The House on the Shore

by Victoria Howard

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The following morning Anna had another visitor. A small, lean, sinewy grey-haired man popped his head round the bedroom door.

  “How are you, lass?”

  Anna shuffled up the bed. “Sandy! I was so relieved to see you last night or was it this morning? I lost all track of time in that cellar.”

  “Last night, but we’ll not argue over a few hours.”

  “We all thought you had left the glen.”

  The old man grinned and took Anna’s hands in his. “What, let that upstart Mr. Alistair drive me away? You know me better, lass. The dogs and I have been here all the time.”

  “Where did you sleep? What did you do for food?”

  “There are plenty of disused cottages and places for a man to hide if he knows where. I planned everything before I left; stockpiled tins here and there, and lived off the land as my forefathers did. I trapped rabbits, ate berries. I didn’t go hungry.”

  “You amaze me.”

  “I sensed there was something iffy about MacKinnon. It didn’t take me long to suss out that he didn’t know one end of a sheep from the other. I think the only time he saw lamb was on his plate, complete with mint sauce and all the trimmings. He certainly knew nothing about driving a tractor. I hung around to see what he was up to and to watch over my best friend’s granddaughter.”

  “I never saw you.”

  The grey eyebrows arched. “The dogs knew I was here. In fact, you nearly saw me that first night he tried to scare you.”

  “So I did see a man! I thought I was dreaming.”

  “No, lass, you weren’t. That bastard was creeping around and if it hadn’t been for me, Ensay and Rhona would have alerted you to his presence. As it was, they only sensed an old friend.”

  “Ensay and Rhona did their job.”

  “Aye, lass, they’re grand dogs, even if I say so myself. But I couldn’t watch MacKinnon all the time and I blame myself for him finally succeeding.”

  She patted Sandy’s hand. “Don’t reproach yourself for that.”

  “You have a good man here in Luke. Which reminds me; I have a message for him from Ewan. The part for his boat has arrived.”

  Anna sank back into the pillows. She felt the stab of another pain far worse than her physical injuries. When she said nothing, Sandy interpreted her silence as tiredness.

  “Ewan’s putting me up at the hotel until the bank decides what to do with the estate,” he continued. “In the meantime, I’ve got my old job back, until a new owner is found. Now, lass, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of your man.” He kissed her on the cheek and quietly left the room.

  When she heard Luke knock on the door a few minutes later, she feigned sleep. Morag’s injuries, Luke’s imminent departure; it was too much to take in. She needed time to think. Sooner or later she would have to tell him that the part for his boat had arrived.

  But not just yet.

  He’d never lied to her. He had made it clear that he would leave once the part for his yacht arrived, but would the events of the last twenty-four hours be enough to make him change his mind?

  She doubted it.

  She turned on her side and thumped the pillow. Luke was a successful artist with a wonderful home and lifestyle. Why would he want to live in a tumbledown croft in the middle of nowhere? Besides, there was the woman he dated back home in Cape Cod.

  Anna knew she couldn’t leave the croft. Not yet. She couldn’t leave the glen while her friend was so ill. There was her book to finish, if only to prove that she had what it took to be a successful author. Then there were the dogs, Ensay and Rhona. Whatever happened, she couldn’t leave them behind.

  Of one thing she was certain.

  She loved Luke. She loved him completely.

  Life was so complicated, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

  Three days later, her bruises had faded to a rainbow of colours. Anna ran a comb through her hair and went downstairs. Luke sat at the table nursing a mug of coffee.

  “Do you feel up to a walk after breakfast? Some fresh air will do you good.”

  Anna helped herself to cereal and coffee. “Okay, but nothing too energetic. I’d like to go into the village later to post my claim to the insurance company for the Land Rover. Once Morag’s out of hospital, Lachlan will need his pickup back. I’ll need to replace it before then. I forgot to mention, but Sandy told me the part for your yacht has arrived. Ewan is keeping it for you at the hotel.”

