A Rhanna Mystery

by Christine Marion Fraser

  Not so Fern; grabbing Todd’s arm she said urgently, ‘Would you be an awful good friend and tell him I’m your niece? Quick now, he’s coming this way, and he’s got a very suspicious look on that funny big face of his, as if he’s looking for trouble and thinks maybe he’ll be finding it sooner than he thinks.’

  ‘Ach, he always looks like that,’ said Todd in some bewilderment. Nevertheless, when Clodhopper ambled to a halt at his gate, he beamed in his friendly way and said affably, ‘Well now, if it isn’t Constable McDuff. You’ve picked a fine day indeed to be visiting the island.’

  ‘Ay, but I’m no’ here for the pleasure o’ it,’ Clodhopper said sourly, gazing contemplatively at Fern as he spoke.

  ‘This is my niece,’ Todd made the introduction hastily.

  ‘Very nice too,’ the policeman eyed Fern’s suntanned limbs appreciatively. ‘I didn’t know you had a niece like that.’

  ‘Oh ay, I’ve had her for a while,’ Todd blurted in confusion.

  ‘I see, well, if I were you I’d lock her up out o’ harm’s way. The spiteful cailleachs here might no’ trust their menfolk wi’ a lass who looks like that and would maybe no’ think twice about doing her an injury, eh? Eh?’

  Clodhopper had a habit of ending his sentences in this enquiring way. He was also wont to laugh at his own wit and this he did now, showing a row of shovel-like teeth in the process, glancing slyly at Fern to ascertain that she had absorbed the full impact of his words.

  Fern gritted her teeth and smiled and was relieved when the policeman’s attention turned once more to Todd.

  ‘She is still no’ working then,’ he stated, gazing suspiciously at the Rolls Royce as he spoke.

  ‘No, no, I just keep her looking good till I can gather enough money to have her fixed. It would take a bit o’ beer money to get her going again.’ Todd blinked, he had said the wrong thing, since any mention of any alcoholic beverage was enough to set Clodhopper on the road to the Portcull Hotel to see if he might be lucky enough to catch a stray drunk or two.

  ‘Well, I’ll be getting along,’ the policeman glanced at his watch. ‘It is nearly lunchtime and I hear that the wife o’ the hotelier makes a very tasty steak and kidney pie.’

  Touching his cap to Fern he went on his way, leaving Todd to wipe his sweating face and say aggrievedly to Fern, ‘What for did you make me say all that about you being my niece? I’m no’ a good liar at the best o’ times and am next to useless wi’ the likes o’ big McDuff.’

  ‘Och, come on now, don’t be angry.’ She smiled up at him and took his arm. ‘It was only to save any awkward questions and you know you said you would all look after me.’

  Todd immediately melted. ‘Oh well, put like that I suppose it did no harm.’

  ‘To be sure it did nothing but good, and surely to goodness you wouldn’t mind having a niece like me?’

  ‘I could think o’ better uses,’ Todd replied with a smirk that deepened to a big grin when she reached up and kissed him on one ruddy red cheek.

  Fern took her leave of Todd, her face adopting a brooding expression as she made her way out of the village. The incident with the policeman had upset her more than anyone would ever know, and it was instinct more than anything else that turned her steps in the direction of the lonely shores she had wandered so often since the fates had first brought her to Rhanna.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Fern breathed a sigh of relief when Clodhopper took himself off the island after a fruitless hunt for drunks and law-breakers of one sort or another.

  ‘Don’t worry about him, lass,’ Tina told her reassuringly. ‘His visits out here are few and far between and it will be a while before he sets his big feets on Rhanna again.’

  Everything else was going well for Fern; she had fitted in well with the general island scene and had a knack of making friends with almost everyone she met.

  Elspeth openly adored her and had begun to look upon her as the daughter she had never had, while Kirsteen treated her as an equal and included her in as many family activities as possible. But despite her acceptance of the girl she had once or twice commented to Fergus on the more mysterious aspects of her life and had wondered why she refused to talk in detail about her past.

