by Ruth Hay
If she moved away from the window, she could not hear the builders at all.
She sat on the bed from where Lawren’s masterpiece was best viewed.
Oh, my darling Lawren. So much has changed and is changing.
This room here with you is like the calm eye in a storm of change.
Soon Ashley and Edmund will be in charge of our home but we can be secure in the knowledge that Ashley already knows, respects and loves the house.
I hope to return here again, my love, if strength is given to me to do so.
* * *
With these comforting thoughts she drifted off to sleep. She knew there was much happening elsewhere in Oban but, for now, she was content to reserve her energy for the travel back to Canada.
She had already spoken to Fiona and asked to be excused from participating in the Summer Festival.
Fiona’s answer was couched in terms of relief.
“Dear Anna, I think you are being very sensible. It will be crazy town at Glenmorie on the day. I am worried about being overwhelmed and I would be devastated if anything happened to you while I was not watching.
Gordon says I am worrying for nothing. He thinks everything is in place and in perfect order. That is because I have concealed a great many of the planning problems from him. It’s my own fault. The imponderables are the items that keep me awake at night.
Weather. Vehicle breakdowns. Injuries. No one turning up.”
“Stop right there Fiona Campbell! I know this is a major undertaking but I also know you are more than capable of making the day a huge success. You have an army of friends and helpers all of whom will work with you.
You have sold dozens of tickets to events ahead of time. You have two starring items new to most everyone in Oban; the Viking discovery site and the oak circle, and the Net Zero, Eco/Meco house in the forest. Those two alone, guarantee success, not to mention the castle teas, the displays, the competitions, the book signing, the special prices for A Plus goods. I could go on and on.”
Fiona’s laughter rang out.
“Well, you have not only convinced me, Anna Mason Drake, you have given me back my confidence. Fergus and Shona are primed to go and Gordon will shine. Anything to do with the estate makes him glow with pride, and rightly so.”
“Good! When you have recovered, Fiona, please come to me and tell me all about it. I have made a similar request of Bev, and Jeanette and Ashley, of course, so I will have an excellent mental picture of the day to take with me back to Canada. Alina and Philip will be anxious to hear everything.”
“I will save several copies of the Oban Times for you. They are sending a team of reporters to do a whole issue on our first Summer Festival.
Fingers crossed for great weather, Anna!
Take care.”
Anna was not the only person in the region praying for good weather.
Many early risers were looking out of their windows before first light, searching the skies for the danger signs of huge banks of clouds or high winds.
By nine o’clock the sun was drifting through light cloud and the forecasters promised settled weather for all of Saturday.
The builders were taking the day off and Anna decided to calm her Summer Festival nerves by packing her one case.
She and Ashley and Edmund were scheduled to fly from Glasgow to Halifax in eight days so there was still plenty of time for packing, but Anna had a list and this was one thing she could check off now.
She went to the cedar closet at the head of the stairs and unlocked the door, leaving the key in the lock.
The scent of trees and memories was almost overwhelming.
This was where Ashley unearthed Lawren’s sketches. This was where Anna’s cool weather clothes and blankets were stored, safe from moths.
The few items left from Helen Dunlop’s era were already residing on a shelf. Anna had prepared a note for Ashley so she would know these cups and plates, tablecloths and souvenirs were to be treasured.
The one window was set in the eaves. The only way to see out of it was on bended knees. When all her heavier clothing items had been brought inside and stored in boxes and chests, Anna knelt on a foam pillow, resting her arms on the middle part of the window frame and looking out across the fields.
There was nothing in the view that she had not seen many times before, but this tiny room was the place in the house where Helen Dunlop, a woman she had never met in life, somehow became most real to her. She imagined Helen feeling safe here, enclosed by the walls and with a door that could be secured from inside. From all that Anna had gleaned about Helen’s tragic times, she might well have longed for this kind of safety. It was equivalent to the outdoor inaccessibility represented by the thinking rock high above on the hilltop. No one could approach without being seen. No one could find her if she preferred to remain silent and secure with her long-held secrets forever intact.
