Anna of Strathallan (24 page)

Her grandfather said, 'That woman sent a coloured photo of the two of them. I can't imagine her here. Look - she looks like a woman of the cabarets to me. I'd rather keep her over there - if I have to.'

Of course, Alex hadn't been a fair Drummond. He'd not even been like his mother - he was more like one of her brothers, who'd been dark. Therefore this boy's warm southern colouring and dark handsomeness needn't necessarily come from a part Spanish heritage. He could be like his father as well as his mother.

He definitely was a handsome lad, but it looked to Anna like late teens, not mid-teens. Did they mature more quickly there? His mother was short, voluptuous, garishly dressed. But then bright colours suited Latin America. You couldn't, mustn't form a snap decision. She might be warm-hearted, justified in fighting for her son's rights. But—

Anna said, 'I don't think he could possibly be my half- brother. He's too old. He'd be born long before my mother got those papers served on Dad. This woman could be trying something on. It will have to be investigated. Look, the family papers are upstairs. I'll go and look.'

As she knelt by the tin trunk she heard Calum come in behind her. He knelt beside her. He put his hands on the edge of the trunk. They exchanged a long look.

He said heavily, 'I'd give a lot for this not to have happened. It's too much for them at their age. It may be only a try-on. I wonder in what standing that agent is held over there. I'll do as much as possible for them, with their solicitors, to spare them.'

Anna, hardly knowing what she did, put her hand over his and patted it. 'Oh, Calum, they may have lost a son, but they gained one in you. I'll be so grateful if you see them through this.'

The dark brows lifted so she could see his eyes. They were blazingly blue with emotion. 'Anna, it's not just for them. It's for you too. I will
not
have your inheritance whittled down by people who may not deserve it.' He paused, then the words seemed wrung from him, 'Oh, Anna, Anna, why didn't you come here
last
year instead of
this
year? Why? Why?'

He caught her against him, bent his head, kissing her fiercely, demandingly. There was pain as well as a lawless joy. She yielded, knew she even responded. Then to both of them remembrance and realization came flooding in. They both drew back. Anna put the back of her hand against her mouth, stared at him with wild, shamed eyes. 'Oh, Calum, what are we doing? What's come over us? What of Victoria?'

Strangely he didn't look ashamed, only rueful. 'Sorry, Anna. I've no right to involve you in my feelings. How could I? I've tried to guard against it. What fools we are! I've always wanted to meet someone I could love as Dad loves Mother, as Gilbert loves Kitty. I told myself, eventually, that I was looking for an ideal that didn't exist, that Victoria and I would deal very well together, as indeed we do. But it's hardly a grand passion. That was over for Victoria a long time ago. But I could never deal her another blow.'

Anna shuffled back. She dared not stay near. She said breathlessly, 'Of course you couldn't, Calum. I suppose these mad moments can happen to anyone. We live too closely here. I'd go away if I could leave Grandy and Gran, but I couldn't, any more than you could hurt Victoria. It will be easier when you marry and I go to live in the Annexe with them. I'll get that job in Roxburgh and we won't be together all the time.'

She had grown very cold. Calum said, his eyes fixed on hers, 'Then it wasn't just me, Anna. You too?'

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. She mustn't let it tremble. She got control, said steadily, 'Me too, Calum. But that's all that's ever to be said about it. Oh, here's the box.'

She leaned over, lifted out a cashbox, leafed through its contents, brought out some papers, scanned them. Then she looked at Calum, the old fighting spirit back in her eyes, 'They said sixteen, didn't they? Though he looks nineteen. But even at sixteen they can't have been married when he was born - look at the date.'

'Right, let's go down and tell them. We mustn't stay up here.'

No, they mustn't.

As they reached the open door Calum suddenly kicked it shut. Anna looked at him with alarm. He smiled down on her, but wryly. 'Not to worry, Anna. I just want to look at you fully, once. I may never have another opportunity. Not so close.'

