A Silver Lining

by Anne Douglas

  ‘Oh, please, Mr Hendrie, call me Ross.’

  Josh nodded and sat down again, drawing his cup towards him. ‘Well, you’d better have a cup of tea,’ he said gruffly. ‘Jinny, get your boss a cup.’

  ‘He’s not my boss now, Dad – we’re both in the army. Ross is a second lieutenant.’

  ‘That right? First over the top, in my day, the officers, but war’s different now, eh?’

  ‘You’ll have a cup of tea?’ Jinny whispered to Ross, but he said perhaps he should be going.

  ‘I’m sorry to look in so late, Mr Hendrie, and Vi – may I call you that? But I’m very glad to have met you both. I’ve heard a lot about you, too, you know.’

  ‘All glowing reports, I’m sure,’ said Vi. ‘But it’s been good to meet you.’

  ‘Aye, very good,’ put in Josh. ‘Take care now, Ross. Do your best against Hitler!’

  ‘I will indeed, Mr Hendrie,’ Ross answered, smiling, as he was steered to the door by Jinny. When they had reached the street she gave a huge sigh of relief.

  ‘What a hit you were with Dad!’ she cried. ‘You know what he can be like. So, what’s your secret?’

  ‘I think we were just two soldiers together – both with going to war in common.’

  ‘Well, it was grand to see.’ Jinny took Ross’s hand. ‘Thanks for the evening, Ross. It was lovely, I really enjoyed it.’

  ‘Me, too.’ He hesitated. ‘Maybe we could meet again? I don’t want to monopolize you – I know you’ve your family to see – and friends—’

  ‘Well, I’m going to Glasgow with Vi tomorrow. We’re hoping to see if they’ve got anything in the shops that we haven’t.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘But I’m free the next day.’

  He brightened. ‘You are? May we meet, then?’

  ‘I’d like to, Ross. Where shall we go?’

  ‘Think it’ll have to be local. Travel’s so difficult these days. Trams, buses – they’ve either got reduced timetables or they’re packed out.’ Ross smiled ruefully. ‘And the entire coastline seems to be a restricted area.’

  ‘Still plenty to see in Edinburgh.’

  ‘That’s right. Look, I have to see my lawyer tomorrow – he’s doing the paperwork for my tenant’s new lease – but I could come later, about two? How about we decide then where to go?

  ‘That’d be fine. But I didn’t know you had let your house, Ross.’

  ‘Oh, it’s been let since I joined up. Not much point in keeping it empty except for my leave.’

  ‘I did see it once, when you asked us all round once at Christmas.’

  ‘And I wish you could have seen it again. Unfortunately, I don’t live there any more.

  ‘Where’ve you been going to, then, when you’ve left me?’

  ‘I’m a member of the Northerner Club – I can stay there.’ Ross laughed. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not on the streets. Not yet, anyway. Look, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow then, at two?’

  ‘The day after tomorrow.’

  ‘Goodnight, Jinny.’ He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘Have a good day in Glasgow.’

  ‘I don’t suppose we’ll buy a thing. Goodnight, Ross.’

  Oh, I do hope they don’t say anything about him, she thought, returning to the flat. I just can’t face a great interrogation.

  But as soon as she went into the living room, Vi asked, ‘Are you sure Ross is just your boss, Jinny?’

  ‘Was. That’s all over for the duration.’

  ‘Well, he seems pretty friendly for a boss.’

  ‘Ross is a friendly chap. We always got on fine at Comrie’s.’

  ‘Seems a grand Scottish fellow to me,’ Josh put in. ‘Ready to fight for his country – that’s the thing.’ He tapped out his pipe on the grate. ‘A big improvement on the last man you brought here, Jinny.’

  ‘He’s not to be compared with Viktor, Dad.

  ‘You can say that again.’

  As she lay in bed later, going over the evening, she thought how right she and her father had been. Ross was not Viktor, and if at one time that wouldn’t have been in his favour, things were different now. Being with him, she had been able to relax, feel calm and know all was well, yet there was no consciousness of dullness or boredom. No, there had been that little spice of excitement brought about by the change from all they’d known before in their surroundings, an excitement that made the thought of the day after tomorrow – well, quite exciting too.

