Читать книгу Headwinds - Sybil Kempel - Страница 6

"Bastard. A new Aston Martin" Mr. Edwards murmured while a bright Vanquish entered the gravel driveway of Willow Manor.

Mrs. Roberts, standing next to him, looked at him disapprovingly.

"Edward. Please." she said.

"I didn't mean it" the butler justified himself, lined up with the other servants in front of the building's front door. Then, sighing, he turned to the housekeeper: "I know better what to do with three hundred thousand pounds, instead of fiddling with toys of that kind."

"Oh, at last. You are NOT Mr. Davis. But you are getting paid by him. And well paid. At least that should lead you to respect him, don't you think so?"

"I respect everyone's whims. But they burn. And as for our salary: the bread crumbs of the bread crumbs."

"It's pure envy," she whispered, brushing against him, while, beaming a dazzling smile, she approached the car door.

Mr. Edwards, too, approached, smiling, "It's a pleasure to see you again" he said as he slightly nodded.

Davis looked at him distractedly: "Do you know how to open the trunk, Edward?" he asked.

Then, without waiting for an answer, he turned to the garden. He took two steps toward the path leading to the fountain and stopped.

"What's this eyesore?" Edward asked.

"The new gardener. He said it's the latest fashion in terms of..." he hinted.

"I don’t seem to have made any provision on this," Davis said coldly "Remove that thing... right away," and he pointed to a tree pruned like a green ball. He turned like he had been stung by a wasp and headed home. Passing in front of Edward he stopped, looked at him for a moment and then adjusted his tie. The butler blushed violently. Mrs Roberts repressed a giggle.

"Sara, Joan. Take the gentleman’s suitcases to his room." He ordered.

The two maids obeyed and took the bags that Edward, still with his scarlet cheeks, was pulling out of the trunk. Davis entered the house.

The butler banged the trunk lid violently, to close it. He grumbled to himself and dragged a sports bag with two wheels.

"Put the car in the garage, Edward" the housekeeper said.

"I won’t even think about it" the butler replied aggressively. "I don’t take responsibility for damaging a three hundred thousand pounds car. If you want to put it in the garage, you better think about it."

Mrs. Roberts looked up to the sky and entered the house, closing the front door behind her.

And so he was alone again. Alone. Alone. Alone. Davis was searching nervously the drawers of the desk. It was almost as old as the house and there was a worn out piano. Roumor had it it belonged to some old, prominent writer, he was sure that the piece of furniture at most he had seen the sheets with the required amount of debt to pile up, of the family that had lived in the house until he couldn't afford to buy the house anymore.

Davis sat in the armchair that stood in the middle of the room. All in all it was a good deal: a sort of good retreat to be used when he won’t manage to hold himself anymore or if -for reasons of force majeure- he would need to disappear from the social circles for some time. On some occasions that house had been precious.

Davis sniffed the air of the living room that smelled like old and dust. He felt a kind of anguish: when he was far away, he tended not to think about how he felt like a prisoner in that country, far from everything, from business, as well as from life, from flatterers like friends, from beauty, as well as from dangers in which he, as a polite and refined man of the world, often hunted.

He grabbed the cigar box, opened it and sniffed the aroma that came out of it. He closed it and threw it away on the desk.

"I have to stay here at least two weeks. Wait for things to settle down. When Miles will be over with the process then I'll come back and we can start talking again. But this time I'll dictate the rules" he said softly.

His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock.

"Come in" Davis said, sitting down on the chair and opened the book on the armrest.

Edward came in condescendingly.

"They brought this" he said, handing him a tiny, sepia-colored envelope. Davis snorted. He opened the note, read it distractedly and threw it on the table.

Pretending nothing, Edward turned imperceptibly to read what was written above. He could only see the name that was four lines long of fine writing: Gianna Lorenzi." I don’t think I can handle her," Davis said, then ordered, "Do we have any scotch in the house?"

Edward felt offended and without uttering a word, he went to the bar, took out a historic bottle and poured two fingers of amber liquid into a glass. Davis smiled. "I forgot you're here," he said, not without a touch of irony. Edward took the punch and said nothing but served Davis the glass he had placed on a tray. He took it with a nod, as if to thank him. The butler waited near the door. Davis said nothing: he seemed immersed in his thoughts.

Edward cleared his throat. Davis noticed: "Is there anything else?"

"They are waiting for an answer" he said politely.

"Who?" asked Davis.

‘’ There's a boy... I think he works in Madame Lorenzi's villa’’

Davis nodded in disappointment.

‘’ I just arrived... how does that gossipy know.’’

"Your arrival here never goes unnoticed, sir." Edward said.

Davis sighed: "Nothing has changed then. Always the same environment...’’

"It's hard to change anything here, sir," Edward said with a touch of sadness that did not escape his interlocutor.

"Are you satisfied with your job?" Davis asked suddenly. The butler blushed embarrassed.

"Oh, well... yes... it's a... job... interesting" he said, mumbling, taken aback.

Davis went to the bar, took another glass, poured whiskey and handed it to Edward. The latter, surprised, refused it: "I'm on duty, sir..."

"You're not a policeman. You should rather answer my question..."

Edward started looking around. He didn’t know whether to accept this intimacy or keep the butler's distance. Then he decided that an exception to the rule, forced by a specific request from his employer, could also be done. He took the glass and began to sip the whiskey.

"Honestly" said Davis.

"Sir, the service here at the villa is very generously paid..." he attacked.

"I did not ask you if you want a raise. I asked you if you're satisfied with your job"

"I care about my work" Edward said "But if I have to be honest, sir, regardless of the excellent treatment I enjoy ... no, I don’t think I'm completely satisfied with it" and he swallowed the truth.

Davis thought about it for a while.

"I'm not satisfied either. I'm talking about my job" he said, almost to himself.

"I suppose you feel quite alone, in the position you occupy" Edward ventured, eyeing the whiskey bottle.

"That's it" Davis said. "A wonderful golden cage full of idiots who nod and are ready to bite you at the first chance they get. Believe me Edward, just this it's so scary."

"There are people who would aspire to their fortune with all their strength."

"Idiots. Idiots who have no clue... what do they know!" Davis slammed down his glass on the piano.

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm afraid I can’t keep the boy waiting any longer" Edward whispered.

"You are right. I will go to the boat club, but not invited from that duck of Lorenzi. Tell her I'll be happy to go to her again. She organizes just a party per week."

"Two per week but..." Edward corrected.

"Find an excuse" Davis interrupted him and spread his legs on the footstool. "Tell her I'm tired... it was a long journey...."

"Sir..." Edward hesitated.

"And I want dinner at seven" Davis concluded, waving his hand at him to go.

Edward bowed slightly and left the room.

He laughed as he left. Davis had not read the message carefully. He, Edward, the well-mannered and obedient butler, would tell the boy that his master didn’t feel like going out to the party.

But Edward laughed because Davis, he would meet Madame Lorenzi right where he would go that night. For some time the woman had succeeded in being part of the exclusive circle by virtue of a more than a generous donation, and had got into the habit of going there most evenings "At all costs," she said to everyone, "I have to take advantage of the opportunity, right?"

Edward turned to the closed door, made a grotesque bow tie and when he stood up, he stretched out to Davis - who couldn’t see him behind the door- all his tongue. Then he turned away amused.