Peacock's Walk

by Jane Corrie

  Jenny sat silent, although there was a lot she could have added to his somewhat sweeping statement about Mark's astuteness. In her case, his reasoning power appeared to have come unstuck—or perhaps it hadn't, she thought dryly. Any excuse was better than none when one wanted to get out from under, as she was sure he had when he had wanted to end the engagement.

  Silas's enthusiastic comments on the appetisingly prepared blue trout that was placed before them a few seconds later brought her out of her musings. 'If that tastes half as good as it looks, I can see I shall be sending the chef my compliments,' he said happily, as he added a few garnishings to Jenny's

  plate, only stopping when she indicated that she had enough.

  The trout and the course that followed, came well up to expectation, as Jenny had known it would, and the conversation lagged until full justice had been done to Tony's culinary efforts, but all too soon for Jenny's liking they were back to the subject she least wanted to discuss.

  'As fond as I am of that boy,' began Silas as he lit a cigar and puffed contentedly away at it. 'I want him settled back in England. There's Dilys, you see,' he said, as he refilled Jenny's glass before she could stop him. 'Er ... she's my niece,' he explained. 'She's got what I believe is called a "hang-up" on Mark.' He pursed his lips gently. 'Now I'm as fond of Dilys as any man would be of his only brother's daughter' —more so—particularly as my brother died when she was twelve. Her mother remarried some years later, but Dilys never really took to her stepfather, and consequently she's lived with me since then. In a sense, she's more of a daughter to me than a niece,' he hesitated a short while before he added significantly, 'and Mark's hung-up on you—so I guess I want to see things straightened out this end, one way or the other—not only for Dilys's sake, but for Mark's, too.'

  Jenny's eyes opened wide in astonishment at this calm statement. For goodness' sake, what had Mark told him? Had he used her as an excuse for not getting involved with the unfortunate Dily’s? It was all she could do not to turn round and see what Mark was making of the cosy chat she was having with his

  friend, and would dearly have liked to call him over and confront him with the absurd delusion Silas Hawter was labouring under. On recalling the wicked look in his eye when she had answered his comment on her being 'special', she decided to let well alone. This was something she had to handle on her own.

  Her wide eyes met Silas Hawter's earnest brown ones, and something in his expression stopped her from uttering a sharp 'Stuff and nonsense!' and made her remember that he had aided and abetted Mark Chanter for the simple reason that he loved his niece, and Jenny had no quarrel with that sentiment. As for Mark—if Silas Hawter's niece was anything like her uncle in character, she deserved someone better than Mark—although there was no accounting for tastes, she thought sadly.

  'You've not got your facts right,' she said gently. 'I don't know what Mark has told you about our association, but in spite of the fact that we were once engaged—an engagement, I might add, that he broke off, there is absolutely nothing between us now. In point of fact,' she went on firmly, 'I hadn't set eyes on him for two years until he came to Peacock's Walk to make an offer.'

  She smiled at Silas as she added, 'I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere if you want to find the reason behind his tardiness in getting involved with your niece. Has it occurred to you,' she asked suddenly, seeing no reason why she shouldn't say exactly what she thought on the matter, 'that there are some men who shy at marriage? My opinion, for what it's

  worth, is that Mark Chanter is one of those men.' She shrugged her slim shoulders-as she added, 'It does rather curb their activities, you know, particularly when they're as popular with the opposite sex as he is.' The added rider came out on a waspish note; and rather surprised Jenny, since she hadn't meant it to sound as if she was bitter.

  Silas Hawter nodded his head gently, as if he had received confirmation of some kind—of what, Jenny had no idea until he spoke. 'He hurt you a lot, didn't he?' he said in a low voice.

  Jenny gave an exasperated sigh as she replied quickly, 'As a matter of fact, he didn't.'.She pushed back a stray wisp of hair that had clung to her forehead in a movement that showed her impatience with the situation. 'Oh, dear, I haven't explained how it was very clearly, have I?' She was silent while she marshalled her thoughts to try again and put the facts before him in a way that he would understand, but before she could start again, Silas broke in with, 'Would you mind very much telling me why he broke off the engagement?'

