Unforgettable (Gloria Cook) - By Gloria Cook Page 0,69
. . . I, um . . .’
‘Come along with the other Vercoes,’ Finn said at once. ‘Three o’clock at the church.’
‘Thanks, I will! Oh thanks, Finn. I’d better run along or I’ll be in for it from the mistress if she sees me dawdling.’ Tilly hurried off, trilling, ‘Keep your sunny side up, up.’
Finn forgot about her immediately. He wasn’t looking forward to the church bit of Eloise’s christening, resenting the fact that the vicar’s lazy, stand-offish reputation meant Eloise wasn’t going to be given a proper, moving ceremony. But at least afterwards Belle would be at Merrivale for the spread his mother was laying on in celebration.
Twenty-One
‘I see you’ve nearly finished in here, Verity?’ Jack said.
‘Just the crate to unpack, Jack.’ Verity gazed at the particular item, its wood long gone grey with age. Jack had prised off the top of the crate at the outset, but now for Verity was the best part, lifting off the packing straw and discovering the first concealed piece. She would guess – book, map, artefact or something that really was priceless treasure – but there had been none of the latter so far.
‘Would you like to delve into the crate, Jack?’ she said gaily.
‘I’m definitely not interested in its contents,’ Jack said softly, but Verity traced anger in his voice. He took her gently by the arm and led her out of the library.
‘Is something wrong?’ she asked, perplexed.
‘I’m afraid there is, Verity, but first I owe you an enormous apology. I’ve looked through the books and maps you’ve painstakingly laid out on the table and found that most of it was valueless junk that my amoral father had added as a cover for what he had really sought. I’m sorry to say, Verity, that among that tatty old stuff, in foreign languages, is pornography, nasty stuff. It doesn’t surprise me that my father would sink to that. I had intended to call in an antique book expert to see if anything might have been valuable. Instead I’ll have it all removed to the farmland and burnt. I’m so sorry all your hard work has been for nothing, especially as I understand you enjoyed it. I’m sorry you had to touch such unsavoury stuff. I should have checked the contents before I asked you to. I feel ashamed to have had that filth lying in the house for so many years.’
‘Oh.’ Verity could not think of anything else to say. She didn’t care about the old books and other stuff she had logged and labelled, but she was profoundly disappointed to learn her time here at Meadows House had come abruptly to an end.
‘I’ve given you a bit of a shock,’ Jack said, ushering her into the drawing room and sitting her down on the sofa near the fireplace. ‘I’ll ring for tea.’
‘I’m not really shocked about your father’s guilty secret, Jack. The only thing that matters is that I’ve really enjoyed working here. The house and gardens are so peaceful and I so like the Kellands and Cathy.’
Jack suddenly gave her a stunning smile, which highlighted his powerful handsome looks. ‘I’m so pleased to hear it because I want you to spend a lot more time here.’
‘Really? You have something else for me to do here?’
Jack sat next to her and took her hand briefly. ‘I have a special job for you to do, Verity. Tea then explanations.’
‘So you want me to help you redesign the look of parts of the house,’ Verity said a little later. They were now standing in front of the staircase. Would she finally be given permission to climb up and look round the first floor? Hoping so, she was curling her fingers into fists.
‘I’ve got tired of a mobile life. I want to be more settled and spend most of my time here, but before that some things need to be changed. I didn’t have the heart to do it before. I had to find someone I could totally trust to do a special job. I’m perfectly confident I can trust you, Verity.’
‘Thank you, Jack,’ she said, sensing her time spent here had somehow been a test that she had passed, but she didn’t mind. She had enjoyed the work, very much liked the house and the staff, and very much liked Jack. She was wholly comfortable with him, there was no pretence in him and she could just be herself, unlike the fraught time she had spent with her fiancé – which seemed