A Maxwell Maligned (Laird of Lochandee)

by Kirkwood, Gwen

  ‘That’s all we ever had anyway – our food and clothes – in return for our labour,’ Ross said flatly. ‘Moth …’ He cut his words short. ‘She has controlled everything these last few years. I promise not to be a burden to you any longer than I can help, but I appreciate your offer. I shall be glad to accept it while I look for a job.’

  Ross had been with Jim MacDonald and his wife over a week. They treated him with warmth and friendliness. Jim and his men appreciated an extra pair of willing hands, especially now the days were growing shorter, but Ross was well aware Jim MacDonald was giving him work to ease his pride and earn his keep. He was glad to throw himself into hard physical labour so that exhaustion might bring him sleep and blessed oblivion from the confusion of his tortured thoughts.

  ‘Don’t get discouraged, Ross,’ Ginny MacDonald said at breakfast. It was nearly the end of his second week with them and she had noticed his downcast expression as he watched Jim opening a letter. Ross did not realise she was watching him. ‘There will be work available at the end of November. Not many men move before the term and it’s only a few weeks away.’

  ‘Just another account to pay. It’s for the stallion fees,’ Jim announced, setting aside the letter. He glanced at Ross. ‘Ginny is right, laddie. There will be more work available at the hiring fairs, but I’ve put word around the neighbours to say you are available. We are all keeping our ears open in case any of the farms round here are expecting a change of men. Meanwhile you are doing a good job. If prices showed any sign of getting better I would be glad to keep you.’

  Ross nodded and ate his breakfast but his heart was heavy. He had no desire to return to familiar haunts now but he couldn’t get Rachel out of his thoughts. He had gone over and over his situation, his ignorance of his roots. He felt he had no identity. He was like a boat adrift on an endless sea – no anchor to hold him fast, no sails to propel him forward. Was he the son of a whore? Why had Cameron Maxwell taken him in? “We are not your parents,” the letter had said. Was she telling the truth? Was it possible Cameron Maxwell had sired him after a night of revelry?

  Again and again his thoughts returned to Rachel. He ached for the feel of her in his arms, the warmth of her body against his own, her sweet smile and sparkling eyes. He yearned for the comfort she could give him. He had written her a letter, pouring out his heart, his dismay at finding he had no roots, the sick feeling of isolation, and lastly his love for her. He had promised to write again when he found work. He had given the letter to the postman who called most days at Briarbush, the MacDonalds’ home.

  Each morning he longed for Rachel’s reply. He was desperate to know she still loved him for himself. He needed her reassurance but there were no letters for him. Ross grew despondent, he began to question himself. Was Rachel ashamed of him? He could only interpret her silence as one thing – rejection. She no longer wanted to be his friend, or even acquainted with him.

  Chapter Eight

  GERTRUDE MAXWELL WOULD NOT have admitted that Rachel’s arrival had brought the past vividly alive again, and with it an overwhelming and bitter desire for revenge. Rachel was the only living link to Connor O’Brian and Mhairi and her happiness was linked with Ross. Getting rid of him too suited her well.

  The drizzle which Ross had left behind on the morning of his departure had turned to a persistent rain as Rachel made her way along unfamiliar roads and tracks. She could scarcely bear the touch of her garments against the raw and bleeding lacerations on her back and shoulders. She was completely lost and shivering from shock and cold and the ever-present nausea. Her stomach churned from lack of food.

  The narrow twisting roads all looked the same. There were tracks but whether they lead to fields, or to isolated farms, she could not tell. The mist creeping down from the hills obliterated everything more than twenty yards in front of her. The very silence seemed ghostly, not even the forlorn bleating of a ewe or the cry of a curlew.

  Rachel shivered and huddled beneath her shawl but it was already damp. Droplets of rain clung to the woollen fibres. She plodded on doggedly.

  Her legs began to tremble with weakness. Her bundle was pitifully small but it seemed to weigh more with every step. Rachel had no idea how far she had trudged but she had to be several miles from Windlebrae by now. She was half-afraid she had been walking in circles.

