Auld Acquaintance

by Ruth Hay

“I doubt that Anna!” Andrew laughed aloud. “I’ve seen you with a group of our teen readers around you. What was that series they were all talking about; Scott Westerfeld,

  an Australian author?”

  “Well, now my secret’s out, Andrew. I only come here to get advance notice on the next hot authors!”

  “Perfect match, then, so just keep coming Anna”.

  The rest of the day was a blur of conferencing with Tony on the colour ads while Anna proofed the text and made adjustments to the script to suit different media, all the while watching the main desk for library patrons who expected her to recommend titles each time they visited. It was 6:00pm before Anna realized the time and made a hurried exit.

  She wanted to get home and make some last minute preparations before the Samba group arrived.

  Luckily the traffic was lighter than usual, and by 6:30 she was unlocking her apartment door when a familiar voice hailed her from the direction of the elevator.

  “Miss Mason, I’m glad I caught you!”

  “Oh, Joseph, don’t rush like that. Remember your asthma. Please take your time!”

  “No worries, Miss M. I just wanted you to get this as soon as possible. It’s an Express package. I had to sign for it or they would have returned it to the main office and goodness knows when you would have seen it again. I thought it might be something important.”

  “Thank you so much, Joseph. I’ll just take the package inside. My lady friends are arriving shortly, so if you see them at the door downstairs just let them in for me, will you?”

  “Sure thing Miss M. It’ll be that nice bunch of ladies who make you laugh, I suppose?”

  “That’s right. We’ll probably have some food for you later, if you want it.”

  “Always welcome! Always welcome for an old widower like me”.

  “See you later then, Joseph”.

  Anna turned away deliberately so that the apartment manager would get the message that she was not about to reveal the contents of her mail delivery.

  She saw Joseph move slowly towards the elevator, glancing back in case she was overcome with the same curiosity that drove him. He told his residents that it was concern for them that made him want to know what was going on in their lives.

  Most of Joseph’s renters understood it was a way to fill the lonely hours since his wife had died, although on one occasion he had prevented a robbery by knowing the consistent habits of an older couple who had been staying with family when a stranger arrived with a key to their apartment and began moving furniture into a van.

  Anna kicked off her shoes inside the door and leaned back to close it behind her while scanning the Express envelope. The name was correct at least, although she could not imagine who would be sending her urgent material.

  Turning the package over, she was astonished to see the sender’s name and address.

  It was the same solicitor in Scotland who had sent the original letter informing her about the legacy.

  Anna had put the entire incident out of her mind after her previous reaction to the very thought of the responsibility of disposing of a property gifted by a stranger.

  Now, at the worst possible moment, the entire situation was looming again.

  I am not going to deal with this right now, she told herself. The girls will be here any minute and Susan will know what to do. I’ll wait till they arrive and then we’ll see what’s in this package and what, if anything, can be done about it.

  Anna put the package on her dressing table in the bedroom and went out again, shutting the door firmly behind her.

  “Out of sight; out of mind,” she murmured with a grin. “Now that’s an old saying that is both practical and easy to understand. My mother would approve.”

  Chapter Four

  Anna opened her apartment door to a gaggle of chatter and laughter. Maria had evidently regaled the group in the elevator with another anecdote from the bottomless reservoir of funny incidents provided by her large Italian family.

  Anna caught the tag line, “....and then he dumped the entire bucket of mortar on the garden path and the aunts had to put the brick wall together by themselves or have a solid heap of cement lying there forever!”

  The volume of laughter rose again as Maria shrugged expressively and Alina collapsed in giggles.

  “Hush up!” whispered Susan. “The entire floor will be out of their doors in a minute to see what the fuss is. See! Anna’s heard the commotion already.”

  “Get in here you crazy women,” exclaimed Anna, hustling them inside and collecting coats, boots, dishes and hugs as they trooped in.

  “It’s so good to see you all. What happens to us in winter? We never seem to have time to get together.”

  “Must be the weather, Anna,” responded Alina with a special smile for her best friend. “We do talk to each other but the thought of venturing out after dark is not appealing to me, even for you guys.”

  “Cut the cackle you two,” interrupted Bev, “the smell of this lasagna has been driving me crazy all the way here. I am so busy at the computer this month that I never cook a decent meal and my boys are useless in the kitchen despite my best efforts to encourage them.”

  “Don’t complain. That’s what keeps you so slim!” Anna hugged Bev affectionately and ruffled her short, dark, curly, hair before announcing to the group,

  “There’s salad and bread sticks on the table and wine for those who aren’t driving.

  Help yourselves to plates and glasses, buffet style, and sit wherever you can.

  I’ll heat up the extra servings and if you are very, very good there will be dessert to follow.”

  “Honestly, Anna,” sighed Susan, “they call me the bossy one, but you have never lost that teacher manner. I’ll bet the library patrons are scared to death of you.”

  “You’ll be the scared one, Susan if you don’t get the sherry trifle. You know it’s your favourite.”

  “Yes, ma’am! I’ll be good.” Susan’s mock humility did not fool anyone.

