The Three Kings Read online

  ‘You mustn’t look at them.’

  ‘Is it because I’m your brother?’

  ‘Yes, and it’s not allowed.’

  The magic words were all he needed, and he handed her the garments. ‘Go back to bed, Sammy,’ she ordered, keeping her arms firmly across her chest.

  ‘You’re not angry? You still like me?’

  ‘I’ll always like you, but go back to bed now.’

  When he moved clear of the couch, she was dismayed to see his hand at his crotch, and when he opened his mouth as if to say something, she snapped, ‘Right now, Sammy!’

  ‘I came through for a drink of water,’ he wailed. ‘That yellow fish we had made me awful thirsty, and I waited till I heard Dennis going away.’

  ‘Go on, then, but straight to bed after that.’

  She watched him fill the tumbler at the sink, but her horror grew when he turned and she saw his swollen organ poking out of his drawers. Noticing where she was looking, he said, ‘D’you want to see my thing? It’s got great big.’

  She averted her eyes hastily. ‘No! Go to bed!’

  Sick at what had happened, she began to shake even before his door closed. Would she be able to cope with him now he had discovered his sexuality? He was too strong for her to fend off if he tried anything, and even when Dennis moved in, he wouldn’t be home till after eight every night.

  Another fear caught at her. How on earth would Sammy react when she told him that Dennis would be sleeping with her?

  Chapter Ten

  After a restless night, Katie rose wondering which would be worse, facing Sammy after what had happened, or telling him about Dennis, and when she heard him going into the kitchen to wash, she primed herself to take the bull by both horns.

  He looked round when she went in, but not by one flicker of an eyelid did he show that this morning was different from any other, so that was one weight off her mind – though she still had to deal with the other matter. ‘Sammy,’ she began, nerves making her voice a trifle high, ‘I’ve asked Dennis … he was fed up having to be in at ten every night, so I said he could come and live here with us.’

  Sammy digested this information for a moment, then said, his mouth sulky, ‘He’ll not be sleeping in my bed, will he?’

  ‘No, he’ll be … in my bed.’

  If Katie had been thinking more clearly, she might have realized that her guarded statement would be misconstrued, but as it was, she could hardly believe that there was no explosion. After a moment’s deliberation, Sammy merely said, ‘How long’s he going to be here?’

  ‘I don’t know. Maybe for ever?’

  This meant nothing to Sammy. ‘When’s he coming?’

  ‘Tomorrow night.’ Katie was thankful that there had been no scene, no hint of jealousy. Of course, he must know by now that Dennis would never hurt her, and with three of them in the house, she would feel she had a family again.

  When she went to the baker-cum-café on her way home that afternoon, she told Lottie McRuvie that she was taking in a lodger, ending, a little uncertainly, ‘It’s not against the rules, is it?’

  Having grown fond of the girl, the baker’s wife gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I don’t mind, but I’d have thought you’d enough on your plate with Sammy, without saddling yourself with a lodger, and all.’

  Katie coloured a little. ‘Sammy’s no bother, and Dennis’ll not make much more work.’

  ‘Dennis? Isn’t that the lad you told me you had when you were at the Temperance? Him that Sammy thought was killing you and punched his face? I thought you said you never saw him again after you left?’

  Feeling guilty because she hadn’t mentioned her renewed romance with Dennis, and even guiltier because of what she intended to do, Katie’s cheeks flamed. ‘I ran into him one day, and he’s been coming to the house a lot.’

  Lottie said nothing as she wrapped the requested loaf, but as she dropped the six softies into a bag, she looked at the girl doubtfully. ‘I only hope you know what you’re doing.’

  Just then, another customer came in, and Katie paid for her purchases and went out, wishing that Lottie had not been so quick to put two and two together.

