The Emerald Tartan

by Patricia McGrew

  Dr. Miller blushed and offered a toast to Ian and Lydia, “Slainte”, and quickly sat down.

  “Additionally, Sing Hee has no interest in returning to China, Lydia. He has been gone for so many years, he doesn’t know where or how to look for his family. He believes he has a better chance to do well in life either here or in Scotland. As you may have noticed, he is rather well-educated and very easy to get along with. So, with your permission, I have offered him the position as my personal valet. He is trustworthy and a hard worker. Does this meet with your approval?”

  “Meet with my approval? Of course it does! I would be most happy for him to go with us to Scotland. I owe him my life, and for that alone, he is a member of our household in my opinion. As for Pakelekia, she has agreed to work with the Foundation we want to set up for the enslaved women forced to work in the brothels at the Barbary Coast. I would like to have her run the House, once it is ready for occupancy. Additionally, she should be one of the Trustees for the Foundation. Like Sing Hee, she has no desire to return to Hawaii.”

  “Little by little, things are coming together for us. Before too much more time passes, we will be home. I bless the day I found you, my love. You have brought to me an enjoyment in the everyday life. Prior to your entry, I was just marking time. Life had no real meaning for me. Yet, because of you, I have finally allowed the word ‘home’ back into my vocabulary.”

  “Let’s go home, Ian. It is time.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Time flew faster than Lydia thought possible. The sea breeze gently kissed her pale cheeks while side strands of hair danced in the wind. She pulled her cape more closely around herself and secured her bonnet.

  London came into view through the early morning fog that would quickly melt away as the warmth of the sun burned away the mists. In spite of the hints of a dawning sunny day, the chill and dampness permeated every breath she took. Standing at the ship’s railing with Ian on one side of her and Dr. Miller and Sing Hee on her other side, she shivered. She was not sure if the goose bumps on her arms were the result of the cool air, or her own nervousness about the upcoming meeting with her father and mother at the docks.

  She and Ian sent the telegram about their departure for England, but she really had no idea if her parents ever received the telegram.

  She changed her line of thinking to all she and Ian had accomplished before they left San Francisco. A diligent search of real estate ownership in the San Francisco area, revealed the ownership of a fashionable fifteen room house within a short carriage ride of the Barbary Coast. The house would be an ideal haven for the fallen women from the Barbary Coast. Once this was discovered, Pakelekia and Sacha became so involved in organizing the refurbishing of the house, they barely had time to see Lydia and Ian off at their sailing.

  Lydia and Ian realized they could not have found a better person than Pakelekia to take charge of the house of reprieve for wayward women. Pakelekia’s self-confidence inspired other women of means to step forward to help these women. Her physical size intimidated any men who may come looking for their former employees, and her regal demeanor allowed these women to feel safe. Of course, Pakelekia hired a burley guard for additional physical protection.

  It was not uncommon for the ‘owner’ of a woman who worked in the Barbary Coast to track down the woman and demand her return from the house so that she could pay off her debts under the guise of food, clothing, and shelter provide by the madam or pimp of the bawdy house. In reality those expenses were nothing more than an ill-disguised attempt by the brothel owner to keep his or her women perpetually in debt so the women could never afford to leave their employment. The only time the women were willingly released from their employment occurred when illness or advanced venereal disease made them useless in their trade. The refuge home, to be called MacLeod House, offered these women new skills, medical treatment, and a place to stay until the women decided what they wanted to do with their new found freedom.

  Looking back at all that had transpired, Lydia found both joy and nervousness in her life. The joy clearly arose as a result of the turn of events which allowed all involved to find their calling in life. The nervousness came about as she pondered seeing her father for the first time in about a year. How was he going to respond to all of this? She decided she would be cheerful no matter what – she would be seeing her mother again, and would not allow her father to ruin their reunion.

