reply.
“Where on earth will you go?”
“I can’t bear it now,” she said. “I can’t keep working for you with all of this inside my head, and my heart.”
“Your heart?” he said, and he looked up at her with a hint of a smile. “Surely, you’re not afraid you might fall in love with me?”
She flashed him a sudden guilty look while a scarlet blush flamed on her cheeks. “I’ll not let that happen to me again.”
He grinned. His money and his looks had often given him the confidence to be candid. It amused him to see the effect his startling remarks had on people, and it had often paid off. She had as good as admitted it!
He was triumphant, but he spoke gently to her. “Katie, look at me.”
She did so, reluctantly.
“Do you have any idea what it means to me,” he said, “that you could even imagine yourself in love with me as I am now?”
“No,” she said, simply. “But I can surely imagine how it will all end, sir.”
She surprised him. He had spent a pleasant morning trying to consider where it might lead. Apparently her thoughts were not quite along the same lines, for she was close to tears, he realized.
“I must go,” she said.
“Katie,” he said softly, and tried to take her hand. She shied away, but he could see her softening, regretting, weakening in her resolve to leave him. The suitcase fell from her hand and toppled over flat in the driveway. She let it lie where it fell, and stood there brushing away the tears from her eyes with her other hand.
“You can’t leave the children, can you?” Michael said, trying to give her an honorable reason to stay.
She shook her head. “It would be irresponsible.”
“It would,” he said, fervently.
Just then, the heavens opened. The big, heavy raindrops that had been threatening all morning fell on the drive, on the suitcase, on Michael and on the polished wooden arms of the chair.
Yet Katie didn’t even seem to notice that it was raining. “But all this between us makes it impossible.”
For a moment, it looked as if she were about to pick up the bloody suitcase and take to the road again. So Michael forced himself to lie. “It was only a kiss, Katie. It was nothing. We can pretend it didn’t happen, if you like,” he said. He was pleased that his voice sounded reasonable, rational even.
“Can we?” she said.
“Yes,” he said, with easy confidence, hoping she’d believe him. “Good heavens, Katie, do you think I haven’t kissed the help before?”
He hadn’t, as it happened. There had been plenty of spoiled, rich girls at tennis parties, of course, and horsy young women from good county families, and then his fiancée, Connie. He’d never been remotely interested in a servant until he saw Katie, but this was not the moment to take her into his confidence.
She scowled at him, but he remained calm, biding his time as his clothes soaked to his skin in the downpour.
“Katie, the war makes us behave a little oddly at times. You and I have been thrown together, and it’s awkward. But the war will be over soon and you’ll go off and meet some chap and … ”
“Don’t! I don’t like thinking of the future.”
“Then think about today. Think about your duty here, your war work.” God, Michael thought to himself, he was beginning to sound just like Marjory Mallory.
Katie glanced at him, with a guilty, sheepish look. “I suppose it would be wrong to walk out and leave the children to get used to someone new,” she said at last.
Michael smiled. “Yes. Now, pick up that suitcase, before it goes soggy. I bet it’s one of those awful cardboard ones, isn’t it?”
“Probably,” she said. “I’ve never given it a thought.”
“Most inferior,” he replied.
Then he cursed himself for being tactless with her yet again. Fine sets of leather suitcases were undoubtedly beyond Katie Rafferty’s experience. “Let’s talk it all over back at the house.” Darling . He would have liked to have added that
“Where on earth will you go?”
“I can’t bear it now,” she said. “I can’t keep working for you with all of this inside my head, and my heart.”
“Your heart?” he said, and he looked up at her with a hint of a smile. “Surely, you’re not afraid you might fall in love with me?”
She flashed him a sudden guilty look while a scarlet blush flamed on her cheeks. “I’ll not let that happen to me again.”
He grinned. His money and his looks had often given him the confidence to be candid. It amused him to see the effect his startling remarks had on people, and it had often paid off. She had as good as admitted it!
He was triumphant, but he spoke gently to her. “Katie, look at me.”
She did so, reluctantly.
“Do you have any idea what it means to me,” he said, “that you could even imagine yourself in love with me as I am now?”
“No,” she said, simply. “But I can surely imagine how it will all end, sir.”
She surprised him. He had spent a pleasant morning trying to consider where it might lead. Apparently her thoughts were not quite along the same lines, for she was close to tears, he realized.
“I must go,” she said.
“Katie,” he said softly, and tried to take her hand. She shied away, but he could see her softening, regretting, weakening in her resolve to leave him. The suitcase fell from her hand and toppled over flat in the driveway. She let it lie where it fell, and stood there brushing away the tears from her eyes with her other hand.
“You can’t leave the children, can you?” Michael said, trying to give her an honorable reason to stay.
She shook her head. “It would be irresponsible.”
“It would,” he said, fervently.
Just then, the heavens opened. The big, heavy raindrops that had been threatening all morning fell on the drive, on the suitcase, on Michael and on the polished wooden arms of the chair.
Yet Katie didn’t even seem to notice that it was raining. “But all this between us makes it impossible.”
For a moment, it looked as if she were about to pick up the bloody suitcase and take to the road again. So Michael forced himself to lie. “It was only a kiss, Katie. It was nothing. We can pretend it didn’t happen, if you like,” he said. He was pleased that his voice sounded reasonable, rational even.
“Can we?” she said.
“Yes,” he said, with easy confidence, hoping she’d believe him. “Good heavens, Katie, do you think I haven’t kissed the help before?”
He hadn’t, as it happened. There had been plenty of spoiled, rich girls at tennis parties, of course, and horsy young women from good county families, and then his fiancée, Connie. He’d never been remotely interested in a servant until he saw Katie, but this was not the moment to take her into his confidence.
She scowled at him, but he remained calm, biding his time as his clothes soaked to his skin in the downpour.
“Katie, the war makes us behave a little oddly at times. You and I have been thrown together, and it’s awkward. But the war will be over soon and you’ll go off and meet some chap and … ”
“Don’t! I don’t like thinking of the future.”
“Then think about today. Think about your duty here, your war work.” God, Michael thought to himself, he was beginning to sound just like Marjory Mallory.
Katie glanced at him, with a guilty, sheepish look. “I suppose it would be wrong to walk out and leave the children to get used to someone new,” she said at last.
Michael smiled. “Yes. Now, pick up that suitcase, before it goes soggy. I bet it’s one of those awful cardboard ones, isn’t it?”
“Probably,” she said. “I’ve never given it a thought.”
“Most inferior,” he replied.
Then he cursed himself for being tactless with her yet again. Fine sets of leather suitcases were undoubtedly beyond Katie Rafferty’s experience. “Let’s talk it all over back at the house.” Darling . He would have liked to have added that
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