Then She Fled Me (2 page)

To Aunt Em, her younger niece
’
s changes of mood wer
e as
inexplicable as her refusal to cut her losses on Dun Rury.
She blinked up at her and began doubtfully:

“
But I don
’
t think such a thing would be possible here,
dear. I mean staff and things like hot water and proper plumbing.
”

“
We have Nonie and Mary from the village. I
’
ll wait on them myself. And the plumbing
’
s all right, only a bit rusty. The water isn
’
t hot because Nolan
’
s too lazy to stoke the
boiler properly. I
’
ll do that, too. The main thing is we
’
ve got
all these rooms, and there
’
s fishing in the lough and fine country walks and we
’
re self-supporting for milk and eggs
and butter and game.
”

Sarah paused for breath and her aunt said mildly:

“
You
’
re always so enthusiastic, dear, but these wild schemes don
’
t usually work very well. Paying guests would mean a lot of work.
”

“
But we could all work. Danny can clean the shoes. Kathy and I can help round the house, and you can give Nonie a hand in the kitchen and do the shopping.
”

“
No,
”
said Kathy suddenly and unusually firmly.

Sarah turned slowly to look at her.

“
But, Kathy
—”
she began, but her sister broke in
quickly:

“
Sarah, you can
’
t be serious. To have our home invaded, by strangers—to turn Dun Rury into a common boarding house! You must be out of your mind.
”

“
Why?
”
demanded Danny, looking interested. The idea
appealed to him. English tourists were said to be lavish with tips and there would be plenty of excuse to stop away from school.

“
Well,
”
said Sarah reasonably,
“
can you think of any other way of earning money and still stopping at home?
”

“
My piano lessons bring in a little,
”
said Kathy, looking
hurt.

“
Oh, Kathy! A few shillings a week—when they pay
at all! And you can
’
t
enjoy
listening to the efforts of Mrs.
Sullivan
’
s youngest, and snuffling J
imm
y Mulligan and the rest.
”

“
I love music,
”
said Kathy reprovingly.

“
Well, that
’
s what I meant. Anyhow, you can still have your pupils. It
’
ll be pocket money for you.
”

“
No,
”
said Kathy, the distaste on her lovely face lending her a fastidious air.
“
Aunt Em, don
’
t let her—think what it would mean.
”

“
I don
’
t care for the idea, I must admit,
”
Aunt Em replied.
“
And, in any case, I shouldn
’
t think it
’
s possible.
”

“
We
’
ll ask Nonie,
”
Sarah said, and shouted into the kitchen.

Nonie had been nurse to all three of them. She frequently went without her wages, and she took it as her right to be included in all family conferences. She was getting old now, but her back was still upright and she stood no nonsense from any of them. She stood by the table now in her clean white apron and her faded eyes scrutinized them all, while the corners of her mouth drew down in disapproval as she listened.

“
I never heard the like,
”
she observed when Sarah had finished.
“
The young ladies of Dun Rury soiling their hands for a lot of heathens from over the water!
”

“
But heaps of
people do it,
”
said Sarah.
“
Look at the Miss Kellys across the lough. I
’
m
told they make a mint of money in the fishing season.
”

“
The Miss Kellys are not quality,
”
said Nonie severely.
“
It
’
s well enough for the likes of them, though I
’
m hearing the robbery that goes on up there is shameful, and the poor craytures driven to Casey
’
s for food and drink because their stomachs are starved on them.
”

“
Well, perhaps they
’
d come here instead. We wouldn
’
t starve them,
”
said Sarah, but Nonie fixed her with a stern
eye.
“
And who, me bold girl, will cook for the craytures?
”

“
You will, of course, darling Nonie,
”
Sarah said in the same voice which she used to employ as a little girl when she was uncertain if her request would be granted.

“
Non
i
e
—”
pleaded Kathy.

“
Don
’
t you fret yourself, Miss Kathy,
”
the old woman replied.
“
Never in me life have I worked for the likes of such as them, an
’
I
’
ll not start now—no, Miss Sarah, not if you
ask me on your bended knees. The shame on you for thinking it!
”

“
That settles it,
”
said Kathy happily, but Sarah, standing straight and slim in the lamplight, the old light of b
attle in
her green eyes, said:

“
It does not, then. The Kavanaghs are coming to suppe
r
tomorrow. We
’
ll ask them.
”

“
Joe will be on my side,
”
said Kathy quickly.

