Secrets of the Heart (9 page)

`No,
thank you. I don't have time for a break. Let me know as soon as you come up with an explanation, Miss Fuller.'

His
dark eyes met hers and for a moment held them in a steely grip. Annis calmly finished her coffee, watching as Ross went over to a filing cabinet and began searching through one of the drawers.

`Please
just leave it with me, Mr Hadley,' she said as he straightened up. `I'll get back to you just as soon as I've tracked down the missing invoices.'

`See
that you do.' Ross had a file in his hand. 'They're not in the usual place, I've just looked, but in any case, I need this file for something else.' And he hurried out of the room.

Annis
took her time. She was fuming over Ross's attitude and decided that he would just have to wait his turn. She had another job listed for the afternoon which took priority.

She
finished off what she was doing and eventually located the missing invoices stuffed at the back of one of the filing cabinet drawers. She was puzzled, knowing that Sally was far too efficient to have merely overlooked them.

Attaching
a memo to the invoices, Annis took them next door, to Ross's office. Finding that he wasn't around, she handed them to the young girl who job-shared with Stella.

Annis
was relieved when the afternoon finally came to an end. Locking up carefully, she went back to her room to have a shower before dinner.

She
was a little later than usual going into the dining room, and found it crowded. Collecting her meal, she stood looking around for a vacant seat and, seeing her predicament, Ross came to her rescue.

`You're
more than welcome to join me again, if you can bear to. There are things I need to say to you anyway.'

Reluctantly
she went across to his table and for a few moments they ate in silence, until at last he spoke.

`Look,
I owe you an apology. Thanks for those invoices — Amy gave them to me. I'm afraid things have been a bit fraught recently, but you're a guest of Bryn's and there's no excuse for me to vent my feelings on you.'

`Right,
that's cleared the air then,' she said briskly. 'Apology accepted. I don't know how those invoices came to be overlooked, and I agree that it shouldn't have happened, but they've come to light now.'

`Yes,
but it shouldn't have been down to you to sort it out. Anyway, thanks, and remember, you can always come to one of us if there are any more problems during Sally's absence.'

`You
sound as if you're expecting that there will be.' Annis cut into her onion and pepper tart. 'That's the sort of attitude that makes people feel as if they're not trusted. Fortunately, Tristan doesn't seem to share your concern.'

`Really?
I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you. The difference between Tristan and myself is that I speak my mind and he uses the kid glove approach . . . Dessert?'

`I'll
get my own, thanks.'

She
was annoyed with him, but she knew that she was handling the situation badly. She needed to get Ross on her side.

When he returned with a loaded tray, she went up to the hatch herself and selected a yoghurt, fruit and tea.

He
raised an eyebrow. 'Slimming?'

`No,
but I've been over-indulging lately. The food here is rather too good!'

`I
should hope so. We've a reputation to maintain — besides, feed the staff well and they'll work well.'

`Over-indulge
them and they'll fall asleep on the job!' she quipped.

He
laughed and she realised again what an attractive man he was when he relaxed.

`I
usually go for a walk after dinner when I can manage it,' he said as they finished their meal, 'and I've noticed you doing the same — d'you fancy joining me?'

She
was surprised, but realised this might be the very opportunity she needed to get to know him better.

`Around
the grounds, do you mean?' she asked.

`No,
I was actually thinking of cutting through the orchard to the church and then returning via the village.'

`Lovely
if you can wait while I pop up to say goodnight to Bryn.'

* * *

Half an hour later they set off. Annis had quickly changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and Ross had pulled on a light sweater.

`You
didn't spend long with Bryn,' he commented.

`No,
Arthur Smythe had turned up to play chess. He's still talking about the wedding in glowing terms.'

`Good
— that's what we need to hear.'

They
walked along the boundary of the Mill for a few moments in companionable silence.

`What
else do you do in your free time, apart from going for walks?' she asked.

`Oh,
I try to fit in a swim most mornings, and now and again I have a game of snooker, or a drink in the bar. I spend some time with Bryn, too.'

`And
what do you get up to on your days off?'

`If
ever I do manage to get a day off then I try to get away down to the coast, perhaps, or off to visit friends. As you probably know, my family live in the north of England, so I need more than a day or two to go up there.'

They
had reached the stile leading into the orchard and, hopping across in one agile movement, he took Annis's hand to help her over. Again, she felt her fingers tingle at the contact.

She
resolved to get a firm grip on herself and keep in her mind that although he hadn't said as much, it was evident that Ross was more than a little involved with Stella, and unfortunately for Annis, she had been down that path before.

The
orchard was a haven of peace and Annis took a deep breath of fresh air. It was a glorious evening and still pleasantly warm.

Suddenly
Ross pointed. 'Look, Annis! There goes a fox!'

They
stood watching the creature until it shimmied under the fence and disappeared into the meadow beyond.

`The
apples will be ripe shortly,' commented Ross. 'They're absolutely delicious.'

Annis
gave him a reproving look. ‘But the orchard doesn't belong to the Mill.'

