Georgia's English Rose Read Free Page B

as I hugged him
around the waist.
     
    Mother was waiting when
Michael drew up in front of the house. I climbed from the pillion
and Michael offered a hand to Georgia, who took it and let him pull
her up and steady her as she stepped out. Her hair was tangled and
unruly from the journey, but she was grinning.
    “That was some journey, Michael.
Thanks.”
    “My pleasure,” he grinned back.
    “Squirrel,” my mother said as we hugged.
“And this must be Georgia. Welcome.” She hugged Georgia as
well.
    “Do I get one of those?” Michael asked.
    “You had your hug yesterday,” Mummy said,
but she kissed him on the cheek.
    “I was thinking of Georgia,” he said.
    “You behave with our guest, Mikey, or you’ll
be going back to camp sooner than you thought.”
    We chatted as we went indoors and Georgia
said, “This doesn’t look much like the kind of farm we have in the
States. Where are all the steers?”
    I laughed. “We’re mostly arable. We have
some beef cattle but they’re in the top field. Daddy has barns near
the river, but he likes to come home to a real house.”
    “What an amazing place,” Georgia said. “Are
you rich, Lil?”
    I looked down and shrugged my narrow
shoulders. “We’re comfortable, I suppose.”
    Georgia laughed. “You English and your
understatement.”
    In the big kitchen we drank tea and ate
freshly baked cake and then Mummy said, “You had better call me
Alice, Georgia. Mrs. Delamere sounds rather formal, don’t you
think?”
    “Sure, Alice,” Georgia said.
    “I thought you girls might want to clean
up,” my mother said. “I put the immersion heater on so you can have
a bath. But do you mind sharing the water?”
    “Of course, Mummy,” I said. I was used to
sharing bathwater with Michael, taking turns to go first. “I’ll
show Georgia the bathroom. Are we in my old room?”
    “I’ve put you in the guest room if that’s
alright with you two. I thought you might like to double up
together and there’s only your old single bed in your room. Is that
fine with you, Georgia?”
    “I’m very grateful for the hospitality,
Alice,” Georgia said. “We were both going stir crazy in that hut. I
was thinking England was nothing but damp beds and cold sinks.”
    “I think we can probably improve a little on
that,” Mummy said.
    I led the way up the wide staircase and
along an upper hallway. The guest room contained a large four
poster bed with a deep feather mattress, and the family bathroom
was directly next door.
    Georgia dropped her suitcase and jumped on
the bed, the thick mattress closing around her. I remembered
how that felt, how difficult to extricate myself from the
comforting warmth in the morning.
    “Oh my God, I’ve died and gone to heaven,”
Georgia said, her arms flung out at her sides, navy skirt pulled
above her knees. “But what’s this about sharing a bath?”
    “Bath water,” I said. “So we can save the
hot water. You go first, I’ll jump in when you’ve finished.”
    Georgia looked disappointed at the
explanation, but bounced back with, “And what the hell is this
Squirrel Nutkin thing going on?”
    I felt myself blush. Georgia rolled off the
bed and opened her suitcase, rummaged around and pulled out fresh
underclothes and a simple dress.
    “Come and tell while me I take this
bath.”
    “Oh.”
    Georgia grinned. “Come on, I’ve seen your
skinny body before, and you’ve seen mine. We don’t have many
secrets left Squirrel Nutkin , so come and talk to me.”
    She didn’t wait for my agreement. I followed
her after opening my own suitcase and choosing something to wear. I
ran the bath, letting far more hot water run than we were used to.
Mummy had left bath salts and a huge natural sponge for us.
    Georgia stripped out of her uniform, folding
each item neatly on the wide windowsill while I attended to the
bath. The curtains were pulled back but the glass in the window was
dimpled. It might be possible to make out her shape from the