When the Heather Blooms (10 page)

‘It's what he wanted. I was as surprised as you are. At first I thought Fraser was going to be jealous and angry. I know he has set his heart on having a combine harvester but your father had been saying earlier that he couldn't afford to buy one. On the drive home your father explained to him that he and Lachie would each inherit a farm one day but he couldn't give you anything like that, but you were still his child. He said four pedigree heifers were nothing in comparison to owning acres of land but he hoped they would be the nucleus for our own pedigree herd.'

‘What did Fraser say to that? He's grown up with the idea that boys should inherit and girls don't matter. I don't think he means to be so selfish or chauvinistic. In some ways my parents think like that too.'

‘I know,' Billy pulled her close into his arms, ‘but they've given me all I could ever want from them.' He kissed her, searching her mouth with increasing passion. ‘Come on, these girls are settling down after their journey. We'll inspect them in daylight. Let's get back to bed.' Sleep was not their first priority as they snuggled up in bed and his mouth claimed hers.

 About a fortnight later, Libby invited all the family to Sunday lunch while both Charlotte and Uncle Josh were down from Glasgow, and before she returned to work. It was a gesture of appreciation for her father's generosity over the heifers, and to save her mother preparing a meal.

Neither Peter nor Victoria had mentioned the birth, but Willie remarked on the admirable way he had stayed calm and coped with it all.

‘Has it made you change your mind about being a doctor, Peter? Your stepfather would have been proud of you, laddie. I'm sure Victoria will tell him how well you managed.' They were all surprised when Peter stopped eating and put his head in his hands.

‘Don't tell him, don't ever tell him,' he groaned.

‘Peter, whatever is the matter?' Victoria asked in dismay. Peter knew his stepfather would offer nothing but disparaging remarks about a baby being born in such circumstances. Then he would say he'd always known he should be a doctor. ‘Is something wrong Peter?' Victoria persisted. She had noticed how subdued he had been during the last few days. ‘You had a letter from Edinburgh. Was it from Doctor Sterling? Is that why you've been so quiet?'

‘He's insisting I must return home by the end of next week, prepared to study medicine. He – he hasn't relented about anything. If – if I refuse he says he'll dispose of my belongings after next week, and – and I must never visit my sisters again.'

‘That's terrible!' Mary exclaimed.

‘He's a harsh man if he means that, but it's your life, laddie, and it's your choice. What do you want to do?' Andrew asked. ‘Whatever you decide, we'll do our best to help. There'll always be a home for you with us, whether it's permanent or for holidays, but it's cruel to prevent you seeing your sisters. Surely he'll change his mind about that.'

Victoria threw him a grateful look, glad he had made such a spontaneous offer. She had grown to love Peter. Apart from being the son of her twin, he was kind and considerate.

‘There's no doubt in my mind,' Peter said. ‘I want to be a farmer.'

‘He sounds thoroughly unreasonable to me,' Josh frowned. At his side Charlotte looked sympathetic. She knew what it was like to have an unreasonable parent.

‘If I don't study medicine I forfeit the insurance money. He'll use it for the girls' education.'

There was a stunned silence around the dinner table.

‘He sounds awful,' Libby declared. ‘We'll take you to collect your possessions, if that's what you want?'

‘Yes,' Billy assured him swiftly. ‘Libby and I will drive you there. We'll help you pack all your things and you can bring them here.' Peter looked at them gratefully, but his gaze moved uncertainly to his aunt and uncle.

‘It means I shall have nowhere else to go.' He looked at them, his dark eyes wide and anxious.

‘Your home is with us, laddie. Have no doubts about that,' Andrew assured him. He glanced at Victoria cradling the baby in her arms. ‘So long as you're sure you're making the right decision, we're happy to have you, even if we didn't owe you a debt we can never repay.'

 ‘Andrew's right,' Victoria smiled, stroking the baby's cheek with a gentle finger. ‘We are in your debt, Peter.'

‘I didn't do anything. I just happened to be there,' Peter said. ‘I have far more reason to be grateful to all of you. I feel as though I belong in a way I never belonged in my stepfather's house.'

‘I know what you mean, Peter,' Charlotte nodded.

‘You can have a room with us when the builders start work at Langmune. We have plenty of spare beds,' Libby said.

‘He can have a room at our house as well, can't he, Mum?' Mimi piped up.

‘Aye, any time,' Willie chuckled. ‘There's plenty of beds and plenty of work on offer, Peter. The main thing is to make the right choice, make a success of your life, and be happy in what you're doing, isn't that right, Josh?'

