Ivory Innocence Read online

  "I gather she's been ill," Ivory said. "But I'm sure she would be pleased to make a friend."

  As they climbed into the car, Ivory remembered that Rob's little sister had always been a happy little chatterer. She was the darling of the family, having come so late after her brother. She had been little more than a baby when her father had died and Rob had taken over responsibility for running the farm.

  "Did you see they're doing your old cottage up?" Rebecca asked as they passed the scaffolded building. "It's been funny, having it stand empty. Martin Ward said it was haunted, but I've never seen anything, though it was creepy going past in the dark last winter."

  She kept up the flow of conversation as the car moved up the hill and turned beneath the chestnuts to the farm, where Ivory parked in the yard close to the house. From the barn came the sound of voices, clatterings and bangs, and the swish of a hose as someone rinsed down the floor.

  Mrs. Garth appeared at the back door, wiping her hands on a flowered apron. A petite, wiry woman with straight brown hair, she had a ruddy face that lit with a smile as she held out her arms to greet Ivory and accept a kiss on the cheek.

  "You look well, dear," she remarked. "It's lovely to see you again. Now, Becky, we're going to have some tea, so don't go rushing out to the pony just yet. Come and sit down, Ivory. Rob'll be in soon. I've made some sandwiches and scones, and we'll have a hot supper later. Does that suit you?"

  "I'll fit in with whatever you've planned," Ivory said, taking off her jacket before sitting at one of the chairs by the big table. "It was very kind of you to offer to put me up for the night," Ivory said, feeling at home in the familiar room. "I wouldn't have fancied having to drive all the way back to Bournemouth this evening."

  "I should just think not!" said Mrs. Garth. "Why, you look tired out. How did you get on—or shouldn't I ask?"

  "Very well, thank you. Mr. Kendrake offered me the job, on a three-months' trial basis. I'll be coming back next Saturday to make a start."

  "So soon?"

  "There didn't seem to be any point in delaying. Janey seems a bit difficult at the moment, and Mrs. Barnes has enough on her hands, looking after that huge house."

  She looked around as she heard Rob come in the door. He grinned at her. "So you'll be coming back to Hedley after all. That'll be nice, won't it, Mum?"

  "Lovely," his mother agreed. "We've missed you, Ivory. We missed you when you were away at college, but at least you came home for holidays. This year it's seemed strange, with the cottage standing there."

  "I know," Ivory said softly.

  After tea, she went out to look at the pony grazing in the field behind the orchard with two other horses. Cherry, as Rebecca called him, was entirely black except for a few white hairs in his tail. He came trotting to the fence and nuzzled Rebecca's hand while Ivory stroked his head.

  "Why Cherry?" Ivory asked.

  "Well, you have black cherries, don't you?" Rebecca said with unassailable logic. Tossing her golden hair, she scrambled over the fence and leapt up to the pony's back, grabbing the rope bridle. She urged him into a trot, showing off for Ivory's benefit.

  "A little brat, isn't she?" Rob said fondly, coming to lean on the fence beside Ivory. "She reminds me of you, not many years ago."

  "Oh, thanks," Ivory said drily.

  "I was wondering," Rob added. "Would you like to go out for a drink after supper? I've got some chores to do first, but if we go about nine we'll have time for a couple of beers. Okay?"

  "Yes, fine," Ivory said.

  Smiling, Rob touched her arm and sauntered away, the sun gilding his tousled fair hair as he ducked under apple tree branches. A shower of fading blossoms fluttered onto the grass, their pink glory almost gone now that the leaves were unfurling.

  After supper she drove with Rob down to the pub, with its low black beams hung with hunting prints and a huge fireplace where a brass urn full of flowers stood. Several people recognized her and asked how she was doing. It was some time before she was able to escape to a corner table alone with Rob.

  "The village hasn't seemed the same since your grandmother died," he told her. "She was an institution—the last old-fashioned lady of the manor, even if she had fallen on hard times."

  "She was a proud woman," Ivory said.

  "Brave, too. I've often wondered why they stayed in Hedley."

