Ghost Walk (16 page)

But Thane would have none of that. With Boxy clenched between his teeth we walked back to the farm and in the stable he refused to relinquish it. Later in the day I looked in several times and there was Boxy lying close at his side, so the toy dog remained with him in the stable.

I shook my head. Here was a new version of Thane who not only made friends with a small boy but had taken to
accompanying
Jack’s father to the up-by field where the sheepdog Rex apparently ignored him completely. That Thane was extending his activities and making new friends I could understand and was very pleased about it, but I also realised I had never even considered that Thane might enjoy playing with a toy of his own.

‘What next?’ I said relating the story to Jack’s parents over
supper
that evening.

Mr Macmerry laughed. ‘You don’t surprise me, Rose. It’s
obvious
you haven’t had much experience with dogs or you’d know they love toys. Mind you, they have a very limited life. We tried it with ours when they were puppies, but anything we gave them was torn to shreds in a day.’

Not so Boxy, however, who Thane treated carefully and whose
fate soon ceased to concern us.

As for Annette, I thought about her as I prepared for bed that night. I must confess I could see nothing but an unhappy future fraught with obstacles.

It was also perhaps for the first time in my life, that I realised I was now seeing from a completely different angle, the same
headlong
, headstrong future that my own family had envisaged when I sailed off to San Francisco to marry Danny McQuinn.

I had proved them wrong. And so my last thought before I fell asleep was that so too perhaps would the heiress Annette and her husband, the humble shipping office clerk. I wished them well.

When I came downstairs the next day the postman had arrived with Jack’s almost daily letter. I opened it with excitement, watched by his mother, as I was always eager for news.

‘He should be home tomorrow,’ she said complacently.

Scanning the first sentence, I threw it down in disgust. The crime trial in Glasgow was taking much longer than anyone had originally anticipated. There had been a change of jury.

‘He says we are not to worry. Although he is a key witness he has been assured that he will be given time off to come to Eildon and get married – however, any plans for a honeymoon may have to be shelved for the present –’

I had been promised London, theatres, museums – I was
furious
. In fact, we were all unitedly speechless at such treatment and I went upstairs, leaving Jack’s mother fulminating against the unfair treatment of the police. My main concern was wondering about the gown and shoes I was to be married in, not to mention my wardrobe for the honeymoon, all reposing in Solomon’s Tower for Jack to collect and bring to Eildon.

The next moment I looked out of the window and all my miseries, my indecisions and fears vanished.

A carriage was bowling down the farm track.

What a carriage! With the Royal Coat of Arms and a
coachman
.

And what an occupant!

Who else but Dr Vincent Beaumarcher Laurie, Junior Physician to the Household of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

Out he stepped, arms outstretched to greet me.

Hugged and kissed in that warm embrace by my beloved
stepbrother
, more than a decade my elder. Reliable, honest, sensible Vince.

Suddenly I was safe again. He had come to rescue me, take me
back through the magic door leading to the safe haven of
remembered
childhood.

Or so I believed, in those blissful magical first moments.

The Macmerrys had come to the door. Jack’s mother drying her hands on her apron, smoothing her hair to greet this
unexpected
visitor, worried at being taken at a disadvantage like this and looking round angrily, ready to blame someone – myself, in fact – for not giving her fair warning.

However, at second glance how her eyes lit up at the sight of the handsome carriage with its coat of arms.

A quick introduction to Vince and her first words were to ask which road he had taken. He shook his head and said he had taken the wrong turn, past the farm end road and had to go into the village to ask for directions,

Mrs Macmerry was delighted, mentally noting how many Eildon neighbours would be similarly impressed with this Royal connection.

Throwing a shawl about her shoulders she said, ‘I must go and get Jack’s father, he’s in the up-by field. There’s tea in the pot, Rose. Make your brother at home.’

Beaming on us both, she could hardly keep the pride out of her voice. I realised cynically that once again she had a way of amending and transforming relationships to suit her whims. As I was no longer a widow in the eyes of Eildon, so too Vince had been elevated from stepbrother to brother.

He didn’t let her down either. Bowing, he gave her his most charming smile and put an arm around my shoulders, an
affectionate
squeeze.

And it was true, we were remarkably alike. The same eyes and nose, the same mass of yellow curls – but how those once boyish curls had benighted his early years! Despising them as far too frivolous for a doctor he had spent hours fiercely flattening them with hair oil. Where most men feared receding hairlines, to Vince this was a blessing.

