Eighteen Couper Street

by Millie Gray

  “Oh,” gasped Anna. “You have? Is that not just wonderful! Mind you, I would rather you hadn’t taken after your father.”

  “What on earth do you mean?” exclaimed Rachel, who felt that Auntie was again casting scorn on her achievements.

  “Just that he’s the biggest storyteller in the whole of Leith and now your story has come first in the school folks will be saying you take your creative flair off him.”

  “Och, Auntie, he tells fairy stories that nobody believes. My story, says the teacher, is a work of genius. And tomorrow I’ll have to be very smart when I go to school because I have to go into each classroom and read my wonderful fable.”

  Anna was rather at a loss to know the difference between a fairy story and a fable so reluctantly she asked, “Rachel, have you got the story in your schoolbag?” Rachel nodded and fished the precious pages out. “Okay. Now read the story to me.”

  Imitating a professional she cleared her throat before beginning. “Once upon a time, a little girl’s mother died and therefore she’d never known her. As time went slowly by she longed to see her mother. One day, she met a crooked old man on the stairs and, as she stood aside to let him past, he slipped and tumbled down the steps. Quickly the little girl ran down to help the old man up and as she stroked him he said, ‘You have a great longing in you. But tonight when you go to sleep you will have a most wonderful dream. In that dream you will come face to face with your real mother.’ How, wondered the girl, could this man know her innermost thoughts?”

  Rachel continued her story until the end. During the whole time Anna sat silent, wondering if Rachel knew she’d written a fairy story but based on facts that shook Anna. Facts that told her how Rachel had resented always being reminded she was a ‘charity’ child.

  Fortunately before Anna could comment, Bella arrived home with the customary bag of broken biscuits. “Chocolate ones this time,” said Bella, opening up the bag so that Anna could see inside. “And look – some good milk ones that aren’t too smashed. And there’s even enough to give Auntie Rosie some.”

  Rachel vigorously shook her head and fished in the bag and brought out a biscuit to nibble. “Sorry, Bella, but there will be no biscuits for Auntie Rosie or Johnny. You see, we’ll need all of the biscuits here to feed our lodger.”

  “Lodger?” exclaimed Bella.

  “Aye,” interrupted Anna. “A sailor pal of your Uncle Andy’s. And that means you and Rachel will be sleeping in here with me.”

  “Oh, no!” cried Bella loudly. “He can go and take a run and …”

  The door opened and Gus Cochrane advanced into the room. Bella’s jaw dropped. Gus, being dressed in an Eriskay hand-knitted sweater and seaman’s coat, looked so utterly fetching. Anna swallowed hard as she experienced the return of the same apprehension that she’d felt on being introduced to Gus. Bella at nearly sixteen had no real experience of men and still was quite immature. Oh God, she thought. What if Bella goes and makes a fool of herself?

  “Gus, these here are my girls. Bella’s my brother’s lassie and Rachel I got …” Anna was about to say from the destitute children’s orphanage until she remembered Rachel’s winning story and so continued, “Just because I wanted her.”

  Gus nodded to Rachel and winked at Bella, sending her face bright red while Anna’s apprehension grew until she looked again at Gus and gratefully conceded that a good-looking, worldly man like him would be looking for a more sophisticated mate than sweet but callow Bella. She also knew that in the Hebrides, as in the Highlands where she had been raised, it was unthinkable to abuse your hostess’s hospitality.

  9

  TWO MONTHS GONE AND STILL NO SIGN OF HIM

  The living room come kitchen of Anna’s house was filled with the acrid aroma of onions. “Great that your pal Jack McIntyre spent his day off trapping rabbits,” commented Rye, whose eyes were streaming. “Mind you, I didnae mind the skinning and chopping them up, but see thae onions? Och, my eyes are fair stinging.”

  “Aye, with food now as scarce as money because of this blooming war, five rabbits is a Godsend,” chuckled Anna. “And with your Jamie getting the tossed-out onions, carrots and tatties out o’ Rankin’s market, what a feed the whole o’ 18 Couper Street will have the night.”

