Anna of Strathallan (17 page)

Anna said uncertainly, 'He might get as mixed up as Sophy was.
She
thought I was coming over here to confess I'd fallen for Philip - she was being all noble about it. Told me Philip was free. If he sees us all together, he might say something in the heat of the moment he'd regret later. I think
I'd
better ring and tell him everything's okay. Sophy, I don't want to do you out of a proposal, but—'

Sophy said calmly, 'I had my proposal long ago and I fluffed my lines. I'll take things Philip's way this time. Go ahead. I've been too sure of myself till now. It comes with people asking your advice all the time, bring you their problems. It makes you big-headed. And when it comes to your own affairs, you have no more sense than a baby! Go ahead. I don't care where we meet, or who interrupts, just as long as he comes.'

Calum stood with folded arms, a smile playing round his lips, while Anna, from the back of the study desk, so that she was facing them, dialled the number. Suddenly she bashed the receiver back on its cradle, looked aghast. 'What if I say the wrong thing? What if this time
I'm
trying to play God?'

Calum said, 'Anna, get on with it. I'll back you any time.'

Their eyes caught, held, disengaged. She dialled again.

Philip answered, she said simply, 'Philip, it's Anna. I'm going to ask you to hear me out. But get this into your head first, because what follows is complicated:
Everything is all right.
I'm ringing from the manse. When you've heard me out I want you to come over here. I don't care where you are going, this has priority. Calum's here too. And Philip, drive with care. We want no accidents on the happiest night of your life... to date. No, Philip, don't interrupt.

'You see, I was all mixed up or I'd never have consented to our little deception. Nobody explained it properly or I'd never have gone to watch that wretched moon with you. I thought it was Calum Sophy was trying to make up her mind about.' As she heard Calum bark out
'What?'
she realized that they'd not told Calum that yet. She said imploringly, 'Oh, Philip, don't shout like that in my ear - Calum's the other side doing the same. It's the first he's heard of it too. Yes, he's here too. Calum, be quiet. Let me tell Philip. So, as I thought I'd thrown a hefty spanner in the works and you'd been daft enough to tell Sophy you really were attracted to .me ... well, yes, daft and all, it worked! She got beautifully jealous. Only Philip, it wasn't her career that was standing in the way. She wanted to be fair to you. She had to be quite sure she'd got over Roderick. When you paid me that compliment about my purple dress she went all green-eyed. Thought she'd lost you, then hoped you were just doing it to make her jealous. That was why she fired up on the phone. But when you were absent this week-end, she developed doubts. Oh, she's been just a poor, mixed-up girl, not a minister of the cloth! Now is that enough, Philip? Are you on your way? Calum and I will stay here to keep all parishioners, dead-beats and what-have-you away from the manse door - just long enough for you and Sophy to settle your differences once for all, then you can take her out under the moon - if there's one - and this time you won't be with a girl who'll tell you off because there's dew on the daffodils.
She
just won't care. Ouch!'

She put a hand to her ear. 'He's certainly on his way! He didn't say as much as goodbye.'

Anna looked at Calum, whose face expressed bewilderment, and told him exactly why she'd thought what she did. 'There's just one thing, though. Now, stop laughing! I don't want Victoria ever to know I thought that. I don't want to rouse doubts in anyone else!'

Calum said, 'Victoria? Well, perhaps it's a good thing she's at Strathallan and not at home. Philip might have let it out to her. Anna, when
did
you find out I was engaged to Victoria?'

'Today. When she walked in and said: "You're Anna, aren't you? I'm Victoria." So I said, "Oh, Philip's sister," and she just about knocked the legs from under me by saying: "And Calum's fiancee." Anna then achieved a really amused laugh of which she was extremely proud. It wasn't till later that she remembered Sophy had laughed, but not Calum.

But he said, 'How on earth did you manage not to spill the beans?'

'By a superhuman effort. I didn't want to appear an utter fool.'

'No,' he said quietly, 'we all hate to look foolish, don't we? Sometimes I think we'd rather be thought wicked than foolish. Odd, isn't it? Oh, that sounds like Philip now.'

Calum strode to the front door. But it wasn't Philip's voice the two girls heard, oh no. It was Mrs. de Paget's. It had to be, of course. Hearing it, they froze. Sophy said, 'Oh, no, Anna, not tonight. I love my parishioners ninety-nine per cent of the time, but not tonight She's a darling, but-'

Mrs. de Paget was a dear, bumbling old soul, very garrulous, and without a scrap of malice in her, but she never knew when to go home. Everyone who saw her coming knew it would be an all-night sitting, but she was so kind, nobody would hurt her.