He was of medium height, not tall like Pappa and I sometimes forgot that there was no blood kin between them. More than a decade before Edinburgh policeman Jeremy Faro met Lizzie, as a fifteen-year-old maid in a noble household ten years earlier, she had borne Vince out of wedlock. Marriage brought two
daughters
, myself and Emily, before she died in childbirth along with Pappa’s longed-for only son.

How Vince had hated the stigma of illegitimacy, but had
overcome
it to emerge as a brilliant doctor, to eventually recognise and forgive his titled natural father as the latter lay on his deathbed, by which time Vince was to see his ambitions fulfilled and be appointed Queen’s physician.

True, now in his mid-forties he was merely a Junior Physician to the Royal Household, but the fact that his stepfather Chief Inspector Faro had been Her Majesty’s personal detective and instrumental in saving her life on more than one occasion, had doubtless proved useful.

Her Majesty also extended her trust and reliance to Dr Beaumarcher Laurie as I was soon to learn.

‘Tea?’ I asked, seating him at the kitchen table.

‘Haven’t you anything a little stronger?’

‘At ten in the morning! Shame on you, Vince. You do have some bad habits these days,’ I said eyeing his waistline, his elegant waistcoat with its gold watch chain just a mite too snug.

‘Tea it is, then.’ A martyred sigh which quickly changed into laughter. He grinned, prosperous, happy and very well-fed.

Eating a thickly buttered slice of one of Mrs Macmerry’s newly-baked loaves, he answered questions about Olivia and the children, and Pappa and Imogen’s travels in Europe.

It seemed that Vince would be the only one of my family who might be present at our wedding.

‘That’s wonderful,’ I said. ‘Jack would like you to be his best man – if he gets here in time for his own wedding, that is,’ I added, telling him about the contents of Jack’s letter.

‘If he leaves Glasgow with only hours to spare, he won’t have time to collect my clothes from Solomon’s Tower. That’s bad enough but he has a brand new suit, bought under duress I can tell you at Jenners sale, especially for the wedding. I’ve also bought him a handsome new shirt and cravat. Not that it would worry Jack. He has a certain lack of interest in sartorial matters.’ I sighed. ‘But I can just see us traipsing up to the altar letting down his parents in our shabby second best.’

Vince grinned. ‘Stop worrying, Rose. It might never happen. Let’s hope he is being unduly pessimistic,’ he added soothingly. Then shaking his head, ‘But like Jack, it seems I can’t give you any guarantee of my presence either. I would be honoured to be his best man, Rose. If I can – but you have no idea what Her Majesty is like these days.’ He shrugged. ‘A veritable masterpiece of
indecisions
, constantly changing her mind not only from one day to the next – but practically from one hour to the next. And where she leads all must follow.’

He groaned. ‘First it was to be Osborne immediately after the Jubilee celebrations and now it is Balmoral. Which is one of the reasons I’m in Scotland.’

The Queen’s imperious indecisiveness was notorious and something I knew about from bitter experience. Many was the cancelled outing with Pappa that Emily and I could lay directly at Her Majesty’s door.

‘Then what are you doing here, if it has nothing to do with the wedding?’

He smiled. ‘If you’d stop asking questions for a moment, I could tell you! It so happens that I’m on my way to Verney Castle.’

‘Verney Castle! Whatever for?’

‘To see Lady Amelia. She’s a Saxe-Coburg, a third or fourth cousin of the Queen on the distaff side of the family. My visit is a medical matter,’ he frowned, ‘so treat this information as
confidential
. Lady Amelia has a rare blood disease, a subject that I have
been studying. I have two conferences lined up, a paper to read in Paris and again in Vienna later this year. Her Majesty is interested in the subject and I am hoping to take some blood tests of the Royal family in general.’

He paused for a moment, as I refilled his teacup. ‘You possibly aren’t aware, although it’s fairly general knowledge in the society they live in, that the Verneys are keen to have more children. Time is not on their side and young Alexander is the one and only so far. After eight years, they fear he is likely to remain so.’

