girl lowered her eyes and blushed. ‘He did say that it was all a misunderstanding that he had to go back to England, but that he would be back soon enough. He said I was a good girl and I was to look after you until he came back to Isfahan. He was afraid Mr. Ruddock got ideas about you!’
‘And what are you supposed to do if he does?’ Stephanie asked dryly.
‘I can always be there if you need me. He is intimidating, this Mr. Ruddock, don’t you think? He is so large!’
‘Gloria doesn’t seem to think so!’
Fatemeh laughed. ‘Gloria doesn’t have to work for him!’ She pursed up her lips thoughtfully. ‘You must not let Gloria make you do things you would rather not. She is English like yourself, but not at all the same. I would not take her home to meet my family.’
Touched by her obvious concern, Stephanie made a small movement of protest. ‘Gloria is all right. I think she’s a bit lonely.’
‘If she is, it is not for lack of company. She knows many men in the city, but few women. My brother knows her.’ Stephanie went on resolutely sorting out the papers in front of her. She would have liked to have asked Fatemeh what else she knew about Gloria, but she didn’t think she ought to encourage her to gossip. That was the hardest part of being the boss’s secretary, she was always inhibited when she was talking to the other girls in the office.
She picked up a new pile of letters an d rested them on her knee, riffling through them to get them into some kind of order before she carefully checked the date of each one in turn. It was only then she realised that there were letters there that she had never seen before. Yet on each one was her father’s initials followed by her own as the ostensible typist of the letter. She began to look at them more closely, putting the ones she knew nothing about in a separate pile on their own. Only when she had collected them all together did she begin to read through them, intrigued to find out what they were all about. And then she wished she hadn’t. They were mainly letters her father had written to the suppliers of most of the telecommunications equipment they had been waiting for. The only difference was that in these letters the whole order had been cancelled and in terms which had called forth an irate reply and threats to sue for breach of contract.
Stephanie hid the letters under her skirt without any idea as to what she was going to do with them. She went on sorting the rest of the papers automatically and in silence, hardly acknowledging Fatemeh’s delight in their progress at all.
‘Are you tired, Stephanie ? ’ the Persian girl asked her. ‘Shall I go now ? We can finish it tomorrow, yes ? ’
‘Yes, good idea,’ Stephanie agreed. She thanked the other girl as warmly as she could, swallowing down her relief in being left alone, and yet afraid to have no further excuse not to come to some decision about the letters she had found.
Yet when she was alone she went on sitting on the floor, doing nothing at all but trying to blink back the tears that suddenly afflicted her. She didn’t even notice when the door opened again and Cas came in.
‘Stephanie, I told you to get something done about that lift!’ He came nearer, reaching down and swinging her up on to her feet. ‘What’s happened now, little one? Whatever it is, it isn’t worth crying over, is it ? Have you got a handkerchief?’ He gave her a resigned look as she shook her head. ‘Of course not! What woman ever has? You’d better use mine, and then when you’ve dried out you can tell me all about it.’
CHAPTER IV
‘Now, what’s it all about?’
‘Nothing,’ she sobbed. ‘Absolutely nothing! Nothing I can tell you about anyway. You’re the last person I can tell!’
‘I hadn’t realised I was such an ogre!’ He put his arms right round her and buried her head in his chest. Accustomed as she was to being as tall, or very nearly so, as the men she knew, it had a
‘And what are you supposed to do if he does?’ Stephanie asked dryly.
‘I can always be there if you need me. He is intimidating, this Mr. Ruddock, don’t you think? He is so large!’
‘Gloria doesn’t seem to think so!’
Fatemeh laughed. ‘Gloria doesn’t have to work for him!’ She pursed up her lips thoughtfully. ‘You must not let Gloria make you do things you would rather not. She is English like yourself, but not at all the same. I would not take her home to meet my family.’
Touched by her obvious concern, Stephanie made a small movement of protest. ‘Gloria is all right. I think she’s a bit lonely.’
‘If she is, it is not for lack of company. She knows many men in the city, but few women. My brother knows her.’ Stephanie went on resolutely sorting out the papers in front of her. She would have liked to have asked Fatemeh what else she knew about Gloria, but she didn’t think she ought to encourage her to gossip. That was the hardest part of being the boss’s secretary, she was always inhibited when she was talking to the other girls in the office.
She picked up a new pile of letters an d rested them on her knee, riffling through them to get them into some kind of order before she carefully checked the date of each one in turn. It was only then she realised that there were letters there that she had never seen before. Yet on each one was her father’s initials followed by her own as the ostensible typist of the letter. She began to look at them more closely, putting the ones she knew nothing about in a separate pile on their own. Only when she had collected them all together did she begin to read through them, intrigued to find out what they were all about. And then she wished she hadn’t. They were mainly letters her father had written to the suppliers of most of the telecommunications equipment they had been waiting for. The only difference was that in these letters the whole order had been cancelled and in terms which had called forth an irate reply and threats to sue for breach of contract.
Stephanie hid the letters under her skirt without any idea as to what she was going to do with them. She went on sorting the rest of the papers automatically and in silence, hardly acknowledging Fatemeh’s delight in their progress at all.
‘Are you tired, Stephanie ? ’ the Persian girl asked her. ‘Shall I go now ? We can finish it tomorrow, yes ? ’
‘Yes, good idea,’ Stephanie agreed. She thanked the other girl as warmly as she could, swallowing down her relief in being left alone, and yet afraid to have no further excuse not to come to some decision about the letters she had found.
Yet when she was alone she went on sitting on the floor, doing nothing at all but trying to blink back the tears that suddenly afflicted her. She didn’t even notice when the door opened again and Cas came in.
‘Stephanie, I told you to get something done about that lift!’ He came nearer, reaching down and swinging her up on to her feet. ‘What’s happened now, little one? Whatever it is, it isn’t worth crying over, is it ? Have you got a handkerchief?’ He gave her a resigned look as she shook her head. ‘Of course not! What woman ever has? You’d better use mine, and then when you’ve dried out you can tell me all about it.’
CHAPTER IV
‘Now, what’s it all about?’
‘Nothing,’ she sobbed. ‘Absolutely nothing! Nothing I can tell you about anyway. You’re the last person I can tell!’
‘I hadn’t realised I was such an ogre!’ He put his arms right round her and buried her head in his chest. Accustomed as she was to being as tall, or very nearly so, as the men she knew, it had a
Similar Books