  ***

  Carrying out her duties one morning, Katie was thinking as usual about Dennis. She had never slept with any other man – except Sammy and that was different – but she was certain that Dennis must be the best lover in the whole world. She had been apprehensive the very first time, and, recalling what Susie Clark had said about her first experience, more than a little scared. But he hadn’t rushed her, and now, after six weeks, she waited impatiently for Sammy to go to bed so that she and Dennis could go to theirs. Just lately, though, he had started petting her in front of Sammy, and he wasn’t pleased when she stopped him. She had to stop him, though, for she could see that a jealous anger was building up in Sammy, and she was afraid that it could erupt at the least provocation. If it wasn’t for that – and the lingering shred of worry that the police might still find them – she would be truly happy.

  The last bed made, the last bathroom cleaned, Katie made her way down to the staffroom, and was putting on her coat when Melvin Noble came in. ‘I want to ask you two things, Katie. First, do you think your brother would take on the gardens himself?’

  ‘Without Hairy, you mean?’

  ‘Cameron’s just told me he’s giving up. He’s hardly been doing anything for months, so it won’t mean much extra work for Sammy, but is he fit to do it without being told what to do, without being supervised?’

  ‘He used to do a garden before, Mr Noble. He knows what’s to be done, and when.’

  ‘So you think I’d be safe to leave him? Or should I give him a young lad to help him?’

  ‘He’d manage himself, but he likes having company.’

  ‘Right, I’ll hire a fourteen-year-old. Now to the other thing. You said you’d been a waitress, and Francie’s got a higher-paid job in the Saltoun Arms in Fraserburgh, so how do you feel about taking over her job? Any Tom, Dick or Harry – or maybe I should say Jeannie, Mary or Bella – could make beds, but a waitress needs to have the looks and the figure, and if you don’t think I’m being personal, you’d be an asset to my dining room. What do you say, Katie?’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind being a waitress again.’

  ‘That’s settled, then.’

  At that moment, Sammy came in, as he usually did, to say goodbye to his ‘sister’ before she went home, and Mr Noble said, ‘I’ll leave you to tell him, Katie. It’ll mean more wages for you both, and you’ll start this coming Monday.’

  ‘What have you to tell me?’ Sammy asked, as their employer went out.

  ‘I’ll tell you when you come home.’ Katie wanted him to be where his inevitable jubilation wouldn’t disturb anybody.

  Her own jubilation was such that she popped her head into the McRuvies’ shop as she passed to tell her friend the good news. ‘Oh, I’m right pleased for the pair of you,’ Lottie beamed. ‘What’s Sammy saying about it?’

  ‘He doesn’t know yet.’

  ‘How’s things between him and Dennis?’

  ‘So-so.’

  Lottie’s face sobered. ‘Your neighbours are speaking about you having your lad biding with you. Ella Brodie says it’s a downright disgrace among decent folk.’

  Katie tossed her head. ‘I don’t care what they say. It’s nobody’s business.’

  ‘That’s what I told her, but she’s a narrow-minded besom. When you went in there first, she thought you were sleeping with Sammy, and I put her right about that, but Dennis is that good-looking … and with just two bedrooms …’ Lottie shrugged expressively as the girl went out.

  Although it hadn’t bothered her, Katie had wondered why the woman who shared the lavatory with them had never been friendly, and now she knew, she felt angry. What right had Miss Brodie or anybody else to sit in judgment of her? But she couldn’t help chuckling when she thought of how shocked all the women in the pend had been when Dennis moved i
n.

  When she told Sammy about his promotion, she was glad she had made him wait, because he hadn’t come down to earth by the time he went to bed. ‘I’ve got Hairy’s job,’ he said, for the umpteenth time, as he stood up, ‘and he says he’s head gardener, so I’ll be head gardener now.’

  ‘That’s right,’ she laughed, ‘and you’ll have to tell the new laddie what to do.’

  ‘What’s his name, the new laddie?’

  ‘I don’t know, but you can ask him on Monday.’

  Dennis had passed no comments on their promotion, but as soon as he and Katie were alone, he observed, ‘I hope he doesn’t get above himself. Noble’s mad to give him so much responsibility.’

  ‘Sammy doesn’t know he’s got responsibility. He’ll go on working the way he’s always done, except he’ll have a boy to help him.’

  ‘I sometimes wish …’ Dennis paused, looking at her rather warily. ‘If you … put him in a Home and told them he likes gardening, they’d likely let him …’

  ‘Dennis McKay!’ Katie was absolutely appalled. ‘How could you say such a thing! I couldn’t put Sammy in a Home.’

