Roses For Katie Read online

  Katie plumped straight for the steak and kidney pie. Pat ordered Irish stew.

  ‘I haven’t had this in years and I can smell it from here,’ he said.

  Maeve O’Flaherty wasted no time in bringing out the meal. ‘I made some apple tart this afternoon,’ she said, as she placed the generous portions of meat pie and Irish stew in front of them. ‘I can recommend the tart with clotted cream for your dessert. I love it; eat far too much of it myself when it’s around,’ she said, patting her ample stomach. Then with a pretty, dimpled smile, she disappeared back into the kitchen.

  As she ate, Katie studied the display of old jugs and tankards that hung from the stout oak beams across the room. Pewter, luster, ceramic glazed, they all looked as though they had been in place forever, but they shone as though they had only just been washed and polished.

  ‘Mike likes to keep this place looking like the ones back home,’ Pat said. ‘I think it stops him from being homesick.’ He leaned across the table. ‘I could show you lots more places like this in Ireland. Some of those old inns haven’t changed at all over the years. The bars are the originals, and so are the benches. In fact, just about everything is the same as when they were opened all that time ago.’ He breathed in as though inhaling the atmosphere of what he was visualizing. ‘Oh, to be there again. Not long now before I will be, I’m thinking.’

  The way Pat was reminiscing made Katie’s spirits droop a little. It was obvious that he couldn’t wait to get back to Ireland, and the thought of his going dampened the enjoyment of the moment for her.

  He glanced across the table with a naughty gleam in his eyes. ‘It’ll be even lovelier next time I go, for sure, because you’ll be with me.’ He touched her hand. ‘You will, won’t you, Katie? You will come?’ His look was so pleading that she smiled.

  ‘Yes. I told you I’d think seriously about it, and yes, I’ve decided to come.’

  ‘You will? Then you’ll not be sorry, I promise; you’ll fall in love with it too.’ Satisfied, he continued eating; looking up only now and again at Katie as though he could not believe his good fortune.

  After they had sampled Mauve’s delicious apple pie, they walked through to the tiny lounge at the back. The locals were still chatting around the bar, so Katie and Pat had the whole back room to themselves. Mike had put on some energetic Irish tunes, and they both sat back to enjoy the music without interruption. It was almost time for the inn to close when Katie suggested they should make their way home, and they left, promising Mike they would come again soon.

  ‘Give my regards to the folk back home when you get there, Pat,’ Mike hollered, as they went out through the door.

  The drive home was leisurely, and it seemed to Katie as though Pat wanted to make the evening last as long as possible. Indeed, it had been such a pleasant night she felt the same way. No castle, no plush hotel, just a pseudo-Irish inn, but it was every bit as enjoyable, if not more so, as those posh places. When he pulled up in the drive, she asked him in for coffee.

  ‘Thanks, but I think I’ll go straight to my little place. It’s late, and I don’t want you to overdo things. Anyway, I’ll go to sleep with sweet dreams tonight. Thank you for your delightful company, Katie. I shall always cherish the memory of this evening.’ Then he watched her going in through her own front door, and used his own entrance for the annex.

  Within moments, there was a little tap on the connecting door. Katie smiled, knowing who it was.

  ‘Is everything all right in there?’ Pat’s voice said, faintly from the other side. ‘I should have checked it out, Katie. I don’t know what got into me to forget.’

  ‘It’s all okay in here, don’t worry,’ she called back. ‘Go to bed and enjoy your dreams.’ After such an enjoyable day, she flopped into bed, and was soon sound asleep.

  When the phone rang next morning she thought it would be Tom, but it was Elspeth.

  ‘Elspeth, where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in ages, and that’s unusual. What’s going on? I’ve phoned you several times and had no answer.’

  ‘Oh, yes I know,’ Elspeth giggled. ‘Naughty of me, but, oh, Katie, Cuthbert and I have been getting on like a house on fire. I think he’s taken quite a shine to me, honestly I do.’ She gave another girlish giggle. ‘He even persuaded me to stay at his place during his half term holiday, and we spent a couple of days in The Lake District. It was so wonderful.’

