Second Thyme Around (13 page)
‘Hello, ducks. How’s tricks?’ asked Ronnie, as Perdita delivered a box of rocket and blanched dandelion leaves.
‘OK. Why are you so cheerful all of a sudden?’
‘Because you are going to get made over! And the thought of you getting rid of all that body hair fills me with spring fever.’
‘What do you know about my body hair?’ demanded Perdita, crossly.
‘I don’t need to know, I can use my imagination.’
‘Obviously, otherwise you wouldn’t be talking to me about being made over. It’s not going to happen.’
‘But the telly programme is going to be filmed soon. And you did say—’
‘Did I? To you? I thought I told Janey—’
‘And she told me. And between the two of us, we’re going to make you keep your word.’
‘OK. When I am told, officially, that I am going to be in Lucas’s bloody television programme, I’ll let you do your worst. But not until then.’
‘He’s very good-looking, your friend Lucas, isn’t he?’
‘My friend? Ronnie, your spies have let you down. We’re not friends, we hate each other.’
‘Oh? He didn’t drive up to fetch you from Shropshire at Christmas then?’
Perdita was speechless. Should she deny everything, or, as she was longing to do, demand to know how the hell Ronnie had got hold of that story? She settled on the latter, as denying it would make life even more complicated.
‘I can’t reveal my sources, but it came via Mr Grantly.’
‘Oh.’
‘So, is it true, then?’
‘Well, yes it is, but it doesn’t mean we’re friends, really. He heard that Kitty was ill and needed me, and he came up and fetched me. Of course, I am – was – terribly grateful, but that’s as far as it goes.’
‘Mmm.’ Ronnie surveyed her doubtfully.
‘Look, if there was anything between me and Lucas Gillespie, apart from mutual dislike and a bit of gratitude on my part, wouldn’t I be in here begging your lot to do something about my hair?’ She took hold of a handful of the offending substance and dangled it. ‘I mean, would a girl go out with a man like Lucas Gillespie with hair like mine?’
Her ruse worked. Ronnie regarded the wild mass of curls (which even in Perdita’s opinion needed a trim and some good conditioner) and accepted that a girl who cared so little for her appearance had no interest in any man.
‘I thought you were quite keen on finding a boyfriend. What’s changed?’
‘Well, I was keen, but since Kitty’s illness, and what with one thing and another, I can’t really be bothered.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Ronnie, with the smugness of one who knows he’ll get his own way eventually and can wait. ‘But I don’t know why you’re so against having a few beauty treatments. Women queue up for them, you know.’
‘Not this woman.’
Later, having escaped Ronnie and his threatened beauty treatments, Perdita went back to her tunnels. Lucas had ordered some Witloof chicory, and she wanted to check if it was doing something under its flowerpot. She also wanted to see if the crosnes had survived its hibernation, and would be ready to plant in March. William was
digging in some alfalfa which had become tough, making room for a crop of elephant garlic.
digging in some alfalfa which had become tough, making room for a crop of elephant garlic.
‘Hi, William. How’s it going?’
‘Work, or life in general?’
As his fork seemed to be working just fine, she said, ‘Life in general.’
‘OK, I suppose, but I’m meant to be going to a college reunion. Formal do.’
‘That sounds fun. When is it? Do you need extra time off?’
‘No, I need a partner. I don’t suppose …’ He looked questioningly at her.
‘No, certainly not. What would all your college pals think if you turned up with an older woman on your arm?’
‘That I’d got lucky.’ He chuckled to hide his embarrassment.
‘Why don’t you ask Janey? I’m sure she’d love to go with you.’
‘I don’t know her well enough.’
‘Of course you do! Tell you what, I’ll ask her for you. She’ll understand about you being shy because she’s quite shy herself. Although really pretty, of course,’ she added, checking his expression to see if he agreed with her.
‘She’s cool, but I don’t suppose she’d want to go with me.’
‘Rubbish! Of course she would. And she’d love an opportunity to dress up.’ And she might look sufficiently gorgeous for you to make the effort to distract her from Lucas, she added silently. ‘Where is it, and how will you get there?’
