A Question of Love (17 page)

`
I’m sorry about that,’ Roseanne said, still frowning with annoyance as she put the phone back in place. `I shouldn’t have put it on the speaker phone.’

`
Which bit are you sorry about Roseanne?’ Euan asked unsmiling, his grey eyes bleak now.

`
Robinia coming to inspect you of course. I knew she was feeling uneasy about something.’

`
I don’t care about that. She was watching out for you. Maybe I’d do the same if I had a sister.’

`
She was interfering. I can make up my own mind about who I want for my friends,’ Roseanne said.

`
I’m sure you can,’ he said coolly. `So when were you going to tell me you are a partner in Kershaw & Co? Why did you let me make such a fool of myself over the journal entries?’

`
Oh that,’ Roseanne said, brushing it aside. `That’s not important.’

Euan blinked. She owned a share in the company, as well as half the farm, and that was not important. There was no end to the surprises she presented.

`Not important? Of course it’s important. You let me make a bloody fool of myself. Then you went all cold and angry on me for misjudging you. Why didn’t you tell me? Did you think like your sister? That I might be interested in your fortune?’ Roseanne sighed and closed her eyes despairingly for a moment.

`
Mr K will tell you more about the business when he knows you better.’

`
You
should have told me. Why didn’t you explain instead of getting so angry with me?’

`
It is not my place to explain. It is your Uncle’s business. Anyway I was hurt that you didn’t trust me. I am proud of being honest and trustworthy but you misjudged me so badly.’

`You must admit I had reason to wonder about the figures and I only had my Uncle’s interests at heart? Now I know him better I realise he doesn’t need me to watch out for him. I’m sorry, truly sorry Roseanne. I should have followed my instincts. They all told me you were different and as trustworthy as my own mother. The figures seemed to tell a different story. Surely you can see that?’

`Yes, I understand why you jumped to conclusions, but you almost accused me of fraud.’

`Oh surely not.’

`That’s what it would have been if I’d been taking money dishonestly.’

`Oh God.’
Euan rubbed his temple. `I made a terrible mistake by suspecting you at all, even with the figures in front of me. Can you forgive me?’

`
I think we understand each other better now.’ Euan noticed she had not said she did forgive him, and he couldn’t blame her.

`
I see…’ A reluctant smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He reached out a hand to her. She took it and he drew her back down beside him onto the settee. `You’re a very complex woman Roseanne Fairfax and I think it will take me a lifetime to discover all the facets which make up your intriguing personality. Please say that we can be engaged so that I can proclaim you are mine and begin learning all about you?’ His voice was deep and gruff with emotion. His arms tightened, holding her closer.

Roseanne was silent, chewing her lower lip. She loved Euan but did she love him enough to give up everything she held dear and move with him to the other side of the world, especially knowing he would often be away from home, travelling to do his work, leaving her alone. Then what about Uncle K? He had grown to depend on her. How soon would they be able to train someone to take her place? Her heart sank at the thought of leaving the work she loved, and Uncle K had been like a father to her – a father and a friend. The flat! What about the flat she had so recently bought with Robinia? How could she tell her sister she wanted to sell her share in it? It was doubtful if they would get their money back if they sold again so soon, not to mention the legal fees.

`Must I take your silence as a sign you think you will never be able to love me, as I love you?’ Euan asked quietly, loosening his hold on her and struggling to sit up so that he could look into her face.

`Oh Euan, t
here will be lots of things we still have to discover, and things we shall disagree about, but I wouldn’t want to marry a man who didn’t have a mind of his own. I love you already but – but…’

`But not enough to marry me?
I promise to be patient, to wait as long as you need, my darling girl. Will you allow me to buy you an engagement ring so that I can tell the world I mean to win you.’

`It isn’t that I don’t love you enough, Euan. The trouble is I love my family too, and my job. I shall be letting Rob down over the flat if I go with you to America, and I shall be forsaking your Uncle. And – and I can’t ask him to pay out my share of the company however short of money you are for your own business. It would cripple Kershaw and Company and he would have to sell and I would feel responsible for all the people who would lose their jobs.’ Her eyes filled with unexpected tears.

