The Shadow of the Sycamores Page 20

  She had sinned all those years ago – knowingly, willingly – and she had sinned again with Innes Ledingham – willingly but unknowingly. Was there any real difference? She had thought she loved Innes – though not in the same way as she’d loved Tom – but would that stand in her favour when she stood at the Pearly Gates?

  She would also be held responsible, she realised, for the trouble she had caused to so many other people besides herself. Max and Nora had smuggled her out of The Sycamores – with some help from little Beenie, so Nessie had said – when they knew their jobs were at stake if they were found out. Henry and Fay had been prepared to take care of her before Nessie had taken over the job. Then there were all the folk Innes had gone to in his search for her, Henry’s sister, Fay’s parents, her own brother.

  Janet’s stomach had been churning madly yet, in spite of what she had been thinking, she suddenly felt much calmer. It was quite clear what she had to do. There was no other way out. Going through to the bedroom she had been occupying, she put on her coat and tied Nessie’s old shawl round her head. It was a frosty day.

  Hearing a carriage of some kind make its steady way into the smiddy, Janet left the house by the front door, glad that Willie had something to occupy him and would be too busy to see her. She walked slowly but purposefully down the hill and turned into the narrow path that ran along the rear of the houses of Mid Street. She did not care if anyone else saw her – she only wanted to avoid Henry, who was only paid to keep the streets clean, not the alleyways. If he saw her, he would turn her round and take her straight back to Oak Cottage.

  She had originally intended to walk on and on until she dropped but now she was hoping in a way that she would run into Innes – somebody else who, no doubt, was keeping out of Henry’s sight. That would be the only alternative open to her. Let him end her life – it might be more painful but it would be much quicker than leaving it to the elements.

  Desperate as he was to get the matter over, Innes had let the mare go at an easy pace along the main street but, as they went up Hillview Road, his excited heart reached a crescendo and he had to take several deep breaths before he was fit to jump down to speak to the blacksmith. Willie Rae!

  The heat from the furnace was stifling when he went in and, although there was a wheel lying on the ground waiting for its rim to be fixed, there was no sign of the man who should be working on it. For a few seconds, Innes felt his courage drain away before it dawned on him that this was an excellent opportunity to get Janet away. He would easily overpower Mrs Willie Rae, if she were in the house, and his task would be even simpler if Janet were alone.

  He walked through the small wooden gate to Oak Cottage, gave a peremptory knock on the back door and went straight in. There was no one in the kitchen or in the front parlour but there were two other doors. The first led into a large cupboard so he darted to the other and turned the knob cautiously. There was not the slightest squeak of the hinges – Rae must keep them well oiled – and the large double bed looked as though it had not been slept in but most women could make a bed look immaculate no matter who had slept in it.

  Assuming that this room was used by Willie and his wife, Innes mounted the stairs to find another double bed in one front room and two single beds in each of the other two smaller rooms. There was, of course, a huge linen cupboard on the landing, stacked with sheets, towels, tablecloths and God knew what else but he wasted no time on them. Unfortunately, none of the five beds provided any clue as to whether they were in current use or not. The beds in the two bedrooms at the back were not even made up so they were definitely not used.

  His legs complained as he practically crawled down the stairs. His high hopes had dwindled to nothing and he knew that he should make himself scarce before someone came in and discovered him. Luckily, there was ample room for him to turn his small carriage in the smiddy’s yard but he set off on his homeward journey totally disheartened. It was said that Fortune favoured the brave but no one could have been braver, nor had so much initiative, than he had today and it had got him absolutely nowhere.

  Willie Rae had searched everywhere but he had seen no one looking remotely like the man Nessie had described to him. ‘Find the bugger,’ she had ordered, ‘before he finds Janet.’

  He had gone along every street, every lane, every path – he had even looked behind garden walls. He had asked everybody he met and had carried on doggedly in spite of a growing sense of utter defeat. Then, just as he was wondering if Henry had imagined seeing the man, he struck lucky. Tom Mavor’s wife was unpegging her washing from the thick wire they had been hanging on, her husband’s drawers and linder ‘so rock hard with the frost, they could stand up by themselves’, as she laughingly told him. ‘There’s nae drouth the day so I’ll need to thaw them oot at the fire.’

