Free High Master of Clere by Jane Arbor Page B

sound of her typewriter at work. But there was infinite comfort for her in not leaving him, and when Mrs. Lytton returned for lunch, she brought an envelope with her.
    ‘ No calls I couldn ’ t deal with. I left the details on your desk, ’ she said. ‘ But Lance looked in during break, expecting to find you, and said he thought you ’ d like to have this —’ passing the envelope over.
    ‘ Thi s’ emerged from it—a snapshot of Nash, sitting up in his basket, absurd under a draping of blanket about his shoulders and wearing the dreamy, bemused expression which had always been known in the family as his ‘ Do Not Disturb ’ . It had been enlarged from the original and Lance had written on the back,
    ‘ This is from a roll of film I ’ ve only just processed. Thought I ’ d find you, but Mother will give it to you. I ’ m so sorry, V. girl. Keep hoping. Tomorrow I ’ ve got leavers (the Clere word for a half-holiday), and I may be trying out the Leica. My love to Nash. L. ’ At that moment no thought, no gift, could have touched Verity more.
    She stayed where she was for the afternoon and suspected nothing amiss when her mother came back from the office a few minutes after three o ’ clock.
    ‘ Verity darling, could you come? Those people from Viking Vision have just arrived. You know, Jane Dysart ’ s sister and her chief. They say they have an appointment with Daniel. I told them he would be away until this evening, but they say you made the appointment by phone. So ? ’
    Verity stood, frowning. ‘ Well, so I did. But it was for tomorrow, not today. ’
    ‘ They ’ re quite sure it was for this afternoon, dear. ’
    ‘ It wasn ’ t, I ’ m quite sure. It ’ s in his engagement book—Friday the twenty-fifth. But all right, Mother. I ’ ll see to it, ’ Verity hurried out.
    In Daniel ’ s room Ira Cusack introduced her languid-looking companion as Guy Tabor, her chief, then said, ‘ Look, this is pretty inept of you, you know. Guy is a busy man on a tight schedule, and when I make an appointment for him, he surely has a right to expect it to be kept ?’
    Verity apologized, ‘ I ’ m sorry—that you ’ ve both made the journey for nothing. But you ’ ve mistaken the date we arranged. It was tomorrow, the twenty - fifth. You ’ ll remember I told you Mr. Wyatt would be away today? ’
    ‘ That was yesterday, the twenty-third, ’ claimed Ira. ‘ You said —’
    ‘ That the High Master would be in London on the first date you suggested, and then I offered you the twenty-fifth, which I confirmed aloud over the phone when you accepted it. ’
    Ira ’ s lips thinned. ‘ It was the twenty-fourth, ’ she insisted.
    ‘ It couldn ’ t have been. I had it in black and white in front of me that for both yesterday and today appointments simply weren ’ t “ on ” for Mr. Wyatt. I can also prove tomorrow ’ s entry from his engagement book if you like, ’ Verity insisted in her turn.
    ‘ And if I had it here, I could prove the reverse from ours, ’ snapped Ira. As Guy Tabor concealed a yawn behind his fingers she turned to him. ‘ I assure you, Guy, this was no muddle of mine. But do we come back again tomorrow, or hang on and wait for the man until he does come back? ’
    Guy Tabor shot gold-linked cuffs and looked at his watch. ‘ Darling, ’ he drawled, ‘ you should know I ’ m due at the producers ’ meeting at six. No, we ’ ll have to see this chap tomorrow, bore though the whole thing is. ’ Apart from his ‘ How d ’ you do ’ to Verity it was his only contribution to the exchange, and as they left together Verity had the impression that ‘ great man ’ though he might be in his sphere, it was Ira who was the real power behind his throne.
    Verity went back to her vigil with Nash, reassuring her mother that the mistake hadn ’ t been her own. Of this she was certain. But any such doubt of her efficiency rankled with her and her anxiety to explain matters to Daniel