`Hey, hey, hold on Roseanne. Who ever said anything about you giving up your job or deserting your sister or taking you to live in America? Don’t you see my darling. I am selling a quarter share of my company to each of two younger colleagues on condition that they will do most of the travelling for the next five to ten years. I want to put down roots in Scotland with you. I had a lot of time to think while I was in hospital and I know now that wherever you are that’s where I want to be. We can easily afford to leave the money in the flat and let your sister live in it for as long as she wants.’

`You really mean you would give up your own business for me?’ Rosanne turned to him, her green eyes shining, but then she shook her head slowly.

`I couldn’t let you do that, Euan. You built it up from nothing. You would grow to resent it and…’

`Listen Roseanne,’ he took her gently by the shoulders. `I am only selling half my business and I shall still have the major share and control. That is why we must go to London to iron out the details. Each of my two colleagues will buy a quarter of my company, or maybe twenty per cent each, depending how committed
they can afford to be. Sometimes I may have to make journeys to other countries, but most of the time I expect to be able to deal with everything from here by computer. Remember things are continually developing and already we can communicate by Skype and doctors can visit’ patients in a hospital many miles away and advise other consultants, even supervise operations.’

`You really think it could work for you? You think we could stay together in Scotland?’

`Not only in Scotland, but right here at Ashburn if Uncle Simon will agree to sell us his share of this house. I remember you said if you had to choose this is where you would like to be. Well I can fix up a system so that most of your work can be done from here too. We can travel up to the factory for a few days each month if necessary. Perhaps we could use the empty flat next to Uncle Simon’s. I have a feeling he will agree to almost anything rather than part with his perfect PA.’ He grinned at her.

`I can’t believe you would turn your life upside down for me,’ Roseanne breathed.

`Dare I hope that is a yes, you will marry me then?’ Euan asked, with laughter in his voice. `It is not the enthusiastic reply I hoped to get when I asked a girl to marry me.’

`You mean you’ve never asked anyone before?’ Roseanne looked him steadily in the eye.

`No, I’ve never met anyone I wanted to marry until I met you, my darling.’

`
Well that’s all right then.’ Roseanne’s green eyes sparkled provocatively before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion he had longed for.

`A
h my Roseanne. I love you more with every second, and I don’t want to waste any time in making you mine.’

`I think Mother will succeed in persuading Robinia to have a grand affair for her wedding. One last fling in her world of models and photographs, but I would like to have a quiet wedding. Would you mind if we got married here in the village church? I could ask Uncle K to give me away.’

‘Quiet did you say?’ Euan gave a spurt of laughter. ‘I guarantee everyone in the village will be there, and they’ll love it…’ His voice deepened. `And so shall I my darling, Roseanne.’ It was a long time before either of them got around to discussing wedding plans.

If you enjoyed
A Question of Love
you might be interested in
Better Days to Come
by Jenny Telfer Chaplin, also published by Endeavour Press.

Extract from
Better Days to Come
by Jenny Telfer Chaplin

ONE

Greenock,
Friday
April
7,
1820

As
Etta
Gorton
made
her
way
down
the
outer
stairway,
the
rutted
communal
steps
which
served
the
myriad
of
closely-packed
single-end
homes,
each
filled
to
bursting
point
with
bairns,
she
was
aware
of
the
usual
sounds,
smells,
and
ongoing
human
dramas
of
her
Greenock
tenement
building.
Six
o’clock
in
the
morning
it
may
be,
but
with
the
everlasting
pressures
of
trying
to
scratch
a
living,
the
limitations
of
their
overcrowded
rat-ridden
hovels,
and
the
vocal
and
insistent
demands
of
hungry
weans,
nobody
ever
slept
late
in
Mince
Collop
Close.
Picking
her
booted
way
over
the
broken
cobbles,
Etta
headed
along
the
Vennel,
past
Herring
Street,
finally
onto
Ropework
Street
and
past
the
Highland
Mary
Tavern.

A
cursory
glance
at
the
portrait-bearing
lamp
which
hung
over
the
doorway
of
the
drinking
howff
gave
Etta
a
moment’s
pause
for
reflection.
With
this
romanticised
visual
portrayal
of
Mary
Campbell,
Rabbie
Burns’s
very
own
Hielan
Mary,
her
beauty
would
last
forever.

