Chapter 5. Home and back
On their fourth day, the wind had calmed to a gentle breeze so immediately after
breakfast Jim decided to take the boat to Tarpin and get some supplies. "Do you
want to come? If we leave shortly we should have time to drive to Bencarran for
lunch and get back to Tarpin around 4 p.m. in time to get the tide back" Sally
nodded affirmatively. "I would of course have to trust you not to renege on your
promise of a week with me but it would give you a chance to get a few of the
things a woman seems to need and some decent shoes and working clothes."
Sally was not too sure about going home. Her arse was still tender and she had
to be gentle about sitting down on a hard chair. Jim's face was still a dreadful
colour but the swelling had gone and both eyes would open. She voiced her
opinions and added that Jim was not exactly the flavour of the month with her
parents at the best of times. Jim of course knew of their resentment to his
grandfather's purchase of their land. "Look," he said, "We'll phone them from
Tarpin after we have bought what we need, then we can either go on or come back
in the boat."
On Tarpin quay they joked for a while with some of Jim's fisherman friends. They
were amazed he had the McCraig girl with him. "Whereja pick her up?" one asked.
"She fell and my feet on Bencarran Head," was all they got from Jim. Robert
quipped, "Knowing the ladies you bring here, it wasn't your feet she fell at!"
They ragged Jim on his face saying amateur fisherman shouldn't be allowed to
handle real fishing nets but it was all good humoured. Sally, while embarrassed,
smiled.
Roderick from the stores, who knew Jim well and Sally by sight, was somewhat
surprised when they came in together. He commented on Jim's face and once more
the tale of a warp snapping and springing back was recounted. He was even more
surprised when Sally asked if should could add a couple of items. "I can pay you
for them when we get to Bencarran," Sally said. Roderick agreed to keep the
items until they picked them up later. Jim had to visit a couple of ship
chandlers for other purchases but by 10.30 they were ready for the half hour
drive to the McCraig's. "Shall we go or not?" Jim asked, "It's your decision."
"Yes, I'd like to get some things from home. I'm getting some funny looks which
could be because of I'm wearing your trousers!"
Jim phoned and left a message on the answering machine. Mrs. Simpson must have
picked up the message because she greeted them. "Your parents are at the
Sutherland's but I phoned them and they will be back shortly." Her tone was
courteous but cold. "I suppose I shall have to cook lunch now." Her remarks were
directed largely at Sally. Jim stepped forward and for the first time the cook
saw his face. "She do that?" she enquired looking again at Sally. Sally hung her
head and cook knew she was right.
"Just a little accident." Jim shrugged off the comment. "Sal, lets go to the
kitchen and make some tea and you can help cook prepare something to eat until
your parents get here."
"If you don't mind Sir, I would rather not have her in the kitchen," Cook piped
up.
"Mrs. Simpson, Kathrine, we WILL go into the kitchen and Sally WILL make tea and
WILL help prepare lunch. Just tell her where things are and what to do. Please.
She will not cause any trouble."
There was authority in his voice and Cook knew she had to concur so she just
snorted in a 'I'll believe that when I see it' way. On the way, Jim whispered to
Sally, "Behave yourself."
In the kitchen, Kathrine started to fill the kettle but Jim stopped her, "Sally
is in training as a maid all this week, she will do it. Please just tell her
where things are. She is quite able to make mugs of tea, but when it comes to
cooking, then its another matter, isn't that so Sal?"
Sally remembered her burnt efforts at poaching salmon the previous evening and
turned away. When the kettle was on, Sally went to sit on one of the high wooden
stools forgetting to sit gently and got up again rather quickly. Jim and
Kathrine laughed, Sally scowled.
"Go ahead Sal and tell Kathrine how you could poach salmon to a cinder."
"Please Jim, don't embarrass me like this. You know Mrs. Simpson does excellent
poached salmon. My efforts weren't quite up to her standard, that's all"
"What did you do wrong?" Kathrine enquired.
"I started cooking the salmon before the potatoes and forgot to check on it. So
it was quite dark and burned by the time I looked."
For once, Kathrine smiled. "We've all done it dear. There is no cook that has
never burnt a dinner. In my first job I nearly burned the whole kitchen down by
putting wet chips into the hot oil. The oil bubbled over and caught fire, fire
alarms went off, the brigade came and quickly put it out but there was one
helluva mess to clear up and we had to send all the customers home. I got sent
home too and it was a while before I got another job."
Sally made the tea and now the ice was broken they all sat round drinking and
chatting. Kathrine had never known Sally to be this convivial. It was obvious
Jim had taken her in hand and equally obviously had tanned her backside but
there was more to it than that. Kathrine was inquisitive. "Look," she said, "Why
don't we have poached salmon for lunch and I show you how to do it and give you
the recipe for the herbs and things I add?"
