Winter at Cray by Lucy Gillen Read Free Book Online Page A

rebuff from Robert by offering the choice of going with Stephen or not. So many times her cousin had attempted to ingratiate himself with the boy and he found Robert ’ s continued reticence disheartening, to say the least.
    It was better, she decided at last, to make the refusal herself and make it as diplomatically as possible. She chose her words with care and hoped he would not guess the reason behind them. ‘ I don ’ t think you ’ d better, Stephen, thank you. ’ She laughed. ‘ I don ’ t want to have to come and dig you both out of a snowdrift or have you both down with colds for the big day. ’
    She sensed Jonathan Darrell ’ s gaze switch from herself and back to Stephen, and his expression indicated that he guessed something of the position, a suspicion confirmed by his briefly arched brows a moment later. He was discomfitingly observant, she thought, and kept her eyes studiously downcast as she resumed her breakfast. Stephen ’ s dark head was bent once more over his coffee, his shoulders hunched in a gesture that betrayed his rather moody character. His expression closed and rather irritable as if he too had suspected the reason behind her diplomatic refusal, despite her efforts.
    She sighed inwardly and prayed for an early cessation of the snow so that the visitors could leave before the two men actually came to blows, as she was sure they were bound to if things went on as they were.
    ‘ Essie says we ’ re likely to be stranded here. ’ The deep voice broke into her thoughts and made her start a little guiltily. ‘ What ’ s your record for being snowed in, Miss Kincaid? ’
    ‘ Nearly three weeks, ’ she told him, disliking the look of amusement he watched her with.
    ‘ I ’ m sorry you ’ re stuck with us, ’ he told her, ‘ and for my sake I hope it isn ’ t for three weeks, but short of swimming across there ’ s not much we can do about it, is there? Unless, ’ he added, ‘ any of the cottages down there could take us. ’
    She shook her head, suspecting his meekness, but seeking to suppress the now familiar resentment as he held her gaze challengingly. ‘ There ’ s no need for you to go down there, Mr. Darrell. For one thing it would mean making your way down the path to the cottages, and that ‘ would be almost impossible in this, and for another thing I told Essie we have plenty of supplies to last for quite a long time even with two extra ones. Of course you ’ ll stay here. ’
    ‘ Thank you. ’ She looked up hastily, suspecting he was laughing at her, but his expression was as sober as it could be and only some faint gleam in his eyes gave her cause to doubt.
    ‘ I also told Essie, ’ she went on quickly, ‘ that you can use the phone whenever you want to as long as it ’ s in working order. ’
    ‘ Is it likely not to be? ’ He looked surprised for a moment and she could not suppress a feeling of satisfaction that something at last had altered that self-satisfied expression.
    ‘ It could be, ’ she agreed, and he nodded.
    ‘ Then I ’ d better use it soon after breakfast, ’ he told her, ‘ if I may. ’ He smiled at her and she hastily looked away from the unexpectedness of it, wishing there was something she could do about that pulsing nerve in her temple. ‘ Did you manage to fix me an interview with Mrs. Kincaid? ’ he asked, and she nodded.
    ‘ Yes, I did, but— ’ She hesitated, not wanting to sound over-fussy. ‘ She ’ s a very old lady, don ’ t overtire her, will you ?’
    ‘ I won ’ t, ’ he promised, and it sounded sincere enough for her to take it at its face value; but not to Stephen, it seemed.
    He looked up, frowning, his tone disapproving. T don ’ t quite see, ’ he told Jonathan Darrell, ‘ what my great-grandmother can tell you that isn ’ t already known. ’
    ‘ Interviewing Great-gran was the whole object of the visit, Stephen, ’ Louise pointed out reasonably, ‘ and she doesn ’ t mind in the least. ’ She