‘I couldn't agree more,' Josh nodded. ‘Have you decided on the name for this famous baby yet?' he asked, changing the subject to give Peter time to control his emotions. ‘No one has told me if you have.'

‘She's Mollytrina,' Fraser said promptly and grinned at his mother.

‘Don't you dare give her another of your nicknames, Fraser,' Victoria scolded. ‘She's to be called Molly but we are christening her Molly Catriona,' she said firmly.

‘That sounds lovely,' Charlotte smiled. Earlier she had been allowed to cuddle the tiny bundle and Josh had seen the wistful look on her face when she had handed the baby back to Victoria. She loved children but he knew she had made up her mind she would never have any of her own. She didn't talk much about her time in Switzerland but Libby had told him there were still as many as sixteen thousand people a year dying of tuberculosis and the doctors had told Charlotte she was fortunate not to be one of them. They had warned her of the risks that pregnancy and childbirth might bring to her health.  Then Charlotte herself had told him once that she wouldn't risk having a child who might inherit her mother's nature.

Peter felt his spirits begin to rise, surrounded as he was by offers of friendship and hospitality so generously offered. He felt warmth spreading through him as he looked at the faces around the table. He had sensed a long time ago that his stepfather didn't love him as he loved his sisters. Although he had given him his name Peter knew there were times when he had resented him, especially when his mother had shown him tenderness. When she died he had felt as though an arrow of ice had pierced his soul. He knew there would be times in the future when he would feel the same loneliness but his new family had dispelled it for the present.

‘I shall write to my stepfather to night,' he decided. ‘Can I tell him which day we are going to collect my things? I will write to Cathy too. She might pack some of my books, if they allow her. I must bring my bicycle, that's the most important thing. It's one of the things I treasure most.'

‘We'll tie it on the back of the car,' Billy said. ‘We'll take some ropes, and if that doesn't work we'll take it to the station and send it down by rail.'

Peter sighed with relief and Mimi squeezed his hand and beamed at him. She knew how much he cherished his bicycle. He had told her it meant freedom to get to the zoo or out of the city, or to visit his friends – anywhere away from the house and the surgery. But even Mimi didn't realise how hard he had saved to buy it, delivering newspapers and orders of meat for their local butcher on Saturdays and sometimes after school. His mother had given him extra money two Christmases ago so that he could buy one with gears and lights.

The following week Billy, Libby, and Peter set off for Edinburgh expecting it would take some time to pack all Peter's possessions and load them into the car, then deal with his bicycle. Libby had packed sandwiches and two flasks of tea as her mother had warned her Doctor Sterling might not be hospitable towards them. Despite Victoria's warning it was a shock to find Peter's possessions packed in boxes in the hall, ensuring their visit would be as short as possible.

‘B-but how do I know everything is here?' Peter asked, white faced and hurt. He could see that Cathy had been crying and he could guess the reason when she ran towards him, only to be yanked back by her father. ‘I-I want to see my room, t-to make sure …'

‘You have no room here,' Doctor Sterling snapped. ‘You forfeited any claim to a place in this house when you disobeyed my wishes. Don't come mewling back to me, or to your sisters, when your new friends get sick of you.' Libby gasped and Billy clenched his fists but Peter stared at his stepfather, his face deathly white, and his eyes like twin pools of darkness.

‘You hate me because I'm another man's son and my mother loved him. She always loved him, until the day she died …' He said in a low vehement voice.

‘Get out! Get out of my house!' Doctor Sterling took a step towards him, one arm raised.

‘No, Daddy! No!' Cathy grabbed at him, sobs racking her thin body.

‘Go into the kitchen, Cathy. Dinah, take her away and keep her there until he has gone.'

‘Come on, Peter,' Libby said, ‘we'll get this lot into the car.'

‘B-but there were some things I …'

‘Everything is there that you're removing from this house,' Doctor Sterling almost snarled. He watched in silence as they carried the boxes and stacked them in the boot.

‘Now for your bicycle, Peter,' Billy said. ‘I reckon we'll be able to tie it on the back.' None of them saw the malice on Doctor Sterling's face.

‘It's in the garage. I'll bring it round,' Peter said. He might be able to sneak in the back door and say goodbye to Cathy, with any luck.

‘You've taken everything that belongs to you,' Doctor Sterling growled, ‘Now get out and don't come back.' Peter stared at him.

‘I haven't got my bicycle. You've forgotten about that.'

