McQueen's Agency (9 page)

After Joe and Mike left, Molly tried to start a conversation. ‘Do you like Dundee, Christie?’

‘It’s all right. I like the people, they are really friendly.’

‘Do you do anything special when you go out?’ Molly thought she sounded like the inquisition and tried to keep her voice light.

‘No, I helped out at the shop till the afternoon then had something to eat, a couple of drinks and back here. It was hardly a fun day out.’

Christie gave her a sharp glance so Molly decided to stop her probing. If Christie had been at the Palais he was hardly going to admit it.

Molly made her way back to the house. She needed to go to the bathroom, which was on the first floor. She climbed the stair silently but before she reached the bathroom door, Lena and Kenneth came out of one of the rooms. She hadn’t seen Kenneth since the middle of last week.

Lena saw her. ‘Molly, Kenneth is going to collect the crate. Can you let Joe know the change of plan?’

Kenneth passed her on the stair and gave her one of his devastating smiles. God, he is handsome, Molly thought.

Joe took the news with bad grace. ‘I’ll have to tell Mike her ladyship’s changed her plans.’

Molly was taken aback by the description of his wife but maybe it was a term of endearment. She was barely back in the office when Christie appeared with another batch of invoices and a cup of coffee in his hand.

‘Can I bring you a coffee, Molly?’

‘I’d rather have a cup of tea. No milk or sugar.’

‘Oh a lady who likes her drinks strong and black.’ He smiled but Molly was aware of an undertone in his voice.

‘No, Christie. Weak and amber.’

He saluted and went off to the kitchen. The staff seemed to have the run of the house, she thought.

When he appeared with her tea and a plate of biscuits, he perched himself on the chaise longue, not stretched out like Lena but seated on the edge as if ready to run off.

She found his presence slightly intimidating but she was determined to find out if he was the man with Mary and Rita.

She smiled at him. ‘Do you go over to Dundee a lot?’

‘Not regularly but yes, I go over every now and then.’ He waved his hand in the air. ‘I mean, there’s not a lot happening here, is there? This small corner is quiet and a bit dull if you ask me.’

Molly nodded as if agreeing with him. ‘But you have to be back before the last ferry leaves. Doesn’t that curtail your night’s entertainment?’

‘No it doesn’t. I get the use of the work’s van. I go to Wormit and catch the train and then get the late train back. It gives me ample time to see a movie or whatever else is on offer.’ He looked at her and gave her a huge smile. She decided to end the conversation as he must be suspicious about the questioning. In fact it was more like a third degree interrogation.

She put the empty cup down on the desk and picked up the invoices. ‘Well it was pleasant chatting to you but I’d better get back to work.’

He didn’t move but gave her an appraising glance. ‘I would like to take you out next Saturday if you would like to come. We can have a meal somewhere or go to a movie.’

Molly almost fell of her chair and she felt her face go red with embarrassment. Christie must have thought she was angling for a date with him.

‘I’m sorry but I can’t manage it. I’m busy next Saturday.’ She was mortified that she had given him the impression she was desperate for a man’s company.

He looked dejected but said, ‘Maybe another time then.’

Molly nodded, but he was halfway across the room and he didn’t notice the gesture.

It took ages to focus again on her work and she was annoyed at herself for giving him the wrong impression. So much for her sleuthing. She obviously wasn’t a female Sherlock Holmes.

As she sorted out the various invoices she noted there had been a large delivery of rugs and furniture from Denmark. Lena had said they had an agent in Europe who bought up antiques from large houses that had fallen on hard times.

Molly got up to put the invoices in the filing cabinet. When she turned round, Lena was standing at the desk.

‘Molly, I was wondering if you could help us out on Saturday evening. I’m putting on a small party for some of our best customers and I wondered if you could work that evening?’ She paused when she saw the surprised look on Molly’s face. ‘Oh, I don’t mean work in the domestic sense. I do the cooking and serving. It’s more as a help to me on the business side. We normally show them around our latest stock and then have dinner and drinks and hopefully we sell our goods. It’s a soft approach but we are in the business of selling our antiques.’ She smiled and the tiredness left her face.