  ‘Also,’ Kirsteen had gone on, ‘she’s not nearly as happy or as settled as she would have us believe. I’ve noticed a brooding look on her face when she thinks no one is watching, she gets restless and seems to spend a lot o’ time wandering about on the shore in a distracted sort o’ way, as if she keeps expecting to find something – or somebody – if she searches hard enough. And I find it strange that she rarely mentions this man that she came here to get away from.’

  ‘Ach, she’s probably trying hard to forget about him, that’s maybe why she finds it so hard to settle. Besides, she’s young, she’s bound to get fed up being cooped up here wi’ us all the time.’ Fergus gave a nonchalant shrug as he spoke, though privately he agreed with Kirsteen and wished that he too could discover more about their young guest.

  ‘I don’t think she would ever get fed up with you, Fergie, she looks up to you as if you were a god. I’ve seen the way her eyes light up whenever you appear.’

  ‘I’m just a father figure to her,’ Fergus had answered evasively. ‘She’s been through a lot and I suppose it’s only natural for her to want someone to lean on. She’ll soon grow out o’ it when she’s better able to stand on her own two feet.’

  These were uncomfortable moments for Fergus. With the benefit of hindsight he knew now how foolish he’d been to jeopardise his marriage because of the insecurity he’d felt at Kirsteen’s absence. Even so, he couldn’t forget the dark and dangerous desire he’d felt for Fern, but now that he could stand back from her without being so emotionally involved he was able to get everything into a better perspective, which gave him the chance to get to know her as a person, rather than the exciting young temptress that she had been to him in the beginning.

  That wasn’t to say that he didn’t remain fascinated by her dark wild beauty, her vivacity, her radiance that spread itself like a shining lamp into every dark corner. His infatuation for her was over, though he couldn’t help being very aware of her whenever they were alone together.

  In her turn she enjoyed provoking him in subtle little ways, with her eyes, and with the sensuous sway of her smoothly tanned limbs, but ever since the return of Kirsteen she had ceased to flirt openly with him and he knew it was because she had a genuine liking and respect for the older woman.

  They obviously appreciated one another’s company and even managed to remain amicable when they were working together in the kitchen, taking turns to make the meals, swopping recipes, generally enjoying a hundred and one small, shared experiences.

  Shona was among the few who managed to remain impervious to Fern’s charms, in spite of pressure from Kirsteen to ‘come down off her high horse’, and some cutting remarks from her father, to the effect that she was being childish and why couldn’t she accept Fern like everyone else and take her at face value.

  ‘I am not everyone else!’ Shona had retaliated furiously, ‘I just know instinctively that she’s putting on an act and one day you’ll find out I’m right in what I say. You’re just soft on her because she’s young and attractive and makes you feel twenty again. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you ogling away at her. All she has to do is bat her eyes and wiggle her bum to make you behave like a little puppy dog waiting for crumbs. Thank God Kirsteen is home, she probably saved you from making a fool o’ yourself before it was too late!’

  The truth of this was too much for Fergus. He positively bristled with rage at his daughter. One word led to another, which ended in Shona flouncing away and saying she wouldn’t be back till he came to his senses.

  To make matters worse, nobody else in the family was inclined anymore to agree with her opinions. Initially Ruth had been wary of Fern but now tended to hang on to every word she had to say; Lorn had never had any strong feelings
on the matter and refused to take sides with anyone; while Fiona was sympathetic to her sister-in-law’s feelings but was too busy with the novelty of discovering that another baby was on the way to get fully involved in much else.

  Grant remained as curious and as suspicious of Fern’s motives as his sister, though his attitude had weakened once his mother had arrived back on the scene, his view being that Fern would be a fool to try doing anything that might jeopardise her position in the Laigmhor household.

  Niall too was not impressed by his wife’s views regarding Fern. He listened to her holding forth, then he called her Caillich Ruadh, which meant Red Witch, and told her she was too stubborn for her own good, all of which only served to make her fly into one of her dreaded red-haired tempers and tell him that he was getting complacent in his dotage and that it was high time he got off his backside and took stock of what was going on around him.

  Fern, meanwhile, was making some money for herself by helping out with summer work at neighbouring farms, over and above the odd jobs she did at Laigmhor.

