Page 57 of A Scottish Love Story
‘I’m sure Roxie will appreciate how very generous you are,’ Anne said.
‘Yes, I will take the set,’ she told the jeweller, waiting patiently. She heard the girls give a faint gasp.
‘Your new daughter-in-law will love it, and you,’ Jayne said with a wide smile.
‘She will love you for ever,’ Hannah said. ‘I know I would.’
‘It seems you have done a good job then, girls.’ Anne smiled at them both.
‘You have indeed. I shall not forget how helpful you have been,’ Amy said. ‘Maybe you will call to see me when you come down for the holidays. Now, I would also like to buy a small gift for my good friend here.’ She smiled at the jeweller and indicated Anne. ‘I thought perhaps one of these gold brooches in the cabinet. She indicated three brooches neatly displayed on a crimson velvet pad in a glass cabinet.
‘Oh, no!’ Anne said. ‘You can’t possibly buy anything for me. I have been well paid, not to mention well fed, for doing my job. What is more important, I have truly enjoyed it. Few of my patients are so easy and pleasant, or so grateful. It has been a pleasure.’
‘Even so, I do want to give you a small gift. Think of the time I would have had to spend in hospital if you could not have come to nurse me. I had intended to have the operation done privately in Glasgow and that would have cost me far more, too, so please choose one of these brooches, or something else if you prefer? Earrings, maybe?’ Seeing Amy was in earnest, the jeweller drew out the pad for closer inspection and when Anne selected a pretty leaf-shaped brooch, he was well pleased.
‘Madam, I shall give you a ten per cent discount on your purchases since you are taking the brooch as well as the complete set.’ Anne and Amy looked at each other, eyebrows raised in a humorous glance.
‘Thank you very much,’ Amy said with a smile as she paid. ‘I believe we have had a worthwhile afternoon.’
Chapter 18
On the way home, Amy told her new friend that Ciaran was planning a special birthday for Roxanne.
‘He is taking her away for the day, either to the coast if the weather is good, or maybe up here to Edinburgh, as she had not visited Scotland before she came to Oakfield. Her only close family now is her brother, so Ciaran has invited him to come for a surprise visit so that we all meet before the wedding. He has also asked the two ladies who looked after him so well when he was down there for the sale of the dairy herd that belonged to Tommy and Roxie’s father.
‘Now that I am beginning to feel like my old self again, I have promised to invite them to my home in the evening for a buffet meal, but I shall have to wait until Ciaran has collected Roxie in the morning, or she will feel she should stay and do the preparations. My niece and her husband and baby are coming too. Jenny is coming early to help. She is bringing some quiches. I believe you know her husband, Donald. He is a dental surgeon.’
‘Oh, yes, I do! I have met his wife, too. I am a patient there and they are both very pleasant and reassuring.’ She grinned. `We medics are more nervous patients than most other people, I suspect.’
‘That is good if you have met Jenny already, because I was going to ask if you would like to join us. I know you and Roxie get on splendidly.’
‘We do indeed. I never felt there was a generation gap, as one often does with people so much younger.’
‘I suspect Roxie has had her share of life’s less pleasant aspects. That usually strengthens character and broadens the mind. I never met a young person whose company I value so highly.’
* * *
The evening before Tommy and Maggie were due to set out for Scotland and Roxanne’s surprise birthday, Tommy telephoned Ciaran.
‘Do you remember the young herdsman I had at the time of the sale?’ he asked.
‘I certainly do,’ Ciaran said. ‘Harry, wasn’t it? Harry Dunn?’
‘That’s right.’
‘I was impressed with the way he looked after all the animals, right to the end, and he seemed to know most of their breeding too. Roxanne was amazed that he recognised the individual cows and how they were performing. She said he was really keen to learn everything about preparing them for sale.’
‘Yes, Roxie was pleased with his willingness to work and to learn everything he could. He came to see me this morning to ask if I could store an oak corner cupboard and a Welsh dresser, plus a few other small pieces of furniture he wants to keep. They belonged to his mother who died recently. He is selling their house — in fact, he has already accepted a really good offer for it. I invited him to stay overnight. He hasn’t enjoyed working for the dealer in spite of very good pay. He didn’t like the system and never getting to know the animals. He plans to see something of the country before he settles down to another job. He intends to sell his motorbike and buy a small car. He was talking of going to Wales because six of our cows went to two herds there. I believe he hopes to come your way sometime too, so I wondered whether to suggest bringing him with us tomorrow. I haven’t mentioned it to him, but I’ve looked up a Travelodge and it seems in reasonable distance to you, but if that is too much of an imposition please say so. I do understand.’
‘Of course, you should bring him with you if he wants to come,’ Ciaran said. ‘I’m sure Roxie would be pleased to see him again.’
‘I’m sure Harry would like to see how the cows you bought are doing.’
‘Don’t even think about the Travelodge,’ Ciaran said. ‘So long as you don’t mind making do, that is. I told you I don’t have a housekeeper, but Iris, my cleaning woman, has already made up two beds. One of the rooms has twin beds so she could easily make up the other bed in the morning, if you don’t mind sharing a room? I am really looking forward to getting to know you better, Tommy. It will be a lovely surprise for Roxie.’
‘Yes, I’m looking forward to coming. I have a lot to tell Roxie, too. Some things are easier face-to-face, rather than on the phone. Maggie is like part of the family so she knows most of what has been going on with my affairs and the solicitor. The reason I will not bring Beth on this visit, is due to Gilda’s wild accusations about me having an affair with Beth.’ Tommy sighed. ‘She will be coming to your wedding, though, and she is really looking forward to it.’
‘In that case, we shall look forward to seeing the three of you tomorrow. I have not breathed a word to Roxie. Mum wants me to take her away for the day so she will have plenty of time preparing a buffet for an evening meal for all of us. She wants to meet you before the wedding. My cousin has baked a birthday cake and she will be helping her prepare. They all love Roxie. I told you where to find the key to let yourselves in if you arrive before we return from our day away. Make yourselves some tea and toast until we return, and you’ll find biscuits in the tin.’
