Brow of the Gallowgate

by Doris Davidson

  ‘This is Will Dunbar, Doctor.’ Flo’s voice was full of pride. ‘Mary Wyness’s son, remember, born the same day as me?’

  As the two men shook hands, Will murmured, ‘I don’t expect you’ll remember about that – it’s more than twenty-one years ago.’

  ‘Oh yes, I do remember.’ Gavin McKenzie smiled broadly. ‘That was a day I’ll never forget. Your grandmother and I were kept very busy making sure that the two of you came into the world safely, and we had quite a lively time of it. I see you’re in the army. Were you sent over here for training?’

  ‘Yes, sir, and when I was given ten days’ leave, I came to Aberdeen especially to see Flo.’

  ‘We’re engaged, Doctor.’ Flo couldn’t keep it in any longer, and held her hand up to show him. ‘It’s Mrs Wyness’s mother’s ring, and you’re the very first to know.’

  ‘That’s a great honour, and congratulations to you both.’

  ‘We’re on our way to tell Flo’s parents now,’ Will told him. ‘Wish us luck?’

  ‘You’ll need no luck. They’ll be delighted about it.’ He shook hands with them, then said, ‘I’d better be getting on, though, before my housekeeper starts wondering where I am. How is your mother, Flo?’

  ‘She’s fine . . . I think. We didn’t see her this morning, and Father just said she’d a bit of a headache.’

  Gavin’s cheery face sobered. ‘I hope her headaches aren’t starting again, but I’ll see her this afternoon.’

  Flo and Will watched him drive away, then carried on walking towards the Gallowgate, so wrapped up in each other that the world could have fallen about their ears and they would never have noticed.

  Albert was sitting in the kitchen with his head bowed when they went in, and Gracie’s frown, which accompanied a slight shake of her head, should have warned Flo that something was wrong, but she was too carried away with excitement to notice.

  ‘I’ve just got engaged to Will. Look, he’s given me his great-grandmother’s ring.’ She held up her left hand.

  Albert’s head swung up. ‘Without asking my permission?’

  Will stepped forward. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Ogilvie. I did mean to ask you, before I asked Flo, but I love her and . . .’

  ‘I will not allow my daughter to marry a bastard, Will whatever-your-name-is, for it’s certainly not Dunbar.’ Albert had risen to his feet and his face was now within two inches of the soldier’s.

  His eyes puzzled, Will backed away. ‘I don’t understand what you mean, Mr Ogilvie. You knew my father.’

  Gracie tried to intervene, but Albert shook her off. ‘Willie Dunbar married your mother out of pity, to give you a name. The man that fathered you refused to make an honest woman of her, though he’d been quick enough to put her in the family way in our wash-house. Of course, your mother must have been more than willing to let him lay her on her back.’

  ‘Father!’ Gracie placed herself between the two men as Will’s hands came up aggressively. ‘You’re upset, and you don’t know what you’re saying.’

  ‘I’m saying what’s the truth, as he’ll find out if he asks his mother.’ Albert pushed her aside again. ‘Go ahead and hit me if you like, lad. It’ll not change anything.’

  Will let his hands drop. ‘I swear I knew nothing about this. If I’m a bastard, as you say, Mr Ogilvie, I’m not fit to marry Flo, and I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused.’

  Flo had been standing open-mouthed, unable to speak, but now she burst into tears. ‘Will,’ she sobbed, ‘I don’t care who your father was, I’ll marry you whenever you like. I love you.’

  Albert turned a furious face to her. ‘Go upstairs at once, Florence. I’ll not have you marrying this man, so you can make up your mind to it.’

  His use of her full name told her that it was useless to argue and she turned to leave, but Gracie held her arm.

  ‘Wait, Flo. I’ll tell you why Father’s acting like this. He’d a terrible row with Mother last night, and she walked out. She told him she was going to live with Dr McKenzie.’

  ‘She’s not with the doctor.’ Flo could scarcely think straight, but she knew that.

  ‘We saw him,’ Will said quietly. ‘He asked Flo how her mother was, and said he hoped her headaches weren’t starting again. He’s calling this afternoon to see her.’

  ‘He always comes to supper on Sundays.’ Gracie eyed her father suspiciously. ‘You told me Mother had gone to live with the doctor because she loved him, but I’m sure she never said that. Something’s going on, and I wish I knew what it was.’

