A Pearl for Love (9 page)

Catherine
’
s mouth opened, then she bit her lip. The necklace had only been half threaded, the remaining pearls loose in an envelope. It was difficult to tell how big the necklace was likely to have been.

‘
We have sent out our pearls to the same firm for years
,’
Miss Pryce was saying,
‘
and they have never let us down, nor are they likely to make a mistake with the system we use for sending out
!
repairs.
’

‘
I should like to see someone in authority,
’
the customer told them firmly.

Only Michael was available, as John was busy with a couple buying an engagement ring, and Uncle James was having a late lunch. Miss Pryce explained the position to Michael, who asked the woman to come through to the office after he had questioned Catherine.

‘
Did you count those pearls?
’
he asked her, and her heart sank as she slowly shook her head.

‘
Did no one tell you to count the pearls carefully before the customer, and ask her to agree that you have the correct number?
’

Again Catherine shook her head, her cheeks crimson. Her own common sense should have told her, but she had not thought of it.

‘
I suppose I can
’
t blame you entirely, being new,
’
he told her, rather bitingly,
‘
but I shall have a word with Elizabeth later.
’

He walked away towards the office and Catherine turned to Miss Lyall, appalled. For a brief moment she thought she saw a gleam of satisfaction in the older woman
’
s eyes.

‘
What
’
s Elizabeth got to do with it? It was my mistake.
’

‘
Elizabeth should have warned you,
’
Miss Lyall
said.
‘I
should have done ... if I
’
d been here.
’

‘
Surely she can
’
t be expected to remember to tell me everything. Some things one must pick up for oneself.
’

‘
But not something where the customer is likely to try it on.
’

‘
Is she trying it on?
’

‘
I
’
m quite sure she is. I doubt if Michael will shake her either. We
’
ll be out of pocket, I
’
m afraid, Miss Lyall. She
’
ll want compensation for the missing pearls, and ... of course ... no charge for the re-threading.
’

‘
Oh!
’

Catherine
’
s heart grew heavier. She could, perhaps, offer to pay for her mistake, but could she | afford it? Not only that, but wouldn
’
t Uncle James be very angry with her? And if it made trouble between Michael and Elizabeth, wouldn
’
t the other girl be more than angry?

Elizabeth had been rather quiet during the weekend, after her house-hunting trip with Michael, and when Catherine had asked, with friendly interest, if she
’
d had a successful day, she had answered rather shortly, and Catherine had felt snubbed.

Later Elizabeth had relented, and came to smile with apology at the other girl.

‘
We didn
’
t find what we wanted,
’
she said.
‘
Better luck next time, I suppose.
’

‘
Oh, what a pity,
’
said Catherine. She felt very real sympathy for the other girl, whose happiness
seemed to have dimmed a little. She hoped Elizabeth and Michael hadn
’
t had a difference of opinion.

The customer left, looking annoyed and far from satisfied, and Michael beckoned for Catherine to come into the office.

‘
I think I convinced the lady that she was mistaken,
’
he told her, his eyes gleaming.
‘
Her pearls were graduated. It would have been difficult to restore the balance when re-threading, if some of them had been missing.

‘
And anyway, I recognised her as someone who makes a habit of trying it on.
’

‘
You mean she
’
s tried to diddle one of you before?
’

‘
Not one of us. It was ... in another shop,
’
said Michael, then he frowned sternly again.
‘
I hope you
’
ll learn from this, Catherine. As I
’
ve said before, people are odd about their jewellery. They sometimes swear that the stones have been changed in a ring. Why
should
we change stones in a ring, for goodness
’
sake? They think jewels have been removed from their watches, which is also ridiculous. You must be on your guard, and check that you and the customer both know the exact description of the jewellery you accept for repair.
’

‘
Yes, Michael,
’
said Catherine in a small voice, and suddenly he laughed.

‘
Cheer up! You
’
re doing fine.
’

She looked up and smiled shakily as he grinned down at her, then Elizabeth
’
s voice broke in on
them.

‘
Prycey says you want me, Michael.
’

‘
Yes, I do,
’
he told her crisply, and Catherine
’
s heart sank again.

‘
It was my fault,
’
she insisted uncertainly.
‘
I should have used my common sense.
’

‘
What was your fault
?’
asked Elizabeth.

