Career Girls Read Free Page B

were mounted across the bed; blades, traditionally awarded to the finest rowers. And God only
    knew he was that, Rowena thought.
    ‘Coffee?’ he enquired.
    ‘Yes, please,’ said Rowena. It might be a little easier when those handsome eyes weren’t staring her down.
    ‘You presumably know why I’m here,’ she said. ‘Word has it that you’ll be supporting Gilbert Docker this term. You must realize that without your intervention I’m cruising home.’
    ‘So how can one outsider’s influence make any difference
    P
    to you, more or less?’ asked Peter calmly, stirring the coffee.
    Tm not sure,’ said Rowena, deciding that honesty might charm him, ‘but I’d prefer not to chance it. Believe me, I know how popular you are, how widely you can pull out the Old Etonian vote, the sports vote’ - she hesitated, but added, ‘the female vote … ‘
    Peter handed her her coffee.
    ‘I don’t feel that anything could make Gilbert look good,’
    she said, ‘but if there were something, it would be your support.’
    He sat opposite her, sizing her up. Nice. Long blonde
    hair, green eyes, slim body, long legs, a lady evidently. A virgin for sure.
    ‘Why should I support you?’ he asked. ‘Gilbert’s the son
    of a friend of my father’s. You’ll have to give me some very good reasons to withdraw my backing from him.’
    My God, Rowena thought. He’s considering it. Is he seriously interested in my qualifications for the job? Most people couldn’t give a monkey’s about that.
    ‘I’m the best candidate by miles,’ she said, ‘and you’re rumoured to be a meritocrat, Peter.’
     
    He smiled, amused. That was a clever slant.
    ‘As Secretary, I doubled the number of social events and made a profit on entertainments for the first time in four years. As Librarian, I managed to get speakers from David Puttnam to Mick Jagger. I’ve served time on every Union committee. I’ve debated for Oxford in the world championships.’
    ‘Did we win?’ asked Kennedy, interested.
    ‘We came second to Edinburgh,’ Rowena grinned. ‘The Cambridge judges were copping an attitude.’
    ‘Classic inferiority complex,’ agreed Kennedy.
    ‘Gilbert ran straight for Secretary, just scraped in on the
    OE vote because there was no serious opposition, can’t be bothered to turn up for standing-committee meetings, and has put on exactly two parties, using hangover sponsors from my term. He only wants to put “President of the Union” on his application to the merchant banks. He
     
    probably wouldn’t bother with his own debates, if he got it.’
    Kennedy nodded, accepting this. ‘I need some more time to think about it,’ he said. ‘I won’t give you a glib answer.’
    Rowena got up and offered him her hand to shake, pleasantly surprised.
    He turned it over, raised it slowly to his lips and kissed it. A shiver ran with little electric feet all over her body.
    ‘Really, Topaz is terrible,’ he said. ‘Keeping you away from me like this. If I’d had the pleasure of knowing you beforehand, I wouldn’t have committed myself to Gilbert in the first place.’
    For a second Rowena wondered how on earth Topaz had managed to hook up with this devastating guy. She was amazed that he would choose an American. Still…
    ‘Well, thank you for seeing me,’ she said. Tll be in touch.’
     
    Topaz and-Rowena sat in Topaz’s cramped room in Hall Building in St Hilda’s, companionably drinking huge mugs of tea and stuffing their faces with chocolate biscuits, leafing through back copies of Cherwell to select the best pieces for Topaz’s portfolio. What there was of Topaz’s room was very nice, as it had once belonged to a don, but in order to create two separate rooms for lowly undergraduates someone had partitioned it straight down the middle. Topaz thus had half a window, which looked out on to the river, past the gorgeous Hilda’s gardens which were ablaze with roses and thick honeysuckle. Both girls loved it here.
    ‘God,