  ‘I threw her out, damn you.’ Albert glared at her. ‘Gavin McKenzie has loved your mother for years.’

  Gracie, the most docile of all his daughters, turned on him unexpectedly. ‘Mother couldn’t help that.’ She returned his glare defiantly. ‘What happened last night? And you’d better tell me the truth, for I won’t rest till I find out.’

  His eyes held hers then dropped. ‘She found out I’d been . . . seeing another woman.’

  This was the last thing she’d imagined, and her anger almost overpowered her. ‘What? I thought you loved Mother?’

  ‘I do love your mother,’ he moaned. ‘But, oh, I can’t tell you, Gracie. I just can’t.’

  ‘Yes, you can. You owe it to Will and Flo.’

  He lifted his head. ‘I owe him nothing.’

  Arthur Johnstone’s purple face suddenly swam before his eyes, the clarity of it sickening him, and he breathed deeply to dispel it.

  When he spoke, his voice was much calmer. ‘Mary Wyness was a good friend to Bathie, so for her sake, and for Flo’s, I’ll try to explain what has happened between your mother and me.’ Bowing his head, he cleared his throat.

  ‘I loved her from the moment I saw her, but my . . . needs built up over the years. It was like I had a beast inside me. I kept it in check, most of the time, though, but sometimes I couldn’t help myself, and let it have its head. Her body was receptive to me, and that’s why we had so many children. After Hetty was born, Gavin McKenzie warned me that he was concerned about your mother’s health, but I made her have Ishbel, and I almost lost her when she had James. Then he died, and . . .’ He was staring into space now, his eyes vacant, and he had obviously forgotten about his listeners. ‘I couldn’t be careful, I needed Bathie so much, so I’d to stop touching her, and that’s not natural for any man.’

  Flo and Gracie glanced at each other, their horror at what he was saying reflected in their faces, while poor Will carefully avoided looking at either of them. He was far too embarrassed by the man’s coarse honesty.

  Quite unaware of their reactions, Albert moistened his lips and went on. ‘It’s nearly seven years since I laid a finger on her, but I still had needs that had to be satisfied, so about two years ago, I started seeing . . . this other woman. Jean was past the change, and I could let the beast in me have its way without having to worry about being careful.’

  He halted, and Gracie’s top lip curled up at what he was admitting, but he looked up and caught her, and his rather sensuous expression changed abruptly.

  ‘Oh, my God, Gracie, I’m sorry. I’m saying things I should keep to myself, but I’m just trying to make you understand why I did what I did. Jean’s body was what I needed, but it was your mother I loved. I never stopped loving her, though that’s maybe hard for you to credit, and Jean Rust knew exactly why I went to bed with her.’

  ‘But, Father, if it was you that betrayed Mother, why did you throw her out?’ Gracie couldn’t fathom that, although she could understand now why he’d turned to the other woman.

  Her father groaned hopelessly. ‘I was jealous of Gavin McKenzie, Gracie, and when she told me to get out, I saw red and told her to go to him.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘She swore there was never anything between them, and to be quite honest, I don’t think there was, so I was punishing myself as much as her.’

  ‘But Mother had eight children altogether,’ Flo protested. ‘She couldn’t ever have . . . refused you?’
<
br />   ‘She had eight children and two miscarriages, that’s why I couldn’t make her have any more. She never once refused me, and this is how I treat her.’

  He buried his face in his hands. ‘Oh, God, she’s the best woman in the world, and I’ll love her till my last breath.’

  Gracie voiced the fear which had also beset her sister and the young soldier. ‘If she didn’t go to Dr McKenzie, where could she have gone?’

  ‘She must have gone to him. Where else could she go? He’d been covering up for her when he spoke to Flo.’

  Will had been standing silently for some time, but now he said, quietly, ‘I’m quite sure he wasn’t, Mr Ogilvie. He seemed very concerned about the headache you told us she had.’

  After a long, rather ominous silence, Gracie said, ‘We’d better take our dinner before it spoils, and we’ll have to wait and ask him when he comes for supper.’