  ‘Eh … Jean,’ Willie said, cautiously, ‘Have you seen a man going past wi’ a long black coat and a high bowler hat? A real tall man? Skulking about?’

  Unable to make the linder bend, she linked arms with it, and neither she nor Willie saw anything comical about the incongruous figure she made. ‘A tall man?’ she mused. ‘I wouldna ken if he was tall or short but I did see a man wi’ a high bowler in a carriage going down the street. I was trying to open my parlour window but the wind was blowing in.’

  ‘How long ago was that? Which way was he going?’

  ‘He was going out o’ the town and it would’ve been … maybe ten minutes ago, maybe mair.’

  ‘Had he a woman wi’ him?’ Willie voiced his fearful suspicion.

  ‘No, he was his sel’. I wouldna have paid him ony attention but he’d a face on him like he wasna pleased. Scowling, like he wanted to wring somebody’s neck.’

  Willie breathed freely again. Whatever he’d been doing, he hadn’t managed to get Janet, thank God – if it was Ledingham, of course.

  ‘Would he’ve been the man you’re looking for?’

  ‘Aye, I think he was. Thank you, Jean, and I hope you get your washing dry.’

  He could see that she had hoped for some explanation but he could tell her nothing. The police would believe Ledingham before anything a common smith said. He could be sued for defamation of character if he as much as hinted at what had happened.

  Reaching Oak Cottage, Willie burst in to tell Janet that the man had left Ardbirtle but his blood ran cold when he found no one at all in the house. Either Jean Mayor was short-sighted or the fiend had made Janet crouch down out of sight.

  Nessie came in at that moment, stopping in dismay when she saw him. ‘You didn’t find him?’ she asked, her voice holding little hope.

  ‘He’s got Janet.’

  ‘No! Are you sure?’

  ‘I’m near sure.’

  Husband and wife regarded each other hopelessly for some moments, then Nessie said, ‘I think it’s time we let the bobbies know what’s been going on.’

  ‘Maybe you’re right, though he’ll deny everything. Still, it’s worth a try. Other folk can back us up – Max Dalgarno and the Nora that helped him, Henry and Fay. I tell you what! You go and bide wi’ Fay; I’ll get hold of Henry and him and me can go to the police station. We’ll have to set things going as quick as we can, before he … for Janet’s sake.’

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  It took several long weeks of making statements, of interviewing every single person who was involved, before Innes Ledingham was charged with attempted murder. During this time, Nessie Rae patiently nursed Janet’s mind and body back to something resembling normal.

  The poor woman had been found, exhausted and incoherent, on the edge of the moors where she had apparently been wandering for many hours. The man who came across her – a gamekeeper on the lookout for poachers – helped her to the nearest house, where he left her until he went to the police station. By this time, Willie and Henry had reported her missing (which statement was duly noted and eventually acted upon) and made the complaint against the Superintendent of The Sycamores (which was received with incredu
lity, even hostility).

  A search had been instigated by the Police Sergeant, but was called off when the missing woman was located. When she was brought to the Station, she looked at Willie with no recognition but her eyes lit up when she saw Henry. After holding her in his arms for some time, murmuring soothing words, assuring her that she was safe now, he insisted that she be taken to Oak Cottage. Sergeant MacIver, aware that she was in no state to be questioned, ordered one of his two young constables to take her there in the Black Maria and to check at Mr Henry Rae’s house on the way to see if Mrs William Rae was there. ‘If she is,’ he went on, ‘take her to Oak Cottage with you.’

  The net spread wider. Abby and Pogie were approached, Joseph and Catherine Leslie, Roderick Emslie, each employee at The Sycamores – except the cook. All this was done before Gloria Ledingham, otherwise Mrs Rattray, was interrogated. She spoke frankly, saying that she’d had no idea that Innes was trying to poison Janet but that she had wondered about the woman’s unexplained, prolonged illness. She also admitted to knowing that Innes had committed bigamy by marrying Janet but maintained that she had believed he would tell the other woman the truth and ask her to leave.