  ‘I’m sorry. It’s just … there’s something about him that gets up my nose, and I’d like to have you all to myself. I love you, Katie Mair, that’s what.’

  She let him kiss her and pull her up off the couch, but as they went into their room, she said, ‘Don’t you ever tell me to put Sammy in a Home again.’

  ‘Get into bed, my dearest one,’ Dennis soothed, ‘and I’ll show you how sorry I am for upsetting you.’

  His love-making succeeded in cooling her anger, but when he fell asleep, she lay considering what she would do if she ever had to choose between the two men, and came to the conclusion that, much as she loved Dennis, she would rather give him up than put Sammy away … but would she, if it came to the point?

  From the minute Katie first started to work alongside Keith Robb, she knew that the waiter resented her, and it took her only another minute to discover why.

  ‘I thought Sally would get Francie’s job,’ he said, while they put starched napkins in rings and set them on the side plates. ‘I don’t know why Noble gave it to you.’

  Guessing that Keith fancied Sally, the other chambermaid, Katie stood her ground. ‘He knew I was a waitress before I came here.’

  ‘So you put your oar in as soon as you knew Francie was leaving?’ he sneered.

  ‘I didn’t know she was leaving till Mr Noble said I could have her job.’

  This took Keith aback, and he blustered, ‘You’d better do what you’re told, then. I like everything running smoothly.’

  ‘So do I.’ Seething, Katie turned away, but she knew that he would be on the look-out for any excuse to complain about her, and was determined not to give him one.

  During the breakfasts, she couldn’t help comparing Keith with Dennis, and had to admit that he was just as efficient, though he didn’t have Dennis’s charm. In her off-duty time before the lunches, she sat in the staffroom and wished that she had thought of buying a magazine to read. At last, she stood up and looked out of the window, a smile crossing her face when she saw Sammy talking animatedly to the young boy beside him and gesturing with his hands as if demonstrating something. At least he was happy in his new job, and maybe she would be, too, once Keith accepted her. When he saw that she was competent in her work, he would be more friendly.

  When she began serving lunches, she was surprised that first one person and then another complained that an item of cutlery was missing. She apologized and furnished them with replacements, but she couldn’t understand it.

  They were making the tables ready for dinner when Keith sidled up to her. ‘Make sure you set all the places properly this time.’

  ‘I set them properly before,’ she retorted.

  ‘You couldn’t have.’

  He walked past her with a sarcastic swagger, and the truth dawned on her. He had removed the cutlery himself so that it would appear as if she had been careless, and she would have to make sure that he didn’t try the same trick again.

  Just before the dining room doors were opened for dinner, she went across to him respectfully. ‘Keith, will you please check my tables before anybody comes in?’

  She had placed him in a difficult position, and smiled to herself as he made a quick inspection. ‘Everything seems to be there,’ he said, truculently.

  ‘It was all there last time.’

  Their eyes met and held briefly before he turned away, and she knew that she had made an enemy of him.

  Dennis McKay was well pleased with himself. He had let Katie see he didn’t like Sammy being in the house with them, and she would surely get rid of her daft brother before she’d give up the man she loved. He had never been in so much clover. Having told Beth Morton that he was being sent to Glasgow as a relief waiter for three months, he considered that he had allowed himself enough time. Katie was madly in love with him already, and while he was still finding her body exciting, he knew the novelty would wear off – it always did – and three months would be just about right.

  Beth hadn’t seemed too happy about not seeing him for so long, but he had promised to make it up to her when he came back, as he had expressed it, but in reality, when he got tired of Katie. Beth had never let him go all the way, but he was sure that once she did, she would soon start giving him money to keep him sweet – as a thirty-five-year-old widow, she would think he was her last chance of love. She was bound to be far more experienced than Katie, who had been a terrified virgin that first night, but she’d got over it, like all the rest.

