curiously. “Tell me, how did you hear, Deanna? As far as I know,
you crossed The Minch not a couple of hours ago.”
“I have friends
Ethel, that are happy to keep an eye on you,” Mrs. Boyd said firmly.
“And that includes my
neighbours as well?”
“You could at least
be grateful that I care for you, Ethel,” Mrs. Boyd exclaimed.
“I don’t need people
prying in my business, Deanna,” Ethel growled. “And if I do find who they are,
you can very well convey it to them that they will be very sorry they ever
did.”
“If that is your wish,
I shall certainly not ask of you again,” Mrs. Boyd said. Her voice quivered
from holding back the tears in her eyes.
Emma pulled out a
tissue from the little wicker tissue box on the table and handed it to her.
Mrs. Boyd thanked her
and dabbed her eyes gently with it.
Ethel huffed angrily.
“So Mrs. Winston,” Mrs.
Boyd said between sniffles. “Have you met Chris?”
“Um, no, I haven’t,”
Emma answered.
“Chris is in LA,”
said Ethel, heaving out a tired sigh. “He has been all winter. Is that why
you’re here, Deanna?”
Emma hurriedly put
her cup onto the coffee table.
“Ethel, I really do
need to get on my way home,” she said standing up. “The children have been left
far too long alone.”
“Of course you must,”
Ethel said, nodding her head. “Theodore will make sure you get home safely.”
Emma paid her leave
to Mrs. Boyd and rushed out of the cosy parlour and into the cold hallway.
“Miss,” she heard
Theodore call out to her as she reached the bottom landing of the staircase.
“Mrs. Winston,” said
Theodore catching up to her. “Please let me drop you off in the car.”
“That’s okay,
Theodore. The snow has eased and the sun will do me the world of good.”
“The lady would want
it, Miss.”
“Um, okay,” she
replied hesitantly.
The loud
argumentative voices above them caught their attention.
“I had better check
up on them one more time,” said Theodore, his right eyebrow arched up. “Give me
a minute.”
She watched him skip
up the staircase and towards the parlour. She now stood alone in the expansive
sitting room. Her eyes wandered up the white walls and tall arched windows.
A large painting took
prominence on the wall across her. She recognised it to be a Baroque painting
of Odysseus and Calypso in a cave. As she stepped forward to take a closer
look, she heard the clutter of dishes coming from the door closest to where the
painting hung.
She pushed forward
the double action doors that opened into a narrow corridor. She followed the
sounds, walking soon into a large kitchen.
A woman was fishing
for something in her cupboards, her back towards Emma, unaware at all that she
was there. As she turned, she almost let out a startled gasp.
“Mrs. Winston,” she
said. “What are you doing here?!” and then corrected the tone in her voice.
“Sorry, maám . You got me startled a bit there. Is there something you need Mrs. Winston?”
“I’m …sorry,” Emma
stammered embarrassingly.
“Was there something
I can help you with, Miss?”
“No, I’m fine,” Emma
said. “I was simply waiting for Theodore in the living room when I heard you
back here. I thought I might stop by and give you my thanks for the delightful
tea.”
Nancy chuckled.
“You’re welcome, Miss. I’m only doing my job, following the mistress’s orders
and all. Was the company as delightful, though?”
Emma blushed.
Nancy chuckled again.
“No, you needn’t answer that. I can imagine.”
“Will Ethel be
alright?”
“Ethel? You mean Mrs.
Kinnaird? Golly, she must like you a lot to let her call her by her first
name,” she frowned. “Yes, yes, she will be fine. But after the showdown with Mrs.
Boyd, she will certainly carry a tantrum for the next couple of days after Mrs.
Boyd’s gone. Takes her a while to ease off on the anger. But other than that,
there is really no cause to be worried about her. She’s fit as a fiddle,
you crossed The Minch not a couple of hours ago.”
“I have friends
Ethel, that are happy to keep an eye on you,” Mrs. Boyd said firmly.
“And that includes my
neighbours as well?”
“You could at least
be grateful that I care for you, Ethel,” Mrs. Boyd exclaimed.
“I don’t need people
prying in my business, Deanna,” Ethel growled. “And if I do find who they are,
you can very well convey it to them that they will be very sorry they ever
did.”
“If that is your wish,
I shall certainly not ask of you again,” Mrs. Boyd said. Her voice quivered
from holding back the tears in her eyes.
Emma pulled out a
tissue from the little wicker tissue box on the table and handed it to her.
Mrs. Boyd thanked her
and dabbed her eyes gently with it.
Ethel huffed angrily.
“So Mrs. Winston,” Mrs.
Boyd said between sniffles. “Have you met Chris?”
“Um, no, I haven’t,”
Emma answered.
“Chris is in LA,”
said Ethel, heaving out a tired sigh. “He has been all winter. Is that why
you’re here, Deanna?”
Emma hurriedly put
her cup onto the coffee table.
“Ethel, I really do
need to get on my way home,” she said standing up. “The children have been left
far too long alone.”
“Of course you must,”
Ethel said, nodding her head. “Theodore will make sure you get home safely.”
Emma paid her leave
to Mrs. Boyd and rushed out of the cosy parlour and into the cold hallway.
“Miss,” she heard
Theodore call out to her as she reached the bottom landing of the staircase.
“Mrs. Winston,” said
Theodore catching up to her. “Please let me drop you off in the car.”
“That’s okay,
Theodore. The snow has eased and the sun will do me the world of good.”
“The lady would want
it, Miss.”
“Um, okay,” she
replied hesitantly.
The loud
argumentative voices above them caught their attention.
“I had better check
up on them one more time,” said Theodore, his right eyebrow arched up. “Give me
a minute.”
She watched him skip
up the staircase and towards the parlour. She now stood alone in the expansive
sitting room. Her eyes wandered up the white walls and tall arched windows.
A large painting took
prominence on the wall across her. She recognised it to be a Baroque painting
of Odysseus and Calypso in a cave. As she stepped forward to take a closer
look, she heard the clutter of dishes coming from the door closest to where the
painting hung.
She pushed forward
the double action doors that opened into a narrow corridor. She followed the
sounds, walking soon into a large kitchen.
A woman was fishing
for something in her cupboards, her back towards Emma, unaware at all that she
was there. As she turned, she almost let out a startled gasp.
“Mrs. Winston,” she
said. “What are you doing here?!” and then corrected the tone in her voice.
“Sorry, maám . You got me startled a bit there. Is there something you need Mrs. Winston?”
“I’m …sorry,” Emma
stammered embarrassingly.
“Was there something
I can help you with, Miss?”
“No, I’m fine,” Emma
said. “I was simply waiting for Theodore in the living room when I heard you
back here. I thought I might stop by and give you my thanks for the delightful
tea.”
Nancy chuckled.
“You’re welcome, Miss. I’m only doing my job, following the mistress’s orders
and all. Was the company as delightful, though?”
Emma blushed.
Nancy chuckled again.
“No, you needn’t answer that. I can imagine.”
“Will Ethel be
alright?”
“Ethel? You mean Mrs.
Kinnaird? Golly, she must like you a lot to let her call her by her first
name,” she frowned. “Yes, yes, she will be fine. But after the showdown with Mrs.
Boyd, she will certainly carry a tantrum for the next couple of days after Mrs.
Boyd’s gone. Takes her a while to ease off on the anger. But other than that,
there is really no cause to be worried about her. She’s fit as a fiddle,
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