I'll Get By (28 page)

Meggie felt a small quiver of remorse, but mostly relief. It was no longer the grand country home her father had grown up in, but a sad, decaying house she couldn’t afford. She’d never really felt pride of ownership in it . . . but then she’d never known her father . . . only her grandfather, who’d suffered from delusions. Meggie thought he’d been disillusioned, and must have certainly been depressed to have tried to take his own life after his actress wife had left him.

She frowned for a moment, chasing away the last image she’d had of Major Sangster, dead in his chair in Nutting Cottage. He’d just told her that he’d fathered her and she’d gone to make him some tea to calm him down. When she’d come back with it he was dead. It had been years of nightmares before she could think about that without being scared.

Her mother, who’d detested the old man, had made a bonfire out of the chair he’d died in, and his bed.

Her mind came back to Constance Stone and the problem of Foxglove House. ‘I don’t want to sell it while it’s still providing a useful service for our war casualties and bringing in a regular rent.’

‘Once the entail’s lifted it can be disposed of at any time, though the government department responsible for caring for the wounded has a lease arrangement that will carry it over the period of the war. You will, of course have to manage the business side of it yourself once you turn twenty-one. There are options. You might decide to still leave it with us to manage, or you can place it in the hands of a rental agency, that will charge a percentage fee for the service.’

She nodded. ‘We’ll see what the circumstances are at the time. Have you heard from Rennie lately?’

‘Yes . . . he’s well.’ Constance dug the point of her pen into the pad of blotting paper in front of her. She looked slightly embarrassed. ‘There’s something I must tell you, dear. Rennie is due for some leave soon. When he does, he intends to get married to Pamela.’

Relief rolled over her, yet she couldn’t help but be peeved with him for leading her on. ‘Couldn’t he have told me himself?’

‘Actually, it was my idea, and he agreed it might be a kind thing to do. He’s very fond of you. We all thought that your affection towards him was a sort of hero worship though.’

She wasn’t going to let him get off scot-free. ‘I wouldn’t go that far. Perhaps Rennie thought I was one of those loose types of women, and lost interest when he discovered I wasn’t.’

Constance Stone looked horrified. ‘Oh, I don’t think that’s the case. Rennie is not that sort of man. He’s a gentleman like his father.’

Who had once pinched her on the buttock and laughed when she’d passed him in the corridor with her arms filled with files. It had been so unexpected that she’d nearly dropped them. She had it on good authority from Nick that all men were that sort of man, but refrained from saying so.

‘Rennie thought you were a sweet girl, if a little naive. He’d just had an argument with his fiancée and she’d broken off the engagement. It was flattering for him to know a young girl like you admired him. Now they’ve sorted their differences out he and Pamela have realized they still love each other. Anyway, for what it’s worth I’d like to tender an apology on behalf of my son.’

‘It’s not worth much if the delivery method of the message is anything to go by? For goodness sake, I had a bit of a crush on him, that’s all. Rennie encouraged me in the beginning. He soon changed his mind and put me straight, and we agreed to remain friends.’

‘That’s what he told me. Nevertheless it caused quite a bit of reactive consternation in the family, especially when he asked us to employ you. After all, you are a client. We thought then that he might be serious about your relationship.’

‘Why should that have caused consternation? I come from a perfectly respectable family.’

‘I’m not suggesting you don’t. It’s just that you were rather young at the time, my dear, and having a relationship with a client makes for bad business practices.’

She snorted.

‘There, now I’ve made you angry, and that was not my intention.’

‘I’ll be honest with you, Mrs Stone. Yes, I am a little angry. I feel insulted by the way you brought me here on a pretence of business, which was rather underhand, and a waste of my time and yours.’

Meggie thought it might be better to be gracious now her first attempt at love had failed. It was galling to be given marching orders by a man’s mother. ‘You needn’t have worried. Rennie was only being kind to me. He knew I wanted to become a lawyer, and thought I might gain some useful experience in a legal office, that’s all.’

‘And you did very well.’