  When the three months were up, he would be his own man again, dallying with Beth for as long as he wanted – even all night – and Katie was so naive, he could palm her off with any old excuse for his absences. Life was good, and it would be even better when Beth presented him with the wherewithal to splurge out and have a harem of girls on the side. Speak about Casanova, Dennis McKay could have taught him a thing or three.

  He arrived home before Katie, something he tried to avoid, because he didn’t enjoy being alone with her brother. ‘I’m first, am I?’ he asked, brightly.

  Giving him the usual scowl, Sammy said, ‘Katie shouldn’t be long now.’

  Wishing that he could persuade Katie to put him out of the way, Dennis was struck by an idea. If he got Sammy angry enough to punch him again, maybe that would do the trick, for Katie wouldn’t like to see her lover being injured. It was worth a try, and the sooner the better.

  Katie came in only a couple of minutes later, and when she told them what Keith Robb had done, Dennis stood up and took her in his arms. ‘Oh, my poor poor sweetheart,’ he murmured, pressing the small of her back so hard that she was arched against him, and following this with a passionate kiss that made her struggle upright in embarrassment. ‘Not in front of Sammy, Dennis,’ she hissed.

  ‘Why not? He knows I love you.’ He cupped her breast with one hand, using his free arm to hold her still, but he kept an eye on her brother while he kissed her again.

  Sammy’s eyes were glittering alarmingly, and his hands were balled up into the fists which had lashed out at Dennis once before, but they unclenched slightly when Katie broke free. ‘Did you remember to buy a hot pie for your supper?’ she asked him, breathlessly.

  ‘Lottie gave me the biggest one she had,’ he muttered, his brows still down.

  ‘I saw you with your assistant today,’ she said, to take his mind off Dennis. ‘Have you found out his name yet?’

  ‘Jackie.’

  Katie drew him out to tell her what he and Jackie had done that day, and Dennis thumped down sullenly, wondering if she was worth the effort. But if he went back to live in at the Temperance, he would cook his own goose. He didn’t think he would get Beth to part with any cash unless he wangled his way into her bed, and he couldn’t do that if he only had an hour and a half with her every night. No, dammit! He’d have to put up with the simpleton a while longer.
/>   When Sammy went to bed, Katie said, a little sharply, ‘I didn’t like what you did tonight, Dennis.’

  Bugger, he thought, and tried to sound hurt. ‘You didn’t like me kissing you?’

  ‘You know that’s not what I mean. You just did it to annoy Sammy, didn’t you?’

  ‘Oh, Katie, that was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to kiss you, so I kissed you. What’s wrong with that?’

  She stroked his cheek. ‘Nothing, I suppose, but don’t kiss me like that again when he’s here.’

  ‘Brothers don’t usually get jealous when somebody kisses their sister.’ He couldn’t help saying it. Sammy’s attitude had puzzled him for ages.

  ‘Sammy’s not …’ She paused and started again. ‘We’ve been on our own so long he thinks I shouldn’t look at other men.’

  Her slight hesitation held no significance for Dennis. ‘He doesn’t mind us sleeping together.’

  ‘I can’t understand that myself,’ she said, thoughtfully.

  Katie was aware that Keith Robb still resented her and would do everything he could to have her sacked. She often caught him looking at her speculatively and turning away when he noticed that she had seen him, and the past two weeks had been like standing on the edge of a volcano waiting for the eruption. He hadn’t tried anything else to discredit her, but he was so unfriendly she was surprised that the diners couldn’t sense how constrained the atmosphere was. He was always polite to them, of course, so they probably didn’t notice that he ignored her. Apart from that, she liked her job. She had got to know some of the men who came regularly, also the women who sometimes accompanied them, be they wives or lovers, and Mr Noble was satisfied with her, which was all that really mattered.

  Sammy seemed to be happy working with young Jackie, for he spent every evening talking about the things the boy had said. Jackie’s stories – swaggering accounts of girls he went out with – were nothing like Hairy Cameron’s, though Katie suspected that they were every bit as fanciful. She did worry in case they might make Sammy take an interest in girls, but she didn’t think it likely. He was in a class by himself, with no thought for the opposite sex. There had been the time he had … but that had been her own fault for letting him see her half-undressed.