which had been opened silently. Kane stood in the aperture, tall and slim and repelling in the extreme. ‘Make no mistake, Rachel, Gail is here for good.’
Again the woman shrugged.
‘Time will tell, Kane ... yes, time will tell.’
‘Gail is here for good,’ he repeated, coming slowly into the room.
‘And so am I,’ with a sort of malignant triumph. ‘You’ll never move me alive, so you can resign yourself to having me here until I die.’
Had he gone a trifle pale? wondered Gail. He was certainly furious beneath that calm exterior.
‘You’re a thoroughly unpleasant woman,’ he said forthrightly. ‘You have no place here and you know it—’
‘No place? Why, then, did your father make provision for me to remain here? This, he said, was to be my home for as long as I wished to stay.’
‘He was infatuated.’ Scorn edged the tone. Gail guessed that there had not been a very close relationship between Kane and his father after the marriage had taken place. ‘And also, he had no idea of the difficulties he was making for me.’
‘If you’d resigned yourself to my being the mistress here, then we’d have got along together much more comfortably.’
‘As you’re no longer mistress here, then surely it’s time for you to accept my offer of another home?’
‘It wouldn’t be a home like this. I’m used to luxury, Kane, and I’m making sure I don’t lower my standard of living by accepting something far smaller and inferior.’
‘Smaller, yes. You couldn’t expect to live in a place of this size. Inferior – most certainly not!’
‘If it’s smaller then it’s inferior. In any case, the house you offered me is in Sydney, and I don’t wish to live there.’
‘I said you could choose where you wanted to live, then I’d buy a house for you. The one I offered was for sale and as you came from Sydney and, at first, swore you’d never settle here because of the loneliness, I naturally asked if you’d care for a house in that part of the country.’ He shrugged and would have let the matter drop, but his stepmother had a complaint to make.
‘I’ve been meaning to mention this ever since it happened,’ she said, throwing a malicious glance at Gail. ‘Your – wife cancelled an order of mine which I gave to Miranda. I wanted her to leave what she was doing and tidy out my wardrobes and cupboards, but Miranda thought fit to tell your wife, and the next thing was that my order had been overruled. Gail told Miranda to carry on with what she was doing and then come up to my bedroom. I will not be humiliated in this way with the servants! They’ve been taking orders from me for some considerable time and I’m not retiring simply because another woman has come to live here!’
‘My wife,’ he said dangerously. ‘Kindly refer to her as that!’
‘She shall not override me!’ snapped his stepmother, glaring at him. ‘I have seniority, if nothing else, and the sooner you both accept this the better it will be for all of us.’
Kane’s eyes narrowed ominously.
‘Be careful,’ he told her softly. ‘I’m not a patient man, as you should know.’ Mrs. Farrell made no answer and Gail guessed that it was choked-up fury that prevented speech rather than a desire to bring this scene to a close. ‘Much as you dislike the idea you’ve no alternative but to step down now that my wife has arrived. She is the mistress here and as such her orders will always come before yours. In fact, you should already have stopped giving orders at all,’ he continued in a firm inflexible tone. ‘So I’m telling you now - no more orders from you at all. Keep away from the servants, understand?’ His face was set, his eyes hard as the slate they resembled. He was a man of authority, a man commanding, warning, and yet proffering’ advice.
‘The child,’ inserted his stepmother defensively, ‘do you expect me to tolerate her?’
‘My daughter?’ His dark brows shot up arrogantly. ‘Her place,
Again the woman shrugged.
‘Time will tell, Kane ... yes, time will tell.’
‘Gail is here for good,’ he repeated, coming slowly into the room.
‘And so am I,’ with a sort of malignant triumph. ‘You’ll never move me alive, so you can resign yourself to having me here until I die.’
Had he gone a trifle pale? wondered Gail. He was certainly furious beneath that calm exterior.
‘You’re a thoroughly unpleasant woman,’ he said forthrightly. ‘You have no place here and you know it—’
‘No place? Why, then, did your father make provision for me to remain here? This, he said, was to be my home for as long as I wished to stay.’
‘He was infatuated.’ Scorn edged the tone. Gail guessed that there had not been a very close relationship between Kane and his father after the marriage had taken place. ‘And also, he had no idea of the difficulties he was making for me.’
‘If you’d resigned yourself to my being the mistress here, then we’d have got along together much more comfortably.’
‘As you’re no longer mistress here, then surely it’s time for you to accept my offer of another home?’
‘It wouldn’t be a home like this. I’m used to luxury, Kane, and I’m making sure I don’t lower my standard of living by accepting something far smaller and inferior.’
‘Smaller, yes. You couldn’t expect to live in a place of this size. Inferior – most certainly not!’
‘If it’s smaller then it’s inferior. In any case, the house you offered me is in Sydney, and I don’t wish to live there.’
‘I said you could choose where you wanted to live, then I’d buy a house for you. The one I offered was for sale and as you came from Sydney and, at first, swore you’d never settle here because of the loneliness, I naturally asked if you’d care for a house in that part of the country.’ He shrugged and would have let the matter drop, but his stepmother had a complaint to make.
‘I’ve been meaning to mention this ever since it happened,’ she said, throwing a malicious glance at Gail. ‘Your – wife cancelled an order of mine which I gave to Miranda. I wanted her to leave what she was doing and tidy out my wardrobes and cupboards, but Miranda thought fit to tell your wife, and the next thing was that my order had been overruled. Gail told Miranda to carry on with what she was doing and then come up to my bedroom. I will not be humiliated in this way with the servants! They’ve been taking orders from me for some considerable time and I’m not retiring simply because another woman has come to live here!’
‘My wife,’ he said dangerously. ‘Kindly refer to her as that!’
‘She shall not override me!’ snapped his stepmother, glaring at him. ‘I have seniority, if nothing else, and the sooner you both accept this the better it will be for all of us.’
Kane’s eyes narrowed ominously.
‘Be careful,’ he told her softly. ‘I’m not a patient man, as you should know.’ Mrs. Farrell made no answer and Gail guessed that it was choked-up fury that prevented speech rather than a desire to bring this scene to a close. ‘Much as you dislike the idea you’ve no alternative but to step down now that my wife has arrived. She is the mistress here and as such her orders will always come before yours. In fact, you should already have stopped giving orders at all,’ he continued in a firm inflexible tone. ‘So I’m telling you now - no more orders from you at all. Keep away from the servants, understand?’ His face was set, his eyes hard as the slate they resembled. He was a man of authority, a man commanding, warning, and yet proffering’ advice.
‘The child,’ inserted his stepmother defensively, ‘do you expect me to tolerate her?’
‘My daughter?’ His dark brows shot up arrogantly. ‘Her place,
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