Flight of the Grey Goose

by Victor Canning

  That day, too, Smiler was allowed tip for a couple of hours in the afternoon and he sat in the great hall and told Sir Alec all his adventures, and particularly about the way Laggy had flown off.

  The day after that he felt so much better that he was allowed to get up in the morning on the understanding that he took a rest after lunch. During the morning the Laird brought out the Elphinstone jewels and he told Smiler some of their history and he made Laura, who was still at the castle, wear some of them.

  As she stood before them with the glowing emeralds around her brown neck and the eight-pointed star on her brow, gleaming under her dark hair, the “Laird said, ‘And don’t either of ye think I’m not a man of my word. You’ll both get your reward.’

  Smiler, his eyes on Laura, saw her suddenly blush, and then he knew that he was blushing too and all he wanted to do was to get up and go out on the terrace and hide his face. But before he could move, a familiar, stubborn, stern look came over Laura’s face. Taking off the jewels, she said primly, ‘Well, I’ve no time for fancy parading around all morning. There’s work to be done in the kitchen.’

  When she had gone Smiler and the Laird went for a walk outside and the Laird was full of all the different things he would now be able to do to his properties and in setting up a wild-life sanctuary at this end of the loch.

  ‘We’ll have it properly guarded, lad, so no thieving nest robbers can get in. There were ospreys here this spring that had their eggs taken. With luck they’ll be back next year and things will be different. And we must not be selfish … we’ll fix it so that the public can come on certain days and enjoy it too. And you, Samuel M.… well, when your bit of trouble is settled, you can get your head down to some real hard work towards becoming a vet. But it will no be easy. You’ll be starting late and you’ve, a lot of lee-way to make up. But it can be done if you set your heart on it. Aye, it can be done…’

  As they made their tour of inspection, Smiler was full of questions about just how you went about being a vet and the Laird explained to him exactly what would have to be done; the subjects to be studied, the examinations to be taken, and the years of hard work ahead. The awful thought suddenly came to Smiler that if it was going to take all that while – not that he minded the hard work and so on – it might be that by the time he really was a qualified vet Laura might have become married to someone else … Holy Crikeys, what a terrible thing that would be!

  The Laird, seeing his long face, said, ‘Are you all right, Samuel M.? You look as though you’ve lost a shilling and found a penny.’

  ‘Oh, I’m all right, sir. Thank you, sir,’ said Smiler. ‘I was just wonderin’, sir, whether I could do all the studying somewhere here in Scotland? So, well, so that I could come sometimes and see you and … well, everyone else?’

  The Laird considered this and then said, ‘Aye, it could be arranged – if your father’s agreeable. When he’s back and you’ve cleared up things we’ll see about it.’

  Smiler’s heart lifted.

  After lunch that day Laura ordered Smiler up to his room to take his rest. With his shoes off he lay on the bed fully clothed, staring out of the window, thinking about the years of work ahead of him and of his father now soon due at Greenock. He was sure that his father would agree to his living in Scotland. Gradually he drifted off into sleep.

  He woke an hour later. Although he had promised to stay in the room until Laura called him, he felt too restless to stay and decided to risk her anger. He put on his shoes and went quietly down through the castle and on to the wide landing above the great hall. A beam of sunlight struck through the great mullioned window and lit up the painting of Lady Elphinstone. She was a very grand lady, he thought, but by no means as beautiful as Laura. He turned from the painting and, leaning on the top balustrade, looked down into the hall.

  It was at this moment that he realized that there were people in the great hall. Their voices came clearly up to him. He moved along the balustrade, almost to the top of the stairs and crooked his neck to look down.

  The Laird was standing to one side of the stone fireplace. Near the long table, their backs to him, Smiler saw two men in uniform. They were policemen. Their hats with checked bands rested on the table. The taller of the two – who was an inspector – was speaking to the Laird, who held two pieces of paper in his hand and was frowning over them.

  ‘They came through the post anonymously. Sir Alec. That kind of thing usually does. But I’m afraid, sir, we have to act on it just the same. I take it you knew this lad’s history?’

  An awful feeling of emptiness swept through Smiler. He saw the Laird approach the long table and put down the two pieces of paper. Even from where he was he recognized the crumpled newspaper cutting with a large red pencil circle around it.

  The Laird said, ‘Aye, Inspector, I knew. But some things you know and then properly forget. You have your job to do, I know. But there is no doubt in my mind that the lad is innocent. More than that, he is absolutely convinced that when his father docks at Greenock on the Kentucky Master in a few days’ time … well, then as a boy should, he’s certain that his father can sort things out for him. And I’ve no doubt at all that he will.’

