uncomprehending look on our faces. “To the left of the kitchen door is the coal bunker. The small pebbly stuff is slack, and you use it for slowing a fire down.” She plunged the shovel into the coal bucket and showed us the fine stuff. “Would you be wanting the beds made and all?” she asked, wiping her hands carefully on her apron.
I expect the twins had checked those hands first off, but I was appalled at how bone-thin they were, red and cracked from hard work and cold water. A thin gold band on the third finger rolled loosely up and down between the knuckles.
“That much we figured out,” Snow said with a little giggle, and there was an answering gleam in Ann Purdee’s lovely blue eyes.
“We’ve old-fashioned ways of doing things here, don’t you know? No bother once you’ve the way of it, but strange-like at first. Kieron T’ornton said you’d been by this morning.” What she was hoping to hear was as plain as day to me. “We’ll be staying on a while, Mrs. Purdee,” and I was surprised when she flushed. “I want to take my time before I decide what to do.”
“I want to learn how to ride Horseface,” said Snow, bubbling into the sudden, rather awkward silence. “He isn’t too old, is he?”
Some of the stiff stillness went out of Mrs. Purdee’s body and she looked at Snow. “I can teach you for sure, he’s not that old. I used to exercise Horseface,” she told me, “when Miss Teasey couldn’t. I’ve been taking care of him till you came. Not that there’s much taking care like, with him on grass now. He’s a grand old lad, you know.”
Abruptly she reached into the pocket of her housecoat.
“I have the rent for you, Mrs. Teasey. I was going to send it on to Mr. Noonan again, but as
you’re
here …” and she put a pound note and a column of coins on the dining-room table.
“Oh, thank you.” I was somehow embarrassed, never having been a landlady before. “Do you need a receipt or anything?”
Ann Purdee was watching me with a very disconcerting keenness. She swallowed now before she answered.
“No.” She gulped. “There’s no lease, you see.”
“Is one needed? I mean, if my great-aunt rented to you … and I don’t know anything about horse keeping, and …” The relief in her eyes was so intense that I became almost as upset as she’d been. “Besides, Aunt Irene specifically said that you should stay on.”
“That’s what worries me, Mrs. Teasey. You shouldn’t feel yourself bound by what herself said.”
“And why not? My aunt seems to have had good reasons for most of the things she did. I don’t know the setup here, and I’m not about to make arbitrary changes.”
From Ann Purdee’s expression, I gathered that reassurance didn’t reassure.
“I can’t stop long now, for the bahbee’s waking any time now. May I come back tomorrow? For there’re some things I’m to tell yourself alone. But sure, you’ve only to step down to the cottage if you need to know anything like, where things are and all.”
When she’d slipped out, I looked down at the money. ‘Two pounds was roughly five dollars, and that didn’t seem like a Lot of money for a cottage that’d sell for three thousand pounds cash, but I knew that two pounds was a great deal of money to Ann Purdee.
I didn’t have time to think about that now. It was almost seven o’clock. I sent the children scurrying to change into something elegant, and I slipped into what Snow considered the most acceptable of my new clothes. “You gotta be a Merry Widow, Ma!” (Construct the Image?)
We arrived at the Montrose at 7:20, parking the Renault. The receptionist told me that Mr. Kelley had indeed phoned back, and had been rather upset about my sudden departure. He’d wanted to know which relative had picked us up and what she had looked like.
“Ahha,” said Snow with a chortle, “a ‘she’ he suspects.” She made another of those incredible noises acquired from watching too many late
I expect the twins had checked those hands first off, but I was appalled at how bone-thin they were, red and cracked from hard work and cold water. A thin gold band on the third finger rolled loosely up and down between the knuckles.
“That much we figured out,” Snow said with a little giggle, and there was an answering gleam in Ann Purdee’s lovely blue eyes.
“We’ve old-fashioned ways of doing things here, don’t you know? No bother once you’ve the way of it, but strange-like at first. Kieron T’ornton said you’d been by this morning.” What she was hoping to hear was as plain as day to me. “We’ll be staying on a while, Mrs. Purdee,” and I was surprised when she flushed. “I want to take my time before I decide what to do.”
“I want to learn how to ride Horseface,” said Snow, bubbling into the sudden, rather awkward silence. “He isn’t too old, is he?”
Some of the stiff stillness went out of Mrs. Purdee’s body and she looked at Snow. “I can teach you for sure, he’s not that old. I used to exercise Horseface,” she told me, “when Miss Teasey couldn’t. I’ve been taking care of him till you came. Not that there’s much taking care like, with him on grass now. He’s a grand old lad, you know.”
Abruptly she reached into the pocket of her housecoat.
“I have the rent for you, Mrs. Teasey. I was going to send it on to Mr. Noonan again, but as
you’re
here …” and she put a pound note and a column of coins on the dining-room table.
“Oh, thank you.” I was somehow embarrassed, never having been a landlady before. “Do you need a receipt or anything?”
Ann Purdee was watching me with a very disconcerting keenness. She swallowed now before she answered.
“No.” She gulped. “There’s no lease, you see.”
“Is one needed? I mean, if my great-aunt rented to you … and I don’t know anything about horse keeping, and …” The relief in her eyes was so intense that I became almost as upset as she’d been. “Besides, Aunt Irene specifically said that you should stay on.”
“That’s what worries me, Mrs. Teasey. You shouldn’t feel yourself bound by what herself said.”
“And why not? My aunt seems to have had good reasons for most of the things she did. I don’t know the setup here, and I’m not about to make arbitrary changes.”
From Ann Purdee’s expression, I gathered that reassurance didn’t reassure.
“I can’t stop long now, for the bahbee’s waking any time now. May I come back tomorrow? For there’re some things I’m to tell yourself alone. But sure, you’ve only to step down to the cottage if you need to know anything like, where things are and all.”
When she’d slipped out, I looked down at the money. ‘Two pounds was roughly five dollars, and that didn’t seem like a Lot of money for a cottage that’d sell for three thousand pounds cash, but I knew that two pounds was a great deal of money to Ann Purdee.
I didn’t have time to think about that now. It was almost seven o’clock. I sent the children scurrying to change into something elegant, and I slipped into what Snow considered the most acceptable of my new clothes. “You gotta be a Merry Widow, Ma!” (Construct the Image?)
We arrived at the Montrose at 7:20, parking the Renault. The receptionist told me that Mr. Kelley had indeed phoned back, and had been rather upset about my sudden departure. He’d wanted to know which relative had picked us up and what she had looked like.
“Ahha,” said Snow with a chortle, “a ‘she’ he suspects.” She made another of those incredible noises acquired from watching too many late
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