  Jenny frowned and pulled her thoughts away from the explanation she was preparing to give him. It was as good a way as any, she thought as she answered lightly, 'I could say it was because he lost interest, and I wouldn't be telling a lie, but as you're bound to hear the other side of it, I might as well tell you the facts leading up to the ending

  of the engagement. To put it bluntly, he thought I was having an affair with Malcolm Peacock. Malcolm owned Peacock's Walk, I was his secretary.

  When Malcolm was killed in a car crash, I was his beneficiary. It was all Mark needed for proof, and he took full advantage of it by ending our engagement.'

  Again there was a silent nod from Silas, then he said musingly, 'I guessed it was something like that. He's a mighty proud man at that.'

  Jenny smiled ruefully at this. 'In that, I entirely agree with you. For the record, he was wrong, you know. Not that it matters now. What I'm trying to say is that trust is an absolute must for a happy marriage, and he hadn't got that trust, not with me anyway.' She looked up from the wine glass that she had been studying on the table before her and met her host's sympathetic eyes. `No, Mr Hawter, he didn't hurt me, not in the way you think he did. I was more hurt by the accusations he flung at me than the ending of the engagement. You might not believe that, but it's the truth,' she said simply,

  This time it was Silas Hawter who let out a short sigh. 'I wish we'd had this talk two years ago,' he said slowly. 'I knew something was eating him, but he just clammed up on me. Couldn't put my finger on just what was wrong with him. He spent most of that time in the States,' he explained to her. `More than was necessary. It was as if he was sitting something out,' he gave Jenny a wry grin, 'and he was, wasn't he?' and at Jenny's sceptical look he carried on with, 'Well, you didn't see him at that time, I did, but you can take my word for it, if it didn't go hard with you, it went hard with him, and that's for sure.'

  Jenny saw no point in contradicting him on this. Mark had probably been a very frustrated man at that time, not because he loved her, but because for once he had failed to achieve his target.

  A drawled 'Hi, Silas,' from the next table made Jenny remember that Mark had occupied the same table, and a horrible thought that he might have been listening to their conversation went through her mind. However, a swift glance towards the table as Silas Hawter returned the .greeting reassured her on this, because Mark was deep in conversation with another guest who had evidently been there for quite some time.

  'It was only,' resumed Silas a few minutes later, 'after I'd met up with a friend of his from the U.K., and was told to tell him that Peacock's Walk looked like coming on the market in the near future, that I got the connection.' He shot Jenny a quick look under his grey eyebrows. 'You've never seen such a change in a man. He'd packed within a matter of hours, and caught the next flight out to the U.K.'

  He stubbed out his cigar. 'And that brings us to Dilys. It's a long time since I saw her really smile, and that's saying a lot for a girl of only twenty—although you'd never know it from the way she gets herself up these days. All in aid of catching Mark's eye, of course, and no amount of advice to look elsewhere would serve. I guess,' he added on a sad note, 'that I had some idea of trying to make things come right for her.' He gave a wry grimace as he met Jenny's eyes. 'Call me an interfering old man, if you like, and I'd understand. You see,' he ended

  slowly, `Dily’s has what it takes to snare a man. She's quite a little beauty, even though I say it myself, and I know Ma
rk is fond of her. Given time, it could work out, but it looks as though he's got a few ghosts to lay first.'

  CHAPTER FOUR

  IN view of what Silas Hawter had told her the previous evening, and which had caused her to reexamine her earlier relationship with Mark, it was an extremely wary Jenny that turned up for work the following morning.

  To hear Silas Hawter tell it, she had broken Mark's heart, and no matter how hard she tried to envisage this state of affairs, it just didn't jell with what she knew of him. Men with broken hearts didn't rave and shout at their beloved, "did they? or give them no chance of defending themselves from the charges flung at them. More often than not, they would close their eyes to whatever peccadilloes they might have engaged upon, simply refusing to see any fault with the chosen one. Even so, the fact remained that he had wasted no time in putting in a bid for Peacock's Walk, and on the face of things, it certainly gave Mr Hawter's summing up of the situation a certain amount of credence; no matter how improbable it seemed to Jenny.