  When a small stone building loomed out of the mist some way up the hill to her left she knew she must take the chance to rest. She leaned against the bank of earth at the base of the hedge, gathering strength to climb the slope. She stared at the building, willing it to show some form of life. There was nothing, not even a lone sheep or cow. The rain was falling faster now. Even the animals would be seeking shelter.

  Wearily she dragged her leaden limbs up towards the barn, slithering on the wet grass. The door was partly open and she shoved at it tentatively. It was dark inside but as her eyes became more accustomed to the gloom she could see it had been used to store hay, probably for winter feed for sheep. There were remains from a small truss of hay against one wall, bristly where it had been cut from the stack. She bent to feel it. At least it was dry. Her stomach churned with hunger. She wished she had thought to find a spring and have a drink of water.

  The more she thought of it the more she craved a drink. She shuddered as she recalled a newspaper cutting she had read about Russian children dying of starvation and people eating twigs and mixing clay with their corn. The thought made her stomach heave. She took off her shawl and shook it, then spread it out to dry on some of the hay. Even that small effort made her feel faint. She plumped up a mound of hay and lay down pulling the hay round her to keep herself warm.

  Her mind was buzzing with the worry of what to do when the mist cleared. She must find her way to a house or farm and plead for shelter. How she would find work she did not know. The little money she had was in her box at Windlebrae.

  Inevitably the memory of Gertrude Maxwell’s fury returned. What had she done to deserve such a cruel beating? She had worked and tried hard to please. What was the sin she had committed? Forni … Forni … Her brow creased in an effort to recall Gertrude Maxwell’s accusations, but she had not understood and could not remember. Why had Meg not come to her aid? Had Ross really run away? Rachel trembled. She had believed Meg and Ross and Willie were true friends. “Friends for ever,” Ross had pledged.

  She must have fallen into a light sleep because she suddenly sat up with a start. She felt disorientated but the pain across her shoulders from the whipping was intense. Memory flooded back and she began to shake.

  The sound which had wakened her was growing louder. It took her some seconds to recognise it was a horse and cart. She jumped to her feet, wincing at the pain, but she grabbed her shawl and threw it round her shoulders as she slithered down the slope towards the road, clasping the pillowcase which contained everything in the world she possessed.

  She was sure it must be Ross with the pony and trap. Or perhaps Willie, with his favourite Clydesdale, Lucy? They were coming to take her back.

  Yet could she ever live in the same house as Gertrude Maxwell again? The thought brought her to a halt almost at the side of the narrow road. A cart was coming round the bend towards her. It was much larger than the trap, higher and covered in. The driver sat up at the front under a small overhanging shelter and the chestnut horse looked plump and well-groomed. Rachel shrank back with a feeling of despondency. The wind had risen, driving the rain away and improving the visibility but the cold penetrated her thin dress and she shivered miserably, tugging at her shawl to hold it closer. She was certain she must look like a vagrant woman and wished she had tidied herself. She wanted to hide but there was nowhere to go. The driver of the vehicle had already seen her and was drawing the horse to a halt.

  ‘Can I help y …?’ The driver of the horse-drawn van broke off with a startled frown, then uncertainly, ‘It is Miss O’Brian – isn’t it? Rachel O’Brian?’ Rachel nodded mutely. She stared up at the man but her
head swam. She sank down onto the wet grass, fighting against the waves of dizziness which threatened to overwhelm her. She recognised Peter Sedgeman as the driver of the cart, and felt deeply ashamed of her appearance. Her hands and face were grubby, her hair straggling and unkempt. He had jumped down and was speaking to her again, his voice low and full of concern.

  ‘You are miles from Windlebrae, lassie. Why are you heading into the hills? Are you hurt? Are you lost?’ The kindness in his voice was her undoing. Her control snapped and she was sobbing into her shawl like a frightened child. At length she managed to calm herself. She felt Peter Sedgeman’s hand on her shoulder. He tried to help her to her feet but she cried out as the pressure of his arm reopened the wounds on her back.

  ‘Are you hurt? Look lassie, tell me what ails you. I will help if I can, but I have groceries to deliver and the daylight will soon be gone.’ He eyed her keenly, seeing the way she held her shoulders as though afraid to move. Her face was deathly pale, stained with mud and tears. Her hair was blowing wildly where it had escaped from its braids.

