Tasmanian Tangle by Jane Corrie

acclimatise herself to her new position, not to mention the traumatic events of the last few hours. At least he was offering her a breathing space, but she wouldn't need as long as six months. It was plain, however, that he would not hear of a shorter time limit. 'Very well,' she said stiffly, and turned towards the office door with a feeling of thankfulness that it was all over.
    'Thank you,' replied Kade gravely, as he walked to the door and unlocked it for her. 'I know I can rely on you to keep your word,' he added meaningly, as she began to move out of the office.
    The significance of his last words was not lost on her as she passed the now apprehensive Melanie who sat at her desk giving a good imitation of a frantically busy secretary, but Tanya was not fooled. She had a shrewd guess that Melanie had been hovering outside the office door in an attempt to listen in to the conversation. The bare fact that Kade had locked the door after Tanya's entrance ensured this.
     
    Kade's words lingered in her mind as she went back to the invoicing department, smothering a longing to walk right out of the works, and indulge in a haze of misery. Under the circumstances, Kade wouldn't expect her to carry on as if nothing had happened, but Tanya badly needed an occupation to take her mind off her troubles. The busy hub of the invoicing section would provide just such a sanctuary. There were no personal issues there, just work and more work.
    Her assumption that Kade would not expect her to keep on working was shortly proved wrong by a telephone message passed on to her by Mrs Rodgers, who came to find her as she was filling in an export form under the guidance of the cheerful girl Tanya had been assigned to work with in that section. 'Mr Player has just told me you'll be working in the main office block tomorrow,' she told Tanya, adding kindly, 'We shall be sorry to lose you.'
    Tanya acknowledged the sincere compliment with a small smile, but her mind was very busy. She had a feeling that Kade was checking up on her, and wondered what he would have done if Mrs Rodgers had told him that she had not gone back to the section. He would have gone to find her, she thought with a flash of unwelcome insight. She had given her word and he intended that she should keep it.
    She wondered what would happen if she packed her bags that night and walked out early the following morning. She could do; there was nothing to stop her, she had enough money to get her to Hobart. At this thought her fingers clenched round the pen she was holding, but as Kade had so baldly put it, 'What then?' She had no experience of work to fall back on. Her
     
    mother had seen to her education, she had been sent to a prohibitively expensive school in Switzerland, where she had received a good education but precious little else, since the young ladies who attended such an establishment were not expected to seek their own living afterwards.
    Even if she found some kind of employment such as waiting at tables in a cafe, or serving in a shop, it would only be a matter of time before Kade tracked her down. He had accused her of having too much pride, but what about him? Wasn't it pride that had made him force her to stay when she wanted to leave? She recalled his voice when he had said that he had failed. It hadn't sounded like him, and it wasn't him! He had only said that to try and get Tanya's co-operation. He had no intention of failing. It would have hurt his pride if he had been unable to keep his promise to her father, and that was really all that it amounted to, and had nothing to do with his wanting to watch out for her future.
    Tanya's expression was grim as she handed the form she had just completed back to the girl for checking. The girl, who had been somewhat startled by Tanya's expression, said hastily, 'It's fine, Miss Hume, don't worry about it. They're quite easy once you get the hang of them.'
    Tanya blinked at the girl for a moment or so before she realised