The Lost Boy and The Gardener's Daughter (25 page)

Chapter Thirty Five

  Saba froze in terror as she
felt the fingers go aroond her throat and squeeze.  She tried tae force hersel up, bit couldnae lift her legs up aff the bed as they wur entangled in the sheets and blankets.  She tried tae scream, bit nothing came oot.  When she managed tae grab the wrist ae the haun that wis choking her, it felt dry, like the fake parchment paper that they’d learned tae make when she was at Brearley, when they were recreating the Magna Carta…the Great Charter ae the Liberties ae England and ae the Forest, as a school project.  Suddenly, her left leg broke free and she managed tae bring her knee up tae her waist before using her heel tae kick him in the guts before rolling o’er tae her left.  She landed oan the flair, wae a thump oan that heid ae hers.  Her right fit wis still entangled in the blankets ae the bed, leaving her face doon at a forty five degree angle.

  “Oh, no, please, God, no!” she howled.

  She managed tae struggle tae her feet, rubbing the side ae her heid where it hid hit the flair as her bedroom door slammed shut.  She looked at the clock oan the bedside table wae its green illuminated hauns. They said that it wis twenty five minutes past two.  She’d slept through her alarm.  She looked aboot wildly and then ran across tae the windae and looked oot.  She could make oot the slated roof ae the stable block and see parts ae the driveway through the trees.  She ran tae the toilet and did a quick pee before rushing back intae her bedroom and jumping intae her clothes.  She thanked God that she’d
packed before gaun tae bed.  Wance she wis dressed, she switched aff the lamp, picked up her rucksack and crept oot ae the bedroom.  She ran alang the corridor and heided fur the stairs.  If that bloody ghostly Gardener reappears, thinking he’s found his long-lost daughter again, he’s in fur a nasty shock…ghost or no…Saba promised, reaching up and tentatively touching her neck.  When she reached the hallway in the basement, below the ground flair, she opened three doors, a broom cupboard, a pantry and a shelved cupboard full ae tins before she at last found the wan she wis efter.  The place wis in darkness when she slowly opened the creaking door.  The smell ae stale alcohol made her crinkle her nose.  She switched oan the light and let oot a yelp.  George Sellar wis sitting wae his mooth wide open, sprawled
back oan a chair beside the cooking range, facing the door.  He opened his eyes and blinked jist as Saba flicked the light switch aff, sending the room back intae darkness.  She stood haudin her breath.  As her eyes grew accustomed tae the dark, she saw him rub baith hauns through his hair, while at the same time, clear his nose, making such a disgusting noise in gulping doon the blockage that he’d jist dislodged, that she thought she wis gaun tae throw up.  He leaned forward and put baith hauns oan his knees and shook his heid as if he’d a buck-toothed cleg chomping away in wan ae his ears.  He stood up and stretched, withoot looking across at her and made fur the side door, which led oot tae the yard and the tap ae the stairs that led doon tae the stable-block or across tae the
wee cottage he shared wae his brother Cameron.  As he turned the key in the lock he stoapped and suddenly spun roond.  Saba hid jist managed tae duck doon behind the kitchen table.  He paused, swaying, and then yanked the door open, taking the key wae him.  Wance he locked the door fae the ootside, he pushed the key back under the door.  Saba never moved until she heard his footsteps fading alang the path. 

  When she’d switched the light oan, she’d noticed the key box in front ae her.  She made her way across tae it, no wanting tae switch the light back oan, in case George spotted it oan his way hame.  The box wis full ae keys wae labels oan them, bit she couldnae read whit they said in the darkness.  She moved across tae the sideboard, opened the tap drawer and fumbled inside.  She found whit she wis looking fur, even though she hidnae been in the room since she wis a wean.  Fur some obscure reason, she knew that Cook kept a box ae Swan Vestas
in the drawer.  She lifted oot the box and made her way back across tae the keys, striking a match as she went.  The key wis hinging oan the bottom row wae a tag oan it that said ‘Stable Block Office.’  She lifted it oot and blew oot the match.  She went back oot tae the hall, picked up her rucksack and retraced her steps tae go through tae the door that George hid jist exited.  After locking it behind her, she slid the key back under the door.

Chapter Thirty Six

  Paul wis well pissed aff wae her.  He’d hid her doon as being a lot tougher
than whit she obviously wis.  Wan wee bit ae lip, and she’d reneged…the bloody basturt that she wis.  He should’ve known better.  He wis also annoyed at himsel.  He shouldnae hiv gied her that last bit ae cheek.  He might’ve known these rich wans wur nae used tae a bit ae backchat fae the likes ae himsel.  He’d obviously goat her hackles up.  He pondered whit tae dae next.  He could jist go and tan the office, grab a set ae keys and heid up the strath oan his lonesome, hook up the boat and get gaun.  Oan the positive side,
he widnae hiv The Gardener’s Daughter wae him, who’d be a total liability anyway. He could nip doon tae Loch Fyne, get the dosh and be back in a couple ae
days.  Oan the doon side though, she widnae be wae him as protection, which wid mean causing a big stooshie tae erupt.  It widnae take them long tae suss oot that it wis him that hid blagged the Landy. They’d throw away the key wance they eventually caught up wae him, before he’d even goat a chance tae enjoy a wee bit ae freedom.  He’d even kidded himsel oan that he’d maybe try and go straight wance he’d goat the money back tae Whitey and Innes.

