High Master of Clere (9 page)

Daniel said,
‘
Please don
’
t think you owe me details, just because I felt I couldn
’
t let you be publicly mortified. Doran has left Clere now, and whether or not he
’
s equally in the past tense for you, I haven
’
t regarded as any business of mine.
’

‘
Perhaps it isn
’
t, though I had an idea that his
—
his exit-line might have made the details your business.
’
In deeper water now than she had bargained for, Verity thrashed out wildly.
‘
After all, you heard him, and I
’
d have thought—well, you could hardly mistake what he meant when he
—’

‘
When he wished you joy of future hunting and hinted that I might be your present quarry?
’
Daniel finished for her.
‘
But do you know, I thought I could afford to ignore that? That you could too, if the cap didn
’
t fit you, as surely I was entitled to assume it didn
’
t?
’

‘
Of course you were
!’

‘
Then what are we arguing about?
’

Verity gave up.
‘
Nothing, I dare say. It was simply that I hadn
’
t reckoned on your being quite so—detached about something which embarrassed me a lot.
’

‘
And for
“
detached
”
read
“
thick-skinned
”
, eh?
’

She shook her head.
‘
I don
’
t think I meant more than aloof; the way in which you withdraw when you think you may get committed against your will; or involved with people too personally.
’

‘
And that
’
s not very astute of you. Should I have come into schoolmastering if I hadn
’
t expected to be involved with people? Or don
’
t you consider a couple of hundred boys and a staff to match qualify for the description?
’

‘
I thought you would realize I was talking about your private relations with people.
’

‘
Of which you
’
d claim you have a long and extensive experience?
’
But as she flinched, his grave smile disarmed the rebuke.

‘
Fair enough,
’
he said.
‘
You
’
ve put your finger on my theory that ideally one
’
s professional and private affairs should be kept apart, though in practice they
’
ll tangle, given half a chance. Take our own, for instance. For couldn
’
t one say that you and I set out professionally under the advantage
—
or the handicap—according to taste—of having been romantically linked in our nurseries?
’

(
Oh, Mother, you promised
!
)
Verity
’
s
fingers tightened on the stem of her glass. Aloud she said,
‘
I
’
d no idea you had heard about that.
’

‘
But you had
?’
He seemed to be amused by her confusion. But before she could retort that of course she had, since her mother would hardly have omitted telling him so, he took her glass from her.

‘
You look as if you could do with another drink after all,
’
he said. But when he came back he brought another man with him and did not stay himself.

When everyone had gone
Mrs.
Lytton was so happy with the party
’
s success that Verity hadn
’
t the heart to tax her with having prattled to
Daniel after promising she wouldn
’
t. The three of them dined together, talking
‘
party
’
, but very soon afterwards
Mrs.
Lytton said she was tired and would go to bed. Verity wouldn
’
t be too late, would she, and if she were going to take Nash out first, why didn
’
t she ask Daniel to go too?

She put the question in her clear, light voice in
t
he full hearing of Daniel who rose, opening the door for her and glancing his own question at Verity.

Verity said,
‘
If you
’
d care to come. We usually go down to the shore,
’
and was waiting for him in wellingtons and a light coat over her cocktail frock when he joined her on the drive, having changed into corduroy slacks and a pullover in the interval.

It was a lovely night. By the time they reached the shore the red autumn moon was up, spilling a light-path across the sea and blackening every shadow by contrast. The sands were still wet after high tide and their boots and Nash
’
s outsize pads scuttered arcs of water as they went.

On the way down the lane they had talked about Nash, and Verity had described his illness of the summer, though without bringing up Max
’
s name again.

‘
Were you warned that it might recur
?’
asked Daniel.

‘
I
’
m afraid so. The vet says, at his age,
“
any time
”
. Meanwhile I try to be grateful for every day that he stays as well as he is.
’
As she spoke she skimmed a pebble into the surf for the little dog to follow. He did so, cavorting and dancing with frustration when he could not find it. Daniel threw another, his wrist flicking as expertly as Verity
’
s to make it skid four times on the surface before it finally sank, to Nash
’
s rage and Verity
’
s admiration for the expertise.