‘I've forgotten nothing.' Deane Sterling's lip curled. ‘I know your mother must have helped you buy it behind my back. She ruined you, gave you too much freedom, well I've sold your precious bicycle.'

‘You've what?' Anger flared in Peter's dark eyes and his fists clenched. Billy moved to his side. ‘I saved up to buy that bike. You can't have sold it! You can't …'

‘I have sold it. That's the end of it. Now see how you get on stuck in the wilds.'

‘If you've sold it you must owe him the money,' Billy said reasonably.

‘Owe him! Owe him? I owe the brat nothing. I've given him a home all these years.'

‘It was my grandfather's house, and his practice.'

‘I gave you my name.'

‘Well don't think I'm proud of that!' Peter retorted. ‘In fact I shall change it as soon as I can.'

‘Come on, Peter, come away now,' Libby said stepping forward and taking his arm. ‘You'll be much happier with us. We're your own kith and kin. You'll always be part of our family now we have found you.' Her dark eyes met Doctor Sterling's and he was the first to look away. She hoped he was as ashamed as he deserved to be. He could be in no doubt of the contempt she and Billy felt for him.

As the car drew out of the drive they heard a child's cry. Peter looked through the back window and saw Cathy running after them, tears streaming down her face. In a moment Peter was out of the car and scooping her up in his arms.

‘Send me the address of your best friend, Cathy. I'll write to you there,' he whispered, then with a fierce hug he thrust her away from him as Dinah grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the house.

Chapter Nine

‘Doctor Sterling was even more mean and obnoxious than I thought possible,' Libby told Victoria and Andrew. ‘It made me realise how lucky we are to have parents like you.'

‘It doesn't surprise me,' Andrew said, ‘The best thing we can do for Peter is to keep him busy so he has no time to brood. The harvest is ready and waiting for the binder, there'll be sheaves to stook soon, and the carts to load and bring home. He'll be too tired to think about Doctor Sterling.'

Julie Dunlop had worked for Maggie in the house at Home Farm since her husband was killed. When Billy married she had continued working there, but since Libby had finished working at the creamery she no longer needed help.

‘Julie is a grand worker and very pleasant, Mum. Shall I ask her if she will help you until Molly is older?'

‘Yes, please ask her to come up and see me.' Julie's home was a tied cottage belonging to Billy. Her son had begun working at Home Farm the year his father died. Her daughter, Fiona, was sixteen and doing well at school. She didn't want to upset her by moving house so she was pleased to get part-time work nearby. Molly was a contented baby and between Lachie and Mimi she never lacked attention so things were settling into a routine when the builders arrived to start on the extension to Langmune. Peter moved to Home Farm to sleep, until the alterations were complete.

He was reminded of his stepfather's spite because he needed his bicycle to get to work at Langmune early in the mornings.

‘Mine is a bit shabby and it's a ladies' bicycle,' Victoria said, ‘but you can use it if will do, Peter.'

‘There's the bike Gran used to use as well,' Fraser remembered. ‘We could do them both up when we have a couple of free weekends. Then Peter could sell them and buy a decent bicycle for himself.'

‘That's a good idea,' Andrew nodded.

‘B-but don't you want them?' Peter asked, looking at Victoria.

‘It's ages since I used mine and Granny Pringle hasn't been on a bicycle for years. See what you and Fraser can do, laddie. We used to have a cycle shop in the village but it closed down. You'll have to go into Dumfries or Annan.'

‘It will not be long before you can learn to drive the car,' Andrew said. He knew Peter spent every spare moment practising driving the tractor and learning to reverse the trailer and hitch on the implements, but these things did not come as naturally to him as they did to Fraser. On the other hand he was proving an observant stockman.

‘I shall never be able to afford a car to drive,' Peter grinned. ‘Anyway, I enjoy cycling, with the air rushing by or the challenge of peddling up a hill. It means I can get around and explore. You see more of the flowers and the countryside than speeding by in a car.'

‘Aye, that's true enough,' Andrew nodded. ‘Well, see what you can do with the two ladies' bicycles. You've earned quite a bit of overtime working at the harvest so you may as well get a decent bicycle.'

‘Have I?' Peter was surprised. He hadn't expected extra money. Uncle Andrew was nobody's fool but he was a fair man and completely different to his stepfather.

Charlotte was spending the last fortnight of the holidays at Home Farm before she started work in the Glasgow school. Josh was staying with his mother so the two of them spent a good deal of time together, driving to the coast in Josh's little car, sometimes taking a picnic, walking and talking, happy and content in each other's company. On their last evening Polly invited them both for a meal. Charlotte was nervous but the evening passed pleasantly.