  Going over and lifting the kettle, Rye advanced to fill it at the sink. “Aye, and it must have taken Jack the whole day to get all the trapping done.” A sly smile crossed her face before she continued, “Mind you, I think it was you trapping him with a flash o’ your ankles now that you’ve lifted your skirts a good four inches that got him in the mood.”

  “Don’t talk rubbish, Rye,” Anna retorted. “The reason my skirts are no longer sweeping the floor is so I don’t get muck and bugs on them. Besides, shorter skirts don’t get worn out so quickly.”

  Rye flopped down on a handy chair. “Have it your own way, Anna, but I ken fine Jack has an eye for you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. And even if he had, it would do him no good. I’d never saddle myself with any man.”

  “Wish I hadnae. Here, Anna, did I tell you?”

  “You’re no away again?”

  “Naw. But wait till you hear this – that man o’ mine, who cannae get by unless he has his oats every night, has joined the 7th Battalion Royal Scots Territorial and they’re getting sent to the front.”

  Not wishing to know anything about anyone’s sex life – least of all Rye’s – Anna pretended she was clearing her throat by giving a few grunts before remarking, “That right?”

  “Aye. Mind you I think he’ll find it a lot different from being a flour miller in John Wilson’s. And he’ll no be able to get hame every night like he does from the mill in Bonnington Road.”

  “But on the bright side,” Anna predicted, “you’ll no be having any more bairns.”

  “You’re right there – eight bairns are enough for any woman and by the time he gets back I’ll be right through the change. Funny me going into the change early. Anyway, they say thirty-four is early – mind you, if I’d known the work eight bairns were I’d have started the change before I left the primary school.”

  Anna and Rye looked questioningly at each other when the sound of heavy footsteps in the passageway stopped at the door, followed by a loud thud of something being dumped down. “Oh, no,” gasped Anna, “don’t tell me that Gus is back again?”

  “Right enough. Him asking you to put him up just for a few days and then it turning into eight weeks was a bit of a cheek.”

  “Bit of a cheek? That was nothing to the worry I had, keeping Bella from getting smitten by him.”

  “Don’t tell me she fancied him?”

  Anna’s face reddened. “No. She thought she did, until I told her she didn’t. Honestly, what a job I had convincing her that a handsome lad like him usually has a lassie as daft as herself in every port.”

  “Then what kind o’ smit was it she was getting off him?”

  “A big doze o’ that malaria thing he got in the tropics. That’s what kept him here all these weeks.”

  “That so?”

  “Aye, continually shivering and delirious and calling out for his mammy, he was.”

  Sucking in her cheeks Rye lazily responded. “And all the poor soul got was Bella, whose face has been longer than Leith Walk ever since you got rid of him three weeks ago.”

  The insistent knocking on the door finally caused Anna to open it. “Oh my goodness,” she exclaimed when she saw a coal man standing there.

  “Are you Anna Campbell?”

  “Aye,” replied Anna nodding. “But I didn’t order any coal for the simple reason I’m skint.”

  “Then let’s just say it’s your lucky day because a Good Samaritan paid me to bring a bag up for you.”

  Once the man had dumped the coal into Anna’s bunker, Rye asked, “You’ve really nae idea who your hearth-warming fairy godmother is?”

  “No. But seeing it’s Christmas next week I suppose it could well be Santa Claus,�
� replied Anna, who had no desire to enter into any explanation with Rye.

  “Now,” Rye continued, “it could only be from one or two people. I think the best bet would be Jack McIntyre who is desperate to get you into his custody.”

  Anna sighed. “Look. Giving me rabbits he trapped for nothing is one thing but him parting with siller for a bag of coal would take some doing.”

  “Well, in that case, maybe that Gus lad sent it on as a thank you for keeping him warm when he was shivering.”

  “Oh look,” cried Anna, going over and vigorously stirring the pot. “That’s the rabbit stew simmering and isn’t it just great that when my auntie up north died I inherited her cauldron? You know, that pot is so big that when it’s on the fire I can get nothing else on.” Turning to Rye she sweetly sighed. “So that means, as much as I would like to ask you to bide for a wee cup of tea, I can’t.”

