Blazing Glen

by Oliver, Marina

  'What a delightful child!'

  'She's the joy of our lives,' Margaret said, and then looked solemn again. 'I was so sorry to hear about your grandmother. She must have been a remarkable lady. Alastair was most impressed with her. He tells me, too, that he promised her to look after you.'

  'Which he has done,' Janet said hastily. 'But I must not trespass on your hospitality for too long. I need to find a position of some sort, to earn my passage to Canada. My brother is waiting there for me to join him.'

  'He had to leave in a hurry,' Margaret said delicately.

  Janet nodded. 'I'd have gone with him, but my grandmother needed me too. He was being hunted by the English soldiers.'

  'Yes. Alastair said something about it.'

  Janet decided she could confide in Margaret. 'He was betrothed to a girl who lived in another glen. He went to visit her, but there was fighting when the people were being evicted. His girl was killed. Iain led the men against the factors and the soldiers, and someone, a man he'd known when we lived in Edinburgh, recognised him. They, the soldiers, came to Strathnavertin search of them. Iain was injured, but they knew who he was, and that he'd probably find his way back to us. They came to find him. He had to go, it was the only way he could escape being put in prison, and probably hanged.'

  'You poor child. Have you heard from him?'

  'One letter, and he knows I will be following him. He has left word in Halifax of where I can find him. But I need to earn the money. What I had was stolen.'

  'So Alastair said. But you don't need to face that dreadful journey, you know. Alastair will look after you.'

  Janet shook her head. 'I couldn't allow it. He's been so kind already. I can't ask more of him. And I must go to join Iain, we only have each other now.''

  'We'll see. Now, are you ready to face the world? I have another guest staying.'

  'This is the best dress I have, it's not fit for company,' Janet protested. 'I had only serviceable gowns for working in while I lived in the glen.'

  'No matter. You still look charming, my dear. Come, we'll go to the drawing room.'

  She led the way swiftly and Janet had to follow. She shrugged. Why should she care how she looked, she would be gone from here as soon as she could obtain some position.

  Margaret entered the drawing room and Janet looked about her in appreciation. It was a large, well-proportioned room, hung with delicate silk wall-coverings in pale green, curtains of a deeper green at the windows, the same shade repeated in the pattern of the cream carpet. The elegant, light furniture which was fashionable, she knew, in London and Edinburgh, was arranged to enhance the space, and some delightful landscapes by someone Janet recognised as a master hung on the walls.

  It was a moment before she realised Margaret was introducing her to a small, very pretty blonde girl a year or so older than herself, who reclined languidly on a claw-footed sofa.

  'Sophia, may I present Janet Mackay, who has had the most incredible adventures escaping from persecution. Janet, this is Sophia Constantine, who was betrothed to Alastair's poor brother, and who lives next door to him in Staffordshire.'

  ***

  Chapter 6

  Sophia smiled at Janet. She really was pretty, with her pink and white complexion and fair hair cut in what Janet thought must be the latest style, a mass of short, frond-like curls.

  'You have been having an utterly abominable time, haven't you? Dear Alastair told us last night. Poor love, he was so upset that he hadn't been able to prevent the theft of your money. He wants to give you the same amount, and you must let him, he can well afford it,' she added hurriedly as Janet began to shake her head. 'I was sorry to hear about your grandmother.'

  'Thank you, but I couldn't possibly accept any money from him. The theft was nothing to do with him,' Janet replied. So this was the girl Alastair would probably marry. She was lovely, and it seemed as though she was goodnatured too. Janet felt a sudden wave of fury towards Alastair, who had treated her with familiarity, hugging and kissing her, when he had this lovely girl waiting for him.

  'Come and sit down and tell me all about what is happening. If you feel you can, that is,' Sophia added, patting the seat beside her.

  Inwardly Janet sighed. She wanted to forget, but she could hardly snub Sophia. As she talked, as briefly and unemotionally as she could, she resolved that she had to leave this household as soon as possible. The difficulty was how. She would not, she suspected, be permitted to roam Glasgow on her own, seeking to become a chambermaid or obtain a similarly lowly position.