She held her breath. He took her chin in his fingers, tilting it a little. The dark-blue eyes looked hungrily into hers. Then they searched her whole face. The dark-gold streaky hair Ranting down in its childish bang over her brows, the short thick fan of quite dark lashes, the faintly golden skin, the small straight nose, the curved, passionate mouth, the square cleft chin so like Gilbert's that gave her face its strength. Then he said, a little smile creasing the corners of his mouth, 'Right, I've looked my fill - let's go, my darling.'

That night, when steep finally overtook her, lulled by the sound of the rain pelting down on the iron roof of the new garage close by, Anna thought she too had something to remember. She had known a giving and a sharing in that wild kissing not experienced before and ... she would never forget the tone of his voice as he called her his darling.

Life seemed to be sweeping them along. Victoria was away at Te Anau more than at home. She seemed to be in a greater hurry than they'd ever known her. No doubt she wanted to make sure all was ready for the tourist season.

Calum spared no efforts in working out with the Drummonds' solicitors the right approaches to be made to the claimants in South America. The question of the date of birth was being raised. Anna got her job nurse-aiding in Roxburgh. She loved it and it kept her busy. Away from Calum. He and Philip and Ian were hard at it.

Sophy and Philip's happiness was lovely to watch. Their plans were going ahead so smoothly. Philip would continue to work most of his time at Strathallan, but had managed to rent eighty acres adjoining his father's place. He'd run his own sheep on this, and during Sophy's year or so with the parish, they would get on with restoring the old stone place on the property, assisted by Victoria.

Victoria departed for Australia with her three old dears, going down for them, packing for them, bringing them up to stay the night at her mother's place, giving them the time of their lives. Anna took Kitty and Gilbert over to see them. Calum's idea, he thought it would take their minds off the South American problem. Calum himself took the four women to Momona Airport at Dunedin for the first lap of their flights to Sydney.

They all watched anxiously for the mail these days. Certainly their own solicitors were handling most of it, but Rosita had written them directly in the first place, so might again.

In between her bouts of fierce resentment for the anxiety this had brought to Gilbert's brow, Kitty had attacks of conscience. If Alexo was indeed their grandson, they must provide for him. She believed that the poverty of some of these countries was pathetic. Anna didn't know what to think. As she said to Calum, in one of the rare moments they were alone, 'Even if Alexo is illegitimate, but my father's son, then it seems an injustice if he doesn't share With me.'

Calum said, 'I know, but leave it till we know. It could be hard to prove he
is
Alex's son if Alex wasn't married to his mother. She might be just trying it on. It's so long since Alex was killed, it makes me think this has just occurred to her - or to that agent.'

He brought in a letter with an Argentine stamp one Saturday morning but didn't produce it till all four of them had finished their mid-morning coffee. They gazed at it with concern.

'All right, lad,' said Gilbert. 'You've been in our confidence all along. Open it and read it out.'

It was from Rosita. She was reproachful. How could they have doubted her so, she who had made their son so happy when his wife would not leave her guest-house in Fiji to come to live with him here, share his poverty? A wife's place was with her husband. She, Rosita, had shared that poverty, had worked long hours. It was not like New Zealand, you understand, where wages are high and hours short. Oh, but there were many temptations lying in front of a man when he had to live alone, a young, virile man, with many lonely years ahead of him. Be grateful, then, that she had kept him from those grosser temptations. That she had provided a home for him, such as it was, with three good meals a day, yes.

Of course Alexo had been born out of wedlock, she admitted that, but later, when Alex's divorce had come through, they had married, thus legalizing the child. It would take time to get copies of the papers. They would understand she dared not trust the originals to the mail - a woman had to protect her son. But her agent had it all in hand, and would send them the copies, and when they saw them, then perhaps Alex's wealthy parents would be a little sorry that they had not helped them earlier. For Alexo, was he not flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone? She had suffered much, for, after looking after Alex so well, after a few years he had left her for a younger, more beautiful woman. That was why he was up-country when he was killed. Possibly in that village they had not even known he had a wife and child. Perhaps now they knew all this, out of their abundance they would send them enough to just subsist on, till it was proved.

Kitty was in tears. Gilbert's face was drawn. For once in his life he sounded harsh. He brought his
fist
down on the kitchen table. 'Turn that letter over to our solicitor, Calum.

