High Master of Clere (5 page)

Her husband
’
s face had gone grave.
‘
But I
’
m not where Wyatt is. What
’
s more I have no wish to be. But you don
’
t understand that, do you, Jane?
’
he said.

‘
I certainly do not
!’

‘
In spite of all the times we
’
ve had it out? That for one thing, I
’
m pushing fifty—within ten years or so of retiring. That though I flatter myself I
’
ve made a
“
happy ship
”
of West while I
’
ve had it, I recognize that housemastering is my limit, and I
’
m content. Also, that even if I
’
d had the offer of it, I would never presume to follow someone like
R. L. into the High Mastership of Clere
—’

“
But you
’
ll stand by and see a comparative puppy step into it
!’

‘
Yes. A young man who
’
s showing a good deal of drive already, someone with time before him and ambitions of his own for the place, I dare say.
’

Jane Dysart echoed,
‘
I dare say too! Using Clere as a stepping-stone for himself, that
’
s about all. And of course it doesn
’
t matter to you that
I
’
m
cramped here, that I might have expected something better for you after all these years, that
—’

But there Verity thought it wise to slip away from a clash of conflict in which she had no right to take sides, much as she wanted to.

Everyone on the Clere staff suspected Jane Dysart considered her husband a drone. But Verity had never before heard her so blatant—as if her seething resentment at his being passed over had suddenly come to the boil and she didn
’
t care who knew it. Fortunately Nicholas
’
s lotus-eating temperament seemed a match for her; if it weren
’
t, she would surely have worn down his resistance long ago.

It was good, too, thought Verity, to find him so open-minded and tolerant of their new broom of a chief. Not, she judged, that it would concern Daniel Wyatt overmuch whether he found himself at first among allies or enemies. But a little surprised that it should matter as it did, she knew it was she who wanted Clere
’
s whole loyalty behind him
...
wanted it badly enough to be prepared to stand up to any Jane Dysart, to any Lance, in order to get it for him.

Now she wanted him to succeed with Clere. For her mother
’
s sake, for her father
’
s, and to prove Lance
’
s prejudice wrong. No more than that, she thought. And they were good reasons enough
...
weren
’
t they?

She did not see Daniel Wyatt again until the early evening when it emerged that
Mrs.
Lytton had plans for them both. She had asked him to join them for sherry before the evening meal and as she handed him his glass she asked,
‘
I
’
ve been wondering, Daniel—are you very,
very
busy tonight
?’

He looked up at her.
‘
Busy enough. Why?
’

‘
Oh dear.
’
She twisted the stem of her own glass between her fingers.
‘
And I
’
d been hoping you
could help me out. But of course, if you can
’
t
—
At such short notice too
—’

As Daniel
’
s mouth curved to a small smile Verity saw that already he had begun to take the measure of her mother
’
s gently hesitant manner. Morally impossible, as Verity knew only too well, to ignore the appeal she had left unspoken, and Daniel did not ignore it.

He said,
‘
What is it I can do for you?
’

‘
Well, if you
could.
It
’
s like this. Robert was the chief patron of the Lyre Group, a musical society in Norwich which gives concerts during the winter season and books St Andrew
’
s Hall when the big symphony orchestras come down. Tonight they
’
re opening with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra there and they
’
ve sent me two tickets as usual. But for one thing, you
’
ll understand that I don
’
t care to go anywhere in public yet, and for another, Lance will be home later and I can
’
t leave. But Verity takes after her father—she loves music. So I thought—though do say if it
’
s quite impossible for you—if you would use the tickets and take her, she
’
d be very grateful.
’

For answer Daniel looked across at Verity.
‘
You
’
d like to go?
’

‘
Very much, if we ought to spare the time.
’

‘
We
’
ll spare it,
’
he said.
‘
What time ought we to leave, and does one dress?
’

An hour later they set out in his car. As they left, Clere
’
s lights were beginning to wink out—all over Matron
’
s quarters, in the kitchens, in the school houses. Tomorrow there would be all the clamour and bustle of the arrival and disposal of several hundred boys and their gear, and tonight Clere was making ready to come alive.

Daniel drove in silence for some miles after checking with Verity the best road to take from the coast to the city. Then he said,
‘
By the way, Captain Bellamy tells me he couldn
’
t have asked for a better guide than you were on his first visit to Clere. He says that, if he hadn
’
t been in the neighbourhood again, this time with his wife, he wouldn
’
t have troubled to make another visit; that he appreciated your having given him at least two hours of your own time, and wanted me to tell you so. So will you take that as an honourable amend for my criticisms this afternoon?
’

‘
Of course,
’
Verity said. And then,
‘
I
’
d better make amends in return. It wasn
’
t the truth when I told you
Mr.
Dysart was too busy to see Captain Bellamy. He wanted to play golf, and he has told me since that as he was on vacation at the time he doesn
’
t
min
d your knowing as much.
’

Daniel nodded.
‘
As if I hadn
’
t guessed you were covering up for him,
’
he remarked.

