The Daughter of the Manor by Betty Neels

Author:Betty Neels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1997-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

AT LUNCH Lady Crosby said happily, ‘Dr Galbraith has invited us to dine—rather short notice but he has friends coming down from London and he thought we might like to meet them. Next Saturday.’

Leonora remembered how she had sniffed and sobbed and made a fool of herself with the doctor. She said now, ‘I’ll have to refuse, Mother. I promised weeks ago that I’d babysit for Maggie—she and Gordon are going up to town to celebrate their anniversary. I said I’d spend the night.’

‘For heaven’s sake!’ Her mother sounded impatient. ‘They have a nursemaid, haven’t they?’

‘Yes, but she is very young and quite untrained. Did you accept for me as well as you and Father?’

‘Yes, of course I did. Such a nice man, well connected too, and wealthy, I hear.’

‘I’ll write him a note,’ said Leonora.

Which she did—a formal message of regret, couched in polite terms, which he read with some amusement and interest over his breakfast.

‘Now why has she done that?’ he enquired of the faithful Tod. ‘Even if she had to refuse she could have phoned me or even called in at the surgery. We are, I suspect, to be Dr Galbraith and Miss Leonora Crosby again. A strange girl!’

He forgot about her then.

However, Leonora, who should by rights have been eating her heart out for the treacherous Tony, found herself thinking about the doctor. She liked him; he would be a splendid friend and she enjoyed his company and his matter-of-fact way of accepting events without fuss. But there was this vexed question of this young lady for whom he had a strong affection and, worse than that, her mother was making no secret of the fact that she would like it if Leonora and Dr Galbraith were to see more of each other. She would have to avoid him.

Luckily there would be a lot to do organising the fête, traditionally held in the park every year. Everyone had a hand in it, the practical making marmalade, cakes and sweets, embroidering small useless cushions and nightdress cases, knitting baby jackets, and the artistic painting local scenes.

Leonora, who drew and painted rather nicely, decided to shut herself in one of the attics and set to work. When she wasn’t doing that she could go along to the Dowlings’ and help with the writing of price tickets.

She took herself off to Maggie and Gordon’s little house at the end of the village on Saturday afternoon and presently waved them goodbye as they drove off.

The house was charming, comfortably furnished and untidy. Leonora took her overnight bag up to the little guest room, had a chat with Sadie, the little nursery maid, and went about the business of making up feeds for three-month-old Tom. He was a placid baby, sleeping and feeding in a manner which would have delighted any writer of a childcare textbook.

The afternoon went by quickly, with a brisk walk in his pram, and feeding and bathing while Sadie got their tea and supper. And since

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