The Duchess and the Dreamer

by Jenny Frame

  Clementine looked up at Evan. “I’m sure Ms. Fox wouldn’t mind you relooking at your plans and bid.”

  “Absolutely no problem at all. I want to get this right, not rush into it.”

  Clementine smiled and was clearly buoyed by Evan’s encouragement. “Okay, get to work on some new designs, maybe ten new ideas. Walk around the village, take notes, take pictures for inspiration, and then we’ll meet up here in a week’s time and compare designs. I’ll make some designs myself.”

  The architects gathered their papers and grumbled among themselves. Clementine stood quickly and said, “You’ll have to excuse me. I have a phone call to make.”

  Evan’s gaze was stuck to Clementine’s curves in that short skirt of hers, as she strode with purpose from the room.

  “What a woman,” Evan said.

  * * *

  “Thanks, Stan,” Evan shouted to the car delivery driver.

  Stan had just delivered an electric car to the gates of Rosebrook House, right next to Clementine’s gatehouse. Fox Toys liked to promote electric cars and so leased them for employees. Some were discounted and some came as part of a salary package. Stan gave her a thumbs-up and jumped back into the cab of his truck.

  As he drove off, Archie walked around the car and whistled at how nice it looked.

  “This is some car. In fact, it’s nicer than yours.”

  Evan walked around to Archie and patted the Mercedes SUV on the roof. “It’s perfect for Clem, and anyway I like my little old Beetle. It’s part of my personality.”

  “But a Mercedes?” Archie said.

  “I wanted an SUV so she would have plenty of room for her mother’s things—and a wheelchair, if she needed it. In the electric range the only SUV that suited was a Merc.”

  “You are into her, aren’t you. It’s the posh voice and the title, isn’t it?”

  “Do you really think me, of all people, brought up by my mother, the social campaigner, would be hooked with a title?”

  “Maybe not, but you didn’t deny the posh accent,” Archie said.

  Archie was right but she wasn’t going to admit it. “Shut up. Right, I’ll text her to come out, okay?”

  “Are you sure you want me here for this?”

  “I want you here to back me up. I know she’s going to reject it first off—”

  “Why would a woman reject a Mercedes SUV when she can’t afford to get her own car fixed?” Archie asked.

  “Pride. She might not have much, but she’s proud. We had to fight over who was buying the ice creams at Bournemouth beach.”

  Archie raised an eyebrow. “When were you getting ice cream with her at the beach?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Just back me up.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll back you up.”

  Evan took out her phone to text Clementine but hesitated. Maybe she should send Archie in? She kept fiddling with her tie nervously.

  “You are into her. Look how nervous you are,” Archie said.

  “Okay, I am into her. I think she’s my Mrs. Fox. Are you satisfied now?” Evan said with frustration in her voice.

  Archie rolled her eyes. “Oh God. Why are you so eager to give your freedom away? You’re successful, rich—have fun.”

  “Archie, I’m not like you. All I’ve ever wanted is someone to love me and have a family. Go for Sunday drives to places like this”—Evan held her hands out wide—“play with my kids, drive them to their little clubs, football, karate, art club, whatever they like, um, cut the grass on a Saturday—”

  Archie held her hand up. “Jesus, now you’ve gone too far. Cut grass? It makes me shiver.”

  “Why?” Evan asked.

  “I hate the sound of lawnmowers. It’s an image of a wife, two-point-four kids, and a ball and chain around my leg, but if that’s what you really want, Fox, then good luck to you.”

  Evan decided texting Clementine was what she should do. She started to type in the message and said, “I’ll remind you of this conversation when you’re head over heels.”

  “Don’t hold your breath,” Archie said with a laugh.

  * * *

  Clementine hadn’t seen much of Evan that afternoon. At lunchtime Evan had gone out for a run, then when she returned, she’d been in the conference room taking part in a video conference.

