by Clare Revell
Jackie smiled at her. “Hi.”
“Have any of the kids reported anyone hanging around outside the school?” she asked.
“No. but I’ll keep an ear out.”
“Thanks. And watch the CCTV, too. I thought I saw someone in the playground just now.”
“OK, will do.”
Dawn headed back to her classroom. She carried on teaching, walking around the room as she spoke. She found that kept the kids on their toes and concentrating better than merely standing at the front of the room. Glancing out of the window, she noticed the figure was back again.
Her heart thumped inside her chest, and her pulse raced. She pulled the blind closed then made her way along the bank of windows closing all of them. “Henry, run and fetch Mr. Brooks, will you?”
“Yes, Miss Stannis.” Henry got up and left the room.
Dawn walked to the front of the class. “So, who wants to come up and draw a conical volcano for me?” A whole bank of hands went up. “Katie.” She stood to one side, half an eye on the corridor.
Relief filled her as the door opened and Henry reappeared with Jonathan behind him. “Thank you. Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Brooks.”
“No problem, Miss Stannis. What can I do for you?”
The bell went. “OK, off you go.” She waited until the classroom was empty. “He’s still watching me. He was in the playground this time.” Then she crossed to the window and opened the blind.
Jonathan looked out at the now empty playground. “Who’s watching you? There’s no one there.”
“I’m not imagining things.”
“I never said you were. I’ll check out the CCTV images this afternoon. If need be, I’ll get the police involved.” He glanced around. “It’s looking like a florist in here.”
She sucked in a deep breath trying to calm her shattered nerves. “Yeah.” She closed the blind again and walked with him to the staff room.
A photo of her and Gabe was in the center of the notice board. She sighed. “Like I don’t get that enough from the kids.”
Jonathan chuckled. “It’s your five minutes of fame as the mystery girlfriend of actor Gabriel Tyler.”
“How many times?” She crossed to the window, glancing outside. “There is nothing going on.”
“And I’m a monkey’s uncle.”
“I had thought you looked a little hairy. And that’s why.”
Jonathan grinned. “So, as there is nothing going on, how about dinner with me tonight?”
“Sure.”
“And we’ll go out to lunch now as well. Rob, Liz, coming?”
The others got up. “Sure.”
Dawn hesitated. “I don’t…what if he’s still out there?”
“He won’t be.” Jonathan said. “And if he is, you’re not alone.”
“OK.” She wasn’t convinced, but her stomach was rumbling, and she’d never last the afternoon without eating something.
~*~
The doorbell rang at six, and Dawn hurried to answer it. Jonathan stood there with a bunch of cornflowers in his hands.
“These were on the doorstep,” he said hurriedly. “They aren’t from me. I figured you’d have had enough of flowers by now.”
Dawn took them. “Come in a sec.”
He followed her to the kitchen. “Boy, you got a florist shop in here as well as work.”
“Tell me about it,” she sighed. “It’s weird, though. Roses at work and cornflowers here.” She put them on the side to deal with later and grabbed her bag. “OK.”
She was convinced someone was following them as they drove to the Harvester, but she couldn’t prove it. Instead, she concentrated on the road ahead, and then, once they were seated, on the menu. Wishing she was hungry, Dawn went for the simplest thing she could see.
“So, what’s Gabriel Tyler like once you get to know him?” Jonathan asked. “He seemed like an all right bloke at the campfire. Mind you, he was probably on his best behavior then—never mind trying to impress you.”
“It’s hard to say. He’s an actor. He’s all things to all men.”
Jonathan tilted his head surprise crossing his face. “You haven’t met the real him?”
“If I had, it doesn’t matter. Like I said, there’s nothing going on.” She looked up as someone stopped by the table. She half expected it to be her stalker.
“Hello, stranger.” Gabe’s blue eyes twinkled at her. “How are you?”
“Fine. You remember Jonathan from the field trip and from church?”
