“Anna, you’re shaking like a leaf. What’s wrong?”
“Oh, Lawren, my darling, I’m just so glad to see you!”
“Very flattering, I’m sure, and I am more than glad to see you again. It feels like an age since we were together in London but you don’t fool me that easily. Something is wrong. Tell me.”
Anna stepped back from the powerful embrace that had occupied their first minutes together in her hotel room.
She wanted, more than anything, to unload the mental burden she was now carrying, but first she needed to hear if Lawren had told his father about events in Wiltshire.
“I promise I will tell you everything that’s happened, Lawren, although you will find it hard to believe.
Can you wait till later for that? I want to know how the rest of your time in England worked out.”
Lawren looked skeptical about the delay. He could tell Anna was holding back a worry of some kind. And yet, he knew her well enough to realize there would be a good reason for her reticence.
All at once the small hotel room seemed constricting. He had a sense of claustrophobia. Anna had been living here alone for several days now. He felt, against his arm, the bulk of a package of folders in his jacket pocket, and remembered his idea.
“Look, Anna, let’s get out of here! It’s a bright day for a change and there’s so much to see in Glasgow. I collected enough information at the airport to keep us occupied for weeks. We’ll go and have a day out and clear our heads of everything for a while. What do you say?”
Anna said yes, emphatically, and knew at once it was the exact thing she needed. How wonderful to be with someone who not only understood her moods, but who knew precisely how to change them for the better.
“Let me find my walking shoes and my raincoat, just in case. Have you eaten? Breakfast is over in the restaurant here, but we can find lunch or something nearby if you want.”
“No! I am in charge today. I want you to relax and enjoy yourself. No worries. No negative thoughts. Just the two of us on holiday. We’ll be tourists with nothing but time on our hands. Agreed?”
Anna’s response was to jump up from the chair where she was pulling on her shoes and then lead Lawren in a jig around the room to express her happiness.
In a minute they were dancing along the hall laughing like children on an unexpected holiday from school. No one saw them kiss in the elevator or noticed when they ran hand in hand for the exit doors.
“Where to now, oh mighty tour guide?” said Anna.
“Ah, follow me, my dear!” answered Lawren, in his best Rasputin impression.
And she did.
It had been a wonderful, magical day. The best of all the good days since Anna and Lawren had been together. He had promised her a holiday and that was what he delivered.
They started out at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a large and imposing building. The structure stretched out to either side and looked vaguely reminiscent of a Russian Palace with towers and pinnacles. The rich, red sandstone and the name Kelvingrove reminded Anna of Ross and Joyce’s house. Their house must be close by. She almost told Lawren about her visit there but decided to wait. Nothing should spoil his delight in showing her the city.
The lobby entrance impressed with marble floors and soon opened up to a balconied hall reaching two stories high into a splendid ornate ceiling. A display of life-sized, stuffed, tropical animals captured Anna’s attention immediately. It took a moment or two before she saw, suspended in the space above her, balloon heads of people bobbing gently up and down as the air currents changed.
Anna had looked up at these in delight and noticed each one was different; some laughing and smiling, others grimacing or frowning. Lights from beneath illuminated the floating heads and made them come alive.
Before she could comment on this effect, Lawren was pulling at her hand. He seemed to know exactly where to go next. They climbed the first set of wide stone steps. Everything was stone of one kind or another which had seemed to Anna to be sensible, given the number of feet presently walking or scampering from exhibit to exhibit. The voices echoed in the space and gave even more lifelike qualities to the bobbing heads. She wondered if these were meant to represent real Glaswegians.
When they turned left into a wide area and Anna glimpsed massive paintings set in galleries against the outer walls, she knew why Lawren had been so anxious to get here. She watched him transported in wonder as he gazed in turn at the works of Dutch and Italian masters. He was obviously in his element in this setting.
Anna tiptoed to a bench in the centre of the French Art gallery and waited. Eventually he found her and sat down beside her.
“You have chosen one of my favourite paintings,” he said. They sat together in front of Claude Monet’s Vetheuil, lost in the endless sky and cornfields until Lawren had his fill and jumped to his feet again.
“You must see this!” he called, as he ran ahead, leading the way down the stairs to the main level and to another gallery almost directly beneath the one they had just left.
When Anna saw the title, ‘Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style’ she remembered his previous enthusiasm about The Glasgow School of Art and knew she was in for a rare treat. Although she could appreciate the elegant design of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s paintings and furniture, Lawren’s knowledge revealed aspects she would never have recognized for herself. For example, The Wassail, by the artist, might have remained to Anna’s eyes as an interesting study in vertical lines had Lawren not pointed out that these were stately, elongated figures clad in cloaks at a Christmas celebration.
They skirted through some minor exhibits on the same level, of which the Ancient Egyptian was of the most interest to Anna. She was able to provide some of her own knowledge there, thanks to her recent visit To Egypt. It was hardly possible for her to believe that when she and Alina had explored the Nile she had not even known about Lawren’s existence.