  Perhaps Margaret would know of someone needing a companion, or even a governess to a young child. Mentally she began to work out the sort of salary she might expect, and how long it would take her to save enough for her passage. As a chambermaid she could expect tips, and though the work might be harder, she could, if she lived frugally, perhaps save enough to buy her passage by the following summer. As a companion she would be expected to purchase more suitable clothes, and have all sorts of small expenses to maintain her position. She knew of old how these small purchases added up in no time to a large sum, so she would be able to save almost nothing. It would have to be a chambermaid.

  Preoccupied, she talked little, content to listen to Sophia's chatter and Margaret's gossip about their neighbours. Neither of them mentioned Alastair, and Janet wondered where he was, but did not like to ask. Probably he, along with Gordon, had gone to lunch in a coffee house.

  When it was time to dress for dinner, a simple one just for the family, Margaret reassured her, Janet went upstairs. She had no gown into which she could change, but she could tidy her hair and wash her face.

  In her room, however, she found Jeannie with a silk gown in a delicious shade of dove grey.

  'Mistress gave me this for you, and I've been taking in the waist. You're thinner than she is. I hope I've done it properly, I measured it against the gown you were wearing yesterday, and I think it will fit you.'

  'How kind, of your mistress and you, Jeannie. It's a beautiful colour.'

  'Mistress says you ought to be wearing black, but she hasn't anything that would fit you, and this is the best she can do.'

  'It's very kind of her.'

  'It doesn't suit her,' Jeannie confided, 'she has such dark eyes. And she lent you a shawl, too.'

  Soon Janet was ready, and felt odd in her finery. It was so long since she'd worn such gowns. It was plain, but beautifully cut, and she took out her grandmother's cairngorms to wear with it. A stranger might take her for a lady, except for her skin, browned by the sun. Sophia would always wear a sunhat, she thought, to preserve her complexion, and probably sleep with some sort of cream on her face too.

  It was only the family for dinner, for which Janet was thankful. She did not feel ready, yet, for facing the curious eyes of the world, or returning to the sort of social engagements she had once enjoyed with her parents in Edinburgh.

  Sophia, with whom she had sat all day, was different. Janet found her a delightful companion, and her earlier air of lethargy, the languid pose in which Janet had first seen her, had vanished when she found a companion of her own age to entertain and be entertained by.

  It was Alastair who seemed the strangest of them all, Janet found to her surprise. He wore pantaloons and a superbly cut coat of blue, a paler blue embroidered waistcoat, and his cravat was tied in an intricate fashion. Until now she had only seen him in riding dress, and though his coat and breeches had been of the finest quality, they had not been so conspicuous by their excellent cut as were his evening clothes.

  He was alone in the drawing room, and strode across to greet her as she entered, leading her to sit beside him on one of the sofas.

  'How do you feel? Better, I hope?'

  'Thank you, yes. And I did not have time to thank you for escorting me, bringing me here. I will see about finding a position tomorrow, though. I don't wish to be a burden on your friends for too long.'

  'You are no burden, they want to help. And as for t
his ridiculous notion Sophia tells me you have taken into your head, you must forget it. I have said I will look after you.'

  Margaret came in then, and there was time for no more. At dinner the food was delicious, the talk entertaining, since Gordon and Margaret swiftly changed the subject if there was any mention of the Highlands, or lairds, sheep or soldiers. Janet found no opportunity to think about her own plans.

  She found that opportunity when Jeannie, her mouth pursed in disapproval, brought her a note the next morning, when she came in with the breakfast tray.

  'It was handed in at the stables, Miss. I don't know why they could not come to the front door with it like any Christian.'

  Janet did not hear. She was busy unfolding the screw of paper and reading the short note. 'Come and meet me in an hour outside the back gate. I have a job and there is one for you too. Murdo.'

  'How long ago was this handed in, Jeannie? Do you know?'

