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‘So you’re telling me there’s no need to send you along to our medical centre,’ he stated coldly, confirming her thought that he had that idea in mind.

‘No need at all,’ she confirmed quietly.

‘Good.’ It seemed he was all set to dismiss the subject, he changed the conversation so quickly, Gerry had to race her mind to catch up with him. ‘You found your hotel without any difficulty?’

‘I ...’ She stopped. Suddenly she sensed she was walking into a trap—why, she didn’t know. But without even having to think about it, she knew he was aware she hadn’t stayed in the hotel accommodation that had been reserved for her. ‘Er ... actually, I—er—didn’t stay at the hotel.’ She watched as his eyes narrowed, and wished he wouldn’t look at her like that because it had the power to freeze her brain and she needed to think up some excuse and fast.

‘Oh?’ His air was deliberately casual now, endorsing her feeling that he had somehow discovered she hadn’t spent the night in the hotel.

‘I have—er—an aunt living in London,’ Gerry told him, knowing she didn’t have an aunt to her name, and must be the world’s worst liar. She had a feeling he knew she was lying, but decided he couldn’t very well challenge her on the subject of her relatives. ‘I’m staying with her while I’m here.’

‘And where in London does this
aunt
live?’

Oh lord, she didn’t know London from Timbukru. ‘Finchley,’ she said, forcing confidence into her voice as the name dropped into her head—she was sure it was somewhere near London, wasn’t it? Hadn’t she seen it on the tube sticker?

Her relief was boundless when he dropped his questioning. ‘You will have thought to cancel your hotel accommodation?’ was all he said as he stood up intimating their interview was over.

'I'll do it today,’ she assured him, standing up at the same time, feeling more confident now as some of her calm returned.

As he came level with her she turned to face the door, and when he went in front of her to open it, his back towards her, she couldn’t resist putting up her hands to rub her tingling shoulders where his hands had crushed them. She wasn’t quick enough in dropping her hands to her sides, and felt the faint pink of colour suffuse her cheeks as he turned unexpectedly and caught her action.

She thought she saw remorse in his glance as his eyes found hers, but it was gone in an instant as she gave an embarrassed laugh and said with as much calm as she could muster:

‘Remind me never to get pregnant—I’m sure you’d put me in plaster for a month if you had to find a new P.A. for your cousin! ’

His eyebrows ascended that she knew William Hudson was his cousin, but he didn’t comment on it; she would rather he had done so, rather than say what he chose to say, which had the power to deflate her completely. ‘My dear Miss Barton,’ he said coolly, ‘P.A.s are two a penny.’

Gerry stalked out into the corridor ahead of him as with exaggeration he held the door open and almost bowed her out. Then he had overtaken her and she hated having to hurry after him, but could do nothing else if she wasn’t to lose sight of him completely among the many doors and corridors in the building.

He didn’t stay very long after introducing her to Janet Langley, though she did learn before he left her in Janet’s charge that he would be out of town until Wednesday, and might not have the chance to see her again before she left for Little Layton. Thankful for small mercies, Gerry buckled down to learn everything Janet Langley had to teach her. Janet was a friendly girl with a curly mop of red hair, and only a few years older than herself. She had a bubbling-over manner when the two of them were together, but was crisp and efficient in her dealings over the telephone or when talking with clients in a way that greatly impressed Gerry.

For all she hadn’t thought there would be very much difference in their two jobs, Gerry drove back to Little Layton on Monday night with her head buzzing with new impressions and ideas, and the knowledge that there was a lot more involved in the job of P.A. to a Company Secretary than Mr Gillett had shown her.

Teddy came out to greet her as she pulled the A35 on to the drive. She would have liked five minutes to unwind, but greeted her sister with warmth and affection and asked how her day had gone.

‘Much better than I thought it would,’ Teddy told her, obviously glad to see her back.

The return journey had taken longer than the journey to London earlier that day, and it was nine o’clock before Gerry was sitting down attempting to eat the meal that Teddy, true to her word, had made. On the way home she had thought she was ravenous, but now, with a plate of steaming casserole before her, her appetite left her. For Teddy's sake—after all, her day couldn't have been too easy coping with the twins—she made a brave stab at eating some of it, but had to give up half way through.

