enthusiasm might wane when he had been in the job for a month.
But, no, not a bit of it.Leon Beaumont could do no wrong, it seemed. Johnny drove him all over the country-and learned a great deal by just watching the man in action. Leon was this, Leon was that, and, though he did not suffer fools gladly, Johnny had never met a more fairminded man. He took neither nonsense nor favours from anyone. In business he was his own man, and would not be indebted to anyone.
Johnny had driven him to one of their plants-the technology was absolutely amazing. He had been enthralled, and had subsequently taken notes at some high- powered meeting and, having prior to his interview taken an emergency course in speedwriting, been little short of ecstatic that he had got it all typed back perfectly and accurately.
Given that Johnny had a harum-scarumtendency, they had always known he had a fine brain-when he cared to exercise it. But, in short, having so desperately wanted this job, having got it, he was so happy, and was determined to do everything to keep it and to make his employer think well of him.
Which, she decided, with the hotel sold, Johnny settled and her parentssettled, made her the only odd one out. Her parents thought that everything would now be fine and that they could sit back and relax-so how could she go home now and ruffle the calmer waters of their life?
Feeling glad she had made the decision she had, to drive by Cheltenham and head for the Welsh mountains, Varnie knew even so that she would not be sorry to reach Aldwyn House and her bed.
The moment she hit those twisting mountain roads though, she had little space to think of anything but where she was heading. She felt as though she had been driving for a dozen or so hours, and it was in fact after midnight when she at last hit a straightish run of road where she had space to once again let her thoughts in. But oddly, while her family and Martin Walker had their fair share in her thoughts, it seemed as though Leon Beaumont, a man she had never met, was determined to have an equal part in her head. `Oh, clear off,' she actually muttered aloud, when the picture she'd seen of Leon Beaumont in the paper jumped into her mind's eye. He might be scrupulously fair in his business life, but it was a pity he didn't run his personal life so scrupulously!
It was one in the morning by the time she passed the little clutch of cottages that were the nearest neighbors to Aldwyn House. A quarter of a mile further on and Varnie climbed stiffly from her car to open the gates to the property. She drove through, but felt too weary suddenly to bother to close them behind her.
`Have a wonderful holiday,' her parents had bidden her. Varnie had not visualized then that she would be spending the next two weeks not skiing, but here at Aldwyn House.
She left her car standing in front of the garage. All at once she felt too used up to try and do battle with the heavy garage doors-she would put her car away in the morning. Similarly, the front door sometimes stuck in the damp winter months. She was too tired to contemplate finding the energy to wrestle with it.
With her house keys and flight bag in one hand, her suitcase in the other, and with some vague notion to take a shower prior to falling straight into bed, Varnie went to the rear of the house and let herself in through the kitchen door. She noticed at once as she switched on the light that someone had been there. She didn't mind. Johnny had a key. He was a kind soul, and while she and their parents had been dealing with packing that which the new owners of the hotel were not taking over he had volunteered to come and empty her grandfather's wardrobes and drawers.
Switching lights on and off as she went, Varnie left the kitchen, having noted that while Johnny had not got around to putting away the cup and saucer he must have used when he'd made himself some black coffee,
But, no, not a bit of it.Leon Beaumont could do no wrong, it seemed. Johnny drove him all over the country-and learned a great deal by just watching the man in action. Leon was this, Leon was that, and, though he did not suffer fools gladly, Johnny had never met a more fairminded man. He took neither nonsense nor favours from anyone. In business he was his own man, and would not be indebted to anyone.
Johnny had driven him to one of their plants-the technology was absolutely amazing. He had been enthralled, and had subsequently taken notes at some high- powered meeting and, having prior to his interview taken an emergency course in speedwriting, been little short of ecstatic that he had got it all typed back perfectly and accurately.
Given that Johnny had a harum-scarumtendency, they had always known he had a fine brain-when he cared to exercise it. But, in short, having so desperately wanted this job, having got it, he was so happy, and was determined to do everything to keep it and to make his employer think well of him.
Which, she decided, with the hotel sold, Johnny settled and her parentssettled, made her the only odd one out. Her parents thought that everything would now be fine and that they could sit back and relax-so how could she go home now and ruffle the calmer waters of their life?
Feeling glad she had made the decision she had, to drive by Cheltenham and head for the Welsh mountains, Varnie knew even so that she would not be sorry to reach Aldwyn House and her bed.
The moment she hit those twisting mountain roads though, she had little space to think of anything but where she was heading. She felt as though she had been driving for a dozen or so hours, and it was in fact after midnight when she at last hit a straightish run of road where she had space to once again let her thoughts in. But oddly, while her family and Martin Walker had their fair share in her thoughts, it seemed as though Leon Beaumont, a man she had never met, was determined to have an equal part in her head. `Oh, clear off,' she actually muttered aloud, when the picture she'd seen of Leon Beaumont in the paper jumped into her mind's eye. He might be scrupulously fair in his business life, but it was a pity he didn't run his personal life so scrupulously!
It was one in the morning by the time she passed the little clutch of cottages that were the nearest neighbors to Aldwyn House. A quarter of a mile further on and Varnie climbed stiffly from her car to open the gates to the property. She drove through, but felt too weary suddenly to bother to close them behind her.
`Have a wonderful holiday,' her parents had bidden her. Varnie had not visualized then that she would be spending the next two weeks not skiing, but here at Aldwyn House.
She left her car standing in front of the garage. All at once she felt too used up to try and do battle with the heavy garage doors-she would put her car away in the morning. Similarly, the front door sometimes stuck in the damp winter months. She was too tired to contemplate finding the energy to wrestle with it.
With her house keys and flight bag in one hand, her suitcase in the other, and with some vague notion to take a shower prior to falling straight into bed, Varnie went to the rear of the house and let herself in through the kitchen door. She noticed at once as she switched on the light that someone had been there. She didn't mind. Johnny had a key. He was a kind soul, and while she and their parents had been dealing with packing that which the new owners of the hotel were not taking over he had volunteered to come and empty her grandfather's wardrobes and drawers.
Switching lights on and off as she went, Varnie left the kitchen, having noted that while Johnny had not got around to putting away the cup and saucer he must have used when he'd made himself some black coffee,
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