  'Only a few minutes. Tom, one of the grooms, brought it straight up to the house.'

  'Thank you.'

  Janet thought rapidly as she ate the thin slices of bread and butter, and drank her chocolate. Margaret would want to know where she was going, and might even insist on Jeannie accompanying her. But if she walked in the gardens, surely she'd be able to find the back gate and slip out for a few minutes? If Murdo really did know of a position for her she would think of some scheme to get away from the house while she went to ask for an interview.

  She dressed hurriedly. If she went out now, before Margaret and Sophie would have come downstairs, she could evade them for long enough. The gardens, which she could see from her own window, were new, but they had already been designed with many pergolas and arches and similar features which would help to screen her, even though the plants had not yet grown large or luxuriant.

  Downstairs she saw no one apart from a parlour maid coming from the dining room. Without curiosity the girl directed her to a side door which led through a boot room and into the garden. Janet tried not to look as though she were in a hurry, but headed straight for the nearest archway, turning aside once she was through it, and wending her way towards the wall at the back of the property, trying to keep out of view of the house as much as possible.

  The gate was locked but to her relief the key was still in the lock, and it turned noiselessly. She slipped through. It was far too early, no more than half an hour had elapsed since she received the note, but Murdo was there, lounging against the wall chewing a blade of grass.

  He sprang upright and came towards her. He was still limping slightly, she noticed, but less than before. He grinned, taking both her hands in his and drawing her close. As he bent to kiss her she pulled away, looking anxiously about her, and he laughed a little at what he thought was her modesty.

  'Janet, thank goodness! I thought that supercilious fellow in the stables would probably throw my note away.'

  'He didn't, as you see. You have a position? That was quick. Tell me, what is it? And where?'

  'At one of the big hotels. As an ostler. And they are looking for chambermaids, so if you go quickly you could obtain a position too. It's to live in, so we have no problem with finding lodgings, and as soon as we have found our way about we can be wed.'

  Janet suppressed a sigh. Would he never give up? 'I need to earn some money, Murdo, and I'm grateful to you, but I won't work in the same hotel unless you understand that I have no intention of marrying you. I'm going to Canada. I need the money for my passage.'

  He began to protest, and Janet turned away. As she lifted her hand to the gate Murdo seized her arm in a fierce grip that made her wince and swung her round to face him.

  'Very well, Janet, if that's how you want it. I won't ask you again. You want better than me, no doubt, with your own fine ways. I can't give you what an English gentleman can,' he added bitterly.

  'I don't want that either! Why can't you understand I need to work for myself, not be dependant on a man? Now please let me go, you're hurting my arm.'

  'I'm sorry,' he said, his tone morose. 'Well, if you mean that, and you're not going to become my fine Mr Fenton's doxy, come and take a menial job like the rest of us have to!'

  Janet turned on him in fury. 'I never had any intention of becoming any man's doxy, and you're insulting me to even suggest it, Murdo Mackay!'

  He ignored her anger. 'Can you come straight away to see the housekeeper?'

  'No, I can't leave here without telling Mistress MacBeith, that would be unpardonable. But I'll go as soon as I can. Where is it?'

  He gave her directions, and then they parted. Janet was thankful to have the prospect of a job so quickly, but she wondered whether Murdo would be able to keep his promise. Ought she to risk working so close to him? But the opportunity was too good to miss, and if she did not take advantage of it, it might be weeks before she had another such chance. And she could deal with Murdo.

  She slipped back inside the house without being seen, and went up to her room. She had to devise a way of getting to the hotel, and in the end she decided there was nothing for it but to confide in Margaret. She found her in the boudoir, and without saying she had met Murdo, just that he had sent her a note, she begged permission to go and apply for the job.

  'What's this Murdo to you?' Margaret asked bluntly.

  'No more than a clansman, a cousin. He wants to marry me, he's taken that stupid notion into his head, but all I want is to get to Canada, and with my own money,' she added swiftly. She had no desire to be beholden to either Margaret or Alastair.