  Fifty-Two

  At two o’clock on the dot, Ross arrived to collect Jinny for their afternoon out, looking cheerful in casual clothes and without a hat. his copper hair glinting in the sun.

  ‘How was Glasgow?’ he asked, as Jinny, wearing her navy jacket with matching skirt, hurried down the stairs to meet him. ‘Any luck finding anything?’

  ‘Yes! I got soap and make-up and two tea towels.’ She laughed as they stood outside the flat in the autumn sunshine. ‘Imagine being thrilled at finding tea towels! But everything’s so short these days, you’re lucky if you find anything.’

  ‘Too right. By the time this war’s over we’ll all be dressed like scarecrows. And you’ll still look, as they say, like a million dollars.’

  ‘Ross, what a lovely compliment!’ She slipped her arm in his. ‘So, where are we going?’

  ‘How about a gentle walk up Calton Hill?’

  ‘Gentle suits me. I like Calton Hill – wonderful views without climbing.’

  ‘And easily followed by tea – if we can find any. We’ll away, then.’

  Sitting together in the tram, there came again that wonderfully pleasant feeling of ease in each other’s company. And when they began to walk up Calton Hill from the east end of Princes Street, there was still that feeling of rightness between them, of affinity shared.

  Of course, there was nothing new for them to see on Calton Hill – they were both Edinburgh people, they knew it well – but the object of their day out was not to see something new as though they were tourists, just to enjoy time together. As they had in the past in the office, but that, of course, was different.

  Often, as they followed the road up to the highest point, from where there was the magnificent panoramic view over the city, their eyes kept meeting, as though to say, ‘isn’t this the life?’

  ‘Beats being on the parade ground,’ said Ross, looking across the city to the Forth. ‘I really am grateful to you, Jinny, for taking pity on an old guy on leave.’

  ‘Old guy!’ She laughed. ‘You’re only thirty!’

  ‘Must seem old to you.’

  ‘Of course it doesn’t!’ She took his arm. ‘Come on, let’s go down and see the monuments – if you can manage without a stick!’

  ‘Cheek! I’ll race you down, if you like.’

  ‘No takers.’

  Laughing, they made their way down the hill to see the famous monuments again: one to the dead of the Napoleonic Wars, always called ‘Scotland’s Disgrace’ because it was never finished, another a great tower devoted to Nelson.

  ‘See the time-ball at the top of the tower? Ross asked Jinny. ‘That comes down at one o’clock to give the time signal to shipping. The one o’clock gun is its supplement. Which, of course, I’m sure you know.’

  ‘I don’t mind being told again.’

  He laughed. ‘That’s the only problem with going to places in Edinburgh – we’ve seen them all before.’

  ‘Yes, but don’t you think it’s worth coming here just for the air?’ Jinny had taken off her blue beret and was breathing deeply as she shook her dark hair free. ‘I mean, you’re not far from Princes Street, yet you might be miles away in the country.’

  ‘Let’s sit for a while, then,’ said Ross. ‘We could take that bench over there if you’re not too cold.’

  ‘No, I’m warm after our walk.’

  They took their seats on the bench, sitting close and not talking at first, just appreciating where they were. People passed them on the way to the top and they smiled and
waved, so full of wellbeing, and equally full of goodwill to strangers.

  ‘I like this,’ Ross said after a while. ‘Being here with you.’

  ‘We’ve been together often enough.’

  ‘You mean, in the office? You must admit, Calton Hill is different.’

  Or are we different? wondered Jinny.

  ‘What did you mean?’ she asked aloud, ‘when you said you understood about my change of feeling towards Viktor?’

  Ross looked away for a moment. ‘I was thinking of Annette,’ he said at last. ‘When she died, I thought the place she’d left could never be filled, that I’d always be missing her. For years, I thought that. But then, as I told you once, I began to feel better, as though I was back in the world again. What I didn’t tell you was that I found, as you did with Viktor, that her image was fading.’

  Ross, still looking away, gave a long sigh.

  ‘Then I felt guilty. I thought it shouldn’t happen, but gradually, as I began to think of her without pain, I realized it was natural. She had gone, I was still here, and life had to move on. I knew I would never forget her, that what we’d had would always be precious to me, but I had to realize it was over.’ Ross turned his eyes on Jinny. ‘Finally, I did – realize it.’

  ‘You really felt better? There was no more guilt?’