  ‘I’m delighted with that news,’ Katie said, thinking this was what Elspeth had needed for years — someone to care for, and care about her. ‘So when are you going to visit me again? There’s a lot of news to catch up on.’

  ‘It’ll have to be a weekday, when Cuthbert’s at school. I spend most of my time with him now, when he’s free.’ There was a short pause. ‘I’ve got an idea. I’ll make a quick visit tomorrow; it’s Thursday, and I’ll stay over with you and go straight to his place on Friday evening for the weekend; he’s coming to me next weekend. How about that?’

  ‘Settled,’ Katie said. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’

  If Elspeth’s visit was going to be just for one night, Katie knew there was no need for the usual cooking to be done. What was in the freezer would do, and they could have lunch in the village pub if necessary. For a change, she was quite pleased about her friend’s visit. It would be good to exchange news.

  A creature of habit, Elspeth arrived early on the Thursday morning, and the first one to greet her was Thunder. By now, he was getting used to all the visitors that called on Katie, and became excited every time, especially over someone new.

  ‘What’s this creature doing here, Katie?’ she asked, fondling the dog. ‘He’s adorable, but where did he come from?’

  Katie put her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly. She told her the story about Thunder as she guided Elspeth into the sitting room, where they sat down with a quickly made coffee. Katie studied her friend’s face; it still held the same radiance as on the night she was reunited with Cuthbert at the exhibition. Her hair now showed evidence of much more care and attention, and she wore a pale blue suit that was very flattering to her neat figure.

  ‘I’m so pleased for you, Elspeth, and you look super and at least ten years younger. Now tell me, is this quite... er, serious with Cuthbert?’

  ‘Oh, I hope so.’ There was a glaze of tears in Elspeth’s eyes as she answered, but they soon went when she began to talk. Katie could see that she was a bit emotional, so she quickly handed her a shot of whisky.

  ‘I’m almost afraid to say anything about Cuthbert and me, in case something goes wrong. It’s like… like I’m frightened... do you know what I mean? I keep pinching myself all the time to make sure I’m not dreaming.’ She dabbed her eyes quickly, and took another sip of her drink. She looked across at Katie, with a hint of fear in her deep blue eyes. ‘Honestly, if anything went wrong between us now, I think I’d die.’

  ‘Don’t be negative. Everything will be all right. I genuinely feel that.’

  ‘Do you? Oh, do you really?’ By the time she had swallowed more of her drink, she was back to her old self. But, instead of telling Katie what to do and how to live, she was so full of her own news about what she and Cuthbert had been doing that she never got round to giving out her usual advice. It was a long time before she finished telling her story and asked Katie how life was treating her.

  Katie brought her up to date on all the happenings and developments, including Margie’s engagement to Dylan.

  ‘Tell me, is romance is in the air for you too, with your professor or your colonel?’

  ‘I don’t know about that,’ Katie replied. ‘But let’s say life is more interesting than it’s been for a long time, and leave it at that.’ She smiled lovingly at her friend, remembering with fondness the days when they shared schoolgirl confidences. ‘Tell you what; you’ll be the first to know if anything wonderful happens to me too. To date, I only have little problems to report, but I daresay they’ll get sorted out one of these days.’


  They went on talking well into the night, until Katie reminded Elspeth that she had better get some beauty sleep if she was to look her best for Cuthbert the next day. They climbed the stairs laughing, and of course, as usual, Thunder was first to the top. Katie slept heavily, and the next morning she was awoken by her new pet nuzzling her hand.

  ‘Hello, my first love,’ Katie said, putting her arms around the huge creature’s neck. ‘You really are adorable.’ In no time at all, she had showered and dressed, and went down stairs. She called Elspeth to come down for her breakfast, and after a short chat, she waved her friend off, and then went inside to clear up so that she would be free for the rest of the day. She had only just sorted everything out, and sat down with the morning paper, when the phone rang.

  ‘Tom here,’ said a somewhat subdued voice. ‘I’ve been thinking how nice it would be if you could bring Margie here for a couple of hours on Saturday. I bought the two geldings I told you about, and they’ve arrived; I’d like her to see them as well, so how about it?’

