Free Mountain Magic by Susan Barrie Page A

“One other thing, before you return to your duties . .. ”
    “Yes?” she said, barely above a whisper.
    “When I came along the terrace just now you were talking to a man whom, presumably, you had just served with some sort of refreshment, and because he made no effort to keep his voice down I heard very clearly what he was saying. He called you ‘Toinette’, and he said he must have a few words with you —in the wood where you met before !”
    Toni felt that this really was a disaster. For a moment she couldn’t even think how to answer him, and then she decided to fall back on a partial truth.
    “I think you must be referring to Mr. Gresham,” she replied, finding it difficult to get the words out. “He—I met him on the first day that I was here, and his father is a close friend of a relative of mine...”
    “I thought you didn’t possess any relatives?” raking her with his hard eyes.
    Her fingers twined and untwined themselves in her lap.
    “I don’t ... At least, not relatives I see anything of. This one I haven’t seen for years.”
    “But he is a close friend of Mr. Gresham’s father? And Mr. Gresham is a young man with a background, money, position, possibly even influence! Are you quite sure you’re telling me the truth, Miss Darcy?”
    “Quite sure.” She looked down at her hands, and she wondered how much longer this inquisition would last.
    It lasted another few seconds. He turned his back on her, walked to his desk and picked up his gold-mounted fountain-pen.
    “In future you will remember, Miss Darcy, that whether you are on familiar terms with the guests who stay here or not, you will not associate with them in your free time. That is absolutely forbidden! Do you understand ? ”
    “Yes,” she answered. “Yes— Monsieur —I understand.”
    “Good,” he said, without turning to look at her again. And as she left his office she thought with a most curious pang that it was extremely unlikely she would ever feel his hand resting warmly and reassuringly on her shoulder again.
    And she thought with sudden, bitter envy of Marianne Raveaux, who could do no wrong in his eyes, and didn’t scruple to lie when it suited her.
    For the next few days she managed to carry out her new duties without making it too plain that she disliked them, or betraying the fact that she was covered in self-consciousness from the moment she appeared in her pseudo-Tyrolean outfit on the terrace for two painful rush-hour periods each day.
    Once, when she was accepting the order of a couple who were newly arrived at the hotel, she saw Marianne and her employer seat themselves at a table to which she was bound to attend, and a sensation like sheer panic took possession of her. To stand before the two of them while Marianne smiled secretly but triumphantly—perhaps even with open triumph—up into her face was something that she suddenly knew was quite beyond her. So when Elisabeth passed her with a tray of drinks she whispered to her urgently that Monsieur and Mademoiselle Raveaux had been waiting for several minutes, and would she attend to them?
    Then, without waiting for Elisabeth’s surprised look, she fled inside.
    Ten minutes later, slipping back unobtrusively, she found that Antoine and Marianne had been served with drinks; but Marianne beckoned imperiously as soon as she made her appearance.
    “Why did you disappear just now?” Marianne asked, in a cold, accusing voice. “You saw that we were waiting—at one of your tables—and you disappeared ! ”
    “I asked Elisabeth to serve you,” Toni replied.
    “Quite. And she attended to us immediately. But she has her own tables, and at the moment far more customers on her hands than you have, so why should the extra duty have been placed upon her? Are you in the habit of getting Elisabeth to do a share of your work for you ? ”
    “No, no, of course not!”
    “Then don’t let it occur again!” With a cool, dismissing nod she made it plain to Toni