‘I thought you were married.’
‘That’s what I mean. It was months before she let me touch her, then the next thing I knew, the banns were cried and I was standing in front of the bloody minister!’
‘I’ll not get caught like that. Once I’ve had my fling, I’m going to find myself a girl with money.’
‘You could find yourself a father with a shotgun,’ Chris said, darkly, from the depths of experience.
Knowing that he’d found the girl – or to be accurate, the woman – with money, Dennis was grinning as he went into the dining room, and he kept well away from Katie. She had told him once that she was an orphan, so there would be no father to contend with, but her brother had a right hook like the kick of a horse, and he was taking no chances.
In her room that forenoon, Katie was downhearted because Dennis hadn’t looked at her once during the breakfasts, yet she couldn’t really blame him. If only Sammy hadn’t been so ready with his fists. If only she could be free to live her life the way she wanted, but she was tied to him through gratitude. She would be stuck with him for as long as he lived, with no hope of ever marrying, for no man would take on a wife with a simple-minded brother – and not really a brother, at that.
When she went down for the lunches, Sammy was hovering on the first landing of the staff stairs. ‘What do you want?’ she sighed. ‘You should be in your bed.’
‘That Dennis didn’t hurt you, did he?’
‘I told you last night he wasn’t trying to hurt me, and any road, I don’t think I’ll be going out with him again.’ Leaving him standing, she ran downstairs.
Sammy was still making his way down when John Leith came out of the dining room. ‘Why are you on the stairs to the girls’ rooms?’ he demanded. ‘You’ve no business up there.’
It did not occur to Sammy that honesty would be the wisest answer, and his confusion made him shuffle his feet and hold his head down. His employer tutted. ‘You won’t be fit for your work tonight if you don’t get some sleep.’
‘That Sammy!’ he exploded, when he went into the kitchen. ‘I know he’s soft, but I can only stand so much.’
‘What’s he done, Mr Leith?’ Katie asked, anxiously.
‘I don’t know, that’s the trouble. I found him coming down the back stairs, but he wouldn’t tell me where he’d been.’
‘He was speaking to me on the landing, that’s all.’
‘Why couldn’t he have said that, then? He was smirking as if he’d been up to something, and when he saw me, he turned bright red and looked guilty.’
‘He’d been scared he’d get into trouble. He knows he’s not supposed to be up there.’
Katie thought nothing of the incident, but she did warn Sammy, the next time she saw him, that Mr Leith was angry at him for being on the stairs to the female staff’s quarters. ‘You must never go up again. If you want to ask me anything, wait down here.’
When the discolouration round his eye faded to a yellowing purple, Dennis began to talk to Katie again, and although it was only about the running of the dining room, she was glad that he was not ignoring her any longer. Once his injured pride recovered, he might take up their relationship where he had left off. Without his goodnight kisses to relive when she went to bed, thoughts of her grandparents had returned. The police would have called on them months ago to see if she had taken Sammy there, so they would know what had happened and would be shocked at what she had done. She would have liked to let her grandfather know that she was well, but she couldn’t write to him. He had likely been told to contact the police if he heard from her, and as long as he knew nothing, he could pass nothing on.
It dawned on her that it would soon be a year since that dreadful night, so maybe the police had given up the search for them … if they ever gave up on such a wicked crime as murder? It was unlikely, she reflected, woefully, and Mr Leith, and all the hotel workers, knew that she and Sammy were connected, though they believed they were brother and sister. She would never be free of the fear of a heavy hand falling on her shoulder and a deep voice booming in her ear, ‘Katie Mair, I arrest you for …’
It was not the first time that someone had reported a theft, but before today there had always been room for doubt that something had actually been stolen, not merely mislaid. John Leith knew that this was different. A gold pocket watch and a gold tie pin? No man, however careless, could have mislaid two such valuable objects on the same day, and they had been taken from a room on the first floor, next to the door to the back stairs, which pointed to a member of his staff, banking on making a quick getaway without being seen. Fortunately the victim did not want the police to be called in – he had admitted that the woman he had signed in as his wife was not really his wife, and he preferred that no fuss be made – but the manager wanted to get to the bottom of it, and there was only one thing for him to do.