  “No offence taken, Anna, especially as neither o’ us has any tea, never mind there no being enough room on your fire to boil the kettle.” Rye inhaled long and deep before noisily exhaling. “And they say the men at the front are suffering. I mean, what about us women who try to keep the home fires burning with nae coal and having to feed awbody out o’ nothing?”

  Quickly Anna retaliated in a heated voice, “Aye, but we’re no going over the top of they blinking trenches and getting slaughtered in our thousands.” Anna then moderated her tone when she saw the look of embarrassment on Rye’s face. “Look, Rye,” she continued is a conciliatory voice. “You’re a real pal so why don’t you go and get your pail and fill it with enough of my coal to give you a wee heat the night.”

  “Auntie,” Rachel began wistfully, “I’m to write the Christmas pantomime. So listen. Does this sound right?”

  “What pantomime is it?”

  “Dick Whittington.” Rachel inhaled deeply before going into the drama, “Two months gone and no sign of Dick.” She now stretched out her arms but before she could dramatise further Bella walked in unsteadily.

  “No feeling any better?” asked Anna, squinting at Bella. “That potion I made you should have worked by now. Maybe I’m wrong and you can pick up that malaria thing from someone and no need to be bitten by a fly. Never mind, we’ve got rabbit stew for tea. Now that’s sure to put a lining on your belly.”

  Bella belched before sitting down at the table. “Auntie,” she began in a tearful whisper, “the lassies at work are being horrible to me.”

  “In what way?” asked Anna, as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

  “They say that my puking every morning means I’m like what Rachel just said …”

  “Remind me what she said,” demanded Anna, impatience ringing in her voice.

  “Just that somebody was two months gone and there was no sign of somebody else.”

  An uneasy silence broken only by the ticking of the pendulum clock and the bubbling of the stew pot enfolded the room. Bella and Anna didn’t see each other even though they were staring right into each other’s eyes. Meanwhile, Rachel was surreptitiously making for a quick getaway.

  Rising, Anna walked over to the outside door and without a word turned the key in the lock and then placed it securely in her pocket. She then turned and smiled directly at Rachel who accepted her aunt had securely barred her escape route.

  Resuming her seat, she indicated that Rachel should also take a seat. “Now,” she began, eyeing both girls whilst she thumped the table, “who has something to tell me?”

  Both girls looked down before Rachel finally said, “I know you said that when you went to your Salvation Army meetings both Bella and I were to stay in together. And never were we to be in the house alone with Gus and we never were. Well, not ever alone with him.”

  “So how’s Bella in the mess she’s in?” bellowed Anna. “Not to mention the disgrace that’s been brought down on my head!”

  “It was,” continued Rachel quickly, “because of the man who came to the door and said that he was on the run and starving. He asked us to give him some food and a few coppers. And, Auntie, whenever he said coppers I told him to wait and then banged the door shut, didn’t I, Bella?” Bella nodded. “And I then spoke to Bella and we decided that she would stay at home and give the man a jelly piece and I would run and get the copper – your friend Jack McIntyre.”

  “Is this another of your prize-winning essays, Rachel?” asked Anna, emphasising every word.

  “No.”

  “So what happened then?”

  “Well, Jack wasn’t on duty and I couldn’t find another cop but I did bump into my pals Rosa and Jenny.” By now Rachel was quite breathless but she blundered on. “And they were on their way to the Band of Hope meeting. And since I’d not been able to go for weeks because I was watching Gus and I knew that the man on the run was in the house so nothing could happen that you didn’t want to happen, Auntie, I went with them.”

  Anna now turned her attention to Bella. “And what happened then?” she asked, sharply.

  “The man finished his piece and as I had no money to give him he wouldn’t stay. I did ask him to – but he wouldn’t.”

  “And?”

  “Nothing, Auntie, except Gus was shivering and he asked me politely to warm him up.” Bella swallowed hard. “And because there was hardly any coal for the fire … well.” Her voice tailed off.

  “And that was the start of it?” fumed Anna.

  Bella nodded. “Whenever he was cold, and that was nearly every day after that, I had to cuddle him in.”