  ‘Well, as you know, Margie and Dylan are engaged, and they have little time for anything but each other on their free time. You know what young love is, but I’ll ask.’

  ‘Dylan is welcome too, of course,’ said Tom. ‘I have met him, I believe. Wasn’t he the young doctor with Margie at the dinner party, where I first met you?’

  ‘You’re right about that. Okay, we’ll come sometime this weekend if it’s possible. I’ll ring you to let you know.’ Katie eased back into her chair and continued to read her newspaper. Then she closed her eyes and thought of Elspeth, and of how happy the woman had looked. She sighed, wishing she could reach out for the same. But that sublime feeling had died with Greg. She feared she would be denied that pleasure for the rest of her life, but at least she was enjoying herself so much these days, albeit superficially, that right now, she saw no reason to change anything.

  Chapter Thirteen

  She opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was still early enough to get in touch with Margie before she went to work. ‘Hi Margie, Tom phoned to say he’d like you and Dylan to go and see two horses he’s bought.’ Katie went on to explain all about it, and waited for Margie’s response.

  ‘Why not? Dylan has the weekend off, and it would be a nice change for us both,’ Margie said. ‘We could take you, and leave you there for the day while we go to see Dylan’s parents, and maybe Tom would bring you home later. We’ll probably stay overnight at his father’s place.’

  The arrangement seemed all right to Katie, so she returned Tom’s call to tell him what had been planned, and he seemed quite happy about it.

  They set off soon after breakfast the next day, and surprised Tom while he was still mucking out the horses. Dylan had done a fair amount of riding, so he jumped at the chance of trying out the geldings. ‘Come on, Tom,’ Dylan said, ‘I’m dressed and rearing to go. Which one is mine?’ Minutes later they set off at a canter across the fields, and the two women went into the farmhouse to make preparations for a simple lunch.

  ‘Right, everything’s ready,’ Katie said, twenty minutes later. ‘I’ll show you around the farm now, and when the men come back, we’ll give you a tour of the house. Until then, we can sit out here. Just listen to that gorgeous birdsong. It’s coming from those hedges.’ She pointed to the thick barrier of box hedging around the lawn as the morning sun peeped out on it through fast moving cotton-ball clouds. The air was pure, and smelling of sweet fresh cut grass as Katie walked towards the edge of the garden and peered into the field the other side. She called to Margie to come and watch the tranquil sight over the hedge, and they stood together as four hens and a cock pheasant casually pecked at choice finds on the ground. She had expected them to fly off, but they barely noticed her and continued to work their way along the perimeter of the field, quite unafraid.

  Suddenly, Margie spoke up. ‘I know it’s none of my business, but I’m curious to know what you feel for this Tom. He takes up quite a lot of your time, Mum, and I’m concerned enough about you to want to know. That’s the true reason I’ve come here today — to see if I can size him up. I need to feel sure he’s a genuine sort.’

  ‘Yes, by all means judge for yourself. He’s a really nice man. A bit austere maybe, a bit authoritative, but that’s been his way of life. Blame the army. He’s basically well meaning… and he’s lonely. And I know what that’s like,’ Katie answered.

  Margie shrugged and looked around. ‘Honestly, Mum, this place is wonderful, but I can’t picture you fitting in out here. At least, at Priory Farm, you’re on the edge of a village, not bounded by thick woods on one side and wilderness on the other three.’ She tucked her arm under her mother’s. ‘I think you’d go bonkers after a month here. Don’t make any rash promises, just because you might feel sorry for the man. Put yourself first, and be careful. Don’t let him pressurize you,’ she warned.

  There were a few moments of silence while Katie thought about the concern her daughter had voiced. She stopped walking and turned to her, and was about to say something when Margie continued.

  ‘You could so easily make the mistake of marrying this man, just so that you can settle down to a comfortable country life with someone.’ She smiled wickedly. ‘I’d much sooner see you continue to flirt. At least, then you can opt out of a relationship at the drop of a hat, but with a marriage, well… it’s not that easy. Don’t I know.’ She linked her arm under Katie’s. ‘Divorce can be quite nasty when there’s money and property involved, like it is with you. It was different for me. I was only nineteen, and we had nothing to argue over.’

