Another Home, Another Love

by Gwen Kirkwood

  ‘She’s almost like a sister,’ Tania agreed.

  ‘What about your Grandfather Oliphant? I saw him at the funeral but I don’t think he’s here, is he?’

  ‘No,’ it was Megan on her other side who answered. ‘This has been another big shock to him. First Mr Turner and now Mr Palmer-Farr. Almost all his working life has been spent between the two of them. He can’t accept they’re both gone while he’s still here. It has upset him. I think I shall try to persuade him to come and live with us at Bengairney soon. Rosie has been wonderful at making sure he is all right each day but we can’t expect her to go on looking out for him. She has her own problems and a business to run.’

  When the meal was over Lindsay came over to their table.

  ‘I shall stay here again tonight, Rosemary, so if you want to take the opportunity to escape to your own wee house this is as good a time as any.’

  ‘Do you think so?’ Rosie’s eyes lit with relief, then dulled. ‘But what about Mother? She has scarcely let me out of her sight since – since….’

  ‘You have to make the break sometime for both your sakes,’ Lindsay said. ‘I promise you your mother will be all right. Some of the people who are staying over are old friends. It will do her good to talk with them. I know where you are if she does need you but I’m sure she will be fine. You have your life to live too. We must all move on.’ He looked around the table and smiled at Steven and Megan, changing the subject. ‘Any news about the offer for Martinwold House yet?’

  ‘Yes, good news,’ Steven said. ‘The buyer is an American. He is coming to work in Dumfries for an American company establishing some sort of manufacturing process over here.’

  ‘And is the deal signed and sealed?’

  ‘It will be by tomorrow,’ Steven said. ‘The solicitor asked twenty thousand. I thought he would frighten them away but the man has settled for nineteen thousand and that’s without the five-acre paddock. He only expects to be here four or five years but he told the solicitor he wanted a top quality residence so that his wife and two children will be happy to live over here with him.’ Steven cast an apologetic look at Rosemary.

  ‘I’m pleased for you all,’ she assured him.

  ‘You’re a good lassie,’ Steven said. ‘We haven’t seen so much of you since you took over the gardening business. You must be sure and come to Bengairney more often.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ she said with a wary look at Sam.

  ‘I could stay at your cottage with you tonight, Rosie,’ Tania offered when Lindsay left them.

  ‘That would be a good idea,’ Megan said. ‘It is time we were leaving now. It will not be long to milking time, and the same for you too I suppose, Dean?’

  ‘That’s right. No rest for the wicked.’

  ‘If I were you, Rosie, I’d take my father’s advice and go down to your own house now,’ Avril said.

  ‘Yes, we’ll come with you, shall we Sam?’ Tania offered. Rosie looked at him.

  ‘That’s a good idea,’ he said and stood up. ‘I feel like a fish out of water amongst all your aristocratic friends.’

  ‘I shall need my car in the morning to get to work. I’ll get a lift home with Mum and Dad and bring it back, and a change of clothes,’ Tania decided.

  ‘That’s OK,’ Sam said, taking Rosie’s hand. ‘We’ll walk down to the house. We’ll see you later.’ He was more than happy to be left alone with Rosie. If he was considering how he would get home himself he didn’t mention it.

  ‘How are you feeling, Sam?’ Rosie asked when they were alone. ‘I didn’t know you were out of hospital.’

  ‘I’m fine. I got home last night. The doctor reckons I’m lucky I didn’t lose my arm, or worse, so I’m thankful for that. Things were a bit of a blur for a while. I think they drugged me with painkillers.’

  ‘Everything was a blur?’ Rosie asked. Sam wondered why she looked relieved.

  ‘Well I remember Lidia coming. I kept thinking the chainsaw was falling on top of me but I expect I was dreaming.’ There were some pictures in his mind he would never forget but he couldn’t be sure whether they were real or whether he had been hallucinating. He kept seeing a picture in his head of Rosie bending over him in a pink lace bra. He was fairly certain that bit had been real because he had overheard his mother and Tania discussing buying a new blouse to replace the one she had used to try and stop him bleeding. But had she said she loved him? If she said it, did she mean as a woman loves a man, or only as a childhood friend? One thing for sure, he intended to find out, but he must wait until she’d had time to come to terms with her father’s death.

