High Master of Clere (14 page)

She had Daniel
’
s permission to sit in on classes and attend out-of-school societies, such as the Debating Club, and to talk to everyone she pleased, from the senior staff to the gardener
’
s boy. Her wardrobe seemed inexhaustible. Every day she appeared in a different outfit, evoking appreciative wolf-whistles from the boys of the Upper School and causing the feminine element of Clere to envy her a salary which could afford them or to wonder whether perhaps Viking Vision dressed its executives
‘
on the house
’
.

On several evenings she begged the use of Verity
’
s office and typewriter for making out her reports for Guy Tabor, and on one such occasion she was still
at work when Verity returned for something she had forgotten.

Ira
’
s flying fingers checked.
‘
Don
’
t go,
’
she said.
‘
Help yourself to a cigarette and wait till I
’
ve finished, will you? I
’
ve just about done.
’

A minute or two later she flicked the paper free, added it to the sheaf beside the machine and lit a fresh cigarette from the half-smoked butt on the ashtray. She inhaled deeply.

‘
I
’
ve been wanting to talk to you. You
’
re one of the few people I
’
ve got no lowdown on yet. So what have you got to give me for the record?
’

‘
Give you? About my work?
’
questioned Verity.

‘
In a way, though I couldn
’
t care less about the technicalities. So—you
’
re the big man
’
s secretary. You type and take dictation and answer the telephone just like any other nine-to-five girl, I dare say. But there must be some human angle to your job. What is it?
’

Remembering Daniel
’
s probing on the same lines and how she had failed to answer it, Verity hesitated.
‘
There is, I suppose,
’
she agreed.
‘
Though I don
’
t quite know how I
’
d define it.
’

‘
Then let me help you. I need—that is, Guy will need—a recognizable label for you, don
’
t you see? Say then
...
let
’
s see—you
’
re the High
’
s pocket guide to the school
’
s affairs. And/or you
’
re a buffer-state between him and the staff. Or—yes, that
’
s it
’
—Ira snapped finger and thumb—
‘
you
’
re his secret police. That covers the lot!
’

‘
His secret police? I
’
m nothing of the kind!
’
Verity denied hotly.

‘
Oh, surely? It need only mean you keep him abreast of all the things he should know and couldn
’
t, except via you. Besides, it
’
s a description everyone will understand. No, you really mustn
’
t cheat us of
“
secret police
”
!
’
claimed Ira.

V
erity said doggedly,
‘
I
’
m sorry, but you mustn
’
t use it of me. It
’
s only too well understood, but it
’
s simply not true of anything at all I do for
Mr.
Wyatt.
’

Ira shrugged.
‘
Have it your own way—though it
’
s a pity. And if you don
’
t fetch and carry undercover information for him, what do you do that we could pinpoint to show the viewers just what you
’
re
for
?’

‘
Well, some of the things you
’
ve mentioned. You can call me a maid of all work if you like. But
“
secret police
”
makes me sound merely a talebearer.
’

‘
And do you never? Tell tales, I mean? However, it
’
s a small point. I
’
d better leave Guy to fit you into the picture.
’
Ira narrowed her eyes against the haze of her cigarette and added,
‘
Changing the subject, you
’
ve fallen for your chief rather heavily, haven
’
t you?
’

Verity stiffened. Her
small laugh was
unconvincing.
‘
Fallen for him?
What
on
earth
makes
you
think
so?
’

‘
My dear, it
’
s like a mother
’
s care—it shows. You blossom when he
’
s kind and you wilt or bristle when he
’
s not. Not to worry, though. Even if he has a clue, he must know it
’
s an occupational hazard a virile chief has to risk. But just one hint—you ought to ask your mother to lay off plugging you to him like crazy
!’

