When Sorry Is Not Enough (6 page)

Ever astute Sally knew that Nancy had feared the worst for William and to be truthful she had too but had kept her suspicions to herself. Knowing she had to defuse the situation she went over and pecked William on the cheek while she whispered in his ear, ‘Look at her teeth, William. They’re new and the very latest in design. She’s desperate for people to notice them, she is.’

William sniggered. ‘Here, Nancy,’ he began, ‘there’s something different about you. I know what it is now,’ he winked before adding, ‘old Sam Steele left you his falsies when he died. Mind you I think they look better in your mouth.’

Everybody, even Nancy, laughed. This was the ever-jocular William that they knew.

Flora had been busying herself with the tea and she called them all forward to the table. ‘Great to see the lot of you,’ she began, as she lifted the teapot. ‘Och, Sally,’ she went on, looking directly at Sally and nearly pouring the tea on the table instead of into the cups, ‘see when I don’t see or hear from you I’m fair down in the dumps. And there’s something you and I have to discuss … privately … before you leave.’ Sally nodded.

‘Now, William, what happened to you? I mean, did you have an accident?’

William licked some jam from his index finger before he sighed and drawled, ‘Accident? Suppose it could be classed as that. You see I got friendly, real friendly, with Roy McGregor’s wee brother, Stuart. Then Roy blamed me for Stuart turning gay. The laugh is he didn’t turn gay, he was born gay.’ William stopped to sneer. ‘The only folk that hadn’t worked that out were his bible-punching, prejudiced family.’

‘But what has that to do with you being on crutches?’

‘Oh, just that Roy vowed to deal with me and, to be truthful, I didn’t want any trouble so, even although it broke his heart, I sent wee Stuart packing.’ William sighed again. ‘But that wasn’t good enough for Roy so two months ago he saw me in the woods there, just by the clootie well, and he started to chase me. Caught up with me on the battlefield … aye well … there wasn’t much I could do to defend myself. You see it wasn’t a fair fight – he had another three of his relatives with him.’

‘So they broke your legs.’

‘No. I managed to get away from them and I was out-running them when I tripped and fell into that damned stinking clootie well.’ William stopped to lift a piece of cake before finishing with, ‘Know something, that well stinks so much I’m sure the corpses of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s forty-five rebels are still decomposing in there. Didn’t even give me a hand to get out of the filth, the bleeding pigs didn’t. Even chucked in some stinking leaf mould to make it even more difficult for me.’

‘Anyway,’ interrupted Shonag who had listened long enough to William’s tale of woe, ‘his accident means that Flora and I have to take on
all
of the work on the croft.’ She sighed and those looking at her could see tears were not far away. ‘And we’re just too old. I mean have you ever seen two octogenarians trying to learn to drive a tractor?’

Sally quickly rushed her hand to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. Her merriment was due to the picture that had just popped into her head of Flora and Shonag, suitably dressed in balaclavas and Wellington boots, trying to steer a tractor over the hilly, boulder-strewn terrain.

‘Never mind the hysterics, Shonag,’ Flora hissed before banging the table with her fist. ‘I’ve told you – I think I have the answer.’

‘And what would that be?’ enquired Luke.

‘Och, it’s just that we need …’ Flora stopped abruptly and dismissed Luke with a disdainful wave of her hand. ‘None of your business, sir,’ she emphatically blurted before turning her full attention on to Sally. ‘Before you leave, lass, you and I have to have a private chat.’ She now lifted the teapot. ‘Anyone for another cuppa?’

Everyone except Flora and Sally had vacated the living room to allow the women the privacy for their urgent tête-à-tête.

Sally sat with her elbows on the table and her chin cupped in her hands. Flora seemed apprehensive but tentatively she said, ‘Sally, I need money.’

‘Are you saying you need a loan?’ Flora bristled but Sally continued. ‘Because that wouldn’t be a problem. You know I could refuse you nothing. After all I owe you.’

‘Sally, Sally, you won’t want to help me.’ Flora hesitated before adding, ‘You see, my dear, the money is for Harry.’

Sally flung her head back and then banged her forehead with the palms of her hands. ‘You’re right, Flora. I couldn’t even say yes to you begging me if I knew it was for him.’

An uneasy silence followed before Sally asked, ‘And what has he done now?’

