'Oh, he's studying all right,' Alex Brandon leaned forward, an angry note in his voice, 'Studying hard and doing well until your sister came along and started throwing herself at him I Since then she's pestered him so much that he can't concentrate on his work and he's been getting into trouble with his college because she's always phoning him at inconvenient times and getting him to skip lectures so that he can meet her.’ He rose to his feet and glared down at her disdainfully. 'That boy is in my charge and I don't intend to let him lose the chance of a promising career just because some silly little schoolgirl has got the nesting instinct. So you see, Miss Royle,' he added sardonically, 'we both want to see this unfortunate little affair come to an end, albeit for different reasons, as you would have found out it you'd had the good manners to ask me what I wanted instead of jumping to conclusions.'
Sara looked up at him as she assimilated what he had said, but before she could say anything, he added in an extremely sarcastic tone, 'And now that I've met you, Miss Royle, I can understand why your sister was only too eager to leave your guardianship, but she'll have to find someone other than Richard as her means of escape.'
'And just what is that remark supposed to mean?' There were bright spots of angry colour on Sara's cheeks as she gazed at Alex Brandon, her temper held tightly in check.
'It means, Miss Royle, that you are one of the most dictatorial and unfeminine women I've ever had the misfortune to meet. I'm willing to bet that you order your sister around and bully her into obeying you, telling her it's for her own good. The poor kid is probably frightened to death of you and willing to do anything to get away.'
'How dare you?' Sara, too, rose to her feet angrily.
'The relationship between my sister and me is nothing whatsoever to do with you!'
'It is when she tries to use my nephew as a means of getting away from it,' he said bluntly.
'Nicky is not trying to get away. We're on very good terms and she knows she can always come to me when she needs help.'
'Does she? And what help did she get from you this tune? You hardly listened to her before ticking her off and sending her away. Too wrapped up in your damn job to even spare half an hour of your time!’
The hold on Sara's temper began to slip, 'You've got a cheek coming here and talking to me like that! If you had any sort of control over your nephew you'd make sure he kept to his studies instead of chasing after young girls. And I can guess who he learnt that from,' she added nastily.
'Can you indeed?' Alex Brandon leant forward, his hands on the desk. 'Well, you'll be happy to know that I wouldn't even look at your type. You .career women are all the same—you're so busy beating men down to your fight to get to the top that you lose all your femininity. And you're so insecure and afraid of losing' what you've gained that you browbeat others into doing what you want. Just like you browbeat your sister!'
Sara took a hasty step around the desk and faced him angrily. 'I don't have to justify my actions to you. And just what makes you think I didn't listen to her?'
'Because Richard was waiting for her outside. He wanted to see you together, but Nicky wouldn't let him —she evidently knows you very well. She was going to tell you about him and then call him in to introduce him to you. But you didn't even let her get that fart You told her not to be a naughty little girl and sent her off with a flea in her ear. She was so upset that Richard brought her to me.'
'And I suppose you welcomed them with open arms?' Sara, asked sarcastically.
'No, but I didn't throw them out in the street!' he told her harshly. 'I cancelled all my engagements for the afternoon and listened to them, then I took them to a restaurant and left them there while I came on here. Neither of them had eaten all day, but I don't suppose you bothered to find that out either!’ he added derisively.
Sara thought of the uneaten sandwiches and her hands balled into tight fists. For a moment she wished heartily that she were a man so she could knock the sneering look off Alex Brandon's face. "Then just what did you come here for—other than to insult me, of course?'
'To try if we couldn't work out some way between us of persuading them to wait for a few years. They're both far too young and it just won't do until they've finished their education. I was going to suggest that you might take your sister abroad for a couple of months to give her something eke to think about, but I can see that you're the last person to put yourself out for someone else,' he finished, his tone heavy with sarcasm.
'So why don't you take your precious nephew away instead?' she asked with deceptive mildness.
"That's out of the question at the moment, I'm afraid. I have some important business coming up in the next few weeks that I can't leave to anyone else.'
Sara, looked at him sardonically. 'I see, it's all right for me to take a couple of months off and probably lose my job in the process, but your company, of course, is quite incapable of functioning without you.'
He flushed slightly. 'As a matter of fact it is. I'm…'
But Sara interrupted him angrily. 'Nobody's indispensable, Mr Brandon. You, and all the, other male chauvinists like you, just think you are. And I have no time for self-opinionated, pompous bores, so unless you've got something constructive to say, I suggest you leave. I have a great deal of work to do before I go home and talk to Nicky. And you don't have to worry, because I shall make darn sure she doesn't ever marry your nephew. I wouldn't wish marrying into your family on my worst enemy!'
'And just how do you propose to do it? By bullying and intimidation? I'm beginning to feel .extremely sorry for Nicky, Miss Royle; I can well imagine what it must be like to be ruled by someone who's so completely taken up with her own ambitions that she has nothing left for any normal family feelings,’ he finished bitingly.
