`No. I shall only be on for a duet in each half of the concert to add a bit of variety and while some of them change costumes.’
The audience were obviously familiar with the ballad about the wee bawbee which the young man had left with his sweetheart when he left to seek his fortune years before. They almost raised the roof with claps and cheers when the couple are reunited with a kiss at the end. Euan felt it was a longer kiss than necessary and he was dismayed at the pang of jealousy he felt towards the personable young man who was singing with Roseanne.
`Who is he?’ he asked Jock Macintyre, who was sitting on his other side.
`He’s the manager frae Laird Gallaby’s estate. He’s known Roseanne since they went to Sunday school. He was sweet on her until she and her sister played a trick on him. He didn’t forgive either o' them for a long time. He thought they’d made a fool of him.’ The old man chuckled. `Mind you he was making the most o’ yon kiss tonight. He fairly brought the colour to Roseanne’s cheeks. Did ye notice?’
`Yes, I did. Is he married?’
`He was. He’s divorced now.’ He eyed Euan speculatively. `You ever been married?’
`No. I was never tempted to go that far,’ Euan shook his head. He could have added “until now”. Was he seriously so tempted by Roseanne, in spite of his misgivings over his uncle’s accounts? Jock was nodding with satisfaction as Roseanne came back to her seat beside them.
`You have a good voice,’ Euan said during the interval as they accepted the tea and biscuits which were being passed round. `I like the richness of it. Is that what they call a mezzo soprano?’
`I wouldn’t know.’ Rosanne laughed. `I’ve never been for singing lessons but I can hardly get out of it here.’
`They appreciate your talent.’
`I'm glad someone does,’ she said dryly and he knew she was remembering his accusations. He'd had plenty of time to reflect and he couldn't believe he'd blundered in like a blind ox with a loaded wagon, whatever the figures said.
As they drove home afterwards Roseanne knew Euan was doing his best to make up for their earlier altercation. She understood the reason he had reached the conclusions but she couldn’t forget the hurt she felt at his mistrust.
`I told William I would exercise the horses in the morning. I want to have a ride around the boundary fences to make sure there are no gaps and no reason for the animals to stray. No excuse for thieves to drive them away.’
`I’ll come with you, if I may?’ Euan suggested. Roseanne was surprised at him asking with such humility.
`If you wish. I’m having my breakfast first - about seven o’clock, then it doesn’t matter if I take all morning. Would that suit you or…?’
`Sounds fine to me.’ He held her elbow as they negotiated the rough path from the car to the house. He would have liked to kiss her good night but she had erected an invisible barrier since their quarrel and he had no idea how to breach it. At least she hadn’t objected to him riding with her in the morning. He would have to be content to go back to square one and take one step at a time. He wondered why it mattered so much. He still didn’t understand the entries he had queried in his uncle’s business accounts, and she had not made any effort to explain, or even to excuse them, yet still every instinct told him Roseanne was not the type of woman who would cheat a man she regarded almost like a father. There was no doubt she worked hard on behalf of the company too.
It was a bright breezy morning, the sort of day Roseanne loved for riding. She made up her mind to forget Euan’s opinion of her. What did it matter anyway, he would soon be going to Australia and probably returning to America once he had visited his mother. She would probably never see him again. She would take a leaf out of Robinia’s book. Her sister enjoyed each moment and moved on to the next – or so she had always said.
`All the fences are in excellent order,’ she said as they came to the last stretch which would bring them back to the farm yard. `I expected they would be. Mr Lennox is very conscientious about such things. William told me the police discovered the thieves had cut the fence wires at Mr Arnold’s so they could herd his sheep into a small enclosure near the loading pens.`
`Perhaps they’ve taken enough risks in this area and moved on somewhere else?’ Euan suggested.
`I hope you’re right, but if they know this area at all they’re bound to know Ashburn has some of the best quality beef cattle. They would get a higher price for them.’
