Broken Rainbows by Catrin Collier Read Free Book Online

shook his hand and sat on the sofa in front of it, indicating the easy chair beside her.
    â€˜It was good of you to offer us accommodation. It was an offer?’ he enquired, as he sat down.
    â€˜Let’s just say I had five rooms going to waste up there.’
    â€˜I’m sorry if you were press-ganged. I guess people like Mr Williams and Mrs Llewellyn-Jones can be overwhelming.’
    â€˜Mr Williams?’
    â€˜I assumed he’d talked you into it?’
    â€˜Not exactly.’
    â€˜We’ll try to be as little trouble as possible.’
    â€˜There are four of you?’
    â€˜Myself, my aide, Lieutenant Rivers, my driver Corporal Duval – I think you met him this morning?’
    â€˜And Sergeant Morelli now.’
    â€˜He’ll be doing all our cleaning, washing and cooking so we won’t make any extra work for you. I hope you won’t mind him occasionally using your kitchen? We’ll be supplying our own rations and fuel, but there won’t be much for him to do here. We’ve already set up our own canteen in town and we’ll eat as many meals there as possible.’
    â€˜There’ll still be breakfast and supper.’
    â€˜It might help if we work out a schedule. Perhaps there are times when he won’t disturb anyone?’
    â€˜As you can see,’ she indicated her uniform, ‘I work, so he will have to talk to my housekeeper.’
    â€˜They seem to be doing that already.’ Colonel Ford sat back in his chair and gazed at her with incisive, navy-blue eyes. ‘If it’s all right with you, we’ll use the back entrance and staircase.’
    â€˜Perfectly.’
    â€˜I take it they were once part of the servants’ quarters?’
    â€˜Not since I’ve lived here, Colonel Ford.’
    â€˜We’ll try and stay out of your way as much as possible, but with the kitchen and bathroom on the lower floors I am afraid we won’t be totally unobtrusive.’
    â€˜I didn’t expect you to be.’
    â€˜About the bathroom. There is a special fund to adapt and furnish accommodation for the use of army personnel. If you have no objection I could arrange for a plumber to install a second bathroom in the small room above your existing bathroom.’
    â€˜Wouldn’t that be horribly expensive?’
    â€˜Only for the American army. There’ll be some disruption for a day or two, but on the plus side we won’t be able to take it with us when we go.’
    â€˜In that case, how can I refuse?’
    â€˜You have quite a family.’
    â€˜Only two of the children are mine.’
    â€˜Rachel and Edward. We’ve been introduced.’
    She looked up as the door opened. Maisie walked in with a tray.
    â€˜I thought you’d like tea, Mrs John.’
    Bethan stared in surprise at the biscuits on the plate.
    â€˜Sergeant Morelli made some chocolate cookies for the children. These were left over.’
    â€˜Just make sure the children don’t eat too much rich food, Maisie,’ Bethan warned sternly, feeling that she was rapidly losing control of her household. ‘They’re not used to sweet things.’
    â€˜They only had one each, Mrs John.’
    â€˜And pancakes?’ Bethan reminded as Maisie retreated.
    â€˜You’re strict with your children,’ the colonel observed as Maisie closed the door.
    â€˜Routine and discipline are essential in an extended family of this size, but I wouldn’t want to bore a soldier about either of those things.’
    â€˜From what I’ve seen, you could teach the average GI something about both.’ He glanced at the photograph on the desk. ‘Your husband?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜He’s on active service?’
    â€˜He was captured at Dunkirk.’
    â€˜That means he’s been a prisoner for …’
    â€˜â€¦ two years and five months.’
    â€˜I’m sorry. You must miss