‘The lassie he was living with has put him out. And before you ask, yes he was cheating on her too.’

‘So, could he not move in with his present plaything?’

‘Be a bit crowded that would be,’ Flora replied with a long sniff. ‘You see … not only has she a husband and four bairns biding with her, she also has her two brothers and their four greyhound dogs.’

Sally had yet again to stifle her desire to laugh out loud.

Oblivious to Sally’s reaction, Flora was absently nodding and as she sucked in her lips she mumbled, ‘And I just have to get a roof over his head – a roof of his own. So you see, Sally, I’m not asking you, or even begging you, because the amount of money I need to sort him out is too much for even you to find. So …’ Flora started to pull at her hair. ‘Try and understand. I know he’s a wrong one but he’s my flesh and blood and somehow I must have steered him wrong … I just can’t see him on the streets.’

Rising, Sally went over to Flora and she began rubbing her shoulder. ‘Sure, Flora, when things go very wrong all us mothers think we must be to blame. You are in no way responsible for Harry being a womaniser. Maybe if I’d taken him back when he pleaded with me to give him another chance, it might have worked for him. But, Flora, even although I owe you – I just couldn’t – no I just couldn’t have tied him around my neck.’

‘I wouldn’t have expected you to. And, Sally, there’s not only Harry that has to be provided for, there’s William too.’

‘William too,’ Sally blurted. ‘But Flora, surely you realise that you and Shonag are not the welfare state.’

‘I know that. But we do have all this land here that we can no longer farm.’

‘Don’t tell me you think you can make enough to sort out your problems by renting it out?’

Vigorously shaking her head, Flora went on. ‘Things are progressing here. They need land to create a road – a proper road to link us with the south not a dirt track that gets bogged down in the winter – and,’ she added very quickly, ‘there’s also housing needed. Inverness is bursting at the seams and if they laid on some decent public transport, this place would be very attractive. It’s only a ten minute drive to the town.’

As was usual with Sally when she was thinking through a problem she began to gnaw on her right thumb and stare into space. Flora on the other hand just looked out of the window until she could stand the silence no longer. ‘Sally,’ she said, leaning over to pat Sally’s arm, ‘you do understand. He has nowhere to stay. He’s out of work. I’m too old to take him on. What I was thinking was if Flora and I sold up we could sort out our boys – I know this will mean me selling up hundreds of years of our family history. Nothing will be left for my grandchildren … these two bonny lassies you gave me and our darling boy, Bobby, but they have you so they are truly blessed.’

‘Just a minute though. Selling up will leave you and Shonag homeless.’

‘We’ll get somewhere to rent Inverness way. We’re too old to come back to live in a city, especially Shonag, she has always lived here.’

‘No … Look … Bobby,’ Sally sighed before relief seeped into her. ‘Oh, Flora,’ she gasped, ‘that’s who we’ll ask to get you out of this mess. I just knew,’ she almost sang, ‘that there had to be another way. And it will be through my clever, clever Bobby, who knows and is qualified in the law that we will find out what way you should take.’ Sally hesitated and blew out her lips before she conceded, ‘And okay, he’s now a defence solicitor, and a very able one at that, but Lois, his uppity wife, she has specialised in house and land sales so she can keep him right. ’ Sally was visibly relaxed. She was just so pleased to think that somehow there might be better answers to the problems facing Flora and Shonag that she began to do a jig around the room.

On the return journey from Smithton to Edinburgh the chit-chat in the car was light. Everyone seemed to be walking on chipped eggs and afraid to broach Sally on the subject that she had discussed with Flora.

They had just left the lights of Aviemore behind when Sally said, ‘What do you think of this, Luke?’

‘Of what?’

‘Flora and Shonag proposing to sell up and use the money they get from the sale to make life easier for,’ Sally abruptly stopped to ‘huh’ twice before continuing, ‘for Flora’s darling albatross, Harry, and, would you believe, feckless William. Evidently Flora and Shonag have been approached by a road and housing developer.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘I am but why do you ask?’

‘Just that I thought they would need the crofting association’s permission first … and they would be unlikely to grant it.’ Luke hesitated to ponder before uttering, ‘Besides, a developer will take those two dearies to the cleaners.’

‘Ah, but I know we all call it croft estate but it’s not … the land is theirs.’ Sally began tutting until she added, ‘Has been in their family since the early seventeen hundreds.’

