Today she realised just how real these shadows were to her husband and how they could still destroy the life she had built up with Billy Dawson

Instinctively, Nancy drew back as Billy Donnelly reached across her to protect her from the blow. The knife slashed into his arm before two of the men grabbed Agnes and wrenched the knife from her bloody hand.

For a minute everyone froze before Euan took charge. He blew his police whistle to summon any beat policemen who would be near, pulled a scarf from Annie’s neck and started to apply a tourniquet to try to staunch the flow of blood.

Billy Dawson held a trembling Nancy in his arms as the sound of running boots came closer. Two of Euan’s constables took over the first aid while Euan knelt down beside the collapsed Agnes.

“Can you see to it that Billy and Nancy get to Maryfield Hospital in that car of yours?” he asked Billy. “And stay with them till I get there.”

Billy nodded and looked at Charlie. “Will you be all right to look after things here, Charlie, for Joe’s sake?”

On hearing this, the priest who was holding Charlie’s arm began to guide him back to the graveside. “Your brother needs you now, more than ever,” he whispered, “so let’s see him safely into the ground.”

State of shock

Annie and Josie took Agnes’s three boys back to Annie’s home. They were both in such a state of shock that no one spoke a word and Annie prayed that Nancy’s unborn child would be kept safe in her womb, protected by nature.

Josie took control of the kettle and made sweet tea for everyone. Using her skills as a teacher, she settled the three young boys down, before quietly taking her leave of Annie and the situation.

“I’m sorry this has happened to your family,” she acknowledged sincerely at the door. “I’m sure Mr MacPherson will be back as soon as possible but if there’s anything...”

Annie waved the offer away. “No. Thank you Josie,” she said. “You’ve done more than enough already. Your own daughters will be wondering where you are.”

Their eyes met and both of them felt a stir of jealousy for the other. Over the years Josie had believed Billy’s past was just that and the people in it were no more than mere shadows. But today she realised just how real these shadows actually were to her husband and how, no matter how she tried to deny it, they could still destroy the life she had built up with Billy Dawson.

Within an hour of their arrival at Maryfield Hospital, Billy’s wound had been stitched and the doctor was confident that there was no nerve damage.

Billy was sleeping off the chloroform but would be fine to go home in about an hour or so. On hearing the news, Nancy eventually stopped trembling and some colour returned to her cheeks.

“Are you feeling better, Nancy?” Billy Dawson asked, unsure how deeply to dig into the incident at the cemetery.

“She was right, you know,” Nancy said without prompting, “about me.” “Right?” echoed Billy. Nancy nodded. “I did ‘egg him on’ at times,” she admitted, “just to annoy Agnes, you see. But it didn’t mean anything,” she stressed, “it was just supposed to be funny.”

Billy wasn’t sure how to answer her. Obviously Agnes hadn’t seen the funny side of Nancy’s behaviour, nor did Billy.

Flirted

Perhaps his daughter was more like her mother than he had realised. Mary had flirted with him outrageously that night at the farm, stirring him up until he could hold back no longer.

He’d taken her that night and regretted it bitterly the next day. Annie would never have forgiven him for his weakness, so he had left before any more could happen.

He knew Annie’s feelings for him were love and not lust but when Mary had followed him to Scotland, pregnant with his child, he felt fate had dealt him the cards he deserved.

“What’ll happen to her?” Nancy asked, guilt sitting heavily on her shoulders.

Before he could answer her, Euan MacPherson’s uniformed presence came into the waiting room.

Nancy spoke first. “How is she Sergeant MacPherson? Agnes, I mean.”

“Not good,” said Euan. “She’s been remanded in custody until the Procurator Fiscal deals with it on Monday and now that the fight’s gone out of her, well, she’s just a poor soul, Nancy.”

“She won’t go to jail, will she?” Nancy asked, tension creeping back into her muscles.

Euan MacPherson took a deep breath and sat down on one of the chipped wooden chairs, motioning Billy to include himself into the conversation.

“It’s like this Nancy,” he began, “at worst, what Agnes tried to do was deliberate, what the law calls premeditated. In other words, she planned to kill you and if it hadn’t been for your husband’s intervention, she may very well have succeeded.

“There were plenty of witnesses to her act, so she would be looking at an attempted murder charge and, if found guilty, a long prison sentence.

“At best, she could be charged with grievous bodily harm, if Mr Donnelly decides to press charges and again, with the amount of people who saw what happened, she would be found guilty and face at least five years in prison.”

Hysteria

Nancy’s face paled again. “But she didn’t mean it, I know she didn’t,” she blurted out hysteria whipping through the words. “It was me who caused all this trouble.

“I knew Joe liked me and I took to showing off in front of her, making out I liked him too but...” The words tapered off. “I didn’t mean any of it. Please believe me.”

Beseeching eyes turned from Euan MacPherson to Billy Dawson and back again.

Billy could hardly believe his ears as he heard his daughter’s confession and now a good man had died for the love of her and a good woman was in a jail cell awaiting her punishment.

“What’s to be done, Euan?” Billy asked, drawing him aside and out of earshot from the tearful Nancy. “Well, Billy,” Euan replied, “that’s up to Nancy and, of course, Billy Donnelly.

“Judging by what she’s just said, I doubt if she’ll take things any further and unless Mr Donnelly wants some kind of revenge against Joe Cassiday by condemning Agnes to a life in prison, well...”

(More tomorrow)