallen.

She opened his door cautiously. The lamp was lit and Calvin was sitting on the floor, a heap of bedclothes around him. He was holding his hand and Arian gasped as she saw the trail of blood running down his arm.

‘You’re hurt, what’s happened?’ She hurried towards him regardless of the fact that she was wearing only a nightgown. It became instantly clear that Calvin had supped too freely of wine – his hair was tangled and his shirt was open to the waist.

‘More money,’ he slurred the words. ‘Another old uncle has passed away, God rest his soul.’ He looked up at Arian, ‘What do I want with more money, tell me? Money I’ve got plenty of but what about love, tell me that?’

Arian knelt beside him and moved the pieces of broken wash-basin out of harm’s way.

‘Let me have a look at that cut,’ she said softly. ‘Here, let me see.’ She took his hand, conscious of its warmth as his fingers curled around hers. ‘It’s not so bad, is it? I’ll get a clean handkerchief from your drawer.’

She bound up the cut and helped Calvin untangle himself from the bedclothes. ‘Come on, let’s get you to bed. Sleep is what you need now.’ She put her arm around him and half dragged him to his feet.

‘Lie down, I’ll go and get Simples. He can help you undress.’

Arian hurried along the corridor and up the stairs. She knocked lightly on Simples’s door and after a moment, opened it. The room was empty. Shrugging, Arian returned to Calvin’s room.

‘Let’s get your boots off, Calvin,’ Arian urged, using his name without thinking. ‘You’ll feel better in the morning, I promise you.’

She drew off his boots, struggling breathlessly, knowing he was in no fit state to help her. Panting, she pushed him over on his side and tried to pull the bedclothes over him. His arm flew out and caught her, she staggered and fell down beside him. She laughed, leaning on one elbow to look down at his face. He was breathing easily now, his eyes closed, his lashes incredibly long, sweeping his face.

Arian had a sudden impulse to kiss him. She bent down and touched her lips to his. He stirred slightly and she raised her head, and it was then she became aware that she was being watched.

Simples was standing in the doorway, a strange look on his face. His eyes met Arian’s briefly then he was gone. Arian scrambled from the bed, realizing she was wearing only her nightgown. She looked around her, the broken china on the floor, the bedclothes in a heap and she knew how the situation must have appeared to Simples. He doubtless thought that she had been involved in a drunken orgy with her boss.

She considered rushing after him and trying to explain, but then she shrugged. Why should she bother about him? She’d been doing nothing wrong.

She glanced back at Calvin. He was sleeping soundly and as she watched him, Arian was unaware of the soft contours of her face and the smile that curved her lips.

It was the next day when Simples asked her to come to his room to talk.

‘Is that wise?’ Arian asked. ‘Won’t the servants gossip if we are alone in your room?’

‘They might gossip a great deal more if they get to hear about you and his lordship.’ Simples’s words were loaded with meaning and Arian felt a tingling along her spine. She raised her head and looked Simples in the eye.

‘Are you thinking of blackmailing me into coming to your bed?’ she asked. He flinched almost visibly.

‘Nothing so crude, Miss Smale but I do suggest we discuss this privately. Shall we say after we’ve had supper this evening?’

‘Very well.’ Arian was tight-lipped. She didn’t trust Simples but at least he couldn’t get up to much with a household full of servants, not to mention Calvin who was remaining at home for dinner.

She swallowed hard. She would have to speak to him soon, talk to Calvin about the error in the books, convince him that no-one –at least not she – was trying to cheat him. Her heart sank. She must also tell him that she wanted to be free to work for Craig Grenfell.

She drew a ragged breath. Since the night before when she’d pressed her mouth to his, she’d been strangely shy in his presence.

Her opportunity came suddenly. Calvin was crossing the hall just as she was making her way upstairs. He paused and smiled down at her.

‘I believe I have to thank you,’ he said, his eyes full of laughter. ‘I have a vague recollection of you playing the ministering angel, binding up my wounds and putting me to bed. It was very kind, thank you.’

‘There’s nothing to thank me for, sir,’ she said quickly, aware of the colour in her cheeks. ‘It was nothing.’

‘Well, I’m very grateful,’ he said, ‘though I must admit that when I woke, the bedclothes were in rather a heap around me.’

Arian laughed suddenly at the recollection of Calvin sitting on the floor in a tangle of bedclothes, his hair tousled, his shirt open.

At that moment Bella walked past, her apron crackling stiffly. She bobbed a curtsy and looked curiously at Arian – she obviously couldn’t understand the lack of deference Arian showed their boss.

Calvin stood for a moment as though uncertain what he should say and Arian knew that if she didn’t speak up now, she never would.

‘I’ve been offered another job,’ she said in a rush. ‘It’s working for the Grenfells in the leather business. It’s what I have always wanted to do.’

Calvin gave the impression that he might take a step backwards though he didn’t actually move. ‘I see,’ he said slowly. ‘Well, in that case, you must feel free to do what you wish.’ His voice was formal, there was no sign of laughter now. ‘I take it you will work till the end of the month?’

‘Oh, yes, of course.’ She was going to speak about the missing money but the words stuck in her throat.

‘Very well. I’ll have Simples make your wages up to the end of the month, then.’

‘Thank you, sir.’ Arian felt strangely as if she’d been given a reprieve. She was not leaving yet, not until the end of the month.

In the silence, Calvin stared at her, his eyes unreadable and then, abruptly, he nodded and turned away.

Arian moved upstairs. She might as well get the meeting with Simples out of the way. In any case, once she left Stormhill, he would be no more trouble to her. And yet even that knowledge somehow failed to raise her suddenly flagging spirits; the end of the month wasn’t that far away.