Cousin Kate Read Online Free PDF
Author: Georgette Heyer
I am a very lonely woman.'
Feeling all the embarrassment of one made the recipient of such a confidence, Kate murmured: 'Yes. I mean, I see!'
Lady Broome leaned forward to pat her hand. 'You don't, of course, but never mind! you will! Now, we must decide, must we not, what it will be proper to pay your nurse for having housed you. Do you think—'
'Oh, no!' Kate exclaimed, recoiling. 'No, no, ma'am! I beg you will not offer Sarah money! I shall give them all presents - Joe, and Mr Nidd, and the nephews as well! - but I must pay for them out of my own savings!'
'Very well!' said her ladyship, rising, and drawing her pelisse about her again, and buttoning it at the throat. Her eyes ran over her niece; she smiled, and held out a gloved hand. ' Au revoir , then! I am putting up at the Clarendon. You will take a hackney coach, and join me there tomorrow: it is understood? Good! Now, do you think that Joe, or Mr Nidd, or even one of the nephews, could procure me a hack?'
'Yes, ma'am, on the instant!' replied Kate, starting up from her chair, and running to the door. 'Only wait, I do implore you!'
Pausing merely to cram a hat over her dusky locks, and to huddle a cloak about her person, she darted down the stairs, and out into the yard, to be pulled up in her tracks by Mr Nidd, who, from his vantage point on the balcony, saw her, and briskly commanded her to stop. Rising, not without difficulty, from his seat, he adjured her not to be a hoyden, but to come back into the house this instant. 'A'h, know!' he said. 'Going to summon a hack, ain't you? Well, you won't, see? You'll leave that to them as is better able than you to do it, my girl! Back with you into the house, miss! And take that nasty hat off your head!'
'It is not a nasty hat!' retorted Kate indignantly.
But, as Mr Nidd had dived through a doorway out of sight, this reply fell on the ambient air; and a few minutes later Old Tom came grumbling out of the stables, and hobbled across the yard to the gateway.
'Oh, Tom!' uttered Kate, in remorseful accents.
'You let him be!' said Mr Nidd, emerging from the stables behind him. 'Joe and Jos and Ted being gone off with loads, there ain't nobody but that gormless hunk, Will, in the stables, and likely he'd come back with the oldest hack in the rank. You get back up them stairs, missy, and go on gabbing to her ladyship!'
This, however, proved to be unnecessary, her ladyship having descended the stairs, and penetrated to the kitchen, where she found Sarah testing the heat of the oven with her hand, prior to inserting a large steak pie. 'Oh, don't let me disturb you, Mrs Nidd!' she begged. 'Dear me, how cosy it is in here, and what a good smell! I shall sit down on this chair, and watch you.' She seated herself as she spoke, and smiled graciously at her hostess. 'Well! you will be happy to know that I have prevailed upon Miss Kate to pay us a long visit,' she disclosed. 'I wonder would you be good enough to let me know her measurements? And the colours she prefers. Ah, thank you! What forethought!'
She stretched out her hand , and Sarah put the list into it, looking frowningly at her. It seemed to Sarah that she had taken possession of the house; and the feeling that her mantle was cast over its inmates, and even over the stables, grew upon her, and could not be shaken off. You couldn't say that she was condescending, for she was very affable. Patronage! that's what it was: my lady stooping from her height to be kind to a carrier's wife! No doubt she would be just as kind to Joe, and would laugh easily at Mr Nidd's sallies. She was putting the paper away in her reticule, and had drawn out her purse. Sarah stiffened, but she only selected half-a-crown from amongst the coins it contained, and laid it on the table. 'Will you give that to the stable-boy who has gone to summon up a hackney coach for me?' she asked.
Sarah nodded, still frowning. But Kate looked in at that moment, seeking her aunt, and, at sight of her, said
Feeling all the embarrassment of one made the recipient of such a confidence, Kate murmured: 'Yes. I mean, I see!'
Lady Broome leaned forward to pat her hand. 'You don't, of course, but never mind! you will! Now, we must decide, must we not, what it will be proper to pay your nurse for having housed you. Do you think—'
'Oh, no!' Kate exclaimed, recoiling. 'No, no, ma'am! I beg you will not offer Sarah money! I shall give them all presents - Joe, and Mr Nidd, and the nephews as well! - but I must pay for them out of my own savings!'
'Very well!' said her ladyship, rising, and drawing her pelisse about her again, and buttoning it at the throat. Her eyes ran over her niece; she smiled, and held out a gloved hand. ' Au revoir , then! I am putting up at the Clarendon. You will take a hackney coach, and join me there tomorrow: it is understood? Good! Now, do you think that Joe, or Mr Nidd, or even one of the nephews, could procure me a hack?'
'Yes, ma'am, on the instant!' replied Kate, starting up from her chair, and running to the door. 'Only wait, I do implore you!'
Pausing merely to cram a hat over her dusky locks, and to huddle a cloak about her person, she darted down the stairs, and out into the yard, to be pulled up in her tracks by Mr Nidd, who, from his vantage point on the balcony, saw her, and briskly commanded her to stop. Rising, not without difficulty, from his seat, he adjured her not to be a hoyden, but to come back into the house this instant. 'A'h, know!' he said. 'Going to summon a hack, ain't you? Well, you won't, see? You'll leave that to them as is better able than you to do it, my girl! Back with you into the house, miss! And take that nasty hat off your head!'
'It is not a nasty hat!' retorted Kate indignantly.
But, as Mr Nidd had dived through a doorway out of sight, this reply fell on the ambient air; and a few minutes later Old Tom came grumbling out of the stables, and hobbled across the yard to the gateway.
'Oh, Tom!' uttered Kate, in remorseful accents.
'You let him be!' said Mr Nidd, emerging from the stables behind him. 'Joe and Jos and Ted being gone off with loads, there ain't nobody but that gormless hunk, Will, in the stables, and likely he'd come back with the oldest hack in the rank. You get back up them stairs, missy, and go on gabbing to her ladyship!'
This, however, proved to be unnecessary, her ladyship having descended the stairs, and penetrated to the kitchen, where she found Sarah testing the heat of the oven with her hand, prior to inserting a large steak pie. 'Oh, don't let me disturb you, Mrs Nidd!' she begged. 'Dear me, how cosy it is in here, and what a good smell! I shall sit down on this chair, and watch you.' She seated herself as she spoke, and smiled graciously at her hostess. 'Well! you will be happy to know that I have prevailed upon Miss Kate to pay us a long visit,' she disclosed. 'I wonder would you be good enough to let me know her measurements? And the colours she prefers. Ah, thank you! What forethought!'
She stretched out her hand , and Sarah put the list into it, looking frowningly at her. It seemed to Sarah that she had taken possession of the house; and the feeling that her mantle was cast over its inmates, and even over the stables, grew upon her, and could not be shaken off. You couldn't say that she was condescending, for she was very affable. Patronage! that's what it was: my lady stooping from her height to be kind to a carrier's wife! No doubt she would be just as kind to Joe, and would laugh easily at Mr Nidd's sallies. She was putting the paper away in her reticule, and had drawn out her purse. Sarah stiffened, but she only selected half-a-crown from amongst the coins it contained, and laid it on the table. 'Will you give that to the stable-boy who has gone to summon up a hackney coach for me?' she asked.
Sarah nodded, still frowning. But Kate looked in at that moment, seeking her aunt, and, at sight of her, said