Free A Man To Tame - Rachel Lindsay (Roberta Leigh) by Rachel Lindsay Page A

said, pointing to one upholstered in gold velvet.
'And it's not too big for your sitting room.'
    'It's too expensive,’ she
protested.
    'Howard Engineering can afford it.'
    'I don't think Mr
Howard meant me to refurnish Dr Morris's house.'
    'It's a company house and he was
most specific that you buy whatever you wanted for it.'
    Reluctantly Kate allowed herself to
be persuaded, and when they finally emerged from the store she had also bought
a trolley—so that she could have a snack by the fire instead of eating in
solitary state at the dining room table—and a couple of rugs to hide the
dingy-brown carpet. She had resisted the suggestion of buying new curtains. It
would have meant taking, down the old ones and making sure the new ones fitted
properly, a task she could not face at the moment and one which she was
reluctant to put upon Dermot, though the young man, not knowing the reason for
her refusal, grumbled that she must enjoy being obstinate.
    It was late afternoon before they
returned, to Llanduff and Kate was exhausted, eager
only to put up her feet and sleep.
    ‘You must have been a dormouse in
your last life,’ Dermot said as she tried to disguise a yawn. ‘How did you ever
manage to qualify?
I
always thought students burned the midnight oil.’
    ‘They do,’ she said, 'and so did
I.'
    ‘Yet now you're too tired to come
and have dinner with me.’
    'I've already had lunch with you,’
she protested. If you see too much of me you'll get bored.'
    ‘I’ll take a chance on that.'
    But she refused to let him persuade
her to change her mind, and after he had carried the things they had bought
into the house she firmly made him leave, knowing that if she let him settle she
would be stuck with him for the evening: The moment she was alone she sank down
into the new armchair, kicked off her shoes and wriggled her toes in the thick
pile of the rug that glowed golden brown on the dismal carpet. The boiler was
working and a delicious warmth permeated the house and lessened its bleakness,
though staring at the narrow' windows Kate regretted she had not accepted
Dermot's offer of new curtains. She wondered how the young doctor who had
rented her own flat was managing to cope, and felt a spurt of homesickness for
her own belongings. The feeling died as quickly as it had risen and she rested
her head back and closed her eyes.
    When she opened them again she knew
she had been asleep for several hours; for she was considerably more relaxed
and, with a spurt of energy, went to the kitchen to unpack the provisions which
Dermot had placed on the table. Though he had wanted to pay for them, saying it
was all part of the service, she had insisted on doing so herself. She was
getting a more than generous salary for what she would be doing here and
already felt guilty at how little this was going to be. She had to do something
else to encourage more of the men to come to her. Their wives
and children too. Doctors could not canvass for patients unless they
wanted the Medical Council down on their ears, but surely she would not be
overstepping the mark if she let it be known she would be holding a surgery in
the house and Would be pleased to see anyone for a
chat. Perhaps if she became friendly with some of the women it might encourage
them to turn to her medically. She could not help wondering if her task would
be easier if she were middle-aged and exuded a motherly air instead of looking
like a determined sprite.
The
thought made her glance at her reflection
in the mirror as she crossed back into the sitting room. A few days in Llanduff had not brought back the roses to her cheeks, but
her smile was easier and there was a gleam of excitement in her eyes. She
really must have slowed down her living pace if a day's shopping in a market
town had made her feel so contented and pleased.
    CHAPTER SIX
    Kate spent Sunday morning in bed
resting, but in afternoon she made an attempt to put the small waiting room and
consulting room in