Highland Justice

by Larry Stuart

The next day was typical of late autumn. The wind picked up in the morning, whistling through the trees and dispersing what was left of the leaves. By early afternoon the rain fell in sheets, and the clouds could be seen colliding with the nearby hillsides as they raced across the sky. Huntly was a madhouse. Everywhere you looked people were scurrying about the town, with their heads down, buried under large hats held in place by cold, wet hands.

  However, in Huntly that morning there was at least one person whose spirit was not dampened by the drenching Mother Nature was unleashing.

  Unusually for Cameron, especially as it had taken him an eternity to get to sleep the night before, he had woken early. Leaping out of bed, he quickly got ready for work, humming some tune that magically came into his head. Having spent a little more time than was normal grooming, he now stood in front of his wardrobe, sorely regretting his lack of attention to his clothing. ‘My God,’ he murmured, ‘Is this really all I have? Maybe this be the reason why I no seem to be gettin’ a second glance from the lassies. Whatever happens, I really must purchase some new clothing next time I’m in Aberdeen.’

  Ten minutes later, Mrs McGee – unaware of what had taken place the previous day – assumed that Cameron’s uncommon morning cheeriness was just another sign of his increasing maturity. Since Duncan McPherson’s death, he seemed to have been propelled into manhood, she thought, smiling at him while placing a bowl of porridge on the table in front of him. Why, almost overnight, lines had appeared around his eyes, and his boyish grin had now been replaced by a more cynical smile.

  A rap at the door, followed by Matron’s agitated voice demanding her presence in thirty minutes, was Mary’s none-too-gentle awakening. She had overslept on her first day. What a disaster! Throwing herself out of bed, she dashed to the bathroom at the end of the corridor, nearly bowling over a young, freckle-faced nurse hurrying in the opposite direction. In fifteen minutes she had washed, dressed in her new uniform and was now bustling down the hallway, pinning on her hat as she went.

  The rest of the day went by so quickly that, it wasn’t until she returned to her room after her duties that she began to think about the reason for her tardiness. She, too, had experienced problems getting to sleep last night. Maybe it was just the excitement of the new job, or was it something else....?

  A few days later, when Mary discovered from the other girls that Cameron had been hailed as some kind of hero after the rail disaster, and was a highly regarded manager for the GNSR, her interest grew even more.

  Days went by, and then nearly a week had passed without further contact.

  Hospital rules disallowed her from going out during her first week. However, she had hoped Cameron might at least have tried to communicate with her. Sadly, he had not, and she was forced to conclude that he wasn’t interested.

  Cameron had been called to a meeting in Aberdeen, which after his arrival, had subsequently been delayed three times. Finally, having been away for nearly the whole week, he got home; and the following morning hurried to the hospital, where he hesitantly approached the reception desk.

  ‘May I help you?’ the dour-looking nurse sighed, sounding as if she’d just been interrupted in the middle of a major operation.

  ‘Yes, may I speak to Miss Mary Fraser, please?’

  ‘She canna just come doon to talk to any Tom, Dick, or Harry durin’ the middle of her shift, you know!’

  Cameron put on his best smile, before softly asking, ‘Then, would it be possible to leave her a message…Please?’

  ‘All right. I’ll pass on yer note…but dinna you go makin’ a habit of this.’

  ‘Oh, thank you so much,’ Cameron replied, his hands fumbling in his pockets for something to write on.

  Seconds later, with a dispirited look on his face, he turned back to the nurse.

  ‘You no by any chance have a pen and piece of paper I could borrow…do you?’

  ‘You young ones…You be all the same,’ the nurse said gruffly, and then with a hand guarding her smile, waited for Cameron to finish his note.

  They met in a tearoom on Gordon Street. It was Friday evening and Cameron had just finished work. Mary on the other hand was about to go on duty, so their date would be necessarily short.

  Cameron had arrived thirty minutes early, and had then sat nervously fidgeting with the cutlery on the table as the two matronly-looking ladies who ran the teashop stood behind the counter, discreetly whispering to each other behind raised palms. When Mary walked through the door, Cameron quickly stood up, knocking over his chair with a loud crash, causing two other ladies sitting behind him to jump and squeal. After which, the whole room descended into silence. Momentarily, Mary hesitated, finally moving forward towards the scene of the disaster whilst giggling behind her hand.

  ‘Well…that be some entrance! Just as well this no be a clandestin’ meetin,’chuckled Mary.

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m no normally so clumsy.’

  For the next thirty or so minutes, the conversation went back and forth, each revealing certain details of their past, and then questioning each other about their present employment. Soon, though, Mary began to take over the conversation; which really was just as well, because Cameron was smitten. He no longer knew what to say. He just stared, while his thoughts swirled about and her words passed him by.

  In what to him seemed like only minutes, the clock in the square struck nine.

  ‘I have to be gettin’ back now.’

  ‘What…Sorry, what did you say?’

  ‘I have to go now or I’ll be late for work.’

