Moon Witch. Anne Mather

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СКАЧАТЬ to getting what he wants. You mustn’t let our little differences of opinion upset you.’

      ‘Little differences of opinion,’ echoed Sara wildly. ‘You can’t call that argument a little difference of opinion! He—he doesn’t want me here! He’s made that perfectly plain, and for some reason he doesn’t trust me either. I—I couldn’t be happy—under those circumstances!’

      ‘Oh, Sara!’ J.K. sighed heavily. ‘I want you here. Isn’t that enough?’

      ‘But you’re not my guardian,’ she cried. ‘He is!’

      ‘Yes, and as such he ought to be ashamed of himself,’ muttered J.K. angrily.

      Sara shook her head. ‘I want to go home—I mean—back to the Masons, anyway!’

      ‘You see—you have no home!’ J.K. caught her arm. ‘Sara, be sensible! Jarrod is not here a lot. He spends most of his time in London, or abroad. We won’t have to worry about him, I assure you.’

      Sara continued to shake her head. ‘Please get my coat,’ she said tautly. ‘I want to leave!’

      J.K. compressed his lips, and then summoned Morris. As she put on her coat, he said: ‘Won’t you change your mind, Sara?’

      She moved to the door. ‘Thank you for everything, Mr. Kyle—oh, J.K. then,’ as he began to protest. ‘Is there someone who could take me home?’

      ‘Morris will have advised Potter,’ said J.K. wearily. ‘I wish you wouldn’t do this, Sara.’

      Sara managed a faint smile, and then opened the front door and hurried down the steps to the waiting Rolls. She glanced back once at J.K. standing alone at the top of the steps, and felt tears pricking her eyes. He looked alone, too, and she realised that he, too, was lonely. Oh well, she thought sadly, it’s too late now. Much too late!

      At the beginning of the following week, Sara had her interview with the Matron of the hospital. She was kind and sympathetic, and told her she would know the result of the interview within a few days. After that, it was just a question of waiting, and this Sara did with some impatience. In her free time, too many thoughts came to cloud her mind, and she was longing for a real job of work to banish all thoughts of J.K. and Malthorpe Hall, and most of all Jarrod Kyle, from her brain.

      One morning, towards the end of that week, the headmaster of the school came to see her while she was in the school library.

      ‘Ah, there you are Sara,’ he said. ‘You have a visitor.’ He smiled encouragingly. ‘He’s waiting in my office.’

      ‘A visitor!’ exclaimed Sara. ‘But—who, sir?’

      ‘A Mr. Kyle,’ said the headmaster thoughtfully. ‘Kyle. The name’s familiar. Of course, Kyle Textiles. Do you know him? Is he some relation of the textile manufacturers?’

      Sara felt the colour drain out of her cheeks. ‘Is he—is he young—or old?’

      ‘In his thirties, I’d say.’

      ‘Then—then he’s the chairman of the corporation,’ said Sara, swallowing hard, feeling slightly sick now. ‘Did he—did he say why he wanted to see me?’

      ‘The chairman,’ the headmaster was musing to himself reflectively. ‘What? Oh no, Sara, he didn’t say. But he seems very impatient, so I should hurry along if I were you. He’s waiting in my office, I’ll go and wait in the staff room.’

      ‘Thank you, sir.’ Sara managed a faint smile, and then walked quickly along the corridor towards the headmaster’s office. As she neared the office, her footsteps slowed, and she wondered desperately what he could want her for. Reaching the door, she hesitated, and then tapped before entering. Jarrod Kyle was sitting on the edge of the headmaster’s desk, smoking a cigar, looking tall and lean and disturbingly male. In dark clothes, his tan complementing the uncanny fairness of his hair, he looked every inch the rich, powerful businessman he was. In deference to her femininity, he stood up at her entrance, while she hovered beside the door nervously.

      ‘Either come in or go out,’ he said shortly, and with a grimace she entered and closed the door. ‘That’s better.’ He studied her intently for a moment, noticing her pale cheeks, and the faint shadows round her eyes. ‘You don’t look at all well.’

      Sara straightened her shoulders. ‘I’m perfectly all right, Mr. Kyle,’ she replied coolly.

      ‘Well, I’ll take your word for that, for the moment. Tell me, have you fixed yourself up with a job?’

      ‘I’m—I’m waiting for the results of my interview with the Matron of the Bridchester General,’ replied Sara carefully. ‘I’m very hopeful.’

      ‘I myself contacted the Matron this morning,’ he said, surprisingly. ‘You were accepted as a student nurse. I told her you would not be going.’

      ‘You did what!’ Sara stared at him in horror. ‘What do you mean by interfering in my affairs! Of course I shall be going! Oh, I shall have to get in touch with her at once——’

      ‘No, you won’t,’ he interrupted smoothly. ‘Because you will not be needing a job. You’re coming to live at Malthorpe—at least for the year which my father stipulated the other night!’

      Sara raised her head with a little touch of pride. ‘Oh no, Mr. Kyle. Now you’re mistaken! I have no intention of coming to live at Malthorpe—not now, or at some future date!’

      ‘But you are,’ he responded, with equal firmness. ‘Now, don’t let’s waste any more time. I shall see your headmaster myself, and you can collect your things. You won’t be coming back here.’

      ‘Don’t try your boardroom tactics on me, Mr. Kyle, because they just won’t work!’ she exclaimed angrily.

      ‘Boardroom tactics!’ he said, half amused at her fervour. ‘Boardroom tactics! You haven’t the first idea what boardroom tactics may be!’

      ‘Well, maybe not,’ she said hotly. ‘But you can’t make me do anything!’

      He thrust his hands into the pockets of his thick suede car coat. ‘Ah well, Miss Robins, there you are wrong,’ he said smoothly. ‘You’re forgetting! However unpleasant you may find the news, I am your guardian, and as such, I have absolute power over you. Unless, of course, you’d care to take me to court to prove otherwise. But somehow I don’t think you will. I could employ such a more satisfactory lawyer than you could!’

      Sara couldn’t believe her ears. ‘But why? Why? Heavens, only a week ago you were suggesting I was trying to—well, you know what you said!’

      ‘I know. My opinion has changed very little. However’—he held up a hand as she would have protested—‘however, my father is insistent that you be allowed to come to Malthorpe, and he can be very persuasive.’

      Sara’s eyes mirrored her disbelief. ‘Oh really,’ she exclaimed. ‘I can’t believe the hard, powerful Jarrod Kyle, chairman of Kyle Textiles, and Lord of the Universe, could be persuaded by his father!’ As soon as the words were spoken she was aghast at her own temerity, but instead of censure she saw a reluctant trace of admiration in his blue СКАЧАТЬ