  “Shit, shit, shit!” he cursed tae himsel.

   He wondered how he’d manage tae get himsel intae such a shitty predicament so close tae being liberated.  Innes wis kidding himsel oan.  At his age, he’d be lucky tae come oot ae the jail wae a straight heid.  They’d fuck him up and treat him like an auld jakey.  The cons wid be okay, bit they screws wid dae his heid in.

  “Fuck it!” Paul mumbled tae himsel, throwing his rucksack oot oan tae the ground and climbing oot ae the back ae the Landy. 

  He heided fur the office door and gied it a wee push wae they fingertips ae his.  Nothing.  He sat doon oan the damp ground and managed tae work the fingers ae baith hauns between the door frame and the door itsel at the bottom, while pressing against the door wae his left fit.  He nudged his arse o’er tae the right, at the same time as swinging his right fit under his hauns so that baith ae his feet wur resting oan the door.  He leaned back and wis jist aboot tae apply pressure wae his feet while pulling himsel forward wae his fingers when a haun landed oan his shoulder.

  “Whit the fuck?” he yelped.

  “Sshhh!” The Gardener’s Daughter wheeshed at him.

  “Fur Christ’s sake!  Where the hell hiv you been?  Ah wis jist aboot tae tan the place masel and heid aff withoot ye,” Paul screeched at her
in a high pitched voice, heart beating like a drum-roll.

  “I’m sorry.  George was in the kitchen where the office door key was kept.  I had to wait until
he’d gone to bed,” she hauf lied.

  “Ye nearly gied me a bloody heart attack there.  Don’t creep up oan people like that.  It’s fucking right oot ae order, so it is.”

  “I said I was sorry.  Could you please refrain from using that offensive language?  What are you expecting me to do?  Beg for forgiveness?” she hissed, looking aboot nervously.

  “Hiv ye goat the key?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, fur Christ’s sake, is there any chance ae borrowing it fur a minute then?”

  “Oh, stop being cranky.  I’m here, like I said I would be.  Don’t I get any points for that?” she bleated, haunin o’er the key.

  “Right, let me see. Yep, that’s whit Ah’m efter.  Remember tae lock the door behind us,” Paul said, lifting doon a set ae keys fae the key box and switching aff the torch that he’d picked up efter entering the office, before sauntering back oot intae the yard.

  “Which car?” Saba asked.

  “Whit wan is George’s?”

  “I’m sorry, you can’t take his.”

  “Why no?”

  “Because I promised Morven that we wouldn’t take the one that George drives.”

  “Is that right?  So, I take it she’s back winching wae that big lump ae shite then?”

  “Of course she isn’t.  She doesn’t even like him.  She thinks there will be less trouble when they find out one of the vehicles is missing, if it isn’t the one that George drives.”

  “Ach, well, too late,” Paul said smiling, pressing the button on the torch and lighting up the set ae keys that hid a tag wae George’s name written oan it.

  “Right, put it back!” she demanded in a low voice,

  “Am Ah fuck.  We’ve wasted enough time hinging aboot here.  We need tae get oan the road.  You take the office key back up tae the kitchen and Ah’ll sort us oot doon here.  Leave yer bag wae me.”

  “What?  But I can’t.  I slipped the kitchen key back under the door.  The door is locked.”

  “We need tae get that key back.  Withoot it being there, somewan will notice it’s gone, long before we’re well oan oor way.  It’s gonnae be light soon,” Paul sniffed, looking up at the sky.

  “Arghhhh!” Saba harrumphed, stomping aff in the direction ae the steps, office key in her haun.

  Paul walked across tae the first Landy and tried George’s key in the lock oan the driver’s door.  It widnae budge.  He passed the canvas-covered wan, as he knew awready that that wis Cameron’s and slid the key intae the third wan.  The key turned and Paul pulled doon the haundle and opened the door.  He didnae mess aboot.  He walked back and picked up his ain and Saba’s rucksacks and slung them intae the back.  He then went back tae the first car, nearest tae the office.  He bent doon at the grille oan the front and released the catch.  He couldnae believe his luck.  There wisnae a spare wheel sitting in the brackets oan the bonnet ae this Landy or Cameron’s.  When Innes hid showed him how they Sellar basturts hid stolen his rotor erm oot ae his auld Landy, it hid taken the two ae them tae lift up the bonnet because ae the weight ae the spare wheel sitting oan tap ae it.