  ‘Do you think for one minute that I haven’t considered all that?’ Katie patted her daughter’s hand. ‘Of course I have, and thoroughly, too. I take it as a compliment that Tom is this serious. Have no worries, my pet… I don’t love him.’ She gazed around with a sad look in her eyes. ‘I keep comparing every man I meet with your father.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘I won’t allow Tom to pressurize me, so have no fear on that score; he won’t succeed in dictating orders to me. He’s delightfully charming, and handsome, but he’s not the man for me. In fact, I haven’t met one who is… since your father.’

  Margie gave a big sigh of relief. ‘Good,’ she said, with a finality in her tone. Then she opened her eyes wide, and laid her hand on her mother’s arm again. ‘Does that go for Rex too?’

  ‘Rex?’ Katie said, with a note of humour in her voice. ‘Rex is brash, good fun, a good companion, but quite bossy, and exceedingly irritable at times when things don’t exactly go his way. Although he claims his feeling for me are deep, I have a strong suspicion that he would be more than happy to install me as his permanent live-in-lover. You see, without the restraining hand of marriage, he would feel free to wander off the moment he saw someone else he fancied. I know him.’ She shook her head, and laid her hand on Margie’s arm. ‘I wouldn’t put up with that. Rex is interesting and good company. But no, Margie, he doesn’t stand a chance either.’

  They had walked almost the length of two fields when they spotted the two riders in the distance. Katie turned to her daughter and hugged her. ‘Thank you, for your concern, but right now I’m having a whale of a time, and I have no intention of tying myself down to any one man.’

  By the time the two geldings had been rubbed down, Katie and Margie had the lunch ready. The two men washed up, and sat down, hungry after their long ride in the fresh, morning air. As they came to the end of it, Tom turned to Margie, who was seated next to him.

  ‘Your mother has suggested you might like to see the rest of the house, so let’s go.’ He led the way through the short corridor, explaining on the way: ‘Katie’s touch is all over the place, and you’ll find some of your family heirlooms dotted around as well.’ He took her by the arm and led her into each room one by one. ‘This pretty pink bedroom is set aside specially for your mother for occasions when she might decide to stay overnight to do some riding.’

  Margie had to agr
ee it was a delightfully quaint old house, and full of character, but when she looked out through the bedroom windows, she could see how right she was about the place being well and truly isolated. When they got back downstairs, Dylan eyed the clock anxiously. ‘Time we went, darling,’ he said, taking Margie by the arm.

  Tom and Katie saw them to the car, and once their visitors had gone, they relaxed outside in the warm afternoon sunshine.

  ‘Isn’t this idyllic?’ Tom murmured.

  ‘It is, if you’re looking for isolation,’ Katie said, ‘because that’s what you’ve got here.’

  ‘Not more than your own place, surely,’ he responded, quickly.

  ‘Can’t compare them,’ Katie said, brusquely. ‘I could walk to my village if needs be. This is truly out in the wilds. What if something goes wrong? What if you’re taken ill and you’re all by yourself?’

  ‘Ah,’ he said, tapping the garden seat. ‘I don’t intend to live entirely on my own here.’

  Katie’s eyes opened wide. ‘Someone’s coming to join you?’ she asked, cautiously.

  Tom moved closer to her on the garden seat, and took her hand in his. ‘You, I hope, Katie?’

  ‘Oh, Tom, now hold on a minute,’ she said, quite taken aback and pulling her hand away. ‘I said that maybe I’d stay overnight when I go on those horse riding jaunts with you, but I never even hinted that it would be often. The horses and my riding was all your idea, remember?’ Then she suddenly thought about her dog. ‘Anyway, what about Thunder?’

  Tom made no comment, and continued to voice his thoughts, but she had quickly noticed his momentary crestfallen expression, which had disappeared by the time he spoke again. His voice now bore an authority Katie was not altogether taken with. ‘Now look here, my dear Katie, I’ve given you some indication of how I feel about you, so I’ll say straight away what’s in my mind. I want you to marry me, and live with me here, at Springwood Farm.’