‘That’s good. But developers are sharks.’

‘I know that, and that is why I have said Bobby will come up and advise them.’

‘Bobby and not Lois,’ Luke almost shrieked.

‘Well if necessary she can keep Bobby right on anything he’s not quite sure of … but I’m sure there won’t be anything.’

‘That right?’ Luke replied. ‘Look, for what it’s worth, I think you should forget Bobby. He’ll be too busy defending in the court and getting Irish’s appeal started.’

Sally gasped. ‘You’re going to ask Bobby to get an appeal going for Irish when I need him to be concentrating on getting things sorted out at Smithon?’

Luke nodded. ‘Aye and he is best suited to that. Clever laddie he is. Not only did he set up his business in a wee shop in Leith where most of clients are housed but he also goes and purchases himself a house in Craighall Road.’

‘What’s clever about that?’ Nancy, who had made up her mind not to get involved in any dispute between Luke and Sally, asked.

‘Simple,’ replied Luke. ‘There are more solicitors looking for work in Leith than there is work. Therefore Bobby presenting himself as a Leither, and as Leithers like to keep their own in employment, our Bobby gets the lion’s share.’

‘Oh, so there’s nae limit to the amount of Legal Aid you can earn?’

‘No, Nancy, there’s not,’ Sally responded before asking Luke, ‘So what am I going to do about Flora?’

‘Simple that is, my dear sister, do what you should have done when your Bobby married Lois – get on her good side. She’s clever and she excels in her speciality – housing and estate matters.’

Sally huffed. She knew that all she could do now was change the subject. ‘Nancy, I know you said that you wanted to go back to your own house now but I think you should still stay at my place for another day or two.’

‘No. No. Take me home tonight. I have a friend coming to visit me so I will be okay.’

‘A friend?’ Sally enquired before doing a half turn in her seat. ‘What sex?’

‘Oh,’ spluttered Nancy, ‘we haven’t got around to sex yet. You see, Sally,’ Nancy paused, ‘look I think it would be better if I talked it over with you first before I say any more. Could I come and see you tomorrow?’

‘And why not? After all, quite suddenly everybody seems to require an agony aunt called Sally.’

When Luke and Sally arrived back at the guest house in Seaview Terrace, Sally was pleased to note the ‘No Vacancies’ sign was propped up in the front window. ‘Well, at least something seems to have gone right today,’ she remarked as the door was opened by Maggie.

‘Thought you would be back ages ago,’ Maggie huffed. ‘Had to let the single room at the front to myself because as sure as hell I’m not going home at this time in the morning.’ Neither Sally nor Luke responded so Maggie continued, ‘I mean a single woman like me walking the streets in these early hours could end up attacked.’

Luke wanted to respond that it would take a brave man indeed to assault Maggie. However, it had been a long day and he was tired, and a comfy bed was beckoning so he just nodded and started to ascend the stairs.

‘Oh, Sally, before we all turn in. Your Margo came along this afternoon. Looking for you she was and she said to tell you it was a matter of life or death as far as she’s concerned. Evidently she just has to see you as you’re the only person who can sort things out.’

Sally sighed and dropped down on the bottom step. Weariness was engulfing her and all she could manage to mumble was, ‘Helen or Josie havenae been in touch too, have they?’

Bewildered Maggie could only utter, ‘No. Were you expecting them to?’

‘No. It was just that as disasters all seem to happen in three I thought that perhaps one of them had decided to land me with a hat-trick!’

Luke who was now halfway up the stairs stopped and called back, ‘And remember, Sally, I’m only here for four months and I’m beginning to wonder if that will be long enough to sort out all your problems!’

Normally Sally would toss and turn the whole night long as she tried to sort all her problems but not tonight. Early on she realised she had to be up bright and early with her wits about her. Nothing else for it then, she counselled herself, other than to go through a relaxing routine. She was only halfway through it when she was fast asleep.

Arriving in the dining room the next morning she was pleased to see that Maggie was already serving breakfast to the customers who wished to be up and away early.

‘Fancy a cooked breakfast?’ Maggie asked Sally.

Grimacing, Sally shook her head. ‘No. Just tea and toast. I have to get to Bobby’s office before he goes up to the court.’

‘Oh,’ was all Maggie, whose curiosity was now roused, said before going on very slowly, ‘someone suing you?’