Anna debated for three days, then eventually gave in to her curiosity and called the Ottawa legal firm whose address was on the envelope. Their conversation was short and a promise was made to forward a small parcel to Anna in London, Ontario, forthwith.
“That’s that then,” she surmised. “They seemed glad to get the matter settled, as will I, when the contents of the parcel are revealed.”
“What’s to be revealed, Anna?”
She had forgotten that Alina was nearby, packing a case for their trip to Scotland and her visit to Philip in England.
“Oh, it’s nothing important! How are you getting on in there?”
“Well, the only problem seems to be predicting the weather conditions. It could be rain all the way or scorching sunshine which makes it difficult to know what to pack.”
“I agree! They say dressing in layers is the answer. You can always add or subtract something for comfort as the temperature changes. What did you decide to wear to Fiona’s graduation?”
Alina abandoned her packing and moved closer to where Anna was sitting at the office desk.
“I thought a summer dress and jacket might suit the occasion. What do you think about this one I am trying out?”
She twirled around so Anna could inspect the violet outfit with pearl grey accents on collar and pockets.
“I have always liked that colour on you, Alina. The grey belt is a toning shade and you can wear navy shoes or black. If Philip invites you out to dinner you would look smart but not too formal.”
“That’s what I was thinking. What about you? You are practically standing in for Fiona’s mother at the big event, you know.”
“Yes, I thought about that aspect. She’s such a dear girl and I am proud to be invited to her special occasion. I don’t want to seem too parental, however. Could I get away with a stylish pant suit, do you think?”
“I don’t see why not. You have that new lightweight caramel-coloured number Maria picked out for you and if you change your mind there are several items stored in the locked, cedar-lined room in the Oban house.”
“Mmm ….. that’s true, although those are mostly winter clothes. Still, it can be chilly in Scotland even in June or July so I might well need the heavier stuff.”
“By the way, what are you planning to wear for the portrait?”
Anna had eventually confessed to Alina the details about the new portrait with herself as front and centre. There had been some fireworks until Anna convinced her that she trusted Lawren completely, as evidenced by the fact that he would be staying in the house with them for part of the time. More explosions had erupted at this news but finally, Alina decided to ‘zip her lip’ for the sake of peace and let Anna find out for herself if this painter guy was all that he purported to be.
“I won’t stress about the portrait. Lawren will know what he wants me to wear when we get there. He says the light makes all the difference to colour.”
“I’m sure he does,” said Alina under her breath. She was not reconciled to the situation in any way and relieved that she would be on hand to watch what the artist was up to. Anna did not seem to realize how foolish it was to invite a virtual stranger into her life this way.
“What did he say when you sent the plane ticket?”
“Oh, he’s delighted of course. He’s never been to Scotland although his family came from England originally. Lawren will be arriving three days after us. I’ve given him directions on how to get to the Oban house as we will be in Inverness at the graduation. Bev knows about him and she will give him a key and help him out if he needs anything.”
Alina nodded in mock agreement. Inside, however, she was thinking Lawren might just help himself to everything he needed and be gone before they returned. She almost figured it might be worth the loss to get rid of him altogether, then she bit her tongue as the jealous words echoed in her mind.
The surest way to drive Anna into this guy’s arms was to require her to defend him. She had seen enough of this during their previous arguments about the situation and she need to guard her tongue to prevent the worst from happening. Although she had heard about his artistic skills from Susan’s description of the founder’s portrait in her old law offices, she still doubted the new portrait would come up to that standard. There was always the chance that he would fail to meet Anna’s expectations and the entire project would fail dismally.
This was a more reassuring thought and, comforted for the moment, she went back to her packing.
The parcel from Ottawa arrived on the second day by courier mail delivery. Anna was relieved that Alina was in the warehouse and not on hand to criticize this latest secret endeavour. Alina had finally found a use for the plethora of fine, coloured cotton threads she had brought home from their Egyptian trip. There was a new multi-coloured fashion scarf in vogue that consisted of complex twisted knit or crochet. Alina had been experimenting at home with the style but found it taxed her eyes to pick out the tiny stitches.
Now she wanted to see if it could possibly be manufactured by machines. If not she would be transferring the process to the hand-knitters in the Oban area. She suspected the process could work equally well for woolen scarves.
Anna took the parcel into the dining room and sat down to open it. Obviously it was something small but she had no clue as to what it might be. The outer wrappings came apart quickly and revealed a black gift box with the name of a well-respected jeweller inscribed in gold on the lid.
Without speculating one more second, she lifted the lid and saw at once what lay inside. A turmoil of memories and emotions caused her to catch her breath. The ruby solitaire gleamed up at her, seeming to draw into itself all the light from the large windows. How many times had she seen and admired this very ring on the chubby hands of Richard’s mother? It was something Rose wore all the time and so was closely identified with her. It was a large stone and must have cost a great deal of money once upon a time when Rose was a new bride. She always took great care of it, removing the ring when she washed dishes and wearing rubber gloves whenever she did housework. There were several ring-holders around the kitchen and bathrooms in her home to safely guard the ring when it was not on her left hand. Anna had searched for attractive china and wooden ring holders and given them to her mother-in-law over the years. Memories absorbed her for several moments.