A tantalizing aroma of fresh-brewed coffee soon attracted them to the lower level where the ceilings were of normal human height and lines of children chattering excitedly indicated that this was an educational wing. They headed straight to the restaurant and waited only a few minutes before being seated in a long hall with tall windows down one side letting in bright daylight.
Lawren declared he was ravenous after all that culture and he proceeded to order from the extensive menu. A variety of appetizing dishes soon appeared on their table and Anna discovered she, too, was hungry.
It was during dessert, a delectable slice of treacle cake smothered in hot custard sauce, that Anna asked once again about Lawren’s father. “I know you set rules for today, my darling, but if you can bear to tell me, I really do want to know.”
A replete Lawren relented. “I don’t want to bring the atmosphere down a notch, Anna, so I’ll start with the positive notes.” Anna quickly understood that there were negative things to relate also, but she did not interrupt.
“As you know, I felt so low after my visit to what’s left of the Hartfield Hall my father remembered, that I set out to explore some of Wiltshire before heading back to London. I was able to get trains or buses everywhere. The public transport system in England is excellent. I saw Stonehenge and, even better, I think, Avebury, where the public can walk all around, and between, the giant stones of the circle without any barriers.”
“I am curious about how did you felt there, Lawren?”
“I’m not surprised you ask that question, Anna, and you are right. It was a very strange feeling for me. I imagine my psychic antennae were working overtime in that ancient place. I kept thinking there was someone watching me but every time I turned around to look, I was alone.
I didn’t stay too long there. I went to the ruins at Old Sarum which is where the modern town of Salisbury was founded. From the hillside you can see the spires of Salisbury Cathedral and the old town wall. I tell you Anna, we must go back there some day. I could have drawn and painted for weeks it was so stimulating to my imagination.”
Anna could see from his excited manner that this was an understatement.
“Did you know there are white horses carved out of some of the hillsides? The whole county is chock full of medieval towns and ruins. I spent an hour or two in Laycock Abbey just wandering around thinking of what life must have been like there for monks and priors. I did some sketches too.”
He stopped to sip from his mug of coffee and Anna reached forward to touch his hand. Their matching silver rings clinked gently together and both of them smiled at the sound.
“Did you tell your father about all this?”
“I tried to.” He looked down at his empty plate and ran his finger around the rim to collect the last of the delicious custard. Anna knew he was stalling but she remained silent.
“He really wasn’t interested in anything other than the family house he had sent me to visit. I didn’t know what I would say until the last possible moment and then I lied.”
“What else could you do? You could hardly shatter the dreams of an elderly man at this point in his life.”
“I know, but it was not easy to lie to my father. I told the truth about his older brother having emigrated to Australia and that made it easier to accept the fact that the house he had loved was now being sold to another owner. Of course I said nothing about the appalling condition of the building or the housing estate that will soon occupy the land but I did distract him with the information that I had spoken to Dan the gardener.”
“What did he think about that news?”
“Oh, Anna, I was glad I did tell him. It opened up a whole host of stories from his boyhood and how he and my mother met and the happy times they had when they were first in love. He completely forgot about the financial issues he had sent me to explore and drifted off to sleep recalling the gracious home and grounds that will forever be intact in his memory.”
“Lawren! That is the best possible outcome from this sad journey. You did the right thing for him.”
He sat up straight and shook his head from side to side briefly as if to remove all negative thoughts for now. “And, my lady, I have something else to show you and then there will be shopping for you and a splendid high tea in a restaurant so amazing you will hardly believe it can exist at all.”
“What? Eat more? I’m full to the brim already!”
“That’s why the shopping expedition is necessary! I expect you to explore each and every little nook and cranny at top speed. There are countless more sights on Clydeside we could see, of course, but we’ll save those for another visit. I want you to have energy left for the remainder of the evening back at the hotel.”
Lawren winked at this disclosure and Anna felt a hot blush rise up from the pit of her stomach into her face. Had she dared, she would have suggested they cut the afternoon schedule short and head back to the hotel right away. For now, she was unsure of her sexual power in their relationship but some day, she thought, it would be fun for her partner to find out.
They accomplished the shopping expedition in Byres Road after a sortie along Sauchiehall Street. Anna duly entered every boutique and vintage store while Lawren looked at art and antique shops and carried the accumulating pile of Anna’s purchases until called upon to offer his opinion.
She had a wonderful time, made all the more delightful because she had never before had the opportunity to shop with such an appreciative male. Richard had hated shopping of any sort and Anna’s rare expeditions had been with Alina, or others of the Sambas. There was something very reassuring in having a male on hand who would give an immediate ‘thumbs up or down’ to a dress or hat or purse.
She could see him mentally composing outfits for her and she knew whatever he recommended would be flattering to her colouring and her figure.