Gabe held out a hand. “Of course. Hi.”
“Hi,” Jonathan replied. “Nice to see you again.”
Dawn prayed he wasn’t going to comment on dates and photos in the press.
Gabe returned his gaze to Dawn. “I need to talk to you, but I can see you’re busy. Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Sure, or I’ll be in church on Sunday.”
Gabe nodded. “Either works.” A blonde woman over on the other side of the room called his name and waved. “Better go. Catch you later.” He headed over the room. The blonde woman immediately rose, and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him.
Dawn swallowed the surge of jealousy that hit her hard.
“Touch of the green-eyed monster?” Jonathan grinned at her over his wine glass.
“Not at all.”
“That’s utter rubbish, and you know it. The bloke is besotted with you. Why else send all those flowers that cost a fortune?”
“And he’s over there, holding the blonde’s hand, kissing her.” She averted her gaze, having seen way more than she wanted to see. “Besides, like I said, he’s a Hollywood playboy. So, I think I might skip the starter, and just have the main and a pudding.”
“You’re not very convincing.”
“How enthusiastic does one have to be over not having a starter?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No, about a certain actor.”
Dawn shrugged. She didn’t want a fake boyfriend, someone shallow who only cared when it suited them. So why did the thought of not being with Gabe hurt so much? It wasn’t as if he’d declared himself, or anything. He’d kissed her once, but she’d been less than enthusiastic in her response, and he hadn’t tried again since.
~*~
Sunday morning found Gabe in church. He headed slowly down the aisle until he reached his brother.
Blake was, as always, sitting with the twenty-four kids. “Morning, Gabe. Care to sit with us?”
Gabe slid into the pew. “Sure.”
“Mother didn’t join you then?”
“Of course not. Did you really expect her to come? But I’m not going to stop asking.”
“Have you spoken to Dawn yet and sorted things out?”
Gabe’s cheeks burned. “No, she isn’t returning my calls. And I can’t believe Mother told you about that.”
“Yeah, well, she took great delight in doing so, until I told her I didn’t want to hear it. I don’t blame Dawn for not speaking to you. If Dawn was my girlfriend, I’d have given Mother what for right in front of her. Maybe that’s what Mother needs.”
Gabe shifted on the pew. “I still can’t believe Mother behaved like that. No woman deserves to be insulted the way Mother spoke to Dawn. What’s worse is even the servants overheard.”
Blake sucked in a deep breath. “If you like her as much as you claim to do, you’d better do some groveling and fast. Besides, you’re the earl and if Mother isn’t going to respect that, what hope do you have of the servants doing it?”
Gabe knew his brother was right, but with his schedule it was much easier said than done. “Anyway, I have to go back up north again this evening. They need me on set really early tomorrow.”
“Such a hard life,” Blake teased. “You should try looking after this lot twenty-four-seven instead.”
“No, ta. Are you still coming for lunch?”
“Too right I am. After the morning I’ve had, try stopping me. The brats decided to play the mummy game at half
past five—using every single loo roll in the building.”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “See, that’s the reason I’m single.”
“I get the feeling you don’t want to be.” Blake was of course spot on.
“Honestly?” He shifted in his seat. “Dawn’s cute, loves God, she’s everything I want in a woman, but—”
“But?”
“She’s not speaking to me, so it’s a null point.”
“And here’s your chance.”
Gabe glanced up to see Dawn place the flowers at the front of the church. “Wow. Look at those.”
“Definitely not just shoved in a vase this week,” Blake commented. “A woman of many talents.”
Gabe watched her walk towards them and smiled. “Morning, Dawn.”
She stopped and looked at him. “Morning.”
“Sit with us?”
She hesitated for a moment. “OK.”
Gabe shifted and made room for her. “This is my brother, Blake. Blake, this is Dawn. Better known by your brats as Miss Stannis.”
They shook hands, and Dawn grinned as several of the older kids promptly got up and moved to the pew in front. “I think I just ruined their street cred.”