‘That was delicious, Ted,’ she said, pulling back from the table. ‘Do you mind if I leave the rest—what I could do with now is a nice hot bath.’

For no reason she could think of, once she was in her bath, unexpected tears began to roll down her face, and she had to fight very hard to blink back further tears—she didn’t even know why she was crying. It was a luxury she couldn’t afford if she didn’t want Teddy upset if she were to notice her red eyes. I’m overtired, I expect, she thought, dragging herself wearily out of the bath. A few hours’ sleep and I’ll feel as fit as a fiddle.

On Tuesday she was again at the London office with time to spare, only a few minutes this time, though, but at least she was there before nine. Only one more day to go and she could get back to her old routine. As she had suspected, all she’d needed was a few hours’ sleep to put her right. The tiredness of last night had left her and what with Janet’s bright personality, she felt quite enthusiastic as she was instructed further into the true nature of the job.

By lunch time she knew she was flagging, and blamed her lack of energy on the fact that getting up at five in the morning was strictly for the birds. She forced herself to appear brighter than she felt, and was sure Janet had no idea how she was feeling when she remarked after she’d picked up something she was showing her in record time, ‘Hey, I thought all the whiz-kids were kept in London!'

Half way towards Little Layton that night, Gerry just had to pull into a lay-by. It was no good—she had to have a five-minute break from driving. She’d felt quite dizzy a moment or two ago; she must be heading for a cold or something, she thought. While her mind argued she couldn’t have a cold, not in a cottage as small as theirs— the twins would be sure to get it, and she didn’t feel she had the energy to nurse them through it and possibly Teddy as well.

After ten minutes she began to feel better, and knowing Teddy would be anxiously looking out for her, she pulled out of the lay-by and carried on to Little Layton. Teddy didn’t complain that she barely touched her meal, but Gerry saw her eyes go to her plate.

‘It’s the change in meal times, I expect,’ Gerry said placatingly. ‘My appetite will perk up once we’re back to normal.’

‘Only one more day! ’ Teddy exclaimed, looking forward to the last of the London trips as much as Gerry was.

The journey the next day followed the same pattern as the two previous mornings. And with her confidence growing Gerry neared London, a feeling of relief in her heart that tomorrow morning, the twins permitting, she could stay in bed until seven. She had no idea where she was when her offside tyre suddenly went flat. All she knew was that she was heading in the right direction having turned on to a main road ten minutes ago. She had another half an hour’s driving in front of her and with a fair proportion of the working population roaring past her in their cars—gallantry that might be with them at a less pressing hour sorrowfully forgotten—it was not the most convenient time of the day to have a flat tyre.

There was nothing for it but to attempt to change the wheel herself. And a most frustrating job she was making of it, she thought, for after taking the spare wheel from the boot and deciding which end of the jack did what, she found the nuts holding the wheel to the car were too tightly fixed for her strength to undo. Refusing to be beaten, she made attempt after attempt to free them, and it was like music in her ears when a voice close at hand said:

‘You look to be in a spot of bother. Do you want to leave it to an expert?’

Looking up, Gerry saw a man of about her own age had come to see what she was up to, and gratefully she handed over the tool she was holding, refusing to look at her now filthy hands. Her eyes strayed instead to the rear of her car and she saw that knight of the road had pulled in behind her in a very smart-looking sports car, only she had been concentrating so hard she hadn’t heard him.

‘Have far to go?’ he asked, talking as he worked.

‘Not far—about fifteen miles or so.’

‘D’you think the old girl will make it?’ he asked, giving the A35 a pat. ‘I could drop you where you’re going if you like.’

He could have been just being kind, he could have been trying to pick her up, but Gerry gave him a beaming smile as she refused his offer. For without wishing to conjure him up, a picture of Crawford Arrowsmith sprang into her mind—a picture of him saying she looked washed out. True, she hadn’t had many male admirers lately and she knew she had only herself to blame for that—they were a luxury she just couldn’t afford, Teddy needed her spare time more than anyone else—but if as she guessed the man who was now looking at her as if her smile had just knocked him off balance was in fact trying to pick her up, then she couldn’t be looking as washed out as Crawford Arrowsmith had said.