  “Would you like to go see Morag this afternoon? If so, we can drop your letter into the mail box, and pick up the part at the same time.”

  “If you don’t have any other plans. I don’t feel up to driving yet.”

  Later that afternoon Luke drove a frail and subdued Anna into Fort William to see her friend.

  Surrounded by machines, her leg in splints and a drip in her arm, Morag lay still and pale. At first Anna thought she was asleep. Then she realized it was more than that.

  She sat down at the side of the bed and took Morag’s slender hand in her own.

  “Oh, Morag!” She wiped away a tear and glanced at Lachlan who sat on the other side of the bed.

  “How is she?”

  “They took her to theatre again this morning. The surgeon wasn’t happy with the way her left leg was set. She’s not regained consciousness since she came out of the operating room, but the doctors seem satisfied with her progress.”

  Anna offered up a silent prayer.

  “I’m so sorry, Lachlan. If I’d known any of this was going to happen, I would never have let her borrow the Land Rover.”

  “It’s not your fault, Anna. She’s out of danger, thanks be to God. The doctors say she’ll make a full recovery in time, although she may be left with a slight limp.” He stroked his wife’s cheek. “I’ve told the rig I’m not going back. I don’t want to leave her on her own again.”

  Anna looked at him in surprise. “I’m sure Morag will appreciate that, but what about your dreams for a farm?”

  “I don’t care about that any more. Morag is more important. Once she’s recovered, I’ll look for work closer to home. What about you? Will you stay on at the croft now this is all over?”

  Anna tilted her head to gaze at Luke. “I have a lot to consider. I’m not sure…it depends—”

  “I understand. It can’t be easy, not after what Grant and MacKinnon did to you.”

  “It will take a while for folk in the village to come to terms with their antics. I wonder what will happen to the estate now.”

  “Ewan says the Bank has taken control for now. He heard it from Mrs. McTavish. I expect they’ll put it up for sale.”

  Morag stirred. She moaned and her eyes fluttered open. “Lachlan? Anna?” Her voice was dry.

  Lachlan leaned forward and tenderly kissed his wife’s forehead.

  “Ho mo leannan. Oh, my sweetheart, I’m here. Everything will be all right.”

  “Anna. She’s…she’s safe.”

  Anna lifted her friend’s hand to her bruised cheek. “I’m here too. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, thanks to Luke and Sandy. I’m so sorry you got hurt, Morag.”

  “Don’t cry, lass.”

  Anna wiped away her tears. “Don’t talk. Save your strength and put all your effort into getting better.”

  A nurse appeared at the bedside. “I’ll let doctor know you’re awake, Mrs. McInnes. I’m afraid your visitors will have to leave. Not you Mr. McInnes; just the lady and the other gentleman.”

  Anna leant forward and kissed Morag on the forehead. “I’ll come again in a few days, when you’re feeling stronger.”

  Morag smiled at Anna then closed her eyes again, and slept.

  The nearer Anna and Luke got to home, the quieter and more withdrawn she became. For most of the journey she stared out of the window, alone with her thoughts.

  There was no denying they’d reached the point where their relationship had to be resolved. However, she needed another few days t
o come to terms with the fact that he would soon be leaving.

  She turned to look at him. There was an inherent strength in his face. He’d obviously loved his fiancée very much. Could he love that deeply again?

  Would he stay if she asked him to?

  Anna turned back to the window, lest he see her tears. Her heart was torn in jagged pieces. She bit her lips, ignoring the pain.

  It was dark by the time they reached the croft.

  “You sure are quiet,” he said.

  “Sorry.” She rubbed her aching temples. “I was thinking about Morag. May I have a couple of those painkillers the doctor left?”

  “You should have waited another day before you visited Morag. You need more rest. Why don’t you go lie down?”

  “Would you mind?”