  Margaret looked at her for a long minute, then nodded. 'Very well, if that's what you really want. Let me see, you need some small items, so we will take the carriage and go shopping. Sophia will be content to stay at home and entertain Alastair. Can you be ready in ten minutes?

  'Yes, of course, and thank you so much!'

  Margaret had already rung the bell for her maid. 'Off you go then. Ask Jeannie for one of my hats and some gloves.'

  Janet sped to her room and ten minutes later was stepping decorously into the town carriage that Margaret had ordered. A short while later, near the Tolbooth, Margaret halted the carriage and let her alight.

  'Do you know the way? Are you sure? Then I'll meet you back here in an hour. Good luck.'

  Janet smiled at her tremulously. This wasn't how she'd envisaged being in Glasgow. She had come with the intention of spending a week or so while she found a ship, in relative comfort at a decent inn. Now she would exchange the much greater comfort of the Gordon house for a garret, probably shared with other maids, and hard, unrelenting work in a hotel for a year if she was fortunate, longer if it proved harder to save than she expected. And all the time, she suspected, she would have to fend off Murdo's unwelcome pleadings. On thinking about it she doubted if he would even attempt to keep his promise once they were working in the same establishment, and he thought she was more likely to heed him.

  She sighed and shrugged. She could handle his importunities, and perhaps, she grinned at the thought, there would be other maids who would attract him, be more receptive of his advances, make him forget her. He was, after all, handsome, big and strong. Many of the girls in the glen would have welcomed his attentions, and she had a suspicion that he had enjoyed flirtations with more than one of them before, or even during, the time he had been protesting devotion to her.

  The housekeeper was able to see her, and subjected her to searching questions about her experience. When Janet said she wanted to save for her passage to Canada, to join her brother, she sniffed.

  'Ye'll not save enough for a good while,' she warned. 'But I need maids quickly, and too many of them are flighty pieces who move on when it suits them, no consideration for my inconvenience. Can you come here tonight, and be ready to start in the morning?'

  Janet took a deep breath and nodded. 'Yes.' If it were that easy to change jobs, she was thinking, it was what she would do if Murdo became a nuisance. Working here she would hear of other openings. 'I will brin
g my things here tonight.'

  The housekeeper nodded. 'Let me show you the room you'll have, then you can go straight there and settle in.'

  She took Janet up to a small room at the top and back of the building, where half a dozen pallets were squeezed in with barely room to step between them. 'That will be yours, furthest from the window. And there's a peg for each of you, for your clothes.'

  Janet peered through the gloom at the tiny slit, fast closed, and the glass filthy, which was the window, and suppressed a sigh. The air would be foetid up here under the roof, especially when it was hot, but she could see no way of opening the window, and fully expected the other maids to protest if she even suggested it. Town-bred girls, she had discovered, disliked and distrusted fresh air.

  Margaret was waiting for her at the Tolbooth and she scrambled swiftly into the carriage. This would be her last ride in anything so comfortable.

  'Well, did you obtain the position?'

  Janet grinned at her. 'Yes, and I go there tonight. Thank you so much, Margaret, for helping me. It would have been difficult without you.'

  'What will Alastair say when he knows?'

  Janet sighed. 'I imagine he'll be angry. Men don't like to be thwarted, and he was determined to rule my life. Oh, I'm grateful to him, I don't mean I'm not, and to you, but I can't depend on either of you. Why, I didn't even know him a month ago! And he has no cause to be responsible for me.'

  She fell silent, musing over how much her life had changed, and Margaret sat and watched her, also silent. Janet was thinking back to the carefree days in the glen, Mary's death, and the horrors of the long journey to Glasgow. She was secretly a little relieved that she did not have to set out on another, longer and more hazardous journey for a while, little though she expected to enjoy the work at the hotel. But there was no help for it, and she would be an excellent chambermaid and earn big tips so that her hoard of money would increase rapidly.

  She came to with a start when the carriage stopped and the steps were let down outside the MacBeith house.