By the time Anna had heard Fiona’s tale of the day’s disasters, she knew two things.
One was that Fiona was desperately in love with Gordon Campbell and the other was that Fiona Jameson was probably pregnant.
She had not ventured to reveal this latter conclusion to the girl because she had no proof, only a deep conviction that this could account for her strange behavior. The chill she had had earlier in the day combined with acute nausea and the feeling of panic during the unfortunate incident with Gordon’s father, and, again, the way in which her stomach had rejected the sip of whisky, all added up to something unusual for Fiona. Anna had never known the girl suffer from a simple cold, never mind anything more serious. She had always claimed an ironclad constitution inherited from her seafaring ancestors and Anna had had no reason to doubt this claim.
Also contributing to Anna’s suspicion, was the way in which Fiona had described her nights with her lover. This brought a blush to Anna’s cheeks. It did not sound as if either of the young people had stopped to think about protection. Certainly, their first night together in the castle had been quite spontaneous and it did not seem as if Gordon had entertained any other woman since he had taken on the manager’s role. Buying condoms did not appear to be high on his list of necessities.
Anna had heard of ‘first time’ pregnancies. This might be the case but, if so, it merely added to the complexities facing Fiona. Even if Gordon welcomed the news of a child so soon in their relationship, he would have to tell his father he had found a girlfriend, and a mother for his children, in a relatively short space of time while he was far from home and supposed to be establishing a new career. Anna thought how this might sound to a proud father and landowner like the captain Fiona had described to her. It meant Fiona’s motives would likely be suspect right from the start of their relationship and it did not bode well for her future.
Of course, Fiona was in the same position with regard to a new career. Although many might assume that all of this was none of Anna Mason’s business, she was rapidly amassing a strong feeling akin to that of a mother cat defending her lone kitten. This Captain Campbell would have to reckon with Anna Mason if he dared disparage Fiona Jameson in any way.
There had been occasions in Anna’s teaching career when she had defended a child’s interests against those of parents and administrators. Reluctant to defend herself when challenged, she had nevertheless rushed to protect the innocent. She could feel the old emotions stirring again. Captain Campbell did not know the able opponent he was about to deal with.
None of this internal conversation could be shared with Fiona in her present state. Anna retired to the kitchen and returned with dry toast and scrambled eggs. She spoonfed Fiona all the while reassuring her that she would be fine once she had eaten and rested.
The heat of the fire soon did the trick and the girl fell into a deep sleep. Anna covered her with a tartan throw and tiptoed out, closing the door behind her.
This is the best thing for her for now, but I need to think what to do to prevent further disaster.
It was going to be difficult to determine how far she could go without interfering in Gordon and Fiona’s lives. Anna had never even met Gordon Campbell. She could hardly intervene with him. She was a stranger to him.
Who else knew this Gordon? She remembered Jeanette saying something about George giving him some advice about a will.
“Ah, George has some standing in the community. He could speak to Gordon, and Jeanette would be an ally who would be better at spotting a pregnancy than I am. I wonder if I can reach either one of them? Oh, darn! Lawren is over there right now, painting their portrait. That won’t work! ”
Anna sat down at the kitchen table and thought again. Approaching Gordon was definitely not such a good idea. That whole issue was between him and Fiona. But she was older and possibly could soften the blow by accidentally running into the senior Campbell. This idea appealed at once. What did she know about his whereabouts? ‘Staying at a hotel in Oban’. Which hotel? She thought of Grant but co-opting him would mean revealing Fiona’s secrets. Who knew the town, could supply a vehicle and could be trusted to ask nothing other than what Anna wanted to tell?
Alan Matthews. Bev’s husband was of the silent Scot variety and he should be safely off the hills by now.
Perfect. She dialed Bev’s number at once and young Eric picked up the phone after a few rings.
Anna was tapping her foot in annoyance. This could be complicated.
“Hi, Eric, can I speak to your dad?”
“Oh, hullo Aunt Anna, he’s not here. I’ll get my mum for you.”
Darn again!! Another road block.
“Anna, is that you? I hope everything’s all right. It’s a bit late for you to be calling.”
“Bev, I’ll cut to the chase. Can you come and get me and drive me into Oban? I have a mission of mercy to perform tonight and I haven’t much time.”
“You mean right now?”
“Yes! The sooner; the better.”
“Just tell me there’s no blood involved.”
“Definitely not!”
“Right, meet me at the gate in three minutes.”
“Thank God for old friends,” breathed Anna. “They don’t ask too many questions.”
She peeked in and checked that the lounge fire was banked down enough to keep Fiona warm for the next hour or so, then grabbed her coat and purse and wrote a quick noncommittal note for Fiona or Lawren, whoever should get to it first. If she had good luck, and better timing, she might be back at the farmhouse before either one of them knew she had left.
