Buttoned-Up Secretary, British Boss (6 page)

‘Oh, no such hang-ups for Dad,’ Alexander said. ‘Even though Lydia wanted us to call him Angus. But he wouldn’t hear of it, and we never did.’

‘Was he at the party tonight?’ Sabrina enquired innocently, realizing that she was developing an almost clinical interest in the McDonald family.

‘Well, I didn’t see him,’ Alexander replied. ‘But then, my mother’s parties were never his thing. And as he works for an international bank he’s seldom at home. Which gives him the perfect excuse,’ Alexander added wryly.

By now, the good food, wine and enveloping warmth of the place were filling Sabrina with an overwhelming sense of contentment, so that everything that had happened earlier was actually beginning to slip comfortably into the background. Perhaps the news wouldn’t get out and nothing would come of it, as Alexander had said, she thought. Then everyone, including herself, could forget the whole thing.

‘You’re thinking again,’ Alexander accused her lightly. She smiled across at him now, the candlelight making her eyes more sparklingly green than ever as she trapped his gaze, holding him spellbound for a second.

‘Sorry. I do rather a lot of it,’ she said. ‘Part of my training, I’m afraid.’

Suddenly, abruptly, he said, ‘Is there a man in your life, Sabrina?’

The unexpectedness of the question almost threw her for a moment, then she smiled crookedly.

‘Not any more,’ she said quietly.

There was a long pause, during which neither of them spoke.

‘Stephen—my fiancé—was killed in a tragic, bizarre accident eighteen months ago.’

‘I’m sorry.’

Sabrina shrugged briefly. ‘Time passes. One has to accept what life throws at you.’ She drained her glass. ‘I don’t expect ever to marry now,’ she went on casually. ‘For one thing, my sister comes first. And for
another…’ Sabrina looked wistful as she looked across at Alexander. ‘I don’t intend placing myself at the mercy of fate a second time. It’s just not worth the risk. Or the agony.’

Much later, after he’d dropped Sabrina back home, Alexander sat in his study, his legs propped up on the desk, and stared pensively into his glass of whisky. That had been quite an evening, he thought, and it hadn’t turned out as badly as he might have expected.

To his own enormous surprise, he realized that he had really enjoyed being off-duty with Sabrina Gold, that he had not wanted the evening to end. His new secretary didn’t fall into the normal category of womankind he’d been used to—all of whom had very quickly bored him to death. Which was probably all his own fault, he reasoned. So, what? What was bugging him like this at gone one o’clock in the morning? He frowned briefly as his thoughts ran on. Why would such a young, beautiful woman declare herself out of bounds for the rest of her life? Why was she so negative about her possible future?

He drained his glass, then swung his legs from the desk and stood up. What the hell was it to him, anyway? he asked himself. His mouth twisted. At least there was one good thing about it—with no man on the scene, there wouldn’t be any occasional stupid, romantic emotional problems to deal with, to hold things up here. His work was the only important thing to be considered.

He stared down at the shadowy garden below, at the street lights casting their gentle beams across the grass, then turned abruptly and strode from the room.

Alexander McDonald knew exactly what was getting to him. For some reason, he was suddenly feeling
emotionally out of his depth where his secretary was concerned. But why? Well, he’d soon put that right, he thought irritably. Tomorrow morning it would be Cinderella time—business as usual!

A
MAZINGLY
, Sabrina managed to feel fairly normal when she arrived for work the next morning, even though she’d found it very difficult to get any sleep.

Once again, Maria was just leaving the house, and the two women smiled at each other.

‘Hullo, dear,’ Maria said. ‘My, you do look smart. What an unusual-colour top you’ve got on: what do you call that?’

‘I think it’s taupe,’ Sabrina replied, thinking that she didn’t feel very smart this morning. She’d woken late and grabbed the first thing that had come to hand in her wardrobe. But she was glad of the compliment.

‘I’ll just pop along to the shop and get Mr McDonald his newspapers,’ Maria said as she went past. ‘I’ll leave them all in the kitchen, as usual. He’s already working in the study,’ she added over her shoulder.

The mere mention of newspapers made Sabrina’s tongue go dry; there couldn’t possibly be anything in them about Alexander yet, surely?

She tapped lightly on the door of the study before going in. Alexander looked up, angry at the rush of pleasure he felt at seeing her again, especially as he’d given himself a good talking-to last night before he’d eventually got to sleep. His unusual interest in his new
secretary was totally unexpected, totally unlike him, and if he wasn’t careful it was going to intrude on his work plans. He was not interested in Sabrina Gold’s past life and loves or her future, he told himself. The only thing which concerned him was the present and her presence here as his personal assistant.

‘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 looked 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!