'Why, you…! Get out of my office. .You're the most odious, intolerant man I've ever known f She picked up a paperweight ready to hurl it at him, but he stepped quickly forward and twisted her wrist until she had to let go and the paperweight dropped with a crash to the floor.
Alex Brandon's grey eyes glittered angrily down into her brown ones. 'That's another thing about liberated women—they always resort to violence when they can't beat a man any other way.' His lips curled sneeringly, then he let go of her wrist and turned on his heel to walk unhurriedly out of the office.
For a long moment Sara stared after him, rubbing her wrist where he had twisted it, then she sat down heavily in her chair’ still glaring resentfully at the door. She looked down at the work on her desk, knowing she ought to finish it, but it had been a long, traumatic day and she suddenly felt overwhelmed by tiredness. That insufferable man had really got under her skin, making her lose her temper and react out of all proportion to the incident. Usually she had a tight hold on her emotions and forced herself to keep calm,’ whatever the provocation, and in her job she got plenty of that! But this Brandon man had touched on a raw spot when he jibed at her relationship with Nicky and she had reacted with a violence and anger that had surprised herself.
It must be because I'm tired, she thought dully. She crossed to the window and looked down at the street below; the pavements were mostly clear now, only a few late workers hurrying to the nearby tube station, and the traffic that' built into a jam every night at five was reduced to an odd car that accelerated towards the main road. Glancing at her watch, Sara saw that it was nearly seven o'clock. She must finish the cosmetic portfolio tonight if she was to have the next morning off to take Nicky backto school. Guiltily she bent to her work and by giving it her undivided attention managed to finish it by seven-thirty. Quickly she locked the folio away in the office safe and gathered her belongings together, as usual shoving some more work in her briefcase to take with her. She was about to leave when she hesitated; Alex Brandon had said that Nicky was with her boy-friend—what was his name? Richard something. Perhaps she wouldn't be back at the flat yet.
Picking up the phone, Sara dialled her own number and listened while it rang.
'H
allo?' Nicky's rather breathless voice answered almost as she was about to give up. 'Is that you, Richard?'
'No, it's Sara. Have you just come in?'
'Oh. No, I was having a bath.' Nicky's voice suddenly became dull and resentful.
'Look, Nicky, I've finished here now and should be home in about twenty minutes. How about putting on a couple of steaks and then we can talk while we eat?'
'I've already had a meal, thank you,' Nicky answered like a polite little girl.
'Well, I'm starving, so you can talk to me while I eat, then. And Nicky, I'm sorry if I was a bit abrupt this morning, but I had a lot on my mind. We'll start again from the beginning when I get home, shall we?'
'There's really no point, is there? You've already decided that it's some silly teenage crush that we'll both grow out of. And I'm sure you've got much more important things to do than listen to me, so if you don't mind I think I'll go straight to bed.'
'Nicky, don't be so childish, we can at least——-'
But her sister had rung off and Sara was left holding a silent phone, her anger returning at this downright rudeness. Slamming down the receiver, she locked up the office and took the lift down to the basement, almost too tired and cross to remember to say her usual cheery goodnight to the attendant. The man looked after her as she accelerated away, shaking his head and wondering what had happened to upset one of his favourite customers.
Having given Nicky her key, Sara had to ring the doorbell of the flat and it was several minutes before her sister answered it. When she did, Sara saw that she was wearing one of her own new lace nightdresses with a matching negligee over the top, but as Nicky was about two sizes larger than Sara's slim figure the clothes were stretched at the seams.
Sara bit back the sharp remark she was going to make and instead said in as mild a voice as she could, 'Didn't you bring any of your own clothes with you ?'
'No, if the teachers had seen me carrying a bag they would have stopped me.'
'Just how did you get away?'
'I slipped out when we were supposed to be watching a hockey match,' Nicky admitted slowly.
'I see. Well, I phoned your headmistress and she was extremely put out. I had the devil of a job to convince . her that you would behave for the rest of your stay there. It seems your work's been falling off rather a lot lately, too,' Sara added grimly as she put her briefcase down and started to take off her jacket.
'I put a steak on for you,' Nicky told her sulkily. 'It should be nearly ready now,’
'Thanks.' Sara crossed to the kitchen and began to prepare a tossed salad to go with the steak. 'Nicky, we have to talk this thing through. I don't want you to go back to school feeling unhappy and resentful. I haven't said that you can't marry, just that you're too young to contemplate it at the moment. After all, you're not eighteen until September.' She held up a hand as Nicky opened her mouth to speak. 'All right, I know you're going to say it's only a few months away, but you're still too young. Come and sit down and talk to me while I eat,' she coaxed.
But Nicky stood in the doorway and wouldn't come in. I'm awfully tired, I'd rather just go straight to bed.. I expect you'll want to set out early tomorrow so you can get back to your precious job,' she added sullenly.