“They’ll live,” Blake said.
“The flowers look wonderful,” Gabe said. “I had no idea you could arrange them like that.”
She nodded. “I learned years ago. And thank you for all the flowers you keep sending me. I had no idea roses came in so many different colors.”
“Nor me,” Gabe said. “I’m single-handedly keeping the local florist in business.”
Dawn laughed. “She must love you.”
“Nah, she’s married.” He indicated the pew two rows in front of them. “She tries to guess the color of the roses I want now.”
“Roses?”
“I only ever send you roses,” he said.
Dawn looked confused. “Oh, I thought…” She broke off as Pastor Jack stood and began speaking.
After the service, Gabe glanced at Dawn. “Would you like to come for lunch at Southby?”
Dawn visibly hesitated. “I don’t know. After last time…”
“Please. Blake will be there too, and if Mother starts again—”
“I’ll leave,” she said firmly.
“Fair enough,” Gabe said. That hadn’t been what he’d meant. He had been intending to stand up for her and let her know, but if she’d rather he didn’t…
“I don’t have my car,” she said.
“We’ll go in mine.”
~*~
Dawn walked along the terrace with Gabe. The huge grounds spread out before them. A tire swing hung from one of the trees, and she longed to try it out, but wasn’t going to ask. She stopped by the huge pond and sat on the edge of the brick wall. The fountain sprinkled water, the sunlight sparkling through the drops. “This is really pretty.”
Gabe smiled. “I guess I just take it all for granted, having grown up with it.”
Dawn glanced down. “Wow…those koi are huge.”
Gabe sat beside her. “They grow to the size of the pond. Dad loved fish. He’d sit here for hours talking to them. He talked to the flowers, too.”
“There’s nothing crazy about talking to plants. My grandmother used to talk to her houseplants all the time. She said some days it was the only way to get a sensible conversation.”
“Want to come and see the roses?”
“Sure.” She followed Gabe down a path to a huge rose garden, filled with red, white and blue roses. “That’s extremely patriotic.”
He grinned. “I guess it is. I never looked at it like that. This is just somewhere to escape to. To sit and smell the roses and read my Bible when things get too tough.”
The tall man in the butler’s uniform came over to them, concern written all over his face. “I’m sorry to bother you with this, sir, but there is a problem in the kitchen. I have attempted to resolve it, but Mrs. Jessop is threatening to resign with immediate effect—”
“It’s fine,” Gabe said. “The new kitchen maid causing ripples again?”
“Yes, sir.”
Gabe tugged his jacket down, his lord of the manor face appearing almost instantly, as he set off across the garden.
Unsure what to do, Dawn followed him though a small door and down a flight of steep stairs.
“What’s going on?” Gabe’s voice rang across the spacious kitchen. “Mrs. Jessop, what’s all this about you threatening to resign?”
“It’s this new girl, sir…”
Dawn tuned out the ranting cook as she glanced around the huge kitchen with its AGA against one wall. Her mother had one just like it.
“So just relight the darn thing and be done with it,” Gabe said, looking puzzled.
“It isn’t that simple.”
Dawn crossed the room to the young girl in tears. She assumed that was the new maid. It wasn’t her place to ask, but everyone was ignoring the distraught girl. “What happened?”
“I spilled something. I didn’t mean to,” She sobbed. “An’ the range went out, an’ won’t relight, an’ dinner’s ruined, an’ it’s all my fault.”
“Accidents happen. What’s your name?”
“Molly, miss.”
“Well, Molly, my mother has one of these AGA’s at home, and it can be a right royal pain at times.”
“So I call out the repair man,” Gabe said, his voice tinged with irritation. “It isn’t the end of the world, and it’s not worth resigning over.”
“But dinner…”
Dawn stood. “Do you have some kitchen roll, a hairdryer, and some matches?”
Gabe swung around, a frown on his face. “Dawn?”
