High Master of Clere (4 page)

‘
As long as you
’
re happy about it, Lance had better
“
come round
”
—or else!
’
she promised darkly to doubts and misgivings which weren
’
t Lance
’
s alone.

For she sensed that Daniel Wyatt already knew all about Lance
’
s hostility and that he would afford as short shrift to it as he had to her mother
’
s well
-
meant pretensions on her behalf.

No, adjusting to the new order of things ahead wasn
’
t going to be easy for any of them. It wasn
’
t going to be easy at all
...

CHAPTER II

A week later Lance left to spend the last fortnight of the vacation w
ith a party on the Broads and Daniel
Wyatt moved in to his Clere quarters.

On the evening of his arrival only
Mrs.
Lytton welcomed him; Verity was visiting friends in Brancaster. But previously he had written that he would like her to report for duty at nine the next morning and she saw to it that she was in her office—tailored in a slim-skirted shirtwaister and her hair pinned into a pleat—before the school chapel clock struck the hour. As it did so he buzzed her
from his study and she went across the hall, needing to quell the slight
‘
zero-hour-this-is-i
t’
nervousness which was tightening her throat.

He stood, his nod seeming to approve her promptitude.

‘
Good
!’
He drew forward a chair for her, then reseated himself at the desk which had been her father
’
s, pressing his palms together on its surface.

‘
Now,
’
he said,
‘
I
’
m going to ask you to brief me on what I can expect you to do for me in your
role
as my secretary.
’

‘
Do for you
?’

‘
Yes. You see, you
’
re a luxury that
’
s new to me. And apart from the obvious—making appointments, typing my letters and so on—don
’
t I understand from your mother that I can look to you for a lot more than that?
’

‘
Well
—’
Flushing at the memory of his snub
on the subject, Verity broke off, then continued rather lamely,
‘
Well, of course I did take on a good deal extra for my father, but
—’

‘
Such as?
’
he prompted.

But on a flash of spirit she decided he should get the ball back into his court.
‘
Perhaps we could wait, could we, until something extra arises?
’
she said evenly.
‘
I
’
m afraid I can
’
t think of a particular example just now.
’

There was a moment of silence. Then,

‘
Yes, very well,
’
he said, and suddenly she felt guilty. She had thought he intended a gibe, when in fact he had really wanted to know something about the human contacts that made her work different and worthwhile; about some of the jobs that called for tact and patience unstintingly given, not counted in terms of so many overtime hours, paid at such-and-such union rates.

But it was too late now. He was going on,

‘
Another point. What name will you answer to when I need you? To your first? Or would you prefer
“
Miss Lytton
”
?
’

‘
Verity, please,
’
she told him.
‘
Between my not being real staff and being Lance
’
s sister, I
’
m sort of
“
nor good red herring
”
and nobody ever calls me Miss Lytton.
’

‘
I see. Then that settled, may we make a start on routine? First, I
’
d like you to type copies of the following letter to the staff. You
’
ll see it recalls them three days early. Then at eleven I
’
ve called a housemasters
’
meeting, at which I
’
d like you to sit
in. This afternoon
—’

‘
This afternoon you have two appointments with parents,
’
reminded Verity.
‘
You
’
ll find the times and details in your diary.
Mr.
Dysart made them for you and asked me to enter them up.
’

Daniel Wyatt flipped open the diary in front of him, confirmed the entry.
‘
Who has been taking parent interviews up till now?
Mr.
Dysart as my deputy?
’
he wanted to know.

‘
Yes.
’
It was not the strict truth. More than
once
, easygoing Nicholas Dysart had passed the task to Verity herself. But sensing that this would not find favour with Daniel Wyatt, she decided against telling him so.

He said,
‘
Well, there shouldn
’
t be many more, within three weeks of term opening. Now, if you
’
re ready for me to dictate?
’

There followed a fortnight of dynamic activity such as Verity had never shared before as Clere
’
s crisis entailed the pressure of far too many gallons of work into too few pint pots of time. Her own freedom dwindled to meal times and an afternoon hour with Nash on the shore, and Daniel Wyatt appeared to have none. More than once she reflected,
‘
If he doesn
’
t realize now the kind of maid of all work I
am!’
But she still felt a stab of guilty regret
that, at his invitation, she hadn
’
t let her enthusiasm for the vagaries of her job shine through. Something told her he would not have snubbed her again. But she had let the chance slip and it had not offered since.

Matron came back and was irate that the painters and decorators were still in occupation of the sick bay; it was Verity who had to interview the foreman and insist on a deadline for the work to be completed. The returning staff, though gratifyingly pleased to find her still at her post, were loud in their grumbles over their premature recall and it was she who soothed over and over,
‘
It
’
s only for this term, owing to the change of High,
’
and clucked sympathetic noises until the protests trailed away.

She checked medical requirements with Matron and the non-resident school doctor, Bob Wales; she ordered the domestic replacements needed by the kitchen staff; she saw the educational publishers
’
travellers on her chief
’
s behalf; was at the continual beck of the telephone, and typed letters, re-drafted
work schemes and timetables until at the end of each session at her desk she had difficulty in flexing her fingers.

