by Linda Ford
“No, I was about to when you hailed me.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you. Go ahead.”
Reid slit open the envelope and read the few words in a matter of seconds. He looked up to find his friend’s gaze on him.
“Well, what is it? You look mighty puzzled for news you’ve been expecting.”
He handed the paper across to his friend.
Cyril’s bearded face split open in a grin. “By golly, you’re to be awarded a knighthood by order of the Queen!” The next second he pumped Reid’s hand. “Congratulations, old man! Splendid, I say.” He shook his head. “Who would have thought picking about in old ruins would have been of more value to Her Majesty’s kingdom than making filthy lucre in trade!”
“I can hardly believe it.” Reid felt overwhelmed with the news. “I didn’t expect...anything like this....”
“Oh, you’ll get used to the honor. Well deserved, by what you’ve told me. Think how you’ve enriched the British Museum for future generations.” He took up the telegram again. “It says here an official letter will follow with details for the ceremony. I hope you’ll invite me to attend.”
Reid was hardly listening. A knighthood. Like his Uncle George. He smiled. His uncle would have been proud.
Cyril stepped away from him. “Well, I’d better get to the train station. It’s been wonderful seeing you again, old man. I’m serious about the invitation. Why not come out this weekend?”
Reid thought about it a moment. It might not be a bad thing to get away for a few days. He needed to gain some perspective on things. Being in Scotland in such close company with his family...and with Miss Norton—he admitted the latter only reluctantly—had thrown him off balance. It was not too late to rectify things. His uncle’s artifacts could wait. If they’d waited this long, they could wait a few more days. With that uncharacteristic attitude, he nodded to his friend. “All right, if you’re sure your wife won’t mind a stranger in your midst.”
“Of course not. She’s a wonderful hostess.” After giving him instructions for the railway, Cyril bid him good-night.
Reid headed up to his room. Only then did he remember the rest of his mail. He flipped through the small stack. The bottom one caught his eye because it was a bit thicker than the rest. That and the neat script on the outside, which looked very familiar.
He opened the flap. A folded sheet of notepaper slipped out, but he ignored that as he spied the richly colored object that came out with it. A bookmark, he saw immediately, its gold silken tassel identifying it.
It was beautifully worked, minute stitches filling in every space, the colors reminiscent of an Islamic mosaic—in hues of blues and purples. He narrowed his eyes at the letters in gothic script. “Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, / The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.”
He recognized the words of Burns’s poem and was immediately transported to that day on the mountains, before Maddie’s accident.
He unfolded the paper that accompanied it.
Dear Mr. Gallagher, Just a small token for your birthday. I shall always be grateful for the wonderful holiday in the Highlands. May the Lord bless you. Yours truly, Madeleine Norton
Maddie’s small, yet beautiful gift was just what he’d needed on this day marking his fortieth year. She’d understood. It touched him more than all the expensive gifts of shirts, ties, tiepins and waistcoats he’d received that afternoon. If he could have spent this day with anyone, she would have been the perfect companion, he realized, remembering his contentment during their fishing expeditions, her eager interest in all his conversations, her wide smile of pleasure. She would understand what he was feeling today.
He rubbed his thumb across the silken threads, feeling tears smarting his eyes. Hastily he wiped at the corners of his eyes, dismayed by his reaction.
He most certainly needed to get away for a while and get things in perspective. He would not, would not, be disloyal to his wife’s memory. Her death would not have been in vain.
* * *
Maddie heard that Mr. Gallagher had gone away for the weekend. Hardly having adjusted to the fact that she only saw him briefly now when he came in to work in the library, she swallowed her disappointment that she wouldn’t see him at all for a while.
She was surprised therefore when she received a note in the mail addressed to her. It was postmarked the day after his birthday. She unfolded the piece of paper.
Dear Miss Norton, I was touched by your beautiful gift. Please accept my sincerest thanks for your time and thoughtfulness. Sincerely, Reid Gallagher
Maddie tried not to feel disappointment at the stiff, formal words. They sounded so unlike the man she’d come to know on holiday in the rugged outdoors of Scotland. With a sigh, she folded the note back up and replaced it in the envelope, knowing she’d keep it even though there was nothing special she could glean from it, nothing to comfort her in future days. Had he no inkling of the love she’d poured into every stitch of the needlepoint? She’d tried to express through her own note what was in her heart without burdening him with the full force of her feelings for him.
Hearing Lady Haversham’s bell, she tucked the envelope inside her Bible and headed to answer her employer’s summons.
* * *
Reid returned from his weekend more glad to be back in London than he’d ever imagined possible.
He was pedaling his brand-new bicycle along the London street, on his way to his aunt’s, wondering how soon he’d run into Miss Norton. He knew he’d gone away to try to get his feelings under control, but all he’d done while he’d been away was think of her.
He glanced down at the bicycle, the one reason he was glad he’d gone away. He was grateful now that Cyril had insisted he try out the sport. After a few false starts he’d gotten the hang of balancing on the two-wheeled contraption that had come a long way from its early days of one giant forewheel and two small rear ones, a tricycle a person needed assistance to mount.