After they had groomed the horses and turned them out into the paddock Euan suggested they should change and go to the village pub for their Sunday lunch. He was delighted when she agreed. They received several cheery greetings. Euan realised most of the locals seemed to know now that he was Simon Fairfax’s nephew and therefore welcome in their small community. Much later Roseanne was astonished when she looked at her watch and realised half the afternoon had flown away in friendly chatter.
`They’re all so pleased to see you,’ Euan said. `It was hard to get away when they all wanted to chat.’
`I suspect most of them were more curious to find out about you. They all know me well enough.’
They walked in companionable silence as they made their way back to Ashburn, both of them enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, but not yet so at ease that Euan felt he could take her hand, or draw her closer as he longed to do.
`I’m going to get the records up to date and pay any bills which are due,’ Roseanne said as they reached the house.
`I’d like to see your farm computer programmes sometime,’ Euan said. He saw Roseanne’s quick frown. He stopped and turned to face her. `I wish I’d never seen those bloody bank statements for Kershaw & Co. and I wish I didn’t have such a nose for sifting things out. You have my word I shall not try to interfere with anything else, even if I knew anything about animal records – which I don’t. I’m simply interested in all things to do with computers. I’ve learned more since I set up in business than I ever did at university.’
`Yes, I suppose I could say the same, but grandfather always said it was a day wasted when you didn’t learn something new, so I expect we all go on learning. I’ll show you the farm computers if we’re both down here together again. I’m for an early night tonight though if we’re to get away at the crack of dawn and be back before anyone arrives at the offices. I have a lot of sorting out of my own to do at the flat this week too.’ Euan wondered if she was giving him a hint to keep his distance but her expression showed no anger or resentment now.
***
Roseanne didn’t know what had wakened her. She lay on her back in the dark, listening intently. Her part of the house had been modernised to her own taste and her bedroom was the largest and the only one with windows looking to both back and front. A beam of light swept briefly across her ceiling. It came from the yard side. The green light from her digital alarm clock was sufficient to let her grope her way to the window. She caught her breath when she glimpsed what seemed to be the rear lights of a vehicle. She hadn’t seriously believed thieves would risk striking again so close to Mr Arnold’s but as she watched she realised there was a vehicle and a trailer and it was turning into the old part of the farm steading where the pigs were housed. Whoever it was must have managed to open the bottom gates into the farm as well as negotiating the narrow entrance into the old farm steading. Maybe that was what had wakened her, the sweep of lights through her bedroom window. There were gates to the old steading too but they were rarely needed these days? They were very long, made of iron, and very heavy. She and Euan had considered closing them as an extra precaution before they went to bed then changed their minds when they saw the stiff, rusty hinges. Swiftly she pulled on her jeans and a sweater, thrusting her feet into sandals as she ran to Euan’s room. She didn’t wait for an answer to her knock before she opened the door.
`Don’t put on your light!’ she hissed softly. `We’ve got intruders. They’re heading into the old farm steading. They must have managed to open the bottom gates without disturbing
the McIntyres. I’m going to shut the top gates to delay their escape.’
`No! Wait for me. There may be several of them. They could be dangerous.’
`There’s no time to wait!’
`Then you shut the bottom gates below the milking parlour. I’ll deal with the top ones. That will make doubly sure of holding them back. Jock McInyre was convinced they'd make a try.’
`All right.’ Roseanne agreed, hastily backing out of the room, aware of his muscular torso and the long bare legs already kicking off the duvet. `I’ll phone the McIntyres from my mobile. They’ll alert the police,’ she called back softly as she ran down the stairs.
They both moved swiftly and silently but it was some distance to the lower gates leading onto the road beside the McIntyres' cottage. Roseanne had the McIntyres’ number in her memory list. She phoned as she ran. Mrs McInyre answered on the second ring.
`It's me, Roseanne. We've got trouble.’
`I’ll phone the police.’
`We’re shutting the gates,’ Roseanne panted, glad Mrs McInyre was not a woman who panicked or asked questions. Roseanne knew she could rely on her. The McIntyres had obviously been prepared and half expecting the thieves would try for Ashburn stock.
She had just swung the gates shut and was fixing the bolts when William came running, still pulling on his sweater.