The man straightened up and put the wheel he had just removed and the rest of the equipment back into the boot, and with his hand still on the boot lid enquired, ‘You’re sure I can’t give you a lift?’

‘No, thanks all the same. I’m sure the
old girl
won’t let me down.’

‘You wouldn’t like to give me your phone number, I suppose?’

He had an engaging grin that somehow reminded her of Robin, for all he was nothing like Robin to look at, though for a moment she couldn’t remember what Robin had looked like—which was strange, because she had thought herself very much in love with him.

‘My time’s fully committed,’ she said. And because he was really very nice and had been very kind to her, she added, ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Beaten to the post yet again,’ he said, his grin coming easily. ‘Some fellows have all the luck! ’

He passed her shortly afterwards—the A35 doing a sedate thirty—and gave her an uproarious burst from his horn. Gerry was still smiling over the encounter when she parked the car prior to haring to the tube station.

It was twenty-past nine when she hurried through the entrance of Arrowsmith Computers, and knowing she couldn’t do a thing until she had washed some of the grime off her hands, she spent another five minutes in the cloakroom.

Walking quickly, she turned into the corridor that housed the door to the office she was sharing with Janet, and felt her heart fall to her feet as she saw Crawford Arrowsmith talking to another man a few doors up from Janet’s office. Feeling very self-conscious, she walked on, knowing she would have to pass him to get to Janet’s door. Not faltering in her stride, she composed her features and wondered whether to give him a cool good morning or totally ignore him. She decided on the latter, as he seemed not to have seen her but was listening intently to what the man with him was saying.

She was level with him when some of Crawford’s reply hit her ears, '... If you think that will work, Harry ...’ then almost past him, she felt her arm caught and held, and felt herself being hauled back against Crawford’s side, then heard him continuing without any break in his conversation, and still looking as though he hadn’t even seen her—as if his hand had come out and stayed her progress without his knowledge. ‘I should do that,’ he was saying to the unknown Harry. Gerry jerked her arm to be free and was ignored as he held on to her, and seethed quietly as she was forced to stand waiting until he was ready to give her his attention.

‘Right, Mr Arrowsmith,’ Harry said, I’ll get on with that straight away,’ and with that he stepped smartly down the corridor. He hadn’t so much as looked at her, Gerry thought, and couldn’t help wondering if she had suddenly become invisible.

Then Crawford was pulling her round until she was standing directly in front of him. She was getting used to the way he looked straight into her face by now, but it did nothing for her rising temper to see he was again thinking she looked washed out. She would dearly love to tell him she could have been picked up that morning if she had chosen, but didn’t know that she felt up to any reply he would have made to that.

‘I see your aunt has a faulty alarm system too,’ he stated, her arm still in his grip.

She had to think fast to catch up with him, then remembered she had told him she was staying with her aunt in Finchley, and he must be referring to her lateness, and cancelling out her excuse before she made it that her aunt’s alarm had failed to go off. She knew she should apologise and tell him she was sorry she was late—he had warned her in Layton about being late. It was important, she knew, for her to keep on the right side of him; her very future, hers and Teddy’s, depended on his keeping her in his employment. But for once she felt she couldn’t knuckle down to him. It was as if there was more at stake than the fact of her being late—somehow it seemed important that she didn’t let him override her all the time.

‘Will you let go of my arm?' she said coolly.

‘And if I don’t?’

She caught a gleam in his eyes and thought, damn him, he’s enjoying this. Not taking her eyes off his, she stated simply and very calmly:

‘If you don’t, Mr Arrowsmith, it will give me the greatest pleasure to deliver one heartfelt kick to your shins.’ Whatever she expected, what happened next was the last thing she would have dreamed would have happened. For Crawford Arrowsmith, the head of the multi-million-pound combine, looked steadily at her for all of one second, then as a smile tugged at his mouth as though refusing to be restrained, he tipped back his head and a very pleasing laugh struck her unbelieving ears.

BOOK: Unknown
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