They heard Calum's voice pointedly raised. Oh, they were to take a cue from him. 'Oh, hullo, Mrs. de Paget. Come on in. Anna and I dropped in to see Miss Kirkpatrick about something but we've struck a bad night. She's got an urgent appointment coming up in a few moments. A long and important discussion. But she's asked us to make ourselves a cup of coffee and make an appointment for another night. But come along into the living-room and have a warm-up. It's a cool wind, isn't it? This way.' As he passed the slightly ajar study door he called, 'Come on, Anna, your time's just about up. We'll have a cup of coffee and be off. I'll say goodnight from here, Miss Kirkpatrick, to save interrupting the business later.'

Sophy put a hand to her mouth to stifle laughter. She said in a whisper to Anna after she called out goodnight, 'Calum always knows what to do, doesn't he? I'd trust him to take over any situation. See you later.'

Calum had whisked Mrs. de Paget down two halls and into the living-room at a breathless pace, with his hand under her elbow. He didn't want her recognize the voice of the next caller.

Sophy's table was still set with one table-mat, a plate with a chop-bone on it, and a bowl containing her dessert which she'd not had time to start, evidently.

As Anna came in she heard Calum say, 'Oh, poor Miss Kirkpatrick, she's not even finished her dinner. Oh, well, it's like being in a doctor's household, I expect. I remember when the Wellesleys were here, Mrs. Wellesley said James often missed a meal. We'll wash her dishes up for her when we've had our coffee. Anna, switch that kettle on again, and we'll just use instant coffee.'

Mrs. de Paget reminded Anna of some of the talkative guests they used to get in Fiji; Anna had always preferred them to the very reserved ones, even if at times you could ill spare the time to listen. But they were less strain and enjoyed themselves so.

But she had just paused in her first fine flow when Anna and Calum, whose ears had been pricked above the sound of her voice heard a car door bang, footsteps that positively leaped, the front and study doors closing with slams, and then silence. They hoped that silence meant only one thing ... that the minister was being well and truly kissed.

Mrs. de Paget cocked her head on one side, listened, said, 'Oh dear, that sounded like someone in desperate trouble. I do hope there hasn't been a tragedy in our midst, or anything difficult for a young woman to handle.'

Calum said hurriedly, 'Oh, Miss Kirkpatrick has such a calming effect on everybody, she'll be all right. I think from what she said, it was something that had to be dealt with hurriedly. It could be that who ever it is has to discuss things with her before a committee arrives or something. She leads a busy life. When we've had our coffee, we'll run you home, Mrs. de Paget. We'll just have to see the minister another night. Nothing urgent about our business. What about yours, can you make it another time?'

'Oh yes, surely. It's not business with me. It's just that I get a bit bothered about that lonely bit of a lassie at times. It's a great big manse this and a bit solitary-like with the glebe paddocks at the side nearest me and the Church Hall on the other. I drop in occasionally. She enjoys it. And by the way, I'd rather have tea than coffee. I brought along some of my oatcakes with me, so you can have one each if you like. And I've a pasty in my basket for her dinner tomorrow. Would you put it in the pantry, Calum?'

To Anna's surprise, Calum bent down and kissed Mrs. de Paget's cheek. 'You're a pet, Pagie. I'm sure she'll just love the pasty. And we'll all have tea. I've a thirst on me that no coffee will satisfy.'

They didn't bustle her away, even though they were dying to know how things were going in the study. They listened to two or three stories of the old days that Calum, at least, had heard many times before. Bridie de Paget's husband had been the son of a French goldminer who'd struggled against bitter odds in the eighteen-sixties, to win gold from the pitiless gorges, with his stake near Chamonix. Anna was fascinated. To hear stories handed down by word of mouth, to just a third generation of listeners, of what was then unexplored country almost, harsh and cruel, and realize that one now lived in an atomic age, held magic indeed.

Finally Calum caught her eye, they rose and washed the dishes, put Bridie's offering of love in the fridge and left a note to say where it was, and they escorted her out of the back door.

Bridie said comfortably, 'Well, at least she canna be lonely if she's in the thick of discussions on the business of the kirk. And I've enjoyed this bit crack with you two. Anna is a new audience for me. Will you come and visit me sometime on your own, Anna?'

