The Made Marriage by Henrietta Reid Read Free Book Online Page B

two places, so she won’t be able to c o me up to Laragh tomorrow, she says to tell you.’
    ‘ That’s young Barty Murphy,’ Owen frowned, and pulled open the door.
    A small redheaded child repeated the message parrot-wise. It was obvious he had been well rehearsed by his mother.
    ‘And just how does she expect me to manage until she returns?’ Owen asked, showing scant sympathy for the unfortunate Mrs. Murphy.
    Barty giggled delightedly. Evidently his mother had anticipated this enquiry. ‘She says there’s some shepherd’s pie and some cold meats in the larder and she’ll be back in no time at all.’
    ‘She certainly won’t be back in no time at all if she’s broken her arm, and shepherd’s piece and cold meats don’t last for ever,’ Owen returned, ‘especially when farm workers with healthy appetites have to be fed.’
    Barty scratched his head and looked vague.
    Owen sighed. ‘All right, tell your mother I’ll get Daisy McLaughlin instead.’
    ‘Can’t,’ the child piped triumphantly. ‘The young ones have the measles and she can’t get away.’ Evidently his mother had also anticipated that her employer might vouchsafe this suggestion.
    ‘All right,’ Owen said in a resigned manner. ‘Tell your mother not to worry. I’ll try to make some other arrangements until she’s able to manage again. Not that Mrs. Murphy will worry,’ he growled, as the child departed with a clatter of iron-shod boots on the cobbles. ‘I imagine s he met with her unfortunate accident while under the influence of Guinness and I expect she’s delighted that Mrs. McLaughlin, who’s a hated rival, can’t oblige. But what I’m to do now is beyond me. There are so very few women free even for a few hours in the village and now that we’re ploughing and sowing the men work up a healthy appetite and it takes someone as easy-going as Mrs. Murphy not to get irritable and unable to cope.’ He sat on the end of the table and rubbed his work-roughened hands through his dark wiry hair.
    Kate, who had been on the point of waking up Bedsocks, straightened and said eagerly, ‘I’m very good at coping and I don’t get irritable—at least not very often,’ she added hastily.
    He glanced at her abstractedly and she realised that he hadn’t even been listening to her.
    ‘I promise I shan’t get in the way,’ she added a little desperately, ‘or—or make any claims.’
    At last she seemed to have riveted his attention. ‘Any claims? I should say not. What possible claims could you have on me? Nicky’s the one who should have been saddled with you.’
    Now that an opportunity had arisen that might delay her return to England, she was beyond being wounded by his determination to repudiate all responsibility for her predicament. ‘I’m quite a good cook,’ Kate hurried on, determined to give herself as good a testimonial as possible.
    ‘You’re not by any chance suggesting that you take over here in place of Mrs. Murphy?’ he asked in astonishment.
    She nodded eagerly. ‘After all, you’ll have to get someone. Why not me?’
    He laughed shortly. ‘Have you ever made cabbage and bacon? Or baked soda-cake?’
    ‘Well, no,’ she conceded, ‘but I could learn.’
    ‘No doubt,’ he said dryly, ‘but even if you were a cordon bleu, there is also the fact that your presence here would be a matter of gossip all over the countryside.’ For a moment he glanced at her and for the first time she got the impression that he was really observing her and assessing her without rancour. ‘You see, unlike Mrs. Murphy, you’re not fat and middle-aged and addicted to the bottle. In fact,’ he added grudgingly, ‘I suppose you would be considered quite attractive.’
    As it was impossible to consider this detached statement as even remotely flattering, Kate didn’t allow it to sidetrack her from her original idea. Now that there was this slight chance of remaining on at Laragh she determined to fight to the last in an