The English Tutor (6 page)

“
Did he tell you his name?
”
asked Brian eagerly.

“
No. I didn
’
t ask him. Is it something peculiar?
”

“
We don
’
t know. Kilmallin just roared with laughter and wouldn
’
t tell us. Clancy says it
’
s probably something awful like Smelly, or Feather—Feather—what did you call
it, Clancy?
”

“
Ah, who cares what his silly old name is? Well find out soon enough,
”
she said.
“
Will you come back
to
tea, Conn? There
’
s nobody there. Aunt Bea
’
s locked in the tower room, getting it ready for the English lord. Such a fuss.
”

The English tutor was due to arrive at Duneen at half
-
past five the following day and Mulligan
’
s car had been detailed to meet the train. Brian worked it out that he should be at Kilmallin by six-thirty at the latest, allowing for Mulligan
’
s Ford
’
s erratic behaviour, and soon after six he was on the landing, hanging over the banisters waiting for the front-door bell to ring. Clancy remained in the schoolroom.

“I d
on
’
t want to see him until I have to,
”
she said firmly.
“
Are you sure Kilmallin
’
s not in, Brian?
”

“
Sure I
’
m sure,
”
he replied cheerfully.
“
He went down to the farm and won
’
t be back till seven. He said to offer the lord the good whisky if he looked the kind, and the other if he didn
’
t. Would you know if he looked the kind, Clancy?
”

“
I don
’
t know. The English are a closed book to me,
”
she replied coldly.
“
We must clear the library before Kilmallin comes back. We must push him in the drawing-room with Aunt Bea as soon as he
’
s had a smell of the library. I hope Mulligan
’
s car doesn
’
t break down.
”

But Mulligan
’
s car must have broken down, for it was nearly seven o
’
clock when they heard it coming up the drive, and by this time Clancy had joined her brother on the landing in a fever of impatience.

“
There
’
ll just be time,
”
she said, waiting for the bell to ring.

Instead, however, the heavy doors were pushed open from outside, and they could hear their father
’
s voice bidding the stranger welcome.

“
Kilmallin!
”
said Clancy.
“
They must have met in the drive.
”

Brian went a little white.

“
What
’
ll we do now?
”
he whispered.
“
He
’
ll take him straight to the library for a drink.
”

“
Go on down,
”
she said quickly.
“
Try and get them into the drawing-room.
”

“
No,
”
said Brian.

“
Go on. You
’
ve a much better chance of side-tracking them than I have. Kilmallin will be showing you off. Tell them the drinks are in the drawing-room or something, only get them in there.
”

She gave him a push, and he began to descend the stairs as
Kilmallin
entered, giving instructions to Mulligan over his shoulder about luggage.

Brian was at the first bend, and Clancy craned forward to get a glimpse of the stranger, but in the dim fight of the hall lamps it was difficult to distinguish anything clearly. The man who had come in with her father stood with his back to her. He had removed his hat, but was still wearing his thick overcoat, and it was quite impossible to tell what manner of man he might be.

“
Well, now,
”
Kilmallin
was saying,
“
take off your coat, my dear fellow, and come into the library for a tot. You must be needing it after that long journey.
”

Kilmallin liked
him.
It would be the good whisky, without a doubt. Transfixed, she watched them move towards the closed library door, then she heard Brian
’
s voice, gallant, but a little quavery, call their father
’
s name. Both men turned, and Clancy drew back not wishing to be seen.

“
Well, here
’
s Brian,
”
she heard Kilmallin say, and knew that he was pleased that the boy had not waited to be sent for.
“
This is Brian—this is my son.
”
Even in the anxiety of the moment, she knew a pang at the pride in Kilma
l
lin
’
s
voice.

Brian was trying his best. He kept edging towards the drawing-room, and she heard him murmur something about drinks.

“
In the drawing-room?
”
Kilmallin
’
s rich tones floated up.
“
Nonsense, my boy, there
’
s no fire there. You fetch the tray while I go ahead and light the lamps.
”

It was too late. She watched with fascination her father open the library door and in a moment there was uproar. Kilmallin
’
s oaths mingled with squawks and
cl
uckings as hens and ducks poured forth from the library, some flying, some running, bewildered by the sudden light. Brian, with great presence of mind, opened the front door and began shooing them out, and Kilmallin strode into the hall again
and yelled:
“
Clancy
!”

She cam
e
running
down the stairs, talking as she went.
“
It was my idea, Kilmallin. Brian only helped,
”
she cried. She had eyes only for her father, and none for the newcomer, temporarily forgotten.

“
And wouldn
’
t I know it was your idea, you mannerless little tinker!
”
roared Kilmallin.
“
Is it also your idea of Irish hospitality to play practical jokes on strangers
?”

She was nearly at the bottom now.

“
It wasn
’
t meant for a joke, Kilmallin,
”
she said very quickly.
“
It was meant to make him feel at home. The
English have queer ideas of the way we live. I
’
m sorry,
Kilmallin,
it was well meant, really it was.
”

She extricated Michael John
’
s goat by the horns and evicted it on to the porch, slamming the door shut, then she made for the stairs.

“
Clancy!
”

She paused, and turned, one hand on the newel post.
“
Tea, Kilmallin?
”

“
Have you no manners at all? Shake hands with this gentleman and bid him welcome.
”

Then she saw
him
for the first time. He was standing quietly, his hands in his pockets, surveying the scene with cool, heavy-lidded eyes. His face was quite expressionless, but she thought his mouth twitched slightly at the
corner
s. She looked at him with dismay. He was quite young and he had very long legs which looked as if they would take the tower room stairs three at a time with the greatest of ease.
“
Are
you
the new tutor?
”
she asked slowly.

