Buttoned-Up Secretary, British Boss Read online

  ‘I’d like all this typed up ASAP—and then I want to hear you read it out,’ he said, deliberately keeping his tone formal. He sighed. ‘I think I’m getting there, at last, and not before time,’ he added, handing Sabrina a thick sheaf of papers.

  Sabrina couldn’t help smiling inwardly. As he had said would be the case, today and from now on it would be business as usual. She was his secretary and he was the boss. Could it only have been a handful of hours ago that they’d sat opposite each other, drinking wine, letting their hair down, telling each other things?

  She avoided looking at him again, immediately setting to work, and before long she found herself engrossed in the writing she was typing out. He was an outstanding author; she really must find time to read one of his books for herself. Even from the fragmented chapters she’d so far seen, she’d felt completely immersed in the lives of his complex characters. No wonder he sometimes looked as if he was in another world, she thought.

  It was almost twelve before Sabrina was satisfied that she’d got everything typed up accurately before printing it out. She stretched back, raising her arms above her head and flexing her tense shoulder muscles. She and her boss had not exchanged a word for almost three hours, and had not even been disturbed by the phone ringing for once. Sabrina realized, with a slight pang of guilt, that she hadn’t made them any coffee yet, either.

  She glanced across at Alexander who was sitting with his back to her, staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling. She cleared her throat.

  ‘Sorry; I’ve been so engrossed, I forgot all about our coffee.’

  He turned his head slowly to look at her. ‘That isn’t important,’ he said. ‘Anyway, isn’t it nearly time we thought about something for our lunch?’

  Suddenly the telephone rang, and Sabrina automatically reached out to answer it, colour flooding her cheeks as Lydia’s familiar voice reached her ears.

  ‘Hello? This is Lydia. Is that you, Alexander? I have been trying all morning to reach you on your mobile, but you seem to have switched it off.’

  ‘Um, just a second; I’ll see if Mr McDonald is available,’ Sabrina said faintly, trying not to sound panicky. ‘It’s Lydia,’ she mouthed to Alexander.

  He raised his eyes briefly, but picked up his extension.

  ‘Good morning, Lydia,’ he said casually.

  ‘Why on earth aren’t you using your mobile, Alexander? I do not expect to have to ring the office in order to speak to my son.’

  ‘There are certain points in my working life, Lydia, when I need to be unavailable—to all-comers.’ He paused. ‘Anyway, how can I help? There’s nothing wrong, I hope?’

  ‘Of course there’s nothing wrong. Not with me, anyway!’ Lydia sighed heavily. ‘I really rang to find out how you were this morning. It was strange that you went home so early last night. I hardly had time to speak to you at all.’ There was a moment’s pause. ‘I suppose you had to get back to your writing.’

  Alexander smiled slowly to himself, catching Sabrina’s eye for a second. This was obviously a fishing phone-call, he thought, for his mother to find things out. Of course, he knew that his mother was not going to sully her lips by referring to the engagement announcement. She was certainly not going to bring his secretary into the conversation, nor to even mention her by name. It was obvious that Lydia was going to pretend that the incident had never taken place—so he would play her game, which would be convenient for all concerned.

  ‘Oh, my work is always much more important to me than socializing, Lydia. You know that,’ he said. ‘And, as a matter of fact, I have exactly four weeks to meet the deadline for my current novel and I still haven’t completed the penultimate chapter. So, as you can imagine, my time is precious.’

  There was more silence as Lydia battled with her thoughts. Then she said, ‘Well, just so long as you’re feeling OK, Alexander. I did wonder, you know, last night, whether you may have been overdoing things a bit—losing your grip on reality,’ she added through pursed lips.

  Alexander couldn’t help a slow smile creasing his mouth. ‘Whatever would give you that idea, Lydia?’ he said. ‘No, I assure you that I’m perfectly well and in full possession of all my faculties. You really mustn’t worry about me.’

  He could almost see his mother shake her head in total perplexity, and he was enjoying every moment of her confusion.