  “Of course not. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

  After they’d eaten their meal, Luke carried the coffee tray into the sitting room. He bent down and put a match to the logs in the grate, then sat down on the sofa next to Anna.

  “Thanks for cooking dinner again. I don’t seem to have much energy at the moment.”

  He gathered into his arms. “MacKinnon gave you quite a beating. It will take time for you to recover, both physically and mentally.”

  She settled back, enjoying the feel of his chest against her back. “At least I won’t have any physical scars like Morag.”

  “Sadly, she’ll be left with a permanent reminder of MacKinnon’s handiwork. It will be a good six months before she’ll fully recover. She has a good man in Lachlan. He’ll take care of her.”

  “It’s strange the way things worked out, with Lachlan giving up his job on the rig and his idea of buying a farm. Morag never wanted to move. And then there’s Alistair losing the estate after fighting so hard to save it.”

  “You’re forgetting one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Without your land, the construction company can’t go ahead with their plans to build a deep water harbour for the oil industry. The glen will remain an unspoilt wilderness. There’s plenty of folk in the village who are pleased about that.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “What will you do now? Will you stay here after everything that happened?”

  Anna twisted in his arms and looked up at his face. “I don’t know,” she told him. “It depends on a number of things.”

  “Such as?”

  “Morag, for one. I can’t walk out on her when she needs me most. And to be honest, unless I apply for another teaching job, I’ve no option but to stay here.”

  “You know…you could always come back to Boston with me.”

  This was it—the moment she’d been dreading. Her face clouded with uneasiness. She looked hastily away.

  “But what about your girlfriend back home in Cape Cod?”

  “I told you. Kate’s not my girlfriend. She’s just someone I see sometimes, I mean someone I saw sometimes. That’s all over now. For obvious reasons,” he smiled.

  She pushed herself free of his grasp. “You say that. But how do I know it’s true?”

  “Kate is a free spirit. She pretty well does whatever she wants. I saw her whenever she happened to be in town, which didn’t happen to be all that often. Trust me.”

  Trust me…how many times had Mark said that to her? Each time he’d let her down. Her parents had also said it. Every September they took her to school and told her, ‘We’ll send for you at the end of term, promise,’ but they never did. With the exception of her grandparents and Morag, everybody she’d ever loved had let her down. What reason did she have to believe Luke was any different?

  “It’s kind of you to ask, but—”

  Luke pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Kind of me? Haven’t you figured out that I’m in with love you?”

  Anna’s lungs felt like they stopped working. “You love me?”

  “Of course I do. And I got the impression you loved me too.” He gave her a heart-melting smile.

  “I do, Luke. But our lives are so different.”

  “And that’s a problem…why?”

  “Don’t you see? You’re a successful artist. Until now I’ve always taught others how to write. This is my chance to find out if I can make it as an author.”

  “That’s a seriously weak excuse, Anna. What we have is something rare, and you know it. It sprang full-grown the first time we looked at each other. Do you really want to throw it away?”

  “Of course not.” She turned away from him and stood by the window, ramming her hands into her pockets. “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Damned right I don’t,” he said, turning her round to face him. “You know I would never stop you from doing something you love.”

  “I know that. I’m sorry, Luke. I can’t come with you. Not right now. Perhaps…” She left the sentence go unfinished. She didn’t have the right to ask him to wait.

  “I see.” He let her go. The silence lengthened between them. “I’ll stay for as long as it takes for you get a replacement for the Land Rover and a phone installed. I’ll move my gear back into the spare room. In the meantime, I’ll go check on the yacht. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  Anna watched him leave the croft, fists bunched. Tears streamed down her face. What had she just done?

  Chapter-Thirty-Seven

  Five o’clock in the morning. Out on the loch, the mist rose off the water. A shiny, green Land Rover stood on the lawn in front of Tigh na Cladach. Morag would be out of hospital in a few weeks’ time.

