Free Kirkland Revels by Victoria Holt

sweet in its innocence. I wished I had met these older people first. Then I should have felt I was being warmly welcomed. ” What is your name?” she asked.

    ” Catherine,” I told her.

    She nodded; and whenever I looked up, I found her eyes upon me.

    Sir Matthew wanted to hear about our meeting and the suddenness of our decision to marry. I told him about Friday.

    ” Gipsies,” he said. ” They can be brutal to their animals. I won’t have them on my land. I must say it was a lucky day for Gabriel when he rode that way.”

    Luke said: ” He was always going away … riding off … and we never knew when he was coming back.”

    ” Why not?” said Gabriel. ” It’s the way to take a holiday. I hate making plans. You anticipate the pleasures of getting away and it invariably disappoints. No. Go as the spirit moves you … that’s my motto.”

    “And look how well it turned outi” pointed out Sir Matthew, smiling at me.

    ” I must show Claire my tapestry. She’d like to see it,” said Sara.

    There was a brief silence. Then Ruth said quietly: ” This is Catherine, Aunt. Not Claire.”

    ” Of course … of course …” murmured Sara. ” Are you interested in tapestry, dear?”

    ” I admire it, but I don’t excel at it. I’m not very handy with my needle.”

    ” I should think not,” retorted Sir Matthew. ” You don’t want to strain those fine eyes of yours.” He leaned towards me, his hand caressing mine. ” My sister is a bit forgetful. She wanders at times into the past.” He grimaced. ” No longer young … like myself alas!” 48 They talked of the house, of the country surrounding it, of the stables which I was glad to hear were well stocked of their neighbours, friends, county hunts and life generally in Kirkland Moorside; and I felt then that they were doing their best to make me welcome, and that perhaps it was the strangeness of Gabriel which had made me doubt this in the beginning.

    Ruth said that before the end of the week there would be a dinner party to celebrate our marriage, and that she would have arranged it for this evening had there been time.

    ” There are certain people you must meet,” she said. ” They will be most eager to meet you.”

    “Whom do you propose to ask?” Gabriel put in quickly.

    “Well … Simon, I suppose. After all, he’s part of the family. We shall have to ask Hagar too, but I doubt whether she’ll come. And I thought perhaps the vicar and his wife, and of course the Smiths.”

    Sir Matthew nodded. Then he turned to me. ” We want you to feel at home, my dear, without delay.”

    I thanked him and when the meal was over Ruth, Sara and I retired to a nearby drawing-room, leaving the men to their port. I was glad that they did not leave us long, for I felt uncomfortable with Gabriel’s sister and aunt.

    Gabriel came to my side immediately and remarked that I looked tired.

    ” No doubt it has been a busy day,” murmured Ruth, ” We shall all understand if you retire early.”

    I said good night to the members of my new family and Gabriel and I went up to our room at the top of the house.

    Friday came out of his basket to greet us as we entered the room. It was clear that he, too, was finding it difficult to adjust himself to his new surroundings.

    ” Well,” said Gabriel, ” the worst is over. You’ve met the family.”

    ” Not all, apparently.”

    “The rest are on the fringe. These are the ones you’ll have to live with. Before we retire I want to show you the view from the balcony.”

    ” Oh yes … your balcony. Where is it?”

    ” At the end of our corridor. Come now.”

    He put his arm about me and we left the room and went to the end of the corridor where there was a door. He opened this and we stepped out on to the balcony. The moon was high 49 in the sky and it shone its light on the scene about us. 1 saw the Abbey mins like a great ghost of its former self. I saw the dark river winding through the