A Good Wife by Betty Neels

Author:Betty Neels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Pty Ltd, Australia
Published: 2013-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

THE person who opened the door was short and stout, white-haired and dignified. Mr van Doelen clapped this dignified person on the back and then shook his head. ‘Wim, it’s good to see you.’

He had spoken in Dutch; now he turned to Serena. ‘Wim looks after the house for me, Serena. He’s been in the family for ever. His wife, Elly, is the cook and housekeeper.’

Serena offered a hand and Wim shook it carefully. ‘Welcome, mevrouw.’ He waved an arm and led the way from the vestibule into a broad hallway. There were several people there and he led her from one to the other; Mr van Doelen spoke again in his own language. Whatever it was he said, they smiled and shook hands with Serena in turn. There was Elly, as rotund as Wim, with a round smiling face, a thin, tall woman—Nel, and a short, stout girl—Lien. Also an old man—the gardener, explained Mr van Doelen— Domus, and a leggy youth beside him, Cor.

They all looked pleased to see her, reflected Serena, but she hadn’t expected them. She gave Ivo a reproachful look which he ignored.

‘Elly will take you to your room,’ said Mr van Doelen. ‘There will be supper in ten minutes or so.’ Serena was led away to where a staircase curved its way up at the end of the hall. It led to a gallery with several doors, one of which Elly opened with a flourish. The room beyond was large, with a four-poster bed facing the two windows. There was a mahogany table between the windows with a silver gilt mirror, flanked by slender silver candlesticks, the bedside tables were mahogany too, each with its porcelain lamp, and there was a chaise longue upholstered in a pleasingly vague patterned brocade; the same brocade draped the windows and formed the bedspread. A very grand room, Serena thought, but a delight in which to sleep. She took a quick look at the adjoining bathroom and opened a door at its other end: another bedroom, rather austere but very comfortable. Well, really, thought Serena, going back to peer at herself in the mirror and poke at her hair, Ivo might have told her that he was so grand.

She went back downstairs and found him in the hall.

‘In here,’ he said, and opened a door and ushered her into a panelled room with long windows overlooking the garden at the back of the house. He said, ‘Before we have supper will you come and meet Casper and Trotter?’

She went with him to the window he had opened and two dogs came racing in: a golden Labrador and a small greyhound. They circled Mr van Doelen, beaming up at him, and he said, ‘Here is Serena. Come and say hello.’

Serena bent down to fondle them. ‘Oh, they’re lovely. Which is which?’ And when he told her she asked, ‘Why did you call her Trotter? I mean a greyhound…’

‘She was discarded as being of no use for racing. The

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.