‘Did you ever hear who bought Mr Glenys' wee farm, Charlotte?' Polly asked. ‘I see he's still living in the house and renting the land.'

‘No, I never heard who bought it. He couldn't afford to buy it so it was the last to be sold. The solicitor said it would be a struggle to get a decent offer while there was a sitting tenant. I've had no reason to be in contact with him since he concluded everything.' She shuddered. ‘I was glad to put it behind me and to know I'd paid off my mother's debts. I have enough left to buy a small house for myself but I want to complete my year's probation first. I need to know where I can get a permanent post.'

‘Aye, ye're quite wise, lassie. It's just that I noticed some of the repairs have been done to the house at Lintysmill. Mrs Glenys will be pleased although they'll be due to retire in another year or so, I should think.'

‘They are, but I'm so glad they are able to stay on until then,' Charlotte said with feeling. She had hated the thought of turning people out of their homes when they had lived on her father's estate all their lives.

‘Aye they're lucky the new owner isna needing the house himself.' Neither of the two women noticed Josh made no contribution to this exchange. Polly was thinking it was difficult to remember the girl had been brought up in a castle. She seemed to have adapted well to her changed circumstances.

‘I'll write down the two recipes we talked about,' Polly said. ‘They're Josh's favourites and I'm sure ye'll make them well enough if ye follow the instructions.'

‘That's a sure sign you've found favour with my mother,' Josh assured her with a grin as they left the cottage to walk back to Home Farm.

‘Do you think she is expecting I shall entertain you at the flat now she's given me your favourite recipes?' Charlotte asked.

‘Maybe she is. Will you? Invite me for a meal, I mean?'

‘Would you come if I did?' Charlotte asked.

‘Of course I would.' Josh put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. Charlotte did not move away and Polly, watching from the window, gave a satisfied little nod. She hoped to see Josh married before she died. It wasn't normal for a Pringle man to remain a bachelor all his life, and Joe and Libby were right, Charlotte Crainby seemed to be a decent, caring girl and she was not responsible for her mother's evil deeds. Now that Polly had come round to this way of thinking she wanted to give the pair of them a push and tell them to get on with things. She knew Josh was conscious of the difference in their ages, and of his humble background but she was convinced neither of these things mattered to Charlotte, and at thirty-seven it was time Josh got on with life. Charlotte seemed so unsure of herself, not at all like her Crainby ancestors. Polly decided Josh would be good for her.

Mimi and Lachie had both qualified for the Academy. Peter had settled into farming as though he had been brought up to it. He enjoyed every minute. He didn't mind the cold, dark mornings of winter, or the heavy work of mucking out the byres, but he was looking forward to spring and helping with the lambing at High Bowie. He was developing a preference for sheep rather than cattle and this pleased Willie.

Charlotte found teaching a large class of eight-year-olds difficult and exhausting but Josh had become a regular visitor to her flat since she was no longer one of his students, and she found his support invaluable. She trusted Josh as she had never trusted anyone before and she began to rely on him and look forward to his visits. Sometimes he drove her out of the city to a country inn for a meal.

‘You'll feel as though you have been teaching all your life by the time Christmas comes,' he told her during the first difficult weeks.

‘I don't think I could have continued without your encouragement,' she said as they drove down to Home Farm together at the start of the Christmas holidays.

The extension to Langmune Farmhouse was almost complete and Victoria insisted she would make Christmas dinner for all the family.

‘We have so many nursemaids for Molly she's getting spoiled,' she laughed, ‘and Julie Dunlop is a treasure. We shall celebrate Christmas and the completion of our house,' Victoria smiled. ‘I never thought I should see Langmune restored to its former glory but it's beautiful now. Andrew, I think Mr Rennie and Miss Traill would have approved.' She reached up to kiss his cheek. ‘You're a good husband.'

‘It's a good thing we made the doors as wide as the old castle doors or I'd never get my head through,' Andrew chuckled.  

Peter received a Christmas card from Cathy which she had made herself, but he did not hear anything from Dinah, nor from Deane Sterling. He looked forward to getting Cathy's letters but he was becoming more interested in the progress of Mimi and Lachie than in his sister Dinah's achievements. Mimi was finding the Academy rather daunting with all the moving from room to room for different classes, carrying books, and travelling on the bus. She was often exhausted at the end of the day. Lachie, on the other hand, thrived on the stimulation and the variety of subjects.

‘Lachie is clever,' Mimi confided to Peter. ‘He loves science and I can't keep up with him.'