  ‘The guilt went with the pain.’

  ‘You should never have felt it, anyway.’

  ‘Nor should you, over Viktor. For whatever reason, he’s no longer in your life. You must move on, too.’

  ‘But I don’t know what’s happened to him, Ross. That’s what different for me. He might still come back.’

  ‘And if he did? You think you might care for him again?’

  ‘No, Ross, I don’t.’ Her dark eyes were suddenly full of pain. ‘But he did seem wonderful, didn’t he?’

  ‘So you thought,’ Ross said shortly.

  ‘Yes, well he was different from anybody I knew. So romantic, you see, coming from Vienna, and everything. I truly did believe I loved him. Well, I did, I know I did, but maybe we were never meant for each other, things were too difficult for us.’ She shook her head. ‘Whatever it was, it’s over now. There’s no way of going back.’

  When she had finished speaking, a silence fell between her and Ross, while the sky began to darken as the clouds rolled over the city from where no lights could be seen.

  ‘Time to go,’ announced Ross, rising and giving his hand to Jinny, who stood beside him, straightening her skirt and pulling on her beret. ‘What shall we do about finding some place to eat?’

  ‘We can always get a cup of tea somewhere.’

  ‘It’s a bit late for teashops, and I feel like something more than tea. There’s a place in Thistle Street sometimes has a menu to offer. Want to see what they have?’

  ‘It’s worth a try,’ said Jinny.

  Fifty-Three

  They were in luck, the Thistle Street restaurant could offer two choices for their early supper – a beef casserole and baked haddock. Both chose the haddock, having had too much tough beef in army cooking, and when the waiter had taken their order, sat back, relaxing, yet also covertly eyeing each other with special interest.

  Do we look different? Jinny wondered. She’d asked herself the question in the restaurant cloakroom when she’d combed her hair and splashed her face before putting on a little powder, and decided that they must. After all, they seemed different now from those two people who worked in Accounts. Something must surely show in their faces? Not really, it seemed.

  Somehow, Jinny couldn’t resist talking of Lorna again, as though she thought her something of a threat. A threat? she asked herself. Why should she regard any woman Ross might be interested in as a threat? She didn’t bother to work it out, but as soon as they were eating their fish and drinking the pre-war wine Ross had chosen, heard herself saying, ‘You know, Ross, at one time I thought you were keen on Lorna.’

  ‘Lorna?’ He stared in surprise. ‘You’re not serious? She’s my cousin.’

  ‘Cousins are sometimes attracted to each other. And she’s a lovely girl.’

  ‘She is, but she’s the nearest I have to a sister. I could never think of her in any other way.’ Ross smiled. ‘Imagine your thinking I might!’

  ‘I’m sure a lot of other people at Comrie’s thought the same when you brought her to that staff Christmas party.’

  ‘They understood when they knew she was my cousin. I thought you would have done, too.’

  ‘Well, yes, only I did get the impression you were interested in her, and I suppose I was a bit surprised. But I knew I wanted you to be happy, so I was happy too – for you.’

  ‘You wanted me to be happy?’ Ross gave a wide smile. ‘Jinny, that was nice of you. You always were a caring sort of girl.’

  ‘But I was wrong about you and Lorna?’

  ‘Wrong to think there was any sort of romance between us. I’m sure Lorna would be amused at the very idea. If I think of her as a sister; she probably thinks of me as an uncle!’

  ‘A very attractive uncle, then,’ said Jinny firmly, which brought another smile from Ross.

  Reaching Fingal Street again to say goodnight, their steps were slow as they approached the door to the Hendries’ flat. When they finally stopped, Jinny looked up at Ross and asked him what he was thinking.

  ‘You seem worried. Is anything wrong?’

  ‘Not at all, Jinny. I’m just getting the courage to ask you what day you go back.’

  ‘Tuesday. What about you?’

  He sighed deeply. ‘Monday.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘I’ve got one more day.’

  ‘Sunday.’

  ‘And I suppose you’ll be seeing your family then?’

  ‘Yes, May’s asked us over. She’s managed to get a joint. It’s a big treat.’

  ‘I see. Well, your family comes first, of course. Can’t expect you to see me again – you’ve been very good as it is.’