  This time she found Mark installed behind his desk, and met his cheerful greeting of, 'Good morning, jenny,' with equable calm, and as she settled

  herself behind her desk she noted that there was no sign of her previous day's work, that Malcolm normally signed and placed back on her desk for her to get off to the post. Mark must have come back to the office some time later and seen to them, she presumed, although he said nothing about them. It was some comfort to know that her work had been satisfactory she thought, and wondered just how long this state of affairs would exist.

  It was during their coffee break that the personal note that Jenny was dreading would eventually enter the conversation began with a casual, 'How did you enjoy your dinner date last night?' from Mark.

  'Very much,' answered Jenny cautiously, not sure how much more to add to this short statement.

  'Tell you about Dilys?' he asked abruptly, and gave her a mocking look that took in her slight flush.

  'As a matter of fact, he did,' she replied coldly, thinking it was hardly gentlemanly of him to mention the girl. It also occurred to her that he must have had some idea of what else they had talked about, and she hastily applied herself to a list of extra requirements that Dodie had sent in to the office for clearance.

  'He's got a bee in his bonnet about you and me,' he said softly, and to Jenny's way of thinking, silkily.

  'He had,' she replied sharply, 'But I managed to put him right on that. The niece, though, has my sympathy,' she added acidly.

  'Your slip is showing,' he remarked with a grin

  that widened as she sent a hasty glance down to her knees. 'Metaphorically speaking, that is,' he amended with amusement. 'Seriously, though, you'll like her. She's a nice kid, in spite of the crazy ideas she gets sometimes.'

  Did he mean her attachment to him? Jenny wondered. If so, she was in full agreement with him.

  'She'll be arriving on Wednesday,' he went on casually. 'Be nice to her, won't you? I want you two to get on.'

  Jenny stared at him. Why shouldn't she be nice to her? he surely didn't think ... 'Of course I shall make her welcome,' she replied curtly. But I thin' it's 'time I made one thing clear,' she added firmly. 'I've agreed to stay on as your secretary, and want no part of your personal involvements. You are not using me as a blind to cover your retreat from the altar on this occasion.'

  A flash of fury in his eyes showed her she had scored a hit where it hurt most, and for a moment it looked as if she would be made to pay for her audacity, but his heavy lids came down over his eyes, masking his fury as he replied smoothly, `So that's what you think of me, is it? Well, I hope in time to correct that line of thought. But just remember this. I did put a ring on your finger, and that ought to mean something to you. It was the first and last time for me.'

  As she caught the underlying bitterness in his voice, she looked away quickly. Anyone would think he was the only one who had got hurt—yet it was he that had ended the engagement. It was marvelous

  how one could twist the facts to suit their own requirements, but he was talking to the wrong person if he was trying to convince her that he had really cared. 'Poor Dilys,' she murmured softly.

  'Silas did open up his heart to you, didn't he?' he bit back swiftly.

  Jenny coloured, but her chin was high as she replied, 'He wanted to apologise for his part in misleading me as to who would really own the hotel.' With a gratified feeling she saw that the point had gone home, as his hand lying on the desk top clenched into a fist. 'I'm glad he did,' she said quietly. 'It helped me to understand. He did it because he loved his niece, and I have no quarrel with that. What I couldn't understand was why I had to be dragged into the business in the first place.' Her eyes met his coldly. 'As I said before, whatever part you've assigned to me in this rather pathetic case, I have no intention of fulfilling. Mr Hawter is now in possession of the true facts of our past association, so that lets me out, and I'm staying out,' she asserted firmly.

  Her colour deepened as she watched his narrowed eyes roam almost caressingly over her face, then rest on her white throat that her sleeveless, square necked dress left exposed, and she could almost feel the caress of his lips there as she had felt in the past, and hated him for making her remember.