  “That won’t last long,” chortled Maria and the entire group laughed again.

  * * *

  When dessert and coffee had been circulated and the major part of the gossip shared,

  Susan looked around the group and an expectant hush descended.

  “Anna, you probably realize there’s a hidden agenda tonight. We all want to help you with this business of the inheritance. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve filled the girls in on the basic details.”

  “What details? You must know more than I do then, Susan. I have very little information and very little idea of what to do other than the obvious solution which is to sell the property for as much as I can get and be done with it.”

  “Of course, I know we are treading on thin ice here, Anna. The decision is yours but we are your friends and we want what is best for you. Give us a chance to tell you what we think.”

  “You had better bring me up to date first, Susan. The last I heard, you were not entirely sure about the validity of the offer. What did you discover in such a short time?”

  “Well, the firm of solicitors in Oban is legit, so presumably the offer is also. The real mystery lies in the relationship issue. I did a little digging in the Scottish records of births, deaths and marriages and I might have found a clue, although Jake says it is a fragile link at best.”

  “What sort of clue? This is getting more interesting by the minute.”

  “Pipe down, Maria. Your family has more than enough mysteries to keep you satisfied for decades.”

  The tension broken by shared laughter, Susan resumed her account.

  “As you will know, Anna, your mother’s middle name was Helena. Did your mother ever tell you where the name came from?”

  “No, she never said anything to me about it. It could be a complete coincidence that she had a middle name similar to Helen and that doesn’t explain where the Dunlop surname came from. I certainly never heard that name mentioned at all.”

  �
��It does seem a stretch, but as it was the only connection I could find, I went back another generation to your grandparents to see if there was anything there. Your mother was Marian McLeod and her maiden name was Jarvis, isn’t that right?”

  “I believe so.” Despite herself, Anna’s initial resistance to this invasion of privacy was now morphing into curiosity. Susan certainly knew more about her family now than Anna had ever been told.

  “Your grandmother on your mother’s side was Aileen Jarvis but the records revealed that she had been married once before to a Patrick Knox who died in the influenza epidemic of 1918.”

  “Good heavens, Susan! I had no idea. Was there a child of that marriage? What’s the Wilson/Dunlop connection? Did my mother have a half-sister? Why did I never hear about any of this?”

  There was a collective gasp from three eager listeners as these possibilities were revealed.

  “I can’t answer all your questions, Anna, but at least there’s now a start to finding the answers and your guess is a good one.”

  “Anna, this is so exciting!” breathed Alina, her bright blue eyes sparkling with delight. “Your mother and father were very reserved. I was rather afraid to talk to them on the few occasions I went to your house after school. I never heard any talk about family members or even saw photographs around the place. Is it possible you had relatives in Scotland who would know this Helen Dunlop?”

  “I suppose that’s possible, Alina, but I wouldn’t know where to begin. Susan has uncovered already, so much more than I was aware of, but I do have an old wedding picture and also an Express mail package from Scotland that just arrived tonight and hasn’t yet been opened.”

  All the voices shouted at once, encouraging Anna to get the items and bring another bottle of wine as well.

  “This is better than a movie,” said Bev, “and I still want to hear what you meant Susan when you suggested Anna’s guess might be on target.”

  “Wait till Anna comes back and I will reveal all,” stated Susan in her best spooky voice.

  “Please just remember girls, this is Anna’s life we are messing about in and proceed with caution.” Alina’s anxiety could be clearly heard in her tentative manner.

  “Oh, Alina, you are like a mother hen when it comes to Anna. She’s made of much tougher stuff than you think, despite all the bad luck she has had lately. She’ll take charge when she’s ready to.”

  “Well, I hope you are right about that Maria. I can’t help worrying about her. We have been such good friends for so long and, frankly, I would not want her to leave Canada.”

  “Who’s talking about leaving Canada?” exploded Anna, as she came back into the living room with her arms full. “That’s about the last thing I would want. It’s taken me years to get myself settled in a good job with some savings for the future and good pals to help me spend the money and the time.”

  “Calm down Anna,” soothed Susan. “Pass that bottle around and I’ll get some more coffee. Nobody is making any decisions for you. We wouldn’t even try. Am I right ladies?”

  Laughter broke the tension once more as Anna handed the wedding photograph to Alina and opened the mail package to reveal a letter and an aerial photograph of a small building.

  Bev and Maria crowded around Alina while Anna read the letter first.

  “Who’s in the photo, Alina? Is that Anna’s parents? Would you look at the style of them! That’s a long way from your Theresa’s white crinoline dress. Am I right Maria? How things have changed in the wedding department!”

  Susan took the chance to draw Anna aside and glance over the letter. It was from the solicitor who had contacted Anna just a few days ago.

  * * *

  Dear Ms. Mason,

  As I have not received a reply to my previous letter regarding the estate of my client, Miss Helen Dunlop, I am taking the liberty of sending more information by Express Post Courier.

  Enclosed, please find a recent photograph commissioned by my office, showing the McCaig Estate Farm House property. The boundary lines extend to the foot of the hill to the rear and on the west as far as the line of scots pines. The eastern boundary is several hundred yards beyond the small burn marked by the large boulders.