Molly thought, Lena loves her work and likes to sell her treasures to other connoisseurs.

‘Yes I’d love to help out, Lena.’

‘We normally meet around six thirty for the tour of the sheds and the evening is usually over by eleven o’clock. I’ll get Mike to run you home afterwards.’

Molly tried not to show her distaste at the thought of sharing a car with Mike.

‘There’s no need. I can drive myself.’

‘Well, if you’re sure, then that’s settled. I’m so glad to have you here. You are such a big help to me.’ She sounded like a small wistful child.

Then Joe came into the room and the wistful look disappeared to be replaced by another emotion.

Edna sat at the desk in the untidy lounge. John had been dictating for over two hours and she was planning to get the shorthand script typed up by afternoon. Her bruise was fading fast and she didn’t need to put on so much make-up. She had also managed to buy another pair of nylons and she felt really smart again. Her mum had repaired the torn pair and she was going to keep them for wearing around the house.

Although John hadn’t commented on her black eye since the day it happened, he was glad to see she was almost back to normal.

‘I think we’ll stop for some dinner, Edna,’ he said.

Edna put her shorthand notebook on the table and followed him into the kitchen. She had stopped bringing her own sandwiches now as John liked her to keep him company. He had made a large shepherd’s pie and Edna realised she was hungry when he brought it out of the oven.

She felt comfortable in this large, untidy house and she liked working with John. He was so passionate about his book and Edna hoped he would manage to get it published.

She gazed out of the window. The garden was a bit tidier because he had brought in a gardener who worked two days a week. The man was slowly getting on top of the overgrown grass and the weeds that choked the flowerbeds.

In a way, Edna felt sorry for John, living in this large house alone.

‘Are you having a holiday later?’ he asked.

‘I haven’t asked Molly yet about having a few days off, but Mum is taking Billy to my aunt’s house in Arbroath. I’d love to spend some time with them.’ She didn’t mention it that it all depended on the work being completed here.

‘Arbroath?’ he said. ‘What a coincidence. I’m planning to go and see my brother who lives there. Why don’t we transfer the work there for a week or two? We can work in the morning and you can spend the rest of the day with your family.’

Edna said she wasn’t sure. ‘I don’t know what Molly will say to that.’

‘Well, she will still be getting paid so what can she say?’

Edna was unsure. She said, ‘Well, I’ll ask her. It will be next week or the week after when we go, as Billy will be on his school holiday then.’

‘That’s settled then,’ he said. ‘That’s why I asked if you were having a holiday because I always go to see my brother at this time of year, but I also want to get on with my book. This is the ideal solution.’

Mary was excited. It was prize-giving day at the school and she sat in the assembly hall with all her classmates. She was dressed in her white school blouse and black skirt. She knew her mum and dad were seated at the back of the hall, along with her friends’ parents.

It was a big day for them all. The last day at school before going out into the world of work.

When their names were called, they would go up the steps to the stage and collect their leaving certificates and, in Mary’s case, the first prize for commercial subjects.

Nearly all her classmates had jobs to go to but some of them were envious of Mary’s position in an agency.

Most of the girls had their autograph books and they giggled as they put in witty little poems. Jane wrote, ‘Your job is so glam, I wish it were mine. But never mind Mary, we’ll meet up sometime.’

On Monday she would start full time at the agency where she was now a valued member of Molly’s staff.

She was still a bit nervous after Saturday night but she had told Rita she wouldn’t be going back with her, so hopefully she would never meet up with that man again.

It was strange, she thought, that Molly should take the time and trouble to come and see her. Especially on a Sunday.

Then she put the episode to the back of her mind.

On Saturday morning, Molly dithered about what to wear that night. She knew she wasn’t a guest at this party but she wanted to appear smart and professional. Perhaps this party would lead to other assignments coming to the agency.

She considered her grey suit then discarded it and settled for a dress she had bought in Australia. It was a blue and green print with tiny cap sleeves and a full skirt.