  `So you haven't forgotten,' he said softly. 'We haven't finished, Jenny Grange—you owe me,' he added meaningly as his hard eyes met hers.

  'I owe you nothing!' snapped Jenny furiously, feeling her heart start to palpitate. She had to get a hold on herself or she was lost. He was too clever for her. She hadn't been a match for him before, and she hadn't changed one iota. It couldn't be love she felt for him, so it must be a kind of fear. Tony was right, she thought wildly, she ought to have got out while the going was good. He did intend to use her as a cover against the unfortunate Dilly’s, but it wouldn't stop at that, not if the look he had given her a moment ago was anything to go by.

  'Don't panic,' he said smoothly, taking full note of her wide eyes that so clearly mirrored her thoughts. 'We've plenty of time. I don't intend to rush you. This time you'll come to me—you have my word on that. As for wanting you to play a part —since when,' he shot out at her, 'have I delegated such work to others? I do not,' he ended on what sounded a regretful note, appear to have left you with a favourable impression of my capabilities. However, that is something else that will soon be righted. Now, I really think it's time we got down to some work, don't you?' he asked the still bemused Jenny, who started at his swift change of conversation, and searched for her notepad with fingers that trembled slightly.

  With Mark's assurance that he did not intend to push her into any situation without her full agreement, Jenny was able to relax her guard in the days that followed. That he was a man of his word she

  had no doubt, and in this instance she trusted him completely, and was even a little amused at his firm assumption that she would eventually break down under his compelling magnetism. Which only went to show, she told herself dryly, how much success he must have had with other women. The only thing that did worry her was that he was by no means a patient man, in spite of his calm remark about there being 'plenty of time'.

  It did occur to her that it might be a good idea if she joined forces with his latest conquest, Dily’s. With the two of them hanging round his neck, he might well beat a hasty retreat from the scene on the excuse of urgent business elsewhere! But Jenny couldn't trust herself to come out of such a situation entirely unscathed. Being in constant company with him, hearing his deep voice, and watching the dexterous way he handled his 'kingdom', she could well understand his fatal attraction to the opposite sex. He was so sure of himself, and, she had to admit a little grudgingly, a good boss to work for, and would find herself giving him surreptitious looks when she thought he was otherwise engaged. A chance remark of his after she had watched him on one occasion of, 'Wrong tie?' proved that he had been fully aware of her scrutiny, and had made her vow never to be caught out like that again.

 
That he was a good boss was borne home to her very shortly after he had taken over the hotel, for Tony's efforts to find Boots another situation came sadly unstuck after Boots had had a session with Mark shortly after handing in his notice.

  'He took it back,' said Tony disgustedly, 'and no matter how hard I tried to point out that a

  higher salary was no guarantee for future employ—

  ment, he wouldn't listen to me. Same with Flo,' he complained. 'I sounded her out on a job that was going at the Oxford, and that's a good place to get in at, but she wouldn't even consider it. Seems she's got a rise, too.' He gave Jenny a gloomy look. 'He's got them all hypnotised. I even caught Dodie giving him an approving nod the other day,' he added perplexedly, and gave Jenny a hard stare. 'I hope you're not joining the band waggon,' he said accusingly.

  Jenny smiled at this. 'No hope,' she replied brightly. 'Not in the way you mean, anyway,' and what Tony didn't know wouldn't worry him, she thought sagely, although it did strike her that there was no need for her to stay on now. It had obviously occurred to Tony, too. 'Just say the word and we'll start packing,' he said cheerfully.

  Jenny looked down at her hands, then out of the window of the small dining room where she sat. It adjoined the hotel kitchen, and was where members of staff usually had their meals. The table she sat at had always been reserved for her father and herself, and looked out on to the hotel's kitchen garden at the back of the premises. Her gaze lingered on an old gnarled tree from which hung a home-made swing that Jenny had used as a child many years ago. She said nothing, but some o; her thoughts were conveyed to the watchful Tony. 'It was a good idea,' he said slowly, 'but I know how you feel. I'm