Naturally,” he added,
laughing again at the sight of her enraged face, “I don't
expect you to
be amused!”
Amanda,
the office junior, was seated at Jenny's desk when Gabriella reached
her office. She looked up, her spiky little face apprehensive.
“ Jenny
came in but she had to go home again,” she said. “She was
sick in the cloakroom.”
“ Oh
dear. I'll phone her later. I hope it's nothing serious.”
“ She
thinks it was the shrimps last night. They had take-away Chinese and
she's allergic to shellfish but she didn't realise they were in the
sweet-and-sour until too late. Her friend finished them but Jenny
said even one's enough to start her off. She was really bad, Miss
Stevens, Sue Landon drove her home, with a bowl from the kitchen, and
she said she'd try to come in tomorrow. Jenny, I mean, but I'm to
help you today.”
Gabriella
sighed. “All right, Amanda, but I'm afraid there's quite a lot
to do. I gave Jenny a long report yesterday that's rather urgent.
It's already keyed in but there are a lot of amendments to be made.
Do you think you can get on with it?”
“ I
put your flowers in water. They're lovely, aren't they?”
“ Thank
you, Amanda. Now about this report.”
The
apprehension in Amanda's face deepened. “I've already started
-”
“ Good
girl.”
“ But
– I think it's disappeared. I only pressed -”
Gabriella
closed her eyes. Amanda was willing but inexperienced and apt to
panic. “Let's have a look. Perhaps we can find it again.”
She
was able to retrieve the report and bring it up on to the screen.
“There it is. Now, let's make two copies and you can work on
one of them. Then you needn't worry about losing the original again,”
she said, patting the young girl's shoulder. “Just remember to
save each page as you finish it.”
“ Yes,
Miss Stevens.” Amanda looked up at her, her face wreathed in
devotion. “Miss Stevens?”
“ Yes,
Amanda?”
“ Is
it true you and Mr Nicholson are getting married?”
“ Who
told you that?”
“ Sue
Landon.”
Gabriella
frowned. So Rod had given Sue the news before anyone else and once
again without consulting her first.
“ Can
you keep a secret, Amanda?” she asked, knowing that the girl
couldn't.
“ Oh
yes, Miss Stevens!”
“ Mr
Nicholson has begged me several times to marry him. I'm still
considering whether or not to accept his proposal.” That should
scotch any gossip about handsome seducers and spinsters with
repressed passions, she decided.
“ Oh,
marry him, Miss Stevens! I would
– I mean, if he asked me.” Amanda's round blue eyes
misted. “I think he's lovely!”
“ I
thought you liked Darren,” said Gabriella, mentioning one of
the boys in the drawing office.
Amanda
pulled a face. “He's all right, but he's so serious. Always at
night school or studying. And he's not very handsome.”
“ Handsome
is as handsome does,” said Gabriella.
“ What
does that mean, Miss Stevens?”
“ Nothing.”
****
“ Good,
wasn't it?” said Bernard as they emerged blinking into the
brightly lit foyer of the Arts Centre.
“ Yes,”
said Gabriella, although the Film Society re-run of “One Flew
Over The Cuckoo's Nest” could have been a Charlie Chaplin
comedy for all the attention she had given it. The burden of what she
had to tell Bernard weighed heavily. She wished she had plucked up
courage to speak when he picked her up at seven o'clock.
“ Jack
was brilliant, of course. You can usually rely on him.”
Why
must he always refer to actors by their first names? she wondered
fretfully. Anyone would think he was personally acquainted with them.
“I thought he was a bit mechanical in parts,” she argued,
just to be contrary.
“ Really?”
Bernard's light grey eyes widened. He nodded slowly. “Well, you
could be right.”
And
why must he always agree with her? “Oh, do stop it!” she
burst out as he continued to nod. “You look like one of those
things people hang in the back of cars.” She
laughing again at the sight of her enraged face, “I don't
expect you to
be amused!”
Amanda,
the office junior, was seated at Jenny's desk when Gabriella reached
her office. She looked up, her spiky little face apprehensive.
“ Jenny
came in but she had to go home again,” she said. “She was
sick in the cloakroom.”
“ Oh
dear. I'll phone her later. I hope it's nothing serious.”
“ She
thinks it was the shrimps last night. They had take-away Chinese and
she's allergic to shellfish but she didn't realise they were in the
sweet-and-sour until too late. Her friend finished them but Jenny
said even one's enough to start her off. She was really bad, Miss
Stevens, Sue Landon drove her home, with a bowl from the kitchen, and
she said she'd try to come in tomorrow. Jenny, I mean, but I'm to
help you today.”
Gabriella
sighed. “All right, Amanda, but I'm afraid there's quite a lot
to do. I gave Jenny a long report yesterday that's rather urgent.
It's already keyed in but there are a lot of amendments to be made.
Do you think you can get on with it?”
“ I
put your flowers in water. They're lovely, aren't they?”
“ Thank
you, Amanda. Now about this report.”
The
apprehension in Amanda's face deepened. “I've already started
-”
“ Good
girl.”
“ But
– I think it's disappeared. I only pressed -”
Gabriella
closed her eyes. Amanda was willing but inexperienced and apt to
panic. “Let's have a look. Perhaps we can find it again.”
She
was able to retrieve the report and bring it up on to the screen.
“There it is. Now, let's make two copies and you can work on
one of them. Then you needn't worry about losing the original again,”
she said, patting the young girl's shoulder. “Just remember to
save each page as you finish it.”
“ Yes,
Miss Stevens.” Amanda looked up at her, her face wreathed in
devotion. “Miss Stevens?”
“ Yes,
Amanda?”
“ Is
it true you and Mr Nicholson are getting married?”
“ Who
told you that?”
“ Sue
Landon.”
Gabriella
frowned. So Rod had given Sue the news before anyone else and once
again without consulting her first.
“ Can
you keep a secret, Amanda?” she asked, knowing that the girl
couldn't.
“ Oh
yes, Miss Stevens!”
“ Mr
Nicholson has begged me several times to marry him. I'm still
considering whether or not to accept his proposal.” That should
scotch any gossip about handsome seducers and spinsters with
repressed passions, she decided.
“ Oh,
marry him, Miss Stevens! I would
– I mean, if he asked me.” Amanda's round blue eyes
misted. “I think he's lovely!”
“ I
thought you liked Darren,” said Gabriella, mentioning one of
the boys in the drawing office.
Amanda
pulled a face. “He's all right, but he's so serious. Always at
night school or studying. And he's not very handsome.”
“ Handsome
is as handsome does,” said Gabriella.
“ What
does that mean, Miss Stevens?”
“ Nothing.”
****
“ Good,
wasn't it?” said Bernard as they emerged blinking into the
brightly lit foyer of the Arts Centre.
“ Yes,”
said Gabriella, although the Film Society re-run of “One Flew
Over The Cuckoo's Nest” could have been a Charlie Chaplin
comedy for all the attention she had given it. The burden of what she
had to tell Bernard weighed heavily. She wished she had plucked up
courage to speak when he picked her up at seven o'clock.
“ Jack
was brilliant, of course. You can usually rely on him.”
Why
must he always refer to actors by their first names? she wondered
fretfully. Anyone would think he was personally acquainted with them.
“I thought he was a bit mechanical in parts,” she argued,
just to be contrary.
“ Really?”
Bernard's light grey eyes widened. He nodded slowly. “Well, you
could be right.”
And
why must he always agree with her? “Oh, do stop it!” she
burst out as he continued to nod. “You look like one of those
things people hang in the back of cars.” She
Similar Books