‘I enjoyed it, but I doubt if I’ll take it up as a career because I rather like office work now I’m doing it. Perhaps I’ll become a legal secretary, which would satisfy my mother.’ Or perhaps she’d start her own business specializing in the training and supply of secretarial services. She’d only just that minute thought of it, and it had possibilities.

‘We’ll be quite happy to furnish you with a reference if need be. Rennie didn’t want to hurt your feelings, and intended to write you a letter. I thought it would be better if I prepared you first.’

‘Rennie didn’t ask you to talk to me about our relationship, then. You just assumed it was all right for you to do so.’

‘He’s my son, Miss Elliot.’

How crushing this was. Meggie had already counted to ten twice, and now started on the third time. This woman was as insensitive as a steamroller.

‘If you’d like me to pass on a message when I write to him, I’ll be happy to.’

The two-word message she instantly came up with was too vulgar to say out loud. A man of Rennie’s age who hid behind his mother was weak in her book, and be damned if she was going to use his mother as a go-between.

But no – it wasn’t something the Rennie she knew would do. Anyone would think she was a troublesome fly to be brushed off in such a way.

‘I don’t think so, Mrs Stone. I’m capable of passing on my own message the next time I see him.’

She rose to her feet and smiled, said out loud, ‘
twenty-nine, thirty,’
and let her have it
,
convinced that Leo’s method of anger control was outmoded. ‘Lord but you’re an interfering woman. You should cut Rennie free from your apron strings. I’m quite sure he can manage his life without you.’

‘You’re very rude, Miss Elliot.’

‘I could be ruder. I do hope you’re not going to charge me for this consultation after you brought me here on false pretences, since it’s been a waste of my time . . . and of yours.’

Constance Stone was still spluttering when Meggie closed the door and walked off.

The empty house weighed heavily on Meggie’s shoulders. When she thought she heard creaks or footsteps overhead she kept creeping up the stairs to find it was either in her imagination or the cat prowling around.

Having someone living upstairs had been comforting, now the place seemed to be full of ghosts and she was lonely without her aunt and uncle living above her.

Meggie had a talk to Judith and suggested that they move upstairs. ‘If my aunt decides to come back I’d like to keep the place lived in. Leo might come back, yet. He’s a strong swimmer and may have made it to shore.’

‘But surely he would have turned up by now. Didn’t they exchange the names of prisoners of war?’

‘Perhaps he’s lost his memory,’ Meggie came up with.

They both knew the odds against that had happening were close to nil.

‘Eddie Richards said he was nearer France than England when he went down. He might be injured and be in a hospital or in a prison camp on the Continent. We might be able to find out.’

With hope in her eyes Meggie gazed at Judith. ‘How?’

Judith chuckled. ‘Despite your high IQ you can be so dim sometimes, Meggie. We work in intelligence. Find out if you can make it work for you. Ask the charming Lord Cowan. I’m sure there’s more to him than meets the eye, and he’s fond of you. He can’t keep his eyes off you when you’re outside the office, and you lap it up.’

Meggie blushed. ‘I do not.’

‘I know we’re not supposed to discuss these things, but do you ever wonder what he’s up to when he’s not in the office? I’m sure you and Gordon Frapp are a front for whatever he really does.’

Meggie remembered Nick going off for several days when she’d first started working for him, sailing to Dunkirk with the small fleet to help rescue the stranded troops, she’d thought, but he’d never said. His face had been grey with fatigue when the operation had finally finished. Another time she’d fished a bullet from his arm. Where had he collected that? She grinned, recalling his explanation. Was he some sort of secret agent? It would certainly suit his personality.

‘Yes . . . perhaps you’re right, Jude.’

Oh Lordy! Nick wouldn’t help her if he’d found the Blessing file among the other files. She had to get it back!

She went into work ten minutes early. There was a red carnation in a vase on her desk, another in his buttonhole. His office door was open a chink.

It creaked when she cautiously pushed it open, only to find him relaxed in his chair, eyes closed, long legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles and propped up on the desk.

Meggie could see the gleam of his eyes through his lashes. ‘Have you been here all night, or are you pretending to be asleep?’

He opened them and the smile he offered her was pleasant. ‘You’re just in time to make your boss a cup of tea.’

