A Country Affair Read Online Free PDF

his computer problems: He became totally absorbed by his work, with time for nothing and no one until he’d got it resolved; then gradually he came alive again and was reasonable to live with, and was more like the Duncan he used to be. Joy got out of bed and went to stand at the window. She could see way down the valley, could watch the road winding away down into the town, the gulls swirling and swooping in the brilliant sky, the cows returning to the fields from the milking parlor—all this but no sign of Duncan wandering about. Maybe he had been in the house all the time.
    Joy showered, dressed, dried her hair and went downstairs. She found Duncan fast asleep in the armchair in his office. Dead to the world. His hands felt cold, so she fetched a rug from the linen chest on the landing and covered him. Why could he never find peace?
    Duncan woke just as she was brewing the tea for her breakfast. “Bring me a cup!”
    “You lazy monkey! Come and get your own, and eat with me.”
    Duncan ambled in and sat opposite her at the table.
    “You know how much I hate unwashed people at breakfast.”
    He yawned. “Sorry! I’ll go and wash.”
    “No, that’s all right; I’ll let you off. Here, toast?”
    “Please.”
    “You don’t eat enough.”
    “Tea?”
    “Please. Working?”
    “Yes.” Joy felt deceitful and toyed with the idea of telling him about the lunch and the Open Afternoon, but she couldn’t judge his mood. His heavy-lidded eyes in their deep sockets hid much from everyone including her; his high, domed forehead gave the impression of an excellent intellect and she could vouch for that, but spiritually she knew he craved peace of mind and it showed in the perpetual frown and the twitch by his right eye when things got too much for him.
    “How are you today?” she asked.
    Duncan was doing his Indian head massage to relieve his tension. When he’d finished, he combed through his hair with his fingers to straighten it and said, “Not bad, actually.”
    “Fancy an afternoon out? Well, lunch really.”
    “With you, you mean?”
    “Me and about twenty others. It’s the Open Afternoon. Lunch for staff and spouses et cetera at twelve, then open house till five.”
    Duncan nodded. “Yes, I’d like that. Yes, definitely.”
    “That’s a date, then.”
    “I’ll find my own way there.”
    “Are you sure? I could always come back for you.”
    “Not at all, you’ll have enough to do.”
    “Thanks, I will. I’ll get ready and be off; we’ve clients till eleven.” Joy kissed him, glad he was feeling well enough to go.
     
    T HE next time she saw him he was in conversation with Kate in the accounts office. The computer was on and he was explaining something to her. She was nodding, obviously deep in thought, and he was more animated than she had seen him for a while. “OK, you two?”
    They both looked up, said at the same time, “Yes, thanks,” and went back to what they were saying.
    “You’re needed for lunch in the apartment. Right now, or you’ll be too late. Sorry.”
    Duncan apologized. “We’re coming. We’ll talk about that later, Kate. It’s so easy.”
    “For you maybe.”
    “No, for you too.”
    Kate laughed. “I doubt it. My hold on computer technology is slight to say the least.”
    “You do yourself an injustice. You’ve grasped the concept; having done that, you’ve nothing to fear.” Duncan stood back to allow Kate through the door first and they sauntered amicably up to the apartment, followed by Joy. The cheerful noise of people enjoying themselves came down the stairs to greet them. Joy quaked with anxiety, wondering how Duncan would cope, but she’d forgotten how Miriam could always put him at his ease.
    With arms wide stretched Miriam called out, “Duncan! You’ve come.”
    She embraced him with such open, genuine love that he succumbed to her warmth and found he could face the crowd with comparative enthusiasm.
    “Joy! Hurry up or it will all be gone. Mungo!