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There was evidently no escaping her initiation, and Veronica was the cynosure of all eyes as she took up a toothpick and dutifully paid her tribute to Fred, chewing her way through the small, chilled delicacy, relieved to discover that all she could taste was the spicya texture similar to squid Out of sheer bravado, because she sensed Lucien thought she wouldn’t, she even ate a second, but hastily waved away his sly offer to fetch her a plate
‘Now you’re one of us,’ said Sophie, with satisfaction ‘I bet Karen wouldn’t have done it She’d have squealed and claimed it was too yucky’ She obviously remembered how fastidious her former nanny had been about food
‘Or complained about the number of calories,’ smiled Veronica
That brought the conversation around to Karen’s foray intoand fro her sister a choice, Karen had freely offered Veronica’s services before she had ever arrived in England It was Melanie who had been dubious about encroaching on Veronica’s holiday and Karen who had earnestly assured her that it was no proble vacation anyway, and the free accommodation ample compensation for her time
Veronica saw little point in revealing how Karen had twisted the facts to suit herself Even if she wanted to turn tail and run at the daunting prospect of seeing Lucien each day, she knew she ell and truly trapped by her own sense of responsibility
It was the sae on her parents’ fared a very different future for herself
‘How convenient for Karen,’ Lucien was co ‘You know, you’ll probably have to look for a new assistant soon anyway, if she’s really been bitten by theit for a bit of fun’
‘I know, but I don’t even want to have to think about it just yet,’ said Melanie ‘Karen’s always fitted in so well…but I knew there’d coet restless and want to , too There’s less personal and more office work involved nohich I know isn’t really her thing…’
But a certain inflection in Lucien’s voice along with the aptness of his observation had brought Veronica’s head around ‘Do you know Karen?’
His eyelids drooped, thick black lashes veiling his gaze ‘We’ve met a few times when she’s been in London with Melanie’ And before another question could forue, he added, ‘If you’re here on a working holiday, what is it exactly that you do, Veronica?’
‘I thought you were souidly,it sound like a sinecure ‘Except—didn’t Karen say you weren’t actually qualified?’
‘I’m not a chartered accountant, if that’s what you mean,’ said Veronica evenly ‘I left school to help Muanic far courses by correspondence so I could handle their bookkeeping Gradually I started doing the books for other friends and neighbours with rural small businesses as well’ Because her parents hadn’t been able to afford to pay her, she had had to invent ways to earn herself some money and contribute to the household expenses, inadvertently providing herself with the means and incentive to finally assert her independence
She had loved school and longed to go on to university, but at the ti, so she had quietly put her dreams of an independent career on hold and stayed horanted that she would be a pillar of strength Her sister and brother were years younger and had still had to finish their schooling Her hard-working parents hadn’t quite kno they had ed to produce such an ethereal beauty as Karen between sensible, brainy Veronica and brawny, down-to-earth John—as a farmer from the day he could first stick his chubby toddler’s foot in a guun to take off and their money proble through with ht froh she had no real ambition to study, and had dropped out the instant the Reeds had offered her a full-ti after Sophie
‘Now that organically grown food is in such big delad that they were in the vanguard of the revolution,’ said Melanie knowledgeably, picking up a paper fan to direct a cooling breeze through her gauze sling ‘Bell Faroods’
‘Karen showed ned It’s very i the cork out of another bottle of wine ‘She said you took all the photographs for it yourself’