Free Bulbury Knap by Sheila Spencer-Smith

This kind man invited me to stay when I returned by taxi late last night.’
    â€˜You woke Sir Edwin?’
    â€˜I came downstairs in search of a drink of water,’ Sir Edwin said gently.
    Kathryn was silent, imagining the scene … Sir Edwin in this thick dressing gown unbolting the back door on hearing a vehicle draw up outside with not a thought of the break-in that had occurred so recently or of any danger he might be in.
    â€˜I couldn’t bear to be apart from my things a moment longer, not after what they’d been through,’ said Zillah with a shudder.
    â€˜Quite right, my dear,’ Sir Edward said approvingly.
    Kathryn looked at him questioningly. ‘You mean you don’t mind Zillah staying in the cottage until her studio is sorted out, Sir Edwin?’
    â€˜I think it’s a splendid idea. I shall get Michael on to it immediately. We’ll need to get some furniture down from the attics to make the place habitable.’
    â€˜I’ll pay rent,’ Zillah said, running her hands through her hair and turning it into an unkempt mess.
    Zillah still looked shocked, Kathryn thought. But that was nothing to what poor Andrew would look when he found out that one of the cottages was to be occupied against his wishes. Her idea of turning the cottages into a moneymaking proposition for the Hewsons seemed to be coming to pass without any help from her.
    Smiling, Kathryn glanced at the clock. ‘Lady Hewson will be down soon,’ she said. ‘I must make a start on breakfast.’
    Zillah sprang up, knocking a teaspoon to the floor with the edge of her bright smock. She bent down to scrabble for it. ‘Let me help,’ she said, her voice muffled.
    The telephone rang as Sir Edwin was finishing a second breakfast with Lady Hewson.
    â€˜Andrew wishes to speak to you,’ Kathryn said as she returned to the kitchen from answering it. The insurance quote had come through and Andrew, on the phone from Harrogate where he was about to attend a conference, wished to pass on the good news. What he was likely to hear in exchange from his uncle about Zillah’s presence here at Bulbury Knap might well ruin the day for him.
    When Sir Edward came back Kathryn could see that all was not well.
    â€˜Andrew is changing his plans and will be here tomorrow instead of next week,’ Sir Edwin said as he sat down heavily. His stick slid to the ground. He said no more but his expression was anxious as he finished his meal.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Later, as dusk turned to night, Kathryn slipped out of a side door of the house and walked across the drive. She had worked hard all day, helping Zillah settle in to the cottage. Michael had not only done as Sir Edwin asked and found suitable pieces of furniture from the attics but he had also found time to purchase a new lock and fix it to the cottage door.
    Once in place the old rather dusty table and chairs, chest of drawers and the narrow single bed looked as if they had always been there. Kathryn had done a good job on sprucing them up and Zillah was delighted.
    She was also pleased with the box of goodies Lady Hewson had thoughtfully sent across to keep her going until she could shop for herself and also with some spare kitchen utensils Kathryn had found for her.
    Zillah’s exuberance was beginning to return now that she had somewhere of her own to work while she awaited the outcome of the fire to her studio. Kathryn was pleased, too. Now she craved a breath of pure air before falling into bed.
    There was much to think about because events had moved fast. And one of these was worry about Andrew’s likely reaction. He had always been against any suggestion that the cottages could be a viable way of raising money for the estate so why should he change his opinion now? Seeing Zillah in occupation, although only temporarily, wouldn’t exactly fill him with delight.
    Sighing, she moved aside a branch from a weeping willow to reach the