Auld Acquaintance

by Ruth Hay

  “You cannot be blamed for ignorance of the breed, Ms. Mason. I am sure many Scots would not have recognized what they were dealing with in similar circumstances.”

  The more placatory manner surprised Anna. Perhaps she had misjudged the man. If Fiona was correct in her estimation, he was overworked and protective of animals, even if his attitude to the human race was less than sympathetic.

  “How is the wildcat kitten surviving in your care, these days?” enquired the vet.

  “I have never heard of such a creature, who clearly belongs in the wild, living for long under these circumstances.”

  Anna restrained herself from insisting that without the care she and Fiona had provided the wild creature would not have survived at all.

  “He is fine, as far as I can tell. I am sure you will see for yourself tomorrow,” she replied, in as polite a tone of voice as she could manage between her clenched teeth.

  “I have surgery until 6:00pm. I will be by after that.”

  “Can I, perhaps, offer you some supper, or will you be rushing home for a meal?” Anna had the sudden thought that she could possibly arrange a more relaxed meeting between the vet and Fiona, which might lead to future benefits for the girl.

  “No need, no need at all. I won’t be troubling you for that.”

  “It’s no trouble, I assure you. I’ll be expecting you between six and seven.”

  Anna said a quick goodbye before the vet could refuse again. She was delighted to have the chance to meet Callum Moir face to face, and demonstrate how well she had coped with these unusual circumstances, with Fiona’s help of course.

  * * *

  The vet’s mud-spattered Jeep arrived at the farmhouse gate just after 7:00pm. Fiona had been keeping watch out of the bedroom window, with study notes in hand, while Anna made the final preparations to the meal.

  The fish van had appeared earlier in the day and a fine salmon had been purchased.

  The salmon steaks were now simmering in herbs and lemon juice in a large, covered willow-pattern serving dish. A rhubarb crumble, contributed to the feast by Fiona’s Granny, waited in the warming oven.

  The kitchen table was set with the matching blue and white tableware, and a vase of flowers from the garden scented the warm air.

  A white wine had arrived with sundry groceries from Tesco’s delivery truck, earlier in the day, and Helen’s crystal glasses were found and washed. Anna admired their sparkle in the soft candlelight.

  Sylvester had been warned to remain on his best behaviour and showed his disdain for these instructions by retreating into his safe haven in the cupboard for a nap.

  Anna and Fiona had shed a tear or two when they figured this would be their last night with the kitten, but they knew he would soon need the kind of space and care they could no longer provide.

  * * *

  Callum Moir marched up the gravel path with a small animal cage in his hand.

  Anna opened the door to welcome him and watched as he carefully removed his tweed cap and hung up his waterproof jacket, then sat on the bench to extract his leather-shod feet from a pair of hefty rubber overboots. He was taller than Anna, which put his height at around six feet, and his lean frame in a brown corduroy jacket and pants, showed the kind of sinewy strength that Anna thought must be a prerequisite for a country vet with a practice that included both farm and domestic animals.

  When he stood up and ran a hand through his dark hair, Anna silently admired the silver wings at each temple and thought the shaggy eyebrows and hawk-like nose perfectly suited his craggy disposition.

  Polite conversation was not his forte, however, as his first statement demonstrated.

  “I’ll just collect the animal and be out of your way.”

  Anna suppressed a nasty comment and replied in her sweetest voice, “Please stay for a bite to eat. We are just about to start and perhaps you can tell us more about wildcats?”

  She saw him hesitate for a moment, and sniff the inviting aroma of cooking. Fiona had revealed to Anna that the doctor lived alone with a housekeeper to prepare his meals before she returned home each day.

  “Well, if you are sure it’s no trouble. Will your husband be joining us?”

  Anna smiled as she pictured the unlikely event of her urbane ex-husband appearing in this rural setting.

  “No, I am not married. Fiona Jameson is staying with me for a week or two.

  She is studying for A levels and planning to train for the Scottish Wildlife Service.”

  Dr. Moir’s eyebrows rose at this news. “I see. That explains the girl’s interest in animals. I think I have seen some of her nature photographs in the local shops.”

  “I am sure you have. She is a very talented and hard-working young lady.”

  Anna relaxed somewhat, now that the evening was going according to plan.

  She motioned to the vet to sit at the table and called Fiona down from the bedroom.

  When she placed the salmon dish on the table, she noticed the vet’s puzzled expression.

  “Have you got the wildcat animal in a cage somewhere, or is it outside?”

  “Not at all! He is about three feet from you right now.”

  As if on cue, Sylvester poked his nose out of the cupboard and padded forward on his furry feet to investigate the new arrival in his domain.

  Callum Moir was thoroughly surprised at this. He bent down to take a closer look and was met with a low growl and bared fangs as the kitten reacted to the stranger’s smell.

  Neither Anna nor Fiona had ever seen this aggression from Sylvester. Fiona exchanged a glance with Anna then moved to sit beside her and see what would happen next.

  “Well, a remarkably healthy specimen I would say. I have never been this close to one; I imagine few people have had this opportunity. It is about three times the size of a domestic kitten and that tail is quite extraordinary.”

