Peacock's Walk

by Jane Corrie

  Jenny stared at him and almost gasped at his

  audacity. She could speak the truth and say there was no one, but on second thoughts he might leave her alone if there was someone else in the running. This thought, however, was soon replaced by the certain surety that he knew very well that there was no one; she had made sure of that by rebuffing any would-be suitors. 'I don't see that that's any of your business,' she contented herself with.

  `Ah, but I do want my staff to be happy,' he replied smoothly. 'I'm rather partial to the personal approach, you know. It makes for good relations all round.'

  'I'm sure that whoever takes over from me will be happy to know that,' Jenny got out, willing herself to stay calm. 'I presume it is the secretarial position you had in mind for me?' She paused at the look of mockery in his eyes as she said this and could guess his thoughts. A feeling of complete helplessness passed over her, and with it a wish to hit back hard and hurt this man as much as he had hurt her. It was a feeling totally alien to her nature, bringing a lost, uncertain backlash in its wake. All her previous values had disappeared in a puff of smoke. She had never hurt anyone before, at least, not consciously so, but just give her a chance to get her own back on this man and she would jump at it! 'I only agreed to stay on because Mr Hawter specifically asked me to,' she resumed slowly. 'At your direction, I suppose?' she asked in a tight hard voice, the dislike she felt for him plainly visible in her eyes as she looked at him.

  He gave her a complacent nod, as if to say she

  ought to have known this, and Jenny received an inner sense of shock as she digested the fact that her open hostility towards him did not infuriate him; if anything it seemed to cause him some gratification, and she was doubly grateful to providence that she was not dependent in any way on him, because there would be precious little understanding between them.

  'You wanted all the staff retained,' he answered smoothly. 'Under those conditions I deemed it wiser to keep you on as well. It might have caused a few difficulties otherwise.' He gave her a speculative look. 'They're very attached to you, aren't they?' he observed caustically.

  Jenny privately conceded this point, although it was only the older staff who felt they owed allegiance to her, and it was they who held the most responsible positions in the hotel. Looking at it from that point of view it made sense. Even so, Mark must have known what her reaction would have been when she found out that he owned the hotel. It struck her that he had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure the smooth running of the hotel, and she wondered why. It was not as if he couldn't replace any member of staff at a day's notice; he had enough hotel staff at his command to cover any such vacancies—including secretarial staff, she thought scathingly.

  'I'm sure,' he went on carefully, 'that when you think things over, you will retract what I presume to be your notice. You signed a contract, remember, and if you fail to honour it, I am under no obliga-

  tion to fulfill my part of it. In other words, Miss Grange, if you go, so does the rest of the staff, and I shall return to my original plans in keeping such staff as I think suitable for the work entailed.'

  The indignation Jenny felt at this pompous ultimatum was soon replaced by a dawning realization of the clever tactics now being used on her—and she had very nearly fallen for it! He had quite deliberately riled her into reacting in just the way she had reacted. He knew she didn't need the money, so the job was not essential to her, and had taken great pains to outline the future for her as his secretary —for she would be his secretary; no manager would be appointed here, as was the usual procedure in his other hotels, instinctively she was certain of this, just as surely as she was now certain of the reason why he had insisted on retaining her. It was simple really, and she ought to have seen it coming. Tony, she thought sadly, hadn't been all that far wrong when he had said she couldn't see the wood for the trees. She drew in a deep breath—it wasn't a wood, it was a great forest—no, forest wasn't the right definition, more akin to a jungle where the tiger stalked its prey. The tiger was sitting right in front of her, waiting to pounce at any given moment. She shivered at the thought, and told herself she was being fanciful.

  She looked back at him and found, as she had expected, that he was watching her closely, waiting for her to throw the job in his face regardless of the consequences of her actions. He would assume that her pride would force her to leave, but he didn't

  really know her—he never had. Pride was something she could do without when it concerned the welfare of the people she loved. It was her pride that Mark had gambled on—a ploy that would have worked with anyone else, herself included, if it hadn't concerned others.

