‘I didn’t even see that,’ Charlotte smiled, looking beyond it to watch the burn tumbling and burbling under the bridge at the end of their short drive. The brilliant violet blue of the wild vetch climbed up the hedgerow, while rosebay willow herb swayed in the breeze. At the edge of the cornfield poppies fluttered their crimson petals.
‘I can almost smell the scent of honeysuckle from the hedge on the other side of the burn. I’m so lucky I can’t quite believe it.’
‘That’s a relief, Charlotte. I thought you might want to turn around and go back to Glasgow when you saw the mess.
‘Is that why you were so on edge, Josh?’
‘Yes. I’d hate to make you unhappy. I was a bit ambitious but I want you to have a home you can be proud of and I wanted to give you a surprise.’
‘I am happy so long as I have you beside me, Josh. You’re the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened in my life.’
‘Wait until morning,’ Josh grinned, ‘when the workmen arrive.’
‘Listen, I think that’s Lucy stirring.’ She turned into his arms and kissed him. ‘That’s until tonight,’ she promised, her blue eyes alight with love.
Three weeks later Josh had settled down in his new job, the harvest fields had been shorn, and all the stooks gathered into barns. The morning air was crisp and fresh, reminding them that summer had passed; the rowan berries shone as rosy red as the hips in the hedgerows.
At Langmune Peter was preparing himself for college and his journey to Devon. Victoria planned a family gathering for Sunday lunch to wish him well on the next stage of his journey, and to welcome baby Lucy into the Pringle family circle. Julie Dunlop was still helping at Langmune and Mimi and Lachie had promised to keep Molly amused and out of mischief while Victoria concentrated on cooking for the ever-increasing number. At two years old Molly was proving to be an adventurous toddler with no sense of fear. One day Victoria had been unable to find her anywhere in the house or garden; she was beginning to panic, fearing she had drowned in a cattle trough, or fallen down the stone steps of the hayloft. Andrew had then found her curled up asleep beside the collie dog in the barn.
Charlotte was nervous about taking Lucy, afraid she would not settle or that she would be sick or cry all the time.
‘She’ll be fine,’ Josh assured her. ‘There’s plenty of people to keep her amused or to nurse her if she is fretful. Didn’t the district nurse tell you what a fine baby she is?’
‘Yes,but she is usually sleeping or on her best behaviour when Nurse Bailey calls.’
‘Let’s hope she can influence the adoption panel then and get them to proceed. I don’t think either of us will feel she belongs to us until we know everything is legal and we can change her name to Pringle. Did Victoria tell you that Peter is changing his name to Mark’s?’
‘Has he done it officially?’
‘He wants to be known as Peter Mark Jacobs from now on. When he has used his new name for two years, and he has proof, he will be able to get legal documentation. I’ll bet Doctor Sterling will not be very pleased when he finds out.’
‘He doesn’t deserve to call Peter his son the way he has treated him.’
‘I agree. Victoria says he’s never sent the money from Mark’s insurance but Peter is determined to pay his own way through college.’
‘Good for him,’ Charlotte nodded. ‘It shows he’s got character.’
‘Oh he’s got that all right, and plenty of determination. Andrew and Willie both think he’ll do well whatever job he takes on. Mary says Mimi will miss him. He helps her with her maths and science. Young Lachie has no trouble with his studies. He seems to be turning into a bright student.’
‘Like his Uncle Josh then,’ Charlotte smiled. ‘You said you always enjoyed studying.’
‘Yes, I did, but in recent years I’ve missed not living in the country. I’m looking forward to creating a garden. I’ve ordered some fruit trees to plant a small orchard. We all helped my father, you know, when we were young and I think it must be in our nature to cultivate the soil and make things grow.’
‘Mmm, well it’s bound to be an improvement on a builder’s yard,’ Charlotte teased, ‘even if you do end up growing a fine crop of weeds instead of vegetables.’
‘I hope I shall manage better than that!’ Josh declared, then he saw the lights dancing in her eyes and seized her waist, only letting her go when one of the builders appeared at the back door requesting hot water to make his tea.
It was a happy family gathering on that sunny September afternoon. Polly seemed as content to cuddle Lucy as she had been to nurse wee Joe and Charlotte was reassured that she was accepting the baby girl as part of her family.