‘
I didn
’
t count some pearls that came in for repair.
’

‘
That was stupid.
’

‘
So was not telling her,
’
said Michael.

‘
Oh, but I must have done. Didn
’
t I tell you?
’

This time it was Elizabeth who looked discomfited, and Catherine hesitated unhappily, feeling sorry that it had all happened.

‘
You
’
d better go back, Catherine,
’
said Michael.
‘
Miss Pryce may need you.
’

‘
Of course,
’
she said, and closed the office door.

She felt unhappy and dissatisfied, and she was aware that Michael Rodgers had rather a hard streak in him, and wondered what he would say to Elizabeth.

At the weekend Uncle James asked her if she felt able to go through all her personal papers, and if she needed advice over anything, he would be happy to help her.

‘
It may take some time, my dear, but it
’
s got to be done.
’

‘
I know, Uncle James,
’
said Catherine,
‘
but I
think I can tackle the job now. I think the drawers were all emptied before the furniture went into store.
’

‘
Yes, there was nothing left. I checked everything thoroughly.
’

Catherine sighed as she opened up the boxes and saw the great heaps of papers and personal objects. Her mother had just kept her father
’
s desk as it was, even to his old pipe and tobacco jar. For a moment Catherine wondered whether she ought just to keep it all as it was, too, then she sighed again. Uncle James was quite right. She ought to know just exactly what was there. It was unlikely to yield any stocks and bonds, as all financial matters had been more carefully looked after, but neither David nor Alison Lyall had been particularly neat about personal papers, and now old letters were mixed up with receipted bills.

Catherine picked up a receipted telephone account from three years ago, and reached for a waste paper basket. There was only one way to deal with some of the papers, and that was to throw them out!

She was still busy when John looked in an hour later.

‘
Come and have coffee,
’
he advised.
‘
My lord, that
’
s a pile you
’
ve got in there
!’

‘
Old letters and things,
’
she said, looking up with a faint smile.
‘
Daddy just used to shove everything into a deep drawer in his desk, then have a gigantic tidy-up once in a blue moon.
’

‘
Is it making you feel a bit down doing it all?
’
asked John.

‘
Not now. I
’
m pretty well over it.
’

‘
I
’
m glad,
’
said John, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.
‘
Game on, my lass. You
’
ll feel better for the break.
’

There was only Aunt Lucille in the drawing room where a tray with a steaming jug of coffee, and some cups were set out on a small table. She was reading a letter from one of her friends.

‘
Are you still off sugar, darling?
’
John asked her, as he went to pour.

‘
Just a teeny spoonful,
’
she said absently.

Come over to the fire, Kate dear. Joan Spellman is a grandmother. You remember Joan, dear?
’

Catherine shook her head, smiling.

‘
Oh no, it
’
s your mother who knew her well. Alison didn
’
t keep up with many of the girls we knew. She used to leave that to me. And now Joan is a grandmother. She
’
s beaten me to it, anyway.
’

‘
Now you know you
’
re in no hurry to be a grandmother,
’
said John teasingly, as he handed her a cup of coffee.

‘
I haven
’
t much choice, have I?
’
asked Lucille.

‘
There
’
s Elizabeth shying off from fixing a wedding date, even though she and Michael have been engaged long enough now, and you calling it off with Rosalie Craven. I saw
Mrs.
Craven only the other day and she says Rosalie will be back from America in another week or so.
’

Catherine saw John
’
s fingers tighten, and his face went hard.

‘
I don
’
t know why that should interest me,
’
he said quietly.

‘
If you aren
’
t interested, you should be. Even if you
’
re no longer engaged, it
’
s natural to be interested in an ex-
fiancée
. Isn
’
t it, Catherine?
’

Catherine did not know what to say. She could see that John had no wish to discuss his ex-
fiancée
, and wondered if that was because he was still in love with her.

Had she thrown him over for someone else? Yet if she had, wouldn
’
t Aunt Lucille also have had news and gossip about her engagement or marriage to that other person?

She looked again at John, but he had turned away, and was urging her to eat another biscuit. His eyes were dark as they looked at her, then he smiled.

‘
Keep up your strength for sorting out all those papers.
’

‘
Oh, are you sorting out your things, Catherine
?’
Lucille asked, diverted.
‘
Have you found it yet?
’