Sara turned to her in exasperation. 'My precious job, as you call it, has kept you at school and in clothes, holidays and pocket money for the last four years.’
Nicky's face paled. "What do you mean?'
'I mean that your father didn't make any provision for your school fees in his will, so I paid them myself.' Sara told her bluntly.
Biting her lip, the younger girt suddenly looked ashamed. ‘I’m sorry, I didn't know. I'll pay you back, of course, just as soon as I inherit Daddy's money,' she' added stiffly.
Sara went to her and put her hands on her shoulders. 'Idiot, I don't want your money. I only told you because it's about time you opened your eyes a little. All I want is for you to have a good education so that you're already way up the ladder when you start your career—not have to fight your way up every rung like I did.' She looked hopefully into her sister's face, but Nicky wouldn't look her in the eyes. Exasperatedly Sara gave her a little shake. 'Anyway, you don't come into the money until you're twenty-five.'
'Unless I marry first,' Nicky reminded her defiantly.
'But not unless I give my blessing, and I certainly don't intend to do that until you've finished your education,' Sara retorted.
Nicky stared at her. her face white. 'You're mean and hateful! Just because no one has ever been in love with you, you don't want Richard to love me. And you care so much about money you can't see that it doesn't matter to us. Because we're going to get married anyway and there's nothing you can do to stop us!’ Then she turned, tears running down her lace, and ran into the spare bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Sara took a hasty step to follow, but then stopped. What would be the use? In the mood Nicky was in at the moment she would never listen to reason. Sara sighed and, turned back to the cooker. The steak was overdone and looked like a piece of leather. After one mouthful she pushed the plate aside; she didn't feel hungry now anyway. The nasty remarks that Nicky had shouted at her still rang in heir ears. Was that really how the younger girl thought of her, as leading a loveless existence with making money her only driving force?
She picked, up her cup of coffee and watched the steam rise from the surface. Was that the impression she gave? Slowly she tried to look at herself as others saw her. It was true that money was important to her —she knew very few people to whom it wasn't important! Money had been very tight after her own father died, and even when her mother had married again things hadn't been easy because her stepfather had been trying to start up his own business and every available penny had been put into building it up. There hadn't been enough for Sara's education and she had had to leave school at seventeen and get a job although she had desperately longed to go to university. It was only later that the business had begun to make a profit, and the really big money hadn't come until shortly before his death when the business became so successful that it had been taken over by a large company for a lump sum.
He had left everything in trust for Nicky, except for five thousand pounds for Sara, and this she had spent on the deposit for the flat, feeling that the most important thing was for Nicky to always have somewhere to call home, somewhere to come to during the holidays from school. It had been .hard to pay off the mortgage and buy furniture out of her salary as well as pay the school fees, and even now, when the mortgage wasn't such a weight round her neck and she could afford the things Nicky's father hadn't had time to provide for his daughter, and even spate some money to spend on things for herself: books, china, an occasional painting; she still remembered with a shudder the times when it had been a. hard struggle to even clothe herself decently. So perhaps money was a strong motivation, because she was darn sure that she was never going to be without it again, and that meant holding down her job until she was so good at it that she need never feel insecure.
And loveless? She smiled slightly until she remembered the other accusations that had been levelled at her that day. By Nicky and by Alex’ Brandon. Nicky had said that no one had ever loved her, but that wasn't true. Once, when she was only nineteen, she had fallen in love with a man only a year or two older than herself who worked in the same agency. He was a carefree; happy-go-lucky character who was' great fun to be with. For a while the affair had been almost idyllic; they had got engaged and were constantly together although they knew they would have to wait to get married until they had saved enough for the deposit for a house. Often he took days off, using illness as an excuse, bat they invariably coincided with Wimbledon or Lords. One day he persuaded Sara to do the same, but she had taken an important paper home the evening before and the agency sent someone round to collect it. The resulting row had almost cost her her job and had taught her a lesson she never forgot, making her work harder than ever to make up foe it.
Since then she had made it a rule never to go out with anyone in the same line of business and, despite the accusations that Alex Brandon had levelled at her, there had been many men who had fallen for her attractive face and figure. Two or three of them had got serious enough to propose to her, but by then she had the financial worry of the flat and Nicky and she had honestly told them about it, not thinking it fair to burden them with her responsibilities. Or had she just used that as an excuse?
Sara refilled her coffee cup and wandered into the living-room, kicking off her shoes while she sat in an armchair and listened to a record. Over the last few years her job had become increasingly important to her. If something crucial cropped up she had no compunction in breaking a date so that she could deal with the problem, and this attitude had angered more than one man who thought that he should have come first. But Sara knew full well that if their situation had been reversed the man would have done the same thing and expected her to understand and accept it, so she had given their anger short shrift. They could accept her as she was, or—goodbye, it was fun while it lasted.
Sally Wentworth - Liberated Lady Page 2