Having asked his entire staff to assemble in the kitchen, he cast an accusing, but regretful, eye around them and told them what had happened. All of them stared at him in wide-eyed amazement except the night porter, who turned a deep crimson and hung his head. Recalling that he had caught this same young man on the back stairs two days previously, John Leith was sure that he had found the culprit and went across and grabbed the lapel of his jacket. ‘So it was you!’
The firm accusation galvanized Katie to action. Jumping to Sammy’s side, she shouted, ‘He’s not a thief!’
‘Look at him!’ exclaimed the hotel manager. ‘He has guilt written all over him.’
‘It’s you holding on to him,’ she said, desperately. ‘He doesn’t know what you’re going on about.’
‘He knows, he stole those things.’
Despite Katie’s protests, Sammy was searched, then his room was searched, but there was no trace of the missing articles. ‘Now do you believe he’s not the thief?’ Katie cried. ‘He wouldn’t steal anything.’
Angry because it appeared he had been proved wrong, and wishing that he had not engaged the half-wit in the first place, Leith snapped, ‘I’m still not sure he isn’t guilty, and I’d rather he left. He embarrasses the guests.’
Katie’s blood boiled over. ‘He does not embarrass them!’ she shouted. ‘They give him big tips so they must like him, but if that’s how you feel about him, I don’t want to work here any longer, either.’
‘Now, now, Katie, don’t be hasty. I’ve no fault to find with you or your work.’
Ignoring his attempt to pacify her, Katie turned to Sammy. ‘Go and pack your things, and I’ll meet you outside as soon as I’ve packed mine.’ She pushed him out, watched him going down to the basement and then stamped up to her own room.
Her fury gradually cooled down, but she knew that she had done the only thing possible, though Sammy would never find another job and they would have nowhere to live. Still, they had managed without a roof over their heads before, and they would manage again, somehow. Having tied her clothes into the old shawl again, she marched downstairs determined that no one would see how distressed she was, and strode along the ground-floor corridor and out through the service door as if she owned the place.
‘Katie.’
She was taken aback to see Dennis, and although she could see that Sammy was eyeing him in deep distrust, she gave a bright smile to prove that she hadn’t a care in the world. ‘Cheerio, Dennis. I don’t suppose I’ll see you again.’
‘No, worse luck, but it’s maybe better this way.’ He cast a meaningful glance at Sammy. ‘I’m really going to miss you, though, Katie. What are you going to do now?’
She struggled to keep hold of her fragile composure. ‘I don’t know yet, but we’ll be all right.’
‘Listen, Katie. A couple of nights ago, I heard they were a waitress short at the Salutation. Why don’t you go and see if the job’s still going? They maybe won’t take Sammy on as well, but it’s worth a try. Cheerio, and good luck.’
Her spirits soared as he clasped her hand. He had cared enough to come and
say goodbye, and not only that, he was trying to help her to find a job. She would always have that to remember. ‘Thanks, Dennis.’ She moved before he could see the tears glistening in her eyes. ‘Come on, Sammy, we’re going to the Salutation.’
The proprietor of the other hotel – a short man with a pleasant, open face – told her that he was very sorry but the post of waitress had been filled, and Katie was turning sadly away when he added, ‘Would you be willing to work as a chambermaid? I’ve a vacancy there.’
‘Oh, yes, I’m willing to do anything. Um – what about my brother? Is there a job for him, and all?’
The man stared doubtfully at Sammy, whose bottom lip was sticking out sullenly. ‘What can he do?’
Katie decided to be honest; the man could easily find out what had happened. ‘He was night porter at the Temperance, but some things went missing, and Mr Leith blamed Sammy. I know he’s not a thief, so that’s why I left.’
‘You’re sure he can be trusted?’
