Return to Oban

by Ruth Hay

  Ashley bent her head in relief.

  Gregor Mackintosh took Anna’s hand and bowed over it. “Thank you, dear lady, for your confidence in me. I will not disappoint you in any way. It has been my privilege to meet you in your lovely home.”

  The atmosphere in the room lightened at once.

  Anna asked Ashley to remove the sketches and take them back to safe storage.

  Gregor watched while Ashley did this with great care, interleafing the sketches with pages of clean paper from her printer supply.

  When her niece had left the kitchen, Anna brought in Sylvia’s cage and placed it on the window seat, advising the tall man to stand back in case there was a reaction to his presence. She knew a wildcat was capable of spitting powerfully to discourage unwanted attention.

  Sylvia responded by behaving beautifully for the visitor. She stepped out of her confinement with a stately air and stretched first her back legs and then her front, showing the claws to advantage. It was as if she cautioned the stranger not to threaten her owner in any way. Sylvia permitted Anna to smooth down her ruffled fur with one gentle stroke and then turned her back and paraded slowly to her chosen perch with a view out of the window, ignoring the spectator.

  Gregor gasped. “She is magnificent! I imagine you are not concerned about the size she is likely to achieve?”

  “Not at all! Her predecessor was not permitted to live out his life here but Sylvia will stay in this home.

  Thanks to the work of a dear friend of mine, and others, the purebred wildcat is beginning to make a comeback in Scotland.”

  “Would that friend be Gordon Campbell? I have heard of his work.”

  “Indeed it is! His wife, Fiona, was my partner in saving the life of Sylvester some years ago. They are a couple dedicated to wildlife preservation on their estate at Glenmorie Castle.”

  “Ah, indeed! I would be most obliged if you could possibly secure me an introduction to the Campbells. Art is not my only interest.”

  “I think I can promise that at some future time.”

  “Wonderful! I will keep in touch. Here is my card with all my contact information. Thank you so much for today. I will have plenty to talk about at my cousin’s wedding in Fort William.”

  He seemed to suddenly remember his destination and glanced at the time. With his overcoat, he donned his professional manner and was about to leave when Ashley returned to the kitchen.

  “If I may be so bold, Miss Stanton, I also have an interest in antique jewellery and, unless I am greatly mistaken, the clasp on your hair is made of gold and garnet by a renowned Scottish craftsman. It looks charming on you, and I am glad to see it in use. However, because of its value, I would handle it with the greatest care.”

  With that, he exited, leaving in his wake, two women with open mouths and much to discuss.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It did not take long for Ashley to realize she had another addition for her book.

  Gregor Mackintosh was a writer’s gift. Such a colourful character does not come along every day.

  His arrival at the estate house was, after all, an integral part of the story of Anna and Lawren.

  It was not only his charming manner and earnest compliments that had fascinated his listeners.

  His information had given Ashley and Anna something to celebrate. Anna had been told she would benefit from the sales of Lawren’s sketches, as used in the proposed art book. Ashley assured her aunt she would also receive royalties from the sales of her biography book, not to mention the value of the antique hair clasps left by Helen Dunlop.

  “Well!” announced Anna, as the two women tried to calm down from a bout of ridiculous excitement by imbibing a second and third cup of tea, “I stand by my decision to give you Helen’s hair adornments as I can’t use them. That is, unless you would rather sell them, Ashley?”

  It was something she would have to consider. If the remaining clasps were of equal value to the one Gregor Macintosh saw, selling them would bring in some much-needed cash. Other than those who were lucky enough to write a real blockbuster, most authors earned little from a book by the time the publisher had taken his cut.

  “If you are serious about this generous offer, I am thrilled to have them. I can promise you this particular clasp will never be sold. I will, however, wash and style my hair before wearing it again!”

  The day’s writing schedule had been shattered by the advent of the Scotsman’s arrival. Ashley saw, from the kitchen window where Sylvia still slept with her tail over her nose, the glow of sunset staining the clouds.

  She knew it was going to be another long night of work.

  * * *

  The chapter was finished, although several hours late. Ashley was about to climb the stairs to bed in the early hours of the morning when the phone shrilled as she was passing the kitchen.

  Darn! This will wake my aunt if I don’t answer now. She grabbed the phone on the fourth ring.

  “Whoever this is, it had better be important at this hour!”

  “Oops! Sorry, Ashley, I just got back from a house call out of town and I guess I didn’t check the time.

  I’ve been anxious to talk to you for several days now, but you have been difficult to reach. Is there a message in that?”

  She took a breath and softened the angry tone of voice he had just heard her use.

  “Edmund, I must apologize. I have a deadline to get my book to the publisher and I haven’t even left the house for days. I should have told you before, but there has been such a lot going on here and I forgot. As to your question, there isn’t a message there, other than the urgency of my project.”

  “I see. Well, I would love to hear about your book when you can manage the time. I wanted you to know, thanks to Fiona Campbell’s efforts, I have moved into the cottage and it is perfect for me, as I suspected. Call me when you can, Ashley. I owe you a meal.”