  ‘I suppose shock and drugs can make things hazy,’ Rosie said, feeling relieved.

  ‘I’m the one who should be asking how you are,’ Sam said, releasing her hand while she unlocked the door of her cottage. He followed her inside. She went straight to the kitchen and filled the kettle and switched it on. ‘So how are you really, Rosie? It must have been a terrible shock. Your father had never complained of being ill, had he?’

  ‘It was a huge shock.’ She shuddered. ‘Oh Sam, I’m so relieved to get away from them all.’ Her voice shook. She turned to the draining board and looked at the two mugs which had been washed and set to drain. She lifted them, then set one down. She cradled the other in her hands. ‘This was Daddy’s f-favourite. He-he always came for his m-morning coffee.’ Her voice broke and she bit back a hard little sob. ‘I miss him, Sam – oh so much.’ Without warning the tears she had held in check for days now poured down her pale cheeks. Sam moved to her side and drew her into the curve of his one good arm, cradling her head against his chest. He let her weep unrestrainedly, knowing it was a release of pent up emotion. His fingers reached up to stroke the nape of her neck and the soft curls which nestled there. His heart filled with tenderness but he didn’t speak. Instinct told him she needed this outpouring of grief and he was glad he was the one to be with her.

  The tears subsided and she rubbed her face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she gulped. ‘S-so sorry, Sam. It was just seeing Daddy’s mug sitting there waiting for him. He’ll never use it again.’

  ‘You loved him, Rosie. It wouldn’t be natural if you didn’t grieve.’

  ‘I know b-but I’ve made your best white shirt d-damp. I didn’t mean to cry in public.’

  ‘Oh Rosie.’ Sam’s arm tightened and his voice was gruff. ‘I’m not public, my wee love. I’m glad you can share your tears with me. That’s what old friends are for, to share the sorrows as well as joys, and we are very old friends, aren’t we?’ He lifted the arm in its sling and put a finger under her chin so that he could look into her tear-drenched eyes. She nodded, sniffed and strove for a smile.

  ‘I’m better now. Thank you, Sam.’ She found her handkerchief and blew her nose and wiped away the remaining tears. ‘I must get out of these clothes. Mother insisted we must both wear black but I don’t think Daddy would have been bothered.’

  ‘You go and change while I make us some tea. Tania will be back soon. I ought to have asked her to bring me a change of clothes then we could take a walk around your gardens and you can show me what you’re doing. Lindsay says you’ve built another greenhouse.’

  ‘Yes. It’s smaller so I can afford to keep it heated in winter. There’s nothing to beat the natural sunlight, at least in my opinion, but commercial growers can’t depend on the weather.’ Rosie knew she was chattering. There was no need to fill the silence with Sam. She grimaced. ‘I’ll go and change.’

  Tania returned from Bengairney with a basket of food, a can of milk and a change of clothes for Sam, as well as her own clothes for work in the morning. Although they all enjoyed the cup of tea which Sam had brewed, Rosie couldn’t sit still.

  ‘I’d like to see Paul and find out what’s been going on in the gardens,’ she said, ‘then I wondered whether we should walk down to Papa Oliphant’s? We could take him some of this food your mother has sent, Tania.’

  ‘That’s a good idea. Maybe we could stay a wee wh
ile and make sure he eats something. Mum is really worried. She’s thinking of making our sitting room into a bedroom and asking him to live with us.’

  ‘But he loves Honeysuckle Cottage, and he comes here most days in fine weather.’

  ‘I know. Mum appreciates the way you keep an eye on him, Rosie, but she says we can’t expect you to keep on doing that now he’s getting frail. You already have so much responsibility.’

  ‘There’s nothing frail about his mind. He’s always alert and he has a fund of stories to tell. I’d miss his company and his advice, you know.’

  ‘Well I don’t suppose Mum will get round to doing anything for a while. She’ll need to wait until this useless brother of mine is back to work.’ She nudged Sam’s chest with her elbow and grinned.

  ‘I made the tea. I’m not useless, am I Rosie?’

  ‘Of course not, Sam.’ She summoned a smile in response to their familiar banter. ‘And it will not be long before Alex is home to help.’

  It was rare for John Oliphant to get depressed but the death of both his former employers within the year made him consider his own demise. He was surprised and delighted to see the three young folk walking up his garden path. Tania was carrying a basket. He guessed it would be food. He hadn’t felt like eating all day but an hour later the smell of Megan’s bacon and egg pie wafted from the oven and he found himself eating more of it than his young companions.