‘As sure as I’m standing here. He’d never touch a thing that didn’t belong to him, and he’s strong as a horse and willing to work.’ Remembering another of Sammy talents, she added, ‘And he’s good at gardening.’
‘Ah! I could be doing with a gardener. My present man is nearly seventy and crippled with arthritis, but he’s been here so long I don’t like to pay him off. The work’s a bit too much for him now, so if your brother’s willing to do most of it himself and to keep out of the hotel itself … ?’
‘He won’t mind that, will you, Sammy?’
At the mention of gardens, Sammy’s face had undergone a swift improvement. ‘I like gardens.’
‘So, that’s settled.’ The man hesitated, then added, ‘On a trial basis.’ Then, noticing their bundles, he asked, ‘Have you nowhere to live?’
‘We lived in at the Temperance,’ Katie said, hopefully.
‘I’m sorry, I only employ locals, so I don’t have any rooms for staff. Couldn’t you find lodgings somewhere?’
‘I’m sure we can. When do you want us to start?’
‘Eight o’clock, Monday morning?’
‘We’ll be here, Mr … ?’
‘My name is Noble, and I’ll see you on Monday.’
‘Thank you, Mr Noble.’
Out in the street again, Katie gave a deep sigh. ‘Well, Sammy, we’ve got jobs, but where are we going to sleep?’
‘In a bed.’
Knowing he wasn’t trying to be funny, she made no attempt to explain. ‘Did you remember to take your money with you?’
‘Yes, I’ve got my tin in my pocket.’
She, too, had taken the money she had saved and the wages she had made Sammy hand over in case he lost them – she had let him keep his tips – so they could easily afford to pay for lodgings and anything else they needed. This thought cheered her a little, but they still had to find somewhere. She had no idea where to start looking, and kept on walking until she could think about it properly.
They were going down Broad Street when they passed a baker with a card in the window saying that it was also a café and the appetizing smell wafting out made Sammy say plaintively, ‘I’m hungry.’
Katie was too worried to think about food, but, to humour him, she took him inside. There were two women behind the counter – the younger skinny and a little slow at serving, the other plump and brisk – and only one item on the chalked menu on the wall. Katie ordered two servings of the mince, peas and boiled potatoes and they sat down at one of the three tables. When the older woman brought their order, she asked, conversationally, ‘Are you on holiday?’
Katie shook her head. ‘My brother and me have got jobs at the Salutation Hotel, and we’re looking for lodgings.’
The woman regarded her thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know anybody round here that takes in lodgers, but I could maybe help you. My man’s got some property in Marischal Street, just along a bit, and one of his tenants died in the hospital last week. She was an old body, no relations and no money, and we paid for her to have a decent burial. I gave her clothes to the Salvation Army, and we were thinking about letting the place furnished. If you’d like to see it, I’ll give you the keys.’
It had never entered Katie’s head to rent a house, but it would be far better than lodgings, and probably cheaper in the long run. ‘I’d like to take a look at it, thank you.’
She found that Marischal Street was a continuation of Broad Street, and to reach the house, they had to go through a pend with house doors and windows along one side and what looked like shed doors, painted dark green, along the other. She had been told it was the last house, and when the first two keys on the ring did not fit, she thought she must be at the wrong place, but the third key turned in the lock, and she and Sammy went inside. It was an old house, packed with old furniture, and had a musty smell, but she didn’t care. It had probably been standing empty for a while, and once the windows were opened to let in fresh air, the smell would soon go. Discovering that there were two bedrooms as well as the kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief. ‘What d’you think, Sammy? We’ll be fine here, won’t we?’
‘Is this where we’ll be sleeping?’ He bounced on the high bed like a little boy.
‘If you want this room, I’ll have the other one.’
‘You’ll be sleeping next door to me.’
A perplexed frown furrowed his brow, and Katie knew that he was trying to remember another life, another time when they had slept in adjoining rooms. She often felt irritated with him for having such a short memory, but she was glad that he had forgotten the Howe of Fenty. ‘We’ll go and tell the woman we’ll take the house, then.’
