Emily - a Tale of the Brontes Part IV

Emily hated talking to people, so she tried to ignore him, but he coughed and said "I hope I don't disturb you, Miss." She mumbled something and went to the bookshelves in search of some more of Byron's poetry. "Do you like to read then?" he said, in a voice that had a Yorkshire accent. He clearly was not a close friend of the Heaton family, but he was not a servant, either. She didn't reply. She hastily took some books from the shelf and scurried out of the room. In the hallway, one of the maids was polishing a table. "Are you leaving then, Miss Emily? I hope you found some books." "Yes, I did," she replied gruffly. "It's a long walk for you, would you like a cup of tea before you go, Miss?" Emily shook her head and hurried to the door. She walked back faster than she had ever done before. It alarmed her to have to talk to people, though she knew the maid well enough, after the girl had been working in the house for a year. She wondered who the young man was. She had never seen him before. He was clearly from Yorkshire but did he come from the Haworth area? She felt a twinge of curiosity. If he were a local lad, she would have seen him at church or in the village. She liked at times to talk to Tabby of the local people, and their histories. Tabby had known the village for a lifetime, and could tell stories of the farmers who lived in isolated places and their feuds and quarrels. She liked tales of conflict.