  ‘So, if there’s nothing else, Lydia, I must fly.’ He shuffled some papers and yawned volubly. ‘And now my lovely secretary is about to make me a nice sandwich for my lunch before a meeting with my editor later this afternoon.’

  They ended the call, and he looked across at Sabrina. ‘You no doubt got the gist of all that, I’m sure?’ he said casually. He paused. ‘My mother has always been very good at sweeping anything which she doesn’t like under the carpet.’ He stood up. ‘That is why she deliberately did not mention our exciting news.’ He grinned suddenly. ‘I’m sure she was hoping for some further information on the matter—hopefully a denial or, heaven help her, a confirmation. And I had the greatest pleasure in not providing either.’

  He looked at Sabrina solemnly. ‘So there you have it, Sabrina. Least said, soonest mended. You can forget the whole thing.’

  Sabrina looked at him doubtfully. ‘But what about Lucinda…and the others?’

  Alexander walked over to the door. ‘Oh, I’m quite certain my mother would have given them all precise instructions to keep their mouths shut…Anyway, by the end of yesterday evening, they would all have been very much the worse for wear. Probably don’t remember anything at all today.’

  Although Sabrina wasn’t entirely convinced at that, she realized that Alexander was probably right. He clearly understood his mother and her friends very well. In any case, perhaps what had happened last night wasn’t all that unusual. Maybe he had done this kind of thing before—after all, she knew nothing about the details of his personal life and loves. He might have had many fleeting relationships that no one took seriously, that came to nothing.

  She followed him as they went downstairs into the kitchen. As usual, Maria had brought plenty of food in, and soon Sabrina was filling fresh slices of bread with succulent ham and some grated cheese while Alexander made their coffee.

  Presently, sitting side by side on the tall stools by the kitchen bar, he glanced across at her.

  ‘I’ve told you all about my parents,’ he said between mouthfuls. ‘What about yours? Are they still…?’

  ‘Oh, Philippa, my mother, moved to Australia over ten years ago with her new husband,’ Sabrina said. ‘My father walked out on us when I was seven. I hardly remember what he looked like,’ she added casually. ‘My sister was only five then, and as my mother had to go out to work to support us it fell to me to look after the house, always to be there to take care of Melly.’ Sabrina paused, picking up her mug of coffee. ‘Anyway, some years later—I was sixteen—my mother met David, an Australian. After a whirlwind affair they married and went to live in Sydney.’ She sipped from her mug. ‘We hear from them. Occasionally,’ she added.

  There was silence for a few seconds. ‘I imagine you had to grow up pretty quickly, Sabrina, having to take responsibility for your sister from such a young age after your father abandoned his family.’

  Sabrina smiled quickly. ‘I never really thought about it like that,’ she said. ‘But, yes, I suppose I did grow up almost overnight. Anyway.’ She nibbled at her sandwich. ‘Melly and I were always close, even as small kids—it sort of came naturally to me to take care of her,’ she added.

  ‘Do you go to Australia much to see your mother?’ Alexander wanted to know.

  ‘We’ve been twice,’ Sabrina said. She hesitated. ‘Time and distance eventually alienates you even from close relations,’ she said simply. ‘My mother has a new life, new friends. She can well do without us hindering her plans.’ Sabrina’s mouth twisted briefly. ‘I got the distinct impression that she was relieved to wave us off back home last time.’

  Alexander look
ed solemn for a moment, an unexpected rush of compassion filling him as he considered what Sabrina had just told him. She hadn’t exactly had an easy life, he thought, yet she’d never demonstrated even a hint of self-pity in her attitude—except, perhaps, when she’d spoken about her fiancé last night. No, not self-pity, he amended, just sadness—genuine sadness.

  Suddenly Sabrina smiled brightly. ‘But the good news is that my sister seems to be on cloud nine at the moment. We had a long, long phone-call early today, and all the signs are very positive. The people she’s with are very friendly and helpful, and she loves the place they’re staying in. In fact, she sounded happier than she’s been for a long time. Apparently work starts in earnest tomorrow, and she can’t wait!’

