was unanimously good- there were lineups every noon hour and every evening from seven to ten o'clock. She had added a breakfast menu after having moved opening time from eleven in the morning to six AM- no booze in the early morning, just good food- and the move had paid off, drawing a whole new clientele.
Theo responded to this news by moving Tessa up to the position of manager-trainee and hiring Pamela a new secretary, a young man named Thomas Woolley, or Tom, as he preferred to be called. He was a good-looking, competent young man who loved his work and was easy to get along with. He was also experienced and knowledgeable, especially when it came to high-tech modern gadgetry and finding innovative ways to cross-reference inter-company business to eliminate redundancies, share costs, and produce items within the overall structure, in turn selling its own products to itself- at cost. This information he had gleaned while working at a large firm. He had learned well, and should have moved up the corporate ladder, but for the incompetence of his superiors who laid him off to save their own skins. Pamela expected from the beginning that he would pass her fairly quickly and end up contributing far more than she ever could, but in the meantime she was determined to learn everything and anything she could from him and apply it to the workings of the Dewhurst businesses and estates.
Pamela herself was moved on to the management of one of the Dewhurst estates and was currently looking over the options. To subdivide or to preserve? To renovate or to demolish? To turn into yet another quaint bed-and-breakfast or hope for an elusive bolt from the blue that would inspire her to turn it into something that would preserve the character of the old estate and its buildings without Disneyfying local history?
It would be easier if she could just keep her mind on things. But with the wedding only days away now she was becoming perpetually jumpy. It was the uncertainty that had her stomach turning over in knots. Did Theo love her? He had certainly shown flashes of caring, he had now kissed her a number of times, and she very much enjoyed their quiet time together late at night in the upstairs sitting room. But what if things didn't improve after they were married? What if he was being nicer than he would after they were married? What if he really did see her as more of an asset than a potential lover? And as to that-
Pamela found the very prospect of their wedding night to be the most frightening aspect of all. All the holding and cuddling would be gone right along with their bedclothes! The very thought of lying in bed with Theo, both of them naked, caused her heart to pound uncontrollably with fear. True, she was curious. True, there were carnal feelings lurking traitorously in her nether regions, often tormenting her with the anticipation of shared mutual pleasure and desire. And true, she was helplessly, hopelessly in love with Theo, and wanted to please him in every way.