Instantly at the ready in
Mrs.
Lytton
’
s defence, Verity demanded,
‘
Plugging me? I don
’
t see how you can know whether Mother has ever even discussed me with
Mr.
Wyatt!
’

Ira
’
s expression became one of hard-tried patience.
‘
No? You don
’
t remember that on my first evening of staying with Jane, we dined in a threesome—he, your mother and I? And she was certainly selling you on him then, though you shouldn
’
t take umbrage at my telling you. I only mean it for your own good.
’

Verity declared,
‘
I just don
’
t believe Mother would have monopolized the talk that night in praising me. She was your guest—or Jane
’
s by proxy
—
and she has far too much social know-how to be so bad-mannered.
’

‘
Oh dear, did I imply she talked her head off about you? Of course she didn
’
t. I had to admire the way it was done—charmingly. Just a word here
...
a word there.
“
Verity is so
”
“
Verity
always
”
Water-dropping-on-a-stone, in other
words. But so unmistakably aimed at your chief that I couldn
’
t wonder his reaction was a trifle cool.
’

Too proud to ask Ira to elaborate on that, Verity said,
‘
But you don
’
t know him very well, do you? He
is
cool; that
’
s his normal manner. And if you think I
’
d dream of hurting Mother by taking her up about it, I
’
m afraid you
’
re mistaken.
’

Ira stubbed out her cigarette, squared off the sheets of her reports and stood. As she went out she said,
‘
You can
’
t say I didn
’
t mean well. After all, if you want to keep your secret you can
’
t afford to risk the man
’
s thinking you
’
d got your mother to put out feelers on your behalf, can you? However, that
’
s your headache, I suppose. Meanwhile, thanks a lot for the loan of your amenities, dear.
’

Verity was alone for more than a minute before she realized she had not denied Ira
’
s—
‘
You
’
ve fallen for him, haven
’
t you?
’
Nor could she now to herself. Daniel
had
come to matter to her too much. Ira was right. He could hurt or delight her with a word or a gesture because love had given her into his hands. She was as sharply aware of him as she had been of Max and now she admitted
—
how long had she really known?—why she had drawn comparisons between them.

With Max she had known just this same craving to please, to serve, to feel herself wanted; to touch and to thrill to a touch, and Max had pretended to want all that too. But he hadn
’
t. Nor did Daniel. That was the likeness between them. The difference was that she had briefly stirred Max
’
s pulses, if not his heart. In Daniel she had disturbed nothing at all. Nothing? Well, perhaps for an hour or two her need had appealed to his chivalry and the protective impulse he would have shown to a child in distress. But no more than that.

Now she and he would meet, smile, talk, share the same table, work together, and all the time she would be wearing a mask. And loving shouldn
’
t have to
be
like that! One
’
s dreams of it were of the contentment it would spell when you were apart, of the companionship lit with a smoulder of desire when you were together. But of course that happened only when two people worked the miracle for each other, not when there was one who loved and one who did not...

And what had her mother said or done to embarrass her with Daniel? She had scorned to ask Ira for details and never would. And though her imagination ran riot she managed to force her loyalty to take over. What if Daniel had had to listen to her praises sung too extravagantly? Her mother had only done it for love of her, and what right had she to grumble about that?

Anyway, in Ira
’
s graphic phrase it was her headache.
All
hers. Nowhere this time where she could shift the load as, in his fashion, Daniel had allowed her to thrust on him the weight of her sorrow for Nash. This pain had to be endured alone.

At the end of Ira
’
s fortnight of preparation of the ground, Guy Tabor was also at Clere every day.

Cameras were set up;
‘
angles
’
and lighting technically discussed; people were briefed; rehearsals held and reheld. And that weekend fewer ballpoints were chewed while the writers of compulsory letters home racked their brains for news to relate.

That Sunday there was plenty.

‘
We
’
re being filmed to go on TV. Miss the programme if you dare,
’
was the urgent signal which went out to fond parents all over the country. Solo performers made much of having been chosen to speak their piece and the rank-and-file indicated hopefully just where individual faces might be discerned among hundreds of others equally agog to be recognized.

