Read The Room Beyond for Free Online Page B

eyes
instantly softened in response; all that lucid blueness mellowing into a more
apologetic grey.
    But the side of my cheek felt the onslaught of yet more eyes: Eva
watching me like a hawk, her face wide with interest, astonishment even. Her
mouth was actually gaping open a little.
    ‘This is Serena, she’s my new nanny.’
    Beth’s voice sounded cautious, as if she were testing tricky waters.
    ‘Well thank God you’re here. We’ve been waiting for someone like you
for ages, haven’t we?’
    Beth didn’t reply.
    He shook my hand and his skin felt cool against mine. ‘I’m Sebastian
White, friend of the family.’
    ‘But we all call him Seb and he’s always hanging around here,’ said
Beth.
    He hurled a cushion from behind his back in her direction. ‘I’m a
big favourite of hers, as you can see.’
    His eyes met mine again and then he scanned my body up and down. I
felt my face turn scarlet.
    ‘So how did Arabella find you?’
    ‘Oh, a friend of hers does amateur dramatics with my aunt.’
    ‘How very straightforward!’
    ‘You know what Mummy’s like,’ interrupted Eva.
    ‘Oh yes, and we love her for it. Have you been a nanny long?’
    Somewhere on the periphery I could still feel Eva’s stare boring
into my skull like a series of cold, grey bullets.
    ‘No, actually this is my first job as a nanny,’ I shrugged and tried
to smile beneath the onslaught. ‘Not really selling myself here, am I?’
    ‘Don’t worry, you don’t need to,’ he beamed. ‘You’ll be fine.’
    ‘You think so?’
    ‘Of course, and if you find Beth too difficult just tell us and
we’ll swap her for a Labrador.’
    The cushion instantly came hurtling back in Seb’s direction, but
this time Beth did betray a giggle.
    ‘What did you do before this then? I mean, you must have done
something?’ asked Eva, cutting the merriment with the precision of a scalpel. Although
her mother had already employed me, it was quite obvious that for Eva my
interview had barely begun.
    ‘Yes, I’m an artist, although I’ve always had to work to keep myself
going. I’ve brought my materials, perhaps Beth might be interested in some
lessons...’ Eva blinked but said nothing. ‘I’m always looking for inspiration...
actually I’ve just been to Thailand on a sort journey of discovery.’
    ‘And what did you discover?’ asked Beth, wrinkling up her forehead.
    ‘Oh, not much in the end,’ I laughed. ‘How to live on ten dollars a
day I suppose, how to avoid a lot of other tourists attempting to do exactly
the same thing. But you could say that a pretty vile stomach infection
discovered me, so I came home.’
    ‘How remarkable.’ Seb seemed as wide-eyed and innocent as a little
boy. ‘Why on earth did you do it?’
    ‘Do what?’
    ‘You know, go so far away by yourself? Where did you live?’
    ‘In a hut on a beach for most of the time.’
    ‘Everyone does it Seb,’ said Eva, wryly. ‘It’s the thing to do
nowadays,’
    ‘Well anyway, I’m in awe,’ he answered, standing up and stretching
his body to its full height. As he raised his arms I caught a glimpse of flesh
above the top of his trousers. ‘Eva’s just come back from Morocco, haven’t you
darling?’
    He brushed his hand softly against her cheek and my heart sank. So
that’s why she’d been glaring at me.
    ‘Do you... live here?’ I asked.
    He unleashed an enigmatic grin. ‘No, I just spend A LOT of time here.
It’s the best place in London after all, don’t you agree?’
    ‘It seems beautiful, although I just arrived this morning. I haven’t
even unpacked yet.’
    ‘Oh you’ll love it, you’ll just love it. It’s paradise here isn’t
it?’ he exclaimed, attempting to encompass both Beth and Eva in his enthusiasm
with a wave of the hand. Beth ignored him completely and Eva just raised her
eyebrows until they formed two perfectly plucked half-moons.
    ‘And you simply can’t beat the Hartreve women for their unfettered
energy and