by Ruth Hay
Ashley dared not move from the flimsy chair at the table. She wanted to throw herself into Edmund’s arms but that move would upend the table and all his lovely preparations would be ruined.
She simply poured the wine and rejoiced at her fiancé’s good news.
The rest of what made this an exceptional day in their lives, would wait until later when they were alone and the real celebrating could start in earnest with the beginning of their brilliant future.
Chapter Twenty-Five
When the news that Alina and her husband were living at Anna’s filtered down to Rena and Steve, it took a day or two for Rena to realize she had a chance to find out if Philp had news from the Greek island of Paros where her father was now living with his extended family.
There was a tangled set of family relationships involved, including Caroline Fenton’s grandmother, Lynn, who was married to Stavros, one of Rena’s uncles. Philip had designed the beach house for Stavros and he might have more recent information about how things were going on the island. Rena’s father, Dimitri, was not into smart phones or much in the way of technology, and although she wrote to him frequently, replies were few and far between.
She called Anna and explained her problem.
“I have not met your brother, Anna. Could you possibly ask him to call me some evening, but only if he has any news from Greece. It’s a month or more since I heard from my Papa and I do worry about him.”
“Of course, I will, Rena. Please pass on my thanks to your husband for helping Edmund get the new assistant doctor. I believe he will arrive soon. That will make a huge difference in Ashley and Edmund’s lives.”
“Steve was glad to be able to help. Since we arrived in Oban we have had so much assistance and advice. It’s a relief to be able to give back something in return.”
“So, everything is going well for you two? Are you considering staying in Scotland?”
“Well, we are already involved in so much it would be difficult to extricate ourselves. Truthfully, our life in England is growing dim by comparison, but Steve still has family there and I have good friends.
I believe the decision will be made soon as the rental of the house in Sussex comes to an end before too long.”
“I see. Lots to think about, Rena. There’s always a lot happening in Oban as I am sure you have discovered.”
“You are so right, Anna. I admit I thought it was a small and sleepy holiday town when we first arrived but now I know better. This place is a hive of activity and with a substantial group of Canadians also!”
“Indeed it is! I will let Philip know about your concern and one or other of us will call you.”
* * *
Philip was surprised to hear about the call from Rena Collins.
“Do you know, Anna, the older I get the more everything in my life connects up in the most amazing ways. I never expected to hear about Paros from someone in Oban and now you tell me Caroline Fenton, Lynn and Stavros’ granddaughter, was living here a short time ago. As it happens, I did talk to Stavros before I left Egypt. He had some concerns about storm damage to the flat roof of their beach house and in the course of our conversation he mentioned the Kyriakos family who are doing well even in the slumping economy of Greece. They are a large family group on Paros and they cater to the needs of tourists and also to the island’s residents. Stavros says they are always happy and positive about life. You can’t ask more than that.”
“I believe you are right, Philip. Give Rena a call and relieve her mind.
By the way, I noticed Alina got a letter from the London doctor who performed her eye surgery. Has she shown it to you?”
Philip shuffled his drawings together on the kitchen table and Anna was immediately alarmed. This was a delaying tactic. Perhaps the news from London was not good. It was unlike Alina to keep information from Anna.
“We did not want to burden you with this just yet Anna. Everything is going so well here and the news is a bit of downer.”
“Oh, Philip tell me, right now! Tell me there is not a problem with Alina’s eyes.”
She clasped her hands together and held them up to her mouth in anguish. After all the time spent and the good results, surely nothing could go wrong now?”
Philip caught her hands and lowered them. “It’s not bad news. The doctor is very pleased with Alina’s progress. He sent a list of things to be avoided in the next few months until the eyes have settled into their new mode of sight. One of the items on the list was about the danger of flying long distances with the inevitable cabin pressures variations.”
“What does that mean? It isn’t too bad, is it?”
“No. Not at all. As long as we stay off planes.”
“I see the problem now. How will we get back to Canada?”
“I have been giving that a bit of thought. I think I should take Alina on a cruise.”
“Oh, of course, Philip! You two need a restful holiday together after all you have been through.
It’s a wonderful idea. Don’t be concerned about me. I have another idea for myself and I need to be here for some months yet.”
“I haven’t made a booking but I think I would like to take Alina on a cruise around the British Isles and then connect to a transatlantic cruise to Canada. From the east coast of Canada we could travel by train home to Ontario in slow stages.
Of course, Anna, we will not leave until the foundations for the extension are completed.”
“That fits in with my plans perfectly Philip, but there is one thing to be organized before you go.”
It was several weeks before Anna’s plan could be finalized.
It involved a number of people.
It required Rena and Steve to be present, so a Sunday was selected to suit them.
Shona asked to be included and along with her came Fiona.
Ashley and Edmund were already making frequent weekend visits to the McCaig Estate House to inspect the building progress and to consult with Philip, so it was simple for Anna to ask Edmund for medical assistance, in the unlikely event of it being required.
