Henry. The young man called Kevin was still favouring me with a thunderstruck glare when there was a stir behind him, and Henry himself bustled into view.
‘Ah, Shah, my dear, you’ve arrived. Good. Kevin, this is my new secretary. My nephew, Kevin Thurlanger. You’ll be seeing a lot of one another. Kevin—’
‘How do you do?’ I said, finding my voice and holding out my hand.
‘We’ve met.’ It was delivered with unpromising harshness, in the deep voice I remembered now too well. Kevin put his hand into mine for just long enough to be barely polite, glanced at his uncle, at me again, and moved to pass me. ‘Uncle, I’m just off,’ he said shortly. ‘Don’t wait dinner for me. I’ll be late.’
‘How unusually kind of you to warn me,’ Henry said with an irony which brought a faint flush to Kevin’s face—and then Henry took hold of my arm, turning me away from his nephew and leading me into the house.
‘How nice to see you, Shah,’ he said cordially. ‘No, don’t worry about your cases—I’ll have Ganner take them up to your room in a moment. Did you have a good journey? Come over here to the fire and warm yourself...’
The slam of the front door jerked me out of my numbness, and I found my voice again. I assured Henry that I had had a good journey, and then, feeling that I couldn’t ignore my meeting with Kevin as Henry was so blandly doing, I asked, ‘Is—is your nephew staying here?’
‘Kevin? He lives here. I’m sorry he couldn’t wait to be introduced to you properly. Always in a hurry.’ Henry smiled at me amiably, seemingly forgetful of the fact that this was the second time I had brushed against his nephew in spite of Kevin’s statement of the fact, and added, ‘You’ll see him later, of course. But tell me—did you manage to find something to eat on the train? I’m sure Mrs. Mott can find you something if you’re hungry. No? Well then, get yourself warm, and then you must be shown round. Esther’s out, I’m afraid. But Mrs. Mott can take you to your room, and do the honours. Sit down, and tell me how you are!’
How I was, at the moment, was very unsure of myself. I reminded myself that my entire family, though a little surprised, had accepted my taking a job as a secretary in Suffolk for the winter as a good move. Henry and my father had exchanged letters. My father had told me he was sure I’d enjoy myself chaperoning Mr. Thurlanger’s daughter. (Somehow, without my lying about it, it had been automatically assumed that I’d met Henry quite officially while I was in Grimsbridge—after all, Charlotte was So Sensible.) Now, unnerved by walking into the supercilious Kevin, I was quite sure Charlotte wasn’t at all sensible. Henry certainly hadn’t warned me that he was living here. However, there was no reason why he should—I was only an employee, after all. And here I was. I met Henry’s pleasant, friendly expression, and said weakly, ‘This is a—a lovely house.’
‘You like it?’ He looked round the wide panelled hall in which we were standing. ‘Yes, it’s pleasant. Previous Thurlangers seem to have had the taste to make only reasonable alterations. Parts of it are quite old—this fireplace, for example. Most of the heat goes up the chimney, but we have to light it to keep out the draught—do come closer, you must have had a cold journey.’ He indicated the wide, cowled fireplace with its stone, chimney jutting out into the room: a log fire blazed merrily. ‘There’s central heating in most of the house, of course. I refuse to live like an English country gentleman if it means being covered in ice. Ah, here’s Mrs. Mott. Let me introduce you.’
Mrs. Mott was fat and grey-haired and comfortable, and looked so much like a housekeeper that it was almost impossible to believe she was one. She had a comfortable voice, too, going up a little at the end of every sentence as if everything was a question. She smiled at me, shook my proffered hand,
‘Ah, Shah, my dear, you’ve arrived. Good. Kevin, this is my new secretary. My nephew, Kevin Thurlanger. You’ll be seeing a lot of one another. Kevin—’
‘How do you do?’ I said, finding my voice and holding out my hand.
‘We’ve met.’ It was delivered with unpromising harshness, in the deep voice I remembered now too well. Kevin put his hand into mine for just long enough to be barely polite, glanced at his uncle, at me again, and moved to pass me. ‘Uncle, I’m just off,’ he said shortly. ‘Don’t wait dinner for me. I’ll be late.’
‘How unusually kind of you to warn me,’ Henry said with an irony which brought a faint flush to Kevin’s face—and then Henry took hold of my arm, turning me away from his nephew and leading me into the house.
‘How nice to see you, Shah,’ he said cordially. ‘No, don’t worry about your cases—I’ll have Ganner take them up to your room in a moment. Did you have a good journey? Come over here to the fire and warm yourself...’
The slam of the front door jerked me out of my numbness, and I found my voice again. I assured Henry that I had had a good journey, and then, feeling that I couldn’t ignore my meeting with Kevin as Henry was so blandly doing, I asked, ‘Is—is your nephew staying here?’
‘Kevin? He lives here. I’m sorry he couldn’t wait to be introduced to you properly. Always in a hurry.’ Henry smiled at me amiably, seemingly forgetful of the fact that this was the second time I had brushed against his nephew in spite of Kevin’s statement of the fact, and added, ‘You’ll see him later, of course. But tell me—did you manage to find something to eat on the train? I’m sure Mrs. Mott can find you something if you’re hungry. No? Well then, get yourself warm, and then you must be shown round. Esther’s out, I’m afraid. But Mrs. Mott can take you to your room, and do the honours. Sit down, and tell me how you are!’
How I was, at the moment, was very unsure of myself. I reminded myself that my entire family, though a little surprised, had accepted my taking a job as a secretary in Suffolk for the winter as a good move. Henry and my father had exchanged letters. My father had told me he was sure I’d enjoy myself chaperoning Mr. Thurlanger’s daughter. (Somehow, without my lying about it, it had been automatically assumed that I’d met Henry quite officially while I was in Grimsbridge—after all, Charlotte was So Sensible.) Now, unnerved by walking into the supercilious Kevin, I was quite sure Charlotte wasn’t at all sensible. Henry certainly hadn’t warned me that he was living here. However, there was no reason why he should—I was only an employee, after all. And here I was. I met Henry’s pleasant, friendly expression, and said weakly, ‘This is a—a lovely house.’
‘You like it?’ He looked round the wide panelled hall in which we were standing. ‘Yes, it’s pleasant. Previous Thurlangers seem to have had the taste to make only reasonable alterations. Parts of it are quite old—this fireplace, for example. Most of the heat goes up the chimney, but we have to light it to keep out the draught—do come closer, you must have had a cold journey.’ He indicated the wide, cowled fireplace with its stone, chimney jutting out into the room: a log fire blazed merrily. ‘There’s central heating in most of the house, of course. I refuse to live like an English country gentleman if it means being covered in ice. Ah, here’s Mrs. Mott. Let me introduce you.’
Mrs. Mott was fat and grey-haired and comfortable, and looked so much like a housekeeper that it was almost impossible to believe she was one. She had a comfortable voice, too, going up a little at the end of every sentence as if everything was a question. She smiled at me, shook my proffered hand,
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