Daughter of Mull

by Joan Fleming

  ‘To work,’ Anna said.

  They walked up the little hill Tòrr an Aba, from where they could look over the whole site of the buildings for which the island was so famous. They watched as the crowds of tourists made their way back to the ferry terminal.

  ‘Most of the visitors will be planning to take the bus back to Craignure to catch the ferry to Oban,’ Finn explained. ‘The museum will be quieter now, and you should be able to take those photos you’re after.’

  The last visitor was on the point of leaving just as they arrived at the museum, and Anna managed to wield her camera from every angle, focusing especially on the gravestone of Anna Maclean.

  And this time, she didn’t faint.

  CHAPTER 15

  That evening, by which time Anna had been in Mull for five days, she had a phone call from Roddie.

  ‘How are you, Anna?’ Roddie asked.

  Although his voice was clear enough, Anna felt as though he was speaking from far, far away. Roddie, the flat, and Glasgow, all seemed to belong to a different world.

  ‘It’s good to hear your voice. I’m doing well. Today I was on the Isle of Iona, exploring the abbey which is magnificent. I know you’ve never been here, but I can’t wait to show you—’

  ‘Stop gabbling, Anna, and let me tell you the reason I’ve called.’

  ‘Oops. Sorry, Roddie, I got carried away. I’m listening now.’

  ‘A package arrived for you today in the post. It’s in a transparent plastic bag, with a note from the Royal Mail Customer Services, apologising that the item of mail inside has been damaged.’

  Anna felt her heart beating faster. ‘Can you see who it’s from, Roddie?’

  ‘Not entirely. You can only see through the edges of the bag.’

  Hearing the rustle of plastic, Anna visualised Roddie turning the package this way and that, trying to locate the sender.

  ‘It’s from a firm called… No, sorry, I can’t read the whole word. All I can see is M… A… C. Would you like me to open it?’

  ‘Yes… er… no, thanks Roddie. Just bring it with you, please. You are still coming, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’m not sure. There’s a boys’ night out arranged with some of my pals. I thought I might go to that instead.’

  ‘Oh, Roddie, don’t tease. You are coming, aren’t you?’

  ‘Of course, I am. And maybe sooner than I thought,’ he said, chuckling. ‘I’ll call you.’

  Anna smiled as she clicked off her phone, then sat for a while, mulling over their conversation and the damaged package in its polythene bag. Yes, she hoped it was her birthday card from her birth mother. But if it wasn’t, she knew Roddie would be able to offer her a comforting shoulder to cry on. She always felt secure when he was at the helm.

  It was only now that Anna realised that was what had been missing since she’d come to Mull. Roddie.

  CHAPTER 16

  Anna jumped up from the kitchen table at Benview with a cry of exasperation.

  ‘Damn!’ she said, between gritted teeth. ‘This is taking forever. How could I have been so stupid as to leave my laptop at home? It’s one of the most important pieces of equipment to do my job.’

  Although there was no one in the cottage to respond, it relieved her feelings slightly to act as if there was.

  She glanced at the table, which was littered with papers covered in her sloping handwriting, with large sections scored out here and there. She had spent all morning writing, but hadn’t taken the time to number the pages, which meant that now she couldn’t even arrange them in order. Try as she might to do her work with pen and paper, it was proving to be a poor substitute for a computer screen and a keyboard. And she still had to transfer her notes from paper to laptop once Roddie arrived with her computer.

  If only she hadn’t been in such a hurry to set out on her trip to Mull. But her impulsive nature had landed her in trouble often enough in the past. ‘More hurry, less speed,’ her dad used to say to her, frequently followed by, ‘Oh, Anna, will you never learn?’

  She recalled some of the narrow escapes she’d had: like the day she had almost been knocked down by a car as she dashed into the middle of the road before the pedestrian crossing’s green light appeared; the numerous occasions on which she’d had to repeat her school work because, in her rush to finish it, her writing had become illegible; her feeble attempts at baking, when she pulled cakes out of the oven before they were ready. ‘They’ve been in long enough,’ she’d say.