`I
know that, Miss Goody Two-Shoes! But the daughter of the farmer that it
does
belong to got married at the Mill a couple of years ago, and her father's sent us a couple of boxes of apples every year since.'

`Always
got your eye on the main chance, haven't you?' she said, tongue in cheek, wondering if she appeared as self-righteous to everyone else as she apparently did to him.

`Of
course.' He grinned and took her arm. 'That's good business acumen.'

They
walked into the field beyond the orchard where the corn was ready for harvesting.

`I love this time of year poppies and cow parsley,' she said.

`Me
too. But don't you find it too hot at this time of year in London?'

`Yes,
but I work in an air-conditioned office, and there are the parks and gardens.'

‘B
ut no cornfields or cow parsley! Do you enjoy your work?'

She
considered.

‘
It's interesting, busy and varied.'

`Are
you in the same line of business there as this?' he asked casually.

`No
I work in a planning department.'

`That
must be interesting. And do you have your own house?'

`In
London? You must be joking! I share a flat with a couple of friends. It's a bit small, but it's adequate.'

When
they reached the edge of the field, Ross leaned against the gate and turned to face her.

`Well,
Annis, tell me: if you had the opportunity to change things — what innovative ideas would you introduce at Heathercote Mill?'

So
that's why he had asked her to go for a walk with him. So that he could carry on sounding her out.

`I've
told you — I think it's in danger of becoming impersonal. It's people that you're dealing with in this business, not things.'

`Yes,
you've made your point, and now I'm asking you what you would do about it.'

`Well,
the way things are at present, the staff don't seem to be working together as a team, and that doesn't make for good morale. Everything seems so fragmented.'

Ross
was listening intently.

`Yes,
I see, but it's important to strike a happy balance. You've already said that you feel there's too much interference, but we can't have it both ways. Remember, Tristan and I are responsible to Bryn for every decision we make and we need to be able to assure him that everything is ticking over in a satisfactory manner.'

`And is it?' Annis removed her sandal and shook out a small stone. ‘For one thing, Sally seems in danger of losing her confidence. I really can't believe it's her fault so many things have gone wrong lately, and yet you and Tristan always seem to be on her back.'

Ross's
eyes glinted and she wondered if she'd gone too far.

`Yes,
well, we'll see if she's feeling more relaxed when she comes back from the course,' he said.

They
had reached the churchyard and stopped to admire the view from there, across the weald of Kent. The churchyard was a tranquil spot — and it was also the place where Andrew was buried. Ross sensed her sudden tension and realised what was wrong.

`Annis,
I'm so sorry — it was thoughtless of me to bring you here.'

She
was trembling in spite of the warm evening. ‘It's OK. I just suddenly realised where we are . . . and I've never seen Andrew's grave.'

`Would
you like to?' Ross put his arm gently round her shoulders.

She
nodded. 'I've put it off for too long.'

He
took her hand and led her down a slope to the grave, and she stood in silence for a moment, reading the inscription. There were some fresh carnations in a vase.

`Are
the flowers — does Stella visit?'

`I'm
sure she does, but those are from Bryn. I brought them here myself on Sunday. Would you like some time on your own?'

She
shook her head. 'No no, thanks, but I'm glad I came. He liked this place. Can we go now?'

For
a few moments they walked in silence down the lane that led to the village.

`Andrew
lived life to the full, Annis,' Ross said at last. 'What happened was a terrible tragedy, but he would want you to move on.'

`I've
tried that,' she said bitterly. 'I thought I could handle it, and most days I can, but just now and then it all comes flooding back . . . ' There was a lump in her throat and she turned away.

He
didn't say anything further, but she was glad of his company.

`Do
you like it here, Ross?' she asked as they approached Heronsbridge.

`Yes,
I like Heathercote Mill, and Heronsbridge, and it's amazing how quickly one adapts.'

`Yes,
it's a friendly community for the most part.'

When
they arrived back at the Mill he said, 'Thanks for your company. I don't know about you, but I could do with a long cool drink. Care to join me?'

She
was tired, but she was also reluctant to spend the rest of the evening on her own.

`Thanks
— just for a short while,' she told him.

Tristan
was already in the bar, sitting in a corner in deep conversation with Vicki.

When Ross returned with their drinks, Annis said curiously, 'Does Vicki live in?'

`Vicki?'
He cast his eyes in their direction, his face expressionless. 'No, but she spends a night or two here sometimes if she has to make an early start, which is why you've seen her at breakfast once or twice. Vicki's worth her weight in gold — unlike her sister, Kelly, who left Sally in the lurch a few weeks back.'

`What
became of Kelly?' asked Annis casually.

`D'you
know, I'm not too sure I'll have to ask Vicki. Kelly certainly didn't like working here.'

Just
then one of the conference delegates came across with a query for Ross, and then one or two others joined their table. There was soon an animated discussion going on about the state of the economy, and after a few minutes, too tired to take any part in it, Annis made her excuses and went back to her room.