Bev was as good as her word. She kept the engine of the old Ford running and said nothing until Anna was settled in the front seat and the car was heading in the direction of Oban. Anna knew she owed her friend an explanation but her first announcement was to ask Bev where a person with finances would stay in Oban if that person needed a hotel.
“Someone with money, eh? Male or female?”
“Male.”
“An outsider, then?”
“Yes, as far as I know he isn’t familiar with Oban.”
“Canadian, or Scot?”
“Definitely, Scot!”
“Old, or young?”
“Probably, my age.”
“Young, then.”
At this point both women dissolved in laughter and once the ice was broken and the tension relieved, Anna gladly told Bev everything she knew and all that she was hoping to achieve.”
“I will now require a Solemn Samba Swear of Secrecy,” she cautioned her friend.
“Given, without question,” was the reply. “I feel like a CIA agent, heading off into the night on some dangerous mission. Some day I may tell my sons about this.”
“Oh, hush up and concentrate on the road, Bev. I admire your driving skills but I want to arrive in one piece.”
The consensus between the two women was that Captain Campbell would likely choose to spend the night at the Columba Hotel on the pier. As Anna said, “An old salt would always prefer the sight and sound of the sea to a room far up the hill.”
Bev drove into the parking lot of the Columba and dimmed the lights while Anna went inside and rang the bell on the front desk. After a few moments, a smart-looking young man arrived from the rear of the hotel and asked if she needed a room.
“No, I live just outside Oban in the McCaig Estate Farmhouse.”
“Then you’ll be Mrs. Mason? I haven’t had the pleasure, but I’ve heard a lot about you, Mrs. Mason.
My grandmother is one of your knitters.”
Excellent! This is a good start!
She glanced quickly at the nametag on the man’s navy jacket.
“Pleased to meet you, Finlay. I hope you can help me. I have some important information for a gentleman who should be staying here tonight.”
Finlay began to turn the pages of the hotel’s visitor book and asked who she wanted to talk to.
Anna crossed her fingers and provided the name.
There was a moment’s delay while Finlay checked up and down the current page. Anna bit her lip.
“Would that be a Captain Diarmid Campbell, Mrs. Mason?”
“Er, yes, that’s the one!”
“Okay, then. The captain is staying with us, right enough. He’s in the bar at the moment. Would you like for me to take you through there?”
“That would be most kind of you, Finlay. I’ll be sure to send a note to your grandmother to say how helpful you have been.”
“No problem at all, Mrs. Mason. Just follow me.”
Now that the first hurdle had been tackled, Anna suddenly realized how risky her behavior might seem to a stranger. She was interfering in something that was patently none of her business. Gordon Campbell’s father had no reason to believe one word of her proposed plea. She had never even met his son. His father had surely never heard of her.
Overcome with uncertainty, she stopped to gather her courage and assemble her thoughts.
Finlay noticed her hesitation and enquired if he could take her coat to the cloakroom.
Unfastening her coat and straightening her sweater over the dark wool pants she was wearing, (why hadn’t she taken time to change and comb through her hair?) gave her the chance to work out a new strategy.
“Finlay, can I ask you to introduce me to the gentleman? We have never met before and I would hate to take a seat at the bar. He might get the wrong impression.”
The young man looked alarmed at this prospect and gladly agreed to make the introductions.
The atmosphere in the hotel bar was warm and welcoming with subdued lighting, a flickering coal fire and a recording playing somewhere in the background. There were only a few visitors present; a middle-aged couple were enjoying a bar meal at a table near the windows and three men were seated at the bar chatting amicably. Anna spotted Diarmid Campbell right away from Fiona’s description. The beard and mustache were unmistakable.
She waited by the door while Finlay advanced. He proved to be as good as his word, politely interrupting the conversation and announcing, “Captain Campbell, there is a lady here who would like to speak to you. Her name is Anna Mason. She’s a Canadian but she is very well liked and respected here in Oban. May I show you both to a table by the fire?”
Well done young Finlay! I shall be adding to that letter to your grandmother.
Anna was subjected to an inspection from beneath a pair of overhanging eyebrows. She smiled faintly and stood her ground until she perceived a spark of curiosity in the dark eyes.
Diarmid Campbell graciously pulled out a chair for her and inquired as to her drink preference. She considered it might be churlish to refuse and selected a gin and tonic as a fairly innocuous choice.
The order given to Finlay, who moved off with a wink at Anna, the captain sat down, folded his hands together on the table top and waited. His eyes never wavered from her face.
“Captain Campbell,” she began, but he interrupted to insist she call him by his first name. Anna was glad she had paid attention when Finlay had pronounced the name as her version of ‘Der-mid’ might have insulted its owner and antagonized him from the start.