  Anna shook her head to clear away the memories of her previous disasters. ‘I know what I’ll do with these,’ she muttered. Then she swept the papers together, gathered them into a pile, and dumped them straight into the waste paper basket. She would just have to content herself to wait until Roddie and her laptop arrived.

  Since she’d been in Mull, Anna had been conscious of a definite slower pace of life. And although she would have to return to the city, she felt a strange reluctance to leave. It was as if the island itself had a magnetic power which secretly held her here.

  She’d already heard people say, ‘There’s no hurry in Mull’, but this was different. Memories of the Lorelei came to her – the siren who, as folklore had it, lured sailors to their death on a hazardous rock on the River Rhein. Was there a siren on the Isle of Mull? If so, she hoped it was a benign spirit who exercised her influence for no other purpose than to keep everyone who fell under her sway on the island.

  Anna had just returned from a short walk in the fresh air to clear her head, when Roddie called again.

  ‘I meant to ask you earlier, how’s the research going, Anna? And how—?’

  ‘Whoa, Roddie, one question at a time, please. The research: I’ve tried working with pen and paper, but it’s not proving too successful. Next question?’

  ‘I was only going to ask if it would suit you for me to arrive tomorrow? With your laptop?’

  ‘Oh Roddie, that would be brilliant,’ she squealed. ‘But, can you spare the time?’

  ‘For you, Anna, I’ll make a point of it.’

  ‘Is Flo happy to take care of things for a bit? You will have time to stay?’ Anna asked.

  ‘Yes. She’s a great partner. She did say she’d love to come with me, but that’s not possible, of course. Can you arrange some accommodation for me?’

  Anna noticed he hadn’t said ‘business partner’, but ignored the twinge of annoyance to reply. ‘No problem. I’m sure I can manage that.’

  When she ended the call, Anna could scarcely believe how quickly her view of her situation had changed. If Roddie arrived with her laptop, she could attack her research in earnest, and make some progress with the project. Until now she had been a bit half-hearted, almost lethargic in her approach, but Roddie’s arrival would galvanise her into productive action. She quickly retrieved the pages she’d put in the waste paper basket – just in case they might prove to be useful.

  First, though, she would have to make arrangements for Roddie’s accommodation. He wouldn’t be fortunate enough to find anyone like George travelling on the ferry to Craignure to take care of everything for him.

  She decided to have lunch at Lochside, where she could ask advice about somewhere for Roddie to stay. Anna set off on the Benview bicycle, as she hadn’t yet contacted Kirsty to discuss using the car which was parked at the cottage. At least Roddie planned to bring his car over to Mull, so that would make travelling around a little easier.

  There were three people at the regulars’ table in the bed and breakfast when she arrived: George, Finn, and a man Anna hadn’t met before.

  ‘Talk of the devil,’ George said, greeting her with a beaming smile. ‘We were just speaking about you. This is Adam, Kirsty’s husband. He’s come up to see how work is progressing on his cottage. On Benview.’

  With the introductions over, Anna was able to tell Adam that she hadn’t seen much of the workmen. ‘I’ve been out much of the time, though, so I don’t know how they’re doing.’

  ‘I�
�ve arranged to meet Jimmy at Benview this afternoon. I’ll see then how it’s going. Is it all right if I go in and—’

  ‘Of course,’ Anna said. ‘It’s your cottage. It’s good of you to allow me to use it.’

  Another thought suddenly occurred to her. ‘Would you like me to move on? Are you planning to stay?’

  Adam laughed. ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘I’m going back home later today. I may take one of the boys with me, depending on how much work still has to be done on the cottage. Are you quite happy there? Do you have everything you need?’

  ‘Right down to the bicycle I used to come over here,’ she assured him. ‘It’s perfect.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Adam said. ‘We’ll see how this arrangement with Elsa works. It might suit us all. She’s the person on the spot when we’re at home in Glasgow.’

