Trouble in the Village (Tales from Turnham Malpas) Read Online Free PDF Page B

mean.’
    ‘Patchy at best.’
    ‘I see.’
    Caroline looked directly at her and said, ‘What have you come to say? Something special?’
Sylvia shifted uneasily in her chair. ‘If you can forgive me …’
    Head down so her face was hidden Caroline didn’t answer.
    ‘If you can forgive me and have me back I would be pleased.’
    Caroline still didn’t answer.
    ‘I should never have shouted at you nor deserted my job so abruptly. I can only say I’m very sorry.’ Was Caroline even listening to her? She really couldn’t tell. ‘I was so worried, you see, about you and the children. And the Rector, come to that. I thought you were going to leave them, you see, and I couldn’t bear it. We’d all been so happy.’
    Caroline’s head came up and Sylvia was appalled by the drained look of her face. ‘We were, weren’t we? If you will come back it will be such a relief to me. I just didn’t know what to do about you.’
    ‘Then I will. Three days, is it?’
    Caroline nodded. ‘That’s right. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all day in the holidays, of course. But schooldays perhaps you could pop home for a couple of hours in the afternoon.’
    ‘Then you can rely on me. I shall be glad because seven days a week living hand in glove with Willie now he’s retiring … much as I love him, absence, you know. Doesn’t do to live too close, you lose the spark if you’re not careful.’
    Caroline stood up. ‘When shall you start?’
    ‘How about tomorrow? Eight o’clock?’
‘Yes.’
    Sylvia smiled, warmed and thankful that peace had been restored between them.
    ‘Friends again then?’ Caroline came round the end of the table and stood in front of her.
    ‘Oh, yes!’
    ‘You’ve no idea how pleased I am. All water under the bridge. Eh?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘I’ll give you your key for the morning.’
    ‘Thanks.’ Tears came into Sylvia’s eyes as her fingers closed over the key that had been hers for so long. It still had her name on it so … ‘It’s the children, you know, I have missed them. I love them dearly.’
    ‘I know you do, and I’ve missed you. And thank you for coming to heal the breach between us, I’m so grateful, please believe me, I really am. It puts my mind completely at rest.’

Chapter 3
    To get on to the estate land Muriel used the small gate at the back of the churchyard instead of walking all the way down Church Lane and in by the main gates. No one was supposed to take advantage of the short-cut, but this morning, somehow, it was all part of her defiance to do so. In any case Mr Fitch wouldn’t know, he scarcely ever used it as his short-cut to church because he hardly ever attended.
The morning was cloudy and chill, and a stiff breeze came up once she had left the shelter of the trees which ran along the church wall. Muriel was wearing a jacket and skirt, having decided that a skirt and cardigan would categorise her as a country woman, when this morning she couldn’t have felt less like one. She’d rehearsed her approach to him time and again, but knew full well that despite her preparations she would say the first thing that came into her head at the time. She’d have to tread softly: Mr Fitch was an intimidating man, and a head-on confrontation would be the last thing that would achieve her objective.
    The grounds were looking particularly beautiful this morning but then so they should for Mr Fitch spent thousands on their upkeep. Thousands more than Ralph would ever have been able to find. In the distance she could hear a mower swirling about cutting grass but here where she was it was peaceful. Into view came the Big House, amazingly immaculate, almost too immaculate: it rather took away from the ancient beauty of the building.
She crossed the Tudor garden and reached the gravel laid to make a car park immediately in front of the house. How incongruous. Muriel, concentrate, she told herself. The huge ancient front door stood open, and Muriel walked straight in