  There was a little consolation for her in the fact that he was about to find that his strategy in getting rid of not only her, but the older staff that he had not wanted to keep on, had suffered a severe setback.

  Her head was held high as her wide grey-green eyes met his hard grey stare unflinchingly as she replied haughtily, 'It seems I must thank you for reminding me of my responsibilities. Under the circumstances, I have no option but to stay on.'

  Her gaze remained fixed on his face, hoping to witness the fury this decision brought, but there was no alteration in his expression, although when he answered, Jenny caught a hint of mockery in his eyes—a challenge maybe? she wondered. Her lips set in a firm line. He could be as obnoxious as he liked, it wouldn't get him anywhere. She was not as soft as she had been two years ago, and if he dared to even attempt to 'kick over the traces' as he had put it, with her, then he would soon be acquainted of this fact.

  As if sensing her thought, he said softly, 'Don't worry, I'm not short of feminine company at the moment.'

  To her fury, Jenny felt herself flush, and to cover her confusion, she snapped out, 'Are there any other

  arrangements you'd like made?' adding meaningly, `for our guests.'

  Mark Chanter's mouth quirked slightly at the corners, as if regretting the sudden change of conversation. 'It all seems in order,' he remarked dryly, 'for which you have my congratulations. I like you like that,' he shot out at her, catching her unawares as she made a few notes on the notepad she had picked up ready to resume her secretarial duties.

  Her flush deepened as she replied caustically, 'As you once said, I am a good secretary and will, I hope, continue to be, in spite of the changed circumstances. One thing I would ask you to bear in mind, and that is that our relationship should remain a business one. Nothing else is sought, or indeed, wanted.' -

  Mark's eyes narrowed at .this, and he replied harshly, 'Aren't you meeting your fences a little early? I'm not likely to make the same mistake again, if that's what you're referring to.' His glance flickered over her, taking in her soft cashmere sweater of a shade of green that highlighted her eyes, and passed on from her neatly tailored grey skirt to her shapely nyloned legs and her small feet encased in grey moccasins. 'Peacock must have had quite a lot going for him where you were concerned,' he added pointedly, 'but the perks helped too, didn't they? One mustn't forget that. At least you know where you are with me. I'm not likely to add to that little nest egg he left you. Yes, Miss Grange—ours will be a business relationship, and don't go back to the clinging vine type, will you? In

  case you're ever tempted to do so in the future, I've gone off that act.'

  He pointed to the chair from which Jenny had risen before making her way towards the door. She didn't have to stand this kind of barbed torture; he said he had nothing else for her to make a note of, and she saw no reason to stay. 'Sit down, please, I haven't finished. You really must remember who's calling the tune now, and this is business,' he added harshly. 'It was you who brought the personal angle into the limelight, remember. Now that we've got that straight, there's a few other things I wanted to discuss with you, such as future policies. Peacock's Walk is now under Chanter Administration and there are certain rules I shall expect adhered to.'

  It was no easy task for Jenny to concentrate on the rules he was reeling out to her, l
et alone keep the notebook steady in her trembling hands, but she somehow managed it, and hoped her concentration, now centred on the page she was covering with her neat shorthand, would hide the conflict raging inside her, willing herself to remember the reason why she had accepted the job, and as unpalatable as it was obviously going to be, why she had to see it through.

  CHAPTER THREE

  A SHORT while after Mark had left her, Jenny sat alone in the office that had once been her domain, but would from now on be shared, if that was the right word, she thought unhappily, with the august person of Mark Chanter. That he expected her to revert to her original role, to not only take over the secretarial duties but to share the same office as her boss, as she had done with Malcolm, he had left her in no doubt by obliquely remarking that he presumed the other desk was about somewhere; and would she arrange to have it reinstated back to its previous position.

  This meant having a word with Rose, for the desk had been allotted to reception shortly after Jenny had taken over the running of the hotel. At this thought she winced, for it brought to mind the next worry on her agenda—that of telling the staff that they were now part of the Chanter group, and posting up a list of the rules they would now be expected to adhere to.