You
kn
ew I was? How?
’

He threw her a swift glance.
‘
Because I
’
ve noticed that when you
’
re thrown on the defensive you tend to bristle. It
’
s as palpable a reaction as a tigress
’
s shielding of her young. So you went to warn Dysart—
“
Fly, All Is Discovered
”
—only to find him entirely unabashed?
’

Verity admitted,
‘
Something like that. I ought to know by now that it
’
s not easy to disconcert him. He
’
s a very restful person, with his attitude of
“
Live and let live
”
to everything.
’

‘
You
’
re fond of him, are you?
’

‘
I am. Everyone is. And I
’
ve known him so long. He came to Clere not much later than my father did.
’

‘
Yes, so I understand.
’
After a pause Daniel went on,
‘
A propos
of nothing, except that contrition seems to be in the air, I
’
ve been owing you an apology for some time. Do you remember our first incognito meeting on the shore? Well, I got my feet wet, you
’
ll be gratified to hear.
’

‘
You
did
?’
Verity could not keep a bubble of triumph from her voice.

‘
Yes, though only my feet. I didn
’
t wait until I got sea-water into the engine of the car. But as I think you guessed, I didn
’
t accept that one could possibly be caught by the tide on such flats. So, being the self-opinionated type, I decided to see the phenomenon for myself. And did—to my discomfiture and to your obvious pleasure.
’

Verity dimpled.
‘
I
’
m not
pleased.
Just
—’

‘
Nonsense. There are few minor pleasures to match that of a justified
“
I told you so
”
. You
’
re as smug as a cat after cream, and I can
’
t blame you. Now
’
—he changed the subject again—
‘
what are we to hear tonight?
’

She took the programme from her bag and read it to him.
‘ “
Fingal
’
s Cave
”
as the overture; Cesar Franck
’
s
“
Symphonic Variations
”
, Moussorgsky
’
s
“
Pictures from An Exhibition
”
and after the interval, Beethoven
’
s Seventh.
’

‘
Who is the soloist for the Symphonic Variations?
’

She told him, and they talked music most of the rest of the way.

Parking the car took some time and the orchestra had begun to tune up when they went to their seats. As she sat Verity gave a little shiver of pleasure.

‘
Don
’
t you agree that tuning up is one of the nicest noises there are? I once won two guineas in a competition for suggesting that, a cat
’
s purr and the kind of
“
plop
”
a strawberry makes when you gather it, as my three most satisfying sounds,
’
she said.

Daniel smiled.
‘
I didn
’
t know a strawberry did go
“
plop
”
.
’

‘
Oh, it does,
’
she whispered into the pin-dropping hush which settled on the audience, expectant of the soft opening notes of the overture.

Enchantment followed. Once, at one of the more graphic
‘
pictures
’
in the Moussorgsky, Verity turned to share a smile with her companion, only to realize he had been studying her profile, for how long she did not know. Her smile quavered, grew embarrassed and she looked away. So did he.

In the interval they went out to the foyer for air, talking about the programme and eavesdropping on the musical gossip going on around them. There the secretary of the Lyre Group spotted Verity and came over to say how glad he was to see her and to enquire for
Mrs.
Lytton.

She introduced him to Daniel Wyatt and was standing a little aside as the two men talked, when suddenly she froze to stillness at the familiar turn of a man
’
s head.
Max Doran...
!
A second later he had seen her too and was plunging towards her, both hands outstretched and his exaggerated
‘
Dar-
ling
!
’
loud above the chatter of the crowd.

He imprisoned her hands in his. Unobtrusively she twisted them free. How
dared
he? How could he have forgotten they had parted in hostility and a long sullen silence on his part? But he seemed conveniently oblivious of all that as he babbled,

‘
Verity! Though if I spelled you
“
To the rescue
”
, I
’
d be nearer the truth. For rescue me you must, from the rest of this grisly experience. I insist. I can
not
take any more. But you are alone, aren
’
t you? Or at least with someone you can ditch? For pity
’
s sweet sake, don
’
t tell me you
’
re not!
’

Through stiff unyielding lips she said,
‘
I
’
m not alone. I
’
m with someone.
’
Her oblique glance indicated the two men, and Max looked their way.

‘
With one of them? Oh
no
!’
he mouthed.
‘
Which one? The weedy one armed with a score, or the tall lantern-jawed Daddy-Oh?
’

‘
Not the one with the score. The other. His name is Wyatt, and he
’
s the new High taking Father
’
s place at Clere.
’

‘
You don
’
t say?
’
Max cut short his stare of interest to toss her a crumb of condolence.
‘
I was sorry about R. L., Verity. But I didn
’
t know until a good deal later. You realized that?
’