Ian and Gertrude arrived. They were not in a good mood. They should have been
playing bridge with the Sutherland's all afternoon but now they had to return,
all because of Sally and that Jim Carruthers. Damn the man. Why couldn't he make
an appointment? Damned girl! Always a pain in the arse. Couldn't even stay away
a week like she said she was.
Ian stormed into the drawing room and found it empty. The other main rooms were
empty too. Gertrude called out, "They're in the kitchen. I can hear them
laughing."
"Can't be them. Sally never goes into the kitchen except to complain and you
never hear her laughing." It shocked them to see the three drinking tea from
mugs. Always they and guests had china cups and saucers.
Gertrude ushered the pair into the drawing room but not before Sally has asked,
"How long will it be before you start cooking Kathrine?"
"Mrs. Simpson to you," Gertrude snapped, but Kathrine answered, "About a quarter
of an hour." Gertrude didn't realise that Sally was to assist with the cooking.
She wrongly assumed she wanted to know when they were eating.
For the next fifteen minutes Jim and Sally tried to explain what had happened
omitting the sexual details and only when Gertrude bluntly asked did they admit
to sleeping together. Ian of course wanted to know how badly his daughter had
been hurt. Normally he couldn't have cared less but having to break from a card
game to see the man he detested for owning part of his estate irked him. On
learning she intended to return to Sula to work out her week long term as a maid
and despite the fact that Jim had twice saved his daughter's life and despite
knowing life at Bencarran was hell when Sally was there, neither Ian or Gertrude
wanted him to take her back with him. As they saw it, he would just be taking
another part of their property.
Sally flabbergasted the pair when she excused herself to go to the kitchen. For
the first time Gertrude noticed she was wearing man's trousers. They railed at
Jim for what he had supposedly done to their daughter but Jim kept his cool and
gave very little information away. He tried to explain they had only come so
Sally could pick up a few more suitable clothes for the rest of her stay. That
is if she decided to return with him. He had given her the choice but had made
it clear he would be disappointed if she let him down.
Lunch was quiet and the atmosphere very strained. Jim passed the plates to Sally
and indicated she should take them through to the kitchen. Gertrude snapped they
had a cook to do that. Jim smiled, "For a few more days we also have a trainee
maid." She returned a few minutes later with a tray with small china cups and a
pot of freshly made coffee. "Sorry," she whispered to Jim as she poured his,
"But when in Rome, you do as the Romans do but Kathrine said we could make tea
before we go."
Little was said over coffee but afterwards Gertrude and Ian asked to talk to
their daughter alone. Jim adjourned to the kitchen. Ian attacked Sally for her
behaviour, which is something he ought to have done twenty years previously but
she was adamant that she was returning to Sula and left to get her things. Ian
and Gertrude had a quick conference. They couldn't let their one and only
daughter go with that man even if life was more pleasant while she was away.
They formed a plan.
Ian quietly slipped upstairs to Sally's room. She already had her suitcase
packed and was now wearing her walking boots. Sally saw him and said, "It's no
good Daddy, I'm going. It will only be for a few days. I must do what I said I
would."
When her back was turned Ian quietly slid the key from the inside of the door
and replaced it on the outside. "Sally you are going nowhere, at least not with
that man." He spun out of the room slammed the door shut and locked it. She was
imprisoned. The thick walls and the oak door would not let much sound through
although she did scream and yell at the top of her voice, no one heard.
Ian and Gertrude explained to Jim that Sally had decided to stay and had locked
herself in her room so he could not come and get her. She, they said, had
decided being a maid wasn't her thing. She was above that. He was to go without
her.
Jim wondered how they had managed to change her mind, but he had given her the
option. He was bitterly disappointed. He'd become fond of the girl. They now
seemed to get on so well together. Even Kathrine was surprised. They had talked
girl-talk during the cooking and she was sure the two made an item. She had her
suspicions that something was wrong but couldn't interfere in a family matter.
Jim tried to get the parents to allow him a few words with her but they refused.
Jim left the tea that was brewing and walked dejectedly to his car and drove
back to Tarpin. Kathrine saw him off. She liked the man and had met him a number
of times. Today though, his scarred face did put people off but she knew there
was more to it than that with her employers.
Returning to the kitchen she overheard Gertrude ask if he had gone and when Ian
confirmed that he had gave a little laugh. "We'll keep her locked up a while
longer, may calm her down a bit. You know what she is like when she's really
annoyed."
Kathrine tried to think what they had done to the girl but had to wait until
they had settled down in the drawing room before she could get the spare key and
slip past them. She could hear Sally crying so she softly tapped on the door.