  She set the table, then called to Hetty and Ishbel to come down, and while the younger girls were there, conversation was rather stilted. Gracie, Flo and Will were trying to hide their anxiety about Bathie, and Albert was bitterly regretting every word he’d uttered to her in his guilty anger.

  Mercifully, the girls didn’t sense anything wrong, and started to wash up after the meal, while Gracie led the others into the parlour. They said nothing, because each of them was fully occupied with his or her own thoughts, and, in any case, there was nothing more to be said.

  When Hetty came in to say they were finished, Gracie told her, ‘You two had better go back upstairs again. If you’ve any homework to do, Ishbel, get it done, but stay up there because the doctor’s coming.’

  It was the usual routine. Hetty and Ishbel hated sitting primly in the presence of the adults, and genuinely preferred to be out of the way as much as possible.

  Will Dunbar, who was sitting on the couch with Flo, leaned forward. ‘Do you want me to leave, Mr Ogilvie?’

  ‘No, he doesn’t,’ Gracie answered, before her father could speak. ‘You’re engaged to Flo, Will, one of the family.’

  He sat back and took Flo’s hand. This was not the time to plead with her father to change his mind, because the man was incapable of reasoned thought at the present moment.

  About an hour later, with nothing further being said, Gracie stood up, put some coal on the fire, then put a lighted taper to the mantle in the glass shade hanging down from the ceiling. The sudden plop as the hissing gas ignited, made them look at each other.

  ‘He won’t come.’

  They didn’t have to ask whom Albert meant, and not one of them answered. What was the point of saying anything?

  The slam of a car door, about three quarters of an hour later, made Gracie jump to her feet and run to the window. ‘It’s the doctor.’

  The four grim faces illuminated in the flickering light made Gavin assume that Albert had not been pleased about the engagement, so he glanced sympathetically at Flo and Will then said, ‘I’d better take a look at Bathie before I sit down.’

  ‘She’s not here.’ Albert sounded defeated. He’d made himself believe that his wife had found refuge with this man, and it was hard to accept that she hadn’t.

  It was left to Gracie to explain, which she did without any reservations as to the blackness of the picture she was painting of her father.

  Gavin turned angrily to Albert. ‘Good God, man. Have you lost all the sense you were born with? Throwing your wife out in weather like this? She didn’t come to me, so where in God’s name is she? And why the hell are you sitting here?’

  Albert was unable to answer. His deep shame at his own conduct was almost as great as his anxiety for his wife, and having his two daughters knowing how low he’d sunk was almost unbearable. Furthermore, he’d slandered Mary Wyness without a thought as to how much he was hurting her son.

  Gavin was still trying to think where Bathie might have sought help. ‘Would she have gone to Ferryhill? I’ve got my car outside. Come on, Albert. Face up to it, man. You can’t change what you did, but you could try to make it up to her.’

  Albert stumbled to his feet like an old man. ‘Aye, Gavin. I’ll have to try to make it up to her.’ He moved towards the door, then turned. ‘Gracie, don’t tell the girls.’

  She looked at him coldly. ‘If they ask where Mother is, I’ll tell them you put her out. I despise you, Father.’

  The doctor laid his hand on her shoulder. ‘Try to forgive him, Gracie. He’s being punished more than you know.’

  ‘He’ll never be punished enough.’ She pulled away from him and he followed Albert down the stairs.

  When they reached Ferryhill, Gavin said, ‘Let me speak first, Albert. There’s no need to alarm Mrs Johnstone.’ He strode up the stone steps and knocked on the door loudly.

  Inside, he smiled to Henrietta. ‘Albert and I went for a run in my car, and he asked me to take him here to see how you were.’ Luckily, he’d remembered Bathie telling him the week before that her mother had a bad bout of influenza.

  Henrietta still looked somewhat pale, but she beamed at him. ‘I am feeling much better.’ She turned her eyes on her son-in-law. ‘I hope Bathia is keeping well, Albert?’

  He forced a smile. ‘Yes, thank you. I’m sorry we can’t stay, but we promised we wouldn’t be out long.’

  ‘Have you not even time for a cup of tea?’

  ‘No, thank you. It’ll soon be suppertime.’

  ‘How do you find your automobile, Doctor?’ Arthur sounded quite interested. ‘Is it better than your pony and trap?’

  Gavin smiled. ‘It’s warmer, but not much quicker, and sometimes not so reliable. I’m glad you’re both keeping well.’