  ‘Ross, I’ve had a wonderful time.’ Jinny stood in thought for a moment or two, then her face lit up. ‘I know, Ross! You could to come to May’s as well! You said you’d like to meet her.’

  ‘No, no, thank you, I wouldn’t intrude. It’s a nice idea, but I couldn’t ask it of your family.’

  ‘Seems a shame not to say goodbye tomorrow. If you’re worried about sharing the joint, how about if we met in the evening?’

  ‘The evening?’ Ross’s brown eyes were bright. ‘You think we could?’

  ‘Yes, why not?’ Jinny was searching her handbag. ‘I’ll just give you May’s address. You can come to her house and have a cup of tea with us, then we can go out somewhere. Got a pencil?’

  When the address, written on a scrap from Ross’s notebook, had been safely put away, they stood for a while, not seeming sure how to say goodnight. Then Ross gave Jinny one of his quick kisses.

  ‘Until tomorrow, then.’

  ‘Until tomorrow.’

  ‘We’re good friends, aren’t we?’ Ross asked. ‘Special friends?’

  ‘Special friends.’

  ‘Goodnight, Jinny.’

  ‘Goodnight, Ross.’

  Special friends? Her family would think so, Jinny thought, when she told them Ross was not only coming to tea but spending the evening with her – again. So, what did special mean? Hard to be sure what was in Ross’s mind, or in fact in her own, and soon they would be far apart, anyway. But at least they needn’t say goodbye until tomorrow.

  Fifty-Four

  ‘May, that was grand,’ Josh said, sitting back in Allan’s armchair in the comfortable sitting room of the bungalow. Sunday dinner was over and had been a great success, with the joint so like something pre-war that they couldn’t believe their luck.

  ‘Can’t think how you got it,’ Josh went on. ‘Was it a miracle or what?’

  ‘Sweet-hearting the butcher, maybe.’ Vi laughed. ‘Blue eyes are such a help, eh?’

  ‘Vi, what a thing to say!’ May cried, for
once losing her calm. ‘As though I’d go around sweet-hearting, as you put it!’

  ‘Oh, I didn’t say you’d do it deliberately – just give a smile or two.’

  ‘Now, Vi, stop your teasing,’ Josh said easily. ‘You know May would never go making up to the butcher – let’s have our tea in peace.’

  ‘Listen, I’d just like to say something.’ Jinny cleared her throat. ‘Ross is coming round later to call for me and meet May. It’s his last day of leave and we thought we’d go out.’

  ‘To meet me?’ May smiled. ‘That’s nice. I’ve heard so much about your boss, Jinny.’

  ‘On a Sunday?’ Josh asked, sitting up straight. ‘Where will you go?’

  ‘Oh, there’s always something open – with so many folk about these days.’

  ‘I’ve never heard there was anything open.’ Josh was now staring hard at Jinny. ‘You’ve been seeing a lot o’ this Ross this last week, eh?’

  Jinny hesitated, glancing at her sisters, who were quietly watching. ‘Yes, I have. We’ve enjoyed meeting up again.’

  ‘As friends, eh?’ asked Vi.

  ‘Yes, why not? He has no family and he’s glad to have a companion.’

  ‘And that’s all there is to it?’ asked Josh.

  ‘Oh, yes.’

  ‘I haven’t met him yet but he’s always sounded very nice, from what Jinny’s told us,’ said May.

  ‘He is nice,’ Vi told her. ‘Dad likes him.’

  ‘Aye, I do,’ said Josh, sitting back in his chair. ‘He’s a Scottish laddie, keen to fight for his country. That’s the sort I like.’

  ‘Why didn’t you invite him to share our roast?’ asked Vi. ‘Bet he’d have enjoyed that.’

  ‘He said he didn’t want to intrude,’ Jinny replied. ‘He’ll just have a cup of tea.’

  ‘And be very welcome for that,’ said May.

  He was early, of course, that being his way, but, as May had promised, he was made very welcome, first being introduced to her, then greeting Josh and Vi again with his easy, natural manner.

  ‘You’ll have a cup of tea?’ May asked.

  ‘Thank you, I’d like that.’

  Ross was looking round the pleasant room that had been furnished by Allan’s parents but already bore some of May’s touches – new curtains and cushions and lamp shades she had covered herself. He turned back, complimenting her, but she only sighed a little.