  Where did the evening go, he wondered, as he pushed back his chair – drawing a sharp intake of breath from the other diners – and then carefully walked around the table to escort Mary from the tearoom.

  As they made their way back to the hospital, Cameron’s brain was working flat out as he tried to maintain a conversation and walk in a straight line without stepping on her feet, while at the same time striving to figure out how to broach the subject of another date. When they finally reached the back door of the hospital, and before he could open his mouth, Mary calmly turned and faced him.

  ‘On Sunday…I’m no on duty until early evening. So, if you be in town, maybe you would care to show me around? I still don’t know what there is to see in Huntly.’

  ‘Yes…yes of course. That…that would be fine,’ stammered a very relieved Cameron. ‘I’ll be by at about eleven o’clock…if that be all right?’

  On Sunday morning, a leisurely stroll through town was followed by a meal at the

  Gordon Arms Hotel.

  Once more Cameron found himself staring at his beautiful dinner partner.

  ‘Haloo…Cameron…hello.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘I know I be an enchantress. But I no as yet cast ma wicked spell.’

  Then, with a smile on her face, she reached across the table, gently placing her hand on his before looking into his piercing, blue eyes.

  ‘I no have much experience at this either, Cameron…so why don’t we just try to relax and let things come natural like?’

  And as they passed through the front doors of the hotel, Mary’s arm wormed its way through the crook of Cameron’s elbow.

  Wandering north from the main street, they soon came to the ruins of Huntly Castle. Built in the 13th Century, it was now in a sorry state. The outbuildings had been totally carried off, and although some of the carvings in the stonework over the castle’s main entrance still left an impression of its once opulent history, all that now remained of the rest were soulless walls penetrated by empty windows, towered over by castellated turrets and massive stone chimneys.

  Leaving the castle grounds, Cameron and Mary ambled along the well-used path towards the River Deveron, and then followed its course towards the west, talking and laughing as they set about each other’s hearts. Again the hours and minutes galloped ahead and, before long, the light began to fade.

  Once more, Cameron found himself standing outside th
e nurse’s entrance, hands at his sides, unsure of what to say or do. Taking her hands in his, he moved closer, and stared into her sparkling eyes. As she returned his gaze, her lips began to quiver. Slowly, Cameron leaned forward, gently placing his hand behind her head. At first she resisted. But it was only a token display of her modesty and her resolve soon evaporated, allowing his mouth to cover hers. His other arm now moved slowly down her back, and after what seemed like only seconds, she quickly pulled back, turning towards the entrance.

  ‘Thank you for the wonderful day,’ she uttered over her shoulder, as she hurried through the doorway.

  As the weeks went by, Cameron began to begrudge the days that he had to spend away from Huntly. With increasing frequency, meetings were being scheduled in Aberdeen or Keith to resolve the details of the extension of the main line to Inverness. Between his meetings, and Mary’s duty rota, he began to wonder if there might be a conspiracy afoot.

  Finally, a weekend arrived when they had time-off together. Cameron arrived at the nurse’s residence on Saturday, at 12:15. In an effort to impress Mary, and because there were no coaches to Dufftown at this time of the day anyway, he had hired a hansom cab, which was just as well as the weather was the all too familiar late autumnal joy of icy, grey rain driven by buffeting winds.

  Cameron met her at the door; and then the two of them ran up the path laughing and jumping from slab to slab, failing miserably in their attempts to miss the puddles along the way.

  The crack of the horseman’s whip split the air as they set off down the rough and

  muddy road towards Dufftown. For over an hour the cab bounced and slewed its way towards his grandmother’s, but neither seemed to notice the uncomfortable ride; pre-occupied as they were with falling in love.

  Soon after their arrival at Helen’s the weather cleared, allowing the three of them to walk to the cemetery to lay a small bunch of flowers at Anne and Morris’s graves. On their way back along Church Street, Helen never stopped talking, giving Mary the history of each house they passed, along with a shortened biography of its inhabitants and their immediate families. At Cameron’s insistence, a quick stop was made at Jones’s general store to purchase some Crowdie (white cheese rolled in oats) to have with their supper that evening; after which they carried on to Helen’s, both women talking and laughing non-stop, at times it must be said even to the exclusion of Cameron.

  That evening, after a meal of Helen’s special Scotch pies made with offal and onion, followed by Cameron’s cheese, the two ladies carried on in much the same manner as before. Cameron almost welcomed the moment when it was time to say goodnight, even though his bed for the night was two blankets and a pillow on the floor in front of the fire.

  The following day, morning worship was followed by a second sermon from Reverend Logan, directed at Cameron from outside the front door of the church, extolling the virtues of regular appearances at God’s house, ‘in order to insure the cleansing of one’s soul’.

  Then after lunch, while Helen rested from the exertions of their morning trip to church, and her subsequent labours in the kitchen, Cameron showed Mary around Dufftown, pointing out his old schoolhouse and then taking her to the sight of the new Dufftown railway station, which was due to be completed in the very near future.

  On arrival back at Helen’s, there was only time for a quick cup of tea before their transport arrived to return them to Huntly.

