Read Online Friendship's Bond by Meg Hutchinson - Free Book Online
Authors: Meg Hutchinson
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caught Leah up and whirled her around, laughing. ‘You, my dear Mrs Marshall, you be the tyrant has my heart sing its fear.’
‘Your ’eart be it?’ Leah gasped against the mad whirl. ‘It’ll be your ears a singin’ o’ their sting wi’ my boxin’ ’em the moment you sets me to me feet.’
‘Then in the interest of my personal safety as well as my personal pleasure I must hold on to you.’
Hard put to keep tenderness from her voice, Leah pushed against strong shoulders. ‘Put me down!’ she snorted. ‘Put me down you niggen-yedded nawnypump.’
Coming to an abrupt halt Edward’s face assumed an injured look. ‘You heard that, Miss Spencer, you heard that defamation: I ask you, is it a reasonable assessment of a man’s character?’
‘It be reasonable on account you be a stupid nincompoop an’ one as don’t be so growed I can’t leather y’ backside wi’ one o’ them there butter pats.’
Holding a red-faced Leah firmly in his grasp Edward shook his head slowly. ‘Now a threat to give a hiding to a poor simple-minded man; does that not show you Miss Spencer, does it not prove to you the tyrant Leah Marshall is?’
Twinkling eyes belied the asperity of her tone as Leah retorted, ‘Ar, ’er ’eard what it be were said an’ you y’ great lummock will see what this ’ere tyrant can do wi’ a butter board lessen y’ sets me to me feet right now.’
‘The butter board!’ Edward pursed his lips musingly. ‘That, Mrs Marshall, is a far more serious threat; to set you to your feet is, for me, risk to life and limb and that truly would be stupid so,’ he hitched her higher in his arms, ‘I see no other solution than to keep you where you are. Do you not agree, Miss Spencer?’
Leah pushed harder against his relentless shoulders. ‘No ’er don’t, not unless it be agreein’ you be a barmy ’apporth; now you let go o’ me this instant!’
Edward looked at the face of the woman he held dear as a mother, saying teasingly, ‘Not until you say you love me.’
‘Hmmph!’ Leah sniffed derisively.
‘Admit it Mrs Marshall.’ Edward chuckled jubilantly. ‘Admit you love me and I might be persuaded to let you go.’
‘But I won’t be persuaded against fetchin’ you the leatherin’ y’ deserves should y’ be tardy gettin’ y’self gone from my dairy.’
Edward released Leah and cast a dejected look to Ann. ‘Ordered from the door, turned away into the night; take note Miss Spencer, take note of the cruelty of this woman.’
Leah looked smiling at the tall man, his shoulders drooping with pretended misery.
‘Did you come all this way just so y’ could clog up my dairy?’
‘No.’ His mischievous smile returned as Edward reached into a pocket of his jacket. ‘I came to bring what it was you walked to Hill Rise Farm to collect then forgot to bring away with you.’
‘Eeh!’ Leah’s head swung. ‘I swears I ’ave a brain like a sieve these days; I thanks you for the bringin’ lad, milk wouldn’t form no curd wi’out the usin’ of a bit o’ salted skin from a calf’s stomach an’ I be near to usin’ the last o’ what be left.’
‘So I see.’ He appeared to glance to where a tiny piece of dried skin was nailed to the wall, a square of newspaper preventing its touching the limewash, but instead Edward looked at the face of the girl beside the cold cupboard, a face pale as the milk poured into the shallow stone vats. The dread he had seen flash across it had now become a fear of a different kind. It was not fear of himself, her continued presence indicated that, and it certainly was not fear of Leah, so what had made those features so drawn? What fear haunted Ann Spencer?
‘Be you hurried to get back to Hill Rise? There be fresh scones and the kettle be to boilin’.’
‘It be well for fishermen it’s a dairy you have and not a boat for with your method of baiting the seas would be empty within a twelvemonth.’
The answer had come quickly but Leah
‘Your ’eart be it?’ Leah gasped against the mad whirl. ‘It’ll be your ears a singin’ o’ their sting wi’ my boxin’ ’em the moment you sets me to me feet.’
‘Then in the interest of my personal safety as well as my personal pleasure I must hold on to you.’
Hard put to keep tenderness from her voice, Leah pushed against strong shoulders. ‘Put me down!’ she snorted. ‘Put me down you niggen-yedded nawnypump.’
Coming to an abrupt halt Edward’s face assumed an injured look. ‘You heard that, Miss Spencer, you heard that defamation: I ask you, is it a reasonable assessment of a man’s character?’
‘It be reasonable on account you be a stupid nincompoop an’ one as don’t be so growed I can’t leather y’ backside wi’ one o’ them there butter pats.’
Holding a red-faced Leah firmly in his grasp Edward shook his head slowly. ‘Now a threat to give a hiding to a poor simple-minded man; does that not show you Miss Spencer, does it not prove to you the tyrant Leah Marshall is?’
Twinkling eyes belied the asperity of her tone as Leah retorted, ‘Ar, ’er ’eard what it be were said an’ you y’ great lummock will see what this ’ere tyrant can do wi’ a butter board lessen y’ sets me to me feet right now.’
‘The butter board!’ Edward pursed his lips musingly. ‘That, Mrs Marshall, is a far more serious threat; to set you to your feet is, for me, risk to life and limb and that truly would be stupid so,’ he hitched her higher in his arms, ‘I see no other solution than to keep you where you are. Do you not agree, Miss Spencer?’
Leah pushed harder against his relentless shoulders. ‘No ’er don’t, not unless it be agreein’ you be a barmy ’apporth; now you let go o’ me this instant!’
Edward looked at the face of the woman he held dear as a mother, saying teasingly, ‘Not until you say you love me.’
‘Hmmph!’ Leah sniffed derisively.
‘Admit it Mrs Marshall.’ Edward chuckled jubilantly. ‘Admit you love me and I might be persuaded to let you go.’
‘But I won’t be persuaded against fetchin’ you the leatherin’ y’ deserves should y’ be tardy gettin’ y’self gone from my dairy.’
Edward released Leah and cast a dejected look to Ann. ‘Ordered from the door, turned away into the night; take note Miss Spencer, take note of the cruelty of this woman.’
Leah looked smiling at the tall man, his shoulders drooping with pretended misery.
‘Did you come all this way just so y’ could clog up my dairy?’
‘No.’ His mischievous smile returned as Edward reached into a pocket of his jacket. ‘I came to bring what it was you walked to Hill Rise Farm to collect then forgot to bring away with you.’
‘Eeh!’ Leah’s head swung. ‘I swears I ’ave a brain like a sieve these days; I thanks you for the bringin’ lad, milk wouldn’t form no curd wi’out the usin’ of a bit o’ salted skin from a calf’s stomach an’ I be near to usin’ the last o’ what be left.’
‘So I see.’ He appeared to glance to where a tiny piece of dried skin was nailed to the wall, a square of newspaper preventing its touching the limewash, but instead Edward looked at the face of the girl beside the cold cupboard, a face pale as the milk poured into the shallow stone vats. The dread he had seen flash across it had now become a fear of a different kind. It was not fear of himself, her continued presence indicated that, and it certainly was not fear of Leah, so what had made those features so drawn? What fear haunted Ann Spencer?
‘Be you hurried to get back to Hill Rise? There be fresh scones and the kettle be to boilin’.’
‘It be well for fishermen it’s a dairy you have and not a boat for with your method of baiting the seas would be empty within a twelvemonth.’
The answer had come quickly but Leah
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