Take it in this afternoon. Not a penny leaves this house for them till it's proved beyond shadow of doubting. I
will
support my grandson when I am satisfied he is a Drummond. Not till then. Now, Kitty, dry your tears. I will not have it any other way. Calum?'

Calum said, 'You're absolutely right. Nothing must be done till facts are established, and it must go through legal channels. Otherwise it's almost extortion. In any case, you're not responsible - but I know if Alex left a son you'd take it on.' He went to tuck the letter back in the envelope. 'Oh, there's something else here.' He pulled out a postscript on a half-sheet. Rosita said on this, 'I am thinking that if I do not hear from you quickly, I will sell my furniture and bring myself and Alexo across to see you. When you look at him, so like your son, you will have no doubts at all, and I will have my marriage certificate safely with me.'

Anna felt sick. It might have been just a naive letter from a woman who knew little of the processes of the law, but somehow it sounded like a threat. Pay up, or I come!

Calum must have felt the same. She saw the rare colour of rage fly up from his throat. He stood up. 'Well, I'm away in with this. I'll kill that idea - coming here - stone dead. Or rather Stornway will. He can cable her that until it's proved, if she does set out there can be no question of any reimbursement or compensatory payments if her statements prove unfounded. I've a feeling she's trying something on, hoping for a hefty advance payment - and if she got it, we'd hear no more. If she lives in a town big enough to rate a solicitor, then it would surely have a photocopying machine. Copies of the marriage certificate could have come with this.'

That night, when they were watching TV in an endeavour to lose their troubles in entertainment, he said, 'I've something to tell you.' Gilbert switched the set off.

Calum said slowly, 'Mother didn't want this broadcast all at once. Ian and Betty have kept it to themselves. Our friends will be told soon. She wants it just to leak out, as if Blair hadn't kept it all to himself. Doesn't want too much made of it. She rang Blair from London. He nearly had a pink fit, but
was
he glad to see her? He's coped with a most difficult situation for the last eighteen months. Mother said it has been the making of him. He works like a Trojan. Yvette left him nearly two years ago.

'I can understand marriages breaking up - I can't understand a mother deserting her children. But she did - went off to Spain with someone, completely infatuated. Only six weeks later she began having dizzy turns. They discovered she had a brain tumour. The chap couldn't take it, and lit out. She rang Blair. He flew over to bring her home and nursed her to the end. She died eighteen months ago.

'He wouldn't write and tell us because he knew Mother would go straight over to look after the children, and that Father couldn't do without her all that time, and for once he was going to prove he could stand on his own feet. Said once he became a father he wanted for them the sort of childhood we'd had - so he determined to look after them himself. He's been able to get a daily housekeeper, hardly goes out at all at nights. Mother says he's no less than magnificent. The children are very affectionate and loving. His boss - the owner of this stately home that does all the super farm produce - thinks the world of him. Dad's told her to stay as long as she thinks fit. Mother offered them a home here. Blair could take on a job as farm manager round about - but he won't have it. He's found his right niche and has great hopes of becoming farm production manager.'

The Drummonds were so pleased for Judith Doig that she had found her son so well adjusted, even though his marriage had turned out so badly. Anna wondered if they might have had a pang or two, envying the Doigs, but they didn't show any signs of that. And Blair hadn't been a waster like Alex, only footloose, irresponsible.

She was in bed before she remembered something ... Calum lying to Victoria when she'd asked him had he heard from his mother, and how Blair was. Perhaps lying was too harsh a word. His mother had asked him to keep it to himself. He'll tell her, for sure, when she returned from Australia. Anna had had a letter from Victoria. So had Calum. He hadn't passed on a single item of news from it. He was a bit edgy these days, seemed off-colour. And he'd yelped the other day when Anna bumped his arm. She'd said sharply, 'Calum, have you strained a muscle or something? Or got an infected scratch?'

He'd said grumpily, 'Of course not. What an imagination you've got! Don't fuss, Anna. You're far too handy with that first-aid box.'

In Anna's letter Victoria had explained her longer absence. She was doing a lot of buying for the firm, over there. The three old sisters were having the time of their lives, and the treasures their nephew had stored were terrific. 'I'm just going their way, Anna. I'll stay here as long as they want to.'