Read Online Kitty by Deborah Challinor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Deborah Challinor
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mean like a gale or a storm?’
Amy and Wai laughed hysterically again. ‘No,’ Amy said, ‘like this.’ And she stuck out her tongue and blew energetically, producing a long and very vulgar noise.
‘Oh,’ Kitty said, going pink as she realised what Amy meant. Then she giggled again. ‘I know what you mean. Uncle George can be a bitlike that, especially after we’ve had cabbage.’
Sarah chose that moment to appear. Clearly not having heard Kitty’s last comment, she gave a rare smile at the sight of her two new charges and her niece having such fun.
‘Albert will be back soon with the wood, so I would like to get started on supper. Kitty, when the girls have unpacked, would you please show them around the kitchen? Girls, have you been in an English kitchen before?’
Amy batted her long eyelashes. ‘No, Mrs Kereha, we do no work in a English kitchen,’ she said, her mastery of the English language suddenly deteriorating markedly.
Kitty raised her eyebrows at Wai, who merely shrugged.
‘Well, now is as good a time to start as any, then, isn’t it?’ Sarah said. ‘I’ll see you in the kitchen shortly.’
As the girls were putting their few possessions away, Kitty heard whooping and shrieks of laughter from the front of the house, and collided with Rebecca hurrying out to the verandah.
‘Albert,’ Rebecca called sharply, ‘stop that!’
Albert was lurching around the garden pushing a handcart containing a heap of loose wood, on top of which Grace and her five-year-old brother, Edward, were precariously balanced. All three of them were laughing wildly.
‘Albert!’ Rebecca shouted, more urgently this time. ‘Stop that this instant—you’ll hurt them!’
Albert slowed down reluctantly, then stopped altogether. The two younger children clambered off the cart and stood side by side, looking guiltily down at their boots, which Rebecca had insisted they put back on before they went to fetch the wood.
Rebecca marched over to her eldest son. ‘How many times have I told you to be careful with them, Albert? You’re supposed to be looking after them, not putting them in danger! Now take some of that wood into the kitchen, then stack the rest around the back. Go on, off with you!’ Shaking her head angrily, she turned back to Sarah and Kitty on the verandah. ‘I’m sorry but, really, that boy should have more sense!’
‘They were only having fun, though, weren’t they?’ Kitty said.
‘Yes, but if any of them were to be seriously hurt, I don’t know what I’d do. Doctor Ford’s often away, and if anything terrible should happen…’ Rebecca trailed off. ‘Mrs Williams has nursing skills, but even she can’t perform miracles. I couldn’t bear to lose any one of them, I really couldn’t.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Oh dear. I am sorry, but it does worry me sometimes, being so far away from everything.’
Sarah tut-tutted sympathetically. ‘Come inside and I’ll put the kettle on. I have to confess I’m not at all sure of the best way to light this fire.’
Kitty regarded her aunt thoughtfully. She knew full well that Sarah was perfectly able to light the fire, but was pretending otherwise to give Rebecca something to take her mind off her wayward children. Sarah didn’t often show it, but she was not an unfeeling woman, in spite of being married to George, who seemed incapable of demonstrating any compassion—or passion, for that matter—for anything other than his beloved religion.
The Kellehers’ first home-cooked meal in Paihia was a disaster, mainly because Amy, who had been given the task of stirring the pork and potato stew, went outside to smoke her pipe and forgot about it. By the time Sarah had noticed the smell, the dehydrated stew was welded firmly to the bottom of the cast-iron pot. She was extremely annoyed because she hadn’t yet had a chance to get in provisions, apart from the basics Rebecca had provided earlier in the day, and all that remained was the
Amy and Wai laughed hysterically again. ‘No,’ Amy said, ‘like this.’ And she stuck out her tongue and blew energetically, producing a long and very vulgar noise.
‘Oh,’ Kitty said, going pink as she realised what Amy meant. Then she giggled again. ‘I know what you mean. Uncle George can be a bitlike that, especially after we’ve had cabbage.’
Sarah chose that moment to appear. Clearly not having heard Kitty’s last comment, she gave a rare smile at the sight of her two new charges and her niece having such fun.
‘Albert will be back soon with the wood, so I would like to get started on supper. Kitty, when the girls have unpacked, would you please show them around the kitchen? Girls, have you been in an English kitchen before?’
Amy batted her long eyelashes. ‘No, Mrs Kereha, we do no work in a English kitchen,’ she said, her mastery of the English language suddenly deteriorating markedly.
Kitty raised her eyebrows at Wai, who merely shrugged.
‘Well, now is as good a time to start as any, then, isn’t it?’ Sarah said. ‘I’ll see you in the kitchen shortly.’
As the girls were putting their few possessions away, Kitty heard whooping and shrieks of laughter from the front of the house, and collided with Rebecca hurrying out to the verandah.
‘Albert,’ Rebecca called sharply, ‘stop that!’
Albert was lurching around the garden pushing a handcart containing a heap of loose wood, on top of which Grace and her five-year-old brother, Edward, were precariously balanced. All three of them were laughing wildly.
‘Albert!’ Rebecca shouted, more urgently this time. ‘Stop that this instant—you’ll hurt them!’
Albert slowed down reluctantly, then stopped altogether. The two younger children clambered off the cart and stood side by side, looking guiltily down at their boots, which Rebecca had insisted they put back on before they went to fetch the wood.
Rebecca marched over to her eldest son. ‘How many times have I told you to be careful with them, Albert? You’re supposed to be looking after them, not putting them in danger! Now take some of that wood into the kitchen, then stack the rest around the back. Go on, off with you!’ Shaking her head angrily, she turned back to Sarah and Kitty on the verandah. ‘I’m sorry but, really, that boy should have more sense!’
‘They were only having fun, though, weren’t they?’ Kitty said.
‘Yes, but if any of them were to be seriously hurt, I don’t know what I’d do. Doctor Ford’s often away, and if anything terrible should happen…’ Rebecca trailed off. ‘Mrs Williams has nursing skills, but even she can’t perform miracles. I couldn’t bear to lose any one of them, I really couldn’t.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Oh dear. I am sorry, but it does worry me sometimes, being so far away from everything.’
Sarah tut-tutted sympathetically. ‘Come inside and I’ll put the kettle on. I have to confess I’m not at all sure of the best way to light this fire.’
Kitty regarded her aunt thoughtfully. She knew full well that Sarah was perfectly able to light the fire, but was pretending otherwise to give Rebecca something to take her mind off her wayward children. Sarah didn’t often show it, but she was not an unfeeling woman, in spite of being married to George, who seemed incapable of demonstrating any compassion—or passion, for that matter—for anything other than his beloved religion.
The Kellehers’ first home-cooked meal in Paihia was a disaster, mainly because Amy, who had been given the task of stirring the pork and potato stew, went outside to smoke her pipe and forgot about it. By the time Sarah had noticed the smell, the dehydrated stew was welded firmly to the bottom of the cast-iron pot. She was extremely annoyed because she hadn’t yet had a chance to get in provisions, apart from the basics Rebecca had provided earlier in the day, and all that remained was the
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