“Diarmid, then, I must thank you for agreeing to talk to me. The circumstances are most unusual, I know, but I am compelled to speak on behalf of a person I care for deeply. If you will indulge me, I would like to tell you a little of my story.”
The eyebrows frowned a little at this introduction but his gaze remained steady.
“I first came here to Oban from Canada a few years ago. I was a stranger on a mission to find out about my Scottish parents and family members. I was most fortunate to encounter help and support right from the very first day in this lovely little town and one of the people I met was Fiona Jameson, a delightful girl who drove me around for the next two months and who was to become a cherished friend.
Fiona was orphaned at an early age and lived with her grandmother who encouraged the young girl to be independent in thought and deed. She worked hard from childhood to help support herself and a more honest, caring and talented person you could never hope to meet.”
Anna could tell that her companion was wondering what this story had to do with him. She decided to tackle that worry immediately.
“Today you met that young woman, Diarmid, under the most difficult of circumstances and I am here to plead for your understanding.”
“Excuse me, may I call you Anna? I do not believe I have met the person of whom you speak. I have been in the area for only a short time today.”
“I know. You visited Glenmorie Castle and enquired after Gordon Campbell. The young woman who informed you he was not available was Fiona Jameson.”
“But, I only saw one person very briefly. I hardly noticed her. I thought she was a servant of some kind. Why on earth are you telling me all this?”
His body language displayed doubt and tension and his tone was brusque. Anna feared he would get up and leave before she had finished making her case. She hurried on.
“Fiona was totally surprised at meeting you, Diarmid. She is now a Scottish Wildlife officer and through her work she met your son. She had a difficult morning today involving getting soaked to the skin and had returned to the castle, where she has been staying, to change her clothes. That is why she kept her distance and looked somewhat distraught. That is also why you overlooked her.”
Anna watched anxiously as this information percolated through his brain and the pertinent fact was extracted. She sipped her drink to relieve the dryness of her throat.
“Are you saying that my son and this girl are involved in some way?”
This was the crux of the matter and Anna knew she had to be cautious.
“That is for your son to explain. All I ask is that you not dismiss Fiona Jameson because of the less-than-ideal circumstances of your first meeting.”
“What, specifically, are you asking me to do?”
“It’s simple, but I believe it will be vital to the future of your son and of Fiona and, not to put too fine a point on it, it may affect your own future.”
“Forgive me, Ms. Mason, but I think you are in no position to comment on my family affairs.”
Ah, how little you know, sir, of these family affairs!
“Please excuse my presumption. If you will consider wiping today’s encounter with Fiona from your mind and starting anew, that is all I can ask. I won’t take up any more of your time but thank you once again for allowing me this opportunity.”
She got up and exited quickly before he could protest. She had done what she could. Please God she had not made matters worse for the young couple.
Her coat was lying across the hotel desk. Obviously Finlay had not had time to stow it away.
She grabbed it and left by the door. Bev had turned the car around and once more the engine was purring.
“More and more like a movie get-away,” she chuckled gleefully.
Anna could hardly disagree. She was overcome with delight at escaping with her mission attempted, if not accomplished, and equally exhausted at the effort it had taken.
“Get me home, Bev, and pray Fiona never finds out about this night’s work.”
Bev dropped Anna off outside the front gate and waved goodbye. Anna walked softly up the paved pathway, glad once again that she had dispensed with the noisy gravel. She entered through the red door and stopped to listen. Not a sound. Perhaps she would have no need to explain her absence after all. But first she must dispose of the note she had left in the kitchen.
She was just tossing the note into the garbage can when Fiona came up behind her and said, “I thought I heard someone in here. I feel so much better after that sleep, Anna. I woke up and was sick once. I must have had a stomach upset. You would have been upstairs then. I went right back to sleep afterwards until a minute ago.”
She peered at the kitchen clock on the wall and jumped. “Gracious me! Look at the time! Gordon will be back by now and wondering where I am.”
Fiona rushed out with her car coat over her arm and headed for the driveway at the side of the house where her Land Rover was parked. Over her shoulder she assured Anna that she was ready to tell Gordon everything, or almost everything. There were some embarrassing things she would eliminate.
“I feel much more able to cope now, Anna, thanks to you!
We’ll talk again soon!”
With that, the big car was gone in a swirl of dust and Anna could relax at last. She was happy that she had not had to lie to Fiona. The girl would not suspect the devious nature of her dear friend’s evening activities.
Anna closed the front door, shutting out the world.
So Fiona had been sick to her stomach again? It was still possible there was a baby on the way.
Early days yet.
No one knows of my suspicions. Not even Bev.
Time, as with all things, would tell.