The filming was scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, and when the result was
‘
in the can
’
Guy Tabor pronounced himself well satisfied. The following day a gratified school heard in morning assembly that he had begged that afternoon as a half-holiday. He had already invited the staff for cocktails at the Viking Vision studios on Friday evening.

‘
See that anyone who has transport to spare shares it with other people who may need it, will you?
’
Daniel asked Verity.
‘
I can take you and your mother with me and a fourth too, if there are any candidates for the seat.
’

But there were none. Most of the staff ran their own cars, and
Mrs.
Lytton, told of Daniel
’
s offer, said she had already accepted a lift from
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Perceval.

‘
For me too?
’
Verity asked her.

‘
Well, no, dear. They
’
re taking Matron as well. Besides, one of us must go with Daniel as he
’
s offered, and he would much rather take you than
me. Wouldn
’
t you
?
’
she appealed as Daniel
came in at that moment.

‘
Wouldn
’
t I what?
’
he enquired.

‘
I was telling Verity I knew which of us you would choose to take to Norwich on Friday. And you can
’
t deny you would rather it were Verity, can you?
’

‘
Must I choose? I asked you both,
’
he pointed out.

‘
I know, and thank you, Daniel. But I
’
d already promised the Percevals for myself, you see.
’

He turned to Verity.
‘
Then that means just the two of us. I
’
d like to leave not later than six, I think.
’
He added to
Mrs.
Lytton,
‘
I came to tell you I
’
ll be away for the weekend—in Oxford, if that
’
s all right with you?
’

‘
Of course, Daniel,
’
she beamed.

On Friday morning he looked in at Verity
’
s office.

‘
I
’
ve asked Lance for temporary repossession of my camera,
’
he told her.
‘
If the
l
ight is good enough I may need it over the weekend. So if he brings it over and I
’
m not here, ask him to leave it in my study or with you, will you?
’

Verity promised she would and instead of going to the staff-room for coffee at break, she waited for Lance, expecting he would come.

He did, bringing the camera, but a glance at his face told her something was wrong.

‘
Look, V., an awful thing has happened! The High wants this outfit back for the weekend, and I
’
ve broken the lens! What on earth am I to do?
’
he clamoured.

Verity
’
s dismay matched his.
‘
Oh, Lance! Broken it? How?
’

‘
I had it out yesterday afternoon on the dunes and I
’
d stayed to get the last of the light on a shot. It was nearly dark when I left the shore and like a fool I tripped over a tussock of whin and went sprawling. This
’
—indicating the Leica—
‘
was
slung on me and it must have hit something. Because when I picked it up this morning I found the lens smashed.
’

Verity shook her head over the disaster.
‘
You
’
ll have to tell Daniel, I suppose—explain that it was
an accident
—’

‘
Tell him? How can I?
’

‘
Lance, you must! What else can you do? You can
’
t just hand it back as if nothing had happened
!’

‘
Of course I can
’
t. Be your age, do. Creep to the man with an apology—
“
Please, sir, I
’
m sorry, sir, I
’
ve broken it, sir
”
? Can you see me? Besides, I wouldn
’
t put it past him to accuse me of doing it on purpose to spite him
!’

‘
As if he would
!’

‘
He
’
s not getting the chance. I
’
ve got to get a new lens for the thing somehow.
’

‘
How can you?
’

‘
That
’
s the snag. The nearest place is King
’
s Lynn, and he
’
s expecting me to give it back today.
’

‘
King
’
s Lynn
?
Heavens! But if you could get it there, would they do it while you waited?
’

‘
I dare say, if I insisted. Just one point, though
—
I
’
ve got afternoon school—or didn
’
t you know I was a member of a chain-gang?
’

Verity snapped,
‘
You can cut the sarcasm. Whose classes are they this afternoon?
’

‘
A double period of History with the High himself. Then one with Old Nick. No dice there. I
’
d need the whole afternoon off, and after yesterday
’
s special leavers, Old Nick would never play if I asked him for it. No, I
’
ve just thought, V.—do you think
you
could beg time off and go over to Lynn for me?
’