Moreton's Kingdom Read Online Free PDF Page A

with frank curiosity. ‘She be away to Austria for a month.’
    ‘Austria?’ Katherine echoed as if she had said Australia.
    ‘Ay. She alius takes a holiday this time o’ the year, an’ this time it’s Austria.’
    ‘But she knew we were coming,’ Katherine protested, before she remembered that it was only twenty-four hours since she had met Coralie at the party and taken on the responsibility of the child by her side who seemed more interested in four ducks than the fact that they were virtually stranded for the night.
    ‘She didn’t say nothink about you cornin’,’ the woman informed her. ‘Just asked me to feed the hens, as she alius does, an’ look after old Rick. That’s her dog. He’s fast asleep at my kitchen fire; doesn’t do much when Miss Edgar be away, like. Doesn’t get out much, an’ that’s all right by me since my feet be so bad I can’t walk much!’
    Katherine had to think quickly.
    ‘I don’t suppose you know when Miss Edgar will be back?’ she asked, wondering for the first time where they were going to sleep.
    ‘A month, she said, an’ she stopped her papers and milk before she went. She be gone a week now. I get my own papers from the village. Tom Fender brings them when he’s up wi’ the car,’ the woman advised her. ‘Were you thinkin’ of stayin’ at the cottage?’ she enquired inquisitively.
    ‘It was what we expected to do.’ Katherine thrust her fingers through her hair in a gesture she had when she came face to face with a tricky problem. ‘I suppose there’s somewhere in the village where we could stay.’
    ‘I haven’t the room,’ the woman told her. ‘There’s Tom, you see. He’s my lodger an’ me an’ my old man has the other bedroom. You could try at the pub, though. They take in summer guests an’ you’d be comfortable enough there.’
    Katherine nodded. She had passed the small hostelry on her way through the village noticing that it seemed clean and was well looked after, like most Lakeland public houses.
    ‘We’ll go back there,’ she decided.
    ‘Can I say who called?’ the woman asked, not to be done out of what would prove to be an evening’s conversation when the lodger and her husband finally came in.
    ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Katherine felt a sudden deep concern for her young charge. ‘Miss Edgar wouldn’t know who I was.’
    ‘The wee lad’s been here before,’ the woman observed.
    ‘Yes, I believe so.’ Sudden anger flared in Katherine’s heart. ‘He must have come with his mother. He’s Miss Edgar’s nephew.’
    ‘He was always runnin’ after the hens,’ the woman reminisced, ‘but that was a year ago an’ he’s bigger now.’ She smiled at Sandy, who offered her a tentative smile in return.
    ‘I’m hungry,’ he announced hopefully, blue eyes raised to the inquisitive brown ones.
    ‘You’ll be all right at the pub,’ the woman said to Katherine.
    The first thing she had to do was to get settled somewhere for the night. Katherine looked at her watch, seeing that it was almost seven o’clock. Supposing the pub refused to take such a late booking?
    Driving quickly back down the road, she pulled up at the main door.
    ‘Come on, Sandy,’ she prompted, ‘we’ve got to find a bed for the night.’
    Their plight was obvious. One tired and hungry small boy and a girl on her own would surely touch the heart of even the most insensitive landlord.
    The small entrance lobby was deserted, but there was a bell to ring on the counter over which hung the sign ‘Reception’ and it produced the desired result within minutes.
    ‘Can I help you?’
    A tall, fair-haired young woman in a blue jersey and kilted skirt had made her appearance at the inner doorway.
    ‘I hope so,’ said Katherine. ‘I know it’s very late, but we need accommodation. We expected to stay at Beck Cottage with Miss Edgar.’
    ‘She’s away.’ The girl flicked over a page of the ledger on the counter. ‘I can give you a double room with