  ‘I never dreamt he was trying to kill her,’ she wailed.

  Whilst all this was going on, Innes himself had been sinking lower and lower into a state of almost limbo, where he was not sure of anything that was happening. Gloria was very sharp with him and he could not understand what he had done to annoy her. He could not find Janet anywhere and his entire staff seemed to regard him with suspicion. He had even caught some of the guests eyeing him in a peculiar manner.

  When at last the spotlight was turned on him, he clearly was striving to keep his reason. During the questioning, his answers revealed more than he actually admitted to. The arsenic was mentioned but not his purpose in using it; his seeing to Janet’s meals, but not his doctoring of them; his anger and astonishment that she had walked out; his search for her but only to bring her back because he missed her.

  Even MacIver, who needed everything properly cut and dried before acting on it, could see that the man was telling them what he wanted to believe himself – possibly his mind was in such a state that he did believe it.

  Ledingham was then charged and taken away – not to prison but to a criminal asylum to await trial or, more likely, to be declared unfit to be tried and incarcerated there for life. All those who had been involved in the case now relaxed, especially Max, Nora and Beenie, whose connection with it had gone undiscovered. It was generally assumed that Janet must have rallied from her ‘illness’ long enough to escape on her own. The only person who had any doubts about this was Gloria who couldn’t rid herself of the idea that someone else had had a hand in the poor woman’s bid for freedom.

  The first and legal Mrs Innes Ledingham, however, had cause to be grateful to whoever was responsible – probably more than one – because, with her husband locked up, she now gained access to his quite considerable bank account. She had initially considered applying for the post of Superintendent, but that would entail much hard work and worry, which she could well do without at her age. With the amount of money at her disposal, she could start a new life in another part of the country, even abroad somewhere, perhaps not exactly in the lap of luxury, but certainly better than her present existence.

  Having thus decided, she contacted the Board of Governors first. All fuddy-duddy old men, they had been utterly shocked by the events revealed to the public at large and their own neighbours in particular. They were, therefore, delighted to learn that the slate would be wiped clean and a new Superintendent – a man who was definitely legally married – and a new cook were to be appointed. To safeguard the well-being of the residents of The Sycamores, however, they invited ‘Mrs Rattray’ to stay on until all the arrangements had been made.

  Gloria made her announcement at breakfast on the day of her departure, scanning the faces round the table as she spoke. Most showed no surprise at her news – they had probably been expecting it – but two pairs of eyes exchanged a glance of deep relief that she was leaving. The culprits had given themselves away, she gloated, though she should have guessed. Max Dalgarno was the only one it could have been. He was the only man with the nerve and she had heard that he was a great friend of Henry Rae, who had also been very close to Janet. And Nora? Perhaps she had known or suspected what Innes had been doing but it would have been Max’s idea – that was certain.

  The new cook, a Mrs Allardyce from Oldmeldrum, arrived around ten o’clock and, after telling her what was planned for supper and leaving young Beenie to show her where things were, Gloria went to look for Max.

  His mind much easier now that he knew ‘Mrs Rattrray’ was leaving, Max was whistling blithely as he trimmed the grass verge of the path. Since their dangerous escapade, he had been thinking more and more of Nora. She was a girl with spirit and bonnie with it. She was everything he needed in a … wife? Yet he had held back, not daring to ask her out, not even daring to speak to her except for a few words in passing, in case Ledingham or his wife saw them and put two and two together. But the man was locked up now and, when the cook finally left, he could court Nora openly.

  His whistled lilt faded away when he saw Gloria striding towards him, a glint in her eye that did not bode well. God Almighty! Not now! Not when he imagined he was in the clear at long last. ‘Aye?’ he said, respectfully tipping the snout of the cap he wore to keep insects out of his thick hair.