Sarah leant across the table and touched her sister
’
s, cheek with loving fingers.

“
Of course Joe will be on your side,
”
she said gently.
“
But it
’
s old Uncle B. I
’
m putting my money on. Didn
’
t
he tell me only last week that we couldn
’
t last at Dun R
u
ry for another year? Now I have a fine business proposition for him, and he
’
ll have to stop his croaking. Golly, I
’
m starved! Is there some Paddy
’
s Hat left in the kitchen, No
n
ie?
”

“
There is that, and there
’
s milk, too, which you
’
ll get down you, me fine lady. You
’
re thin as a sally wand
.
Such talk! Such talk, indade!
”

Grumbling, Nonie went back to the kitchen, and Sarah, feeling suddenly tired, followed her.

Every so often the Kavanaghs came over to supper. Brian Kavanagh had been a lifelong friend of Denis Riordan
’
s, besides being his man of affairs. They had both been left widowers at much the same time, and Joe, though older, than any of the young Riordans, had known them
m
ost of their lives. He never remembered when he had first fallen in love with Kathy, perhaps when she first came home from that smart school in Dublin, perhaps long before, when a serious child in pigtails, she
h
ad carried him off to the hay loft to read him Tennyson.

Aunt Em was thinking vaguely of these things as she waited for the Kavanaghs to arrive for supper. She must certainly speak to Brian about this unsuitable id
e
a of, Sarah
’
s to fill the house with paying guests. He could not possibly approve of such a course. It was one thing, for Sarah to tend the animals and lend a hand with the work on the farm, but quite another to wait on strangers in her own house; and that Kathy should be expected to make a bed other than her own was unthinkable. Aunt Em shared very
strongly old Nonie
’
s conception of what was due to the
quality.

But when Brian Kavanagh, having done full justice to an excellent rabbit stew and relaxed now by a glowing turf fire with the
whisky decanter at his elbow, was told of the proposition, he did not immediately frown upon it.

“
Well now, Sarah, that
’
s a more sensible notion than you
’
ve had for some time,
”
he said.

“
But Uncle B.
—”
Kathy
’
s cheeks were flushed.
“
You
sound as though you
’
re agreeing!
”

He glanced at her kindly. She looked very lovely with her big dismayed eyes and ruffled hair. Beside her Sarah seemed almost plain.

“
Well now, I think I am,
”
he replied slowly.
“
It will all have to be worked out properly, of course, but—yes, I think I
’
m in favor. You can
’
t stop on at Dun Rury much longer without enlarging your income, you know.
”

Tears sprang to Kathy
’
s eyes, and she turned quickly to Joe, quietly sucking his pipe and watching her through the haze of tobacco smoke.

“
Joe! You
’
ve never said a word,
”
she cried.
“
Surely you don
’
t agree with Sarah and Uncle B.?
”

He smiled across at her, and said in his soft voice which was as gentle as hers:

“
I see
n
o harm in the notion, but it need not trouble you, Kathy.
”

She loo
k
ed hurt and a little puzzled, but Brian
’
s lips twitched. His son was being subtle for once. His meaning, to the older man at least, was perfectly clear. If Kathy disliked the proposed alteration in her life sufficiently, it might hasten her decision to marry him. Well, thought Joe
’
s father indulgently, and not a bad thing either. She
w
as twenty. It was time she made up her mind.

“
Well, now, Emma, let
’
s have your objections,
”
he said, pouring himself another tot of whisky.
“
You have experience of living in boarding houses, so your views should be valuable.
”

Aunt Em touched her fringe nervously.

“
The places I lived in were scarcely very homelike,
”
she began.
“
Little economies, you know, that made things uncomfortable. Bad food, penny-in-the-slot gas meters and landladies who were so very genteel.
”

Sarah gave her a sudden hug
.

