Page 46 of The Importance of Being Emma
Batty got her breath back first, of course. ‘Oh dear, I couldn’t help him, although I did wonder about Mrs Burn,’ — knowing look at Mark — ‘she might want the work if you’re going back to India to, um, sort things out with . . . ?’
‘I’m not going anywhere until my father’s home, as planned,’ he said smoothly. ‘But I’ll ask Mrs Burn if she can spare a few hours. And now Emma and I really must go. Otherwise, from what John’s told me, we’ll be spending the afternoon parked on the M25. Got everything, Emma? We can call in on Henry on our way out.’
I grabbed my Louis Vuitton dress carrier and briefcase and almost hustled Batty out of the room. Harriet was nowhere to be seen, so I scribbled her a note of the work she needed to do and followed Mark along to Dad’s office.
Dad was at his desk, contemplating a dry cracker with the air of a martyr.
‘Don’t wait up,’ I said, ‘we’ll probably be back quite late. But I’ll phone you after dinner, just so you know I’ve survived Ashridge’s haute cuisine.’
‘Yes, do that, darling. And Mark — drive carefully, won’t you?’
I cut in before Mark could answer. ‘Come on, Dad, you know I couldn’t be in safer hands.’
With a reassuring smile, I kissed my father goodbye and left him to the prospect of an even quieter evening than usual.
* * *
~~MARK~~
The journey to Ashridge went quickly, despite a build-up of traffic on the M25. A light rain was falling, nothing too troublesome. I’d brought a lunch of sandwiches and fruit, which we ate in the car.
At first we talked about family matters: John, Izzy and the children, my father’s latest cruise report and her father’s current health fad. Then, as the traffic started to flow more freely, I tackled her about Jane Fairfax.
‘I’m pleased you decided to have Jane working in Marketing.’
She gave a scornful laugh. ‘Actually I didn’t, it was decided for me. Batty can be so bloody devious sometimes and Saint Jane’s just as bad.’
I pretended she hadn’t spoken. ‘She’ll be an asset to your team. Highly intelligent, I seem to remember.’
She went straight on the defensive. ‘Are you suggesting I’m not?’
‘Not at all, but I have a few doubts about your emotional intelligence.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning you have to learn to get on with the Jane Fairfaxes of this world. And you’ll meet far worse, believe me.’ I glanced at her; she was frowning, and the tip of her tongue was just visible between her lips. I kept my eyes firmly on the road ahead and continued, ‘I can’t understand what you’ve got against Jane. You really should be more friendly to her, she’s had nothing like the advantages in life that you’ve had.’
‘No obvious reason, then, for her to be so — so stuck up!’
‘She’s just shy.’
Another scornful laugh. ‘I’d call her sly, not shy. And I’m suspicious about this Weymouth fiasco. I think she’s had a fling with her friend’s husband but he doesn’t want to leave his wife, who’s just moved to Ireland with him. He wanted Saint Jane to go too, so she must be playing hard to get by coming here . . . Not that I know anything for definite,’ she said hurriedly. ‘Just call it a woman’s intuition.’
I refrained from pointing out that her woman’s intuition had let her down big time where Elton was concerned. I merely said, ‘You’d better keep your thoughts to yourself, you know how fast rumours spread in Highbury.’
She was highly indignant. ‘I don’t spread rumours, I wouldn’t dream of lowering myself to gossip about people.’ She added, without any apparent irony, ‘By the way, Kate says Flynn Churchill’s in London today, meeting the BBC about a TV contract worth mega bucks. He’s spending the week in town, then coming to Highbury. Just think, we’ll meet him at last!’
‘I can’t wait.’
‘You’re always rubbishing him when you don’t even know him.’
I managed a grim smile. ‘No, and I don’t particularly want to, unlike the rest of Highbury. I don’t approve of the way he treats Tom — and now Kate. Of course, if they’d been the ones with the money, you wouldn’t have been able to keep him away.’
‘You think it all boils down to money, don’t you? You can’t imagine he has genuine feelings for that old dragon Stella!’ Her tone softened. ‘I think he must be a very kind and considerate man, putting up with her all this time.’
My patience snapped. ‘It just doesn’t add up. If he’s so kind and considerate, why isn’t he like that with Tom?’
‘Because Stella has no one else but Flynn.’