A part of Anna wept for that lonely woman. Somehow, at the end of her life Helen had reached across an ocean and found a female relative to whom she gave the great and free gift of property.
Helen knew little to nothing about that Anna Mason. What she did know, and knew it well, was the value to a woman of home ownership. Legal documents declaring sole ownership were Helen’s true treasure. She had roamed for years around Scotland under the sway of different men who used and abused her. This roof over her head had possibly been obtained by dubious means, but it made her safe and that was what she offered to Anna and what Anna had rejoiced in ever since the first doubt-filled days had passed.
Many years ago, Helen! Many happy years here. Many voices loving this place you gave me and which will now be passed into the capable hands of another woman, of another generation of our family, just as you would have wished. I hope you approve of the changes, my dear. I believe they are in the same spirit in which you sought me out and gave to me a secure future.
* * *
Anna remained thinking and wondering about the great circle of life until her knees began to complain.
When she went downstairs again to the kitchen she was surprised to see the afternoon was almost over and the weather still held. The Summer Festival would be winding down now. She fervently hoped all went well for Fiona.
Anna did not have to wait long. Bev was the first to call by the time dusk was settling in.
“Just had to tell you! It was a roaring success. The catering worked out beautifully and we had very little left over. Yes, there were a lot of local people there in support of Fiona and Gordon but many visitors also, and they will spread the word for sure. Fiona told me to set aside time tomorrow for a debriefing review of all we need to learn before the memories fade, so you can take it she thinks it was worth repeating.
Fiona was a whirlwind but as calm as I have ever seen her. The children were amazing. Everyone was so impressed with them. Neil held court with Marie in the Eco house and giggled happily every time his father brought another batch of visitors to see the mechanical room.
Cameron arranged parking and welcomed the crowd at the castle entrance. Donald was in charge of the forecourt where most of the local produce and marketing stands were set up. Ashley signed dozens of books, by the way.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Anna! Shona made a recording at school. It was like a time clock of all the events and the places to assemble for them. The recording was played over a loudspeaker, and really helped to direct people. That girl has a lovely speaking voice. She reminds me more, and more, of her mother as a young girl. Remember her, with her ponytail flying as she rushed from one job to another?”
Bev’s descriptions helped Anna to see the whole event more clearly but she was not sorry she had decided to stay away from all the excitement.
It was enough that she was invited to Jeanette’s in the next week to have supper with Valerie Westwood who was staying with Jean once her party from Canada went on to a Round- Britain cruise. Valerie would join them again in Southampton for the flight home.
In a few more days, Zoe and her family would arrive at the McCaig Estate House. They had spent extra time with Zoe’s father, Michael, as he was not too well and Isobel was not much better. They were apologetic on the phone about missing the festival at the castle but Anna told them not to worry. There was always next year.
Anna invited the little family to stay on in her house as long as they wished. She suspected the Glasgow visit had created much discussion about home care or other choices for the two elders. With peace around them, Zoe and Wesley could make decisions and return to Glasgow on their way home if needed. She suspected Wesley would be interested in the building work at the McCaig Estate House as he had gone through extensive construction when Dunstan’s Close was remodelled.
* * *
It would be the end of Anna’s solitary days in her home. The time was fast approaching for her to travel to Canada with Ashley and Edmund.
It had been a sweet time of reflection. A time of remembering and appreciating all the good things, and all the great people in her life.
She was ready for the journey home to her other life in Canada. She knew she was blessed in so many ways. She took with her enough memories to see her, Alina and Philip, through whatever the Canadian winter could throw at them.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“What shall we do about Christmas?”
Gordon looked up from adding more wood to the fire. He and Fiona were relaxing with a glass of wine. The children were all in bed, if not all asleep. The wind was blowing snow crystals against the glass of the house’s windows and all was well with the world, or so he thought until his wife introduced the subject of Christmas.