`We’ve been bringing the tractor down to our cottage at nights in case we needed it for a barricade. Did you manage to shut the top gates? They're very wide. It makes them heavy, especially if you're in a hurry.’
`Euan is shutting them now. The thieves have driven right into the old farm steading so they must have expected the house to be empty. If Euan manages to shut the gates that should be enough to hold them until the police get here.’
`Yes, I’ll…Ah here’s granddad with the tractor as a backup. We’ll not let the devils get away with our animals…’
Euan was less familiar with the layout in the dark. One of the top gates was folded back against the wall and he released the catch and swung it into place fairly easily, but the other gate was longer, with a triangular support on the top for extra strength to try and prevent it from sagging, but that made it heavier. It was hinged to the shed so that it could be swung two ways for guiding the animals, but it was rarely needed these days and the hinges were stiff, making it more difficult to swing. Euan knew the thieves were already shifting animals by the squealing of the pigs and the cursing and hissing of one of the men. As he tugged at the heavy gate one end dragged on the concrete. It made a loud scraping noise in the darkness. The sound of the men’s voices stopped. Euan struggled to lift the weight of the heavy end of the gate to ease it into place. Then he heard shouting and swearing and knew the clanging noise of the gate had alerted the thieves. He struggled frantically to get the gates together so that he could shove the bolts in place to hold them. One of the men yelled loudly.
`Get in! Get into the bloody Land Rover. Some bugger must have seen us. He's trying to shut us in!’ Euan didn't hear the reply as he pulled and tugged struggling to get the iron gates to meet so he could secure the bolts and then padlock the chain. He got the two gates together at last and managed to shoot one of the bolts as the Land Rover came round the corner at speed. The headlights blinded him as he wrestled with the other bolt. He didn't see the heavy bull bars on the front of the vehicle. Too late he realised the driver had no intention of stopping, or even slowing. They meant to burst the gates open. He tried to jump aside but his foot slipped. He clung to the gate to keep himself upright, sure now the driver would run over him if he fell to the ground.
`There's somebody there! Stop!’ a voice shouted. Euan was certain the driver must have seen him but he had no intention of stopping. `Are ye mad? Ye'll kill him! Oh my God…’
The Land Rover, with the weight of the loaded trailer behind, crashed through the gates, bursting them apart easily while there was only the single bolt in place to hold them together. Euan felt a sharp pain in his arm before he was slammed hard back against the wall, pinioned there by the twisted metal of the gate. He was powerless to help himself. The loaded trailer skidded out of control. It swung precariously behind the Land Rover, battering the gate against the wall a second time, and Euan with it. Blackness descended.
`Ye hit somebody!’ the other man gasped. `Ye might have killed him. We'd better stop…’
`Shut yer bloody mouth. Ye said there’s nobody in the farmhouse on Sunday nights!’ the driver growled angrily. His companion didn’t reply. He was terrified now. What if they had killed a man? He didn’t like this job. He’d tried to tell Galt they’d done enough in this area but he wouldn’t listen – not after he heard of the special beef cattle at Ashburn. They sped down the concrete yard. Headlights flashed on in front, blinding them. Galt uttered a stream of oaths as he stood on the brakes. The trailer slewed and jack-knifed. Pigs squealed with fear and injuries. The bonnet of the Land Rover came to a halt against the bottom gates. The noise of the squealing pigs was joined by that of a siren. Galt made to scramble out of his vehicle and make a dash for it. Then he saw the flashing blue lights and realised it was too late. He swore even more fluently than before. A second police car swerved to the left and parked on the far side of the Lennox’s cottage effectively cutting them off if they tried to make a break for it across the fields and down the back track. Galt turned and landed a furious punch at his accomplice's right eye, yelling every swear word he could call to mind, as well as a few inventions of his own.
While the police officers were dealing with the two men Roseanne moved closer to Jock McInyre.
`They must have got through the top gates,’ she said in a low voice. `I’m going to make sure Euan is all right. Even if he didn’t manage to close them in time I thought he would have been down here to see the men being arrested.’