Anna finally picked the ring out of its cushioned base and held it between her fingers. Rose had wanted her to have this. The wound that was caused by her abrupt parting from Rose healed over in an instant.
The fault was Richard’s and it was good to know that the affection between Anna and her mother-in-law had not been false. With this belated gift, the past pain related to her divorce dissipated. She felt completely free of all of it for the first time. A deep sigh escaped from her at this realization.
Free.
She would never choose to wear this ring on her wedding finger, so she went to place it on her right hand and found that it would not fit over any knuckle other than that of her ring finger where her mother’s old ring was firmly in place.
What to do? Remove her mother’s ring and substitute this much more flamboyant and expensive solitaire? That seemed inappropriate in more than one way. Her mother’s dainty ring was a part of her daily life for many years now. She rarely removed it. Rose’s ruby was a far more precious item, in monetary value at least, and would require careful maintenance to preserve its appearance. She did not really wish to adopt Rose’s solution and litter the place with ring holders. At once she decided that this ring would remain in her jewellery box for now. Perhaps it might be worn on special occasions or even sold for charity in the future. A Heart and Stroke campaign sprang to mind but the decision was made and Anna happily popped the ring back in its box. Knowing it was out of sight would certainly avoid explanations and she needed time to let the right idea present itself.
The ruby ring was forgotten in the usual last minute scramble to finish up the business arrangements, clear the fridge, alert the condo committee that their property would be vacant and say goodbye to Susan, Jake and the dogs. Maria and Paul’s farewell visit involved the transfer of a very expensive, digital single lens reflex camera which Paul had recommended for Fiona’s graduation gift. Anna was delighted with this selection as she knew how important it would be in Fiona’s future job as a Scottish Wildlife Officer. The opportunity to take outstanding photographs while trekking through the glens and mountain tops of Scotland would be an added benefit for the talented girl, as well as an additional way to make money.
Over a quick meal at the mall with Maria and Paul, the conversation ranged over a variety of topics from Egypt to A Plus and this year’s strangely-mild winter and spring weather.
Anna asked how Lucy’s fashion ventures were developing. She had noticed a larger presence of teen fashion displays in the window of the new store adjacent to Maria’s in the mall.
“She’s certainly bringing in the younger set,” Maria agreed, with a hint of pride in her voice. “But I’m not sure how much longer that will be possible.”
“Why, what’s wrong?”
Paul replied while reaching out to touch his wife’s shoulder briefly. “It’s going to be fine, honey. She won’t be far away. Toronto isn’t the moon, you know. You can keep in touch and her grandparents are right there if needed.”
Turning to Anna he explained, “Lucy has nabbed an apprentice position with a film company in the new Harbourfront Studios complex. She’s young, but they were very impressed with her interview and her portfolio of designs. It’s a great opportunity for her and she will have the chance to explore a number of related areas where her style and creativity will shine.”
“That’s wonderful for her!” exclaimed Anna, but she could see Maria had doubts about letting her last chick flee the nest.
“Wasn’t it your mother who passed on the fashion and clothing design genes in your family, Maria? You must all be very proud that a third generation has kept up those skills.”
“I know! I am pleased for Lucy. I made her promise to keep up her studies online, if necessary. She will be sharing a flat with two other women who work for the studios so I trust they will keep her feet on the ground.”
“Who will take over at the store?”
“Nova is wonderful, of course, and Theresa has been a great asset there. She looks after many day-to-day details to release me to keep up with the fashion show trends. We were thinking of trying a Baby Boutique section in the new store if Lucy is too busy to keep up with the constant changes the teen crowd demands. I want to feature Alina’s beautiful hand-knits and your fair isle patterns that are coming back into style.”
“Seems like you have everything in hand, as usual,” laughed Anna.
“Well, I need something to keep me from worrying. Paul is off to the far north again for Canadian Geographic to shoot the final photos on the Arctic global warming series.”
“Now, you know how well they look after me, Maria! They can’t risk anything happening to one of their key photographers.” Paul laughed at his hubris but it was clear that he was delighted to be included in a select group of top professionals.
Anna had to rush off, but her last glimpse of the couple as she left the restaurant showed how close and contented they were together. Glad that her friend’s life had settled down and that even the troublesome Lucy had found an outlet for her energies, she turned her thoughts to Scotland.
A familiar lift in her spirits occurred. They would be breathing that glorious sea-tinted air in a matter of hours now. There was much to look forward to; Fiona’s graduation, Jeanette and George’s new daughter’s christening, the garden at the farmhouse, and, of course, the portrait painting.
Her steps quickened to the rhythm of her heartbeats. Life was good.
The flight to Glasgow was accomplished without delays. Emerging into the daylight from the airport, Anna and Alina were surprised to see Grant, Fiona’s old driving partner, waiting by the roadside to collect them in the large car.
