Page 24

Chapter 24

July 1911

Ann lifted the heavy watering can and struggled down the garden with it.

The prolonged dry weather meant her little patch of ground was thirsty.

Last year’s rosemary bush, grown from a cutting from the postman, had survived, and her carefully sown birthday seeds had already germinated and grown into a carpet of tiny plantlets.

There were two sections: a flower bed and a herb patch, and she was most concerned about the herbs because she knew Isobel liked to use them to cook with.

She didn’t hear Finlay coming up behind her.

‘Hello, Annie Bee.’

‘You shouldn’t creep up on people like that!

’

‘Sorry.’ He pointed at the watering can.

‘Would you like me to fill that back up for you?’

‘Please.’ She handed over the grey galvanised can and bent down to rub the fragranced rosemary spears and the little furry sage leaves between her fingers.

‘Shall I water them for you?’ he said, when he came back.

She shook her head. ‘I know you gave me all these seeds, but you don’t know what you’re doing.

It needs to be done properly.

’ She took the watering can from him.

‘What do you want?’

‘I was wondering if you’re looking forward to seeing the new King and Queen next week.

It’s going to be quite a spectacle, I think.

There’s a big procession planned, all along Princes Street.

’

‘I’m not going.’ Ann leaned over to inspect the smaller seedlings.

‘But they might never come back to Edinburgh!’ Finlay couldn’t keep the astonishment out of his voice.

‘Not ever.’

‘I don’t like being in a crush of people.

’ She dribbled some water onto the dry earth and turned to look up at him.

‘Being squashed up with all the crowds at The Great Lafayette’s funeral procession was very difficult for me.

I thought you would understand that.

’

He nodded. ‘I suppose.’

‘Is there something else?’

He pushed a mess of misbehaving curls out of his eyes.

‘Well, I wanted to ask you something, actually. It’s the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain on Saturday.

’

‘What’s that?’

‘A contest between thirty aeroplanes, like a race in the air. It’s about a thousand miles around the country in a circle.

It starts and finishes at the famous Brooklands racing circuit, near London.

’

‘I’ve never heard of it, so it can’t be that famous.

’ Ann drizzled water into the centre of the bed, giving the mint and the lavender a good drink.

‘There’s a prize of ten thousand pounds.

’

She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him.

‘ How much? That sounds like an awful lot. Are you sure?’

‘I’m certain.

They set off in a few days’ time.

And I want to go and watch the aeroplanes land up at Redford Barracks.

Father doesn’t approve of the race at all, he thinks it is terribly dangerous, so I’ve told him that Daniel and I are going out for a walk.

’ He watched her progress with the watering.

‘But the thing is, I might be back a bit later if the pilots are delayed.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know, all sorts of reasons.

Anything could happen.

There are forest fires in Perthshire at the moment, and with all this heat there might be thunderstorms. Apparently, this month is the hottest July ever recorded.

’

‘Why are you telling me this?’

‘I’m relying on you to make up an excuse for me if anyone notices I’m back late.

’

‘Can I come with you?’

‘No, silly. That would mean there won’t be anyone to cover, will there?

’

‘I’m not silly. And I want to come.

’

‘I can’t take you, Annie Bee.

’

‘I would be very quiet.’

‘I’m sorry, but if you come too then I will get caught.

They aren’t due to land until three o’clock so I think I’ll be fine.

’ He bent down and pulled at some leaves, trying to be helpful.

She slapped his hand.

‘Stop it! You don’t know what you’re doing.

That’s my thyme plant you’re pulling at.

She won’t like being messed with.

’

‘I’m going to see them, whether you help me or not.

But I’m hoping that if I’m late you’ll be able to distract everyone.

I promise I’ll do something nice for you to make up for it.

’

Ann aimed a stream of water at the curled parsley.

‘I suppose so.’ She held the empty watering can out for a second refill.

‘But I won’t forget you said that.

