Free Love or Duty by Roberta Grieve Page A

the house his grandfather had built. He was a great one for tradition. But hadn’t he promised her when they married that he would do everything possible to make her happy?
    She took another sip from her glass and looked at her husband. For the first time she noticed that he wasn’t looking at all well. There were lines on his forehead that hadn’t been there until recently, and his thick dark hair and moustache were sprinkled with grey. A cold finger of apprehension touched her as she recalled the financial problems he had mentioned a few months before. But surely everything was all right now. At least he hadn’t said anything lately. Although they’d never got around to replacing Cook after her accident, she hadn’t bothered him about it because Louise seemed to be managing so well – at least until today.
    It really was too much for her to have to worry about everything, she thought with a discontented sigh. And with Sarah’s concert coming up she would be far too busy to deal with the household. It was no use; they would have to get another cook.
    She turned to Stanley to say so but the door opened and Polly, wringing her hands and stammering in that irritating way, announced that dinner was served. Maybe they should get another maid too, Dora thought.

     
    By the time they sat down for their meal Louise was feeling calmer. When her father told her the casserole was almost as good as Cookie’s, she couldn’t help a glow of pride. She
had
been trying hard after all and it was nice to be appreciated. Those visits to Cookie’s little cottage in the nearby village of East Holton were starting to bear fruit. Louise thought it was very kind of the old lady to share the expertise gained over many years of working for her family.
    But before she could say anything Dora spoke. ‘I know Louise is managing very well,’ she said condescendingly, ‘but, Stanley dear, it is most unfair to expect a young lady of good family to be doing such menial work. It was acceptable as a temporary measure and I’m sure we were very grateful for the way she coped after Cook’s unfortunate accident….’
    Stanley opened his mouth to speak, but Dora carried on without pause. ‘… But that was over a year ago. Once we learned that Cook would be unable to carry on working we really should have taken on another one.’
    With a clatter Stanley laid his knife and fork on the plate. Louise looked up in alarm as for once her father spoke sharply to his wife. ‘I thought I had already explained that it is completely out of the question. Don’t you ever listen to anything I say?’
    Dora gasped and put a hand to her white face. ‘Stanley!’ she exclaimed. Then clutching her head she pushed her chair back noisily and stumbled from the room.
    Stanley followed her, leaving the food which Louise had worked so hard to perfect, congealing on the plate. She looked up and saw that her sister’s eyes had filled with tears. It was seldom that their parents openly quarrelled and Sarah was usually so taken up with her ambitions that she never seemed to notice the undercurrent of tension that was so often present these days.
    ‘Why is Father in such a bad mood?’ Sarah asked. ‘He hardly said anything about my concert.’
    ‘I think he has things on his mind,’ Louise said.
    ‘Oh, business.’ Sarah’s voice was offhand.
    ‘Yes, business,’ Louise said sharply. ‘And if it wasn’t for business, where do you think all the new dresses and trips to London would come from?’
    Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise and once more her eyes filled with tears. ‘Now you’re being horrid as well. I don’t know what’s the matter with everybody.’ And she too jumped up from her chair and rushed from the room.
    When Polly came in a few minutes later to ask if she should serve the pudding, Louise was sitting with her chin resting on her hands, surveying the plates of half-eaten food. It was an effort not to snap at the maid but it wasn’t poor