After mastering the technique of riding, Reid had hardly been off it during the weekend. Cyril and his wife belonged to a cycling club and the two took excursions near their home every weekend. Reid had enjoyed their Sunday-afternoon tour all around the western suburbs of London. The bicycle made the miles go by in minutes.
He’d decided then and there to purchase his own bicycle and use it to get around London while he was there. When he returned to Egypt, he’d have it shipped to Cairo for when he was in the city.
Now he pedaled to his aunt’s house, having arranged to meet the new assistant there at ten o’clock. As he turned the corner into Belgrave Square, he spotted Miss Norton heading from the opposite direction, Lilah tugging at her leash, and tried to suppress the joy that welled up in his chest at the sight of her.
Seeing Miss Norton walking behind the terrier, Reid felt his remaining discipline evaporate like raindrops in the sun. He also felt ashamed of the curt little thank-you note he’d sent her. What a coward he was.
He pedaled past his aunt’s front door until he came to a stop before Miss Norton. Her hand flew to her cheek. “Mr. Gallagher!”
He grinned at her surprise, more glad than he could imagine at seeing her. “What do you think?”
She eyed the bicycle. “I didn’t know you cycled.”
“I didn’t. I just learned this weekend.”
“So fast? How is it possible?”
He got off the bike and pushed it alongside her. “It’s really not difficult. I went to visit a friend and he prevailed upon me to give it a try. He wouldn’t listen to any arguments that I was too old a dog to learn new tricks.”
“Oh, no, you’re not too old at all—” She stopped short at her words. “What a beautiful bicycle. Is it yours?”
He looked at her closely, trying to figure out why she’d interrupted herself. Did she mean it that she didn’t consider him too old? “Yes,
” he said, trying to follow her change of topic, when his mind was reliving holding her in his arms during their dance together...helping her bring in the salmon.... He cleared his throat. “I just bought it. Would you like to give it a try?”
She stopped. “Me? Oh, goodness, no, I couldn’t possibly—”
“Why not? I did.”
“I couldn’t learn.”
“Of course you could. I thought it would be difficult but it’s not. It would help you, having a bicycle, with all the errands you run for my aunt. Look how flushed you are in this heat. You could ride for twice the distance you walk now in a quarter of the time—”
She bit her lip.
“You’ll see how easy it is to learn.” Not giving her a chance to refuse, and not questioning his own motives, he hammered on, “I’ll come by tomorrow morning and take you...let’s see, what about the Green Park? There’s plenty of room there and not many people will be out early.”
They had reached the front door. “I don’t know... I’m not in your aunt’s best books right now. I don’t know what she’d think.”
“She won’t fire you.”
She frowned at him. “How do you know that?”
He grinned at her again. “I told her if she dismissed you, I’d hire you full-time at the museum.”
Her tawny eyes grew large. “You said that?”
He nodded. “When she was being unreasonable about your fall at Ben Lawers.”
“You stopped her from dismissing me?”
He felt his own face flush at her awed tone and regretted having repeated his rash promise.
“Oh, she just threatened to. I don’t think she was serious.”
“I don’t know about that. She was rather angry at me.”
“Anyway, cycling is very different from climbing Ben Lawers. Lots of ladies are doing it. I’ll talk to her.”
She bit her lip again. Before she could continue refusing, he reached over and opened the door for her. “It’s settled. Meet me here at eight tomorrow morning.”
She said nothing in reply but entered the house. He decided not to press her. He’d just have to wait and see if she showed up. She disappeared from sight, and he continued on to the back. He still wasn’t sure what, if anything, he’d tell his aunt. There could be nothing wrong in teaching Miss Norton to cycle. He’d see about renting a bicycle before tomorrow.
Feeling curiously lighthearted as he hadn’t since before the accident on Ben Lawers, Reid stowed his bicycle and headed for the library ready to confront the artifacts.
Chapter Fourteen
Maddie waited nervously on the front stoop the next morning. Lady Haversham hadn’t said a word about the cycling last evening, so Maddie had no idea what Mr. Gallagher had told her.
She relived his words from yesterday. He’d have hired her if Lady Haversham had dismissed her! The same warmth welled up in her heart as it did every time she thought of his words.
She spied him cycling toward her, and watched in amazement to see him balancing another bicycle with his left hand. He’d brought her her own bicycle!
“Good morning,” he said with a smile, coming to a stop in front of the house. She walked down to meet him. How on earth was she going to get on that high seat in her skirts? She’d worn her shortest and loosest skirt, yet...
“Good morning,” she replied, eyeing the bicycle doubtfully.
He got off his own bicycle. “Here, take your bike and walk it along. We’ll go to the Green Park on foot.”
“All right.” She went to the other bike and placed her hands on the handlebars as she saw him do. Together they left the square and headed for the large park, which was only a few blocks away.
“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” He turned to her with a smile when they’d gone a little ways.
“Yes.” She felt lost in his blue gaze and was hardly aware of what kind of day it was.
When they passed through the tall wrought iron gates of the park, Mr. Gallagher scanned the area. “Let’s head down this way where there’s no one walking about.”