  Conversation became more general, less focused on Anna, which gave her the opportunity to study the men at the table. George was the oldest of the three; Finn reminded Anna of a silver fish, which would be appropriate for his love affair with the sea; and Adam was stocky but strong, with well-developed muscles. She had a great desire to take a picture of the three inhabitants – either full- or part-time – of the Isle of Mull; to capture the moment, and try to work out what they had in common. What had attracted the newcomers to the island? Was it contagious? Could it be that already the island was casting its spell over her, luring her to the Hebrides?

  ‘I have a friend who’s coming up for a couple of days,’ Anna said, taking advantage of a lull in the conversation. ‘I’m looking for accommodation for him.’

  ‘He can stay at the cottage,’ Adam said. ‘No problem.’

  Anna felt the heat rising from her neck upwards. She was sure her face had turned that awkward shade of pink that shouted at her red hair.

  ‘We don’t… He isn’t…’ She stumbled over her attempts to explain that Roddie was not a boyfriend.

  George came to her rescue. ‘They’re just good friends, I think.’

  ‘Oh, I see. Still, no problem,’ said Adam. ‘There’s a camp bed in the cupboard in the living room.’

  ‘Oh, thank you,’ Anna said, her voice light with relief. ‘Roddie’s my flatmate in Glasgow. In fact, it’s his flat that I live in. With another lad.’

  All of a sudden, it struck Anna that most of her friends were men. In fact, she had no close female friends. And it was uncanny that she found herself, once again, surrounded by men. Perhaps she was more at ease in men’s company?

  ‘Is he arriving today?’ Finn asked.

  ‘No, tomorrow,’ Anna said.

  ‘Will he be staying long?’ Again, it was Finn posing the question.

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘For pity’s sake, stop badgering the girl,’ George said.

  Finn smiled. ‘Sorry, Anna,’ he said. ‘I wondered if he needed any help with transport?’

  ‘Oh, no thanks, Finn. He’ll come in his own car,’ Anna said.

  ‘So, he’ll be able to drive you round the island?’

  ‘Yes, thanks. That lets you off the hook.’ Anna caught the look of disappointment on Finn’s face. ‘You’ve been so kind since I arrived on the island. All of you have,’ she said, including the others in her remark. ‘I really appreciate your help.’

  CHAPTER 17

  As the time of Roddie’s arrival approached, Anna’s excitement increased. Why was she so agitated at the idea of seeing Roddie again? After all, he was an old friend, and it was less than a week since she’d left Glasgow.

  With Finn’s help, at least some parts of her project were moving along quite well; she had taken lots of pictures of gravestones in Iona and gathered information leaflets about The Lords of the Isles. She just needed to get her findings written up. Once her laptop arrived, she could key her information straight onto the laptop, and having access to the internet would give her the opportunity to check some of her information. Provided the wifi signal would support her surfing the web, of course.

  The closer the clock moved to Roddie’s arrival time, the more Anna realised that her thoughts about her other reason for coming to Mull were struggling for attention. Having resolutely pushed all thinking about her birth mother to the back of her mind, she must now face the prospect of discussing this with Roddie. Deep down, she suspected that the real reason he was eager to come had little to do with delivering her laptop. Top of his agenda was the rejection Anna had had from her birth mother.

  Although she hadn’t yet made any effort to find Janet Maclean or seek out any information about her, Anna wouldn’t be surprised if a few questions to the right people might elicit some facts. But who should she ask? Certainly not Finn – he was a fairly recent arrival. George? Possibly, but she had no idea how she could phrase such questions. Besides, what kind of effect might they have on Janet Maclean if she were to hear that Anna was asking about her?

  Anna was anxious to discuss her thoughts – and yes, her fears – with someone. And Roddie would be ideal. She knew she could rely on his discretion. Roddie, with his two feet firmly planted on the ground, would be able to put an end to her flights of fancy and rationalise her thinking. He would add a perspective to her ideas which she knew had been missing until now.

  She had already prepared a meal for his arrival, and for what seemed like the tenth time, Anna checked all her preparations. She had kept the menu simple, knowing that her skills in the kitchen were rather basic. She had poached a salmon which Elsa had sent over to her from Lochside. With the help of an instruction book, she had made soup on the range – Scotch broth, with barley, peas and leeks.