There was a gas ring plugged into a connection near the fireplace. She lit it and put the chipped enamel kettle on it. ‘I’d like to speak to you in private while that’s heating up.’

‘We’ll be entirely private today. Frapp’s caught a cold and I’ve told him to stay home for a few days and keep his germs to himself. So you can make us both some tea, and there’s some gingerbread my cook made for me.’

She took the seat opposite him.

‘I was just about to start on my files,’ he said.

Her glance skimmed down the four files and she reached out for them. ‘I can check some of those.’

As quick as a flash he was upright, his palm flattening against the files. ‘You know, Meggie. You disappoint me some-
times.’

Her heart thumped in her throat. ‘You know, don’t you?’

He made a low humming noise in his throat that could have meant anything. ‘What did you want to talk to me about?’

‘Leo Thornton.’

‘Ah . . . your aunt’s late husband. What of him?’

She shrugged. ‘I thought you might be able to locate him . . . that’s if he was taken prisoner.’

‘That’s a big ask. What makes you think I can do something like that?’

‘I thought you might know someone who knows someone who knows something.’

His glance went to the map on the wall. ‘Leo Thornton went down over the Channel.’

‘To know that you’ve already anticipated that I’d ask.’

‘It would be the logical thing for you to do.’ He turned back to her and tapped a finger on the files. ‘I might be able to work out time, currents and possibilities – if his body floated ashore. It might still be pinned under the plane.’

Mouth dry, she whispered, ‘What if he’s still alive?’

‘Do you think he is, or hope he is?’

She shrugged. ‘However illogical it seems, intuition tells me he is alive one minute, then it tells me he can’t be. Then I start to hope all over again. I do hope he is . . . for the sake of Es and the baby.’

‘I see. I do know a couple of people who might be able to find out.’

Relief rushed through her. ‘Thank you, Nick, I’ll be forever in your debt.’

‘Not forever, my sweet. Let’s discuss the payment of that debt in advance, shall we?’

‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Allow me to lay it on the line for you. Nothing buys you exactly nothing. This sort of fishing expedition is expensive.’

‘I haven’t got much money to spare.’

‘I’ll expect something in return, Meggie mine. How about this . . . If I get a positive result I’ll expect you to spend a weekend with me . . . and I’ll come prepared. After that, if I’m in a position to bring Leo home, I will, though it will take time, and will place me in extreme danger, and there’s no guarantee.’

An uneasy feeling shivered through her at the thought of going through with his demand, and a bigger one at the thought that she’d be placing him in danger. ‘Can I think about it?’

‘Of course you can. You did say you’d wait for the four-poster bed and satin sheets, something I can now provide. So what is there to think about?’

‘Nothing, I suppose. You intend to use my body in payment for your services.’

‘You’ve got it in one. In addition, as this operation will be unauthorized I will tell you nothing about what I’m doing or when I’m doing it, unless I need to know something. Don’t ask me for progress reports. And if one word of it gets out to anyone, inside the office or out, the whole operation will be abandoned. Do you understand?’

To her relief he pushed the files towards her. ‘Go and make the tea now. You might like to ponder on what’s at stake while you’re at it.’

‘I needn’t ponder. I accept.’

While she was waiting for the tea to brew she flipped open the Blessing file and stared at it. The contents were all there. Placed on the top was a cryptic crossword with two clues left to fill in down and across. The down was easy.
Jungle Rex
. ‘Lion,’ she muttered, and gazed at the longer word going across.
Ear potion under the knife.
It was an anagram. Operation Lion. He’d outguessed her.

Feeling stupid she poured the tea, placed some gingerbread on the plate and carried it through to him. ‘I suppose you think that was funny.’

‘Nothing I do is funny, and it all had a purpose. What is it, Meggie? Don’t you like being outsmarted? I found that file ages ago. What the hell did you think you were up to placing it in the cabinet? Who was it intended for?’

‘Considering it was in your drawer, who did you think it was for? I wanted you to know that I’m on to you.’

‘You also tampered with the lock on the filing cabinet, didn’t you? That makes you as bad as me.’

She shrugged. ‘So why did you give me the file back? Have I missed something out?’