  "They belonged here!" she said passionately. "But their very presence must have been a reminder to George Kendrake of what he'd done. Why do you think he stayed away from the Hall? His conscience must have troubled him. Unfortunately, it didn't trouble him enough, or he'd have tried to make amends. It makes me so angry when I think—"

  Rob's hand covered hers, stopping the flow of bitterness. "Hush, love. It's no good getting agitated about it. It's all ancient history. And you're going to have to work at the Hall."

  "Yes." Still trembling with rage, she pulled her hand free of his clasp, making Rob give her a puzzled sidelong look.

  "I can't really understand why you want to go there, Ivory," he said. "I hope you're not going to regret it. It won't be easy, being an employee and knowing all the time that your ancestors lived there in style."

  Ivory sipped her lager and lime, her eyes on the round table in front of her. Not for anything would she have Rob guess her real reason for applying for the post of tutor to Janey Kendrake.

  "I just want to work at the job I'm trained for," she said. "I'm wasting my time in Bournemouth, working in the restaurant and staying with Merry and Bill. They've been very kind, but I know they'd prefer their privacy, and there are plenty of people who will be only too happy to do waitressing work for them. Since I can't get a job in a school, I may as well work for Matthew Kendrake. Little Janey needs someone. It's obvious her father is hopeless with her. He seems to regard her as a liability, and she knows it."

  A stir among the crowd by the bar drew her attention to the man who had just come in, as if by mentioning his name she had summoned him from the elements. Matthew Kendrake, with a sports jacket over his blue sweater, strode to the bar. The crowd parted for him. The hum of conversation dwindled, and more than one man deliberately turned his back on the newcomer. The hostility grew so thick that Ivory wondered why the air didn't creak with it.

  She drew back into the shadows behind the side wing of the bench, hoping that Matthew Kendrake would not see her. She heard him order a bottle of scotch, taking a wallet from his hip pocket. He appeared not to notice the wary looks of the villagers but stood relaxed, his tailored slacks clinging to muscular calves.

  Despite herself, Ivory stared at his lean, tall figure, the thick, wavy dark hair bathed in pink light from a lamp above the bar; the broad shoulders, the elegant hang of his jacket. She had never seen a man quite so well made, with such lithe power evident in his every move. Dangerous, she thought again. Dangerously attractive, if she was honest.

  He spoke pleasantly to the landlord, thanking him and remarking on the fine weather, then he said good night and walked out as if oblivious to the tension he had created. As the door swung shut, a babble of voices broke out, all of them discussing him. Ken-drake, yes. The new lord of the manor. Old George's nephew.

  "Ivory!" Rob said sharply, making her nerves jump as she looked round at him. She had forgotten he was there. "Is that Matthew Kendrake? I've not seen him clearly before." He looked worried. "That's the man you're going to work for?"

  Ivory tossed her head. "It is. So what?"

  "So I don't think it's a very good idea, that's what!" Rob replied. "He's a widower, isn't he? You're going to be all alone with him at the Hall."

  "Hardly alone. There'll be Janey, and Mrs. Barnes and her husband."

  "The Barneses have a separate flat at the back," he said.

  "And just what are you implying?" Ivory asked coldly. "That he'll only have to beckon and I'll jump into bed with him?"

  Even in the dim lighting Rob's flush was evident as he avoided her eyes. "No, of course not. But I don't think you
r grandmother would have been happy about it—especially if she could have seen the way you were looking at him."

  "Really?" Her tone had iced over. "And how exactly was I looking at him?"

  "As if you fancied him."

  A snort of laughter escaped her. "Oh, rubbish, Rob! I don't even like the man. From what I've seen of him, I shall be only too pleased if he spends most of his time away on business. Janey's my concern, and only Janey."

  "Then why were you watching him that way? And why did you try to hide?"

  "I was just assessing the enemy," Ivory said grimly.

  "Enemy?"

  "Yes." Regretting the annoyance that had made her indiscreet, she smoothed her hair back. "I have a feeling I'm going to find myself at odds with him over Janey. She's insecure and he's much too harsh with her. And I hid because… Well, because I don't want him to know what close ties I have with the village. You saw the way everyone reacted. People obviously dislike him as much as they disliked his uncle. I don't want him to think I'm part of that, or it might set us off on the wrong foot. You might ask your mother not to discuss my past with Mrs. Barnes, if she sees her."

