A Lesson in Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page B

contact me; we’ll talk about all that when you begin work. Now, perhaps you’d like to move your belongings in on Saturday or Sunday—I’ll be in Kent and you’ll have some time to yourself. Come to the office on Monday at twelve—I don’t generally arrive until later on Mondays—and we’ll begin work. I should have more information on the other job by then.”
    Sandra swallowed, as if to digest everything Maisie had said. Her flushed cheeks and rounded, tired shoulders revealed a profound sense of relief at having found work and a roof over her head.
    O h, Miss, that poor girl. I remember him—Eric. Nice bloke, wasn’t he? Didn’t he work at Ebury Place?”
    “Yes, he was a good lad. And if you remember, he came and mended the locks on the doors here, when we were broken into.”
    “Gaw, and you say the engine fell on him? Now, that’s what I call a freak accident, something like that. Not that you don’t hear about these things—look at that bloke who copped it when that horse bolted on Tottenham Court Road last week, frightened by one of those noisy lorries coming up alongside it. Mind you, this town’s not made for horses anymore, is it? And that’s why you’ve got people like that Eric working in what used to be stables, and poor Sandra now being thrown out of her only home.”
    Maisie nodded. She was used to Billy railing against the slightest injustice, and using those events to underline how much better life would be if he could only get his family away from the British Isles. Just a month previously, Maisie had commented on the surge in house building, in what people were increasingly referring to as “suburbs,” streets of mock-Tudor houses boasting indoor bathrooms and “fitted” kitchens, with enough room to raise a family and close enough to both city and country to enjoy fresh air and town life. The spirit of Metro-landhad spread from the north and west of London to the south and east, and Maisie believed she could help Billy and his family improve their living conditions sooner rather than later. Cheap down payments—just one pound—could be made, with additional payments until the property was ready for habitation. The houses seemed like a good investment—at the very least she could provide the down payment as some sort of bonus for Billy. The stumbling block proved to be her assistant’s pride.
    “I know it sounds all very nice, Miss, but you’ve done enough for us already. And to tell you the truth, Miss, this government has taken a lot from us blokes; in the war, and now in this slump. The very least the likes of me can do is put a roof over our families’ heads.”
    Maisie had not pressed the point, but now wondered how it might be received if she were to invest in a house and rent it out—to Billy and his family. She would wait and broach the subject again, perhaps at a time when Billy was more open to accepting such an offer. When Billy and Doreen returned from Kent, they would doubtless be chagrined to be back in Shoreditch, with the added pressure of a baby soon to be born.
    “I’ve invited Sandra to stay at my flat again, which will help her get on her feet. And it will be a weight off my mind to know that someone is at home when I am away; at least the place will be inhabited.” She paused for a moment. “And I have some good news for us.”
    Billy looked up from his desk. “Oh—a new job come in?”
    Maisie shook her head. “No, some help for us—she’s looking for a job, so I offered her the position of secretary. It’ll be part-time, as she’ll also be working for Douglas Partridge. She can catch up with the filing, type up our invoices and reports properly, and generally keep us in some sort of order. When she’s here and clients come to the office, you won’t have to miss half the conversation because you’re bringing in the tea—Sandra will be able to take care of those . . . those . . . housekeeping details. Plus, when I’m away, it will be