’

*

Ann grumped her way through breakfast the next morning.

‘What on earth has got into you?’ Ursula asked.

‘I don’t feel well. Maybe I should go back to bed.

’

Ursula put her hand on Ann’s forehead.

‘I don’t think you have a fever and you aren’t vomiting or shivery.

’

Ann slumped her shoulders.

‘I think you are well enough to go out. Now off you go and put your shoes on. I need to collect a few things at the dry goods store up at Church Hill and you can come with me. Your father says we should get them delivered but it’s a lovely day and I would like the fresh air.

’

Ann pushed her chair back.

‘Finlay,’ she began, and then she saw his face, not pleading exactly, but wary.

‘Finlay is going to take me to Portobello for an ice cream before I go back to school.’

He frowned.

‘That’s what you said, Finlay, isn’t it?

’

He gave in and nodded.

‘I think it will be a nice afternoon trip.’

Satisfied, Ann walked up the stairs to her bedroom, and no one except Isobel, who was rubbing the brass door handles and finger plates with Bluebell metal polish, noticed that Ann’s lips moved with every step.

*

When they eventually got back from the grocery shopping, which had taken far longer than expected, Ursula said she was going to a meeting.

Everyone else was out.

Finlay was seeing Daniel, Father was at work and Isobel was nowhere to be seen.

Ann really didn’t feel well.

Her belly was uncomfortable and she had little stabby pains deep inside.

She went back into the garden and watered her herbs, but it was too hot to be outside for long.

She headed back upstairs, her lips moving as she climbed.

‘Oh!’ she said, as she walked into her bedroom.

Isobel was sitting on the bed with Ann’s jewellery box beside her.

‘Isobel! What are you doing?’

The necklaces Ann had been given after her mother died, which she had expressed no interest in wearing, were set out across the counterpane.

They had been carefully arranged by colour: pearls, then coloured beads, then jet.

And beneath them on the next row there were the rings, all of them still too big for her.

Isobel looked up and glanced at the alarm clock.

‘Oh, Miss Ann! I didn’t know you were back.

’ She got off the bed, scooped the jewellery into the box and closed the lid.

‘I’ll get back to my cleaning.

’

‘I don’t feel well and I am going to lie down for a little while.

Why were you looking at my .

.?.’

But Isobel was gone, leaving the door to swing closed behind her.

Ann sat down on her bed, undid her shoelaces and kicked her shoes off.

She lay down and tried to think what Ursula would do, or Finlay, or Father, but she couldn’t decide.

Should she go and ask Isobel again?

She had rushed off so quickly.

She eased herself back up and looked inside the jewellery box.

Most of the items were from Louise.

She didn’t even know for sure what was in the box.

Father had thought she might like them all nearby so she could feel closer to her mother after she had died and hadn’t realised that this was the last thing she wanted, so the box had stayed mostly shut.

The only necklace she really liked hadn’t been Louise’s at all.

It was made from steel, each bead faceted like a diamond.

And it wasn’t kept in the box, it was in a little brass-coloured tin which said ‘Ucal Bronchial Lozenges’ on the outside, filled with bran.

The bran, Isobel had told her, was to keep the steel beads dry and to stop them from rusting.

It had been a gift from her grandmother when she was born and she kept it in the little bedside cabinet, underneath her handkerchiefs.

She opened the drawer.

The metal tin wasn’t there.

Ann knew then that she needed to wait for everyone to come home; this was not something she could sort out by herself.

She lay back down on the bed, her stomach churning and stabbing and butterflies dancing inside her with the worry of it all.

*

Ann heard them come in, first Father, then Finlay, and finally Ursula, whose meeting had lasted much longer than she had planned.

By the time everyone had come home, Ann had been to the toilet and seen the blood on her underwear.

She had wiped herself and changed into clean things, and waited for Ursula to come and find her.

The air race and the jewellery box all seemed much less important now.