They left a few nursemaids pushing prams and made their way to the empty path he indicated.
“All right, the first thing is to mount. I’ll hold the bicycle so you won’t fall. Once you begin to pedal, it’ll stand by itself, you’ll see.”
She didn’t like the idea of sitting up there on two thin wheels. She looked at the bicycle, then at Mr. Gallagher. “How can I maintain my balance?”
“Once the wheels are moving, the bicycle won’t tip over. Just look straight ahead and pedal. Oh, and when you do want to stop, you push the pedals backward, and they brake.”
She tried to keep it all straight in her head, envisioning herself falling on her face in worse shape than her fall off Ben Lawers.
He was eyeing her skirts again. “I do wish you’d get yourself a pair of bloomers. My friend’s wife had a pair.”
She smoothed down her skirt. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
“Well, I have seen ladies cycling in skirts. Come on, up you go.”
Not wanting to appear a coward in front of him, she took a deep breath and asked for God’s mercy. Once mounted, she gripped the handlebars until her knuckles hurt. Mr. Gallagher’s larger hand covered her left one, his other holding the bike steady at the back of the seat. She felt herself teetering on the two large, narrow wheels.
“All right, I’m going to walk with you while you pedal. I won’t let go until you’ve got the idea.”
“A-all right.”
They began to move and the pedals turned under her feet.
“Keep the steering wheel steady. That’s it.”
She tried to do as he said. She couldn’t imagine being able to keep the bike upright if he should let go. He began jogging alongside her.
“You’ve got it,” he said. The bicycle began to keep a straighter course. The path sloped downward slightly. Suddenly she was pedaling on her own. She wasn’t sure quite when he had let go, but the bicycle was going by itself. The wind was blowing past her.
“That’s right, just keep pedaling!” She heard his shout behind her.
Then she panicked and began to move the handlebars. The wheels wobbled. She gave a small scream as the bike tilted to one side. She put out her foot. Her skirts began to tangle with the pedal but finally she had her foot on solid ground and managed to keep the bike upright. Her heart was pounding with fear.
Mr. Gallagher ran up to her, a wide smile on his face. He clapped her on the back. “You did it!”
She was panting, more from the fear than her exertion. She looked at him in amazement, only then remembering how she had been riding for a while on her own. “I did, didn’t I? Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe it.”
“Let’s try it again.”
Her heart sank. “I don’t know...” She gazed at the level path before her. “There’s no slope here. That’s probably all that kept me upright.”
“Then let’s go back there. This time, don’t move the handlebars so. Just keep a steady course when you reach the bottom.”
“What if I want to stop? I almost fell off this time.”
“You’ll learn to ease to a stop then put one foot down the way you did.” As he spoke, he led her back to where she’d started.
Her fear grew that he’d make her do it on her own this time. “Will you take hold of the bicycle again, please?”
“Of course. I won’t let go until I see you’ve got your balance.”
Once again, she mounted the bike and waited for him to grip it firmly. This time she concentrated on keeping the handlebars steady. She prayed for the Lord’s direction. She was praying so hard she didn’t even notice when Mr. Gallagher removed his hold. Before she knew it she reached the end of the slope and kept going.
Steady, Maddie, keep the wheel straight, s
he told herself. To her amazement, the bike didn’t fall over but kept going. Once again, when she started to think about it, her balance faltered but this time she kept her head and was able to bring the bike to a less abrupt standstill.
Mr. Gallagher ran up to her again. “Well done, Miss Norton.”
She beamed at him, breathing heavily. “I can hardly believe it. It’s a wonderful feeling, like sailing through the air.”
He smiled at her. “Precisely. I wasn’t convinced, either, until I tried it. Come on, let’s fetch my bicycle and we can try it again.”
They spent the next hour practicing. Every time she got back up on the bicycle, she felt a little more confident of not falling off. By the end of an hour, they were able to circle the park. Her only moments of fear came when they had to pass a pedestrian or nursemaid with a pram. Maddie usually came to a full stop and let the person pass before daring to get back on the path.
When they left, Mr. Gallagher persuaded her to bicycle back. She was afraid of the horse-and-buggy traffic so they walked their bikes across the busiest street near the park, and remounted them on the quieter side streets.
They put their bicycles away in the mews behind the back garden. “We’ll do it again tomorrow morning,” he told her.
“Is the second bicycle yours?”
“I rented it for you. You can use it this week and then we’ll see about getting you your own.”
“Oh, Mr. Gallagher, I couldn’t possibly purchase one.”
He rubbed a spot of dry mud off the front bar of one of the bicycles. “You wouldn’t have to. I’m thinking of purchasing another to leave here in England and taking this one with me when I go back to Cairo. You could keep mine for me until I return.”
The thought of his leaving took away any pleasure his words would otherwise have given her of entrusting his bicycle to her keeping. “I see.”
“You wouldn’t mind looking after it, would you?” His blue eyes searched hers.
“No, of course not.”
They walked through the garden together. At the back door, she turned to him, her fingers threaded together. “Well, I’d better go see about walking Lilah before she makes a mess in the house.”