  ‘She must be saving up for something,’ decided Kate. ‘She works hard and must be earning a bob or two yet she never seems to spend any o’ it on herself.’

  ‘She bought herself some things from Elspeth’s catalogue,’ volunteered Tina knowingly. ‘I myself was in the house when the stuff came and it was beautiful just, ethnic skirts and blouses that suited her a treat when she tried them on. I wish I had a figure like hers so that I could wear things like that,’ she ended sadly.

  ‘Well, she is certainly earning her keep at Laigmhor now,’ Mollie said approvingly.

  ‘She is doing nothing o’ the sort,’ Behag put in disapprovingly, ‘I hear tell she doesn’t part wi’ a penny for her bed and board. Any other decent body would be only too glad to work for nothing with a free roof over their heads and all the food they want to fill their belly.’

  ‘Ay, she must be saving for something,’ Kate affirmed thoughtfully. ‘As far as I can see she is by no means a spendthrift yet she is making money hand over fist. Only the other day she took a pound from old Sorcha for going her messages.’

  ‘Terrible just, an old body like that,’ Mollie had changed her mind about Fern. ‘Anybody else would give Sorcha a pound to buy a wee treat for herself.’

  ‘Ach, but she’s a nice lass,’ Kate’s sudden turnabout brought forth willing nods of agreement, as, in spite of their grumbles about her, nearly all of them were fascinated by Fern and loved any opportunity to meet her.

  ‘And she’s young,’ nodded Mollie indulgently. ‘She’s kind in other ways and helped me up the brae wi’ my shopping bag only yesterday.’

  ‘It’s only natural she should want some money of her own to do with as she likes,’ Tina added. ‘It’s her business what she does wi’ it and she seems an honest enough lass. I myself enjoy blethering wi’ her, she’s got such a sunny nature and she’s so bonny too. I just canny help touching that wonderful hair o’ hers whenever I get the chance.’

  Absently she patted her own hair and down it descended to land round her ears in wispy loops. With a sigh she took her leave of Kate’s house, wishing with all her heart that she had been born beautiful.

  Whatever anybody else might think of Fern, the McKenzie and the McLachlan children continued to worship her, and in her free time she took them on picnics and other outings, splashing with them in the sea, running with them through the wildflowers on the moors.

  Shona didn’t take kindly to the idea of her little daughter going off like this with the woman she regarded as an interloper, but hers was just a lone voice in the wilderness.

  ‘I want to go with Aunt Fern!’ Ellie Dawn had wailed. ‘Lorna is allowed to go so why can’t I!’

  ‘Och, let the bairn have her way,’ Niall had intervened. ‘It canny do any harm, Fern took good care o’ Ellie Dawn when she was biding at Laigmhor and it seems unfair to forbid it when Ruth is letting Lorna go. They’ll enjoy themselves together.’

  So once again Shona had to back down off her high horse, which didn’t improve her mood towards Fern in the least. Rather it made her more determined than ever not to allow herself to falter from the stance she had taken, even if nobody else was willing to support her in her lone battle to find out the truth. She was, after all, McKenzie’s daughter, and as such she would never let go till she had proved herself to be right.

  As for Fern, she had too much else on her mind to worry about the moods and swings of one mule-headed woman. She was living in a temporary world of safety and she knew it, her recent encounter with Clodhopper having brought that home to her very effectively, and as the days of summer moved on something else happened to jolt her out of the illusion of security she had known since coming to Rhanna.

  She was busy in the kitchen when a knock came to the door and she was humming a catchy little tune when she went to see who was there.

  Stink the Tink stood on the step, rattling his colanders and other wares, a big grin dawning on his smoke-grimed countenance at the opening of the door. It was a hot day, and he was badly needing a bath, but that didn’t stop him edging closer to Fern to try and impress her with the quality of his goods.

  Beside him was a red-haired, merry-faced woman, displaying a colourful array of ribbons and lace and other bits and baubles on a tray which she quickly and expertly jammed into the open door space. And beside her was a tiny little dwarf woman, whose name was appropriately Tiny, although she was more affectionately known as Little Lady Leprechaun because of her size and her raiments of green, including an oversized hat crammed over her spiky black hair.