  When they were inside the car again, he said, ‘Bathie has never been there today, that’s definite.’

  ‘Her father would gloat if he knew what I’ve done.’ What he’d done, he thought ruefully, was even worse than Arthur Johnstone had admitted to, years before, when he was under the influence of drink, and he didn’t even have that excuse himself.

  The doctor peered through the celluloid windscreen which was fast becoming obscured by snowflakes. ‘You just made a human mistake, that’s all.’

  Albert groaned. ‘A damned inhuman mistake, for I’ve hurt Bathie to the marrow.’

  ‘If I had ever thought you’d been hurting her before, Albert, or abusing her, I’d have taken her from you years ago. I admit that I love her, but I knew she loved you, and I’ve been content just to be in her company every Sunday.’

  ‘She should have married a man like you, Gavin, and she might end up coming to you yet.’

  ‘She’ll never come to me, I regret to say. Now, will we tell your mother the same as we told the Johnstones? We’ll be in Market Street in a few minutes, so you’d better make your mind up quickly.’

  Albert was extremely thankful to have Gavin McKenzie guiding him. The doctor had the common sense to see both of them through this awful nightmare. ‘You’d better just say the same,’ he muttered. ‘I don’t want my mother to know there’s anything wrong.’

  But Nell was more perceptive than Henrietta. She knew that their visit was no pleasure outing, not when there was a blizzard blowing, but she asked no questions. If Albert didn’t want to tell her why he was so agitated, she’d not try to find out from him. Perhaps she’d get it out of Bathie some time.

  Albert broke down when they were back in the car. ‘Where in God’s name can she be, Gavin? Where can we look now?’

  The other man wished that he could show his grief, too, but forced himself to sound matter-of-fact. ‘What about Ellie?’

  ‘Bathie would never tell Ellie what I did.’

  ‘Would she have gone to Maggie Lindsay, or Annie?’

  ‘Dan Munro’s a police sergeant in Huntly now, and Annie’s man was promoted, as well, but I don’t know where they are.’

  The doctor ran his hand over his chin. Then we’d better go to Lodge Walk and report her missing.’

  ‘Oh, God, do you think something’s h
appened to her?’

  ‘I hope not, but she can’t have been walking the streets since one o’clock this morning.’

  The calm voice had a steadying effect on Albert, who had been unfit to reason things out before, and during the short journey from Market Street to the Police Headquarters, he did some clear thinking for the first time that day.

  He’d made his wife miserable enough already, and if he found her, he wasn’t going to force her to come back to him, even though it nearly broke his heart to contemplate his life without her. He would do the decent thing, and tell her she belonged with Gavin McKenzie, who loved her and would care for her properly. It never crossed his mind that Bathie could still love him, not after what he’d done, and he felt easier now that he’d decided to give her up.

  At Lodge Walk, the police sergeant told them that a lady had been found unconscious at the foot of the Gallowgate about five o’clock that morning. ‘She was taken to the infirmary,’ he went on. ‘She wasn’t the usual type we pick up after Saturday night, so she might be your wife, sir.’

  ‘Thank you, Sergeant.’ Gavin pulled at Albert’s sleeve. ‘Come on, man, there’s no time to lose.’

  Almost having to lift the other man into the car, Gavin set off again, but when they arrived at Woolmanhill Hospital, Albert remained seated. ‘You go in,’ he said. ‘I’ll wait here.’

  Gavin turned to him angrily. ‘You’ll have to go in. If it is Bathie, she’ll be critically ill, if she’s still alive. If you want her back, you’ll have to go in and see her.’

  ‘No, I want you to find out how she is. Once I know she’s still alive, I’ll walk away and never enter her life again. She’ll be far better with you, Gavin, you’ll never hurt her like I’ve done. I know she thinks a lot of you, and she’ll come to love you – if she doesn’t already.’

  The doctor’s eyebrows rose. ‘Self-sacrificing now, are you? I’ve known you for twenty-five years, Albert Ogilvie, but I didn’t realize till now what a silly bugger you are. It’s you Bathie loves. It’s you she married, for better or worse, and by God, things couldn’t be much worse. For Christ’s sake, man, make them better for her. Go in and tell her you love her, and let her see you mean it.’