Free The English Tutor by Sara Seale

eyebrows.
    “ It ’ s the only one I ’ ve got, ” he told her with humour. “ I ’ m afraid you ’ ll have to bring yourself to use it unless you revert to the time-honoured ‘ Hi—you! ’ which is both confusing and scarcely respectful. ”
    She stood there, tugging savagely at a strand of her hair. “ You ’ ve no right to laugh, ” she said, with an anger which almost amounted to tearfulness, and he remembered that she had told him that she only cried with rage.
    “ It ’ s better for me to laugh than to treat you like the very rude little girl that you are, ” he said, and saw the tears start to her eyes.
    “ First of all, ” she cried with a slight choke, “ I dislike you for your nationality which I suppose you couldn ’ t help, but now I dislike you for yourself, and you can help that !”
    He looked down at her in silence for a moment, then said, shaking his head:
    “ You ’ re really very childish, aren ’ t you; Clancy? No wonder your father didn ’ t think you too old for a tutor. ”
    Her eyes fell before his, and she edged to the door. “ May I go and finish my letter now, please— sir ?” she said.
    His face was grave, but there was a faint gleam in his eyes.
    “ Certainly, ” he replied, and she went out of the room, banging the door behind her.
    “ Cripes! ” said Brian with awe, “ I ’ ve never known her like that before—not even with the governesses. She must hate you badly, Mr. Cromwell. ”
    Mark ruffled the boy ’ s dark head.
    “ Oh, no, she doesn ’ t, Brian, ” he said lazily. “ She just hasn ’ t met someone who ’ s her match before. ”
    At dinner Clancy seemed to be on her best behaviour although she was apt to glower at Mark when he spoke to her, and addressed him with pointed exaggeration as ‘ sir ’ whenever the opportunity arose, until Brian was reduced to giggles and Kevin said with exasperation:
    “ Your respect does your tutor credit at such an early stage, Clancy, but is it necessary to call him ‘ sir ’ with every breath? Brian, stop that girlish sniggering at once. I hope, Mr. Cromwell, these two ruffians have shown you round and made you feel at home. It was a pity I had to be away to Duneen again today. ”
    “ I did, ” said Brian anxiously. “ I took Mr. Cromwell round the outside, and talked to him nearly all the afternoon, didn ’ t I, Mr. Cromwell? ”
    “ And where, pray, were you? ” demanded Kevin, rounding on Clancy at once.
    “ At Slievaun, ” she replied briefly.
    Her father frowned and reached irritably for the whisky decanter.
    “ Then you had no business to be. Didn ’ t I tell you to show some civility to your tutor and he new to the country? ”
    Clancy said nothing, and Mark watched her curiously across the table, but made no attempts to intervene.
    “ You will make amends for your discourtesy tomorrow, ” Kevin said.
    Clancy looked across at Mark a little defiantly.
    “ Conn ’ s asked me to lunch, ” she said. “ The black mare is due to foal any day. ”
    Kevin brought his fist down on the table with a crash that jarred the glasses.
    “ You ’ ll do as you ’ re told for once! ” he shouted, and turned to Mark. “ I hope, Cromwell, you ’ ll take this girl in hand right away. There ’ s too much of this trapesing over to Slievaun and hanging round Conn Driscoll ’ s neck till he must be sick of the sight of her. I ’ ll not have it. ”
    Mark said presently:
    “ I told the children that until we start work on Monday, their time is their own, Mr. O ’ Shane. There ’ s no need for Clancy to keep me company if she doesn ’ t wish to. After tomorrow, of course, things will have to be different. ”
    For a moment Kevin looked as if he might argue, and Mark reflected that in some respects father and daughter were very alike, then he nodded and returned with zest to his food.
    “ You hear that, Clancy? ” he laughed, his ill-humour vanishing. “ Perhaps we ’ ll have some peace in this