Read Maestro for Free Online Page B

flour to the creamed butter, sugar and eggs, stirring the flour in a figure eight motion, Sara heard the now familiar voice. 
    "Hello, Sara." 
    The voice was very low. Sara felt the same annoyance as the first time Gillane had descended upon her out of the blue. She sat up, her skirt safely pulled down over her knees. 
    "Did you come down the path? I didn't hear you." 
    Gillane looked down at her, arms crossed against his chest, a duffel bag at his feet.  
    "I took the short cut across the meadow. Sorry if I gave you a start," he replied, his eyes flashing at her.  
    Sara waited to see if the faint look of bemusement on Gillane's face would transform itself into a full blown smile. 
    She abandoned all expectations for a smile and returned to her reading.  
    "Please go ahead and help yourself to what you want in the cellar," she said without looking up from her magazine. 
    She hoped he would leave quickly. 
    "Thank you. I won't be long." 
    Sara watched Gillane walk towards the cottage. The sun cast a long shadow across his tall frame. He had removed his jacket and she could see through the thin, white cotton shirt. He was very athletic, lean but powerful, like a fencer or dancer. She wondered why he had never married. 
    She waited for a few minutes before going into the cottage to make herself a cup of tea. The door to the cellar was open. She could hear Gillane moving around below. The light bulb at the top of the stairs began to flicker dangerously and went out completely. 
    Not wanting to go the aid of the unfortunate Gillane, who by now was surrounded by complete darkness, Sara made a swift exit from the cottage and returned to the bench.  
    The sun was still shining very brightly but a few dark clouds had appeared in the sky. The atmosphere felt sticky, humid. 
    Sara finished her tea and lit a cigarette. She looked down at her bare feet and thought how ugly they were. The first two toes on each foot were miles longer than the rest. Her feet looked totally neglected. She felt embarrassed by the sight of them and hurried back into the cottage to find a pair of shoes. 
    She went into the kitchen, curious to see what had become of Gillane. She found him standing near the sink, his forehead covered in blood. 
    Gillane was pressing a kitchen towel against his head and grimaced when he saw her. 
    "Damn light bulb went out," he muttered.  
    "Perhaps you should sit down. Is it a deep wound?" Sara asked, pulling out a chair. 
    Gillane sat down.  
    From what Sara could see, he had hit himself on the temple just on the hair line. The wound wasn't very deep but a thin stream of bright red blood was flowing out of it.  
    "The blood will stop in a few minutes. I'll get some witch hazel to clean it up for you," she said, hurrying off into the bedroom. 
    She returned with the witch hazel and carefully dabbed the wound. 
    "It’s not too bad but you may need a couple of stitches." 
    "There's no doctor in Glymeer. Only in Goldarn." 
    "Surely someone can drive you. I will if no one else can," Sara offered. 
    "No, I'm fine. Thank you." 
    Gillane stood up and reached for the duffel bag. 
    Sara had got to it first intending to hand it over to him. She could barely lift it off the floor.  
    "Please allow me to drive you home." 
    Gillane acquiesced reluctantly, nodding his agreement as he picked up the duffel bag.  
    The drive to Gillane's farm took a mere three minutes. A large meadow did in fact separate his farm from Downswold. So Gillane had spoken the truth: it was possible to walk across the meadow, after all.    
    Whereas Downswold was concealed from public view, Gillane's house could be seen easily from the main road. 
    Strangely, Gillane had not changed the name of the property: a sign with DENLEY painted on it, still stood near the entrance. Seeing the sign reminded Sara of her conversation with Mag: Old Man Denley was the original owner of both the farm where Gillane now lived, and