  Hard on the heels of this miserable thought came another one even more unpalatable than the last one. Tony had to be told of the identity of the new

  owner of Peacock's Walk, and then Dodie would have to be put into the picture. She swallowed as she envisaged Dodie's amazed reaction at the news she had to impart to her.

  Of Tony's reaction she hardly dared think! He could, and very probably would, take her to task for not foreseeing what had happened, although how she could have done was beyond her present reasoning.

  It did not occur to her that the delicate task of explaining the position to the staff would be carried out by the man himself, and when thinking about it afterwards, Jenny ought to have known this. He did not believe in delegating such responsibilities to others. The staff were now under his direction, and he lost no time in enlightening them on this fact.

  This was related to Jenny by a scowling Tony, who joined her just before lunch as she was still debating whether she ought to call a meeting of staff, or whether to see them individually, and in the case of the older staff, reassure them that their jobs were not at risk and that they would keep the positions they held. She had just decided on the latter course, when Tony stalked into the office after giving a short perfunctory knock.

  'I've just attended a very enlightening meeting in the staff room,' he said without preamble. 'Called by one Mark Chanter,' he added significantly, and gave the startled Jenny a curt nod. 'Said it was too pat, didn't I?' he tacked on sourly.

  Jenny looked away quickly, waiting for the sermon she was sure she was about to receive, and was

  a little surprised when nothing else was said. As she watched him perch himself in his favourite position on the corner of the desk, the thought went through her mind that he wouldn't ever get the opportunity of doing that again. She couldn't see the new owner of Peacock's Walk accepting what he would term as familiarity from the members of staff, in spite of his earlier assertion of wanting the staff to be happy and believing in the personal approach.

  Tony's gloomy acceptance of the situation made her feel worse. She would have felt much better if he had lectured her, for she had, as he had said not very long ago, thrown her hat over the windmill with a vengeance, and there was no retrieving it.

  She looked down at her hands. 'As usual, you were right,' she said in a low voice. 'I took everything at face value, didn't I? And it's too late to back out now.' She looked back at Tony, who was studying her closely with a worried expression in his eyes. `I'm sorry, Tony, I ought to have made more enquiries. You did warn me.' She shrugged her slim shoulders. 'I was so sure I was doing the right thing,' she ended miserably.

  'Wouldn't have done any good if you had made enquiries,' he said dolefully. 'You'd only have found out what Mark Chanter wanted you to find out. The Company's registered in America. Enquiries this end wouldn't have helped, would they?'

  Jenny grinned weakly at his stout attempt to make her feel better.

  `Why did he change his mind about keeping all

  the staff on?' he asked her suddenly, trying to sound offhanded, but Jenny knew better. Like Dodie, he was trying to find out, how this affected her, and she saw no reason why she shouldn't put him in the picture. He had to know some time, and to mislead him now would cause a lot of complications later.

  'Because he knew I wouldn't sell otherwise,' she said slowly. 'I told him that when he made the first offer, remember? He also,' she went on hoping her voice did not show the depression she felt, 'thought it would be a good idea if I stayed on as well.'

  `Did he?' growled Tony. 'I hope you put him right on that score. From what he said at that meeting, I gather he intends to favour us with his presence for some time to come.' He gave Jenny a searching look. 'And where does that leave you?' he demanded.

  Jenny drew in a deep breath. 'Right where I came in,' she answered slowly, 'doing secretarial work.'

  'His secretary?' Tony asked with raised brows, and as she nodded confirmatively, he exploded, 'Well, he's got a nerve! Not that I'm all that surprised, mind you,' he hinted darkly. 'No doubt he hopes to take on from where he thought Malcolm left off.'

  This was so near the truth that Jenny couldn't help giving him a startled stare, and this confirmed his suspicions. He leant towards her and wagged an admonishing finger at her. 'If you know what's good for you, you'll go right to your rooms and pack,' he advised her sternly. 'I'm giving you the sort of ad-

  vice your father would have given you,' he added grimly. 'Note my words, Mark Chanter mightn't want marriage, but he's no objection to the perks that go with it.'

