High Master of Clere (3 page)

‘
Serve him right if he found himself awash,
’
grudged Lance, and then,
‘
Anything about that story of his that struck phoney—eh?
’

‘
Phoney?
’

‘
Yes. Look—wherever he may have been before that, by Sir B
’
s letter he has been a Professor at Oxford—at Clareville, Mother read out to me—for the past four years. Check
?’

Verity nodded.
‘
What of it?
’

‘
Well, can you imagine that in those exalted cliques and in all that time he wouldn
’
t have heard of Father
’
s being High Master here, considering some of our sixth-form chaps are going up to Oxford every year?
’

‘
He mightn
’
t have, if none of them landed up at Clareville.
’

‘
Ah but, clever, they did. For instance, Budge Carter went to read History at Clareville, I know.
So did Coper and
I
think Redfe
rn—’

‘
Yes, all right.
’
Though she believed she knew—
‘
And what do you want it to prove?
’
Verity asked.

‘
What it does prove, of course. That long before the Governors offered him the job, he must have known Father was here. So if his pleasure at meeting Mother was genuine, why did he never take the trouble to look us up earlier, while Father was alive?
’

Verity made a business of tidying crumbs with the blade of her knife.
‘
I don
’
t know,
’
she said
s
lowly.

‘
But you admit it
’
s odd?
’

‘
A bit. But only the hate you
’
re working up against him would condemn him just on that.
’

‘
Thanks. In other words—hands off the paragon! He couldn
’
t care less about contacting the parents until he got the chance of this plummy job as High, and apparently that
’
s all right with you and Mother. Could be, I suppose, you rather fancy this idea of having been betrothed to him in your cradle and you
’
re prepared to go all starry-eyed on the strength of that!
’

Verity whirled round.
‘
How dare you? I am
not
“
starry-eyed
”
about him,
’
she denied furiously.
‘
Talk sense. We
’
ve always heard about him from Mother and we
’
ve met him for a few minutes, and I
’
m happy for Mother, as you ought to be if it
’
s true Father would have
—’

Suddenly she was weeping, angrily dabbing at the stinging tears of desolation as Lance stared, embarrassed, before he plunged to throw his arms round her, contrite as only he could be in the wake of storms of his own making.

‘
Oh, V., V., don
’
t! If that
’
s how Mother wants it, of course I
’
m glad for her, and if the man turns out to be a heel, I dare say she needn
’
t know after
you
’
ve gone
—
Hey there! Do you mind—that
knife is sharp! You couldn
’
t, you think, keep it just that inch or two away from my throat—no?
’

‘
Oh, sorry.
’
Verity laughed shakily as his forefinger turned aside the breadknife, and they broke apart, both intent on pretending their moment of closeness had not happened.

When they returned to the sitting-room and Verity set the tray before her mother,
Mrs.
Lytton fingered the china absently, lifted the cosy, but did not pour. Plainly her thoughts were far from mere hostess-ship as she turned shining eyes to meet the question in Verity
’
s.

‘
Verity darling, what do you think? Daniel has just told me something—well, quite wonderful for us. Do you know, he isn
’
t a married man? Which means he
’
ll need a housekeeper and a hostess for School until he is, and so he has asked me—us
—
to stay on. Because he hasn
’
t a secretary in view either, and he
’
d like you to continue in your job after all. What do you think of that?
’

What did she think of it?
Clere, their immediate future, all the familiar things they knew and loved to be handed back to them instead of being snatched away! That, Verity knew, was how Daniel Wyatt
’
s offer looked to her mother, and she hadn
’
t the heart to quench that bubbling relief by a show of lesser enthusiasm. So, her mind ducking away from the doubt that it would not be quite like that; that, though they stayed, Clere would not be the same again, she said with only a beat of hesitation,
‘
How
—
wonderful!
’
and was rewarded by
Mrs.
Lytton
’
s swift,
‘
There, you see, Daniel! I told you how happy this would make her. Because it
’
s the one thing we
’
ve been praying for, isn
’
t it, Verity—that we needn
’
t leave Clere yet after all?
’

‘
Yes.
’

(Why was that a shade less true now than an hour or two ago? What prejudices against the new regime had she caught from Lance? She had scoffed at Lance
’
s truculence. Yet here was she too, hackles raised against a disposal of her future which should have made her crow with relief—why? Conscious that Daniel Wyatt would expect more than that flat
‘
Yes
’
she turned to him.