She hadn’t worn it for ages but as she studied herself in the mirror, she had second thoughts. Over in Australia, with the bright sunshine, the colours had seemed subdued but now, under the electric light of her bedroom, it looked a bit garish.

She hunted through her wardrobe and found a plain grey frock with a white collar and red bow. She had pinned her hair up and she knew she looked bookish and dull but she made her mind up. It would be the grey frock and a pair of high heeled black shoes.

She was going into the agency later to see Edna and Mary. She had sent a congratulation card to Mary and was relieved to have her coming in every day. It was a big weight off her mind, knowing that the office would be covered for any calls that may come in.

She was pleasantly surprised by the work so far and she had three of her friends doing temporary work at the moment. Of course, the biggest money earners were Edna’s job and her own. How long both would last was uncertain but she hoped for another week or so for both.

Mary was on the phone when Molly appeared and she was taking down the particulars of a job. ‘Yes, Mr Oswald, we’ll have a secretary there next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Thank you for choosing McQueen’s Agency.’

Mary looked up a sheet of paper. ‘It’s Sheila’s turn to work. Will I phone her?’

Molly said yes. She was conscious of the fact that all these friends were now married and had little time to spare for helping out. However, it gave them some extra money to spend on themselves.

Edna appeared later and she seemed to be anxious. Molly hoped there was nothing wrong.

‘It’s Mr Knox,’ she explained. ‘He’s going away for two weeks to his brother’s in Arbroath and he wondered if I could work from there. I was hoping to have a fortnight off with Mum and Billy at my auntie’s house, as she also lives there. Do you think that’s possible, Molly?’

Well, well, thought Molly, the plot thickens. Mr Knox and Edna. However none of this emotion showed on her face. ‘I don’t mind if that’s all right with you, Edna. When will you be going?’

Edna looked relieved. ‘I thought the week after next. I want Billy to have a wee holiday by the seaside and we usually go to Mum’s sister for a break.’

Molly made up the wages and handed them to Edna and Mary. The look of delight on Mary’s face was a picture. It was the start of her full-time employment.

When Molly was leaving, she said, ‘You will take care tonight, Mary? Stay with your friends and if you see that man again, get a policeman.’

When she got back to the house on Saturday afternoon, Molly had another look at the clothes from her wardrobe but, after laying six or seven outfits on the bed, she decided on her initial choice of the grey dress.

She was ready by five thirty. Initially, she had pinned her hair up but then decided to leave it loose where it hung in blonde waves on her shoulders. After another quick look in the mirror she was ready.

It was a pleasant drive along the country road. Parts of the road skirted the river and it looked steely grey under the cloudy sky. The sun had shone earlier but it was now overcast.

When she reached Cliff Top House, she found a scene of organised chaos. Lena was organising the layout of the table in the dining room and Joe, Mike and Ritchie were busy in the sheds. Molly popped her head around the dining room door. ‘Can I help with anything?’ she said.

Lena swept her hair back from her face. ‘No thanks, Molly, everything is under control.’ Then she sighed. ‘At least I hope it is. We have this dinner every month and it’s always the same. I’m running around at the last moment like a demented banshee.’

Molly didn’t think she looked demented. In fact, she looked supremely calm. There was no sign of Kenneth.

As if reading her mind, Lena said, ‘Kenneth has not long arrived. He’s had a busy day at the shop. But he’ll want to put on the style for his dinner companion, Mrs Marten. She married a very wealthy Dutch businessman but he died some years ago. Now she’s a rich widow with designs on my brother.’

Molly was amazed that anyone had the kind of money required to buy anything from the shop but now she understood. If everyone tonight was as rich as Mrs Marten then that would explain the success of the Lamont’s antique business. She thought about the widow’s designs on Kenneth but she quite understood it. He was a great looking man with a lovely manner and an elegant dress sense.

The dining table looked magnificent. A white table cloth was covered with crystal glasses, silver dishes and cutlery. It was hard to believe that the wartime rationing was only now being relaxed.

Lena said, ‘I’ve put a desk out in the shed, Molly, and you can sit there and take any orders that may come in tonight but before that, perhaps you can join the men for a meal in the kitchen.’