The Master of Highbridge Manor. Susanne James
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slightly cut off in one corner, what passed for a kitchen. It had a minute sink, a neat fridge, a kettle and a toaster and a microwave. It was just perfect for one person to eat casually, she thought, already sensing that she would feel at home here. The en suite bathroom adjoining the compact bedroom was the finishing touch. And she was going to have the place all to herself! What more did anyone need? She looked up gratefully.
‘This is lovely,’ she said. ‘Far nicer than I expected,’ she added truthfully, and he shrugged.
‘It’s very important for the staff to feel comfortable while they’re working here,’ he said. ‘By the way, as a general rule, the staff have their main evening meal together in the dining room, but it’s entirely up to you. Sometimes you may have work to complete and would prefer to eat alone in your room—which is why there are basic facilities here.’
‘Do all the staff live in?’ Ria asked, wandering over to the window to admire the tranquil view.
‘No—only about half of them, I suppose,’ he replied. ‘The rest live close enough to do the daily commute.’
Presently, they made their way back downstairs and Mr Trent accompanied Ria to the entrance door, just as Helen emerged from her room.
‘Ah, Helen—Miss Davidson will be taking up her post next week,’ he said, and the woman smiled a rather strange little smile.
‘Oh, good,’ she said, and Ria looked at her quickly. She didn’t know quite what to make of Helen Brown—was she friend…or foe? Too early to tell, she thought.
‘I’ll sort out all the formal stuff with the agency,’ Helen said primly, going back into her room.
Outside, it was pleasantly warm as the two made their way to Ria’s car, and she looked longingly at the tennis courts. She’d love a game now, she thought—to get some air into her lungs and to clear her head, which had felt distinctly dizzy since meeting Mr Trent.
Holding the car door open for her, he said, ‘Do you have far to go? I don’t think I was told where you live…’
‘Actually, I’m homeless at the moment,’ Ria said lightly. ‘But a friend has been putting me up at her house in Salisbury for a few days.’ She smiled. ‘I expect she’ll be quite glad to know that I’ve got somewhere else to live for a bit.’
She looked up uncertainly. He didn’t seem in any hurry to go, but just stood there, leaning his arm on the open car door, his other hand thrust casually in his pocket.
‘So,’ he said, ‘are you going back to Salisbury straight away?’
‘Um…I don’t know. I haven’t really decided,’ Ria said. She hadn’t thought further than the morning’s interview.
‘Well, perhaps we’d better have some lunch,’ he said. ‘There are several decent places around here, and you’ll need to get to know the area.’
That was the most unexpected invitation she’d had in a long time! And, after she was about to graciously refuse—this man was going to be her boss, after all; she didn’t want to get too cosy!—something made Ria change her mind.
‘Well…thanks,’ she said simply. ‘That’s…very kind. Thank you,’ she repeated.
He did stand back then. ‘Hop out,’ he said briefly. ‘We’ll take my car.’
Ria did as she was told, closing and locking her car door, and falling into step alongside him as they made their way towards the side of the building to where he obviously kept his car.
‘By the way,’ he said, glancing down at her, ‘we always use Christian names at school—other than in the children’s hearing. I’m Jasper. Which I expect you already know.’
Ria returned his glance. ‘And, as you already know, I’m Ria,’ she said lightly.
As they walked along in comparative silence, Jasper Trent sighed inwardly. He had expected to be confronted by a mature, no-nonsense woman this morning, not this perfect example of desirable womanhood.
Suddenly, he was desperate to get away from here and hand the baton back to his brother—and resume his own profession. When Carl had asked this unexpected favour of him, he’d tried to come up with all sorts of reasons to refuse—one of which was that he doubted that he would really fit in here. Carl was such an outstanding headmaster that he, Jasper, would surely turn out to be a very pale imitation—even if it was to be a temporary arrangement. But eventually his sense of fair play had made him agree. It was Carl who’d been the dutiful son, after all—he deserved some quality time for himself. Because, although Jasper’s Cambridge science degree had more than qualified him to teach, and to take a full part in the running of the school, he’d always declared his intention to do other things—to the huge disappointment of his father, who had expected both his sons to fall in line. To the older man, tradition was all. But then, as Jasper had pointed out on more than one occasion, every family had a black sheep, a rebel, and he was quite happy to fill that vacancy.
And now, watching the two from her window as they disappeared from her view, Helen Brown pursed her lips thoughtfully, then shrugged. Well, be it on his own head, she thought.
CHAPTER TWO
AS SHE sat beside him, her hands clasped in her lap, Ria couldn’t help comparing the car she was sitting in with its owner—long, sleek and powerful. She glanced up at him, noticing for the first time—now that she was close to him—a faint but discernible mark running from the corner of his left eye and ending just short of his lip. He’d obviously been in an accident of some sort, she thought briefly, but nature had done a very good repair job because the scar did nothing at all to detract from his impossibly good looks. In fact, it seemed to add to his rugged appeal—an appeal which might even have hinted at cruelty…though Ria discounted that possibility straight away. Nothing about Jasper Trent, so far, suggested unkindness, or harshness. Anyway, she’d find out soon enough what he was really like—though she somehow didn’t think their paths would cross much during the working day, sensing that he probably enjoyed a typically isolated position in his rather austere headmaster’s room.
Being in the company of yet another handsome man made Ria’s thoughts turn briefly to Seth…Would she ever be able to banish him entirely from her mind? she asked herself. But how could she easily rub out that time when her heart had been ripped from her? As if it was some minor incident that could be forgotten? And was the man sitting beside her another one just like him—was he, too, utterly self-confident, utterly self-assured, delighting in his powerful masculinity? Did Jasper Trent see only his own life and hopes and dreams—with scant concern for anyone else’s?
She turned her attention to the scenery unfolding all around them and took a deep breath. She had no doubt that Jasper Trent had been in perfect charge of his school for a good number of years, running it with impeccable authority. But what did he do in his private life? she wondered. To her, he didn’t look the marrying kind with a clutch of kids at home, so how would he spend his time, what did he do in order to relax? Ria scolded herself. What he did or didn’t do was no concern of hers.
He glanced across at her briefly. ‘You’ll have noticed the car parking area when we picked mine up just now,’ he said. ‘You might even be lucky enough to nab one of the garages sometimes.’
Ria smiled. ‘Oh, my car has never been used to the dignity of being garaged,’ she said. ‘Anyway, I’ll be selling it in a few months’ time when I head off.’ She paused. ‘And, who knows…I may not come back at all. I may find that the grass really is greener away from England.’
‘There’s only one way to find out about that,’ he said levelly, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
‘It’ll do me good to put my toe into alien waters and see if I can cope with the unknown without going to pieces,’ Ria said. She wasn’t going to admit that she was already rather dreading the moment of departure, that sometimes she wished she’d never planned it at all. But