  She wanted to speak to Evan because she was starting to worry that maybe she had overstepped her remit. She was only chairwoman of the trust, after all. She was enjoying the work enormously, though. Having a say in her ancestral land was something she had dreamed about since she had left Rosebrook House.

  Rupert and the other office staff began to drift away home. Archie had left as well about thirty minutes ago, so she had to wait till someone came back before she left.

  She packed up her things, and a short time later a text popped up on her mobile.

  Meet me at the gates, m’lady, your highness. Evan xx

  Clementine could only smile. Evan always liked to make a joke of how she had first addressed her. She was sweet.

  Wait. That was twice today that she had thought of Evan as sweet. She didn’t want to fall into that trap, because Evan Fox was so good looking, and if she added sweet on top of that, there could be trouble.

  She got up and started walking from the banqueting hall down to the gates. Why they had to meet there was strange. As she got closer, she noticed Evan and Archie standing by a car talking.

  Evan turned around and noticed her. “Clem, come and join us.”

  She walked out of the gate and joined them at the car. Okay, this was weird. Was she getting the big heave-ho after one day?

  “What’s wrong?” Clementine asked.

  “There’s nothing wrong. I just wanted to give you your company car.”

  Clementine was sure her mouth was hanging open. “What? What do you mean?”

  Evan opened the door to the car and indicted to her to get in. “This is your car.”

  She looked around the front of the car and saw it was a Mercedes. No, this was charity.

  “I can’t accept this,” she said firmly.

  “Why?”

  “I’m not taking charity from you. You know my car is in the garage, and you want me to take this because you feel sorry for me.”

  Evan shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. Fox Toys encourages employees to switch to electric cars. We lease them for our employees. Like Archie, you have one, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I have an electric car from the company,” Archie said obediently.

  Clementine was suspicious. “And is it a Mercedes?”

  “Eh—” Archie stumbled over her reply, so Evan stepped in.

  “No, not everyone gets a Merc, but I chose this one for you because it was the only SUV available, and I wanted that because I thought you might need the extra space for your mum’s things, a wheelchair, something like that, if you had her out for the day.”

  “Oh.” Clementine had the wind taken right out of her sails.

  Archie clearly felt uncomfortable because she excused herself very quickly. “I’ll leave you to it.”

  Once she left, Evan said, “Any more frowns I can iron out?”

  “It’s still an expensive thing. I’m supposed to be working for the trust, not you.”

  Evan took her hand and guided her to the driver’s side. “Fox Toys funds the trusts we have. Who do you think provides the vans and cars for the service dogs that I told you about, and their handlers? We have a good contract with a vehicle leasing firm. Now will you get in and try it out?”

  Clementine gave in and sat in the car. It was gorgeous. There were screens—for satnav and on-board computer, she assumed. The console was like she imagined a state of the art jet fighter or something.

  Evan got in the other side and immediately started to talk. “This is totally electric. I’ve already had two car charging points put in outside the old village shop. I’ve got a few up at the house, but I’m having one installed here at the gates for you.�
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  Clementine placed her fingers on her forehead and sighed. “This doesn’t feel right. I can’t—”

  Evan swivelled around in her seat. Clementine was so stubborn. Anyone else would have taken the perk straight away, but not Clem.

  “Look, Clem. It’s just business. You’ll be going around, meeting builders, architects, all sorts of people for the trust. You need a car, and my company provides. And the fact that it’ll help you out with your mum, getting back and forth to seeing her, is a happy bonus.”

  After a short wait Clementine nodded.

  “Is that a yes, m’lady, Duchess, madam?” She got a smile from Clementine at last. She loved making her smile.

  “You’re so silly.”

  Evan had the urge to reach out and touch Clementine’s cheek. “You need more silly people in your life.”

  Clementine gazed into her eyes, then opened her mouth a few times, but said nothing. Did Clementine feel the attraction between them? Could she feel what Evan had felt since the first moment she opened the door to her gatehouse?