  ‘That must be a real relief for you,’ Alexander said, feeling glad for Sabrina’s sake. Well, anyone would feel sympathy for another human being who’d had more than her fair share of life’s custard pies, he thought. He couldn’t help comparing Sabrina’s lot with his own and his brother’s. Although Lydia had always been a non-parent, he and Bruno had never wanted for any material thing, had never known hardship of any kind. Angus was a loyal and affectionate father, even though he was so often away from the UK. And there had always been others on hand to supply their every need.

  But what of his relationship with his sibling? Alexander asked himself. The two boys had always been grimly competitive, that was a well-known fact. It was fortunate that the famous brothers had each been so highly successful in their different careers. But they certainly did not enjoy the warmth and closeness that Sabrina and her sister so obviously did, and for the first time in his life Alexander felt regretful about that. He stared out of the window for a second as he finished the last of his coffee. It must be good, it must be brilliant, to be so deeply loved by anyone, he thought. Loved selflessly, with no regrets and with no expectation of anything in return. Just love for its own sake.

  Sabrina got down from her stool and turned to Alexander. ‘More coffee?’ she asked, and he shook his head.

  ‘No thanks, I’m fine for now.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’ll go and pick up the printout you did this morning and take it with me to the editor. I’m due in town shortly.’ He paused. ‘There’s all the scribbles I did earlier relating to my final chapter for you to decipher, Sabrina,’ he said, and paused. ‘I should be back by five-thirty, but if I’m going to be delayed I’ll give you a ring.’

  ‘Fine,’ Sabrina said as she drew water into the sink to wash up their things, privately making up her mind that with Alexander safely out of the way she would find time to clean up the study a bit. Working amongst dust and disorder put her teeth on edge. She’d already spotted where Maria kept all the dusters and polish.

  As Alexander was about to leave the room, his mobile rang and he glanced over at Sabrina as he clicked it on. ‘I knew this morning had been just too peaceful,’ he said. ‘Hi, Bruno!’

  It suddenly struck Sabrina as weird that she was finding herself caught up in the lives of the famous McDonald brothers. As she glanced briefly over at Alexander, she saw him make a face.

  ‘I’m honestly too caught up here with my own stuff to offer you any time, Bruno,’ he began, then stopped as Bruno interrupted. After a couple of minutes he said, ‘Oh, OK, then. Look, why don’t you send the script over for me to have a look at first, then perhaps we could have a bite out somewhere on Sunday at lunch time.’ He paused. ‘We haven’t got together for a long time, Bruno. It’ll be a chance to put that right.’ Even as he spoke, Alexander was surprised at his own suggestion, but knew that Sabrina’s influence had something to do with it. Perhaps he and Bruno should make time to see each other now and then. Neither of them made any effort in that direction, he thought, but it was never too late to change things.

  There was another pause as he listened to his brother again. ‘OK, fine. And if I’m not here my secretary will be, and you can give it to her. What? No, no, it’s not Janet. She’s retired and I’ve got a new PA now. Sabrina. Yes, Sabrina! And yes, yes…’ Sabrina saw Alexander make another face. ‘Yes, Bruno, have no fear of that…And she’s competent as well,’ he said flatly.

  The call ended and Alexander glanced back at Sabrina as he went towards the door. ‘Someone will be calling by to drop an envelope in at some point—could be this week, it could be next,’ he said. ‘Anyway, see you later,’ he added briefly as he left the room.

  That was the trouble with Bruno, Alexander thought irritably as he went up the stairs. He only ever thought of women in terms of their sex appeal. His brother had immediately wanted to know what Sabrina looked like, whether she had a good figure…Alexander had far too much respect, especially since Sabrina had been listening!

  As he went into his bathroom for a quick wash and brush-up, he looked thoughtfully at himself in the mirror for a second. How would he describe Sabrina to someone who’d never met her? he thought. Well, there was no difficulty there. She was small, with small hands and feet and a heart-shaped face, a slightly tip-tilted nose and desirable, full lips; she had long, fair hair almost down to her waist but always immaculately groomed. But the colour of those eyes, those magical eyes…They were a translucent green, like the deepest part of a placid ocean.

