The Maidens of Walsingham - стр. 8

– What are you plotting? Why should he bring his daughters? – Viscount Wilworth frowned, disapproving of his friend's suggestion.

– 'I was merely following the bounds of politeness. Don't worry: the old man is not as simple as he seems," the Count grinned, but his thoughts were different from his words.

– What wrong?

Christine looked indifferently at Catherine, who was staring at her sister and her clay bowl full of porridge with distaste.

– This porridge is disgusting," Christine answered her sister sullenly.

She was lying: it was not the unleavened wheat porridge that was the cause of her thoughtfulness, but thoughts of the handsome landlord who had stared at Christine in the church, and she wondered with rapt attention what his gaze might have meant.

– Disgusted? – Catherine frowned. – Even Cassie eats that porridge, and she doesn't find it disgusting.

– Of course, she does not! Give her slop and she'll eat it," Christine mockingly muttered, annoyed.

– How could you? – Kate asked sharply, angered by the hurtful words about her younger sister. – Apologise now!

– I won't," Christine shrugged. She glanced at Cassie, who was busy scooping porridge with a wooden spoon and not looking at her sisters. – The silly girl hadn't understood a thing.

Catherine's face tensed as she couldn't bear the fact that Christine had been so dismissive of poor Cassandra.

– It wasn't her fault that she had been born unhealthy! God had sent her to us! – she gritted her teeth. – You should be ashamed to say such a thing!

Angry at her older sister's lecture, Christine angrily threw her spoon on the table and left the house. Cassie shuddered at the clatter of the wooden spoon on the table and looked questioningly at Catherine.

– 'It's all right, sweetheart. Christine wanted to go for a walk in the field," Kate reassured her, used to shielding her younger sister from upsetting her.

– Can I go for a walk, too? – Cassie asked, licking the rest of her porridge off her plate.

– I told you it's not nice to do that! – Kate said sternly when she saw her sister's behaviour.

Cassie immediately stopped what she was doing and put her plate on the table.

– Katie, can I go for a walk? – The girl asked hopefully again.

– We have to wait for Dad.

– "Oh," Cassie said disappointedly. – When will he be back?

– He'll be here soon. You know what? Let's fix your dress," Catherine said, getting up from the table and clearing away the dirty plates. – But first we'll wash the dishes.

She grabbed the plates, went out into the yard, washed them thoroughly in a barrel of water and returned home. Then Catherine took Cassie's torn dress out of the clothes chest and began to mend it with short, inconspicuous stitches.

– Why is there such a hole here? – Catherine asked her sister.

– Where?" she said indifferently. – I don't know, Katie.

Cassie sat down on her mattress and began to play with a hideous straw doll, which she loved in spite of its ugliness. She had no other toys.

– Honey, try to be more careful, will you? – Kate told her affectionately. – You know you have to keep things safe, right? Will you try?

– Mm-hmm. Can I go for a walk?

– No. Dad's not back yet.

Cassie glanced sadly at Catherine, tossed the doll into a corner, and watched as her sister deftly stitched her tattered dress. Seeing the curiosity on her younger sister's face, Kate smiled affectionately and stroked her curly hair.