disappointment. 'It's not as good as my usual place, I think I was misled about this girl's abilities. If I come again, I shall expect you.'
When she had gone, Crispin turned a quizzical glance on Hester. 'You didn't get on,' he murmured reproachfully. 'Instant dislikes aren't good for business, Hester.'
'A mutual antipathy,' Hester said gravely, and Crispin looked surprised.
'Now you've really shaken me, darling! I've never known that happen with you before, but if I thought you were going to make a habit of it, I suppose I should be glad you're leaving to get married, but I
do
wish you'd told me before—that you're leaving, I mean. I think I deserve better from you than a few days' notice, don't I?' He shook his head sadly. 'And then I didn't have the information from you—you left it to your feller to tell me, which he did less than half an hour ago—by telephone. It's going to put me in a spot, you've several ladies booked for next week.'
Hester felt she had enough troubles of her own without getting involved in Crispin's. 'Sorry, maestro, not my fault, truly. It's as much news to me as it is to you. Oh,' as she saw his eyebrows go up like a startled faun's, 'I knew, of course but I didn't know when, not exactly. I suppose he's arranged things more quickly than he expected.' It was the only way she could think of on the spur of the moment to explain things, and she said it with a painful smile on her face while she damned Demetrios to hell for his officious interference.
This showed how much he trusted her, not even as far as he could throw her! She gave a mental shrug; she couldn't expect much more—she'd done nothing to give him a good opinion of her, quite the reverse!
Crispin surveyed her judiciously. 'Are you thinking of working after you're married, perhaps?'
'I shouldn't think so,' Hester embroidered the truth a bit. 'My fiancé's a widower with a young daughter, so I expect to have my work cut out for quite a while. Don't tell me I'll leave you short-staffed—you'll be able to promote another girl in my place and start a beginner. There's no shortage on the labour market.'
'I was going to promote another girl anyway.' Crispin fiddled with a tail-comb almost as if he was embarrassed. 'I'm opening another salon in Knightsbridge and I was thinking, if you had a bit of capital, I'd take you in as a partner and you could manage this place on a profit-sharing basis. You'd have been manageress here in any case, even if you couldn't put anything into the business.'
'Now you tell me!' Hester sighed disgustedly. It was what she had always wanted and the offer had come too late. .'Sorry, Cris, but I don't think my future husband would care for the idea.'
'Later on he might, so bear it in mind,' Crispin suggested. 'Leave it a while—I'll keep the offer open. These days most married women work, so wait until the old man starts finding how expensive it is to keep two on a salary which seems to buy less every week. He might change his mind!'
Hester's doorbell gave a prolonged peal and she ceased to squeeze gently at her tights which she was washing in the handbasin. With a sigh, she wiped her hands free of soapsuds and went to answer the door, knowing full well who was leaning against the bellpush.
'You'll wear out the battery,' she muttered darkly. 'There's nothing wrong with my ears.'
'Your ears—' Demetrios stepped into the hall, casually well dressed and with a folded raincoat over his arm. He put out a hand and lifted a heavy swathe of hair lying against her neck. 'I think they're charming, like the rest of you,' his finger touched, her ear and she shrank away, frowning. 'Except for that bad-tempered scowl you're wearing,' he was bland.
'The sight of you makes me bad-tempered,' she scolded, while Vilma's most objectionable remark still rang in her ears—'add you to his harem'. She'd even found herself repeating it under her breath over and over again. It had one good effect, however—she wasn't in
When she had gone, Crispin turned a quizzical glance on Hester. 'You didn't get on,' he murmured reproachfully. 'Instant dislikes aren't good for business, Hester.'
'A mutual antipathy,' Hester said gravely, and Crispin looked surprised.
'Now you've really shaken me, darling! I've never known that happen with you before, but if I thought you were going to make a habit of it, I suppose I should be glad you're leaving to get married, but I
do
wish you'd told me before—that you're leaving, I mean. I think I deserve better from you than a few days' notice, don't I?' He shook his head sadly. 'And then I didn't have the information from you—you left it to your feller to tell me, which he did less than half an hour ago—by telephone. It's going to put me in a spot, you've several ladies booked for next week.'
Hester felt she had enough troubles of her own without getting involved in Crispin's. 'Sorry, maestro, not my fault, truly. It's as much news to me as it is to you. Oh,' as she saw his eyebrows go up like a startled faun's, 'I knew, of course but I didn't know when, not exactly. I suppose he's arranged things more quickly than he expected.' It was the only way she could think of on the spur of the moment to explain things, and she said it with a painful smile on her face while she damned Demetrios to hell for his officious interference.
This showed how much he trusted her, not even as far as he could throw her! She gave a mental shrug; she couldn't expect much more—she'd done nothing to give him a good opinion of her, quite the reverse!
Crispin surveyed her judiciously. 'Are you thinking of working after you're married, perhaps?'
'I shouldn't think so,' Hester embroidered the truth a bit. 'My fiancé's a widower with a young daughter, so I expect to have my work cut out for quite a while. Don't tell me I'll leave you short-staffed—you'll be able to promote another girl in my place and start a beginner. There's no shortage on the labour market.'
'I was going to promote another girl anyway.' Crispin fiddled with a tail-comb almost as if he was embarrassed. 'I'm opening another salon in Knightsbridge and I was thinking, if you had a bit of capital, I'd take you in as a partner and you could manage this place on a profit-sharing basis. You'd have been manageress here in any case, even if you couldn't put anything into the business.'
'Now you tell me!' Hester sighed disgustedly. It was what she had always wanted and the offer had come too late. .'Sorry, Cris, but I don't think my future husband would care for the idea.'
'Later on he might, so bear it in mind,' Crispin suggested. 'Leave it a while—I'll keep the offer open. These days most married women work, so wait until the old man starts finding how expensive it is to keep two on a salary which seems to buy less every week. He might change his mind!'
Hester's doorbell gave a prolonged peal and she ceased to squeeze gently at her tights which she was washing in the handbasin. With a sigh, she wiped her hands free of soapsuds and went to answer the door, knowing full well who was leaning against the bellpush.
'You'll wear out the battery,' she muttered darkly. 'There's nothing wrong with my ears.'
'Your ears—' Demetrios stepped into the hall, casually well dressed and with a folded raincoat over his arm. He put out a hand and lifted a heavy swathe of hair lying against her neck. 'I think they're charming, like the rest of you,' his finger touched, her ear and she shrank away, frowning. 'Except for that bad-tempered scowl you're wearing,' he was bland.
'The sight of you makes me bad-tempered,' she scolded, while Vilma's most objectionable remark still rang in her ears—'add you to his harem'. She'd even found herself repeating it under her breath over and over again. It had one good effect, however—she wasn't in
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