  But…She wore no make-up, no nail varnish, no heady, sickening perfume; no pretence of any kind.

  Not Bruno’s type at all, Alexander thought with some satisfaction.

  Later, armed with a floor cloth, disinfectant, polish and some dusters, Sabrina went upstairs to the study. Through the partly open door of a large cupboard along the landing, she’d seen a vacuum cleaner and brushes. Good; that should all be quite sufficient to sort out Alexander McDonald’s mess, she thought.

  The first thing she did was to open all the windows in the study and let in some fresh air. Then, turning, she went across to the chaise longue, filled her arms with all the cushions and went over to bang them furiously together out through the window. The dust flew out in clouds, causing her to sneeze three times in quick succession. That hadn’t been done in a long time, she thought—but no blame could be attached to Maria, who wasn’t even allowed in this room.

  A sudden thought struck Sabrina for a moment and she went over to the small pile of dusters, selecting one which had obviously not been used, because it was still neatly folded, and tied it around her head. At least that would be some protection.

  Then she started to tackle the floor. Masses of dust had gathered along the skirting boards and in the corners; picking up a broom, she began sweeping it up carefully, collecting it in the dustpan she’d found. The vacuum cleaner could do the rest, she thought, going over to switch it on.

  As she moved the machine briskly over the huge Persian rug, she soon began to see the colourful design beneath. Although it clearly wasn’t new, it was a beautiful piece of soft furnishing which must have cost a fortune. When she’d finished that, she got down on her hands and knees and polished the dark-oak flooring until it shone, realizing that she was actually enjoying doing all this. She’d never minded house work in any case, but doing it in someone else’s place was slightly more interesting, or so it seemed just then. When she was satisfied that the whole area resembled something other than a receptacle for grime, Sabrina stood back and surveyed it critically. Well, that would do for a start.

  But there was still a long way to go, and for the next two hours she took down and wiped clean all the books from the shelves, polished the oak doors of the fitted cupboards and worked a damp sponge along the window frames.

  She decided to leave Alexander’s desk until last. Then she suddenly realized that there was still the old granite fireplace to deal with, almost hidden by a couple of high-backed chairs standing in front of it. With almost wild abandon, she scooped up all the bric-a-brac from the mantelpiece: old post cards, a torch which didn’t work, a box of matches, a nail file, a cork screw, a box of tissues, another one of plasters and some cough sweets. She shook her head as she put it all to one side. How can any
one—how can Alexander McDonald—live like this? she thought. But then, he didn’t live here, this was where he worked. And none of this disorder registered with him. He only had eyes for the words taking form in front of him.

  Standing in front of the chimneypiece was a huge jug of dried flowers long past their sell-by date, so that they had mostly disintegrated into a powdery heap. Well, she’d dump those and replace them with some fresh greenery from the garden. She’d spotted plenty of bushes down there that had some colourful leaves on one or two of them.

  When she finally got round to tidying his desk, Sabrina realized that here she must not take liberties. This was Alexander’s domain, and he wouldn’t like anything put back differently.

  Sitting herself in his chair for a moment, it gave Sabrina a genuine thrill as she stared at everything in front of her. There were countless pens, pencils—most of them chewed at the top—rubbers, sticking tape, directories and reference books. Not many people had the chance to sit here where all the imagination flowed, all the expertise, culminating in Alexander’s books, which sold in their millions. Almost reverentially, Sabrina cleaned the dust from every corner of the desk, wiped over the computer and telephone and tidied the books, before replacing everything she’d moved back to where it had been before.

  Suddenly, a small snapshot fell to the floor; it had obviously been tucked inside a page somewhere. Picking it up, Sabrina saw that it was a picture of a somewhat younger Alexander on a beach somewhere, tanned and wearing a brief pair of swimming trunks, his arms clasped tightly around the waist of a dark-haired young woman in a bikini. She was gazing up at him adoringly, and the whole scene told its own story. Those were two people very much in love.

  Sabrina put the snap back into one of the books, wondering who that girl had been. Someone who was once very special to Alexander, she thought.