  Thank goodness she had Ian at her side! There was nothing her father could do to her now that she was a married woman – other than ruin everyone’s spirits by making unkind remarks. Lydia knew Ian would not allow even the slightest slur about her or her mother. Once again, she reveled in the feeling of safety and love Ian gave her.

  The contagion of excitement felt by Lydia spread to Ian and Sing Hee. Soon, they were all looking anxiously for Lydia’s mother at the docks … her mother would be in drab black and accompanied by her husband, a tall, thin man dressed in a churchman’s collar. No one seemed to fit such a description at the docks. Was it possible they never received the telegram? Or, did they receive it, and her father refused to allow her mother to come to the docks? Lydia’s concern echoed when her stomach growled loudly.

  “That is it for now, Lydia. Down below with you to eat some breakfast,” said Ian.

  Before Lydia could protest, Ian added, “It will be at least two hours before we can depart, what with customs and all. So eat a little bit, and Sing Hee and I will continue to look. If we see anyone who resembles your mother or father, we will come for you. All right?”

  “Oh, all right. But, I will be very quick, so do not be surprised if I am back up here in five minutes.” “Very well.”

  The people at the docks milled about like so many bugs looking for scraps of food. After a few minutes Ian and Sing Hee agreed it was impossible to pick out a woman who might look a little bit like Lydia. Then, Sing Hee whispered, “Captain, is disrespectful for me say all you people here look alike?”

  Ian laughed and said, “It is certainly okay to say it to me or Lydia, but do not go saying that to others.”

  True to her word, Lydia came back on deck within a few minutes after swallowing some porridge. The anticipation of seeing her family had taken its toll. Until this initial meeting was over, food was not going to agree with her.

  The dockworkers unloaded a portion of the cargo and began unloading luggage of the few passengers. Lydia looked out at the crowds, wiped away a tear, and hoped for a glimpse of her mother, but she could see no one dressed in simple, black clothing. The breeze picked up again. A name floated through the air from a tiny voice, “L-y-d-i-a!”

  Lydia poked Ian in the ribs. “Ian, do you hear it? Someone is calling my name!”

  “Nay, lass. I dinna hear anything. What with all the people at the pier and this wind I don’t see how you can hear anything distinctly.”

  She searched a sea of faces for some recognizable trait. But none appeared.

  “L-Y-D-I-A!” boomed a very deep and loud voice that clearly sounded above the masses of people.

  “That,” said Ian, “I heard very well.” “Except that it sounded like a man’s voice. Could that be your father?”

  “No. My father does not have a voice which sounds like that – it was too deep. Although I must admit, I feel as though I have heard the voice before, I still cannot see who it might be, can you?” Sing Hee jostled Ian. “Sir, look. Over by the gates. Big man with hat like yours, Captain. Woman beside him wear pretty blue dress.” They scanned the gate area.

  “Oh my goodness!” shouted Lydia. “There is mother. Exactly where Sing Hee said she was. She is in the blue dress and matching hat. That is strange. She never wore colors like that around my father.” Lydia squinted her eyes for a better look.

  “That is not my father with her! In fact, the man is Captain David! He was the Captain of the Wyndom Wydoh, the ship I was on before I washed overboard in the jollyboat. Why is he here with mother?” Lydia waved back.

&n
bsp; “Mother! Mother! It is me! I am back! Oh, Ian. How soon can we disembark?”

  Ian waved tentatively to the woman dressed in blue. “I will speak with the Captain to see if we can somehow leave before the others. I would advise you we will still probably have to wait at least another thirty minutes at best.”

  Ian directed Sing Hee to remain with Lydia while he spoke with the Captain.

  “Sing Hee. Something here is wrong,” said Lydia. “My father is not there with my mother. She is actually smiling and so much more animated than usual. I cannot believe she is actually blowing kisses to me.”

  Sing Hee said nothing at first. Then he said very softly, “What unusual customs you people have! Showing affection in public! Is very different.” Lydia smiled.

