The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
I feel better for telling you! It was bound to come out. Let Isa do her worst. She’s a poor soul
It was some time before June realised Sadie must be awake. There were chirruping sounds coming from the pram – and a springy noise, as if someone was rocking the pram handle up and down. “Tam? Is that you?” June laid the brush down carefully and crossed the kitchen to the back door. Outside, holding on to the pram, was Mrs Duncan’s daughter, four-year-old Flora. She was alone.
“Flora! What are you doing here?” June asked the little girl.
“Does your mummy or your granny know where you are?”
Flora shook her head.
“I walked all by myself.”
“Stay there. You can rock the pram again, if you like.”
Inside, June flew to the phone. The estate numbers were on a pad.
As quickly as her fingers would let her, she dialled the farmhouse. No reply. She ran outside again. “Would you like to push the pram, Flora?”
She removed the net, took down the hood and propped up Sadie, gummily smiling, on her pillow.
“Look, Sadie’s pleased to see you,” she said, anxious to hold on to Flora until she delivered her safely back.
Flora steered the pram round to the front of the house and out of the gate.
Interest
Isa was in her front garden, pulling up weeds in a desultory fashion.
She never usually showed much interest in gardening, so it was clearly an excuse to see what was going on.
As June and Flora passed her gate, Isa stood up and put her hand to her back in an exaggerated fashion. “Taking her home?”
June was going to pass by without a word but Flora stopped to beam at Isa.
“I’m pushing the pram!”
“I saw you going past a few minutes ago, you little madam. Did you run away from your granny?” “I wanted to see the baby.”
Just then her mother ran round the corner. “Oh, thank goodness. You little monkey! You’ve given your granny and me a dreadful fright.”
Elizabeth grabbed Flora and hugged her. “You must never, never do that again. Promise?”
“A good spanking, that’s what she needs,” Isa put in.
June could see Elizabeth literally biting her lip in an effort not to retort.
“Come into the house, Mrs Duncan,” she urged. “I must tell my mother-in-law – ”
“We can phone. She may have gone back home to see if Flora’s there.”
This time Tibbie answered and sounded very thankful when June told her Flora was safe and with her mother.
June took Sadie out of the pram and asked Flora if she’d like to hold her. But her mother frowned.
“Not today, Flora. You’ve been a very naughty girl. I must get back to work – the vet’s here to see Bonnie Boy. At least he was, until he set off to look for you.” Elizabeth looked up.
“Is Isa still there?”
June peered out.
“She must have gone inside.”
“I hope you don’t believe everything she tells you,” Elizabeth begged.
June wouldn’t repeat Isa’s scandalous stories, some of which concerned Mrs Duncan’s own family.
But she wished to alert her to some gossip that Isa would likely be spreading about Tam and herself.
“You may hear some news about us, about Sadie. I’d like to tell you myself, rather than you get Isa’s half-baked version.”
She told Elizabeth briefly about the photograph Isa had seen, that clearly showed June could not be Sadie’s natural mother, and about the baby’s adoption.
Elizabeth gave her a hug.
“If I hear one word about this that I can trace back to Isa, I’ll have something to say to her.”
June shook her head.
“Actually, I feel better for telling you! It was bound to come out. Let Isa do her worst. She’s a poor soul.” “That’s generous of you.”
Elizabeth reached for Flora’s hand.
“I’m sorry you had your morning disrupted. Now, miss, let’s get you home. I can’t imagine what Granny Tib is going to say to you!”
Excited
The house was ready for the second time for the Americans.
Hugh’s postcard had said they were having a wonderful time exploring the Western Isles but were looking forward to being back in Glenmore.
Hugh would be pleased to see them again, Peggy decided, and he’d been excited to hear of the agricultural show this Saturday.
As for Donna, well, Peggy knew what to expect from her this time.
This time, though, Peggy would actually be here when they arrived. She was taking no chances on this visit.
Anything that Donna had vaguely expressed a liking for was on the menu tonight – cold roast chicken, salad and a summer pudding with their own thick cream.
It was all prepared and sitting in the pantry. The jars of raspberry and rhubarb jam she’d made for the SWRI tent at the show were in there, too.
Last year she’d got two third-place prizes. Maybe she’d do better this year.
Ever since Hugh and Donna had left for the islands Colin had talked of nothing but California.
Peggy was torn between not wanting to squash his dreams, and wishing he’d think of the effect his chatter was having on his father.
If Colin left, could Glenmore be farmed by just Alec and Davy?
She didn’t dare ask.
And what would happen when Hugh and Donna went home?
Souvenir
Would Colin ask if he could go with them? She tried to close her mind to the subject.
The bedroom over the porch was tidier than usual now Davy had become attached to the little room downstairs he’d slept in since his accident.
On the bedside cabinet was the book of souvenir postcards of California that Hugh had given Colin.
Peggy picked it up. Blue sky, yellow sun, blue sea, yellow sand. It was all dazzling. And so far away.
Davy, confined to the house during Hugh’s visit, had heard fewer tales of the wonders of America than Colin.
No talk about emigrating from him, Peggy thought thankfully as, downstairs, she pulled back the bedclothes on Davy’s bed. Out fell a piece of paper.
Her first instinct when she saw what was on it was to tell Alec. But he had enough on his plate today, getting ready for the show.
And maybe it didn’t mean Davy was actually thinking about . . . maybe it was just a scrap of paper. She couldn’t ask Davy, it would seem like prying.
She made the bed and replaced the paper under the quilt.
More tomorrow.