`Aye,’ Jock frowned. `Aye, you do that, lassie. The police will want to talk to all of us. You stay at the house and I’ll tell them where you are.’
Roseanne ran back up the yard. Every instinct told her something must be wrong or Euan would have joined them. Could they have fought with him? There were two of them? Was he hurt? It would be her fault if he had been injured. She should have shut the top gates herself. They were heavy but there was a knack to dealing with them and she was more familiar with the way they worked. Everything was still in darkness. She called Euan’s name. There was no reply. She ran to the door of the house and switched on the lights inside and out. Her heart was thumping in alarm now. The yellow glow of the single outside bulb shone on the buckled gates just past the end of the house. The longest one was badly twisted. Then she saw Euan lying in the shadows trapped between the gate and the wall. He lay still and silent. There was no response when she called his name. She could see at once that his head was bleeding badly. She managed to lift and tug the iron gate aside a little so she could squeeze behind it and reach Euan. She knelt beside him, whispering his name urgently, over and over, but there was no response. She drew his head into her lap and pulled out her mobile phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialled for an ambulance.
Ten
Roseanne was exhausted but she refused to leave Euan’s bedside once the doctors allowed her in to see him. She blamed herself for his accident. She should never have left him on his own to close the heavy top gates. Nothing Jock or his wife could say had made her feel any better. She didn’t know how she was going to explain to Euan’s mother and Uncle Simon. He was in a single room at the local hospital and he was still unconscious with a nurse constantly in attendance. The doctors were debating whether he should be moved to Glasgow on account of his head injury. Even more frightening was the policeman waiting outside.
`If he dies it will be murder,’ he said grimly, `or manslaughter at least.’ Roseanne shuddered in horror. There had been innumerable questions to answer, and even more when the police realised a man had been severely injured. She felt overwhelmed with guilt. Should she telephone Australia and tell Euan’s moth
er and Uncle? It was already daylight here so night would be approaching over there. Should she let them have a night’s sleep in peace and tell them at the start of their day? The nurse was a pleasant middle aged woman and Roseanne asked her advice.
`I think you should wait a while dear. There’s nothing they can do when they’re on the other side o’ the world and twelve hours can make a big difference. We might have better news by then. It’s never good to give bad news at bed time, especially when the laddie’s mother has been ill, as you said.’ Roseanne followed her advice. When another nurse came in to check the tubes Roseanne pointed to Euan’s left hand.
`His fingers are twisted. They're not usually like that. Are they broken?’ The nurse looked more closely.
`I think they may be broken. His head injury was a priority though. It still is. We’re giving all our attention to that. He’ll have a mighty sore head when he does come round.’ Roseanne had noticed a broad swathe of Euan’s thick dark hair had been shaved away but his hair would grow again. `Please God make him well,’ she whispered.
It seemed an age before the doctors came round again. The nurse had drawn attention to Euan’s injured hand. The doctor nodded then insisted Roseanne should go home and get some rest.
`We have your telephone number and you may come back in the afternoon. We need to do some tests and attend to his broken leg. We shall keep you informed.’ Reluctantly Roseanne obeyed. She dreaded breaking the news to Euan’s mother and she needed to telephone Kershaw & Co. and let them know she would not be in and prioritise the work as far as she could. She knew they would all do their best once they understood the seriousness of the situation and they had her mobile number to keep in contact. She was putting the phone down with a huge sigh when Jock McIntyre called in to ask how Euan was. She was sure she could neither eat not sleep but Jock had other ideas.
`Ye look exhausted, lassie,’ he remarked when she'd finished telling him Euan had not regained consciousness. `Ye'll be no use to him if ye dinna get something to eat and then have a rest. I’m going to wait here until ye’ve made some porridge. There’s plenty o’ cream on top o’ the milk I brought up for ye earlier. Roseanne grimaced but she obeyed. She knew her churning stomach would feel better for having some food to digest. She couldn’t go to bed but she compromised by stretching out on the long settee with the telephone close at hand.
A Question of Love Page 11