  The thought of a meal by the fireside with Edmund had instant appeal. He was one of the life items she had cast aside in favour of the daily chapter. If she could manage to double up one day, she could take the time to re-establish their relationship. A huge yawn interrupted this chain of thought and Ashley crawled into bed just as her aunt was about to greet the day.

  * * *

  Anna Mason Drake was well aware of the pressure her niece was under in order to complete the book on time. When an urgent call came for Ashley from Kate, who introduced herself as the book’s editor, Anna knew Ashley was still asleep rather than beavering away all day as was expected. Anna had little sympathy with the publisher’s deadlines so she did not feel inclined to honour Kate’s request to wake her niece.

  “You see, Mrs. Drake, I must know how the next chapter begins. I have an idea to revamp the last three chapters. I discussed it with Ashley and now it’s imperative that I hear the first sentence. It will tell me if she is moving in the right direction. So, is Ashley not available?”

  “No, she is not. You have been pushing her hard for this material and she is temporarily unable to come to the phone.”

  “Don’t say she’s ill!” The horror of this possible calamity came through clearly in Kate’s voice and it did nothing to endear her to her listener.

  “Before you ask, I will not go and wake her from a well-deserved sleep, Kate. You will just have to wait. If she continues at this pace, illness is not out of the question.”

  “No, you don’t understand, Mrs. Drake, this is essential.”

  “You did use the word ‘imperative’. I think I got the message but it does not change my mind.”

  There was a pause on the line. Anna had finished what she wanted to say and was on the verge of putting down the phone when Kate tried again.

  “I do apologize! I have been exceedingly rude. Could I request a compromise that won’t involve Ashley at all?”

  “I can’t imagine what that would be.” The woman was becoming downright annoying and Anna did not like her persistence.

  “Look! If you
would be so good as to open Ashley’s document and read me the first sentence of her latest chapter, I will be able to get on with my work and she will be able to continue when she is ready.”

  Anna was incensed. This woman was pushy and inappropriate. Anna was beginning to understand Ashley’s obvious feelings of pressure.

  “I’m afraid that is out of the question. I could not impose on Ashley’s work. What if I accidently erased something important? It’s unthinkable!”

  Kate recognized an impasse when she heard one. There was no moving Anna Drake. She seemed to be quite a formidable person.

  “Can I ask you to tell Ashley to contact me immediately when she is available? I’ll give you my direct line in the office and my email.”

  The change in tone mollified Anna to some degree and she agreed to pass on the message.

  Some hours later, after Anna had finished breakfast, fed Sylvia, played with the cat (who had discovered the fascination of a piece of string), and spent some time in her bedroom with a certain item over which she dreamed and mused and tried to make decisions, it occurred to her that the morning was gone and the afternoon had advanced with no sound of Ashley stirring.

  Conscious of the daily deadline, she began to wonder if she had made a mistake in denying the book editor’s request. She had two choices. One was to wake Ashley out of some much-needed sleep.

  The other was to do as Kate asked and find the latest chapter on the laptop, relaying the first line to Kate by email so she would think it had come from the author.

  Another hour passed and Anna had decided. She went to the office, opened up the laptop and found the list of documents. At first this was confusing. It appeared the laptop contained the older entries at the head of the list and newer ones of Ashley’s below. She scanned down from the top and was instantly stopped by something highly personal. The title was ‘Anam Charaid’. It was the inscription on the ring she wore on her left hand and the twin of the one Lawren had also worn.

  It was highly unlikely this had anything to do with Ashley. She hesitated for only a moment and then clicked on the title. A short document appeared.

  I woke early with a strange feeling. It may have been a dream half remembered.

  I came downstairs so as not to disturb you my darling. You were sleeping so soundly.

  At first I thought there was something I needed to sketch or draw but I found myself here in the office with Morag purring on my knee and the laptop waiting.

  So this is a message for you that relieved my mind of some obscure worry.

  What do I need to say that had to be written now?

  Just that I love you my Anna. Always have. Always will.

  That’s it. That’s everything.

  Now I can go back to bed. I’ll erase this in the morning when I’ve said it to you in person my darling.

  Anna knew at once the message was from Lawren. It had the mark of his writing style. He rarely bothered with punctuation or long sentences. He always insisted his words and emotions were expressed in his art.

  She started to look for the date when it was written, but stopped quickly. The date was irrelevant. What mattered was that the note existed at all. It was something she could read when her feelings of loss were at their deepest and from it draw comfort. She sat back in the chair amazed that she had not dissolved in tears. Not that it was lacking in poignancy. It was a personal message, private and special, like a bird feather floating down from the sky to land right at her feet.

  In place of tears she had a warm glow in her heart. This was proof of how exceptional Lawren Drake truly was. Only he would think of leaving a note for some future time. She believed he had chosen not to erase it and now, at last, she had found his message.