He went back to his place on the couch where Fiona was sitting, wrapped in a wool shawl with her feet up and looking pleasantly sleepy.
“Sweetheart! Are you mad? We are doing nothing at all about Christmas this year. I am still recovering from that Summer Festival extravaganza you lured me into. Oh, now don’t start! I know it made good profits for the estate coffers but it was an enormous amount of time and work for all of us.
Don’t you think we deserve a quiet, family day, just the five of us together here?
Remember, my darling wife, we still have the Jansen wedding in the castle in a week or two.”
“Oh, that’s a small affair, nothing to worry about. It’s all organized already. Ashley brought her wedding dress home when she returned from Canada. She’s been ready for months.”
Fiona shuffled around on the couch so that her husband could snuggle into her back and rest his chin on her head.
“Are you turning into a business tycoon, Fiona Campbell, always searching for another opportunity to capitalize on our estate’s advantages? I am not sure that is what I expected when we married.”
Fiona thrust a well-placed elbow backward into her husband’s side and ignored his cry of surprise.
“Are you suggesting that would be a bad thing, Gordon Campbell, Laird of Glenmorie? We have three growing children to support, in addition to everything else around here.”
“I know! I know! I am only teasing you.”
“Well, you know how I feel about teasing. You hear me telling the children often enough.”
“I do. I apologize. You know I truly believe you are a Scottish version of Wonder Woman.”
He accompanied the compliment with a rain of kisses on her neck that worked well to calm her down again. The fire crackled for a few minutes without any more said by either Campbell.
“I’ve been thinking,” said Gordon. He was not sure if Fiona had succumbed to sleep so he spoke quietly.
“In the spring, we could take a family trip to the Borders to visit my mother and my sisters and all their broods of girls. They think you are amazing for producing the first boys in a generation and they all want to see Fergus and Neil, as well as Shona, of course!
What do you think, Wonder Woman?”
Fiona was indeed drifting off to sleep and she pretended she had not heard this plan. It was not a useful strategy to give a man, even one as magnificent as Gordon Campbell, everything he asked for at the first asking. If she were to agree to entering the Borders Country’s lions’ den, she would require some concessions. This would need some thinking about.
But not now.
Definitely, not now with the peace of the countryside around them, the children asleep, the fire burning brightly and all well with the world as far as she could see.
Fiona of Glenmorie knew better than to disturb a perfect moment with thoughts of the future.
Afterword
Prime Time was my first series. I was hoping to find readers in the prime of their lives with time to read captivating stories, set in real-life locations and featuring women you would like to get to know.
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Anna Mason is that woman. She is at a crossroads in her life when she gets a chance to take a new direction and travel to Scotland with the encouragement of her group of faithful friends.
This series is now eight full books and Anna is still going strong with adventures that will transport you to places you might never expect. You will fall in love with Anna, as I have.
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Read Ruth’s other series, Seafarers, Seven Days, Home Sweet Home, Journey of a Lifetime and Starscopes at retailers everywhere.
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Also read Borderlines a stand-alone thriller.
www.ruthhay.com
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Also by Ruth Hay
Prime Time Series
Auld Acquaintance
Time Out of Mind
Now or Never
Sand in the Wind
With This Ring
The Seas Between Us
Return to Oban: Anna’s Next Chapter
Fiona of Glenmorie
* * *
Seafarers Series
Sea Changes
Sea Tides
Gwen’s Gentleman
Gwen’s Choice
* * *
Seven Days Series
Seven Days There
Seven Days Back
Seven Days Beyond
Seven Days Away
Seven Days Horizons
Seven Days Destinations
Borderlines (Standalone)
Borderlines
* * *
Home Sweet Home Series
Harmony House
Fantasy House
Remedy House
Affinity House
Memory House
* * *
Journey of a Lifetime Series
Auralie
Nadine
Mariette
Rosalind
* * *
Starscopes Series
Starscopes: Winter
Starscopes: Spring
Starscopes: Summer
Starscopes: Fall