  The Inspector looked at the other policeman, hesitated, and then said, ‘Sir Alec – we’ve been some time getting around to this visit here. That’s because we’ve been in touch with the English police authorities. When this lad went on the run again from Wiltshire, the English police felt that his father should be brought home to help deal with the situation. They got in touch with the shipping company who cabled the Kentucky Master on which this Mr Miles was serving as a cook. Unfortunately the father was not on board. It seems that he failed to report back to the ship when it left Montevideo many weeks ago. Nobody knows what has happened to him. I’m afraid the lad has got to go back to the English police and the approved school. Maybe there’ll be deeper inquiries into the theft affair in due course, but for the time being that’s what must happen to him. I’m sorry, sir, but I must ask you to hand the lad over to us.’

  ‘Good God, this will break the lad up completely!’ The Laird paced away towards the terrace, pulling hard at his beard.

  But Smiler hardly saw him or heard any more of the talk. What could have happened to his father? A host of black fears invaded his mind.

  Swamped with despair he turned blindly away from the balustrade and moved back past the painting of Lady Elphinstone, his head bowed, his shoulders shaking. It was then that he felt someone take his arm gently. He didn’t have to look up to know it was Laura who must have come quietly up behind him and overheard the talk.

  She put her arm round his shoulders and led him back up the stairs into his room. As she closed the door Smiler turned and she put her arms around him and held him while he fought to master his black sorrow. She held him tight and, shaking, he buried his face in her shoulder. Then, after a little while, he began to control himself. Through all his anguish he knew that he must take a grip on himself.

  Suddenly he stepped away from Laura and looked full at her, his face tear-streaked, his mouth set obstinately.

  ‘I’m not going with them! It’s all wrong! I’m sure my father’s all right. Nothing could have happened to him. And I never ever stole anything! I’m not going with them!’ he shouted.

  Laura said, ‘Oh, Sammy … Sammy … you can’t do anything else…’

  ‘Yes, I can. If well, if there’s no one else to help me, I can help myself. But I’m not going back to that school. Never!’

  ‘Be sensible, Sammy. They’ll come after you. They’ll –’

  ‘Let them. But they’ve got to catch me first No, I’m not going with them.’

  He turned quickly and went to the wardrobe, pulling open the door. Before he could take out any clothes Laura was at his side. She slipped between him and the wardrobe.

  ‘Sammy – one last time. Think. You’ve got to think and be sensible.’

  Bitterly Smiler said, ‘If my father’
s not coming back yet … well, then I got to do things for myself. But one thing I’m never going to do is go back to that school. I’m not staying there for something I never did.’ He put out an arm to ease her aside. ‘Let me get my things.’

  Laura held her ground. For a moment or two she looked him squarely in the eyes and then she said quietly, ‘You’re wrong, Sammy. Aye, you’re awful wrong. But I can see you must do what you must do. And since you must do it, I’m no the one to stand in your way. You’re going to run for it again – is that it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then I can do no more than help you. Listen, you’re supposed to be resting here another hour and the Laird will not let them disturb you until then. Now you go out the back way and meet me on the far side of the water-fowl pens. And don’t worry about your things here. I’ll see to them.’ She moved him away from the wardrobe.

  ‘Oh, Laura, thanks. And I know what I’m doing is right.’

  Laura shook her head. ‘I doubt it fine. But there was never a woman could make a man see sense when he didn’t want to. Now, out with you.’

  Heavy with a numbing grief, not even trusting himself to think any more of his father than that he was missing, pushing all the memories of them together from him, Smiler left the room and made his way quietly out through the back of the castle.

  Fifteen minutes later, hiding in the shade of the trees the other side of the pens, Smiler saw the Laird’s black and white row boat slide round a rocky bluff and glide into the shore. Laura was at the oars and there was Billy Morgan’s old water-stained rucksack on the floor boards, packed with Smiler’s clothes and few possessions.

