Read Online Secrets of the Heart by Jenny Lane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jenny Lane
Tags: Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Women, Women's Fiction
Ads: Link
and looking as startled as she must have done. It took her a moment or two to realise it was Millie and Dean.
`Can you tell me how to get out of the garden? I don't have a key and someone's locked the gate.'
They looked a bit sheepish. 'Well, actually we don't have a key either. We — er — nipped over the wall. I climbed on to Dean's shoulders and . . . '
Annis laughed. 'I get the general idea. Well, if you managed to climb in here, you must have some way to get out again?'
`There are a few crates behind the shed,' Dean explained.
After a few moments the three of them landed on the other side of the wall, dusted themselves down and strolled back in the direction of the main entrance.
`Thanks, guys — and I won't tell if you don't,' Annis promised, giving them a conspiratorial wink. 'By the way, I'm looking forward to the production of `The Dream'. It must be a lot of hard work.'
Millie nodded. 'It is, but it's great fun. To be honest, acting is what I want to do, but my mother wants me to do an Art and Design course — she says there's no future in the theatre.'
`I expect she's just concerned that you won't get a secure job,' Annis told her. 'You know, you could always compromise . . . '
`How do you mean?' Millie asked, dark eyes alight with interest.
`Lots of people do more than one degree nowadays. Why don't you go for the Art and Design course but carry on with dance and theatre as a hobby. And then . . . '
‘B ut it'd take for ever, and once I was qualified my mother would expect me to come back here and work with her. I'd never have any space to do my own thing,' Millie protested.
`Sometimes doing your own thing doesn't work out quite how you'd expect it to,' Annis said softly. 'Have you tried talking to your mother telling her exactly how you feel about things?'
Dean took Millie's hand.
`She won't listen!' he said. 'She just won't believe that Millie doesn't want to join her in the boutique. She thinks I'm a bad influence on you, doesn't she, Millie?'
`My mother loves her work, Miss Fuller, and can't understand why I want to do something so completely different,' Millie said with a sigh. 'She thinks my love for the theatre is just a passing phase.'
Annis sympathised with the girl, but she knew she couldn't interfere too much. Millie was going to have to learn to stand up to her mother, who seemed very domineering.
The two young people linked arms and Annis parted company with them at the entrance to the Mill.
* * *
The following day was hectic from start to finish. There was a conference taking place which wound up at lunchtime and then it was all hands on deck to get everything ready for a big society wedding, due to take place the following day. The bride, Megan Smythe, was the daughter of an influential local businessman who had a bevy of daughters, and Megan was the first of them to marry.
This time it was the bride's father who was determined to make his presence felt. In the run up to the wedding, Mr Smythe had been on the phone countless times to check the arrangements, and had turned up unexpectedly on several occasions. Now, the day before the wedding, here he was in the office yet again.
He was a big man and seemed to fill the room.
`I want to see the chef, to go over the catering arrangements.'
`Everything's in hand, Mr Smythe,' Sally told him reassuringly. 'They're very busy in the kitchen at the moment because a conference party has only just left, but I can assure you that Chef and his team have everything under control for tomorrow.'
At Mr Smythe's insistence, Sally rang through to see if Luis could be persuaded to leave his kitchen to talk to him but, as she had anticipated, Luis refused point blank. He did, however, concede to speak to Mr Smythe for a minute or two on the phone. It was a compromise that Mr Smythe had to be content with.
Then Mr Smythe decided that he needed to inspect the marquee that had been assembled that morning, and immediately found fault with
`Can you tell me how to get out of the garden? I don't have a key and someone's locked the gate.'
They looked a bit sheepish. 'Well, actually we don't have a key either. We — er — nipped over the wall. I climbed on to Dean's shoulders and . . . '
Annis laughed. 'I get the general idea. Well, if you managed to climb in here, you must have some way to get out again?'
`There are a few crates behind the shed,' Dean explained.
After a few moments the three of them landed on the other side of the wall, dusted themselves down and strolled back in the direction of the main entrance.
`Thanks, guys — and I won't tell if you don't,' Annis promised, giving them a conspiratorial wink. 'By the way, I'm looking forward to the production of `The Dream'. It must be a lot of hard work.'
Millie nodded. 'It is, but it's great fun. To be honest, acting is what I want to do, but my mother wants me to do an Art and Design course — she says there's no future in the theatre.'
`I expect she's just concerned that you won't get a secure job,' Annis told her. 'You know, you could always compromise . . . '
`How do you mean?' Millie asked, dark eyes alight with interest.
`Lots of people do more than one degree nowadays. Why don't you go for the Art and Design course but carry on with dance and theatre as a hobby. And then . . . '
‘B ut it'd take for ever, and once I was qualified my mother would expect me to come back here and work with her. I'd never have any space to do my own thing,' Millie protested.
`Sometimes doing your own thing doesn't work out quite how you'd expect it to,' Annis said softly. 'Have you tried talking to your mother telling her exactly how you feel about things?'
Dean took Millie's hand.
`She won't listen!' he said. 'She just won't believe that Millie doesn't want to join her in the boutique. She thinks I'm a bad influence on you, doesn't she, Millie?'
`My mother loves her work, Miss Fuller, and can't understand why I want to do something so completely different,' Millie said with a sigh. 'She thinks my love for the theatre is just a passing phase.'
Annis sympathised with the girl, but she knew she couldn't interfere too much. Millie was going to have to learn to stand up to her mother, who seemed very domineering.
The two young people linked arms and Annis parted company with them at the entrance to the Mill.
* * *
The following day was hectic from start to finish. There was a conference taking place which wound up at lunchtime and then it was all hands on deck to get everything ready for a big society wedding, due to take place the following day. The bride, Megan Smythe, was the daughter of an influential local businessman who had a bevy of daughters, and Megan was the first of them to marry.
This time it was the bride's father who was determined to make his presence felt. In the run up to the wedding, Mr Smythe had been on the phone countless times to check the arrangements, and had turned up unexpectedly on several occasions. Now, the day before the wedding, here he was in the office yet again.
He was a big man and seemed to fill the room.
`I want to see the chef, to go over the catering arrangements.'
`Everything's in hand, Mr Smythe,' Sally told him reassuringly. 'They're very busy in the kitchen at the moment because a conference party has only just left, but I can assure you that Chef and his team have everything under control for tomorrow.'
At Mr Smythe's insistence, Sally rang through to see if Luis could be persuaded to leave his kitchen to talk to him but, as she had anticipated, Luis refused point blank. He did, however, concede to speak to Mr Smythe for a minute or two on the phone. It was a compromise that Mr Smythe had to be content with.
Then Mr Smythe decided that he needed to inspect the marquee that had been assembled that morning, and immediately found fault with
Similar Books