"Go away, you've ruined my life now all because of your stupid prejudices."
"Sally, it's Kathrine. Be quiet while I let you out." She opened the door. Sally
was sobbing. "He's gone now. I'll never see him again. He will think I quit on
him."
"Shush, we'll slip down the back stairs and go to Tarpin in my car."
They made their was quietly but were met by Ian and his wife at the foot of the
stairs, Sally by now was in no mood to be trifled with. Holding the suitcase so
it projected outward from her belly, she charged forth with a cry of "Out of the
way you fucking shits." The suitcase battering ram knocked Ian over and pushed
Gertrude to one side. When she was like this they knew from past experience not
to try and stop her. She was on a roll now. Her temper in charge. Kathrine
followed and by the time they had stacked the suitcase in the car boot, Ian came
out of the front door. He was too late. They were off. He hadn't brought his car
keys with him. All he could do was shout ineffectually at Kathrine to tell her
she was sacked.
For the first six miles Kathrine made good time for someone known for her sedate
driving pace but with just four miles to go they found themselves stuck behind a
tractor and trailer. The road was far too narrow to pass and there was a steady
stream of traffic in the opposite direction. They tried his mobile number but it
was switched off. Sally fumed but managed to keep herself under control. She
knew Kathrine was doing her best. Fate was against her. When they arrived at the
quayside Jim's boat was gone.
The fishermen she met earlier were still there loading their boat for a night's
fishing. Kathrine asked Josh, the skipper who she seemed to know quite well, if
his boat could overtake the Gannet but was told, he was too far ahead and would
be in Sula before they hardly started out. "What did your boyfriend go without
you then?" he asked Sally.
Kathrine cut in, "No, the bloody Laird locked her up. We just escaped."
"Hang on Luv, I'll see if I can raise him on the radio." He went to the
wheelhouse. "Loch Marie to Gannet come in please. Loch Marie to Gannet can you
hear me?." Gannet can you hear me?
There was a crackling from the set and then, "Gannet to Loch Marie, Josh I can
hear you loud and clear. What's up?"
"Can you slow down and meet up with us? We're leaving very shortly and you left
a couple of packages behind."
"Thought I got everything," Jim replied puzzled as he'd checked he'd picked up
all the boxes and stuff left in the corner of the stores for him. Still perhaps
there were others he missed. He hadn't packed them himself. "Okay Josh. See you
shortly. Thanks. Over and out."
Twenty minutes later they rendezvoused. Josh made Sally sit below in the cabin
until they were alongside. He threw the suitcase over and said there was another
item down below. He signalled Sally to come up and helped her across to the
Gannet. For a moment Jim just stood in shock, then gathered her in his arms and
kissed her. Loch Marie's crew cheered as they veered away. "Welcome aboard, Sal.
Glad to have you back."
Jim picked up the microphone and called Josh. "Thanks boys. I owe you one."
Josh came back. "You almost let that fish get away. Don't do anything we
wouldn't do."
*******
Back in front of the fire Sally told the full story of her imprisonment and
escape. "Looks as if poor Kathrine will lose her job over me." Sally was
distressed. For all the years she had lived in Bencarran, Mrs. Simpson had more
or less been the enemy. Today, she had been a saviour.
Jim phoned her and at first got the answer phone but when he spoke she picked up
the receiver. "Sorry," she said, "I thought it might be the Laird giving me the
sack again. He's left two messages to that effect on the machine now."
Kathrine we both just wanted to thank you for what you have done. We are very
sorry to hear that you have lost your job over us and perhaps I can make a
little payment into your account for loss of work." Kathrine insisted he did
nothing of the sort. "It was worth it to see that banshee from hell knocking old
Ian down and shoving Gertie out of the way in her efforts to get out. You'll
have to watch out if you raise her ire lad. Still you found that out already."
She laughed. "Can you put Sally on? Sally, you'll be pleased to know I've burnt
another dinner. While you were upstairs I put a brace of pheasants in the oven
and they should have been turned down low two hours ago. I doubt if Gertie's
been in the kitchen to do it. They'll find out when the fire alarm starts! Look
after yourselves and if you need any cooking lessons then come and see me.
Wouldn't be surprised if I get asked back to the house before long. They have
sacked me several times before."
Jim pulled Sally to him. "From what Kathrine said and what you told me it seems
as if you went totally berserk when you tried to escape. You know what I said I
would do if it happened again."
"Yes, but there were mitigating circumstances this time. Perhaps it should just
be a bare bum, bare hand spanking. Please not the riding crop."
"I agree." Jim pulled her trousers down and playfully slapped her still
colourful buttocks a few times before opening his flies, putting on a condom and
giving her a welcome home fuck.
Finis