When all was in place, and the weather looked like cooperating, the group assembled at Anna’s and fortified with hot drinks and shortbread, they set out on the expedition.
Anna and Alina were inspected first of all, by Steve, who cast his experienced eye over their clothing and particularly their footwear. He insisted on sturdy walking sticks and went ahead to examine the path for possible obstacles.
Philip declined the challenge saying he was saving his strength for gentle strolls along the decks of seagoing vessels.
Anna and Alina, arm in arm, began the ascent at a slow pace with Rena immediately behind them and Fiona and Shona bringing up the rear. At the last minute, Ashley decided to join the party, leaving Edmund behind to keep Philip company.
Fortunately, Edmund’s medical expertise was not required as, with Steve clearing their way and Rena guarding their progress, the climb to the top of Helen’s Hill was accomplished slowly and successfully.
Shona quickly activated her detector and began to scan the hilltop for hidden treasure. Her experience with Fergus had given her the notion that high places were like to be the most productive sites in which to search and she did not intend to miss this opportunity.
Fiona went along a few paces behind her daughter but she turned around frequently to see if Anna and Alina were sitting safely on Helen Dunlop’s thinking rock. Steve and Rena promised to return in thirty minutes and took off at a blistering pace to examine the views from all the peaks they could reach in that time frame.
Ashley was content to take up a sitting position from where she could look down at the outline of the McCaig House extension and dream of the time she and Edmund would be moving from one room to another in the generously-sized spaces Philip had designed for them. She noticed a deep channel leading from the garage to the rear garden and wondered if this was where the future power generator was to feed solar and supplementary power to th
e new extension. It was so exciting to see their future home grow by stages each weekend. Napier Builders were working furiously to get the work done as soon as possible. Mr. Napier’s wife was one of Edmund’s patients and she was, reputedly, constantly encouraging her husband to work harder as Dr. Jansen was ‘The only doctor who ever helped my fibromyalgia and I need him to stay!’
Behind Ashley, Anna and Alina sat on cushions from Fiona’s backpack and marvelled at the views all around them.
“Well Alina, is this what you expected?”
“I don’t exactly know what I expected but this is amazing. It feels like I understand for the first time what the phrase ‘bird’s eye view’ really means. It’s an entirely different perspective. There’s nothing approaching this height in London, Ontario. From here the clouds move along and the landscape changes minute by minute as light and shade take their turns. One second of sunlight and a small pond in the distance glimmers like crystal, then disappears into the background again. Anna, the seagulls are flying beneath us! Oh, how I wish I had known about hill climbing when we were young. We could have run along the mountain tops somewhere in Canada far above the world below, just like those Collins’ who are right out of sight already.”
Anna chuckled and felt so pleased she had been able to give Alina this gift. It was like seeing everything through her friend’s new eyes for the first time. Alina was incandescent with joy at what she could now see since her eyesight was restored to her. It was a miracle and Anna was delighted to be a part of it.
They stayed until the clouds grew heavier and a chill wind roared up from below, making the women pull up their jacket collars and find the gloves Steve had insisted on placing in their pockets.
Anna was the first to stand. She spied Rena and Steve trotting along toward them and noticed Shona and her mother approaching from the other side where the mountaintops sloped down toward Bev and Alan’s farm.
It was time to go.
Anna knew from experience the downward descent from Helen’s Hill was, if anything, more difficult than the upward climb. She made Alina walk around the rock to get her circulation going but no one started the journey down until Rena went in front with Shona and Fiona.
“I’ll get the coffee on for you two,” she called back over her shoulder. “I’ll run a hot bath in case there are sore muscles. Ashley brought soup and fresh bread and Fergus sent the first of the raspberries from the greenhouse.”
“We’ll have a feast!” yelled Shona, waving her detector above her head like a flag at the head of a procession.
* * *
It was, indeed, a longer trek downhill before Alina and Anna were able to enjoy the picnic-style feast, but it was worth the effort.
“Thank you everyone for making this day possible,” Anna said, lifting her coffee cup in salute.
Alina looked around the crowded kitchen where even the window seat was fully occupied, causing Sylvia to slink off in disgust.
“I will always have the memory of that view from Helen’s Hill. Perhaps I missed some of it as my sight is not one hundred percent, but Anna filled in the rest for me, as she has always done throughout our lives.
Philip and I are leaving soon on our cruise and I may not see all of you here together again, so let me say now, from the bottom of a grateful heart, how much I cherish each and every one of you, friends and family alike. I leave my dearest Anna in your hands.”
Spontaneous applause met this heartfelt speech and Philip nodded his head in agreement.
It was a grand finale to their time in Oban and he was content to leave the remainder of the extension in the builder’s hands. He did ask for regular photographs to be relayed to his phone, however, and reminded Bill Napier he would be on call during the ten days when the cruise was circling the British Isles, just in case of unforeseen problems.
