his rugby recruitment drive leaving only a few jobs for her, one of which involved lengthy and convoluted amendments to Mark Jackson’s statement. She’d completed those and unable to bear sitting around and thinking about the events overtaking her personal life, had resolved to ask Vera if she needed help with anything, despite her better instincts.
“Still in Jonathan McKenzie’s office?”
“Clearly.” Alex was too tired to conceal the sarcasm in her tone.
“Well, I hope you enjoy it then,” Vera tossed at her in a bored fashion. Only then did Alex notice that all the threat had left Vera’s voice since they had last spoken. She wondered whether she should be worried about that.
“You’ll have your time cut out then. I don’t envy you. I can’t understand a thing that man says or does.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you noticed he speaks in riddles?”
“Not really. His instructions are brief but usually pretty clear.”
“And as for his handwriting, I can’t read a word of it. He’s quite impossible to work for generally, you know. He shouts out of his office when he wants something. He gets impatient if you don’t understand what he’s talking about instantly. He wants me to change everything David Griffen and I set up. I just can’t work for someone like that,” she finished primly.
“What are you saying, Vera?” Alex’s pulse was racing as once again her future seemed to be hanging in the balance. “Are you moving away from JP’s office?”
Vera gawked at Alex as if she was the stupidest person she’d ever met. “Don’t you know yet? Jonathan called me this morning. He said that in light of my expertise as a high-level PA he wanted me to work for Caroline Cartwright and settle her in.”
Alex gaped at Vera dumbstruck.
“There’s no need to look like that, Alex,” Vera went on superciliously. “You should be grateful your job with Jonathan is secure.” With that she turned back to her computer screen, giving Alex the clear signal that the conversation was over.
Alex wandered back towards her desk in a stupor.
What on earth was JP’s game plan?
Wouldn’t he have leapt upon a PA reshuffle opportunity to get her out of his office after his ultimatum of the night before? Yet moving Vera sideways to Caroline’s office and making her his sole PA didn’t seem consistent with that. She ran her hands through her hair in confusion, unable to make out what was going on at all.
Hearing JP’s voice in his office she picked up Mark Jackson’s amended affidavit and wandered in. Her eyes were lowered to the document, double-checking the formal parts on the front page, as she approached his desk.
“I thought you might want this back straight away …” she began as she looked up from the page in front of her but then stopped dead.
Perching on the side of JP’s desk was without a doubt the most stunningly beautiful woman Alex had ever seen in the flesh, and somehow she knew instinctively that it had to be Caroline Cartwright.
She had the peaches and cream skin that only women of the highest northern latitudes could retain. Her hair was platinum in colour and hung like silk to her shoulders. She was tall and slender in her fitted silver-blue suit and she looked across at Alex with opaque grey eyes, regarding her with the quiet composure of a cat.
JP was standing very close to her; the two of them had been talking in hushed tones. Alex was mortified she’d disturbed their private moment.
“I’m sorry,” she gushed, feeling herself turn pink. “I didn’t know … I didn’t realise …” But she couldn’t finish her sentence. She had to take a deep breath to steady herself before she lost her cool completely.
JP straightened. Both he and Caroline were staring at her and Alex had never felt more self-conscious in her life.
“Alex, I’d like you to meet Caroline Cartwright. Alex is my PA—for the time being,” he added gratuitously, his expression remaining stony and distant.
“Hello,” Alex responded.
“Hello, Alex,” Caroline replied pleasantly.
She had the voice of a woman who’d been raised with every privilege life could offer. It was lilting, with a musical, unhurried cadence and Alex suspected it had commanded the attention of prime ministers and royalty alike.
“It’s Mark Jackson’s affidavit,” Alex explained, approaching JP just close enough to reach out and hand him the document. It was quivering a little with the tremble in her hand and he flashed a knowing look at her as he took it.
“Thank you,” he acknowledged quietly,