Sweet Rosie Read Free Page B

garden, so peaceful, so quiet.
    The cottage was well planned. The large sitting room opened out into a dining room and, at the other side of the passageway, there was a small study. Beyond was a large airy kitchen. Above stairs, there were three bedrooms, all of a good size. So much room for one woman.
    Lily wandered into the study; it was there that her husband had kept all his business papers. Tom was a methodical man and so it had been no surprise when Lily had learned that there were no outstanding bills to pay. She felt alone, lonely for the first time in her life. There seemed no direction, no purpose any more. Looking after Tom had been her work, something she was good at. A girl came in to clean every day and Lily, with a little effort, had learned to be a modest cook.
    Thinking of cooking made her realize she was hungry. There was some cold ham in the larder and a few slightly over-ripe tomatoes. The bread was freshly baked that morning and Lily sat down to what would have been a feast in the days when she had worked at the pottery as a painter.
    Seated at the table alone, she realized she actually missed Tom. He had been a big man, a genial man. He had been happy, asking little of her except that she cook his food and warm his bed when required. That was something she had come to accept; though she never enjoyed the intimacies of the bedchamber.
    She was clearing away the dishes, folding up the big damask tablecloth, when there was a knock on the door. She hesitated, wondering who could be calling on her at this time of the evening. She tidied her hair and pressed down the creases in her black dress and walked along the coolness of the passage.
    ‘Yes?’ She stood a little inside the front door looking at the man who waited on the step. She could not help noticing there was a large bag at his side and his clothes were dusty as if he had been travelling.
    ‘Good evening.’ He lifted his hat. ‘I’m sorry to call so late and without warning but the journey has taken much longer than I had anticipated.’
    He spoke nicely, with a cultured English accent, and Lily looked at him, wondering what he could possibly want with her.
    ‘Can I help you, are you lost?’ she asked hesitantly. He was clearly an educated gentleman and Lily had never overcome her sense of respect, amounting almost to awe, of anyone with learning.
    ‘I think you can. I’m James Wesley, Tom’s nephew.’ He moved past her into the passage and put down his bag. He dusted his hat and hung it on the hallstand before slipping out of his coat. ‘I expect he’s told you all about me. I’m afraid I have been something of a thorn in his side.’
    ‘What are you doing?’ There was something like panic in Lily’s voice. ‘This is my house and I can’t have you staying here. It just would not do, you must see that.’
    He walked through into the sitting room and dropped into the big chair that had been Tom’s.
    ‘Sorry, little lady, this is my home, I’m here to stay and I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter.’
    Lily sank into a chair and stared uncomprehendingly at him. How could he threaten to take her home away? She swallowed hard; her new-found security was vanishing like a mist before her eyes.
    ‘But he left the house to me,’ she said. ‘I was Tom’s wife, you must know that. We were married all legal-like in the village church.’
    ‘I’m sure you were.’ James smiled not unsympathetically. ‘But, you see, I am the only male heir. This is my property now.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t expect you to move out at once, of course, especially not at this time of night, so we’ll just have to put up with each other for the time being.’
    He smiled and dimples appeared in his cheeks. ‘Indeed, if you choose, you may stay here indefinitely, providing we find a live-in maid to satisfy the proprieties.’
    Lily breathed a sigh of relief, at least she had time to think, time to consult Mr Brentford the solicitor who handled