Chapter Twenty-Six
When Anna referred to an alternative plan for returning to Canada, she meant she was not intending to travel alone. Lifting heavy luggage and struggling along narrow passageways on a plane was not something she wanted to try on her own any more.
Ashley had told her in confidence some weeks before that she wanted to fly to Canada with Edmund in late August so that he could finally meet all her family there.
“You see, Anna, we will most likely have a wedding here in Scotland. I am still leaning toward Glenmorie Castle and Fiona says it can be done once the Summer Festival is over in mid-August. We were thinking a Fall wedding on a small scale.
Gran and Gramps are not fit for the long plane trip, as you know. My mother could come but it isn’t likely she would, as there’s another new guy in her life. I especially would like to show Edmund your place in London, Ontario, so he could get a grasp of where Lawren Drake did his work and see the paintings in your condo and in the London Museum of Art.
After all, we will be custodians of the McCaig Estate one day. It will always be associated with you and Lawren. I want Edmund to understand the significance of that before we take over your house and before we marry.”
“That is a wonderful plan, Ashley. The new wing should be well on its way by then and Edmund’s assistant doctor should be in place so he can manage to escape for a short time to travel with you.
May I add another angle to your plan?”
“Certainly! What do you have in mind?”
“May I go with you? I would like to see Simon and Michelle again on Prince Edward Island and as you two are heading into Ontario anyway, I could come with you, right to my front door, as it were.”
“What a great idea, Aunt Anna! The three of us travelling together will be such fun. Edmund needs to get to know you as more than his former patient, and you can fill in the details for him about Lawren’s life and work that only you will know.”
Ashley was bubbling over with excitement. The walls of the little cottage were resounding to her happy cries.
“When can we go? I can hardly wait!
“Well, Ashley, I want to be here for the Summer Festival. It will be quite a reunion. Valerie Westwood is bringing a select group of tourists from Canada for the event. Zoe and Wesley are coming too, after they stop in Glasgow to see Michael and Isobel. They will stay at the McCaig house with me. It will be lovely to spend time with Zach and little Michelle again.”
“Wonderful! What about letting me organize a children’s party for you? Fiona’s three and Jeanette’s two should meet the little ones.”
“Very thoughtful of you Ash, but perhaps that would be better done at Bev’s. She has the space in the tearoom and the children would enjoy the farm.”
“You are right. Leave that to me. I am happy to be occupied while Edmund is so busy. Goodness! This Summer Festival of Gordon and Fiona’s is off to a great start and after that, the trip to Canada with you and then, in the Fall………..”
The flow of Ashley’s chatter stopped suddenly as a thought struck her.
“No! That won’t work! If we stick to this plan, you, Aunt Anna, will not be at our wedding!”
“So, you have decided on a Fall wedding?”
“Yes. No! How can we do this if you are in Canada? Fiona says we can have a simple affair in the castle similar to our engagement that Christmas. Edmund approves and Christine can be there. But without you it will not seem right. Let me think again.
What about Christmas instead?”
There was a hint of desperation in Ashley’s voice that told Anna just how much her great-niece wanted her to be at her wedding celebration.
“Wait just a minute, my girl. Christmas is too late for me to travel. I need to be back in Canada before then. If we stick to your original plan, I will have plenty of time with you and Edmund when we are travelling across Canada and, after your wedding in the Fall or in December, you two can move into the McCaig House and spend your honeymoon at home alone, settling in. That way, I get to have travel companions, and reach London before the bad weather arrives. It really works best all round. Don’t you think?”
/> Ashley collapsed onto the fireside chair with her arms and legs splayed out in a most unladylike manner reflecting her inner anguish.
For a minute or two all her adult sophistication fled and she looked like the young, insecure girl on a major journalistic assignment, who had so tenderly steered Anna through the painful interview following Lawren’s untimely death.
Anna waited, in the knowledge that, with Ashley Stanton, sense would always prevail.
“I am sorry for behaving like a stubborn child. Of course, you are absolutely right. What’s a wedding day compared to weeks in your company, Aunt Anna? I will have a video made for you and Alina. In time, there will be other videos when the extension is finished and the decorating done.
I can see this has been an incredibly exhausting year for you. Edmund and I will make sure you reach home safely.
For now, I believe you need time to rest peacefully here in Oban, in your house, before it all changes for you.”
Ashley’s prediction was more than accurate. Anna was in her house, alone, but with the builders for company most days and with Bev checking in on her regularly.
“Honestly Bev, I am fine. Apart from making pots of builder-strength tea on an hourly basis, I have all day to myself.
I promise to call instantly if I need you.
Didn’t you say James and Caroline were on their way to you? With the tourist visitors arriving, now school is ended for the summer holidays, you will be especially busy. Don’t bother your head with me. Sylvia and I are enjoying the peace.”
From her upstairs bedroom window, Anna could see the builders at work on the extension. When completed, it would partially obscure her view to the right of the house but with that disadvantage came the benefit of blocking the north wind. In winter the wind often veered toward the house from the northeast, bringing icy drafts with it.