“
Poor Aunt Em, I can imagine,
”
she said.
“
But Du
n
Rury wouldn
’
t be like that. We
’
d feed them well a
n
d ... there
’
d be
warm
fires in all the rooms, and no one could call me genteel.
”

And no rule against cooking in your bedroom, Sarah,
”
said Aunt Em anxiously.
“
It
’
s such a comfort to be able to make one
’
s own pot of tea when one wants it.
”

“
They can cook a five-course dinner if they want to
,
”
said Sarah cheerfully.

Brian Kavanagh cocked an eyebrow.

“
You seem to have come round to Sarah
’
s way of think
i
ng, Emma,
”
he said slyly.

“
Oh, well, I
—”
Aunt Em looked from one to the
other of them in confusion. She was so often overruled without realising it until it was too late.
“
Perhaps there
is
something to be said for the idea, if
you
approve,
Brian.
But what about Nonie?
”

“
Nonie?
”

“
Nonie says she won
’
t cook for heathens from over the
water,
”
said Danny,
breaking the protective silence
which
had descended on him for fear that someone would remember his bed time.

Brian laughed.

“
Oh, I
’
ll talk Nonie round,
”
he said.
“
Nothing, I know,
would induce her to leave Dun Rury until she
’
s carried out in her coffin.
”

“
I suppose,
”
said Kathy in her gentle voice,
“
since it
’
s all settled, I must just give in.
”

“
Nothing
’
s settled, dear,
”
her aunt said reassuringly.
“
You have a right to your opinions. After all, you
’
re the eldest.
”

“
But the house is Sarah
’
s.
”

“
Only legally,
”
said Sarah quickly.
“
It belongs to all of us. Kathy—it
’
s the only way. We mustn
’
t lose our
home.”

“
What are your objections, Kathy?
”
asked Brian gently
.

It was unusual for the girl to be so definite.

“
I—I hate the thought of strangers,
”
she
said, but already she sounded a little helpless and unsure.

“
But strangers sometimes mean fresh ideas, pleasant
associations. You
’
ve had too few outside contacts, you and Sarah. You
’
ve so often said you feel imprisoned at Dun Rury.
”

“
Y-yes,
”
she said uneasily.
“
Oh, well—I don
’
t like it, Uncle B., but perhaps you
’
re right. How does one get a lodger?
”

“
You put an advertisement in the paper,
”
said Sarah promptly.
“
‘
Family will receive in its bosom lonely bachelor for small consideration.
’
”

They began to giggle and Aunt Em asked quite seriously:

“
Why are you so insistent on gentlemen, Sarah?
”

“
They
’
re less trouble,
”
said Sarah, searching through the advertisement columns of the daily paper.
“
They won
’
t notice damp and a bit of dust and things like that. Here
’
s a specimen one.
‘
Comfortable board
lodging offered to single gentleman
.
Live as family
—
every comfort; attractive terms.
’
I like
‘
attractive terms,
’
”
don
’
t you? It sounds sort of Christmassy. And we
’
ll put in fishing, rough shooting, magnificent mountain
‘
scenery and lashings of eggs and whisky, because, of course, our advertisement will appear in the English papers.
”

Joe and his father were both laughing.

“
You
’
d better leave the drafting of your advertisement to me, Sarah,
”
Brian said.
“
And I don
’
t really think you can afford to limit yourself to lonely bachelors.
”

Aunt Em
’
s eyes began to shine. Lonely bachelors had other possibilities besides not noticing damp or dust. A rich banker might fancy the inducements of Dun Rury for a time, or a tired business man with artistic tastes, even a tilted frequenter of London society, weary of the social whirl, and Kathy—Kathy with her unawakened freshness, her typical Irish beauty
...
Aunt Em
’
s imagination ran away with her, and she glanced guiltily and a little apologetically at Joe sitting there so peacefully, his quiet eyes resting on the girl with such loving assurance.

“
Danny,
”
she said quite sharply,
“
it
’
s long past your bedtime. Run along, dear.
”

“
Let
’
s go and look at the rooms,
”
Sarah suggested, when the door had closed on a reluctant Danny.
“
Let
’
s start planning right away. Kathy—you, too, Joe. Aunt Em and Uncle B. can keep each other company with the whisky.
”