  I can assure you that the property is without liens and that you, Ms. Mason, are the sole beneficiary other than the sum of money forwarded to a gentleman who I presume to be a male relative of your own.

  My former client, Miss Dunlop, trusted my firm with her affairs for many years and was most insistent that you should be the inheritor of her property despite, as far as I can tell, never having met you.

  I would not wish to place any pressure upon you at this time, Ms. Mason, and I understand the difficulty of making decisions when you reside at such a great distance from Scotland, but I am obliged to request the favour of a reply with respect to your intentions.

  The McCaig Estate Farm House has been unoccupied for some 18 months since the illness of its owner required a move to a local nursing home and I fear the empty buildings may be an invitation to some unscrupulous persons.

  I await your response, and reaffirm the willingness of our solicitors to act as your representatives in Scotland should you so decide.

  Sincerely,

  George L. McLennan

  Thomson McLennan and Baines

  121 George Street

  Oban

  Argyll and Bute PA56 8SE

  Scotland.

  Phone: 01631 5632280 | Fax: 01631 563 2281

  Email: www.tmboban.com

  Anna’s gaze was fixed firmly on the photograph of the farm while Susan re-read the letter. The buzz of talk from the rest of the Sambas faded as she saw for the first time the property that lay at the heart of the decision she had to make.

  There were the boundaries mentioned in the lawyer’s letter and Anna could see clearly how green and luscious the land looked with grass or shrubs ascending almost to the top of the hill that seemed to shelter the little house far below.

  What remained an unknown quantity, was the farm house itself. The roof could be seen from the air and possibly a chimney but any detail of the house was obscured by the roof’s overhang. Similarly lacking in detail, was a shed or outbuilding to the east and stones near the stream, if that was what the letter named as a burn. There might have been a fence or wall around the house, enclosing a green area but at this point Anna realised she was guessing wildly.

  What was for sure, was the sudden attraction she felt for this unknown place, out on its own, with no road or hydro poles in view. At the same time, her practical side told her she was being a romantic fool. Didn’t her father always say, ‘Never buy a pig in a poke,’ whatever that meant, but it certainly indicated caution until you knew all the facts and factors involved. Anna was too long in the tooth to let foolish notions guide her decisions.

  “Anna, let’s see the photograph!” Alina was tugging on Anna’s arm and still holding the old wedding photo in her other hand. “But, first, see if you agree with me about the wedding party here. I think it’s your Mum and Dad alright because I can see the resemblance. The girls disagree with me but they didn’t know you when you were younger like I did. What do you say?”

  Anna dragged her attention back to her living room and the eager faces of her friends.

  “Yes. Well, I do think it’s my parents but I just don’t recognise the other two.”

  “You know,” Maria said thoughtfully, “it’s a crying shame people don’t write the dates and names on photographs. It would make life much easier for the next generation.

  I have a stack of old family photos from Italy, and God knows where else, and hardly a clue who is who. The first thing I do this weekend is start labelling a whole box full of the Canadian family’s pictures and send them off to everyone and see if it sets off a chain reaction.”

  “You’re crazy Maria!” laughed Bev. “No one has print pictures any more. It’s all digital now and who knows how long they will last. The best you can get is a d
ate on them. Anna, just ignore Maria and let’s see the colour photograph.”

  Anna handed over the photograph almost reluctantly and heard the gasps and exclamations of delight from the group.

  “It’s a country estate, Anna!”

  “You lucky dog! I’d give my right arm for a place in the country. I could run away and my boys would never find me.”

  “As if you would, Bev. Anyway, the boys would track you down as soon as they got hungry!”

  “Now that’s the honest truth!” agreed Bev, with a deep chuckle. “Doesn’t it look peaceful, though? I wonder how far it is from a town or even a road?”

  “Get real, all of you.” Susan’s practical manner brought them all back to reality with a bump. “Stop dreaming! It’s only our winter weather that’s got you all drooling.

  You know what they say; Britain is green for a reason. That’s because it rains there a lot. You can’t tell a thing from this angle. It could be a swamp. In any case, this is Anna’s decision so back off and let the girl think.”

  “Probably a good idea, Susan. Truthfully, my head is spinning. I do need time to think about this and get back to the solicitor before he sends out the army. I want to call Simon as well.”

  “Right! We are out of here. Call me tomorrow afternoon Anna. I have a doctor’s appointment with Jake in the morning.”

  Susan’s statement was a signal to everyone. As the tallest among them, she commanded attention just by standing up and smoothing her skirt with the elegant, capable hands that were her best feature.

  In a trice, the apartment was emptied leaving a cleared table, plumped up cushions,

  lasagna in the fridge and very few dirty dishes in the kitchen. Susan was a master organizer but the Sambas all knew their roles on occasions like this. Nevertheless, despite the rapid exit, Anna was left with kisses and promises of help with anything she might need, from coffee to consolation.

  It is too late in the day to be thinking of any of this, thought Anna with a yawn. I need to sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning light. That is, if I can sleep at all after all this excitement.