“
Yes.
”
His
voice was deep and pleasant and as expressionless as his face.
“
How do you do?
”

“
Tell her your name,
”
said Kevin, recovering his good humour all at once.
“
Tell my rebel daughter your name.
”
The Englishman
’
s light eyebrows lifted slightly.

“
My name?
”
he said, with a quick glance of polite surprise.
“
My name is Cromwell.
”

It was the most hated English name in the history of Ireland.

CHAPTER THREE

CLANCY sat down abruptly on the stairs, and Mark Cromwell continued to stand with his hands in his pockets, looking down at her with eyebrows that were raised again. Kevin shouted with laughter at the expression on his daughter
’
s face. His little joke had come off very nicely.

“
Cromwell
!”
said Clancy, and her voice was outraged. She stared at him with utter loathing, then turned on her father.
“
You can laugh, Kilmallin,
”
she cried,
“
but it
’
s not a bit funny. I believe you did it on purpose. I believe you picked
him
just because of his name.
”

Kevin was still laughing.

“
Ah, stop your blather, Clancy, do you take me for a fool?
”
he said.
“
Come on now, and behave yourself. The joke
’
s over.
”

“
My name seems to have unfortunate associations,
”
Mark murmured, watching them both with amusement.

“
It
’
s not a good name to bear in Ireland,
”
Clancy told him coldly.

His mouth twitched again at the
corner
s.

“
Even now?
”
he asked mildly.

She did not trouble to answer him and Kevin said tolerantly:

“
The poor child doesn
’
t care for the English, Mr. Cromwell. She has no education, as you can see for yourself. You
’
ll find the boy more amenable, won
’
t he, Brian?
”

“
I will not,
”
said Clancy clearly, before her brother could speak,
“
take orders from any Cromwell, and so I
’
m telling you, Kilmallin.
”

“
I shouldn
’
t dream of giving you orders,
”
Mark said politely.

“
You will, then, and plenty of them,
”
said Kilmallin, who was getting tired of the whole thing and wanted a drink.
“
You
’
d better start now, and tell the child to behave herself and treat her tutor with proper respect.
”

Mark did not move, but he seemed to stiffen.

“
I
’
m afraid I don
’
t understand,
”
he said quietly.
“
I did not undertake to teach a girl. I thought you had two sons, Mr. O
’
Shane.
”

He saw Kevin wince.

“
A mistake on the part of the lawyers, no doubt,
”
he said quickly.
“
Clancy
is
a son to me. She should have been a boy.
”

“
I
’
m afraid that doesn
’
t alter the case,
”
Mark said pleasantly.
“
Girls are not in my line. I know nothing about them.
”

“
Ah, treat her like another boy,
”
said Kevin impatiently.
“
You can even wallop her if you think it would do any good.
”

“
Kilmallin
!”
gasped Clancy.

Mark smiled.

“
I
’
m afraid that would be out of my province,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m sorry, Mr. O
’
Shane, if there has been a misunderstanding, but I cannot accept your daughter as a pupil.
”

Kevin felt nonplussed. There was a quiet adamancy behind this man
’
s lazy manner that was far more deadly than Clancy
’
s obstinacy.

“
Ah, come on now, my dear fellow!
”
he said.
“
I don
’
t altogether blame you for not wishing to take on Clancy, after the reception she
’
s given you, but you
’
ll soon knock some sense into her, I can see that. What you want is a stiff drink. You
’
ll feel better after that.
”

“
It sounds an excellent idea,
”
said Mark courteously,
“
but it
’
s unlikely to change my mind.
”

“
We
’
ll see,
”
said Kevin tolerantly,
“
we
’
ll see. Well, what are we all standing here for? Brian, go and find your aunt. Clancy, clean up the library this instant, and tell us when it
’
s fit to come into. Ring for Biddy and tell her to bring drinks at once to the drawing-room. Come along, my dear fellow. The room will be cold, but we
’
ll move back to the fire as soon as the place is set to rights.
”

Biddy brought the drinks and looked with frank curiosity at the stranger, then went back to the kitchen to report that the new schoolmaster looked an elegant gentleman entirely, and wasn
’
t it a shame Miss Clancy was so set agin the British?

“
Now,
”
said Kevin, when he had settled them both with their whisky,
“
you
’
re not really serious, are you? Tell me you were only wanting to take the girl down a peg or two, and no wonder.
”

“
I
’
m perfectly serious, Mr. O
’
Shane,
”
Mark replied.
“
Apart from anything else, I
’
d scarcely get the best out of the child when
sh
e
’
s obviously taken such a dislike to me.
”

Kevin waved an airy hand.

“
Ah, don
’
t let that worry you. It isn
’
t you she dislikes, it
’
s just your nationality. It
’
s Conn Driscoll has filled her head with all this nonsense. He
’
s our nearest neighbour, you see, and Clancy has been
running
round after
him
ever since she could walk. His grandfather was killed in the trouble which made them all bitter, you understand, and Conn, as a boy, was a bit of a firebrand. He
’
s sobered down his notions now, but Clancy used to believe every word he told her. She
’
ll grow out of it. Now tell me about yourself, my dear chap,
”
Kevin finished, cunningly turning the conversation away from the point he had every intention of winning
.
“
H
ow did you come to take on a job of this sort? I should have thought you would have been building up a career of your own.
”