  She decided to keep this to herself. It was another sign of confidence in her decision to share her story in Ashley’s book. No matter how much she permitted to be included, there would never be all of her memories and private moments. Those she would cling to forever.

  She clicked back to the documents list just as a door opened behind her.

  “Aunt Anna! I thought you must have gone out somewhere. I have slept far too long but I do feel better for it. Did you need the laptop for something?”

  “No Ashley! But your editor, Kate, called earlier. She is anxious to get the first line of your latest chapter for some reason. I think you should do that right away, my dear.”

  Ashley rubbed sleep from her eyes and became focused on what she needed to do. Anna went off to make her coffee and toast. It looked as if she would spend the rest of the day glued to the computer which gave her aunt a space of time to formulate a plan. But first, she would deal with the item she had recovered from a box in the cedar closet and which now lay in a drawer in the master bedroom.

  It was a cream-coloured, three-quarter length dress with long sleeves, flaring at the wrist. The neckline was a simple scoop and the only ornamentation was a border of pattern along the hemline. She unfolded it lovingly and brought the fabric to her nose, inhaling any possible scent of the only time it had ever been worn. The reason this dress had been relegated to storage for so long was to protect it from prying eyes, and also to prevent its owner from the inevitable mix of tears and joy it aroused.

  For the first time, Anna felt able to extract the joy and ignore the tears her wedding dress invoked.

  It was more evidence that unburdening herself of some of her private memories allowed her to cherish the rest without fear.

  She passed the border of the dress through her hands and relished the intricate design. On one of their many trips into the Scottish countryside, they had stopped for tea in a roadside café and craft shop and after enjoying the meal, they had, as was usual, browsed through the crafts on offer. Lawren had found the woven strip of fabric in muted colours depicting a family of ducks sporting on a river. He immediately purchased it saying, “This is definitely meant for the future Mrs. Lawren Drake.”

  Anna had laughed but she did not know how seriously Lawren had meant his comment. He had contacted one of the most talented seamstresses of the A Plus Scottish Knitters team and requested a dress to be made for Anna, to his specifications. She knew nothing of this until she had agreed to the time and place of their wedding, at which point, Lawren had presented her with the completed item.

  Of course, it was a perfect fit, not only in size but also as a demonstration of his desire to make the occasion one they would cherish forever.

  She smoothed the fabric and refolded it in tissue paper. It would remain in the drawer where she could see it at any time she wished. No one would ever use her bedroom again while she lived, but she would add a note to the slim package so that Ashley would understand the significance of the dress. It would rest undisturbed until then.

  * * *

  Next on Anna’s agenda was the plan she had begun to form when it became apparent that her niece’s book project was going to be published very quickly. It seemed to Anna this was an occasion to be celebrated in style and she was ready to do so.

  It required a number of phone calls to ascertain the willingness of several parties to fall in with her ideas. This took considerable time and effort but the unanimous reception was positive and so she continued.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Jean! Where are you? I’ve just had the most remarkable phone conversation. I have to tell you about it.”

  Jean was sitting on her balcony overlooking English Bay, contemplating the wonderful sea view on Canada’s West Coast and wondering whether the view of the sea from her daughter’s home in Oban would compare.

  “I’m out here, Valerie. Come and join me.”

  Her friend arrived somewhat red of face and with a look of surprise that caught Jean’s attention.

  “Goodness! I hope it wasn’t bad news about the family.”

  “No. Quite the opposite! You remember when I told you about meeting Anna Drake and her friend Alina and her husband who live near me in London?”

  “Ye
s, of course. You were quite impressed with both women and you said you had an instant connection with Anna at her wonderful Scottish house on one of your tours. I have often wished to see that house. Jeanette talks about Anna all the time.”

  “Well, Jean, I believe you are about to get your wish.”

  “That’s not too surprising as I am on my way to Scotland very soon. What’s got you so excited, Valerie Westwood?”

  “The call was from Anna Drake herself. She is asking when you are arriving and wants to know if I can travel with you and we can make a stop in London and pick up Alina and Philip on the way.”

  “What? Why would we go to all that trouble? It’s quite enough disruption packing my belongings to leave Vancouver forever without all the stops in between.”

  “Just wait until I finish and then tell me if it’s worthwhile! Anna Drake is planning a big surprise.

  She remembered I usually spend time in England with Zoe and Wesley after Christmas each year and she wants me to come to Oban with you before I go south.”

  Jean interrupted. She was finding it hard to understand the necessity for this complicated plan.

  “But why do we have to collect Alina and her husband?”

  “Alina has poor eyesight and can’t travel without help. Philip will help as much as he can but with four of us watching out for each other we should manage better on the journey and it will be an advantage for you too.”

  “Now, how do you figure that Val?”

  “Just listen. To start with, we get a break from the long journey in London. We can stay in Anna’s condo which is closer than mine. This is a fabulous opportunity to see the exclusive paintings of Lawren Drake that are rumored to decorate the walls of their condo. It’s right beside Alina and Philip’s.