Vince shook his head. ‘I have no idea whether the blood problem is to blame, or whether I can help. But when I applied for leave of absence to attend your wedding here in Eildon, Her Majesty got this bee in her bonnet – or more appropriate,
caterpillar
in her crown – that I might be able to find the answer to Lady Amelia’s problem. Infertility is the bane of queens, as you know, and of aristocrats who also need heirs. Happily it was never one that concerned Her Majesty personally,’ he laughed. ‘Rather the opposite, on her own admission she never cared greatly for having babies.’

And with a change of subject, ‘I don’t suppose you’ve had a chance to encounter the Verneys?’

I laughed. ‘On the contrary, young Alexander is a personal friend of mine.’

When I told him how we had met, he grimaced. ‘Spoilt brat, is he?’

‘No more than one would expect from an only son and heir. He’s a charming wee lad.’ And leaning across the table I took his hand and whispered. ‘I’m sorry for his parents but I’m so glad that the Queen has given you a good excuse to come to Eildon.’ I found myself blinking back tears. ‘Oh, Vince, I do so miss you – and Olivia – and Pappa.’

‘Me too, Rose. Me too.’ Patting my hand he frowned. ‘There’s more to it than the Verneys’ problem and I’m not sure whether –’

Pausing, he looked guarded and then with a shrug he went on:
‘There is a another matter. As I told you, the Court and everyone else believes that Her Majesty will go to Osborne immediately after the Jubilee celebrations. But Bertie has hinted that he would prefer to meet her at Balmoral.

‘Heaven knows that they need time together to sort out their many differences and a suitable halfway house – or castle – would seem to be here at the Verneys. They are particular friends of Bertie’s, or rather Lady Amelia is, he was sweet on her at one time, and he loves the Borders, comes to shoot deer in the autumn.’

Rubbing his chin, he regarded me thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know how much of this highly confidential matter I should be telling you, little sister, but I am sure I can rely on your discretion.’

I smiled and said he could always do so. ‘Remember my motto – Discretion Guaranteed.’

He laughed and then his face darkened again. ‘There is more, Rose. We gather from highly secret sources that there are rumours of possible Fenian activities in this area directed towards the Jubilee celebrations.’

This did not have the dramatic impact he had hoped for when I said, ‘So I’ve heard.’

He sat up in his chair: ‘You’ve – what?’

‘Jack told me. The Edinburgh police are aware of it and he was over at the Castle seeing Lord Verney regarding security
arrangements
for the Jubilee.’

‘For Jubilee read a Royal visit,’ said Vince grimly.

‘So where do you go from here?’ I asked.

‘The carriage from Holyrood Palace collected me off the London train at Edinburgh.’

‘What have you done with the coachman?’ I interrupted. ‘Have you left him sitting outside all this time?’

Vince laughed. ‘He’s well used to that. I told him to go across to the inn and have some refreshment for half an hour. He’ll take me to Verney Castle and then back into Edinburgh for the train
to Ballater and hence to Balmoral, where I will await Her Majesty’s instructions. The telegraph is a marvellous invention.’

‘Not back to London this time?’ Without awaiting a reply I said, ‘Olivia doesn’t see much of you these days.’

He smiled. ‘Olivia is very accommodating, makes due allowance for a husband in Royal service. She doesn’t feel deprived, I assure you there are plenty of advantages and benefits unknown to the average doctor’s wife in Edinburgh. The children keep her busy and living in St James’ means that they share tutors and governesses with the young Royals to their mutual benefit. Not a bad life-style, is it?’

Again he took my hand across the table. ‘But rest assured I’ll do my very best, everything in my power to be here for your
wedding
, and be Jack’s best man. Promise! I’m sorry to have missed Jack though.’

I sighed. ‘So am I. It’s the usual story – one we both know well. Jack Macmerry is already married to the Edinburgh City Police,’ I added bitterly.

‘Just like Pappa,’ he said softly.

‘Exactly.’

‘You do choose the wrong men, Rose. I’ll give you that.’

It wasn’t only Jack but Danny too in his mind as he sat back in his chair and took out a cigar from a handsome gold case.

Lighting it he gave me a searching look. ‘It’s taken you a long time to get this far – to the altar steps with Jack. How long have you been together?’ he added delicately. ‘Nearly three years, isn’t it?’

I merely nodded. Watching his cigar smoke carelessly make a pattern above our heads, he asked, ‘Is there any reason for this sudden decision?’

I looked at him, sighed and said, ‘The best in the world, Vince.’