  She bit her lip hard, striving for control. Haltingly she tried to tell him that she had lost her employment at Windlebrae. Peter listened in silence, his brow growing darker as he filled in the gaps which Rachel would not, or could not, put into words. At last he moved to her side again and put a gentle arm about her shoulders. She winced sharply.

  ‘You’re hurt. Surely … have you been beaten?’ She nodded miserably, her head bowed.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘M-Mistress M-Maxwell,’

  ‘Surely even she … but where was Ross?’

  ‘She says he has gone away. She – she says h-he is not c-coming back.’ Rachel bit back a despairing sob. She stared at him, her eyes wide and pleading. Wanting him to tell her it was not true. Indeed Peter Sedgeman could not believe Mrs Maxwell would allow Ross to go anywhere. What Gertie had, Gertie kept, he thought bitterly.

  ‘I must find work and shelter,’ she told him urgently. ‘I must earn money – for food.’

  ‘Have you eaten since breakfast?’

  ‘I did not have any breakfast.’

  ‘No breakfast? Nothing all day! No wonder you can scarcely stand.’ He left her side and opened the double doors at the back of the van. He returned with a small loaf of bread. ‘I’m afraid I’ve no butter to go with it,’ he apologised.

  ‘It’s wonderful!’ Rachel’s eyes shone with tears of gratitude. Then she put her hands behind her back. ‘But I c-cannot accept it. I have no money to pay for it.’ Suddenly the tears flooded her eyes again and ran down her cheeks. ‘She would not let me bring my box – the wee carved box Dada made for me. It has a secret drawer. I had a shilling and a gold sovereign from Minnie, and M-Mama’s necklet and ring. Wh-what am I to do?’

  ‘For a start, lassie, you can take this wee loaf. Eat it now, if you can eat it dry?’

  ‘Oh, I can, I can.’ Rachel assured him fervently. ‘I c-can’t thank you enough, Mr Sedgeman.’ It was all she could do not to cram the bread in her mouth. She had eaten nothing since the previous afternoon and the sickness had drained her strength. She turned away from him, to return to the shelter of the barn, out of the rising wind. Peter watched her.

  ‘It’s no use, I can’t leave you here.’ Peter frowned, pushing back his cap. He rubbed his head. ‘No, I can’t leave you here alone,’ he repeated firmly, making up his mind. ‘It’s usually after seven before I finish my deliveries, but if you can squeeze up onto the seat beside me I will turn for home at the next crossroads. My housekeeper will make you a bed for tonight. In the morning we will decide what can be done.’

  ‘If – if you give me shelter Mrs Maxwell will be displeased with you.’

  ‘Ugh!’ Peter uttered a harsh sound. ‘Mrs Maxwell and I are old enemies, didn’t you know?’ Rachel was too busy chewing on the crusty bread to answer. ‘She banned me from Windlebrae long ago. So that just makes me more willing to help you, Miss O’Brian.’ He smiled suddenly and Rachel noticed what a pleasant face he had when he was not looking harassed and unhappy. ‘Let me help you up onto the seat.’

  She gasped at his touch.

  ‘Sorry,’ Peter said apologetically. ‘She must have beaten you badly to make you wince like that.’

  ‘She used the horsewhip …’ Her voice faded as the horror returned. ‘Her eyes … they were so wild.’ She shuddered.

  ‘I must make one more delivery to an old woman who is crippled with rheumatism. I can’t let her down but after that we shall return to my house. It will be a surprise for the children to see me home so early. I will deliver the rest of the groceries tomorrow.’

  ‘I am sorry to be a trouble,’ Rachel mumbled unhappily.

  ‘Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room. My premises used to be three small shops. I have a paddock at the back for my horse, and we have a large garden.’ He was trying to put her at her ease but he had the feeling nothing he could say would comfort her. ‘I have a housekeeper to look after my three young daughters,’ he went on speaking quietly. ‘Her name is Eliza. She came to live with her elderly aunt in the village about three months ago – just when I was desperate for help.’

  ‘Ruth told me you had lost your wife. I am so sorry.’

  ‘Yes. We had an elderly neighbour who looked after us but she became ill. Eliza MacDougal is a poor substitute.’ His mouth tightened. ‘She comes in daily to care for the children. They are usually in bed before I return home, except on Saturdays. I don’t go out with groceries after three on Saturdays.’

