Catier's strike by Jane Corrie Read Free Book Online

continue with her career. Not that Sean Cartier would know this, he hadn't given her the benefit of the doubt on anything so far, only when it suited him, she thought grimly, as she recalled what had been said about Eddie Lyall's personal
    life. So—if she accomplished nothing else, she would certainly give him a few bad moments, and that was worth something!
    The following day Sarah was back at her post at the kitchen sink. Her legs and back had slowly recovered from the shock of physical exhaustion, and buoyed up by her inner calculations of how much all this was going to cost Sean Cartier, she worked cheerfully at her task.
    That evening, she had told herself, she would take up Mrs Pullman's invitation and join them in the social hut; there just might be a glimmer of an idea to be found there concerning her cherished hope of an escape route, and she wasn't going to find it sitting in her room all evening.
    By lunch time, however, she was given something else to think about, for a depressed-looking Mrs Pullman sought her out with, 'I knew it was too good to last! Mr Cartier's putting you on other work. He wants to see you in his office after lunch.' She frowned in annoyance. `I'll miss you. I don't suppose that gormless lad from the laundry that they're sending to replace you will be half as useful.'
    Sarah murmured something on the lines that she was sorry, too, just as she was getting used to the work, etc., but inside she was seething. So he was going to send her to the laundry, was he? Well, that was going to cost him a few more thousands when she sued him, she thought grimly.
    Shortly after two, she presented herself at Sean's office. She could have been sent straight to the laundry, couldn't she? she thought angrily,
    as she tapped on the office door and awaited the summons to enter his august presence—but no, he wanted to enjoy seeing her discomfiture on learning her new position, and no matter what, she wasn't going to allow him that satisfaction, she told herself firmly.
    `Ah, there you are!' Sean Cartier said breezily, as Sarah entered the office, as if she had just been passing by and he had caught her attention. He pointed to the seat in front of his desk.
    Sarah glared at him, but stayed right where she was. She would rather take it standing up like a man, she thought. It shouldn't take long.
    `Sit down!' he commanded. 'You're going to need a seat in a minute,' he added in an amused tone, and thrust a piece of paper which had the print-out of a cablegram on it.
    Sarah took the piece of paper and perused its contents. It was addressed to her, which under the circumstances was surprising enough, but the message it contained was even more perplexing. `Congratulations. You did a good job. We'll miss you. Eddie.'
    This, then, was the result of Sean Cartier's telephone conversation with her editor, but the wording was odd to say the least, and her eyes left the cablegram and rested on Sean. 'Am I supposed to know what this means?' she asked.
    He grinned back at her, his white teeth gleaming against his tanned features. 'It means that as of this moment, you are no longer employed by the Daily,' he said pompously.
    Sarah's eyes glinted dangerously. 'On whose say-so?' she asked quietly.
    `On my say-so,' Sean replied smoothly.
    A very nasty idea was forming in Sarah's mind about this time, for suddenly the word 'congratulations' floated in front of her eyes in double-spaced capitals, and there was only one reason why Eddie would have put that—she swallowed. He couldn't have gone through with that crazy idea of his, could he? She almost shook her head. Eddie wasn't born yesterday; he'd never wear that. She looked back at the man sitting in front of her, and who had never taken his eyes off. her. She had to know. 'Why the congratulations?' she asked.
    `Can't you guess?' he replied, the smile now definitely wolfish. 'I think I did mention what I had in mind.'
    Sarah's cheeks flamed in pure temper. So he had told that