‘We’re all staying over in a guesthouse. Dad said I could take the car.’
‘So it’ll be a whole weekend thing?’
‘Well, yes. You’ll be all right here, won’t you?’
‘Oh yes, fine.’ Even if she hadn’t been fine, Perdita would have accommodated William’s time off if it meant
getting Janey away from Lucas. ‘So you’d really like me to ask her?’
getting Janey away from Lucas. ‘So you’d really like me to ask her?’
‘Oh yes. I like Janey. She’s dead pretty, and she makes me laugh.’
‘But you don’t want to ask her yourself?’
William blushed, undecided.
‘Tell you what,’ said Perdita, ‘I’ll tell her that you’ve got this lush ball to go to, and want to take someone with you, and are thinking about asking her. I’ll see if she seems keen or not, and tell you. Then you don’t have to worry about being turned down.’
‘Really, Perdita? That’d be top.’
As Perdita had anticipated, Janey was enthusiastic about going to a ball with William. An excuse to really dress up, a weekend away, and if William wasn’t the man of her dreams, he was at least available, and was quite nice-looking.
‘After all, it doesn’t look as if Lucas is ever going to ask me anywhere,’ she added. ‘Give William my number.’
Having made Janey promise to fill her in on every detail, Perdita rang William, telling him how keen Janey had seemed on the idea. William promised to ring immediately.
Feeling very pleased with herself, Perdita did a little cleaning while waiting to hear the results of her manipulations. Men always looked heavenly in dinner jackets. As long as she made absolutely sure that William was going to wear one, Janey was bound to feel attracted to him. She was delighted when Janey finally called back and told her she was all set to go to the ball.
Her satisfaction in playing fairy godmother to two people she was fond of was short-lived. Lucas was looking particularly grumpy when she delivered the next day. A glance at Janey told her she wasn’t happy either, although that could just be coincidence.
‘Hi, Lucas, I’ve got your Witloof chicory.’ She didn’t expect a bunch of flowers but would have liked a little more than the grunt she received. ‘In the cold store? Or shall I leave it here?’
‘Cold store,’ said Lucas.
‘So, how are you, Janey? Looking forward to your ball?’
‘She’s not going to any ball,’ said Lucas. ‘At least, not on that particular Saturday.’
‘Come on! Surely someone could swap their days round to let you have it off?’
‘No someone couldn’t.’ Lucas sounded as if he had said this before, and did not like repeating himself. ‘We’ve got a very big event on. I need everyone I can lay my hands on. Especially Janey.’
‘Surely you could get a sous-chef from an agency?’ Perdita was as disappointed as Janey was and William would be.
‘Why the hell should I? Janey’s on the rota for that night. I need her and she can’t have the time off. Is that really so difficult to understand? Unless she wants to look for another job, that is.’
Janey, and a new girl Perdita didn’t know, quailed under his fury. He was obviously in a foul mood. Perdita decided she would ask him again when he was feeling happier. In the meantime, she would buy a local paper to see if there were any jobs in it for Janey. She was determined that Janey should go to the ball. The Demon King wasn’t going to stop her.
‘I tried asking him again, at the end of service,’ said Janey, on the phone, ‘but he flatly refused. He says he can’t get anyone to replace me, and why should he pay an agency for inferior staff.’ She paused. ‘I suppose it is quite flattering that he feels like that about me.’
‘But you did want to go to the ball?’
‘Yes, but not if it means my losing my job.’
‘Janey, run it by me what you
do
, exactly?’
do
, exactly?’
‘I’m a sous-chef. You know that.’
‘But what does a sous-chef do? For Lucas?’
‘Puddings, mostly. Lots of prep. I cook the veg sometimes.’
‘Well, I’m sure I could do that.’
‘What do you
mean
? You can’t cook to save your life.’
mean
? You can’t cook to save your life.’
‘I don’t have to. All I have to do is stand in for you on the night of the ball. If I make it clear it’s my fault I’m there and you’re not, he won’t blame you.’
‘He’ll
kill
you! And probably me too.’
kill
you! And probably me too.’