‘
You
’
re good,
’
she commented.
‘
I hardly ever manage more than two skids at a time.
’

‘
My record is six. It
’
s a knack, and you must pick the right kind of stone.
’

‘
I know, but
—’
She watched as he skittered
another across the shallows, then threw one herself. They continued turn and turn about until Nash, deciding he was the odd man out in a game on which his humans were too intent, trotted away.

Wiping down their hands, they followed him, and after a minute or two Verity asked diffidently,
‘
How long have you known that silly story about us? When did Mother tell it to you?
’

‘
She didn
’
t. I
’
d heard it from my own mother years ago. Certainly long before either you or I were in a position to assert our right to pick our own mates, thanks very much. You were then at the crawling stage, I believe, and I was still in short pants. I may say I remember signifying in no mean fashion what I thought of the idea.
’

‘
I
’
m sure you did.
’
Verity
’
s short laugh was partly of relief that her mother hadn
’
t broken her promise.
‘
I think you were about ten at the time Mother and
Mrs.
Wyatt concocted it for fun. But I hadn
’
t realized you already knew it when you came to Clere.
’

‘
As I
’
ve told you, I did, and it lent a certain piquancy to our meeting. But I
’
m afraid I can
’
t pretend I came fired with romantic curiosity about you beforehand.
’

‘
You wouldn
’
t expect me to believe you did?
’
The ugly doubt which Lance had sowed in her mind made Verity add,
‘
All the same, Lance and I did wonder why you
’
d never got in touch with Mother or Father earlier. Because you must have known, before you were offered the High Mastership, that we were here?
’

There was a moment
’
s pause. Then Daniel said,
‘
You
’
d realized that and read it as sinister?
’

V
erity remembered Lance
’
s
‘
phoney
’
with distaste and rejected it.
‘
Not exactly sinister. Just
—
odd,
’
she said.

Daniel shook his head.
‘
I doubt if you would have brought it up if you merely thought it odd.
No, at a guess your speculations ran—
“
Why didn
’
t the man come until after Father was dead, and then only to step into his shoes?
”
Something like that
?’
It was so near to Lance
’
s criticism that Verity was
taken aback.
‘
Well
—’
she began. Daniel went
on,

‘
I thought so. On our tour of the school that first day Lance left me in little doubt that that was his reaction. But if I tell you that
Mrs.
Lytton has accepted that at the time I had my own good reasons, shouldn
’
t that be enough?
’

‘
Of course. We hadn
’
t any right
—’

‘
You hadn
’
t, had you?
’
Daniel agreed, his tone bland but a barrier which, this time, Verity did not attempt to storm.

It was Nash who decided the limit of the walk by turning back towards the dunes when he had had enough. They had reached the wall gate from the lane when Daniel asked,
‘
Does Lance care as much about the shore as you do?
’

Verity said,
‘
Yes, I think so, though for different reasons. I just enjoy messing about on it, but his passion is bird photography and he spends hours building
“
hides
”
and even more hours crouching in them, waiting for the birds to come in.
’

‘
Seabirds mostly, I suppose? What kinds do you see on this coast?
’

‘
Oh—terns, bitterns, a lot of different migrant gulls, wild geese, duck. We have grey seals too. Lance gets marvellous results with his pocket camera, but he
’
s always dreaming of what he
’
s going to do in cine and colour when he can afford a better one.
’

‘
Meanwhile, would the loan of a Leica interest him, do you think? I ask, as I have one which I
’
ve had no time to use lately.
’

At the casual question Verity looked up, her eyes wide.
‘
A
Leica
?
You
’
d lend him yours? It
’
s just
not true! He
’
d be ecstatic. Oh
—’
she broke off
in confusion.

Daniel said drily,
‘
You
’
re thinking, probably, that he
’
d distrust it as a Greek gift, coming from me. Well, that must be risked—the offer is open if he cares to take it, and in return I shall expect him to put together a collection of his slides to show to his House one evening. So let me know, will you, if he accepts and he can have it? I
’
ll give it to you in the morning.
’

He left her at the main school entrance, saying he had work to do in his study. At their halt Verity had picked up Nash, who had been dawdling, and Daniel stroked the silken head as he added,
‘
I
’
ve enjoyed this. You mu
s
t let me come along with you again some time.
’

‘
I
’
d like you to,
’
said Verity, meaning it, and happily not able then to foresee that the next time she walked the shore at night she would be alone.