‘Wee Joe is growing so fast he makes my old arms ache,’ she said to Libby, ‘but he has a smile just like his namesake, lassie. Joe would have been proud o’ the wee fellow.’
Mimi was known for her happy smile and sparkling blue eyes but today she seemed as near to being miserable as Josh had ever seen her. He sat beside her and talked in a low voice.
‘Just because Peter is going away, Mimi, it doesn’t mean there’s no one else to help you with your homework. You know you can always come to me, don’t you? If it’s science or maths you need anyway; if you want help with French or German you’ll need to ask Charlotte.’
‘I hate science. Anyway it’s not just homework, Uncle Josh,’ Mimi said, turning a pair of soulful eyes upon him. ‘Peter is good fun and he never makes me feel different just because I’m little for my age and have a limp, and he comes to stay with us at High Bowie and Daddy likes his company and Mum makes a fuss of him and cooks all his favourite meals. You wouldn’t understand. It’ll not be the same without him.’
‘But he’ll be back for the Christmas holidays, and all the other holidays, Mimi. They’ll not be long in coming round.’
‘It will seem like forever,’ Mimi insisted with all the dramatic tragedy of a twelve-year-old.
‘If you don’t like science what would you like to do when you leave school?’ Josh asked, moving the subject away from Peter’s departure.
‘I want to be a farmer but Daddy says that’s nonsense.’
‘Well, supposing you persuade him to change his mind, you will need to study chemistry to go to college or university. There’s a lot of science in agriculture, and a lot of maths too with all the calculations you’ll need to do. Libby tells me you’re a good wee cook. Wouldn’t you like to do something like that?’
‘Oh yes, I like cooking,’ Mimi nodded. ‘I’ve been first in cooking in all the exams so far.’ Her wide mouth drew into a stubborn line. ‘But you can’t side-track me, Uncle Josh. I still want to be a woman farmer.’
‘That’s all right then, Mimi. I know better than to argue with a determined young woman like you.’ She began to giggle.
‘Oh, Uncle Josh, you are funny.’ She lowered her voice, ‘And I’m ever so glad you married Auntie Charlotte and got baby Lucy. I will come to see you sometimes, and not just because I want you to help me with my homework.’
‘That’s a deal then. When Peter goes away you can come to tea on your way home sometimes, maybe on Fridays, eh? So long as you remember to tell your mother so she knows you’ll be late home. I’ll drive you up the glen to High Bowie after Lucy has had her bath.’
‘I’d love that, Uncle Josh!’ Mimi wound her thin arms around his neck and hugged him. He felt a pang of pity for her. She hero-worshipped Peter because he was kind to her and ignored her disabilities but he feared she was in for some heartache in the future. It wouldn’t be long before her companions at school were going to teenage dances and parties. They all seemed to be growing up faster these days. Willie joined him, packing his pipe.
‘I’m going outside for a smoke,’ he said. ‘You coming for a stroll?’
‘All right, I’ll come for a wee while,’ he agreed, after glancing towards Charlotte to see whether everything was all right with her and Lucy. Willie saw him and grinned as they stepped in
to the yard together.
‘I never thought I’d see you so smitten, young Josh.’
‘What d’you mean, smitten?’ Josh demanded.
‘Why with your wife, and a bairnie as weel now. You barely take your eyes off them.’
‘Aye, he’s got it bad,’ Andrew agreed, following them outside, a wide grin on his face.
‘I’m just following the example of my older brothers, as usual,’ Josh grinned back at them.
‘Och! When did you ever follow our example?’ Willie demanded.
‘No getting away from it, Josh,’ Andrew nodded, ‘You’ve done it your way but you’ve got a fine wife in the end, even if it did take ye a long while.’
‘Aye and a fine house, tae, so Mary tells me,’ Willie said. ‘Ye could have knocked me down wi’ a feather when I heard ye’d bought Lintysmill.’
Josh knew his elder brothers enjoyed teasing him a bit. They always had.
‘Speaking of Lintysmill, I shall have about twenty acres of good land to let next spring. Are either of you interested?’
‘I’m always interested in more land,’ Andrew said serious now. ‘It neighbours Throstlebrae so …’
‘It does, and it neighbours Quarrybrae too,’ Josh reminded him, hiding a smile. ‘Mr Adamson called to see whether I’d thought of selling or renting a couple of fields.’
