one’s said they shouldn’t. It’s their let.’ Her eyes sparkled with challenge.
‘Oh, children ,’ I said, ignoring her aggressiveness. ‘Do you also call them wains? I’m afraid I’m not at all familiar with Scottish words. Is that who you were speaking of the other day?’
She didn’t respond.
‘I have a little brother – Joe. He’s many years my junior and always up to the most outrageous pranks. How old are yours?’
Susan’s face softened slightly. ‘Jimmy and Mhari, they’re twins like, four.’
I smiled. ‘I believe I’ve met them. The countryside is a great place for children to play.’
Susan’s face hardened. ‘Aye, maybe for them that has enough to eat. What do you want, Miss St John? What’s happened now? What am I meant to have done this time?’
‘Mr Smith has been killed at the shoot. The full circumstances are unclear.’
Susan sat down suddenly on the doorstep. ‘Killed? I’m sorry. Did he have a family?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I hope not.’ Susan stood up again. ‘So you’ll be needing me back?’
‘I never asked you to leave.’
‘But Jock said …’
‘Jock should have said that incident could not be repeated. Lord Richard is a very different master to your last, by all accounts.’
‘Aye, you can say that.’
‘So you’ll come back with me.’
‘I’ll tell Mother,’ she said and pushed open the door. ‘I am grateful,’ she threw over her shoulder and disappeared swiftly inside.
Not many moments later she reappeared, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. We began the long walk back in silence. As we approached the empty cottages I asked, ‘What happened here?’
Susan shrugged. ‘All I know is your Lord Richard had the pensioners removed from their homes.’
‘Pensioners?’
‘Widows, old folks, all those who’d had, or who’d been, folk working the estate. He let the main workers keep their cottages, but all the others were cleared out. Old Tom only kept his because Donal, who’s taken over as gamekeeper, made out how he was vital to his job. Said he was an expert on culling.’
‘I can see how that might appeal,’ I muttered under my breath.
We walked on in silence. The sky began to drizzle. Susan pushed her shawl up over her head. The dark clouds above the house did nothing to dampen my imagination. As I stepped through the back door I sensed the tension and expectation in the air. I asked Susan to go to the scullery immediately and begin washing the dishes. I had told her nothing of Rory’s incarceration, not merely because I did not wish to dwell on the matter, but because my hopes were high, now that the mysterious Mr Edward had arrived, that Rory would already be released.
I found Jock clattering pans in the kitchen. ‘I’ve brought Susan back with me,’ I said.
‘Aye.’
‘Do you know if anything has transpired while I was away?’
‘Has anything transpired ?’ asked Jock turning to face me and putting his hands on his hips. ‘Has anything transpired , the wee lassie asks me! If you count Rory McLeod being formally charged with murder and tae be moved tomorrow to London, I would say a wee bit has transpired, aye. He wanted you to speak for him. It’s too late now.’
‘There’s nothing I could have said,’ I protested. ‘You must be mistaken. The case against him is flimsy in the extreme.’
‘I don’t know about that. All I know is I’ve been told to ensure I have everything in order for a shooting luncheon tomorrow for the gentlemen are going back out once the butler is sent away.’
‘This can’t be happening,’ I cried. I ran from the room with no thought in my head but to find Mr Bertram.
As my luck would have it he was alone in the library. ‘You cannot let this happen,’ I said rushing into the room and startling him into dropping ash on his newspaper. ‘Rory is no killer.’
‘Euphemia! Really! You cannot behave like this.’
‘A man’s life is at stake!’
‘Oh, for heaven’s
‘Oh, children ,’ I said, ignoring her aggressiveness. ‘Do you also call them wains? I’m afraid I’m not at all familiar with Scottish words. Is that who you were speaking of the other day?’
She didn’t respond.
‘I have a little brother – Joe. He’s many years my junior and always up to the most outrageous pranks. How old are yours?’
Susan’s face softened slightly. ‘Jimmy and Mhari, they’re twins like, four.’
I smiled. ‘I believe I’ve met them. The countryside is a great place for children to play.’
Susan’s face hardened. ‘Aye, maybe for them that has enough to eat. What do you want, Miss St John? What’s happened now? What am I meant to have done this time?’
‘Mr Smith has been killed at the shoot. The full circumstances are unclear.’
Susan sat down suddenly on the doorstep. ‘Killed? I’m sorry. Did he have a family?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I hope not.’ Susan stood up again. ‘So you’ll be needing me back?’
‘I never asked you to leave.’
‘But Jock said …’
‘Jock should have said that incident could not be repeated. Lord Richard is a very different master to your last, by all accounts.’
‘Aye, you can say that.’
‘So you’ll come back with me.’
‘I’ll tell Mother,’ she said and pushed open the door. ‘I am grateful,’ she threw over her shoulder and disappeared swiftly inside.
Not many moments later she reappeared, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. We began the long walk back in silence. As we approached the empty cottages I asked, ‘What happened here?’
Susan shrugged. ‘All I know is your Lord Richard had the pensioners removed from their homes.’
‘Pensioners?’
‘Widows, old folks, all those who’d had, or who’d been, folk working the estate. He let the main workers keep their cottages, but all the others were cleared out. Old Tom only kept his because Donal, who’s taken over as gamekeeper, made out how he was vital to his job. Said he was an expert on culling.’
‘I can see how that might appeal,’ I muttered under my breath.
We walked on in silence. The sky began to drizzle. Susan pushed her shawl up over her head. The dark clouds above the house did nothing to dampen my imagination. As I stepped through the back door I sensed the tension and expectation in the air. I asked Susan to go to the scullery immediately and begin washing the dishes. I had told her nothing of Rory’s incarceration, not merely because I did not wish to dwell on the matter, but because my hopes were high, now that the mysterious Mr Edward had arrived, that Rory would already be released.
I found Jock clattering pans in the kitchen. ‘I’ve brought Susan back with me,’ I said.
‘Aye.’
‘Do you know if anything has transpired while I was away?’
‘Has anything transpired ?’ asked Jock turning to face me and putting his hands on his hips. ‘Has anything transpired , the wee lassie asks me! If you count Rory McLeod being formally charged with murder and tae be moved tomorrow to London, I would say a wee bit has transpired, aye. He wanted you to speak for him. It’s too late now.’
‘There’s nothing I could have said,’ I protested. ‘You must be mistaken. The case against him is flimsy in the extreme.’
‘I don’t know about that. All I know is I’ve been told to ensure I have everything in order for a shooting luncheon tomorrow for the gentlemen are going back out once the butler is sent away.’
‘This can’t be happening,’ I cried. I ran from the room with no thought in my head but to find Mr Bertram.
As my luck would have it he was alone in the library. ‘You cannot let this happen,’ I said rushing into the room and startling him into dropping ash on his newspaper. ‘Rory is no killer.’
‘Euphemia! Really! You cannot behave like this.’
‘A man’s life is at stake!’
‘Oh, for heaven’s
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