No Cooperation from the Cat Read Free Page A

on the easiest ones.”
    “I was … I am…” Jocasta’s nerve was beginning to fail again. “And we all really wanted you. Everyone was so enthusiastic when your name was mentioned.”
    “And you kept it so quiet…” That was all we needed, Evangeline sticking her oar in. “So quiet that you didn’t even notify her husband—her bridegroom—that his wife had died.”
    “We couldn’t!” Jocasta wailed. “He was out of reach. Incommunicado! There was no way we could get through to him.”
    “Out there on the frozen tundra!” Evangeline jeered. “Hasn’t anyone told you that we have satellite communication these days?”
    “Only if the other party is carrying the right equipment. Banquo was trying to re-create the conditions the original Arctic explorers faced. He didn’t have a cell phone or anything like that.”
    “Not even in case of an emergency?” Evangeline was disbelieving. Having seen Banquo, it struck me as hard to swallow, too.
    “He wanted to face problems on his own. Without all the technology available nowadays—” A glint of hero worship appeared in her eyes. “He’s so brave.”
    “Foolhardy, I’d say!”
    For once, I was in total agreement with Evangeline. The man was careless idiot enough to be a film director.
    “And I suppose—” Hugh had been assessing the situation from a different angle. “I suppose your company had a contract with Fitzfothergill for the book of the expedition?”
    “Well … yes…” Jocasta looked away.
    “All else aside,” Dame Cecile said. “One can quite see why no one would wish to tell such tragic news to a man in his position. It would be much kinder to wait until he returned home and have someone break the news to him then.”
    “Not me!” Jocasta gave a convulsive shudder. “I can’t! I can’t! I won’t !”
    Oh, dear. She was off again. She was not only crying, but she seemed unable to stop the shuddering. Or was it shivering? I looked at her more closely.
    “You’re drenched.” Martha had done a thorough job with her glasses of water. “You’ve got to change out of that wet blouse, you’ll catch your death—” I broke off abruptly.
    “Come along.” I tried again, putting my arm around her. “You can borrow one of my tops. I need to change, too. We’ll get into some dry clothes, then we can drop you off at your home on our way to the supermarket.”
    “No! No!” She pulled away. “I can’t go home! Banquo will come looking for me. He knows where I live. I can’t go back there!”
    She had a point, but …
    “Then where should we drop you?” Evangeline asked the pertinent question. “At a relative’s? A friend’s?”
    “No, please, no!” Jocasta shrank back. “All my relatives are in Cornwall. My colleagues are my friends and he knows who they are. He’ll look for me there next.”
    Another good point, but …
    “Which hotel then?” Dame Cecile asked.
    “I can’t afford a hotel,” Jocasta said sadly.
    We all looked at each other with that fated feeling about what was coming.
    “You have so much room here—” Jocasta said quickly. “And you’ve already sent him packing. He won’t be back soon. I wouldn’t be any trouble—and I already have to work here most of the day, anyway, with Martha. I could be your—your housekeeper. I’ll cook for you … and clean … and do anything that needs doing. And you wouldn’t have to pay me anything. Oh, please, please.”
    “Well…” Evangeline was already sold on the idea. It was the thought of all that free work that got her.
    And I must admit that the idea of someone else doing all the housekeeping was getting through to me. Our cleaning service only came once a week and there was plenty to do in between their visits.
    “Mother, do you really think—?” Only Martha was holding back.
    “Please…” Jocasta whispered brokenly.
    “ Prrrr? ” Cho-Cho-San and Frou-Frou had been watching with interest from the sidelines. Now Cho-Cho, obviously