  Down on the shore, an otter called to its cubs, its high, piercing whistle carrying over the still water. Anna closed the door of the croft and locked it. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and followed the dogs along the track through the trees, past the ruins until she reached the stalkers’ path. She climbed steadily up hill, through swirling mist, her pace never slowing until she reached the viewpoint.

  It was drastically different to the last time she’d climbed Buidhe Bheinn.

  On that occasion Luke had been with her.

  Now, as then, he was her reason for coming here.

  Heather covered the hill like a purple carpet, and the berries on the bog myrtle were beginning to turn orange, a sure sign that autumn was on its way. Halfway up, she came across a group of five hinds and their calves, unperturbed by her presence, they continued grazing.

  Breathless, she sat down with her back against a granite boulder and waited. Ensay and Rhona, sensing her mood, lay down beside her. As suddenly as it had arrived, the mist lifted, bathing her in vivid sunshine. In the distance the mountains of Skye rose, dark and brooding.

  Anna glanced at her watch—five forty-five. The tide would be on the turn by now.

  She didn’t have long to wait before a yacht sailed into view, its blue spinnaker catching the breeze as it rounded the headland and headed north. She could just make out the shape of a figure behind the helm.

  Tears blinded her eyes. She dashed them away. If she lived to be eighty, she would never forget a single detail of his handsome face. Her thoughts filtered back to the day she met him, the firm set of his jaw, his intense brown eyes, and his tall, lean body. Most of all, she would remember the warm touch of his body next to hers, and the smouldering passion they shared. The dull ache of desire filled her senses.

  Head bowed, her body slumped in despair and her heart ached, she remained where she was until the yacht disappeared from view.

  Luke was right. What difference did it make where she wrote? Cape Cod, Scotland, anywhere. If only she’d been less proud and told him so, she could be with him on the yacht.

  But she hadn’t. And she wasn’t.

  Cold and stiff, and her eyes nearly swollen shut from her tears, she stumbled back down the hill, the dogs following faithfully at her heels.

  Back at the croft she immersed herself in her manuscript. She lost all track of time. Hours became days a
nd days became weeks, until she reached the final chapter.

  Six weeks we remained at sea. Conditions onboard were wretched. The steerage passengers suffered most. Confined to narrow berths, they were expected to work despite having paid for their passage. The stench from below decks was vile and pervaded every inch of the ship.

  We endured violent storms and rough seas, smallpox and dysentery. Eighteen children died, many adults also. Yet Niall and I survived. Out of the two hundred who joined the ship at Ullapool, one hundred and twenty ragged souls stepped ashore in Newfoundland.

  As my husband was of gentle birth we were fortunate. Unlike many of the Highlanders who left Scotland that July, we did not sail into a life of servitude. We had coin and within a few weeks had purchased a small plot of land. With the aid of our clansmen we built a log cabin, making it our home. Whilst I longed for the Sight to come to me so that I might see our future, it never did.

  This new land is not Scotland, nor never shall be. We shall stay here until we walk the earth no more. Then and only then, shall we return to the hills and glens of our homeland.

  Anna leaned back in her chair and read the words on the page. A lump formed in her throat. While she couldn’t comprehend how the victims of the Clearances had felt at leaving their homeland, she understood how it felt to be parted from someone you truly loved.

  She stared out of the window. The wind had wiped the loch into a frenzy of white-capped waves. Autumn was nearly over and she had to decide whether to stay in the croft or move back to Edinburgh.

  With her manuscript complete and ready to submit to a literary agent, there was only one other thing she felt she must do.

  And that was to write to Luke.

  She got up from the kitchen table, threw another log into the firebox of the Aga. She filled the kettle and waited for it to boil. There were so many things she ought to tell him. Morag’s continued recovery, and the fact that she had finished her manuscript, but she knew he would want to hear about those. The shrill whistle of the kettle interrupted her thoughts. She made a mug of tea and carried it back to the table. Rhona, sensing the sadness of her mood, came and sat by her feet. Anna reached down and absently patted the silky black head.