  Without a word Smiler got into the boat and Laura went down the side of the island to keep out of sight of the castle. At the end of the island, as she began to swing the boat out to cross to the loch’s north shore, Smiler looked back at the towers of the castle just showing over the tips of the pines. The thought of the Laird there and all the animals knifed through him in a sharp pain. He had planned one day to bring his father there … Had known how his father, who was as mad about animals as he was, would love it. He fought to keep his tears back. He was on his own. He had to be tough …

  Laura said, ‘Bacon wanted to come, but I shut him in my room. You’d no get far with him around. There’s most of your things in the rucksack and a bit of money. Where I’m going to land you there’s a track up through the woods. At the top of the woods you’ll hit an old road. Keep along it and you’ll finally make the Fort William road. After that…’

  Smiler looked across at her. He knew she thought he was doing wrong. But he couldn’t help that. He just had to get away, right away, and when things were more settled he would have to work everything out for himself. He only had himself now … Whatever could have happened to his father? Tears suddenly misted his eyes.

  A little later the boat grounded on the shore at the foot of the woods. Laura jumped out and pulled the boat up on to the sand and Smiler followed her with the rucksack.

  They stood together in the afternoon sunshine. High up in the blue a pair of golden eagles soared in lazy sweeping circles. Down the shore sandpipers called and a handful of redshanks flickered with white-barred wings over the water.

  Smiler put down the rucksack and said brokenly. ‘Thank you … Thanks, Laura. I hope … well, I hope you don’t get into trouble over this –’

  ‘Oh, Sammy!’ Suddenly Laura put her arms round him and hugged him, kissing his cheek, and then for a moment their lips met. It was a moment Smiler would always remember, her lips against his, her loose hair in his face, and the slow shake of her shoulders under his hands.

  The next moment he stepped away from her and picked up the rucksack. Two yards apart they looked at one another, each with tears in their eyes. Then Smiler said, ‘Good-bye, Laura. Don’t worry, I’ll be back some time.’

  He saw Laura’s face go slowly stubborn and set. The look was one he had often seen before, and she said firmly, ‘You’d better be back some time, Sammy. You’d just better, for I’m not forgetting you’ve made me a promise to ask a certain question one day. Now, away with you, you daft loon, and keep your eyes skinned for the police – they’ll be hoppin’ mad about this. And let them be!’

  Six hours later when the cars moving along the road had turned their sidelights on, Smiler stepped out of the cover of a clump of bushes at the roadside and raised a hand for a lift to a car coming up the road. He did it without much hope because many cars had passed, ignoring his signals.

  But this car stopped a few yards past him. It was a very old four-seater touring car with a canvas hood which had been patched in a few places. The paintwork was shabby and the nearside back mudguard had a big dent in it. As Smiler came abreast of it, the driver leaned across and looked out of the nearside window. He was a large-faced, middle-aged man wearing a battered straw boater with a coloured ribbon around it. He had a black, thickly waxed sergeant-major’s moustache that curled into sharp points at each end. In his mouth was a pipe with a piece of insulating tape around the broken stem. His dark eyes held a lazy, good humoured twinkle.

  He said in a slow, easy voice, ‘Where you headin’ for, me dear?’

  Smiler said, ‘ I dunno exactly.’

  ‘The man chuckled, ‘ Destination unknown. Good as any. Hop in.’

  Smiler opened the car door. As he did so the man said, ‘Mind Scampi. You’ll have to nurse him on your lap. Dump your rucksack with the rest of the junk in the back.’

  In the half-light Smiler saw, curled up on the shabby leather seat, a very large Siamese cat. The man reached over and lifted the cat. Then, when Smiler was settled he dumped the cat on to Smiler’s lap. The cat opened one baleful eye at the disturbance and then settled to sleep on Smiler’s knees.

  As the man drove off, he said casually, ‘Don’t be surprised if I make a smart detour now and then suddenlike – but just at the moment, me dear, I’m not anxious to meet any of the boys in blue. Little matter of an unpaid hotel bill at my last stop. Lovely night, ain’t it? Lovely, indeed, after the weather we’ve had. Lovely night, quiet roads, destinations unknown – what more could a man ask for? Beautiful. Beautiful.

  For the first time in many hours, almost the edge of a smile touched Smiler’s lips.

  POSTSCRIPT: In Smiler’s room at Elphinstone castle, Sir Alec was reading a note that had been left for him. It ran:

  Dear Sir Alec, Since my father wont be back yet there are things I got to do for myself. I’m sorry leaning without saying good bye, but Laura will explain.

  I hope Bacon wont be much trouble till I come for him.

  Yours faithfully,

  Samuel Miles

  Copyright

  First published in 1973 by Heinemann

  This edition published 2013 by Bello

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

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  ISBN 978-1-4472-4438-7 EPUB

  ISBN 978-1-4472-4437-0 POD

  Copyright © Victor Canning, 1973

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