don’t think he’d be interested. He’s too young.’
‘I don’t think so.’
Hartmann ordered two more drinks, overriding Anne’s objection. Slowly the brandy trickled down inside her and soothed the feeling of injustice she had felt as she leaned against the hotel wall. She was aware that her eyes must be swollen, but there was little she could do about it. If she went to look at herself in the mirror, it might only destroy what little self-confidence she felt.
He said, ‘You’re a resilient girl, aren’t you?’
‘I was lucky to run into someone who took my part.’
‘It wasn’t only luck, was it? If you hadn’t offered to come and work for me, I wouldn’t have known who you were. If I’d just recognised you from the hotel, I would have thought it was none of my business.’
Anne shrugged and said nothing. The delicacy of her situation was beginning to embarrass her. There was nothing scandalous, of course, in having a glass of brandy with a married man, but she imagined everyone in the room could guess that it meant much more than that to her. Now that the tears had gone, it was difficult to find a level on which to communicate with him. He seemed to talk to her exactly as he talked to Mattlin or to anyone else, but her response was complicated by the nervous emotion she felt and by her fear of saying something stupid.
‘What are you going to do now?’ he said.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t anywhere else to go, so I suppose I’ll have to go back. Mme Bouin isn’t going to be pleased, you know. She’ll make me suffer for this.’
‘Perhaps if you stay there for a little while you can find a better job somewhere else in the town.’
‘What, in another hotel?’
‘You don’t have to be a waitress, surely. You must have other skills.’
‘Not really. I can sew a little, and draw. But I left school too young to learn much there.’
Hartmann, who had obviously not often put his mind to the employment prospects of young women, frowned. ‘Perhaps you could go somewhere as a receptionist, or a manageress. To a doctor’s, perhaps.’
Anne found herself laughing. ‘Monsieur, do I seem to you a typical doctor’s receptionist?’
Hartmann smiled and ran his big hand back through his hair. ‘No, I suppose not. Never mind. By the time you come on Wednesday, I’ll have thought of something. You are coming on Wednesday, aren’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. Now I’ll drive you back to the hotel.’
He took his hat and ushered her out into the street. The engine fired into life and the short journey was over, it seemed to Anne, almost before it had begun. Hartmann pulled up at the end of the street at the side of the Lion d’Or. ‘Are you sure you’ll be all right?’ he said, as Anne moved to get out of the car.
‘Yes, I’ll be fine. Thank you very much.’
‘I’ll see you on Wednesday.’
‘Yes. Wednesday.’
Anne watched the black car reverse and stop, then pull away, the headlights catching strings of rain in their beam. She stood at the side entrance of the hotel until it was out of sight.
2
T HE DENTIST’S APOLOGY was not a thing of any grace. After breakfast duty in the dining-room, Anne was summoned to Mme Bouin’s niche and there told that the matter of the previous night would not be referred to again.
‘Monsieur the Patron has decided to keep you on the staff. No doubt, like the rest of us, he greatly regrets what took place, but he is a generous man as well as an extremely busy one and he will take no further action.’
She warned Anne that any further lapses would not be viewed so tolerantly. ‘And before you go, mademoiselle, there is one further thing. If it had not been for the intervention of certain persons you would now be waiting at the station with your suitcase packed. What’s done is done, but it is not permitted for the staff of this hotel to fraternise with the clients. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, thank you, madame.’
‘You will now return
‘I don’t think so.’
Hartmann ordered two more drinks, overriding Anne’s objection. Slowly the brandy trickled down inside her and soothed the feeling of injustice she had felt as she leaned against the hotel wall. She was aware that her eyes must be swollen, but there was little she could do about it. If she went to look at herself in the mirror, it might only destroy what little self-confidence she felt.
He said, ‘You’re a resilient girl, aren’t you?’
‘I was lucky to run into someone who took my part.’
‘It wasn’t only luck, was it? If you hadn’t offered to come and work for me, I wouldn’t have known who you were. If I’d just recognised you from the hotel, I would have thought it was none of my business.’
Anne shrugged and said nothing. The delicacy of her situation was beginning to embarrass her. There was nothing scandalous, of course, in having a glass of brandy with a married man, but she imagined everyone in the room could guess that it meant much more than that to her. Now that the tears had gone, it was difficult to find a level on which to communicate with him. He seemed to talk to her exactly as he talked to Mattlin or to anyone else, but her response was complicated by the nervous emotion she felt and by her fear of saying something stupid.
‘What are you going to do now?’ he said.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t anywhere else to go, so I suppose I’ll have to go back. Mme Bouin isn’t going to be pleased, you know. She’ll make me suffer for this.’
‘Perhaps if you stay there for a little while you can find a better job somewhere else in the town.’
‘What, in another hotel?’
‘You don’t have to be a waitress, surely. You must have other skills.’
‘Not really. I can sew a little, and draw. But I left school too young to learn much there.’
Hartmann, who had obviously not often put his mind to the employment prospects of young women, frowned. ‘Perhaps you could go somewhere as a receptionist, or a manageress. To a doctor’s, perhaps.’
Anne found herself laughing. ‘Monsieur, do I seem to you a typical doctor’s receptionist?’
Hartmann smiled and ran his big hand back through his hair. ‘No, I suppose not. Never mind. By the time you come on Wednesday, I’ll have thought of something. You are coming on Wednesday, aren’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. Now I’ll drive you back to the hotel.’
He took his hat and ushered her out into the street. The engine fired into life and the short journey was over, it seemed to Anne, almost before it had begun. Hartmann pulled up at the end of the street at the side of the Lion d’Or. ‘Are you sure you’ll be all right?’ he said, as Anne moved to get out of the car.
‘Yes, I’ll be fine. Thank you very much.’
‘I’ll see you on Wednesday.’
‘Yes. Wednesday.’
Anne watched the black car reverse and stop, then pull away, the headlights catching strings of rain in their beam. She stood at the side entrance of the hotel until it was out of sight.
2
T HE DENTIST’S APOLOGY was not a thing of any grace. After breakfast duty in the dining-room, Anne was summoned to Mme Bouin’s niche and there told that the matter of the previous night would not be referred to again.
‘Monsieur the Patron has decided to keep you on the staff. No doubt, like the rest of us, he greatly regrets what took place, but he is a generous man as well as an extremely busy one and he will take no further action.’
She warned Anne that any further lapses would not be viewed so tolerantly. ‘And before you go, mademoiselle, there is one further thing. If it had not been for the intervention of certain persons you would now be waiting at the station with your suitcase packed. What’s done is done, but it is not permitted for the staff of this hotel to fraternise with the clients. Is that understood?’
‘Yes, thank you, madame.’
‘You will now return
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