Fifteen minutes later, the rent agreed on and some items of food bought, they were back in their new home, and the first thing Katie did was to open the casement windows as far as they would go. Then she said, ‘We’d better make the beds ready first. I’ll have a look and see if there’s clean sheets and blankets anywhere.’
They were still making the second bed when the woman from the café knocked and walked in. ‘I forgot to say you’ve to share a WC with Ella Brodie next door, though you’ve got a coalshed to yourself. I’d better show you. Have you got the keys handy?’
‘I wondered why there were three,’ Katie smiled.
She was pleased that the lavatory was so clean and bright – tiled from cement floor to white-washed ceiling, and more delight was to come. The shed – last in the line of green doors – was stacked high with coal. ‘There’s enough to see us right through the winter!’ she exclaimed, clapping her hands, then her expression changed. ‘I’m sorry. You’ll be wanting to take it.’
‘No, no, you might as well use it.’ Locking the door, the woman returned the keys to Katie. ‘If there’s anything you want, you know where to find me. Oh, and I’ll need your name for the rent book.’
‘I’m Katie Mair, and my brother’s Sammy.’ Katie had always said it that way, leaving the person who had asked believing that Sammy’s surname was also Mair, and praying that nobody ever asked him first, though he had likely forgotten that his was Gunn.
‘My name’s Lottie McRuvie, and I’d better get back to the shop. Kirsty’s dead slow and stop, and we’re aye busy.’
Katie now began on the mammoth task of making the kitchen presentable. Sammy was detailed to lift the rugs and shake them outside while she scoured the grate and lit the fire. Then she asked him to shift the furniture to let her scrub every inch of the linoleum. He hadn’t complained once, but when they were having a meal of corned beef and potatoes, he couldn’t stop yawning. ‘Oh, Sammy!’ she exclaimed. ‘I forgot you didn’t have any sleep today. Off you go to bed.’
Once she had seen him settled, she washed all the dust-covered ornaments and polished the furniture. Her mouth was bone dry when she called it a day, and she sat down to drink a last cup of tea. She had been on the go since six in the morning, and the wag-at-the-wa’ was showing a quarter to eleven – she had pulled up the weight to start the
mechanism and set the hands at the correct time when she heard a clock outside striking four. It was no wonder she was so tired.
Getting to her feet wearily, she went through to her own room, but, as she undressed, it dawned on her that she and Sammy were in an even more dangerous position than when they were at the Temperance. They had always been in uniform there – the only time she had been out was with Dennis – but, as from Monday, they would have to walk together to the Salutation in their ordinary clothes. What if a policeman recognized them?
Chapter Nine
Because it was licensed, the Salutation generally housed more commercial travellers than the Temperance, but Katie rarely came in contact with any of the clientele. She had to wait until the occupant had left the room before she could go in to make the bed and tidy up, although there was the odd occasion when someone returned for something he or she had forgotten, and it was then that Katie was made aware of the difference in her status. As a waitress, the guests had smiled to her and talked to her, but as a maid, it was as if she were invisible. She didn’t mind, for it took her all her time to get round her quota of rooms without being hindered by chattery guests.
Apart from missing Dennis, she was quite content in her new job, and Sammy seemed to get on very well with Hairy Cameron, the old gardener, who was as bald as a coot and whose nickname had been bestowed on him with gentle irony by some long-forgotten employee. Every day when he came home, Sammy would begin, ‘Hairy said …’ and she was forced to listen to another of the far-fetched tales of his youth that the old man spun to his assistant. At least, she thought they were far-fetched, but maybe they weren’t, and Sammy lapped up every word.
Finished at the hotel by half past two, she did her own housework in the afternoons, and Sammy helped when he came home by taking in coal, chopping sticks, and, once a week, polishing the cutlery from the table drawer. He had learned how to make his own bed now, mitring the corners as Katie taught him and not being satisfied until blankets and top cover were scrupulously smooth. He was a good pupil and beamed proudly when she praised him.
The Three Kings Page 11