  Lady Leprechaun was bearing buttons, safety pins and hairgrips, piles and piles of them, reposing in a saucepan with a cheeky face painted on its enamel and the words, Potty people sell the best, buy my pins and you’ll be blessed.

  Fern took one look at the motley trio in front of her and made to close the door but Alana, Stink’s wife, had positioned her tray well, it had lodged itself in the door jamb, and with a shake of her head Alana said, ‘Would you look at that now, mavourneen, it is stuck and no mistake and while it’s there you might as well take a look at what it has to offer. A nice shiny ribbon perhaps, or a collar of finest Irish lace for your dress? Only a few pennies to you, me dear, and the good Lord will bless you for your kindness.’

  ‘Indeed He will do all o’ that, me fine lass,’ Stink added his contribution, all the while nodding and beaming and making a great show with his colanders.

  Fern made no response, she had turned pale, her eyes were huge and frightened, as she shrank away from Stink who was now staring at her in a most appraising manner.

  ‘Bejabers and bejasus!’ he burst out. ‘If it isn’t young Kathleen Swan from Tipperary! One o’ that band o’ Irish gypsies you ran away from a year or two back. I mind fine you were the speak o’ the place when it became known you had gone off wi’ that rogue, Johnny Docherty!’

  Alana and Little Lady Leprechaun forgot all about selling their wares as they too looked at Fern with recognition in their eyes.

  ‘Oh, please,’ Fern said shakily, ‘don’t be telling anyone about the things you are saying. I don’t mind them knowing that I’m a gypsy but Fern Lee is the name that is on me now, everyone on the island knows me as that. I couldn’t use my real name because I came here to get away from Johnny, he wouldn’t stop his drinking and sometimes he went crazy altogether, swearing and shouting and hitting me, and so I left him. I just ran and ran, never knowing where I was going till I landed here on this island, safe from Johnny and all the terrible things he did to me.’

  Alana shook her head. ‘Ah, is that not a sad tale now? Johnny Docherty. A rascal and a rover from the day he drew breath. You’re well rid o’ him, me lass, and indeed we won’t be telling anyone who you were before you got yourself entangled with his like.’

  ‘Ay, you have the travellers’ word on that,’ Stink promised solemnly, ‘I myself wouldn’t like any lass to wind up in the clutches o’ big Johnny D
ocherty, so don’t you be worrying your head anymore about him, your secret is safe wi’ us.’

  Fern looked at him quickly. ‘What secret?’ she asked sharply.

  Stink blinked, He looked surprised. ‘That you’re biding – or should I say hiding – here. If we come across Johnny, we won’t say a word o’ your whereabouts, you can rely on us.’

  Little Lady Leprechaun was growing impatient. In her view there was no need for all these reassurances. They were travelling people, honour was inherent in them; fight as they would among themselves, when it came to troublesome outsiders they closed rank and that was all there was to it.

  With that in mind she cocked her head, turned her bright eyes on Fern and said perkily, ‘Buy some o’ me nice buttons and all the blessings o’ Saint Patrick will be upon you. Fern Lee or Kathleen Swan, it doesn’t matter what you call yourself, you’re as pretty as the heather bells themselves and surely deserve to bedeck yourself in fine buttons and bows.’

  Fern laughed; she was about to go inside to get her purse when Shona chose to appear at that inopportune moment, blue eyes glinting curiously as she glanced around at all the faces. ‘Quite a cosy little gathering, I see. Would I be right in thinking you all know one another? And which of you is Kathleen Swan? Surely I know you all by name but I’ve never heard her mentioned before.’

  Here she looked pointedly at Fern whose face had turned bright red and who might have given the game away altogether had not Stink leapt to the rescue. ‘And you would be right enough in what you say, Shona, mavourneen. We used all to meet up at our gatherings in Ireland. I myself have known Fern Lee since she was just a babe in arms. In those days her mammy and daddy would come in about our camp to join us in our dancing and singing round the fire.’ He threw his eyes heavenwards. ‘Ah, were they not the finest times I ever knew? At peace with the world and it with us. Now we are chased about from pillar to post and ourselves never knowing from one minute to the next where we are going to lay down our heads for the night.’