  `Tony! ' gasped a red-cheeked Jenny. 'It wasn't like that at all—and well you know it! '

  'I know it,' answered Tony, 'but he didn't. And that's precisely how he sees things.'

  Jenny's flush died down and she gave him a curious look. 'Why do you hate him so much, Tony?' she asked quietly.

  He shrugged expressively. 'I loathe all playboys,' he said sourly. 'Have everything handed to them on a plate—education, the lot, and they get to expect things to drop into their laps from the skies. He's no different from the rest.' He gave her a sharp look. 'It's my belief he's come back for a second bite at the cherry, and you're no match for him. It must have been galling for him with his looks and money to get as far as putting a ring on your finger, only to find himself pipped at the post by his friend, and a man like that doesn't forget the past. His pride wouldn't allow it.'

  His expression softened as it rested on Jenny, who was looking down at her hands. 'I'll tell you something else, too,' he added gently. 'If a vote was put to the staff right now on whether you ought to stay on, the answer would be a deafening no—they saw what happened. It took us a year to get that shell-shocked look out of your eyes—we haven't forgotten either '

  Jenny's eyes glistened as she looked up at him

  and replied, 'You've forgotten Malcolm, Tony. It all happened at the same time, remember?'

  Tony shook his head adamantly. 'That wasn't the way we saw it,' he muttered. 'And we'd all feel a lot easier if you walked out of the job.'

  With a sigh that told Tony that he was on a losing streak, Jenny gave a wry smile. 'I know you won't believe this,' she began firmly, 'but I'm in no danger whatsoever of "going soft", as you put it, over Mark Chanter again. Furthermore,' she added with a glint in her eye, 'I simply don't see why I should give him the opportunity of getting rid of the staff he didn't want to employ.' She flung him a challenging look. 'In spite of what you think, Tony, he wants me out—so I'm afraid your notion of amorous intent doesn't hold water. He wanted me to throw the job in his face and walk out—but I didn't oblige him—not when I realised the purpose behind the offer.'

  Her small hands clenched as she added staunchly, `So I stay,
and so do the others. I'm not,' she got in quickly as Tony started to interrupt her, 'being a martyr. I know you and Dodie have something to fall back on if the worst comes to the worst, but Thomas and Flo James haven't—neither has Boots. I intend to stay put until we've found them alternative work elsewhere—and when that's done, then I'll walk out gladly, so you can tell them that. I don't suppose any of them will be too keen on staying anyway—not if they feel the same way as you do about things, but I'm not leaving until they have another job to go to.' Her chin lifted defiantly,

  'We go in our own good time, Tony—not in his.'

  With this stout declaration, Tony had to accept defeat, but was not at all happy with the situation. He left her shortly afterwards muttering something about getting on to friends of his in the trade who might know of a few vacancies suitable for their requirements. As for himself, he reminded Jenny of her earlier suggestion of opening a restaurant somewhere, and said the idea had been a good one and he would make a few enquiries in that direction.

  There was a hint of tears in her eyes as she gazed at the closed door after he had left her. He was making sure he kept an eye on her, she thought. She would be given no time to mope, Tony would see to that, and although she was grateful, she did wish he would realise that she was old enough to look out for herself now. On this thought she sighed. Old habits die hard. If it wasn't Tony fussing over her, it would be Dodie, so she might as well accept their protectiveness for what it was, a sincere wish for her happiness—just that, and nothing more.

  The following morning Jenny was surprised to find her desk in position in the corner of the large office, complete with typewriter—just as it had been in Malcolm's time, particularly as she had omitted to ask Rose for its return the day before, and her cheeks tinged pink when she realised that Mark had made certain that she fulfilled her duties forthwith by personally attending to the matter. A deeper pink suffused her cheeks when she thought of Rose's reaction to the news that Jenny had become his secretary.