  The minutes dragged by into what felt like hours for her. In reality, about twenty-five minutes passed before Ian returned to the deck. “I have spoken with the Captain, and our bags are already at the pier with two of his sailors. They are waiting for us. The customs officials came on board just as I saw the Captain, so everything is done. We can leave now. The Captain called it ‘professional courtesy’.”

  Lydia grabbed his arm and pulled him close. A shiver of anxiousness trilled through her body. “Ian, we have to tell my mother I am a married woman. We did not say anything about it in the telegram. I wish we had, now.”

  “Don’t worry, my love. It will all be fine. Do you suppose your father is truly angry with you, and that is why he isn’t here?” “I just don’t know. I guess we will find out pretty soon. Are we ready?” asked Lydia. She straightened her dress and put one wayward tendril underneath her bonnet.

  All Lydia’s jitters were for naught. Caroline took one look at Ian and Lydia together, arm in arm, and she smiled broadly. Her arms outstretched, Caroline literally ran the last few steps to wrap Lydia in her arms. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

  “My baby. My baby. I thought I would never see you again. You are the answer to my prayers. Lydia, I love you so much, and I thought I had lost your forever, and it was all my fault for allowing you to sail to San Francisco.”

  “Mother, I am so incredibly happy to see you. I missed you more than I can ever describe.”

  The two women stood there and held on to each other as though their lives depended on it. Finally, Lydia extricated herself from her mother’s grasp and said, “Mother, there is something I have to tell you.” She paused. “Ian and I are married. He is the one who rescued me when I washed overboard. Come here, Ian. Don’t be shy. I want to introduce you to my mother. Mother, this is Captain Ian MacLeod.”

  “I wasn’t being shy, my love – just respectful. I wanted to give you a couple of minutes of private time with your mother.”

  He bowed to Lydia’s mother.

  “Ma’am, had there been time, I would have done the right thing and sought out your permission and the permission of Lydia’s father for her hand in marriage. We knew we would be sailing for several months to get back here, and it made more sense for us to get married in San Francisco. I hope you will forgive me for not wanting to wait.”

  “Captain MacLeod, you look very familiar. You would not happen to be the gentleman in the carriage when Lydia and I were at the docks? Your carriage ran over her wrist when she slipped and fell.”

  Ian looked chagrined. “Yes, ma’am. That was me. I regret the accident, but as I seem to recall saying at the time, I don’t regret meeting Lydia. I am proud to have her as my wife, and I hope that meets with the approval of you and Lydia’s father.”

  Caroline paled for a moment. “Ah, yes. Lydia’s father. Lydia there is something I must tell you. I am sorry to inform you your father passed away, in the spring, about a month after our departure.”

  Lydia wanted to feel something other than numbness, but there were no feelings where her father was concerned.

  “What happened, Mother?”

  “I am not completely certain, but I was informed upon hearing of our departure without his consent or approval, your father suffered a fit of apoplexy. He cursed the church, he cursed us and he cursed God. He then fell and slipped into a coma. He passed away about three weeks later. After I returned there was already a new rector at the church, so I could not very well stay at the parsonage any longer.”

  “Oh, mother. I am so very sorry. This is all my fault.”

  “No, Lydia. This was not your fault. Your father’s anger was his own doing as a result of the type of life he chose to lead. He never allowed himself any happiness. However, his cruelty to us, I believe, provided him with a certain amount of satisfaction. So any joy he had in life was taken from him when we both left. I wish I could say I was upset or sad, but I wasn’t. I know that is not very nice of me, but it is the truth. We had no life with him. Lastly, because you knew he was not your true father, I saw no reason to continue with the lie.” “Then mother, you must come with us to Scotland. We will be sailing there within a week or two so you can have a home with us. Right, Ian?”

  “Absolutely!”

  “Wait a minute, you two! Do not start planning my life for me. You father already did that, and I won’t allow that to happen again. As it happens, I flaunted tradition and did not wait one year to begin living my life again. I already have a home; that is, we have a home. Captain David and I married over four months ago on August fifteenth.”