  Rachel made no response. When he glanced at her he saw she had fallen into an exhausted doze, the remaining bit of loaf clutched tightly in her hand, her head propped against the side of the wagon. He fell silent, deep in his own troubled thoughts. Surely Meg could not have known how cruelly her mother was treating Rachel. Where had she been?

  Rachel woke with a jerk when Peter pulled the horse to a halt. He had not stopped directly outside his shop. Rachel could see the long stone building with one larger window and two sash windows, then a tiny window in a low steeply roofed lean-to at the end. It was at this building that Peter set her down, leading her along a narrow path away from the street to a side door with peeling green paint.

  ‘This is the scullery, Rachel. The wash-house adjoins it through that door and the closet is just down the garden.’ He pointed to another green door. ‘I thought you might like to wash your face and tidy yourself a bit before you meet Eliza and the children?’

  ‘Yes please!’ Rachel agreed gratefully.

  ‘There is cold water.’ He indicated the long stone sink with a single brass tap high above it. There were dirty dishes which looked like the breakfast dishes and a porridge pan with a little cold stiff porridge still in the bottom. There was an enamel bowl and a tall jug at the other side. Neither looked very clean but Rachel was longing to wash her face and brush out her hair and re-braid it. She looked at Peter Sedgeman with troubled eyes.

  ‘Everything I have now is in the pillowcase,’ she said apologetically.

  ‘Ah yes,’ Peter smiled suddenly. ‘I had forgotten I had it.’ He set down the small bundle. ‘Your clothes will be very creased.’

  ‘Yes, but at least I have a clean apron and my hair brush.’

  ‘When you are ready just come through here, he opened a door at the far side of the scullery and Rachel saw an L-shaped stone flagged passage. ‘The kitchen is straight across. The other two doors lead to store rooms and through to the front shop. The stairs are at the end of the passage. We have a front room upstairs. It looks out over the village – but we seldom use it now.’ Rachel heard the wistful note in his voice. ‘I shall go and surprise the children,’ he smiled with real pleasure this time, ‘and I will ask Eliza to make a little extra dinner.’

  He closed the scullery door behind him and crossed the passage to the kitchen. He was surprised to find the door locked and the key on the outside. He frowned, puzzled. He turned it and entered the large room. One small head tu
rned fearfully towards him. At the sight of her father, four-year-old Polly stared incredulously, then with an expression of intense relief, gave a squeal of joy and hurled herself into his arms.

  ‘Daddy! Daddy!’

  ‘Well, well, my wee lassie. What a welcome! Maybe I should come home early more often.’ The last he had muttered regretfully to himself but Polly clutched him tightly.

  ‘Oh, Daddy, could you?’ Her soft mouth trembled. The twins did not even look up. They were huddled side by side, on their stomachs on the rag rug which their mother had made shortly before they were born. It was dull now with dust and spills. Both toddlers were sucking at their thumbs as though life depended on it and whimpering miserably to themselves.

  There was little heat from the banked down embers in the bottom of the grate. As Peter knelt before the grate he realised the smell in the room was coming from the twins.

  ‘Where is Eliza?’ he asked sharply. ‘Is she ill?’ Polly shook her head, still clinging to her father as though afraid he would disappear.

  ‘Is her aunt ill? Has she been called away?’ Again the silent shake of Polly’s head. ‘Where is she then, my wee lamb?’

  ‘In the shop.’ Polly looked anxiously into his face, then she put her mouth close to his ear. ‘Eliza goes to talk to Mr Johnson in the shop. Every day.’ She drew back and stared at him with fear in her eyes. ‘It’s a secret. She will hit me with the rolling pin if I tell.’

  ‘I see …’ Peter only half-believed his four-year-old daughter, but as his eyes moved round the untidy, dirty room, he recalled other incidents, work not done, meals not made. ‘Indeed I do see,’ he repeated slowly, his eyes narrowing. He felt anger rising in him but he controlled it when he saw the terror in his small daughter’s eyes. ‘Don’t worry, Polly, Eliza will not harm you. I came home earlier than she expected today so she cannot blame you.’