  ‘I think Mary’s a very bonny lassie,’ Helen whispered, as Cameron bent over to give her a hug and a kiss goodbye. ‘Whatever you do, make sure you no lose her.’

  As the cab moved off down Cowie Avenue, two pairs of hands cheerily waved goodbye from the door’s window. Rounding the corner into Fife Street, Cameron sat back, nervously placing his arm along the back of the seat. Meanwhile, Mary re-arranged the travelling rug over their legs before gently leaning back; and on feeling Cameron’s arm behind her, eased towards him, resting her head on his shoulder.

  Very little was spoken on their way home. It was almost as if both were too frightened to destroy the blissful place to which their hearts and minds had retreated. All too soon, a loud ‘whoa’ signalled the end of the journey as their cab drew to a halt alongside the path at the rear of the hospital.

  ‘Thank you for a marvellous weekend,’ Mary said, reluctantly raising her head from Cameron’s shoulder.

  Cameron said nothing, as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to her waiting mouth. Feeling a spark jump between their lips, his desire rose. But moments later, Mary gently pushed him away.

  ‘No, Cameron. You know I’m no like that. Besides…,’ she whispered, pointing

  upwards towards where the cab driver patiently waited.

  Over the next month, their meetings were restricted by their respective work schedules to two quick suppers at the tearoom on Gordon Street, and a few snatched drinks at the Kings Head. Cameron again spent Christmas with his grandmother, whilst Mary, being the new girl at the hospital, was obligated to work double shifts over the Christmas period; after which she travelled to Keith to be with her family.

  By the time New Year’s Eve finally arrived, they had not seen each other for nearly two weeks. When Mary came down to the rear entrance of the hospital, Cameron was stunned. She looked so beautiful that for a moment it seemed to him that he must be in a dream; and when she extended her arm, he took it with almost indecent haste, worried that she might have a serious look at him and have a change of heart.

  The music coming from the ballroom could be heard from halfway down Duke Street, and as the hotel came into sight it looked delightful – its front aspect being covered in seasonal decorations. Approaching the entrance, Cameron hesitated, his thoughts momentarily returning to the first time that he had been due to join in the celebrations at this hotel with Duncan. His friend should have been here, he brooded. But then, almost as quickly as that sad reflection had crossed his mind, it disappeared, and a sardonic grin spread across his face. I do miss him, he mused, but what a sight his face would have been, if he had been here now to see me arrive with Mary on my arm.

  ‘Cameron, are you all right? I’d like to go in if we may…it’s really quite chilly out here.’

  ‘Sorry, Mary…Yes, come on then, let’s go in.’

  When the two of them strolled into the ballroom, Cameron could feel the eyes in the room swing onto Mary. Her glistening, dark-brown hair was braided and twisted up on top of her head, while her eyes teased with their lustrous sparkle. Over her shoulders, and loosely fastened at her throat by two slim ribbons, was a silver-coloured shawl, beautifully complementing her matching long-sleeved dress, which hung provocatively low at the front.

  She was without doubt the most beautiful woman in the room, and Cameron knew there wasn’t a man there who wouldn’t have gladly traded places with him.

  Later that night, the crowd stood mesmerised as they listened to the piper play in the New Year, and with the encouragement of the band, all joined in singing Auld Lang Syne. Then, as one, the throng jumped and screamed, when a loud bang followed by sparkling multi-coloured flashes in the sky, signalled the beginning of a new year.

  Cameron’s heart also jumped, and stars flashed in his eyes when he and Mary kissed. He knew with certainty, that she was the one, and that no better time or place would ever present itself.

  ‘Mary, would you do me the honour of bein’ ma wife?’ he murmured, as they pulled apart.

  Mary stood motionless. For a moment, she thought he’d asked her to marry him,

  but…but she must have misheard, she thought. Although she was now nineteen, he was

  her first real suitor, and they’d only been going out for what, a few months? Well, certainly much less than a year. I mean, was this even decent, she wondered. People might suspect she had to get married!

  ‘Mary…did you no hear me?’ Cameron asked, gently holding her by the upper arm. ‘I love you. Will you marry me?’

  ‘Oh yes…please. I mean…I will,’ s
he sighed.

  Cameron wrapped her in his arms again, sealing his proposal with a long and passionate kiss.

  Both were oblivious to the cold, and the other people milling about, continuing to embrace long after everyone else had drifted back to the ballroom. Cameron caressed her neck and cheek with small circular movements of his fingers; while at the same time Mary closed her eyes and her arms fell loosely to her sides.

  His lips now replaced his fingers, lightly touching her cheek and the nape of her neck. Then, his hand travelled down her bodice, cupping her firm left breast through the shimmering, soft gown. Moments later, his other hand also began to wander, drifting slowly down her spine and past her waist. And as he pulled her hips towards him, Mary smiled, before gently pulling back from his grasp.

  ‘Any more than that I’m afraid is reserved for our wedding night, ma darlin’. Otherwise, you’d no have anythin’ to look forward to...now would you?’