‘
That
’
s very good news for us,
Mr.
Wyatt. Mother and I have both dreaded making a new start away from Clere. But I hope you won
’
t regret taking me on as your secretary, more or less
“
sight unseen
”
,
’
she smiled.

He rose to take his cup from
Mrs.
Lytton, then sat again with the characteristic male twitch for the knees of impeccable trousers.

‘
That
’
s a risk I
’
m prepared to take,
’
he said easily.
‘
If I shouldn
’
t find you suit me, I have the remedy in my own hands. But you should, I think, as you must have the rather special demands of the job well taped by now?
’

Before Verity could reply,
Mrs.
Lytton broke in eagerly.

‘
Oh, she has. When she had done all the technical stuff at her training college, Robert trained her himself for school work, so you
’
ll find there
’
s nothing she can
’
t handle for you. Over and above routine matters, I mean. Take your parent contacts
—
Robert used to say he had only to flick a boy
’
s name at her—say, Brewster or Carmichael—and she could provide a thumbnail sketch of his background from memory, just like that!
’

‘
Really? How invaluable of her!
’

‘
Yes, indeed.
’
More encouraged than was Verity by the cool comment,
Mrs.
Lytton warmed to her subject.
‘
The staff too—whenever they were a bit
diffi
dent about bringing a query straight to Robert, they would use Verity as a kind of go-between. Oh
dear, I can hear her father teasing her now—
“
Well, V., whose cause are you pleading today?
”
And then, being in demand for as much neighbourhood life as we enjoy around here, she knows nearly everyone who will want to know you, as of course
they all will
—’

Daniel cut short the flow.
‘
Thanks. When I have time to spare to feel the lack of a social sponsor, I
’
ll remember that. Meanwhile, do you mind—I think I
’
ll settle merely for a competent secretary?
’
he said.

Verity glanced at Lance, saw him scowl and knew he had read into the words the same glacial snub as she had herself. But somehow the man possessed a grave controlled s
mi
le which disarmed offence and evidently
Mrs.
Lytton had taken none.

She said happily,
‘
Well, that I
’
m sure you will have in Verity. Now my own worry is that we can
’
t make you comfortable here. Let
’
s see—you
’
ll take over Robert
’
s den for your own use, of course. And our spare bedroom has its private bathroom and can be shut off from the main landing, making it a kind of suite. Lance, you understand, doesn
’
t live with us in term time. He
’
s in West House—
Mr.
Dysart
’
s. But perhaps you won
’
t mind sharing our
dining room
with Verity and me?
’

‘
Of course not, though I
’
ll probably lunch with the School most days.
’

‘
Yes, well, so did Robert, except at weekends which he liked to keep for me. Meanwhile, after tea you must see everything. These quarters or School
—
which first, Daniel?
’

Again the slight smile.
‘
School, I think, as it
’
s my major importance. Am I likely to find any of my colleagues at home?
’

‘
The housemasters? I
’
m afraid not. Two of them are still away,
Mr.
Perceval is attending a
summer school and the Dysarts are in Norwich for
the day. Of course if we
’
d known you were
—
But we
...
that is, the children can show you round. Lance? Verity, dear?
’

But though they both rose as Daniel Wyatt did, his glance slid past Verity to fasten on Lance.

‘
Do you mind? I think I
’
ll take just Lance as my guide,
’
he said, the words an order which Lance, after a moment
’
s truculent stare, obeyed.

Their going left an uneasy silence behind. Then
Mrs.
Lytton worried,
‘
You know, I thought Daniel would be glad to get you young people to yourselves. That
’
s why I didn
’
t offer to take him round myself. But he chose Lance so very pointedly, didn
’
t he? Almost as if he didn
’
t want you along?
’

‘
Exactly
as if he didn
’
t,
’
Verity confirmed.

‘
You felt that too? But why not?
’

Verity was pretty sure she knew. (
Because
,
Mother dear, you plugged my virtues so hard that the man
’
s sales-resistance was sticking out all over!)
But since that was too wounding to utter aloud, she said instead,

‘
Oh, I suppose he felt that School was more their affair—his and Lance
’
s
’
—an idea which
Mrs.
Lytton accepted until she fretted—
‘
I do hope Lance will come round to seeing that your father, if he could have known, might well have chosen Daniel to follow him. And as far as you and I are concerned, we couldn
’
t have asked for better, could we, dear?
’

Verity, collecting tea-things and stacking them on the tray, stooped to drop a kiss on her mother
’
s hair.