  ‘We had a three-course lunch,’ Sam told him. ‘It was excellent, especially the roast beef. It was lucky your young chef was able to get his brother here to help, Rosie.’

  ‘Yes, I hope Mother approves of him.’ Her mouth firmed. ‘He would have liked to prepare a more elaborate menu but I insisted there must be nothing ostentatious. That was not Daddy’s style. He would not have wanted it, even though some of the local gentry were there. Chef John can show off his talents some other time.’

  ‘Everyone thought you had done a good job,’ Tania assured her, then changed the subject as she saw Rosie’s mouth tremble. She looked at her grandfather. ‘Mother will be glad to know you have eaten something, Grandpa,’ she said with a smile. ‘But I think we should go as soon as we have washed the dishes. You look tired out.’

  ‘Aye, I shall sleep better tonight,’ John Oliphant agreed with a heavy sigh. ‘Ye’ll take care o’ yourself, lassie?’ He looked at Rosemary. ‘I’ll be back up at the gardens tomorrow. Will ye be there?’

  ‘I intend to be,’ Rosie said. ‘It’s a busy time of year so there’s a lot to do. Uncle Lindsay says I must get on with my own life,’ she added, ‘but I’ve never seen Mother go to pieces like this before. I can’t turn my back if she needs me.’

  ‘Lindsay Gray is a wise man, lassie. You follow his advice.’

  ‘Are you going to give me a lift home, Tania, or can I cadge a sleep on your sofa, Rosie?’ Sam asked, as the three of them walked towards Langton Tower and Rosie’s cottage.

  ‘You can use my sofa if you think you would get any sleep,’ Rosie said.

  ‘Yes, you do that, big brother,’ Tania said. ‘I’ll drop you off at home when I go to work in the morning. It’s not as though you’re much good for anything if I did take you home anyway,’ she said with a grin, and ducked out of the way of Sam’s good arm.

  Rosie slept soundly for the first time since her father’s death and she wakened early, feeling ready to work. She climbed over the low windowsill of her bedroom and ran down the outside stone stairs, which had once provided the access to the hayloft over the stables. She didn’t want to disturb Sam in the living room. The world looked newly washed and sparkling in the clear morning light. Rosie breathed in. The sky was wreathed in silvery wisps of cloud like ripples of sand on a clear blue sea, and she marvelled at the vastness and beauty of it. Her gaze moved to the long line of the Galloway hills, still purple along the skyline, in contrast with the bright green of the sheltered pastures lower down. She stretched her arms high above her head with a sense of exhilaration. It was good to be alive with the promise of a beautiful summer’s day ahead. Her beloved father would never see such beauty again. Was it wrong to be happy when he could no longer share her joy? Her eyes were drawn again to the morning sky and it was almost as though she felt her father’s presence. In her heart she knew he would not have wanted her to go on grieving. She had once heard him say people didn’t grieve for the person who had passed on, so much as for their own loss. It was true, and it was selfish in a way. Perhaps he was right. She was here and alive and she was young and healthy. As Uncle Lindsay had said, life does go on. She was blessed with her friends, Tania and Sam, and she was at ease with them again, the way they had always been when they were children – well perhaps not quite as a child with Sam. She lifted her small chin with an air of resolution. She would never forget her father, and she would miss him often, but she would live her life as he would have wished, doing her work and making a success.

  She didn’t hear Sam come out in his stocking feet until he spoke.

  ‘You’re up early, Rosie. How did you get out here without wakening me?’

  ‘I came down the old stone steps.’ She pointed to the corner of the building. ‘It could be a lovely house if I built a balcony and extended it to use the whole of the stables but developing the gardens must come first.’

  ‘It would be a family house then, though,’ Sam said. ‘Do you see yourself living here forever, Rosie?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ She hesitated. ‘Who knows what the future holds?’

  ‘None of us, I suppose,’ Sam said. He looked at her. ‘You will remember Rosie, I am your…your friend. I will always be there for you whenever you need me. You’re not alone.’

  ‘Thank you, Sam.’

  ‘You saved my life. If you hadn’t been there….’ He shuddered.

  ‘Lidia would have helped you. Shock made her panic.’