Perdita couldn’t tell if Janey was more horrified by the idea of Perdita trying to do her job, or the thought of her own fate at Lucas’s hands.
‘Honestly, Janey, I don’t see why you’re making so much fuss. I’ll turn up in your place, and if Lucas breaks a few plates, he breaks a few plates. It’s only one evening, and it can’t be that important.’
‘I can’t do it, Perdita. It’s not fair on Lucas. And I have my own professional pride.’
‘Oh, stuff! It’s one evening! You’ve got a whole lifetime to build up your reputation. And if Lucas is as shit-hot as everyone says he is, he’ll be able to manage with me instead of you.’
‘I’ll think about it,’ said Janey.
‘Have you decided what to wear?’
‘I’ve borrowed a gorgeous dress from a friend. Pale grey silk with velvet trimmings. It’s very plain and makes me look a million dollars.’ There was a hint of regret in Janey’s voice.
Perdita acted on it. ‘Then you must go to the ball! How often does a girl get an opportunity to wear a dress like that? Even I’d think about going!’
‘Why don’t you? I’m sure my friend would lend you the dress, if she’d lend it to me. You’d look wonderful in it. Better than me.’
‘Oh no. I’m not going to a ball with William. No way. I’m afraid if you don’t go with him, William won’t go to his college reunion. And I know he was really looking forward to it.’
‘Lucas will sack me.’
‘No he won’t, because if he does, I won’t do his television programme.’
‘That’s blackmail!’
‘I know.’ Actually, it was worse than blackmail, as Perdita had already promised she’d do the programme. She’d have to rely on Lucas’s sense of fair play – a very uncertain commodity – to stop him blaming Janey for something which wasn’t at all her fault.
‘OK,’ Janey sighed, still very doubtful. ‘But if I lose my job—’
‘You won’t! Anyway, there are lots of jobs.’
‘I don’t want to work in a pub, Perdita, cooking chicken and chips in a basket.’
‘Pubs do lots of much more interesting food these days.’ Perdita’s perusal of the sits. vac. had told her that jobs in pubs were the only ones going in the area.
‘I still don’t want to cook in one.’
‘You won’t have to.’ Perdita crossed her fingers. ‘I promise!’
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ demanded Lucas, as Perdita entered the kitchen. ‘We’ve got all the garnishes we need.’
She had got there a good half-hour early so she could familiarise herself with her surroundings, but although Janey had told her that Lucas wouldn’t appear before six, here he was. ‘I’m your sous-chef for the night.’
‘What!’
For a moment, Perdita wanted to run out of the kitchen and never come back as his expression darkened from its habitual irascibility to incandescent rage. There was a
terrible silence, when, if Janey had not been well out of reach, Perdita would have aborted the mission. Then Lucas spoke very slowly and softly, coming towards her.
terrible silence, when, if Janey had not been well out of reach, Perdita would have aborted the mission. Then Lucas spoke very slowly and softly, coming towards her.
‘I don’t believe even you could be so fucking silly! There’s more to being a sous-chef than peeling fucking potatoes! Where’s Janey?’
‘On her way to a college reunion.’ Perdita found herself backed up against the freezer. ‘It’s not her fault! It was all my idea. I’m here in her place. You won’t even have to pay me.’
‘Pay you? Pay you?’ He was almost whispering. ‘You’ll be bloody lucky if I don’t fucking murder you! Don’t you know that we’ve got a dinner for thirty and a bloody Michelin inspector coming?’
Perdita didn’t, and nor had Janey, or she would never have agreed to go to the ball. ‘I thought that sort of thing was supposed to be secret.’
‘It is! But I’ve heard a rumour.’ He let out a loud, frustrated breath and then went on at normal volume. ‘Of all the fucking evenings for this bloody game of soldiers! I didn’t tell Janey she couldn’t have the evening off to be awkward! I would have let her go if I could have! I’ve got a lot of agency staff coming. She’s the only permanent staff member on tonight! I’m going to be left with a load of people who haven’t worked for me before. Why the fuck did you have to interfere in things you know nothing about?’
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