While Anna was deliberating inside a shoe store on whether she should purchase a wedge-heeled red leather pair, Lawren rushed in and said, “Get them! They’re gorgeous! I’ll be in the church at the top of the road. Come and find me there.”
Anna paid for her purchase wondering what was happening now. Lawren had never spoken about a church affiliation. Perhaps this was a building of architectural interest. She emerged from the shoe shop into a cloudy skyscape. The day was moving toward night already.
She found the church easily as it was well illuminated, and she entered with just a hint of trepidation. What next?
Lawren came rushing forward as she arrived. He was as excited as she had ever seen him. His golden eyes were lit from within and his face glowed.
“Look up, Anna. Look up!”
At first she thought they were still in the Kelvingrove Museum. Against the night sky there were vivid paintings and designs on the curved dome of the glass roof.
“What is this?” she asked. She was reading inscriptions in each section. Questions followed by answers. ‘Where are we going?’ ‘Our seed returns to death.’
The central figure was huge and stylized under the question, ‘Where are we?’
A very good question under the circumstances, Anna thought.
“This is the work of Alasdair Gray,” said Lawren. “I have read about this Auditorium in what was the Kelvinside Parish Church. It’s now called ‘Oran Mor’ and I never expected to find myself here. This is one of the largest pieces of public art in Scotland by a man who was a painter, author, playwright and goodness knows what else. Isn’t it magnificent?”
Anna had to agree. She thought she was standing in another art gallery inside a church until the sounds of cutlery on plates drifted toward them accompanied by delicious smells. It soon became apparent that the body of what was once a church had been converted into a handsome restaurant. Lawren had obtained a table in one of the side aisles, by some means, although the centre area, once the nave, was almost full of customers. They were seated near the round windows, set into the walls at a low level and lit from within so that the inset circular patterns, filled with multi-hued glass, were gleaming despite the darkness outside.
“This is the most unique place for fine dining that I have ever seen” breathed Anna, looking around in amazement. Lawren was grinning like a Cheshire cat at her delight.
Suddenly she had an idea. “I’ll be back in ten minutes, Lawren. Order anything you like.”
She disappeared back to the Auditorium, carrying the shopping bags, and asked for the ladies’ restroom.
There was no way she was going to sit in that splendid restaurant with all those elegant people, in the flat shoes and raincoat she had been wearing all day. She quickly found the red shoes and a black, ballet-length skirt Lawren had selected for her. With a sparkling black belt tying the outfit together over her white cashmere sweater, she felt appropriately dressed for the occasion. She found a pair of gold and garnet dangling earrings to make the effect complete. A rapid comb through her hair and a touch of bright lipstick and she was ready to glide back to the table with her head held high.
Lawren’s look of approval said it all. She did not need to hear the words. She felt them in every inch of her body.
Anna was never able to recall the food they ate. It was a light meal but the feast was before their eyes rather than on their plates.
As the coffee was served, Anna thought the time was right to tell her news.
“I promised to tell you what happened yesterday, Lawren. It won’t take long to tell but it is the most incredible and unexpected thing.”
Lawren’s attention which had been veering among, the setting, the food and Anna, now returned to her face with rapt interest. “What?”
“That’s it exactly. One of the questions painted on the roof here is ‘What are we?’ Well I have discovered something more about what I am. I am a niece of a Scottish family. My aunt and uncle and an extended family of cousins live near here in Kelvinside.”
“How did this happen? When? What’s been going on? We spoke on the phone a couple of nights ago and you mentioned nothing about this. I know you can work fast, Anna, but this is supersonic!”
His joke took the tension out of the situation and Anna was able to relate the events of her meeting with Ross and Joyce and Rory without the emotional tug that her previous thoughts and memories had caused. Lawren asked a dozen questions, some of which she could not yet answer. His concluding remark made Anna realize afresh what an amazing man he was.
“It’s a pity we are leaving early tomorrow. I would like to meet this new family of yours, Anna. They sound like a wonderful group and I am grateful for the way they have accepted you.”
“Well, we will soon meet Simon and some of his clan in Oban. Perhaps it’s best that you get to know the McLeods slowly. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
Before Lawren could reply to this, a waiter appeared at their table with a tray on which two glasses filled with an amber liquid were balanced. Anna’s eyebrows signalled surprise and her companion whispered that he had ordered the whisky when she had made her quick change earlier.
The glasses were carefully placed in front of them and the waiter said, “Slainte mhath”.
“I’ve heard that Gaelic phrase in Oban. It means, ‘Good health’. Am I correct?”
The waiter smiled his approval and was about to leave when Anna asked, “What does Oran Mor mean?”
“To be sure, it is ‘the great melody of life’ madam.” With that he was gone.
Anna and Lawren clinked glasses and toasted each other.
“To our good health and to the continuation of our great melody of life,” offered Anna.
“Perfect!” replied Lawren. “Now, drink up, my lovely lady! The night is still young.”