  "Well, I'm sorry. I was just anxious because you're a girl on her own now. You've got no family to stand up for you. I suppose I feel a bit responsible."

  "Then don't," she said. "I'm old enough to take care of myself."

  "Yes, but if it hadn't been for me, you'd never have heard that he needed a teacher for his daughter. I hope I shan't regret repeating that bit of gossip."

  Ivory laughed softly, laying a hand on his arm. "If I hate it, I can always give in my notice."

  Rob would never know, but she was grateful to him for passing on that particular piece of gossip. Without it, she might never have had the chance to come back to Hedley Magna. But Rob must not suspect her real motives.

  Looking at his friendly, open face, she regretted having to lie to him. But if she told him the truth, he might ruin her plans. Certainly he would not approve.

  She realized that he was smiling at her, his hazel eyes soft with affection. Her hand still lay on his arm, and his large paw came warmly to cover it. Rushing, Ivory pulled away. She did not want him to think she was encouraging him toward anything more than friendship.

  "Will you have another drink?" he asked.

  "Oh, no, I don't think so, Rob. Do you mind if we go back? I'm really tired, and there's another long drive to make tomorrow. I ought to have an early night."

  "Okay, just as you like."

  Outside a breeze stirred softly in the trees and dark clouds drifted across the still pale sky. Rob drove straight back to the farm. Ivory waited until he had parked his car.

  "Cold?" he inquired as a shiver ran through her.

  "A bit. The wind's cool."

  "We'll have rain before morning," he said sagely.

  Looking at him in the vague gray light, Ivory laughed. "You sound exactly like my grandfather."

  "But I don't feel like your grandfather," he said, and grasped her arm, swinging her in close to him, his lips landing awkwardly on hers for a brief moment.

  Swaying off balance, Ivory stared at him in surprise. "Rob!"

  "Well, what do you expect?" he said with a sheepish grin. "You come here looking like an angel when all I'm used to is grotty old cows—the four-legged variety, I mean. I'm human, Ivory. You must know how I feel about you. How I've always felt."

  "We've—" She licked her dry lips, swallowing thickly to clear the sudden croak from her throat. "We've always been friends, Rob."

  "Up to now. Boy-and-girl innocence. Only we're not children anymore. I thought I'd better stake my claim before Matthew Kendrake gets a chance to turn your head."

  "I don't think you need worry about that," Ivory said steadily. "But… Listen, Rob. I like you a lot. I'm very fond of you, in fact. But I've never thought of you as—"

  "I know." He thrust his hands into his pockets, watching the ground as he rocked on his heels. "But for me there's more to it. I'd just like you to start thinking of me as—well, as a man. Let's take it from there."

  Ivory bit her lip, wanting to smile at his blunt, awkward way of expressing himself. "Oh, Rob," she said softly, and reached up to brush her lips against his cheek. "You're the nicest man I know."

  But when she was in bed, warm and comfortable on a feather mattress beneath a sloping ceiling, with fullblown roses splashing the wallpaper and rain beginning to patter on the window, it was not Rob's image that swam through her drowsy mind. It was that of a rangy man with a lean, dark face kept very still, and with danger lurking behind bright forget-me-not eyes.

  Chapter Three

  When she arrived at Hedley Magna on Saturday morning, it was a relief to find that neither Matthew Ken-drake nor his daughter was at the Hall.

  "He's taken Janey to the seaside for the day," Mrs. Barnes explained as she conducted Ivory up the stairs. "Janey wanted to go. She's hardly been outside these grounds since they came here last March. Mr. Ken-drake's very careful of her. Oh, this door leads to the master suite. Along here is Janey's room, and this is yours, next to it."

  Two trips up and down the stairs accomplished the task of transferring all Ivory's possessions from her car to her room. Wearily, she sank down on the bed, pushing the damp, pale-gold hair from her eyes.

