Читать книгу Below the Salt - Thomas B. Costain - Страница 19

It was only by accident that he was enabled to see beneath the surface of this contradictory creature. Rising early one morning, he heard sounds from the floor below and went down to investigate. The youthful chatelaine was in the drawing room and busily at work with a broom. Her hair was neatly tied up in a handkerchief and she was almost engulfed in a huge apron. The broom moved with a precision which spoke of long practice.

“I knew it,” he said accusingly. “I knew it wasn’t Marty Lacey who kept this house as neat as a pin. You’ve been slaving for our comfort.”

She stopped work and looked at him over the handle of the broom. “Why all this sudden indignation? The housework has to be done. And who else would do it, if I didn’t? Uncle Paddy? He attends to the outside work when Marty Lacey’s too busy to do it. Which is all the time.”

“But there’s too much for one pair of hands. There must be some way of getting around this. Can’t we all help?”

The corners of her mouth twitched briefly. “What could you do, for instance?”

“Who does the heavy work? Scrubbing, for instance.”

“Do you think you could?”

“Certainly. There’s no knack to scrubbing.”

The girl placed the broom against the wall and left the room. When she returned, she was carrying a bucket of hot water, a bar of soap, and a scrubbing brush.

“Here you are,” she said. “Never make an offer like that if you don’t want to be taken up. You are now the official scrubber for the household.”

John shook his head. “I’ve been doing some thinking and I’ve got a much better idea. I know your uncle Patrick would refuse any financial assistance. But I also know that the senator will be leaving you a legacy in his will. Why shouldn’t he settle an allowance on you now?”

She gave him a cold look. “Is this any business of yours?”

“None at all,” he conceded. “But if no one else will think about such things, I’m going to make it my business. After all, I’m not suggesting anything new or out of the way. I believe it’s the practice over here. And I don’t need to tell you that he’s very wealthy and the most generous man in the world.”

The princess left the room with the scrubbing equipment. When she returned, empty-handed, it was clear that she had been doing some thinking also.

“It’s true that it’s often done,” she said. “Here in Ireland the head of the family—the one who inherits the estates—gives allowances to the younger brothers and the girls of the family. That is, when there’s any money to do it with.”

She had changed completely. Gone was the usual hint of condescension in her manner, the assurance she had always shown. He detected instead a hint almost of entreaty.

“An allowance for me? Do you really think it could be arranged? Has Uncle Rick ever spoken about it?”

“I’m sure that all I have to do is mention it and things will begin to happen so fast your head will spin.”

“But—but we must think about it first.”

She did not think long. Her eyes opened suddenly until they were large and round and shining. “John, it would be wonderful! Do you think—do you really think, he would be willing?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“But—but will you do the speaking to him?”

“Of course. I’ll speak to him this morning.”

“John!” she said, her voice falling to a whisper. “You have no idea how poor we are! Sometimes there’s no money in the house at all. When we knew you were coming, I begged Uncle Paddy to let me sell my hunter, so we would have enough to see us through. He refused, the dear lamb, and said we would manage somehow.” She looked up at him with sudden penitence. “I shouldn’t have told you that. Please, never repeat what I’ve said. Not to anyone, certainly not to Uncle Rick. I shouldn’t have said a word about it.”

He spoke to the senator that morning. During the afternoon the heads of the two elderly cousins were close together in a long conference. The next day they drove into Kilkenny and did not return for several hours.

John and the girl met on the landing above the main stairway as they were starting down for dinner. She was clutching a handsome bag in one hand.

“Do you know what I have in this?” she asked excitedly. “A purse, John, a purse. And the marvel of it is that there’s money in it. Twenty pounds! Three fivers and five ones! John, what you suggested has been arranged. My wonderful uncle from that wonderful America has settled an allowance on me. For life. There had to be cables and drawing up of papers. It will be some time before I can have the allowance but the bank agreed to advance me the twenty pounds. Oh, glory be to St. Patrick and all the blessed saints, and to my dear uncle Rick!” Her eyes were filled with tears. “I’ll be grateful to you, John of the Fine Hats—and I’m sure they were very fine—all the rest of my life!”

“I hope,” said John, swallowing hard, “that your uncle Patrick was in full sympathy with the idea.”

“Oh yes. Uncle Paddy is very happy about it. After I was told the news he patted me on the cheek. Then he whispered, ‘It’s the generous Irish strain in him, God rest him and keep him!’ My only anxiety is that Uncle Paddy may not let me do all the things I have in mind. We are going to have a man to look after the horses—we’ll get a small string now—and a maid in the house. That’s all understood. But, oh, if he would only give in about these other things: a telephone, central heating, proper plumbing and drains, even—even a car!”

“You’ll bring him around,” said John. “Be slow about it, and tactful. Play your cards carefully.”

“We should live now as befits our station. It was all very well to do without things when we had no money. We could hold up our heads and say, ‘It doesn’t matter, we are the O’Rawns and what if we are poor?’ But now it would be—well, eccentric, don’t you think? Uncle Paddy must not be pigheaded.”

“Don’t put it to him in just that way.”

“Oh no, I’ll be cautious. I’ll think it over very carefully before I say a word to him.”

They walked slowly together down the steps and found Richard O’Rawn waiting for them at the foot. He was regarding them with a grave intentness.

“Uncle Rick, Uncle Rick!” said the princess when they reached the bottom. “I’m so happy I don’t see how I’ll ever be able to sit through dinner. What I want to do is to go out for a ride. I want to ride like mad.”

“I suppose you’ve been making plans.”

“My head is full of them. Just trivial things so far. Like going to Dublin for a full day’s shopping and then staying overnight at the Shelbourne. I need gloves and stockings in particular. I’ve always needed them.”

“When you get around to more important matters,” cautioned the visitor, “keep it in mind that your uncle has an honest and deep-seated aversion to having gas or electricity in Castle O’Rawn. He likes things as they are.”

“I know. Uncle Paddy is as stubborn as a mule.”

“I hope you won’t be as stubborn on the other side.”

There was a pause. “I’ll try not to be. I suppose it will come down to trading. I’ll give in about the lighting——”

“He says your hair is much more lovely by candlelight.”

The girl raised her eyebrows slightly. “Really? I hadn’t thought of that. Well, I’m ready to let him have his way about the lights and I’ll be content with wood fires, if he’ll give in about a motorcar. Don’t you agree, Uncle Rick, that we must have a car?”

The senator nodded. “Yes, I’m with you there. Using horses only is a luxury you can’t afford when you live this far out from town. Yes, my dear, we’ll have to gang up on this uncle of yours. In fact I would like to see you with two cars around the place, one a station wagon—I mean a shooting brake, in your language—and a sports car, for you.”

When they entered the drawing room, where a few friends were due to assemble for dinner, the senator drew John to one side.

“A word of advice, my boy,” he said in a low tone. “Don’t let yourself get in too deep. Emotionally, I mean. She’s different from the rest of us, you know. I understand her. In fact I feel that I know her very well. She—well, this may seem farfetched, but I’m sure she’s marked by destiny for something unusual. God alone knows what. But whatever it is, she’ll follow the course marked out for her. Even if it means leaving everyone far behind her. You and me and all the rest of us.”

“I know, sir. I’ve been aware of that. I’ve known that falling in love with her is like playing a long shot. As much as a thousand to one in my case.”

“Well, my boy, I’ve decided we had better be on our way before you are hopelessly sunk. I’m going to tell Patrick that we must leave by the end of this week.”