  The tail in question was waving back and forth in what could only be interpreted as a warning gesture, but Sylvester apparently decided against attack and returned to his den without further incident.

  The meal proceeded to the accompaniment of animated conversation as Fiona and Anna related their methods of feeding and cleaning the kitten and the vet recounted all he had tried in the attempt to find a suitable home for a wildcat.

  Anna noticed how often the vet’s eyes strayed to the cupboard in the hopes that Sylvester would emerge again. Sylvester had already sampled the raw salmon and declined to join the party.

  The vet seemed impressed with their success in keeping the kitten alive and became much more sociable as the evening progressed. Anna plied him with wine and asked his opinion about Fiona’s prospects, while Fiona, in turn, praised Anna’s courage in taking on the farm house as well as helping her with her studies.

  It was evident that such convivial events were rare in the busy vet’s life. Fee had checked out the local gossip and found out there had once been a Mrs. Moir but she had left for the brighter lights of Edinburgh some years ago after complaining that her husband ‘worked all the hours God sent’.

  Anna felt pleased that using a softer approach, she had managed to make an ally of this difficult man. She hoped he could be of tremendous help to Fiona.

  After coffee and biscuits had been served, Fiona bundled up Sylvester for the last time and placed him in the vet’s portable cage, padded with the towels that had his own scent. She also included several bottles of the milk mixture that had assured his survival.

  Dr. Moir thanked Anna for her hospitality and requested the chance to return the favour soon. He promised to keep both Anna and Fiona apprised of the wildcat’s progress and tipping his cap, headed down the path to his Jeep.

  Anna and Fiona stood in the doorway with their arms around each other and watched the car with the kitten disappear down the track.

  Sylvester had become an important part of their lives in the last weeks and they would not forget him. Anna did not know it, but Fiona had been photographing the kitten
and had a series of excellent pictures to develop and enlarge for Anna.

  “Right! Off to bed for both of us,” proclaimed Anna. “I’ll clean up in the morning. It will give me something to do with all my extra time.”

  Fiona nodded through a yawn and expressed the hope Anna would enjoy her first night of unbroken sleep.

  Anna got ready for bed in the big bedroom and settled herself in the double bed after lighting the fire. The flickering glow from the flames made her feel sleepy almost at once but her mind was so full of recent events that she could not seem to drift off to sleep.

  The conversation over the dinner table kept re-playing in her memory. Had she imagined Callum Moir’s invitation to a future meal together? Would she agree to a dinner date with this unusual man? It had been so long since she had been willing to risk the disappointment of a date with the usual lonely, male candidate seeking a substitute housekeeper, that she now preferred to refuse all invitations.

  Still, she thought, it could be important for Fee if I keep in touch with the vet. We’ll see what develops, she decided.

  With that item settled, Anna closed her eyes again, and once again, sleep eluded her.

  The unsolved mystery of Helen Dunlop presented itself. Anna had been so involved in other things lately that it had been some time since she had given much thought to Helen.

  I promised myself I would get to the bottom of the story, she acknowledged, and yet, I still have more questions than answers.

  Why did Helen choose to live here and keep the Dunlop name, when she was not very happy during the early part of her life? How had Helen found out she had a niece in Canada when she never contacted Anna’s mother or father? Why all the secrecy of the letters George had been instructed to keep for Anna?

  What will I do, go or stay?

  This last question was the one that would not go away. Anna gave in and sat up in bed to consider her options.

  I have to be realistic about this. Simon was right. It’s a major change if I attempt a new life in a new country far from family and friends. In any case, how could I afford to do it? I have no source of income here and I would need a car, not to mention improvements to the farm house.

  I haven’t experienced a winter here.

  Andrew expects me back at the Library soon.

  I really miss Alina and Maria and Bev and Susan.

  But...............I love it here in this crazy, old-fashioned house, in this beautiful country.

  I can’t wait to get back to Oban again and sit by the sea watching the tide wash in and out. I need to explore the islands and walk by the lochs in all weathers. I want to see Fiona get the life she deserves and watch Jeanette’s baby grow up and find out how Alan Matthews manages his sheep, and volunteer at the little town library and make my garden and have two cats and a dog and keep chickens and..................

  Anna was astonished at all the pent-up feelings and plans that poured out of her.

  It must be fatigue, she thought, or the result of her sleep pattern being disturbed for so long, but, strangely, she had never felt so alive. Alive with possibilities for the future, perhaps, but how could she choose between two such different futures?

  Anna got out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown and slippers. If not for the risk of waking Fiona, she would have gone downstairs and had a tot of that soothing whisky to calm her nerves. Her stomach was in turmoil and a throbbing behind her eyes warned of an incipient headache.

  She looked out the window, searching for answers. Cold air flowed from the glass panes and she stepped back just in time to see the silent, white shape of an owl float through the night and fly toward the barn.

  Did Helen wake in the night and see the owls too?

