On top of everything else, the last thing she wanted to do was upset Pat O’Reilly, for without his help, her huge garden would soon be in a dreadful state again. She wondered what was behind his reference to Rex Charteris? What she did with her private life should be no concern of his, and she certainly felt no obligation to explain her actions to him… or to anyone else, for that matter. Anyway, Rex was only a friend, but a good one — even if he had kissed her goodnight. But only she knew about that.She wandered indoors and rang Elspeth; she just wanted someone to talk to, and she could not imagine herself discussing this sort of thing with her children. ‘What a surprise,’ Elspeth said. ‘I was going to ring you later anyway. What’s up that makes you ring me for a change?’Katie poured out her problems; told her about Aunt Bertha’s impending return home, about meeting the colonel, about Rex’s invitation to go on holiday, and finally about Pat’s inclination to go and live in Ireland.
