One Step at a Time by Beryl Matthews Page A

pay her way. And if she sold the rest of the furniture tomorrow, that would keep her going for a while.
    Seeing that she was settled, everyone went back to their own part of the house, and Amy made for the kitchen she was to use. She was starving now after that burst of rage. Her stock of food was meagre but it was enough for tonight and breakfast. She’d go shopping tomorrow.
    After heating up the contents of a tin of soup, she made some cheese sandwiches and a pot of tea. Loading it all on her tray she took it back to her room and sat at the table where she could see the garden. She must ask Mrs Dalton if she could go out there and look at the plants sometime.
    Oscar had been following her around and kept rubbing against her legs, looking up with imploring eyes. She laughed, poured some milk in her saucer and gave it to him. It was lapped up with gusto, and then, having got what he wanted, he trotted to the door and demanded to be let out.
    She enjoyed every mouthful of her tea and, after washing her dishes and putting them away, she returned to her room to practise her reading and writing before going to bed. This was her nightly routine and she was even more determined to get the hang of it somehow or other.
    This wasn’t right. Ben studied the portrait of Amy through narrowed eyes. Now he’d seen her again heknew why he hadn’t been completely happy with it. He jumped slightly as Howard came and stood beside him. ‘I didn’t hear you come in.’
    ‘From the look on your face I’d say you don’t like what you see.’
    Ben positioned Howard right in front of the painting. ‘Take a good close look. The eyes are too small and they are more of a smoky green, aren’t they?’
    ‘I don’t agree, Ben. She was upset and has been crying a lot. That would have made them seem a slightly different colour, but they do need to be larger, I think.’
    ‘You could be right.’ Ben rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘I’ll give her a couple of days to settle down and then ask her to sit for me. I knew there was something wrong with it, but I just couldn’t pin it down.’
    ‘There’s also something else you’ve missed.’ Howard perched on the stool and gave a wry smile. ‘She looks too timid in this.’
    Ben frowned. ‘Well, she is.’
    ‘From what I saw today there’s a determined girl with an inner core of fire.’ Howard then told Ben about her confrontation with the neighbours.
    ‘Good Lord, I wish I’d seen that.’ Ben began to study his painting with fresh eyes. ‘Yes, fire, that’s what’s missing.’
    ‘You’ll be able to study her carefully now she’s living here. I’m glad you insisted on finding her today, and I’m beginning to see what intrigued you so much about her. Once seen, never forgotten, eh?’
    ‘That’s right.’ Ben threw a sheet over the picture. ‘Mrs Dalton will look after her now.’
    ‘She will, and we’re all damned lucky to be living here. I reckon Mrs Dalton only lets out rooms so she can have people in the house. She doesn’t seem to be interested in the money side of it.’
    ‘I suspect that her husband left her quite well off.’ Ben raised his eyebrows. ‘She just wants to mother us, except for Ted, of course.’
    Howard chuckled. ‘She wants a mature man around in case we get out of hand.’
    ‘No doubt, but did you notice how Ted was treating Amy with so much kindness? I would say she’s going to find a replacement mother and father here.’
    ‘She needs something like that.’ Howard nudged his friend’s arm. ‘And we could be her brothers.’
    Ben nodded, still serious. ‘She’s going to need looking out for as she’s still only a child really. I don’t know what kind of a life she had before this double tragedy overtook her, but she doesn’t seem to have anyone, not even friends she could have gone to.’
    ‘You’re right, and I’m glad we were able to help.’ Howard shook his head sadly. ‘Poor little devil.’
    ‘We’ll keep an eye on her.