Even better
,
Etta
thought
with
a
bitter
smile,
Mary Campbell’s life with all its high drama is now safely over
.
She’s at rest
.
But for me
,
ma life’s struggles are still
...
uch tae hell wi it all
...

Shrugging
off
her
dark
thoughts
Etta
hitched
up
her
skirts
and
with
determined
strides
made
her
way
into
her
workplace.

The
Greenock
Ropework
Company
had
been
started
in
1796
in
East
Regent
Street
by
Alexander
Tough.
Fourteen-year-old
Etta
and
her
fellow
workers
didn’t
give
a
tuppenny
dam
for
who
had
established
the
accursed
place.
Their
sole
concern
was
that
for
their
daily
labour
the
Greenock
Ropework
Company
provided
the
wherewithal
to
keep
body
and
soul
together.
In
Etta’s
case
to
stave
off
hunger
for
herself,
her
work-shy,
drunken
father,
and
the
tribe
of
now
motherless
younger
brothers
and
sisters.
Even
so,
as
Etta
slaved
away
at
her
own
designated
tasks
she
often
had
the
bitter
thought:
The man who started up this damned Ropework was well named
–
it’s bloody tough work for weans like me
,
working our fingers tae the bone for a pittance o hauf
-
a
-
croon a week
.

Another
day’s
work
in
the
noise,
heat,
and
frenetic
activity
of
the
Ropework
over,
Etta
trudged
her
way
homeward.
Normally
it
was
a
case
of
head
down
and
make
for
home
as
fast
as
her
tired
aching
limbs
could
manage
in
eager
anticipation
of
the
welcome
mug
of
tea
which
she
had
trained
young
Tina
to
have
ready
for
her.
However,
her
workmate
Aggie
over
the
noon
break
had
whispered
vague
warnings
about
‘troubles’
in
the
streets
that
day
after
work
and
Etta
was
much
more
alert
than
usual
keeping
a
weather
eye
open
for
any
sign
that
might
be
the
signal
for
her
to
run
tired
though
she
was.

She
gave
a
sigh
of
relief
rounding
the
corner
of
Sugarhouse
Lane.

“So
much
for
Aggie’s
gloomy
rumours.
Now
for
that
mug
of
tea.”

Next
morning,
Etta
more
alert
than
usual,
still
mindful
of
Aggie’s
warnings,
thought
the
streets
were,
if
anything,
quieter
than
normal.

Funny
,
though
,
she
thought,
what people that are about at this hour all seem to be huddled into wee groups whispering
.
Ah wonder what about
?
Uch weel
,
nane o ma business
–
best get yersell tae the Ropeworks
,
ma girl
,
and damned quick aboot it
.

Angus
Duff,
the
gaffer,
gave
Etta
a
sour
look
as
she
panted
in,
just
in
time
to
avoid
having
her
already
meagre
wage
docked
as
punishment
for
late
arrival.

“If
it
was
up
tae
me,”
Duff
said,
as
Etta
hurried
to
join
the
other
girls
already
working
furiously,
“It’s
no
the
Radical
Leaders
Ah’d
be
flingin
intae
Greenock
Jail
this
day.
No,
mair
like
a
wheen
o
lazy
good
for
naethin,
daft
wee
lassies
that
cannae
even
get
oot
o
their
scratchers
in
time
for
an
honest
days
work.”

Who or what were the Radical leaders
?
Etta
wondered.
Why would anyone want to throw them in the Greenock Jail
?

The
morning
passed
surprisingly
quickly
and
Etta
sped
home
for
her
midday
scrap
of
bread-and-dripping
only
to
be
greeted
by:
“God
help
us!
Is
that
ye
looking
for
tae
be
fed
again?”

Since
Etta
was
the
family’s
sole
breadwinner
there
was
no
answer
to
this
surly
comment
from
her
bone-idle,
often
drunken
father.
At
least
not
one
which
would
not
instantly
reward
her
with
a
kick
from
his
booted
foot.