“Ach, it’s Fiona who should be thanked. Not me, at all. She insisted I should pick you up and take you to Oban. She said you would be worn out after that long overnight trip.”
“She was right, Grant! I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you. I should have realized you were taking over the car business while Fiona was in Inverness. I was still thinking you only drove the car on overnight trips as before.”
“No, I am the man in charge now, Mrs. Mason. We’ve cut back on the overnight jobs, which suits my wife fine now that we have two bairns to look after. Fiona keeps an eye on things, though.”
“I imagine so, Grant. Let’s get on our way. I can hardly wait to see those hills again.”
Both women fell asleep shortly after they left the outskirts of Glasgow and they woke to see the red front door of the McCaig Estate Farmhouse with Grant piling up their luggage there and Bev opening the door to let him inside.
“Welcome home, you two! It’s so good to see you, and just look at the summer weather you brought from Canada! We are promised three or four more days like this.
Come away in, there’s a pot of tea on the hob and coffee waiting. Jeanette sent fresh-baked shortbread and cookies, though how she has the time to bake with a new babe in the house, I don’t know.”
Anna and Alina exchanged a glance as they heard the Scottish lilt in Bev’s speech. Alan’s accent seemed to be rubbing off on her. They had never seen her look so happy.
“Oh, and there’s someone waiting for you inside.” Bev picked up the last case and held the door to the kitchen so the travellers could enter.
There, on the padded bench under the window was the visitor. Morag looked up and gave Anna a happy miaow, then curled up again in the afternoon sun.
“Well, she looks right at home!” proclaimed Anna, as she plopped herself down on the nearest kitchen chair. “She doesn’t seem to mind being shuttled between two houses, by the looks of it.”
“Not at all! She’s a good wee thing and company for me when Alan’s out on the hills with Prince.”
“How is your husband, and where’s Eric currently?”
“Alan will be along later with Eric. He’s picking him up from secondary school. You won’t believe how tall Eric is now. This good Scottish air agrees with him or maybe it’s the appetite it gives him. He eats like a horse!”
The conversation continued for the next hour. Despite frequent emailss and phone calls there were always parts of life on both sides of the Atlantic for the old friends to catch up on.
When the tea pot was emptied and the coffee poured for Alina’s second cup, Anna wiped the cookie crumbs from her mouth and, with a satisfied sigh, began to relax into the holiday mood the old house always created in her.
As the others chatted on, she mentally tested the atmosphere. Although she had never actually felt the presence of her Aunt Helen Dunlop in this house, she now knew even more about the lady and the unhappy aspects of her life. She could not help wondering if Helen’s spirit was more at ease now that her final wish to have her private journal destroyed had been accomplished on the last day of their trip to Egypt. Anna smiled to think of the journal’s ashes flying in the wind towards the Nile to sink forever in that eternal river.
“Your secrets are safe now,” she whispered. “Only Alina and I know what was written there and we will never reveal them.”
Morag lifted her head and looked steadily at Anna as if she had heard the faint words. Anna quickly checked to see if Bev or Alina had noticed, but they were still immersed in conversation.
“So when is the christening service?” asked Alina.
“It’s tomorrow and we are all invited to attend. Wait till you see the new baby! She’s the most beautiful creature I have ever seen and that includes my two boys, although don’t you dare tell them I said so!”
“Oh, I may hold that over your head if I ever need a favour,” joked Alina, and she elbowed Bev to emphasize her intent.
“Right, then! You two have to unpack and inspect the property and get ready for the service tomorrow. We meet at George and Jeanette’s before the ceremony. They have something to say to you, Anna, but I am sworn to secrecy.”
With this enigmatic statement, Bev was gone from the kitchen and the front door closing was the last they heard of her.
“Wonder what that means?” stated Alina with a yawn. Look, I think we’d better get settled in before I fall asleep again. Bev said she had left a fish casserole and vegetables in the fridge for an evening meal.
Shall we unpack and reassemble here later to eat?”
“A perfect plan!” Anna agreed.” Isn’t it great to have caring friends on hand wherever we go? I can’t help thinking of Helen and how solitary her life was here.”
“That’s true! But think how satisfied she would be to see this house full of happy people now. She wanted to you to transform this place and that is exactly what you have done, my dear!”
“Still, it all started with Helen and that is one of the reasons why I want to have her portrait here in the house so others will know it is because of her that my life has been changed for the better.”
Alina refrained from adding a sour note to what had been a delightful hour or two. She merely murmured something non-committal and led the way up the stairs carrying her suitcase.
Anna remained in the kitchen for a moment or two watching Morag stir and stretch then reassemble herself into a new position as the sun moved toward the horizon.
Tomorrow’s dawn will awaken me in the main bedroom, she thought. In a few days, Lawren will be here. What will he think of it all? There will be so much to show him and tell him before he begins to work.
She recognized that the thought excited her and with renewed energy she, too, grabbed a suitcase and climbed the stairs.