Prude & Prejudice Read Online Free Page B

was still quite small , but demand was growing and s he was looking at expanding in the near future . She could not afford to pay the men mu ch , but she let them take as much produce home as they wanted , and they were happy to hav e something productive to do with their spare time .
    Bob Ship pley was a former farmer and an endless so urce of advice and help for her. Over the last year h e had also become a good friend. He turned up early to do some weeding that morning, even though she had told him to take the day off. Prue s tood up as he approached and wiped the sweat from her brow.
    How are you today?” he asked.
    “A bit tired , we had a big function to ca ter yesterday .”
    “Was it for th ose new folks in town, in the old bank building?”
    “Yes, it was their official opening party .”
    “Organic products distributors aren’t they? You must have a lot in common with them.”
    “Not as much as you might think.”
    “I ran into one of them the other day at the markets actually. I think he said he w as a director, the name was William something or other. We got talking and he had some really interesting ideas.”
    The last thing Prue wanted w as to hear about was anymore of William Darling ’s i d eas. It was bad enough that her own mother agreed wi th them. H ere , in the sanctity of her own home s he should not have to be exposed to his poisonous beliefs.
    “Sorry , Bob, but I don’t have any interest whatsoever in that man’s ideas, and if you don’t mind , can you ple ase not mention him to me again? ”
    “Done something to get on your bad side has he?”
    “T here are some things about him that I can’t tell you, but let’s just say he’s not a trustworthy person.” Prue knew it was wrong to spread rumours based on online gossip, but you had to fight fire with fire.
    “I see. Well he seemed like a nice enough fellow to me, but if you say he’s not trustworthy then I believe you. I know you wouldn’t say that for no reason.”
    “That’s right. It’s not my way to spread rumours about people I hardly know , but I don’t mind if you warn other people to be wary of him. We need to look out for each other in this town, especially when outs iders like him tur n up and begin trying to change things .”
    Prue spent the rest of the day working around the farm , planting herbs and prepping some beds for the next day . B y the time she finished up it was getting dark and she was covered in dirt. She had planned to have a quiet evening on her own, but just as she was about to step in the shower the phone rang. It was Cate.
    “Hey, a bunch of us are going to the pub tonight if you want to come. It will only be for a few hours , I promise .”
    “ I was planning on having an early night . I worked hard today. ”
    “Y ou could use a night out. You know what they say, a ll work and no play makes Prudence Higginbottom a very dull girl. ”
    “ Okay, you talked me into it , but I won’t be able to stay out too late and you have to promise you’ll never call me Prudence ever again . You’re as bad as M um ”
    “ Okay , I promise. See you soon , Prude .”
    ****
    A s Prue , Cate, Alice and a few of thei r girlfriends hurried towards the pub , their heels clicking in time on the pavement , Prue could see how crowded it was through the window . It was a chilly night and as they opened the d oor they were greeted with a blast of warm air, accompanied by music from the jukebox and a cacop hony of voices all talking over each other . It was ano ther ty pical Saturday night at the Heart and Humble .
    Pr ue ha d been c oming to this pub since before she was le gally allowed to drink, and though many of her friends had moved away to far more exotic places, it always reminded her of how glad she was to be back in her home town . S he would never admit it to another living soul, but the theme song from Cheers played in her hea d when ever she walked in the door because this was one of the few place s in