‘Don't worry, Mimi,' Peter said. He hated to see the shadows in her big blue eyes. ‘I'll come over each weekend and explain things if you tell me what you're doing. I liked science when I was at school but I had to work hard at French.'

‘Oh, that's like Lachie. I like French and I love my English teacher.' Peter smiled down at her eager, expressive face and he was pleased to see the sparkle back in her eyes. It seemed a long time since he'd left school and yet it was no time at all. He kept his promise and each weekend he went over to High Bowie and helped Mimi get to grips with her science projects.

He had moved back into his new bedroom at Langmune and he now owned a decent bicycle, almost as good as the one his stepfather had sold. He loved being able to explore the surrounding countryside. Everything was new to him and sometimes he cycled for miles on his free weekend. One weekend, in search of shade, he was cycling along a track in a large wood when he came upon an elderly man who had taken a tumble from his horse. Peter suspected he was trespassing on private property but he couldn't leave the man lying there. Peter crouched beside him, noting the beads of sweat on his brow.

‘You must be in pain? Can I help you?'

‘It was my damned horse. Shied at a blasted rabbit …' He was holding his thigh and trying to sit up. Peter helped him to a sitting position and dragged a small log nearer as a back rest. ‘Think I've broken my leg …' the man wheezed.

‘I'll fetch help,' Peter said. ‘Can you tell me where we are? I've lost my bearings.' The man eyed him quizzically in spite of his pain.

‘You're not from this area, are you? What's your name?' Peter told him and explained that he was living at Langmune with his aunt and uncle prior to going to college. The man nodded, interest and pain vying with each other on his ruddy face.

‘If you take the right fork about twenty yards ahead and keep straight on it will bring you to Croston House. My name is Gerald. Ask for Mrs Phillips, the housekeeper. Explain what's happened and where to find me. She'll organise some help.'

Peter followed the man's instructions and gave the message to the housekeeper, but he returned to the man and waited with him until help arrived, answering his questions to try and take his mind off his injuries. Later he recounted his adventure during the meal at Langmune. Andrew's eyes opened wide and then he began to smile.

‘It sounds as though you rescued Sir Gerald Croston. He owns the Croston Estate.'

‘Oh my goodness!' Peter exclaimed. ‘No wonder the housekeeper gave me a strange look when I told her I had found Mr Gerald. She said Mr Gerald was away abroad. I had difficulty convincing her that the man was injured and needed help. That's why I went back to stay with him.'

‘The housekeeper would be thinking of Sir Gerald Croston's son. I believe he is called Gerald too.'

‘I see …' Peter nodded but he thought no more about it.  

Occasionally Fraser accompanied Peter on his rides. The two got on well together and they both enjoyed the Young Farmers' Club meetings. The other members often joked about Peter's low scores in the stock judging competitions but he never took offence.

He listened, asked questions, and watched. His scores improved. Willie told him he was getting an eye for a good beast, at least as far as sheep were concerned. Libby coached him in the finer points of a good dairy cow until he could at least hold his own with Fraser, who was a reasonable judge if not the best. Peter had set himself to work for two years before going to college in order to earn enough money, but he was enjoying the work and he knew the practical experience would be valuable when he had to look for a permanent job away from Langmune. He told no one of his dream to have animals himself one day, however small his farm had to be.   

Charlotte's probationary year in teaching drew to a close. She had applied for, and been appointed to a job in Glasgow, starting in September nineteen fifty-nine. It was near enough for her to travel from her flat and she hoped Josh's visits would continue, and maybe become more frequent. They often travelled down to Darlonachie together and she knew Polly had accepted her as Josh's friend but she still sensed a restraint in him. She knew the reason but she didn't know how to put things right or move them on. They had reached a crossroads.

Libby was sure Charlotte loved Josh. Like her grandmother she was impatient for their relationship to progress. She had found true happiness with Billy. She knew beyond doubt that he loved her and that their love had helped him banish most of the shadows of his earlier life. Maybe Uncle Josh would do the same for Charlotte.

‘Now that you're a qualified teacher, Charlotte,' Libby began hesitantly, ‘Do you think … I mean you do still see a lot of Uncle Josh when you are both in Glasgow, don't you?'

‘Yes, I do. He has been a real help and a true friend,' Charlotte nodded.

‘A-a friend? Is that all he is?' She couldn't hide her disappointment. The two of them were preparing vegetables for lunch and Libby glanced sideways and saw the pink in Charlotte's cheeks, the wistful look in her eyes, and the way she chewed at her lower lip.