  ‘I doubt if Lidia ever helped anybody. Mother says she didn’t wait, or telephone, to see what had happened to me. Did you hear? But no, how could you with so much happening here,’ he added. ‘Lidia left her flat straight after. She didn’t give notice to her employer. According to Tania’s hairdressing friend she’s gone back north without leaving a forwarding address.’

  ‘She was in a panic at the sight of so much blood, but isn’t that a bit drastic?’

  ‘I think she knew I meant it when I said I would never marry her. I’m not saying she meant to cut my arm off, but she could be both spiteful and neurotic sometimes.’

  Rosie was struggling to take in the implications of Sam’s news. ‘So you – you don’t mind that she’s gone for good?’

  ‘It’s a relief. Whenever I tried to end our relationship she threatened to harm herself. I never knew whether she meant it or not. Dean thought she was being dramatic. He reckoned she hadn’t the guts to risk hurting herself. Anyway I’ve learned my lesson; it takes more than a beautiful face, or a great dancer, to make a genuine and trustworthy person.’

  ‘I’m glad you’ve no regrets, Sam.’

  ‘I came out to say we’re leaving soon. Tania is getting her things together.’

  ‘So early? But you haven’t had any breakfast. I’ll cook some—’ Sam stepped closer and laid a finger on her lips.

  ‘We haven’t any milk left. We left it at Grandpa’s.’

  ‘Oh gosh! I forgot about milk. I can get some from the hotel kitchens. You must—’

  ‘No,’ Sam said softly. ‘Tania will grab something to eat when she drops me off at home. Promise to come down and see us soon?’

  ‘Y-yes, I’ll try.’

  ‘Good.’ Sam leaned forward and kissed her cheek. He cursed his clumsy arm in its sling but he stretched out his free hand and drew her closer. His green eyes were serious, searching her face before he bent his head and brushed her mouth with gentle deliberation. ‘Don’t forget. Come soon, Rosie,’ he whispered.

  Tania had been about to call a greeting but she stepped back inside the cottage, sensing this was not the time to interru
pt.

  Lindsay Gray was the only confidant Catherine had so it was natural for her to discuss the future and her situation with him.

  ‘Douglas and I settled our affairs when we put the gardens into Rosemary’s name but we never dreamt of anything like this happening,’ she added on a strangled sob. ‘We are both well provided for financially. It is Douglas himself we shall miss. I never realized how much I depended on him.’

  Lindsay told Avril this when he returned home. He knew she was concerned for Rosemary having to cope with Catherine on her own. ‘You took care of me and the boys when Mum died,’ she said, ‘but Rosie and her mother have never been close. She is just getting going with the gardens.’

  ‘Rosemary is intelligent and she’s a hard worker. She is doing an excellent job. She loves her work and she seems to have a talent, a sort of instinct. I think she will do well and Douglas has made provision for her. It is her father’s love and his company she’ll miss.’

  A few weeks later Avril and the children were visiting Granny Caraford. It was a Sunday afternoon and Megan and Steven arrived too.

  ‘How is Rosie managing?’ Hannah asked. ‘She was almost one of your family when she was younger, wasn’t she Megan?’

  ‘She still is. She and Tania have become close friends since they’ve grown up, but we can’t help being anxious about her now Douglas is not there to give his support. My father is convinced she will make the gardens into a thriving business. She has extended the cultivated area. He reckons they would be worth a tidy sum already with the greenhouses and her cottage and the orchards, if she ever needs to sell.’

  ‘My father agrees with Mr Oliphant,’ Avril said. ‘He is impressed by the way Rosemary is planning and improving what she has. She is planning ahead too.’

  ‘Apart from the hotel business I don’t suppose there’s much else left of the Palmer-Farr estates,’ Steven remarked.

  ‘Douglas inherited some investments along with Langton Tower,’ Avril said. ‘They brought in a moderate income so Rosie will have that. He still owned the buildings and a couple of paddocks from Home Farm so she will have the rent from the three Home Farm cottages and the farmhouse, then there’s the little lodge at the back entrance to Langton Tower. It may not make her wealthy but it will be a cushion against a bad season. It’s not just about money, though. I worry how Rosie will cope with her mother’s overbearing personality and her ambitions to marry her to one of the gentry? My father thinks Rosie is more in need of love than her mother’s approval.’