  She had bought her supplies at the local shop-cum-post office in Bunessan, relishing the challenge of island life in this westerly part of Mull. With no big supermarkets offering choices of everything you would need to make a meal, there was an element of ‘back to nature’ here. But that suited Anna. She hated supermarket shopping, and took no pleasure in wandering around aisles packed high with so many choices of products that she felt quite giddy. In an ideal world, she would like to be self-sufficient, grow her own vegetables, keep hens – have a simpler lifestyle than she was used to.

  When Roddie arrived, the pair greeted each other with a hug and a kiss of welcome.

  ‘It’s so good to see you,’ Anna said. ‘How was your journey?’

  ‘Perfect,’ he said. ‘The sun’s been shining all day, and I followed your instructions from Fee-on-fort—.’

  ‘Finn-e-fort,’ Anna corrected.

  ‘I’ll take your word for it,’ he said, grinning. ‘You must have settled into island life quickly when you’re already speaking the language.’

  Anna chortled at the idea. She hadn’t been aware of missing his gentle teasing, but she was already enjoying it again.

  ‘You must be hungry,’ she said. ‘Or have you already eaten?’

  ‘Ravenous,’ he said. ‘And something smells good.’

  ‘Everything’s ready,’ she said. ‘Come and sit down. Let’s eat.’

  After their meal, they sat enjoying a glass of the excellent chilled pinot grigio, and chatted about country living.

  ‘I sometimes think I would love to have a simpler lifestyle, but that might just be a pipe-dream,’ Anna admitted. ‘I might find that I missed all the sophistication of city life – but I’d certainly like to give it a try.’

  ‘Hmm, I wonder how long you’d last.’ Roddie raised his eyebrows, suggesting that Anna’s experiment would be short-lived.

  ‘So, what about you?’ she asked. ‘Have you ever fancied living in the country?’

  ‘Not seriously. I’m a townee, a city-dweller,’ Roddie said. ‘But I wouldn’t mind having a little cottage on an island somewhere. I love the sea. Something like this would suit me fine.’

  ‘Yes, Finn came here—’

  ‘Finn?’

  ‘Finn Ericson. I met him the day I arrived – we both travelled from Craignure in George’s car.’

  ‘George?’

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nbsp; ‘George Campbell. Oh, Roddie, I’ve met so many lovely people. I’d better start at the beginning. Why don’t you pour us both another glass of wine?’

  Roddie filled their glasses as Anna started to tell him all the details of what had happened to her since she’d arrived on the Isle of Mull.

  ‘So, this chap Finn – tell me a bit more about him. How old is he, for example?’ Roddie looked so relaxed in his armchair that it was hard to believe he had only arrived on the island a few hours before. But Anna knew him well enough to recognise how alert he became when he asked the question.

  ‘He’s a really nice guy,’ Anna said. ‘He looks about… I don’t know, mid thirties maybe. Hard to say. He’s helped me a lot in the last few days.’

  ‘And what’s in it for him?’

  ‘Roddie! Don’t be so cynical. Maybe he just enjoys helping people.’ Anna was aware that her reply sounded rather weak. She had been living in a kind of bubble since arriving in Mull, almost as though she was out of touch with reality. A make-believe world where everyone was kind and thoughtful, a world where nothing bad ever happened. Was Roddie trying to bring her back down to earth?

  ‘It’s not cynicism, Anna. This fellow must be looking for some reward for his services. I presume he has a living to earn? Do you pay him?’

  ‘No, I don’t. And I don’t know what you’re insinuating, Roddie, but you shouldn’t prejudge someone before you’ve even met him.’ Anna articulated every word precisely; leaving Roddie in no doubt that she meant what she said. But he was persistent.

  ‘Does he fancy you?’

  The blunt delivery of the question only served to increase Anna’s irritation. She jumped out of her chair and started pacing round the room.

  ‘Not as far as I know. But what’s it to you if he does? I can look after myself. Who do you think you are, Roddie?’ she asked. ‘Some self-appointed guardian of my morals?’