Read Online The Modigliani Scandal by Ken Follett - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ken Follett
Tags: Art Thefts
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What on earth shall I do without you, girl?″
Anita busied herself about the room and Samantha dried her urchin-cut hair. She put on her bra and panties and sat in front of the mirror to make up her face. Anita was not as chatty as usual this morning, and Samantha wondered why.
An idea struck her. ″Have your A-level results come yet?″
″Yeah. This morning.″
Samantha turned around. ″How did you do?″
″I passed,″ the girl said flatly.
″Good grades?″
″Grade one in English.″
″That′s terrific!″ Samantha enthused.
″Is it?″
Samantha stood up and took the girl′s hands in her own. ″What is it, Anita? Why aren′t you pleased?″
″It don′t make no difference to anything, does it? I can work in the bank for twenty pounds a week, or work in the Brassey′s factory for twenty-five pounds. I could do that without A-levels.″
″But I thought you wanted to go to college.″
Anita turned away. ʺThat was just a silly thing—a dream. I could no more go to college than fly to the moon. What′ll you wear—the white Gatsby dress?″ She opened the wardrobe door.
Samantha went back to her mirror. ʺYes,ʺ she said absently. ″Lots of girls go to college nowadays, you know.″
Anita laid the dress on the bed and put out white tights and shoes. ″You know what it′s like up my place, Sammy. The old man′s in and out of work, no fault of his own. My mum can′t earn much, and I′m the eldest, see. I̋ʹll have to stop home and work for a few years until the little ones start bringing some money home. Actually—″
Samantha put down her lipstick and looked past her own image in the mirror to the young girl who stood behind her. ″What?″
″I was hoping you might keep me on.″
Samantha said nothing for a moment. She had employed Anita as a sort of maid-cum-housekeeper during the girl′s summer holidays. The two of them got on well, and Anita had turned out to be more than efficient. But it had never occurred to Samantha that the arrangement might become permanent.
She said: ″I think you ought to go to college.″
″Fair enough,″ Anita replied. She picked up the teacup from the bedside table and went out.
Samantha put the final touches to her face and dressed in jeans and denim shirt before going downstairs. As she entered the kitchen Anita put a boiled egg and a rack of toast on the small table. Samantha sat down to eat.
Anita poured two cups of coffee and sat down opposite her. Samantha ate in silence, then pushed her plate away and dropped a saccharine tablet into the coffee. Anita took out a short filter-tipped cigarette and lit it.
″Now listen,″ Samantha said. ″If you must get a job, I′d be delighted for you to work for me. You′re a terrific help. But you mustn′t give up hope of going to college.″
″There′s no point in hoping. It′s not on.″
″I′ll tell you what I′m going to do. I′ll employ you, and pay you the same as I′m paying you now. You go to college in the term, and work for me in the holidays-and get the same money all the year round. That way I don′t lose you, you can help your mother, and you can study.″
Anita looked at her wide-eyed. ″You′re ever so kind,″ she said.
″No. I′ve got much more money than I deserve, and I hardly spend any of it. Please say yes, Anita. I could feel I was doing somebody some good.″
″Mum would say it′s charity.″
″You′re eighteen now—you don′t have to do what she says.″
″No.″ The girl smiled. ′″Thank you.″ She stood up and impulsively kissed Samantha. There were tears in her eyes. ″What a bleedin′ turn-up,″ she said.
Samantha stood up, slightly embarrassed. ″I′ll get my lawyer to draw up some kind of thing to make it secure for you. Now I must fly.″
″I′ll ring for a cab,″ said Anita.
Samantha went upstairs to change. As she put on the flimsy white dress which had cost more than Anita′s wages for two months, she felt oddly guilty.
Anita busied herself about the room and Samantha dried her urchin-cut hair. She put on her bra and panties and sat in front of the mirror to make up her face. Anita was not as chatty as usual this morning, and Samantha wondered why.
An idea struck her. ″Have your A-level results come yet?″
″Yeah. This morning.″
Samantha turned around. ″How did you do?″
″I passed,″ the girl said flatly.
″Good grades?″
″Grade one in English.″
″That′s terrific!″ Samantha enthused.
″Is it?″
Samantha stood up and took the girl′s hands in her own. ″What is it, Anita? Why aren′t you pleased?″
″It don′t make no difference to anything, does it? I can work in the bank for twenty pounds a week, or work in the Brassey′s factory for twenty-five pounds. I could do that without A-levels.″
″But I thought you wanted to go to college.″
Anita turned away. ʺThat was just a silly thing—a dream. I could no more go to college than fly to the moon. What′ll you wear—the white Gatsby dress?″ She opened the wardrobe door.
Samantha went back to her mirror. ʺYes,ʺ she said absently. ″Lots of girls go to college nowadays, you know.″
Anita laid the dress on the bed and put out white tights and shoes. ″You know what it′s like up my place, Sammy. The old man′s in and out of work, no fault of his own. My mum can′t earn much, and I′m the eldest, see. I̋ʹll have to stop home and work for a few years until the little ones start bringing some money home. Actually—″
Samantha put down her lipstick and looked past her own image in the mirror to the young girl who stood behind her. ″What?″
″I was hoping you might keep me on.″
Samantha said nothing for a moment. She had employed Anita as a sort of maid-cum-housekeeper during the girl′s summer holidays. The two of them got on well, and Anita had turned out to be more than efficient. But it had never occurred to Samantha that the arrangement might become permanent.
She said: ″I think you ought to go to college.″
″Fair enough,″ Anita replied. She picked up the teacup from the bedside table and went out.
Samantha put the final touches to her face and dressed in jeans and denim shirt before going downstairs. As she entered the kitchen Anita put a boiled egg and a rack of toast on the small table. Samantha sat down to eat.
Anita poured two cups of coffee and sat down opposite her. Samantha ate in silence, then pushed her plate away and dropped a saccharine tablet into the coffee. Anita took out a short filter-tipped cigarette and lit it.
″Now listen,″ Samantha said. ″If you must get a job, I′d be delighted for you to work for me. You′re a terrific help. But you mustn′t give up hope of going to college.″
″There′s no point in hoping. It′s not on.″
″I′ll tell you what I′m going to do. I′ll employ you, and pay you the same as I′m paying you now. You go to college in the term, and work for me in the holidays-and get the same money all the year round. That way I don′t lose you, you can help your mother, and you can study.″
Anita looked at her wide-eyed. ″You′re ever so kind,″ she said.
″No. I′ve got much more money than I deserve, and I hardly spend any of it. Please say yes, Anita. I could feel I was doing somebody some good.″
″Mum would say it′s charity.″
″You′re eighteen now—you don′t have to do what she says.″
″No.″ The girl smiled. ′″Thank you.″ She stood up and impulsively kissed Samantha. There were tears in her eyes. ″What a bleedin′ turn-up,″ she said.
Samantha stood up, slightly embarrassed. ″I′ll get my lawyer to draw up some kind of thing to make it secure for you. Now I must fly.″
″I′ll ring for a cab,″ said Anita.
Samantha went upstairs to change. As she put on the flimsy white dress which had cost more than Anita′s wages for two months, she felt oddly guilty.
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