  The moment was over almost as soon as it began, and Clementine looked back to the front window again.

  “Let’s take her for a spin,” Evan said.

  “Okay,” Clementine said reluctantly. “Can I have the keys?”

  “Sure, but you don’t need them. They only need to be with you.” Evan set them in the middle console. “Just press the ignition button. On the dash.”

  The engine started and the on-board systems came to life. Clementine ran her hand over them. “This really is like something out of Star Trek.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Evan said. “It has a lot of bells and whistles, but you’ll learn about them as you go. Just concentrate on the driving first.”

  Clementine looked down at the pedals. “This is different.”

  “It’s just accelerator and brake—you’ll soon get the hang of it.”

  Clementine pulled on her seat belt. “Okay, let’s go.”

  * * *

  After a few stuttering starts, Clementine did get the knack of this new car. It was an amazing piece of machinery, so quiet, so smooth. She’d imagined an electric car wouldn’t have much power, but it certainly was powerful enough for anything she would need.

  While they were driving around the village, Evan explained the satnav and the radio and music system. Evan pointed to the screen on the dash. “So, your music apps are onscreen, and when you hook up your phone to Bluetooth, you’ll have all your music available to play. Oh, and I forgot to say, as it’s a leased car, if something goes wrong, the car leasing firm fixes it free of charge. No more garage bills for you.”

  That sounded like the biggest perk of the whole deal. Not having to worry about her car going wrong—not that it would, in a brand new car like this. It would be such a weight off her mind, to know whenever her mama needed her, she would always be able to get there.

  But she still felt uncomfortable about such a big expensive gift. She had to tell Evan. “Evan, I don’t think—”

  Just then, Evan started to laugh. “Look, Clem. It’s the Tucker twins. Slow down.”

  Side by side, Agatha and Ada were driving down the street. “God, I hope they’re safe on those things.”

  “They are fine. Stop worrying.” Evan put down the window.

  As they got closer, Clementine spotted that Agatha had a simple headscarf on, but Ada had a World War II leather aviator’s helmet, with flying goggles. “Look at Ada.” Clementine giggled.

  Evan chuckled. “They are adorable, aren’t they?”

  They stopped beside the pair and Evan said, “Good evening, beautiful ladies. You’re looking fantastic on those wheels.”

  Agatha clasped her hands together. “Oh, it’s wonderful! Ada and I haven’t been out for walks like this for years.”

  Clementine was elated that the ladies were getting out again. It was a lovely gesture by Evan. But that was Evan, wasn’t it? Kind and generous to a fault. She felt those collywobbles again and shook her head to try to get rid of them.

  She leaned over, close to Evan, to talk through the window. The only problem was she was so close to Evan, she was enveloped in the smell of her gorgeous cologne. It did nothing to dispel those collywobbles.

  “Are you being very careful?” Clementine said.

  “Oh yes,” answered Ada. “I’ve got my father’s flying helmet from the War. Safe as houses.”

  “Okay, just don’t go too fast. Do you need any shopping?”

  “Not today, maybe tomorrow,” Agatha replied.

  Evan saluted the women and said, “Godspeed, ladies.”

  Ada giggled. “She’s such a polite, well-mannered person, that Evan. Bye-bye.”

  As they drove on, Clementine realized that things were changing, bit by bit, and for the better, and all because of Evan. Maybe she should relax and just let things happen.

  “Is there somewhere we could pull in and talk, Clem?”

  “Um, yes, if we drive out of the north side of the village, there’s a parking bay overlooking the cliffs.”

  “Sounds lovely.”

  * * *

  “This is beautiful,” Evan said.

  They were only about twenty feet from the edge of the cliff, with only a broken-down wire fence between them and the edge.

  “I thought you would have discovered this place when you came here as a child.”

  “No, we mostly kept to the beach end of the village. You know what I love about the village?” Evan said.

  “What?”

