‘And is it okay to call you Dan or shall I call you Mr Shepherd?’ she asked.
Shepherd took his hand off the door handle. It was a good question. Moira would notice the informality if she used his first name, and it might be better to make it clear from the outset that Katra was an employee and not a family member. ‘Mr Shepherd’s a good idea, Katra,’ he said, ‘but only while they’re around. Everywhere else it’s Dan.’
The front door opened as Shepherd reached for the bell. ‘Dad!’ Liam shouted. Shepherd picked him up and hugged him. Liam looked at Katra over his shoulder. ‘Who’s she?’ he asked.
‘Manners,’ said Shepherd.
‘I’m Katra,’ she said.
‘Are you my dad’s girlfriend?’
‘Liam!’ said Shepherd.
Moira came down the hallway. ‘What’s this about a girlfriend?’ she said.
‘Liam’s overactive imagination,’ said Shepherd, putting his son down. ‘This is Katra. She’s an au pair.’
‘I thought you were getting a housekeeper,’ Moira said frostily.
‘Housekeeper, au pair, it’s pretty much the same, isn’t it?’
‘Pleased to meet you, Mrs Wintour,’ Katra said.
Moira shook her hand. ‘How old are you?’ she asked.
‘Katra’s twenty-two. Can we do this inside, Moira?’
Moira sniffed pointedly.
‘Where are you from?’ Liam asked Katra, as they walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.
‘Portoroz,’ she said. ‘In Slovenia.’
‘Where’s that?’
‘It’s in Europe,’ she said. ‘Near Russia.’
‘I’ve never heard of it.’
‘We’re a quiet country,’ she said, smiling. They went into the kitchen.
Moira closed the front door. ‘You said you were getting a housekeeper, Daniel. That girl looks barely old enough to take care of herself.’
‘She’s the oldest in her family and she practically raised her siblings single-handed,’said Shepherd.‘She won’t have any trouble with one eight-year-old boy.’
‘Totally unsuitable,’ she said, folding her arms.
‘Moira, she’ll be fine.’
‘When you said housekeeper, I imagined someonemore my age, with experience, someone reliable.’
‘She’s got references and I’ll make some checks of my own on Monday. Liam’s taken to her already.’
‘Liam doesn’t know any better. And what about food? What do they eat in Slovenia?’
Shepherd started to laugh, but stopped when Moira’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’m sure she’ll cope with egg and chips,’ he said. ‘That’s still Liam’s favourite, isn’t it?’
‘Fine, if you won’t take me seriously,’ said Moira. She headed for the kitchen, and Shepherd followed her. He knew it wasn’t Katra personally that Moira was against: it was the idea of anyone other than herself taking care of Liam. He could have turned up with a fifty-year-old Cordon Bleu-trained Scot and Moira would have given her the cold shoulder.
Liam was sitting with Tom at the kitchen table while Katra was spooning coffee into a cafetiere. Liam was repeating something she’d said.
Katra laughed. ‘No, you say “
‘
Katra clapped. ‘Well done! You sound like a Slovenian already.’
Liam beamed. ‘Katra’s teaching me Slovenian,’ he said to Shepherd. ‘
‘Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy,’ said Shepherd.
‘Let me do that,’ said Moira, reaching for the cafetiere.
‘Let the girl be, Moira,’ said Tom. ‘Be nice for the two of us to be waited on for a change.’ Moira glared at him, clearly annoyed at what she saw as a betrayal. He put up his hands in surrender but grinned at Katra, which only made Moira angrier.
‘Tom, this is my kitchen, always has been and always will be,’ she said.
‘And no one keeps a better kitchen than you, my angel,’ said Tom, ‘but if Katra is going to look after Liam and Dan, we should at least let her show us what she can do.’
Moira stood wringing her hands, then sat down at the table.
Liam kept up a torrent of questions while Katra made the coffee. What was her family like? Where had she gone to school? How long would she be staying in England?
‘Maybe five years,’ said Katra.‘I want to earn enough money to start my own business and learn English.’
‘Your English seems pretty good to me already,’ said Tom.
She poured the coffee and carried it over to the table, along with a jug of milk and the sugar bowl. She sat next to Shepherd and watched expectantly as they all sipped. Shepherd and Tom nodded approval, then looked at Moira. She shrugged. ‘Lovely, Katra. Thank you.’
‘How about we give Katra a trial run?’ said Shepherd. ‘She could cook dinner for us.’
Moira’s jaw dropped. ‘Oh, no, I’m doing a roast. I’ve got everything planned.’
Tom put a hand on her arm and gave it an encouraging squeeze. ‘It’s a good idea,’ he said. ‘It’d give you a night off. We could have a nice bottle of wine and let Katra get on with it.’
‘Go on, Gran,’ said Liam. ‘It’ll be fun.’
Katra smiled. ‘I’d be happy to cook for you all,’ she said.
‘There you are, then,’ said Tom.
Shepherd looked at his watch. ‘The lottery,’ he said. ‘I bought a ticket today.’ He fished it out of his wallet.
‘Daniel, really! The lottery’s nothing more than legalised gambling.’
‘It’s for good causes,’ said Shepherd. ‘Come on, you can check the numbers with me.’
Moira glanced at Katra, who had opened the refrigerator and was checking the vegetables. ‘I’ll stay with Katra,’ she said, but Tom took her arm and eased her out of the kitchen.
They went through to the sitting room and he switched on the television. Within five minutes the winning numbers were on the screen. Only two matched numbers that Shepherd had chosen. He scowled and tore his ticket in half.
‘Serves you right,’ said Moira primly.
‘I was going to give you half if I won,’ he teased.
‘I don’t believe that for a second,’ said Moira.
‘Well, you’ll never know now,’ he said.
They watched television until eventually Liam appeared in the doorway. ‘It’s all ready,’ he said.
Katra had prepared the kitchen table with silverware and napkins, and had placed two candles in the centre. There was a wooden basket filled with chunks of bread, and a bowl of sauteed potatoes that smelt strongly of garlic.
‘I did the potatoes,’ said Liam.
Moira looked worriedly at the sink but gleaming pans were stacked on the draining-board and Katra had polished the stove until it shone.
Katra opened the oven and took out a casserole dish.
‘I was going to roast the chicken,’ said Moira, ‘with stuffing.’
‘I know, but Liam said he wanted to try Slovenian food so I showed him how to make
‘It smells great, Gran,’ said Liam.
‘It’s a recipe from my aunt,’ said Katra, ‘with parsley and celery.’
