Barbara Taylor Bradford - Just Rewards

‘That’ll please her, it really will,’ Gladys Roebotham replied, smiling up at him, thinking what a nice man he was, not at all the villain Melinda Caldwell had made him out to be. In fact he was a real gentleman.

Paula sat at her grandmother’s old desk in the upstairs parlour making a list of things still to be done for the wedding, when a light tapping on the door brought her head up with a start.

‘Come in,’ she called glancing at the door.

It flew open and Margaret sailed in, carrying a laden tray and exclaiming, ‘Did you think I’d forgotten about your tea, Mrs O’Neill?’

‘No, Margaret, I didn’t, you never forget anything,’ Paula answered, and putting down her pen she rose and went to the fireplace.

The housekeeper bustled over, put the tray on the coffee table, and then straightened. Looking across at Paula, who was now seated on the sofa, she murmured, ‘I made your favourite ginger biscuits, Miss Paula.’ As she spoke she dropped a piece of lemon in the china cup, and asked, ‘Shall I pour the tea, or do you want to wait for Mr O’Neill?’

‘Oh, that’s all right, Margaret, you can pour it,’ Paula answered, smiling at her. The housekeeper had grown up at Pennistone Royal and the two women had known each other all of their lives. Paula thought of Margaret as part of the family, and never paid much attention to her odd moods and moments of familiarity. She said now, ‘I’m so glad Tessa wanted to cook dinner, you can have a night off.’

Margaret shook her head, said a little vehemently, ‘I’ve been pressed into service, so to speak, Mrs O’Neill. Tessa needs a bit of help, that she does.’

Frowning, Paula exclaimed, ‘What do you mean? She makes her lamb stew very quickly … Why does she need help?’

‘I think you ought to know you’re having a dinner party tonight, Miss Paula.’

‘I am?’ Paula sounded baffled and stared at the housekeeper in disbelief.

Margaret nodded emphatically. ‘ Eighteen pounds of lamb stew! That’s what Tessa ordered from the butcher. It seems a lot of meat to me but when I questioned her about it, she said there’re loads of bones in neck and shoulder. Which is true, a’course.’

‘I know that,’ Paula answered a bit impatiently, and asked, ‘But who’s coming for dinner? Who are those I don’t know about already?’

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