  “Let me get this straight. You’re saying that under my roof you had the audacity to fornicate?”

  “No. I never forni … whatever it is,” protested Bella. “We were just kind to each other. And it wasn’t like what you have always told us that forbidden thing would be – horrible, painful and we wouldn’t like.” Bella hesitated. Anna panted whilst she ran her hands through her hair. “Well,” continued Bella, “the first time it was a bit sore but after that it was nice. Really nice and I liked it.”

  Anna, now beside herself with worry, could only ask herself, Why is this lassie so naïve? Doesn’t she realise that men only want one thing and that it’s a woman’s Christian duty to deny him any, or no, satisfaction – or at least that is what my granny up north told me. Sighing, she continued to ask herself what she could do. Wringing her hands she eventually spoke out vehemently to the wall, “This is all the fault of my brother Andy, and he’s at sea so I’m left to sort it out.”

  “He’s not at sea,” chirped Rachel. “I met Johnny at school today and he said that his dad had come home unexpectedly last night. His ship was damaged in a battle – or maybe it was a storm?” Rachel paused briefly before adding, “But it really doesn’t matter because he’s all right.”

  At that Anna leapt up from the table, unlocked the door and fled off in the direction of Admiralty Street.

  The cold of that December day ate into Anna’s feet but being in such a hurry she’d quite forgotten to put her shoes on and all too soon her stockings were sopping wet.

  Taking the worn wooden stairs two at a time, Anna was soon at Andy’s door, which she flung open with such force that it noisily bounced back towards her. As she entered the house she caught a full picture of herself in the mirror of the wardrobe that faced the door. Had she not been in such a hurry to confront her brother, she would have been horrified at the image she presented – a madwoman, hair standing on end and giving every appearance of being wholly out of control.

  “What the devil’s wrong with you?” enquired Andy, staring in bewilderment at his distraught sister.

  Racing across the room she slapped him hard across the face, but before she could inflict another blow he managed to grab her by the arms and restrain her. “Now,” he demanded, still holding her firm, “have you lost your mind?”

  Sinking against Andy’s chest Anna started to sob. “You– you–you brought that child molester into my home and now …”

  “Are you really saying,” sceptic
al Andy asked, “that Gus abused your hospitality and assaulted your Rachel?”

  “No. But he has taken advantaged of my glaikit Bella and now she’s nearly three months gone and where is he?”

  “On his way to India on board a tramp steamer,” Andy muttered, letting go of Anna. “Oh bloody hell. What’s our Willie going to say? Here’s me and you supposed to be looking after Bella for him and now we’ve let her …”

  “Don’t you dare say I let her get … And the worry is, yes I can keep her indoors and out of sight until she’s better but then when the bairn’s born I, a virgin spinster, can hardly claim it’s mine.”

  “Right enough. In a case like this,” agreed Rosie, “that’s what usually happens – saves the family from disgrace. Och aye, the granny says she’s the mother and she brings the bairn up and all’s well.”

  “And,” said Andy, looking fixedly at Anna, “we cannae says it’s Rosie’s and mine because I’ve been at sea for ten weeks.”

  “Aye. Well, if we cannae come up with an answer, we’ll sure all be at sea,” muttered Anna sardonically.

  “Could she no get a back-street abortion?” Andy suggested.

  “What?” Anna exclaimed.

  “You know,” Andy continued blatantly. “Send her down to Button-hook Nell.”

  “Oh no,” screamed Rosie. “That’s a sin. You’d never be forgiven. And that Nell will roast in hell’s fire for eternity for what she does.”

  “I don’t care if I’d be forgiven or not … but my Bella’s just a bairn and she’s not going to be forced to have an abortion. Could kill her, that could.” Anna sniffled as the tears spilled over. “And bad as things are, I still want my stupid Bella – disgraced or not.”

  Time slowly ticked by until Andy laid his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Greet no mair, lass. There’s a ship leaving Leith tomorrow for India. I’ll try to get a start on her and with a bit of luck I’ll meet up with Gus in Calcutta and see … well … just see what can be worked out.”