  She regarded him speculatively for a second, then echoed the greeting. ‘Aye.’

  His smile was somewhat bleak. ‘You haven’t come just to bid me goodbye.’

  ‘No,’ she agreed, inclining her head. ‘I came to tell you I know what you and Nora did. Well, I know you did it but I want to know how you did it.’

  This is what a condemned man must feel, he thought, his mouth bone dry, but he did not try to deny it. ‘How did you find out?’

  ‘You were the only two that looked as if I’d taken a load off your shoulders when I said I was going away.’

  ‘Oh!’ He shrugged helplessly, then pleaded, ‘Look, tell the bobbies about me if you like but please don’t say anything about Nora. It was my idea.’

  ‘I take it you have a soft spot for her … or perhaps more than that? All right, Max, I will say nothing about Nora if you tell me how it was done.’

  She listened carefully, her expression telling him nothing as he explained what he had planned and how Nora had made it that much easier. ‘And now I suppose you’ll want me to accompany you to Ardbirtle Police Station,’ he ended, with a grim smile.

  ‘I want you to accompany me to …’ she began, then gave a low chuckle, ‘to the kitchen to carry my boxes outside.’

  Bewildered, he asked, ‘You mean … you’re not going to report me?’

  ‘Certainly not. In fact, Max, I want to thank you. You made it possible for me to make this move and I will be forever indebted to you.’

  ‘Well, I’ll be damned!’

  He did as she asked, shaking his head in wondering disbelief several times, then stood with Beenie and Nora to wave to the departing cook as she went off in the trap to the railway station, on her way to wherever she was going.

  As Beenie ran back inside to show off her knowledge to the new cook, Max whispered to Nora, ‘Will you meet me at seven behind the tool shed?’

  Her clear blue eyes widened as she turned a becoming pink. ‘Aye, I will.’

  He went back to work now, his conscience clearer than it had been for many months, his heart accelerating as he looked forward to seven o’clock.

  Henry had just arrived home for his usual midday bowl of soup and chunk of home-made bread when someone knocked at the door. Tutting, he rose to find out who it was and what they wanted but his impatience turned to delight when he saw his old friend. ‘Max! What on earth …? I hope there’s nothing wrong with your mother. I saw her yesterday and she looked the picture of health – like she always does.’
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  ‘Ma’s just fine,’ Max grinned. ‘I came to give her my news and I couldn’t go back without telling you and all.’

  ‘What news?’

  With both Henry and his wife looking at him expectantly, Max sat down. ‘Any soup going, Fay? It’s damned cold outside.’

  ‘News first, then soup,’ she smiled, giving a reprimanding pat to the little hand that was stretching out for a biscuit. ‘Empty your bowl first, m’lad.’

  Pulling an exaggerated grimace, Max said, ‘So that’s the kind of thing I’ve got to expect, is it?’

  Henry’s hand halted midway to his mouth. ‘Are you telling us what I think you’re telling us? You’re getting wed?’

  ‘You thought correct, Tchouki,’ Max teased. ‘I’ve been keeping company wi’ Nora Petty for months now and I asked her last night and she said yes.’

  ‘Oh, Max!’ Fay bent down to kiss his cheek. ‘I’m so happy for you both. Nora is a really nice girl and you … well, what can I say about you?’

  ‘You could say I was a really nice man?’ he suggested, cocking an eyebrow.

  ‘I would say you’ve met the right one at last,’ Henry said, quietly.

  Fay sat down now. ‘I wasn’t the right one for you, Max, any more than you were the right one for me. Yes, Henry knows all about our little romance,’ she assured him as he shot an apprehensive glance at her husband.

  ‘I know it wasn’t really a romance,’ Henry grinned. ‘And I know it happened before she met me – so I don’t mind.’

  Max was guiltily silent for a moment but then he gave a relaxed smile. ‘Ach, you two. You’re making fun of me. I was just testing my wings at that time but Nora … well Nora is Nora and I wouldna want any other girl. I’d better go, though. I told Ma I’d just be a few minutes.’