‘Adamson! Did he, by jove?’ Andrew whistled. ‘He doesn’t miss a chance. You wouldn’t favour him in front of your own brother though, would you, Josh?’
‘Adamson didn’t waste much time.’ Willie remarked. ‘You’ll need to watch him, Andrew. Hasn’t his lassie got her eye on Fraser?’
‘I don’t know which way round it is,’ Andrew frowned, ‘but they seem to go around together. Well Josh, what about it, then? Do you want to sell twenty acres?’
‘I don’t want to sell any, but I’ll rent them to you if you make me a fair offer.’
‘Mmm, you’re turning into a businessman, little brother,’ Andrew grinned. ‘All right then. I’ll make enquiries and see what sort of rents the farmers on the Croston Estate are paying and I’ll let you know.’
‘I saw you and Mimi were having quite a talk?’ Willie remarked, and Josh guessed that was the real reason Willie had wanted him outside. Andrew excused himself.
‘Yes,’ Josh nodded. ‘I’ve offered to help her with her maths and science if she needs me when Peter leaves. I told her she could come to tea and see Lucy being bathed some Friday evenings. I thought it might be easier for her to ask for help if she gets into the habit of calling on us, and she does love children.’
‘Aye, she does.’ Willie sighed. ‘She’s going to miss Peter. He’s a fine laddie and he has a kind heart. The trouble is she’s finding they’re not all like that since she moved to a bigger school. We think some of them tease her and the teachers can’t keep an eye on them all the time as they did at Darlonachie.’
‘There’s always some who pick on their weaker brethren,’ Josh nodded, ‘but Mimi’s such a pretty wee thing …’
‘Aye, and Mary reckons that willna help her with the other girls. Looks mean a lot to females, she says. They get jealous, whereas the lads tease girls like Mimi because they’re different. She’s not as happy as she was and she can’t keep up with Lachie either. They’re in different classes now. He used to protect her a bit but they don’t see each other as much as they did. Anyway, it’s not your problem, Josh, but it’s not all joy having bairns, just remember that. You’d suffer for them if you could but life isna that simple, is it?’
‘No, I’m afraid it’s not,’ Josh said, remembering some of the bullies, and the bullied, from his RAF days. ‘All we can do is help them stand on their own feet and build their confidence. Mimi has plenty of courage and determination. She may be a bit miserable sometimes but I guarantee she’ll grit her teeth and learn to cope.’
‘Aye, maybe you’re right, Josh. You know more about bairns and their schooling than I do, and thanks for offering to help her. Neither ’o us were that fond o’ schooling so we canna expect Mimi to be brilliant.’
‘She must be intelligent or she wouldn’t have passed for the Academy,’ Josh reasoned.
‘I suppose so. It just seems to have been a shock to her when Lachie finds it all so easy. He hasna told Andrew and Victoria yet but he confides in Mimi. He fancies being a vet.’
‘That will be a disappointment, then,’ Josh reflected. ‘Andrew and Victoria have made a lot of sacrifices to buy Throstlebrae so Lachie and Fraser would have an equal start in farming. Still …’ he shrugged, frowning, ‘there’s no good trying to run other people’s lives. It’s hard enough making the right decisions in our own.’
Chapter Fifteen
Both Maggie and Libby looked forward to Billy’s return to Darlonachie during the holidays, but although he came for Christmas and again at Easter he spent more time with Willie on the High Bowie moor than he spent at Home Farm. Libby didn’t mind because she was often at High Bowie herself when she was not helping her mother with calves or hens.
She loved looking after Mimi and Mary appreciated her help. Sometimes Willie brought Billy into the house to join them for the midday meal or afternoon tea if Libby was there. They often walked part of the way home together. He answered her eager questions willingly and told her about his life as a student.
‘I am going back to work on the farm in Yorkshire for most of the summer holidays,’ he said the day before he returned to college at the end of the Easter holiday. He was too preoccupied taking in the well-loved landscape to see Libby’s disappointment.
‘I think I should enjoy going to Agricultural College,’ she said. Billy turned and stared at her.
‘Why would you want to do that? I thought you were going to teach children.’
‘I never said that!’
