Rose Cottage Read Online Free PDF

painted it seemed mainly in shades of sepia and Vandyke brown. All familiar; I had dusted or polished every item. Familiar, too, was the big bowl, full of water for the dogs, that stood on the floor by the drawing-room door. I had refilled it scores of times, carrying it carefully from the cloakroom by the front door. But never, I thought, as carefully as I would carry it now that I could recognise it for what it was, an immensely valuable piece of blue-and-white Ming. Beside it lay a half-chewed bone, presumably left there by William’s puppy.
    The sitting room door was ajar, and Morag pushed it open to let a shaft of sunshine through onto these dim splendours.
    ‘It’s Kathy Welland, m’lady.’
    Lady Brandon turned and laid down her pen, then got up from her writing table and came, smiling, to meet me.
    ‘Oh, Kathy, good morning. Thank you, Morag. Kathy, how nice to see you, and how well you’re looking. Come in. What a lovely day, isn’t it? Sit down, my dear, and tell me how your grandmother is.’
    For all the years that had passed, and all that had happened in them of change, both in myself and in the world at large, I felt awkward as I went forward to shake hands. Last time I had been in that sunny little room it was to clean out the fire and do the dusting. But Lady Brandon, easy and kind as always, and of course vastly experienced, saw us both smoothly through the moment, and soon had me settled withher in the sunshine of the bay window, answering her questions.
    She was a slightly built woman, too thin for her height, but with the elegance that this gave her. I noticed with wry amusement that she was dressed very much as I was, silk blouse, tweed skirt, woollen jacket. Uniform, almost, this side of the baize door. It didn’t stop me feeling tongue-tied, and wanting to sit on the edge of my chair, but as she talked on, charmingly, about Gran, I found myself relaxing into naturalness and even ease.
    ‘I’m hoping to call and see her soon,’ she said. ‘Perhaps this afternoon? Do you think she’s up to it?’
    ‘I’m sure she’d love to see you, my lady. She looks a bit thinner than I remember, and for once she admits to feeling tired, but she keeps saying there’s nothing much wrong with her, except what the flu left behind.’ I hesitated. ‘I can’t help wondering – this talk about tests at the hospital. She won’t say anything to me, but I did wonder, do you know anything about it, I mean, if there might be something serious?’
    ‘I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that, but I do know that Dr McLeod isn’t worried about her.’
    ‘He said so?’
    ‘Yes. So I think you needn’t be too anxious. I don’t think your grandmother will be an invalid for very long. Were you planning to stay and look after her? I’m sure she’ll love having you here. How long can you stay?’
    ‘I’ve got a fortnight due to me, though I could take longer if I needed it. But actually I’m going south almost straight away. You see’ – at her look of surprise– ‘it’s Rose Cottage. Because of the plans to alter it, I mean. She’s a bit anxious to get the rest of her things sent up, now that she’s got a place of her own here. She wants me to go down straight away to see to it.’
    ‘I see. But is there any hurry about it? They won’t do anything at the cottage until we give them the All Clear. I promised her that.’
    ‘Yes, I know. But – well, there’s something she’s worried about, and she wants me to see about it, and I think that – I mean, if her mind was at rest—’ I faltered into silence. I did not think I could explain about Gran’s ‘treasures’ lying forgotten in their hiding place.
    I need not have worried that she would pursue it. She said quickly, ‘It’s all right, my dear. It’s your grandmother’s affair, she must do as she wants. Of course she would like her own things about her, and it’s good that she has you to see to the move for her. Moving house, even