“My mother’s AGA does this sometimes. You just need to dry it out properly before relighting it. So give me a hairdryer, matches, and some kitchen roll, and I’ll have it up and running in twenty minutes.”
Mrs. Jessop coughed. “Sir, I really…”
Gabe held up a hand. “Just give the lady what she asked for. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll call out the repair man.” He perched one hip on the counter and folded his arms, a grin on his face.
Dawn worked swiftly, drying out and then relighting the AGA explaining to Molly and Mrs. Jessop what she was doing as she went along. She stood, and dusted herself down. Her white skirt now streaked with black soot and dirty water.
Mrs. Jessop smiled for the first time since Dawn and Gabe had come into the kitchen. “Thank you. I’ll remember that for the next time.” She looked at Molly. “I hope you were paying attention, my girl.”
“Yes, Mrs. Jessop.”
“Good. Now go and wash your face and get those carrots on to cook.” She turned to Gabe. “Dinner will be half an hour, sir.”
“Thank you.” He took Dawn’s hand and led her up a different set of stairs. These led to the main entrance hall. “We should probably find you something else to wear.”
“What on earth is going on?” Countess Florence’s voice echoed, dripping with disapproval.
Dawn’s pleasure at having fixed the AGA evaporated swiftly as she saw Gabe’s mother standing in the hallway, Blake at her side.
“There was a problem in the kitchen,” Gabe told her. “Dawn fixed it.”
“So I see,” the old woman muttered.
“Mother,” Blake said. His scowl resounded in his voice.
“I don’t remember inviting her for dinner.”
“I did,” Gabe said, not letting go of Dawn’s hand.
“Well, she isn’t eating at my table looking like that. She’ll get soot all over the chairs, and they date back to the 1800’s.”
“So, I’ll find her something else to wear,” Gabe said, his scowl matching the one on Blake’s face. “Or I’ll put a cover over them. They are my chairs. This is my house and my guest, Dowager Countess.”
His mother glowered. “How dare you speak to me like that?”
Dawn had had enough. “Actually, I can’t stay for dinner. I just reme
mbered I have something to do at home.”
“Good.” Countess Florence turned her back. “And don’t come over again. Not unless I invite you myself. And that is not going to happen.”
“Mother. I need a word in the study now.” Gabe turned to Dawn. “Dawn, I’m sorry. If you’ll excuse me just a moment, I’m going to take care of this situation. Please stay. There wouldn’t be any dinner if it weren’t for you.” He grabbed his mother’s arm walking with her.
“OK,” she whispered, not really wanting to stay, but not able to get home.
“Come on, Dawn.” Blake winked, and she knew the silly smile was to defuse his mother’s atrocious behavior. Dawn wondered what had happened in the woman’s past to make her that way, but the countess wasn’t her problem and at the moment getting home was.
She walked to stand by Blake.
He smiled at her. “Gabe’s right. You leave and Mother’s won. Can’t have that. So how about we go find something to drink in the library before dinner.”
“I can’t stay. It’ll just make things worse for him. I’m sorry. I’d better go.”
“Then I’ll take you home.” He walked with her from the house and over to his car. Once they were seated inside he looked at her. “See, Mother’s got this thing about the title and behaving properly. They almost lost the house after the First World War. Several bad investments and a gambling habit meant we were left with the then Countess having to work just to keep the estate afloat. She ended up working in vaudeville as a singer, having first failed as a teacher in the local school. You can imagine the scandal.”
“Yeah.”
Blake started the car. “The marriage between Mother and Father was an arranged one—her dowry made the estate solvent again. And she’s never let anyone forget it. So Gabe working as an actor just doesn’t sit well with her—just rubs salt into an already raw wound. And being the eldest, he’s always had a huge measure set against him, and he’s never managed to meet it. But he’s got an impeccable sense of right and wrong.”
Dawn nodded. No doubt her being a teacher wasn’t helping any either.