‘Well you’re very good with Mimi. You’re only fourteen, but it’s what your mother thinks you’re going to do. She told my mother so. I think you’d make a good teacher, Libby. Mimi adores you, and so does that wee scamp of a brother.’
‘I love them too, but it doesn’t mean I want to spend my life teaching. I’d like to go to an agricultural college, but I want to learn more about dairy farming and cows than you seem to do.’
‘Our course is general agriculture, a bit of everything. You’d have to choose a college where they teach you about dairying. I know there’s one in Devon, and Lancashire I think. There’s the one in Ayrshire of course. You would have to work for a year on a farm first, before you went. It’s one of the conditions. They like practical people. Mr Butler is a good farmer and I’m pleased I had him to show me the ropes before I started college. Your father made enquiries and one of the NFU men recommended him, you know. A lot of the chaps are older than me and they’ve done a lot more science, but I’ve nearly caught up with them. Some of them don’t care whether they pass their exams or not. Most of them are going to family farms or estates. They think they’re young gentlemen. They don’t intend to dirty their hands but I’m looking forward to going back to Yorkshire when I finish at college.’
‘Oh Billy you’re not!’ Libby stopped in her tracks and stared up at him. He was eighteen now and a lot taller than she was. ‘Your mother is expecting you will come back to look after Home Farm when you finish at college.’
‘Why ever would I do that? I enjoy being in Yorkshire. I’ve made some good friends there and I’ve still a lot to learn. She has a good manager now. Thank God she got rid of Riddel.’
‘You never liked him much, did you?’
‘I hated him!’ Billy spoke vehemently. ‘He was a sly, jealous weasel of a man and he had a spiteful tongue.’ His face had a shuttered look. ‘I soon learned to keep out of his way.’
‘But that’s exactly what he wanted, don’t you see?’
‘Maybe it was. I was too young to stand up to him anyway, and for all I know some of the things he said could be true.’ He kicked a stone viciously and his mouth was set, his eyes narrowed. Then he l
ifted his head and stared into the distance at the moorland rising above them as far as the eye could see. The sheep were mere dots here and there. He looked down at her again and his face softened. ‘You were the only one who didn’t criticise. Now I don’t care because I’ve found people who like me for myself and they don’t care who my father was or what my mother did. I don’t need to talk about them.’ Young as she was Libby detected an underlying bitterness in him and a fierce determination to stay away from Darlonachie and its gossip.
‘Your mother will be terribly disappointed,’ she said earnestly. ‘She misses you. So do I,’ she added and then blushed and turned away so that he wouldn’t see.
In the summer of 1952 Billy left college with a diploma in agriculture. In spite of his mother’s pleading he knew he was not ready to return to Darlonachie. Maybe he never would return. There was a place and a welcome for him at the farm in Yorkshire where he had done his pre-college practical work. His friendship with Mick, his boss’s only son, had strengthened in spite of his two years away at college. He enjoyed the variety of the work too with the beef and sheep, corn, potatoes, and sugar beet, but he was also looking forward to joining the village brass band again and to singing in the young farmers’ concert with Mick. Most of all he was his own person, William Lennox, not the bastard of the local laird who had inherited a farm he didn’t deserve.
‘You’re not learning anything about dairy farming and Home Farm depends on the dairy herd,’ Maggie protested, interrupting his thoughts.
‘Give me time, Mother!’ He swallowed his irritation and guilt with an effort. ‘Mr Butler understands that so he’s arranged for me to spend six months with his brother-in-law. He has a big dairy herd, and he’s changed from Ayrshire cattle to pedigree Friesians.’ He gave her a glimpse of his old mischievous smile, ‘and he has a pretty young daughter.’
Maggie didn’t return his smile, or ask any questions. She had begun to wonder whether Billy would ever return to Darlonachie. He seemed to have no interest in Home Farm, in fact whenever she mentioned the inheritance his mouth tightened and he changed the subject. She began to ask herself why she bothered to carry on the farm. She would be fifty next year and sometimes she felt twice her age. Victoria and Andrew were the only close friends she had. They visited each other regularly and she was grateful for their friendship. She had lots of acquaintances of course but it was not the same as having Billy at home, living in the house, enjoying the meals she cooked. She even missed his dirty washing and making his bed each day.
When the Heather Blooms Page 16