  Caroline looked lovingly at David, and he at her. He reached out to shake Ian’s hand and welcome him into the family, when suddenly Lydia broke out laughing.

  Ian joined Lydia in a full belly laugh. As soon as Lydia caught her breath, she said to her mother, “Mother, that is the exact same day Ian and I married! What a coincidence.”

  David and Caroline looked at one another in surprise. Her mother offered, “In that case, because neither of us was able to attend the other’s wedding, we shall have a party at our home to celebrate our marriages. Can you stay here in London for a little while? This is where David and I live.” Ian broke in, “We plan to be here about ten days or so, before we head up to Scotland. I have some business to tend to with my shipping business, and then we must check up on my sisters and my niece whom I have not seen in about fourteen years now. Will that be long enough for you to plan a party?”

  “Yes, that should be just fine,” said Caroline who reached over to hug Lydia again. “I just cannot believe you are still alive and here! And, a married woman! I am so happy for you my child.”

  Lydia turned to Captain David, “As for you, sir, you are a lucky man. I saw how well you treated my mother on the Wyndom Wydoh, and I know the two of you will have a wonderful life together.”

  Captain David, beneath his bushy white whiskers, blushed until he was red in the face. “Thank you, Lydia. I appreciate your blessing. Please know that I, too, am delighted you and Ian are married. That young man has made quite a name for himself in the shipping world in a relatively short period of time. He is a fine man, and I could not be happier for the two of you.

  “I was quite a lonely man until your mother came along. On the ship, whenever things were not going right, you mother and I would talk over the situation or problem at dinner. She is a very intelligent woman, you know. Well, to make a very long story short, I discovered whether we were at sea, in San Francisco, or sailing back to England, problems were better handled when I discussed it with your mother. I finally came to realize two heads really are better than one. At that point, I knew I wanted your mother to be my wife, but I had to keep quiet because she was a married woman. I realize I should have been sad to learn of the demise of your father, but from what I learned from your mother’s friends when we returned to Chatham, I found this was my chance for happiness. I told her I understood she would want to wait a year to marry, but I asked her if she would consider marrying me when that time had passed. I never dreamed she would not only accept my marriage proposal, but she was willing to marry me promptly and here in London. I do not think I have ever been happier in my life. I have retired, and when we found a
lovely cottage just outside of London, near the Thames River, we knew we had found our home. Thank you both for giving your blessing to our marriage.”

  Ian grinned and hugged Lydia to his side as he spoke to the Captain,” That is clearly a two-way street sir. Thank you for bringing so much happiness to Lydia’s mother.”

  CHAPTER 35

  Ian’s tension and anxiety grew as the date for their departure to Scotland came closer. While he always appeared to be in control of everything from sailing a ship, to charting a course, and handling a myriad of business affairs, he hesitated to meet with his sisters after fourteen years of absence. A sense of inadequacy engulfed him like a vice. Fear of finding out the result of his abandonment of his sisters gnawed at his stomach. In spite of attempts by Lydia to draw him out to discover the source of his apparent depression, he managed to find activities that took him away from spending time with his hosts and Lydia.

  ***

  She could no longer bear his emotional distance. She excused herself and Ian from planned afternoon activities for the day. Upon her insistence, they took a carriage ride through Belgravia. The air was crisp and the afternoon sunshine was a pleasant break from four days of incessant rain.

  “Ian,” began Lydia. There was no response. He continued to look off in the distance. “Ian, it is time for us to talk.”

  “I have nothing to say, my love. I am consumed by my failure to attend to my sisters over the years. I should not have assumed they were well-taken care of, especially when I knew Percy was a scoundrel. Looking back, I realize I should have been asking myself the big question – if he was so intent on getting rid of me, what plans could he have had for my sisters?”

  “You were barely thirteen years old! You left precisely because there was nothing you could do. You were still a child. Had you stayed, you would not be here today because Percy and his father would have figured out a way for you to meet with a deadly accident at some point.”