excitedly.
'Uncle Sean! Uncle Sean!' The childish voice was shrill with delight.
Sean braked and stopped the car. 'Hello, Toby. You've grown so much I hardly recognised you! This is Katy Lang who I've brought with me to keep you out of mischief.'
Katy found herself looking into two enormous grave brown eyes. She smiled. 'Hello, Toby. I've been hearing so much about you and about this super place. I'm sure we're all going to have a lovely time.'
The dark eyes examined her face for a moment, solemn and serious, then they broke into a smile. 'Hello.' He caught at her hand. 'Would you like to come and try my swing? Mr Oldershaw who comes to do the garden made it for me yesterday. It can go ever so high.'
Katy laughed. 'I can't wait to have a go on it, Toby, but don't you think I'd better go and meet your parents first?'
He nodded thoughtfully. 'Oh—I s'pose so.' He touched the car's smooth yellow bonnet with an admiring finger. 'Is this the new car? Can it go very fast?'
'Like the wind. Hop in and you can ride up to the house with us,' Sean said. 'And maybe tomorrow I'll take you for a drive.'
Katy opened the door and made room for Toby beside her. He squeezed in, wriggling with excitement. 'A picnic! Let's go for a picnic—and exploring!' he asked breathlessly. 'Can we? Can we?'
Sean laughed, pressing his foot down hard on the accelerator to speed up the last stretch of the drive. 'All right, you're on—a picnic it shall be!'
As they drew up in front of the house a woman came out on to the porch to meet them. She was in her thirties, slim and dark, her hair caught back in an elegant French pleat. She wore a blue tweed skirt and a white blouse with a blue cashmere cardigan thrown casually across her shoulders. As the car braked, throwing up a shower of gravel she laughed and came towards them.
'Sean! Will you never grow up? You're a menace to life and limb!'
'Don't be cross with him, he was showing me how fast his new car can go,' Toby defended as he scrambled out. 'And look—this is Katy Lang who's come to stay with us. Isn't she pretty?'
Katy blushed as the older woman held out her hand, laughing. 'Yes, isn't she? Hello, Katy, I'm Claire Underwood. Take no notice of Toby, you'll soon get used to him. He always says exactly what he thinks.' She looked at Sean. 'Are you going to join us for tea, or are you in a hurry to get up to Raikeside Lodge?'
He looked at his watch. 'I think I'd better go,' he said. 'I told Kenzie I'd be there for tea and you know how she fusses if she doesn't get off in time for her husband coming home. I don't want to get into her bad books this early.'
He deposited Katy's case on the step and got back into the car. Suddenly she knew a moment of panic. He was going—leaving her with a houseful of strangers in lovely but alien surroundings. But she swallowed the feeling of desolation, lifting her arm to wave to him as he drove away.
'Bye—see you tomorrow!' he called. 'Don't forget that picnic, Toby. I'll ask Kenzie if she'll make us some of her famous treacle scones, shall I?' And a moment later the yellow car was lost to view among the trees.
Claire Underwood slipped an arm around Katy's shoulders. 'I expect you're feeling a bit strange,' she said perceptively. 'I'll show you to your room and you can unpack and have a wash, then we'll have tea and you can meet Jake, my husband.' She smiled reassuringly. 'We're very informal here—no need to stand on ceremony.'
Toby ran ahead of them up the stairs. 'Can I show Katy her room? It's next to mine,' he told her. 'Can you play cricket, Katy? Can you make up stories?'
'You must allow Katy to settle in before you begin bombarding her with your demands,' Claire admonished.
The inside of the house was as lovely as its exterior. The front door opened on to a large square hall which doubled as a dining-room. An open staircase went up to a gallery off which led two rooms one of which Claire told her was the main bedroom, whilst the other was
'Uncle Sean! Uncle Sean!' The childish voice was shrill with delight.
Sean braked and stopped the car. 'Hello, Toby. You've grown so much I hardly recognised you! This is Katy Lang who I've brought with me to keep you out of mischief.'
Katy found herself looking into two enormous grave brown eyes. She smiled. 'Hello, Toby. I've been hearing so much about you and about this super place. I'm sure we're all going to have a lovely time.'
The dark eyes examined her face for a moment, solemn and serious, then they broke into a smile. 'Hello.' He caught at her hand. 'Would you like to come and try my swing? Mr Oldershaw who comes to do the garden made it for me yesterday. It can go ever so high.'
Katy laughed. 'I can't wait to have a go on it, Toby, but don't you think I'd better go and meet your parents first?'
He nodded thoughtfully. 'Oh—I s'pose so.' He touched the car's smooth yellow bonnet with an admiring finger. 'Is this the new car? Can it go very fast?'
'Like the wind. Hop in and you can ride up to the house with us,' Sean said. 'And maybe tomorrow I'll take you for a drive.'
Katy opened the door and made room for Toby beside her. He squeezed in, wriggling with excitement. 'A picnic! Let's go for a picnic—and exploring!' he asked breathlessly. 'Can we? Can we?'
Sean laughed, pressing his foot down hard on the accelerator to speed up the last stretch of the drive. 'All right, you're on—a picnic it shall be!'
As they drew up in front of the house a woman came out on to the porch to meet them. She was in her thirties, slim and dark, her hair caught back in an elegant French pleat. She wore a blue tweed skirt and a white blouse with a blue cashmere cardigan thrown casually across her shoulders. As the car braked, throwing up a shower of gravel she laughed and came towards them.
'Sean! Will you never grow up? You're a menace to life and limb!'
'Don't be cross with him, he was showing me how fast his new car can go,' Toby defended as he scrambled out. 'And look—this is Katy Lang who's come to stay with us. Isn't she pretty?'
Katy blushed as the older woman held out her hand, laughing. 'Yes, isn't she? Hello, Katy, I'm Claire Underwood. Take no notice of Toby, you'll soon get used to him. He always says exactly what he thinks.' She looked at Sean. 'Are you going to join us for tea, or are you in a hurry to get up to Raikeside Lodge?'
He looked at his watch. 'I think I'd better go,' he said. 'I told Kenzie I'd be there for tea and you know how she fusses if she doesn't get off in time for her husband coming home. I don't want to get into her bad books this early.'
He deposited Katy's case on the step and got back into the car. Suddenly she knew a moment of panic. He was going—leaving her with a houseful of strangers in lovely but alien surroundings. But she swallowed the feeling of desolation, lifting her arm to wave to him as he drove away.
'Bye—see you tomorrow!' he called. 'Don't forget that picnic, Toby. I'll ask Kenzie if she'll make us some of her famous treacle scones, shall I?' And a moment later the yellow car was lost to view among the trees.
Claire Underwood slipped an arm around Katy's shoulders. 'I expect you're feeling a bit strange,' she said perceptively. 'I'll show you to your room and you can unpack and have a wash, then we'll have tea and you can meet Jake, my husband.' She smiled reassuringly. 'We're very informal here—no need to stand on ceremony.'
Toby ran ahead of them up the stairs. 'Can I show Katy her room? It's next to mine,' he told her. 'Can you play cricket, Katy? Can you make up stories?'
'You must allow Katy to settle in before you begin bombarding her with your demands,' Claire admonished.
The inside of the house was as lovely as its exterior. The front door opened on to a large square hall which doubled as a dining-room. An open staircase went up to a gallery off which led two rooms one of which Claire told her was the main bedroom, whilst the other was
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