The Lord and Marianne by Yelena Kopylova

Author:Yelena Kopylova
Language: eng
Format: epub

”Yes,” he said, ”he’s just gone up to mend the fence in the long field. And you know what”-his voice fell,

and he leaned nearer to her over the sty wall-’”he’s going to let me keep one of Daisy’s puppies.” ”Oh

goody-if it’s a girl I’ll call it Pat.” ”You’ll call it nothing of the kind, it’s gonna be mine.”

The usual

relations were resumed, and Mary Ann cried, ”Aw-you! it won’t be all your dog-I’ll ask me da.”

Michael’s voice followed her as she sped out of the yard and up the lane.

* The long field lay some way beyond the cottages, and it was a chance glance when

speeding past them

that brought her to a dead stop. The cottage door which led into the scullery was open, and standing

outside round the corner under the lean-to was her da. Mary Ann herself was so versed in the art of

listening that she recognised immediately that that was what her da was doing. After a long moment

during which she presented to herself many reasons for her da’s eavesdropping but would not allow

herself to think of the true one, she moved towards him, walking softly, and she was within a few feet of

him before he became aware of her presence. And when he did he ordered her away, but silently. With a

quick movement of the head and hand he bid her be gone, and he looked as if he were

about to enforce

this when the low, pleasantly deep voice of Bob Quinton came from just

100

THE LAPSE

beyond the door. It stiffened Mike’s half-turned body, and Mary Ann’s eyes, riveted on his profile,

actually saw the colour drain from it and leave it looking like dirty snow as Mr.

Quinton’s voice came to

them, saying, ”You know, Elizabeth, there was only you. All those years there was only you.” She

wanted to dash to the door and bang it, or yell and shout so that her da wouldn’t hear any more, but as if

anticipating this move, Mike’s hand pressed back on her.

The sound of Bob’s voice still came to them, but his words now were not audible. Then there followed a

silence that filled Mary Ann’s mind with wild pictures, and she saw the silence stretch her da’s body until

she thought his head would shoot up through the corrugated roof. She knew that in

another second he

would fling himself into the house and hit Mr. Quinton. It was then her ma’s voice came, whispering

softly, and instead of adding impetus to Mike’s taut limbs it seemed as if Lizzie’s hushed words drew the

very sinews out of them. ”It makes me happy, Bob, to hear you say that,” she was saying.

”I’ve waited a

long time for you to tell me that ... I’ve prayed for it.”

That’s what her ma had said. The words themselves held no particular meaning-it v/as the nice way her

ma had said them that gave Mary Ann the feeling that her own slight body was shrinking.

The earth

shuddered under her feet, the trees swayed, and the heavens became tilted. She closed her eyes against a

rocking world, and when she opened them her da had moved.

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