Meanwhile the breath of change which Lance had foreseen was beginning to blow over Clere. It was to be felt in the earliest of Daniel Wyatt
’
s memos to his staff, to Verity herself, in his whole approach to the problems of his job. Instinctively Verity felt that the school
’
s truer traditions were going to be safe with him, but he was ruthless with what he regarded as the clutter of
‘
But it has always been done that way
’
and the undertow of her loyalties to her father
’
s regime allowed this to hurt more than a tittle. She could only hope she was concealing from him and her mother her dismay at some of the innovations, and she was thankful that Lance
’
s reaction to them was a problem she could shelve for a
l
ittle longer. One in particular which affected him would be a
fait accompli
by the time he returned.

It was on the day before all the boys were expected back that, returning to her office after walking Nash, she found Daniel Wyatt waiting there for her.

Without preliminary he said,
‘
I
’
ve just answered a call from a Captain Bellamy. Does the name mean anything to you?
’

‘
Bellamy?
’
Verity bit her lip, remembering.
‘
Yes, he
—’

‘
I thought it might.
’
Her chief
’
s tone was terse.
‘
His son is to be new here this term, and his father rang from King
’
s Lynn. He tells me that, finding himself unexpectedly in the district again, he would like to call for a talk, as the last time he came he was interviewed and shown round only by my secretary. What have you to say to that
?’

Verity swallowed on coldness. She could only agree,
‘
Yes, I did see him and show him round alone.
’

‘
But wasn
’
t I given to understand that
Mr.
D
ysart had handled all the parent interviews which I hadn
’
t?
’

‘
This was before we knew you were to be appointed.
’

‘
That makes no difference. On this occasion and on others, for all I know, you deputized for
Mr.
D
ysart. Why?
’

‘
Because he asked me to.
’
Verity added in her own defence,
‘
I think I was able to tell Captain Bellamy all he wanted to know. He seemed satisfied.
’

‘
I
’
ve no doubt you were. I
’
m not questioning your know-how about everything to do with the school. That makes itself apparent daily. But that
’
s not the point at issue. Every parent, particularly those of our newcomers, should have been seen by
Mr.
Dysart
in person—or by myself after I did arrive. Why, anyhow, had he to get you to stand in for him with Captain Bellamy?
’

Verity made a mental note to warn Nicholas
Dysart
of the wrath in store.
‘
Because, if I remember, he thought he might be too busy himself,
’
she told Daniel Wyatt.

‘
I see.
’
A pause. Then,
‘
Well, I
’
ve made my appointment with Captain and
Mrs.
Bellamy for four o
’
clock, so will you see we
’
re not disturbed
?’

That closed the subject, but as soon as she was able Verity played truant from her office and walked over to West House where she was admitted by
Mrs.
Dysart
, a thin-faced, tight-lipped woman whose lean angularity was the complete foil to her husband
’
s chubby roundness of figure. They were opposites in other things too. Jane
Dysart
made no secret of her ambitions for Nicholas. Nicholas, for his part, had none, claiming he had no wish to move out or up from where he found himself. He was
popular with staff and school alike; she was not, and in the boys
’
frank opinion
‘
Old Nick
’
had taken on a grossly unfair handicap when he had chosen
‘
Mrs.
Old Nick
’
as his life
’
s partner.

Her greeting to Verity was a frigid,
‘
Well?
’
and when she had fetched her husband she stayed while Verity explained her errand.

Nicholas
’
s reaction was merely a fat chuckle.
‘
Not to worry,
’
he assured Verity.
‘
I admit I seem to remember I had a golfing date I didn
’
t want to break, and I
’
ll plead guilty. But hang it, it was vacation, and aren
’
t I entitled to as much of that as anyone else?
’

‘
Of course you are, though Father saw parents all through vacation,
’
Verity demurred.

‘
That
’
s different. Bless his memory, R. L.
’
—the staff
’
s affectionate abbreviation for
Mr.
Lytton
—
‘
was dedicated—among all the other lovable
thing
s he was. I
’
m a lesser chap altogether and I like such freedom as I consider I
’
ve earned. Besides, who better than you, my dear, to do the honours of the place for this man Bellamy? Which, you may be very sure, I
’
ll point out to our respected High when he has me on the carpet.
’

Verity said drily,
‘
You needn
’
t bother. He allowed I was probably—adequate. I thought you should be warned, all the same, that he is distinctly
“
not amused
.” ’
But before Nicholas could reply his wife cut in.

“
On the carpet
”!
“
Not amused
”!’
she echoed, her needle stabbing viciously at the hem she was stitching.
‘
Nicholas, really! How can you be so
—
so
craven,
when, if you had played your cards properly, there
’
s no reason at all why you shouldn
’
t be just where Wyatt is now
!’
At Verity
’
s sudden movement of distaste she threw the girl a semi
-
apologetic
‘
Of course, I mean, if your father hadn
’
t died
,’
then returned to the attack.
‘
Well,
Nicholas?
’
she pressed.