  “It has everything. The sea, an unspoiled beach, wonderful views off the cliffs, fossil hunting at the bottom of the cliffs, fishing, farming, and countryside, with the Tynebrook River flowing past at the top of the village. There’s everything someone could want.”

  “Why did you and your family first come here?” Clementine asked.

  “When I first learned about Isadora in history class at school, I became fascinated and asked them to bring me here. Then we all fell in love with its charms.”

  “Isadora? Strange kind of thing for a child to become fascinated with, isn’t it?” Clementine said.

  Evan grinned. “I’m a strange kind of person. I had such a thirst for knowledge and facts when I was young, and my brain never wanted to switch off. If I wasn’t playing with toys, or playing sport, then I was reading books, comics, anything really.”

  “Your poor mother and father must have been exhausted.”

  “Yeah, I think they were,” Evan admitted.

  “What is it that you wanted to talk about? Did I overstep my bounds earlier, at the meeting?”

  Evan frowned. “What? No. That’s what I wanted you to do, shake things up and remind us all to keep the history of this place firmly in our minds, when we plan. No, it was about the staffing report you gave me, for the house? Yeah, I was wondering if you’d do the finding candidates and interviews for me. I would ask Rupert or Violet, my PA back in London, but they don’t have the experience like you do, the knowledge of what makes a person best for the job.”

  Evan was unsure about whether Clementine would go for this, but she wanted the help, and getting her involved with the house was getting Clem closer to her.

  “That’s a lot of work on top of the trust. I’m going to start meeting with the trustees to get their ideas for what needs to be done to the village. Besides, the hiring of staff is what the mistress of the house usually does.”

  Evan turned around in her seat. “I would like a mistress—” She could feel her cheeks getting a little hot. “I mean, not a mistress in that sense. I don’t have a mistress in any sense, although—”

  Clementine started to laugh softly at the muddle she was getting herself into.

  “I’m making a mess of this,” Evan said.

  Clementine reached over and placed her hand on Evan’s briefly. “Don’t worry. I know what you mean. I could do it for you, but finding the time would be difficult.”

  “I’ve thought
of that. You’re going to be rushed off your feet with the trust work anyway, and I’m not always here to help, so what if we got you a PA?”

  “A PA?” Clementine said with surprise.

  “Yeah, we could get you one, then you could do the trust stuff and oversee my staff.” Evan was getting excited at the thought of the future Mrs. Fox handling her affairs in the country while she split her time with the toy business.

  If Clementine knew what she was thinking, she’d probably get out of the car and run. I’m being too intense. Too excited. Her mum was always giving her grief for that. Calm down, Evan was a phrase she had heard all her life.

  “Wait,” Clementine said with astonishment, “I’m overseeing them now?”

  Evan squeezed her eyes shut and took a few breaths. “I was maybe getting a bit overexcited, but you made the excellent report on staffing, so who better than to choose at interview time, and your PA would help.”

  “I am an architect, remember, not an estate manager or mistress of the house,” Clementine said.

  “But you were born with the knowledge and experience, and you watched your mum and dad handle the estate,” Evan said.

  Clementine snorted. “That was mostly worrying about money and selling off land.”

  “Mostly, but not all. Say you’ll do it?”

  She watched Clementine mull over the offer, and her heart was pounding in anticipation. She wanted Clementine to be a part of her life, and this was the first small step.

  “I’ll say yes if I can choose my PA.”

  Evan smiled and her heart felt light as air. “Name them, and they’re yours.”

  Clementine smiled. “Ashling O’Rourke.”

  Evan smacked herself on the head. “Of course! Ash would be perfect. A local who knows what’s required. Would she do it?”

  Clementine nodded. “Oh, I think so. She’s a clever woman, and she’s been stagnating, just looking after her father. Yes, Ash is very bright, and if things go well, she could take more responsibility with the staffing.”

  “Perfect, do you want me to ask her?”

  “No, I think it should come from me. I’ll go and visit her in the morning,” Clementine said.