Sing as We Go Read Online Free PDF

face. Kathy guessed the woman must be in her late forties – like her brother and sister-in-law – but she looked older. There were tiny lines around her eyes and her mouth, but when she turned her clear, green eyes on Kathy and smiled, the severity left her face and Kathy could glimpse the pretty girl this woman must once have been.
    ‘Now, my dear,’ Jemima’s tone was surprisingly kind. ‘Leaving home, are you?’
    Kathy could not prevent a little gasp of surprise and she glanced at Betty, who nodded encouragingly. ‘Tell Aunt Jemima – I mean, Miss Robinson—’
    Jemima waved her hand and said, ‘Oh, “Aunt Jemima” will do fine. I’m sure we can make room for an adopted niece.’ Her smile widened and her eyes actually twinkled for a brief moment. ‘I’m sure the names the girls at work call me are far less polite.’
    Kathy cleared her throat, suddenly nervous. Miss Robinson – Aunt Jemima – seemed kindly enough. There had been no note of disapproval in her tone, yet there was none of approval either. It had been a statement of fact that gave Kathy no real encouragement.
    ‘Yes, I – er – um – I want to come and live in the city. Find a job. Stand on my own feet.’
    Jemima’s disconcerting gaze eyed her steadily. ‘Why?’
    Kathy swallowed and gnawed at her lower lip. Then the words came in a rush, as if she could contain herself no longer. ‘Because – because I can’t stand it at home any more. My father treats me like a servant. I get my keep, as he calls it, but no wage . . .’ Now she met Jemima’s gaze steadily. ‘I want to stand on my own two feet. I want to see a bit of life.’
    ‘I see,’ Jemima said quietly. Slowly, the older woman turned her head towards her sister-in-law as she said softly, ‘It could be me thirty years ago, Betty, couldn’t it?’
    Betty nodded. ‘Yes, but things are worse for Kathy, Jemima. Your dad was strict, yes, but he was never cruel.’ She nodded towards Kathy. ‘See that black eye she’s getting? He did that to her. Now your dad never hit you. Not that I know of, anyway.’
    Jemima closed her eyes for a moment, as if lost in the past. When she opened them she sighed and murmured, ‘Only the once, Betty, only the once, but maybe he had good reason, eh?’
    Betty stared at her sister-in-law, but said nothing. Kathy looked at Morry, but he was studiously avoiding her glance. She guessed he knew what the two women were talking about, but no one was going to reveal a long-held family secret to her. Not even Morry.
    Briskly now, Jemima turned back to Kathy. ‘I know your father of old, my dear. Being neighbours, Edward and I, and your father, were all young together. I always thought him a cold fish even then and pitied any woman who was foolish enough to marry him. He came acourting me once, but I sent him packing, I can tell you.’ Her eyes sparkled suddenly with mischief but then, almost as suddenly as it had appeared, the twinkle was gone. ‘But your poor mother.’ Jemima sighed. ‘I expect she was taken in by the thought of a young man owning his own farm.’ She gave a quick nod. ‘And, yes, it could have been a good life for any girl. Look at Betty here – I don’t think she’d change her life with the Queen of England . . .’
    Betty nodded and smiled her agreement.
    ‘And your father can be very charming,’ Jemima went on. ‘When he wants to be!’
    Kathy was on the point of arguing. She had never seen any ‘charm’ in her father, but then she stopped as she remembered how Jim always greeted Morry when he came to the farm. Oh yes, Jim Burton’s attitude could be very different when he wanted something from someone.
    ‘But I expect your poor mother rues the day she met Jim Burton,’ Jemima added grimly.
    For a moment – a very brief moment – Kathy almost felt moved to defend her father. Jemima’s bluntness was almost rude. But the words she might have spoken died on her lips. What Jemima Robinson was saying was