  The cold outside stilled her mind, and in the clarity she remembered the postscript at the end of Helen’s letter. After a minute’s searching, she found the letter in the drawer of the bedside table and lit a candle so she could read it again.

  Should you decide to stay in the McCaig Farm House, please visit

  The Osborne Residential Home. The manageress will expect you.

  Well, Helen, you have been leading me along blindly in this adventure and it’s time I called your bluff. I need more information about you before I can make such an important decision and I am going to find it.

  First stop; The Osborne Home.

  Suddenly, Anna was overwhelmed with exhaustion. She blew out the candle and dropped into bed with robe and slippers on and a sly grin on her face.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Fiona had heard Anna moving around in the night so she tiptoed out of the house in the morning to collect the school children without waking her. Now that the kitten was gone there was no need for Anna to rise early to feed him.

  Fiona would return to her Granny’s house tonight and resume her usual schedule.

  The two weeks with Anna had helped her Shakespeare and Literature studies tremendously, but she had to concentrate now on the Science and Math topics.

  The dreaded exams were only a few weeks away in Glasgow. She knew she had to pass them.

  * * *

  Anna woke late. The fire had turned to grey ash and the room was chilly. She stood up and discovered immediately that her head was throbbing and every muscle in her body was aching. Shuffling to the washroom was an effort, relieved by the fact that hot water remained in the pipes, indicating that either she or Fee had banked down the kitchen fire successfully the night before.

  Anna could not think of what to wear and since she seemed to have slept in her dressing gown, she decided to warm up downstairs in the kitchen before tackling anything else.

  On the way down, she managed to trip and landed heavily on the last step, jolting her head so badly that she had to stop and rest till the room stopped swinging around her.

  “What is wrong with me?” she croaked.

  Her throat felt raw and scratchy. Swallowing saliva, she thought a hot drink would sort out these effects of her broken sleep, but as soon as she reached the table, the rancid smell of left-over salmon turned her stomach and she was sick in the sink.

  There was no denying it now. Something was far wrong with her. She longed to struggle back to bed and lie down flat until the nausea and headache diminished enough to allow her to think more clearly. She threw coal on to the fire but could not summon the energy to do more.

  A slow crawl upstairs was as much as she could manage, and she chose to go into Fee’s bedroom which was warmer because of the kitchen chimney, and closer to the washroom in case she had to be sick again.

  I’ll be fine once I get some sleep, she told herself, as she piled all the bed clothes on top of her and closed her aching eyes.

  * * *

  The next thing Anna knew, it was dark in the room. Must be a storm coming, she thought, but there was no sound of rain or wind.

  Sleep had restored some energy to her limbs so she attempted to get up and find aspirin to quiet her aching head.

  It soon became obvious that her stomach was empty and the nausea was still a problem. A few sips of cold water in the washroom were all she wanted. Outside the window it was night, not a threatening storm. Have I slept a whole day? Is this the same night when I looked for Helen’s letter? I must feed Sylvester........... no, I must feed the fire.

  The mental confusion shocked Anna into focus. She looked in the washroom mirror and did an inventory of her condition. I am flushed and I have a fever. My head and stomach ache and my chest feels tight. I have a bad cold or, heavens!................... I could have swine flu!

  This prospect sent a wave of adrenalin surging through Anna. She realized she was alone in a cold house with no help.

  Fee was not due to return for a day or two. The cell phone was in the kitchen and she could not remember if she had charged it before bed last night.

  In any case, Fee must not come into contact with her. The British newspapers had listed the most vulnerable sections of society and Fee was in one of the categories.r />
  I am not supposed to be affected by swine flu, she told herself. I am too old to be susceptible and I have hardly left the house for weeks. But there was no denying she was ill.

  Her first instinct was to call Alina, or one of her Samba pals for help. She knew, If she could only say to Alina the two words ‘Black Bear’, she would know what to do immediately. But that was impossible. The distance between them suddenly became real. There would be no help from the usual sources, but she needed someone.

  “I’ll call George. He’ll know what to do. But I have to get downstairs for the phone.”

  Summoning all her strength, Anna went slowly down the stairs holding on to the wall.

  The kitchen fire was out and the dirty dishes were still on the table from last night’s meal.

  It seemed to Anna that weeks had passed since that pleasant event. She glanced up at the clock and was rewarded with a sharp pain behind her eyes. Ten o’clock at night.

  Praying that the phone would work, she picked it up from the countertop and switched it on. The battery power was low. She had only one chance to get help. She called George at home.

  “George, can you send someone to the farm house. I need help.”

  “Anna, is that you? You sound awful. Are you ill?”

  “Yes, George, I have a horrible cold, or worse, so you must not come here. You can’t risk infecting Jeanette. Fiona can’t come either. Can you send someone older to me tonight? I don’t want to go to a hospital or wait until I can see a doctor. The phone is running out of power. Please hurry.”

  “Of course, Anna! I’ll.....do...................soon.......”

  At this point the sound faded and Anna’s burst of energy went with it. She collapsed into a chair and placed her head on the table. Tears trickled onto her folded hands but she lacked the strength to wipe them away.