small talk, is he?’ John’s words were reassuring. Josephine leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees tomboy fashion.
‘The poor man had just lost his mammy, John, show a little charity, won’t you, honey?’
‘Didn’t trust the man,’ John said. ‘Too tight-lipped for my liking and a half-breed to boot. What business has he got marrying into a respectable white family?’
‘Isn’t that rather a biased view, John?’ Binnie said edgily. ‘Joe has always been good to Llinos and to her father. He nursed the captain as though the old man was his own father.’
‘Aye and the gossip had it that he killed the captain to get his money, have you forgotten that, Binnie?’ John was out of sorts, determined to be argumentative and Binnie, not caring to get involved, turned to Josephine.
‘Glad to be home?’
‘Well, sure, it’s good to see Mammy and Daddy again but I don’t think I could settle down here for the rest of my life the way you and Hortense have.’
‘It’s about time we thought of settling down, Josephine.’ John’s tone was sharp. ‘After all, the time is slipping by. We should have a brood of kids round us by now.’
Ah so that was the rub, John wanted one way of life and Josephine another. Binnie suspected that John’s wish to have children was born more from a wish to consolidate his position in the McCabe family than because he loved kids. He scarcely bothered with Binnie’s sons, not even talking to them like human beings. But perhaps he was doing him an injustice; men like John who came from a privileged background felt that an heir was important.
Hortense came out onto the porch and hugged her sister. ‘You’re looking well.’ She patted Josephine’s stomach. ‘Got a wee ’un in there yet?’
‘No, sis, not yet.’ Josephine looked away. ‘Not for a while yet, if I have my way.’ She lifted her arms above her head. ‘I want to live a little, can’t folks understand that?’
‘I don’t believe you!’ Hortense pushed her sister playfully. ‘I think John here is shirking his duty.’
‘It’s not me that’s shirking my duty.’ John was truculent. ‘Tell my wife that it’s a woman’s place to provide her husband with a son.’ He looked away across the dry grass beyond the house.
‘And it’s a husband’s place to stay faithful to the woman he’s supposed to love,’ Josephine said. She moved away from the little group and stood at the rail of the veranda. ‘If he stopped scattering his seed any place he could find a willing woman perhaps I would think about having children.’
The dark-skinned maid stepped out of the house, a tray of cordial in her strong hands. She placed the tray on the table and looked at Binnie.
‘You need anything else, sir?’
‘No, Justine, that’s fine, thank you.’ Binnie held out a drink to John before realizing that he was staring at the retreating back of the maid.
Justine was a beautiful young girl, her skin glowing with health, her dark eyes filled with laughter. She was good with the boys and unobtrusive around the house but Binnie had never looked at her in the way John was doing.
‘You’re too late,’ he whispered in John’s ear. ‘Dan has already got his eye on her for that harem of his.’
‘So what?’ John said quietly. ‘These girls are not above a bit of variety, especially when it’s with a young, vigorous man.’
Binnie turned away. John sometimes disgusted him with his easy ways. At first, he had believed John to be a gentleman. The way he spoke was cultured, his table manners were impeccable but sometimes, as now, Binnie did not like him very much.
Hortense missed nothing of the exchange. She was angry but Binnie knew her well enough to understand her silence. Hortense would never hurt her sister by lashing John with her tongue in public.
Josephine was no fool either; she looked at her husband knowingly. ‘Fancying that little girl now, are you, John?’ She spoke casually, as though
‘The poor man had just lost his mammy, John, show a little charity, won’t you, honey?’
‘Didn’t trust the man,’ John said. ‘Too tight-lipped for my liking and a half-breed to boot. What business has he got marrying into a respectable white family?’
‘Isn’t that rather a biased view, John?’ Binnie said edgily. ‘Joe has always been good to Llinos and to her father. He nursed the captain as though the old man was his own father.’
‘Aye and the gossip had it that he killed the captain to get his money, have you forgotten that, Binnie?’ John was out of sorts, determined to be argumentative and Binnie, not caring to get involved, turned to Josephine.
‘Glad to be home?’
‘Well, sure, it’s good to see Mammy and Daddy again but I don’t think I could settle down here for the rest of my life the way you and Hortense have.’
‘It’s about time we thought of settling down, Josephine.’ John’s tone was sharp. ‘After all, the time is slipping by. We should have a brood of kids round us by now.’
Ah so that was the rub, John wanted one way of life and Josephine another. Binnie suspected that John’s wish to have children was born more from a wish to consolidate his position in the McCabe family than because he loved kids. He scarcely bothered with Binnie’s sons, not even talking to them like human beings. But perhaps he was doing him an injustice; men like John who came from a privileged background felt that an heir was important.
Hortense came out onto the porch and hugged her sister. ‘You’re looking well.’ She patted Josephine’s stomach. ‘Got a wee ’un in there yet?’
‘No, sis, not yet.’ Josephine looked away. ‘Not for a while yet, if I have my way.’ She lifted her arms above her head. ‘I want to live a little, can’t folks understand that?’
‘I don’t believe you!’ Hortense pushed her sister playfully. ‘I think John here is shirking his duty.’
‘It’s not me that’s shirking my duty.’ John was truculent. ‘Tell my wife that it’s a woman’s place to provide her husband with a son.’ He looked away across the dry grass beyond the house.
‘And it’s a husband’s place to stay faithful to the woman he’s supposed to love,’ Josephine said. She moved away from the little group and stood at the rail of the veranda. ‘If he stopped scattering his seed any place he could find a willing woman perhaps I would think about having children.’
The dark-skinned maid stepped out of the house, a tray of cordial in her strong hands. She placed the tray on the table and looked at Binnie.
‘You need anything else, sir?’
‘No, Justine, that’s fine, thank you.’ Binnie held out a drink to John before realizing that he was staring at the retreating back of the maid.
Justine was a beautiful young girl, her skin glowing with health, her dark eyes filled with laughter. She was good with the boys and unobtrusive around the house but Binnie had never looked at her in the way John was doing.
‘You’re too late,’ he whispered in John’s ear. ‘Dan has already got his eye on her for that harem of his.’
‘So what?’ John said quietly. ‘These girls are not above a bit of variety, especially when it’s with a young, vigorous man.’
Binnie turned away. John sometimes disgusted him with his easy ways. At first, he had believed John to be a gentleman. The way he spoke was cultured, his table manners were impeccable but sometimes, as now, Binnie did not like him very much.
Hortense missed nothing of the exchange. She was angry but Binnie knew her well enough to understand her silence. Hortense would never hurt her sister by lashing John with her tongue in public.
Josephine was no fool either; she looked at her husband knowingly. ‘Fancying that little girl now, are you, John?’ She spoke casually, as though
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