  "You do look hot," Mrs. Barnes said with sympathy. "Quite a heat wave we're having. Jim—my husband— is already worrying about the garden drying out. He does the gardening, you know, and any heavy jobs. I'm sure I couldn't cope on my own. But now you're here it will be a help. Young Janey's a dear, but it's been a trial keeping an eye on her as well as doing my job."

  "You needn't worry about her any longer," Ivory said.

  "If I were you, I'd have a rest," the housekeeper suggested. "I'll bring you a drink and then… Why don't you have a dip in the pool, to cool you down?"

  The thought of that shimmering blue water was too great a temptation to resist. "What a marvelous idea! Except—what time are you expecting Mr. Kendrake back? I'd hate him to come home and find me making free with his swimming pool the instant I arrive."

  "Oh, I don't suppose he'd mind," the housekeeper said. "But he won't be back for a while yet. About six, he told me. He wanted to give you a chance to get settled in peacefully."

  Ivory unpacked hastily, telling herself she would put her things away more tidily later, and found a yellow bikini she had never worn. It was a bit daring for her taste, fastened with thin yellow strings, and when she had it on she looked at her reflection and mused that her grandmother certainly wouldn't have approved. Still, her figure was good, and anyway, no one was going to see her.

  Throwing on a terrycloth robe and a pair of flat sandals, she ventured down the back stairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Barnes was nowhere in sight, but a delicious aroma wafted from the oven. Through a half-open door Ivory glimpsed a utility room with gleaming white appliances. She walked across the tiled floor to where a glass lobby connected the main house with the back wing, which contained the flat where the Barneses lived. An outer door opened onto the lawn below the terrace.

  At the far end of the pool, a white table and chairs stood beneath a big scarlet umbrella. The whole area was screened by shrubs and trees. Somewhere a tractor droned, reminding Ivory of Rob Garth. She wondered what he would say if he could see her as she slipped off the robe and plunged into the sparkling water.

  She came up gasping from the cool shock of the water on her skin and struck out for the opposite side of the pool. Turning her face to the sun, she let herself float and closed her eyes against the brightness, thinking how delicious the water felt after hours spent in the heat of her car.

  A shadow falling across her face made her open her eyes. She was near the side of the pool, and against the bright haze of the sunlight, a tall figure loomed darkly. He moved so that his shadow covered her eyes again, and she saw that it was Matthew Kendrake. He stood with a thumb hooked into the belt of his slacks and one eyebrow lifted into a q
uizzical hook.

  "Oh!" Ivory gasped, letting her feet touch the bottom of the pool. She stayed close to the side, hiding her lightly clad body from his sight.

  "Oh, indeed," he said lazily. "For a moment I thought you'd drowned yourself."

  Ivory crouched in the pool, furiously aware of the indignity of the situation in which she found herself. "You weren't expected yet. Mrs. Barnes said—"

  "I come and go as I please in my own house," he interrupted. He strolled languidly to one of the white chairs not far away, and seated himself casually. "As a matter of fact, Miss Andersen, we found the coast overcrowded. Janey was hot and I was irritable, so we came home. But don't let me disturb you." He leaned back in his chair. "I'll just sit here and enjoy the view."

  Knowing full well which view he meant, Ivory flushed and wondered how she could extricate herself. Her robe lay on the chair next to her employer, her sandals beneath it. There was nothing for it but to behave as though she were used to being seen half-naked.

  Ignoring his sardonic gaze, she stood up and climbed from the pool, pausing to shake back her wet hair. A trickle of water down her back made a shiver run through her, bringing her out in goose pimples, and she was suddenly aware of how closely the bikini stuck to her skin, concealing very little. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to walk slowly to where her robe lay, keeping as far as was possible from the man whose interested gaze covered every inch of her. She threw the robe on and knotted the belt tightly, making him squint up at her face.

  "You're not shy, are you?" he asked with amusement. "You shouldn't be."

  Ivory turned away. "Thank you," she said stiffly.

  "Oh, don't go! I've asked Mrs. Barnes to make a jug of something cool and bring it out to me after she's seen to Janey. Won't you join me? You might dry more easily if you took that robe off again. There's nothing to fear from me. I've seen women in far less than a bikini."