Read Online The Girl he Never Noticed by Lindsay Armstrong - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lindsay Armstrong
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‘You noticed?’
She nodded.
‘My mother again,’ he said. ‘She was hot on Shakespeare.’
‘I see.’ Liz was silent for a moment, then, ‘Do you want to tell me why it matters whether I like horses? Come to that, why you’ve pretty thoroughly gone through my background with a toothcomb—and why I have the feeling I’m up here under false pretences?’ she added, as she was gripped by the sensation that all was not what it seemed.
‘Well, it
is
about engaging staff, Liz. I’d like to offer you the position of managing this place.’
This time Liz was struck seriously speechless.
‘It’s not a domestic position, it’s a logistic one,’ he went on. ‘I do quite a lot of entertaining up here, and weoften have house parties. I have good household staff, but I need someone to co-ordinate things both here and in the stables.’
‘How…how so?’ she asked, her voice breaking and husky with surprise. ‘I’m not that good with horses.’
‘It’s not to do with the horses
per se.
We stand three stallions, we have twenty of our own mares, and we agist outside mares in foal and with foals at foot. The paperwork to keep track of it all alone is a big job. Checking the pedigrees of prospective mares for our stallions—it goes on. I need someone who can organise all that on a computer program.’
Liz breathed deeply but said nothing.
‘I need to free up my stud master and the people who actually work with the horses from the paperwork—and incidentally free them up from all the people who stream in and out of the place.’
‘Ah.’ It was all Liz could think of to say.
He cast her an ironic little look, but continued. ‘There’s a comfortable staff cottage that would go with the position—big enough for you and Scout, as well as your mother. There’s even a ready-made friend for Scout in Archie,’ he said, and gazed at her steadily.
‘But—’ She stopped to clear her throat. ‘Why me?’
‘You’ve impressed me,’ he said, and shrugged. ‘You’re as good as Roger—if not better in some areas. I think you’re wasted as a diary secretary. I think you have the organisational skills as well as the people skills to do the job justice.’
‘I…’ Liz pressed her hands together and took anotherdeep breath. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she confessed. ‘It’s the last thing I was expecting.’
‘Let’s talk remuneration, then.’ And for the next few minutes he outlined a package that was generous. So much so that to knock it back would be not so much looking a gift horse in the mouth but kicking it in the teeth…
‘We’d have a three-month trial period,’ he said, and grinned. ‘Just in case you hanker for the bright lights or whatever.’
‘If I didn’t bring my mother—’ Liz heard herself say cautiously, then couldn’t go on.
He eyed her narrowly. ‘Why wouldn’t you?’
She gestured, then told him about the note she’d intercepted. ‘She’s been so wonderful, but I know it’s something she’d love to do—I just haven’t been able to work out how.’ She shook her head. ‘It wouldn’t work up here, either.’
‘You could share Archie’s nanny for the times when you couldn’t be with Scout.’
Liz stared at him, her eyes suddenly dark and uncertain. ‘Why are you doing this—really? Are there any strings attached?’
‘Such as?’ He said it barely audibly.
‘Such as going down a slippery slope into your bed?’
They stared at each other and she saw his eyes harden, but he answered in a drawl, ‘My dear Liz, if you imagine I’d need to go to all these lengths to do that, you’re wrong.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You know as well as I do that if we gave each other just the smallest leeway we wouldn’t be able to help ourselves.
But
—and I emphasise this—’ his voice hardened this time ‘—if you prefer to go on your solitary way, so be it.’
‘You were the one who brought it up,’ Liz said hotly, then
She nodded.
‘My mother again,’ he said. ‘She was hot on Shakespeare.’
‘I see.’ Liz was silent for a moment, then, ‘Do you want to tell me why it matters whether I like horses? Come to that, why you’ve pretty thoroughly gone through my background with a toothcomb—and why I have the feeling I’m up here under false pretences?’ she added, as she was gripped by the sensation that all was not what it seemed.
‘Well, it
is
about engaging staff, Liz. I’d like to offer you the position of managing this place.’
This time Liz was struck seriously speechless.
‘It’s not a domestic position, it’s a logistic one,’ he went on. ‘I do quite a lot of entertaining up here, and weoften have house parties. I have good household staff, but I need someone to co-ordinate things both here and in the stables.’
‘How…how so?’ she asked, her voice breaking and husky with surprise. ‘I’m not that good with horses.’
‘It’s not to do with the horses
per se.
We stand three stallions, we have twenty of our own mares, and we agist outside mares in foal and with foals at foot. The paperwork to keep track of it all alone is a big job. Checking the pedigrees of prospective mares for our stallions—it goes on. I need someone who can organise all that on a computer program.’
Liz breathed deeply but said nothing.
‘I need to free up my stud master and the people who actually work with the horses from the paperwork—and incidentally free them up from all the people who stream in and out of the place.’
‘Ah.’ It was all Liz could think of to say.
He cast her an ironic little look, but continued. ‘There’s a comfortable staff cottage that would go with the position—big enough for you and Scout, as well as your mother. There’s even a ready-made friend for Scout in Archie,’ he said, and gazed at her steadily.
‘But—’ She stopped to clear her throat. ‘Why me?’
‘You’ve impressed me,’ he said, and shrugged. ‘You’re as good as Roger—if not better in some areas. I think you’re wasted as a diary secretary. I think you have the organisational skills as well as the people skills to do the job justice.’
‘I…’ Liz pressed her hands together and took anotherdeep breath. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she confessed. ‘It’s the last thing I was expecting.’
‘Let’s talk remuneration, then.’ And for the next few minutes he outlined a package that was generous. So much so that to knock it back would be not so much looking a gift horse in the mouth but kicking it in the teeth…
‘We’d have a three-month trial period,’ he said, and grinned. ‘Just in case you hanker for the bright lights or whatever.’
‘If I didn’t bring my mother—’ Liz heard herself say cautiously, then couldn’t go on.
He eyed her narrowly. ‘Why wouldn’t you?’
She gestured, then told him about the note she’d intercepted. ‘She’s been so wonderful, but I know it’s something she’d love to do—I just haven’t been able to work out how.’ She shook her head. ‘It wouldn’t work up here, either.’
‘You could share Archie’s nanny for the times when you couldn’t be with Scout.’
Liz stared at him, her eyes suddenly dark and uncertain. ‘Why are you doing this—really? Are there any strings attached?’
‘Such as?’ He said it barely audibly.
‘Such as going down a slippery slope into your bed?’
They stared at each other and she saw his eyes harden, but he answered in a drawl, ‘My dear Liz, if you imagine I’d need to go to all these lengths to do that, you’re wrong.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You know as well as I do that if we gave each other just the smallest leeway we wouldn’t be able to help ourselves.
But
—and I emphasise this—’ his voice hardened this time ‘—if you prefer to go on your solitary way, so be it.’
‘You were the one who brought it up,’ Liz said hotly, then
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