Calum had switched off the outside light so Bridie wouldn't recognize Philip's car. It was hardly likely that she, of all people, would have missed seeing in what quarter the wind lay. More than one in the parish had observed Philip's attraction with a shrewd and pleased eye.

Anna had to admire Calum. He must have been dying to get back to find out how things were between the two star- crossed lovers, and to keep other callers at bay, but he saw the old lady into her little stone cottage, switched on her lights, asked if she had plenty of wood and coal in, and stirred her sleeping fire to a good blaze.

Bridie looked at them affectionately. 'There's lots of folks criticize today's young 'uns, but I find them much as they always were. Even the very young. You've given me a very pleasant hour or two, Calum, you and your lass. Thank you.'

Anna had a pretty shrewd idea Mrs. de Paget wasn't often

set back or even conscious of the clangers she must at some time drop. Anyone who chattered as much as she did would have a fair average. But as she realized what she'd said, her weather-beaten cheeks deepened several shades, then she said, 'You'll have to excuse an old woman who gets a bit muddled now and again these days. I'd forgotten it was Victoria. It's just that—' she left her words hanging.

Calum's voice was smooth, reassuring. 'Not to worry, Bridie. After all, Anna's family now, a very natural mistake. She's Anna of Strathallan.' He added: 'Clan connections, you know, if not blood relations to us. We even wear the same tartan. Doigs are sib to Drummonds.'

In the brief ride back to the manse Anna realized she'd misjudged Calum and his brother's family from the start. They had the right to wear the Drummond tartan.

Calum parked his car by Philip's, sounded quite a tattoo on his horn, leapt out, opened Anna's door. 'Best to give them fair warning,' he exulted.

Sophy and Philip had the study door open, and were hand-in-hand. They didn't need to ask were things finalized.

They went through to the living-room and everyone tried to talk at once. Finally Calum held up his hand. 'Let's get down to brass tacks. When's the wedding going to be, and what are you doing about this?' His comprehensive gesture embraced the manse, St. Kit's, the parish.

Philip answered. 'Sophy will carry on fully, for say, a year.' He grinned wickedly. 'We'll be married in January and live here. I'll keep on working at Strathallan. That'll give the parish time to look round. If, when our family start to come along, they want Sophy as an associate minister, we can leave the manse to the full-timer, and by then I think we should have been able to restore the old stone house on our property. I've always had a yen to. It would please Dad. He has always loved it, and as it's historical- he's got a conscience over it, but he's been too busy to do anything about it. Even if St. Kit's doesn't want an associate, there are plenty of vacant parishes not too far away who'd be glad of Sophy helping out as supply. It would satisfy her, but not take all her time.'

Anna was radiant, the pansy-brown eyes shining, the dark and light hair glowing above the emerald green of the soft mohair dress she was wearing, girdled with gilt They all looked at her and Calum laughed. 'I believe she's fought other people's battles all her life. She gets a bit mixed-up at times. Don't you, addled-Anna, but somehow it comes out all right. Just imagine how apprehensive we were when we heard she was coming to Strathallan. Instead, she's achieved the happy ending none of the rest of us could manage.'

So she had ... for Sophy and Philip, but not for herself. ..

Philip said, 'Let's all go over home. You gave us a good hour or more alone. My lady mother is going to be very cock-a-hoop. She predicted long ago that I'd finally get Sophy if I persisted. Even Dad said if I had any sense I'd bludgeon her into accepting me just as he did with Mother after all - after another chap let her down and she wasn't going to trust anybody any more.'

Philip and Calum looked fleetingly embarrassed. They both rushed madly into other speech. Anna thought she'd examine that switch later. But she didn't want anything to mar Sophy and Philip's betrothal night.

She said, 'Victoria ought to be in on this. Where is she? Still at Strathallan? But she must just think it was sheer coincidence I was here when Philip came over and did the bludgeoning. Let's ring her. I hope she doesn't feel left out of all the excitement.'

'She won't,' said Calum. 'Victoria doesn't get at all het- up over such things. I sung out as I left that I'd better try to catch you - I'll say I realized from something Philip said that things were coming to a head and he was going to the manse, and I wanted to whisk you out of it. We can make a good story out of it, say we didn't get away quickly enough, and had to entertain Bridie. Do you want Kit and Gilbert in on the celebration too, Philip? Victoria could drive them over. You've got you car here to drive them back, Philip. Oh, we've cars galore. There's Anna's too.'