  “So, if ye don’t hiv a rotor erm, Innes, whit happens?” he’d asked.

  “The engine will crank over until the battery goes flat, but it will never start until you fit another rotor arm.  There’s very little chance I’ll be able to get myself another Lucas rotor arm about here, even if I did have the money, so I’ll need to send off for one to be sent to me…when I win the Pools,” Innes hid murmured bitterly.

  Paul looked doon tae the left ae the engine bay, looking fur the distributor cap and found it withoot hivving tae put oan the torch, as the light ootside the office lit up where he wis searching.  He unclipped the distributor cap, removed the rotor erm and slipped it intae his pocket.  Efter fastening the distributor cap back up, he closed the bonnet and moved o’er tae Cameron’s wan, repeating the process.

    “That’ll teach they basturts,” he chuckled tae himsel.

  He went across and looked in wan ae the stable arches where something familiar hid caught his eye.  He lifted the tap wheel aff the stack ae four, and rolled it across tae George’s Landy and opened the back door.

  “I’m sure Innes will be glad tae get these back,” he said tae himsel, wae a smile.
   Wance he’d goat Innes’s wheels in the back, he moved roond tae the driving seat and jumped in, letting aff the haunbrake.

  Due tae the sloping nature ae the yard, the Landy very slowly moved forward oan its ain, picking up speed, as Paul steered it towards and through the archway ae the yard.  Wance he wis through, he stoapped and applied the haunbrake and waited.

  Saba reached the kitchen door.  She didnae know whit she wis supposed tae dae.  She bent doon, placing her right ear oan the ground.  She could jist see the ringed end ae the key lying bang in the middle ae the door oan the inside.  She tried tae stretch her fingers in, bit it wis jist barely oot ae reach.  She looked aboot.  She went across tae a bush and snapped aff a twig.  Efter four attempts, she managed tae push the key sideways where it peeped through the bottom ae the door.  She picked it up and slid the key intae the lock.  She placed the office key back where she’d found it earlier.  She wis jist aboot tae go back oot ae the kitchen door when she stoapped abruptly.

  “Drat!” she cursed, shutting the door and heiding fur the hallway and the stairs. 

  She’d jist remembered that she’d left her radio sitting beside her bed.  She wanted tae take it wae her.  Her grandmother disapproved ae music, apart fae her collection ae seventy eights that she cranked up loudly every evening, tae everywan’s distress.  She’d jist reached the first flair landing when she goat the fright ae her life.

  “Who’s there?  Saba? What in God’s name are you doing up and about at this time of the night?  And you’re dressed too,” her father reprimanded, staunin at the door ae the smoking room, wearing his pyjamas and a silk dressing gown.

  “Oh, er, I was out, father.”

  “What?  At this time of the night?”

  “Er, yes.  I was walking Morven back down to the bottom of the drive.  She gets a bit scared on her own.  She thinks the ghost of the Gardener is wandering about in search of his daughter.”

  “What nonsense.  Everyone knows he only bothers with virgins.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she retorted, her eyes narrowing.

  “Oh, er, nothing, darling.  Listen...come here...into the light.  Sit with me for a moment,” he commanded, before turning and disappearing intae the room.

  “But, I’m tired,” she wailed, frustrated, as she followed him intae the room.

  “Sit down.”

  “But I’m tired, Father.  I need to go to my bed.”

  “Yes, well, I just wanted to talk with you for a moment.  Please sit down.”

  “What?” she asked, sitting oan the erm ae a chair.

  “You’re fifteen years old today.  I’m sorry I haven’t been the father you would have liked me to be.”

  “Forget it, you are who you are.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh Father, I’m tired.  I need my bed,” she groaned.

  “Look, I’ve got a surprise for you today.  I wasn’t going to tell you, but I suppose with you being up and about, and as it is your birthday, I may as well tell you now.  Your mo…”

  “Stop!  Please don’t tell me your surprise, Father.  Let’s wait until Morven is here in the morning and the rest of the staff are here too.  I’d like to share the surprise with them,” she shouted, covering her ears wae her hauns.

  “Really?”

  “Father, I knew you were planning to spring a surprise on me.  I can wait another few hours.”

  “You did?”

  “Oh, yes, and in return, I was going to spring one on you.  Let’s not spoil it tonight when we’re both too tired to savour and enjoy it.  We’ll both wake up in the morning and see who has the better surprise…if you’re alright with that?” she said tae him, smiling sweetly.

  “Why, darling, of course I am.  I’m so glad I never told you now.  Are you sure you want to share it with everyone...the domestics, I mean?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Right, that’s settled then…breakfast at eight o’clock sharp on the north veranda, if it isn’t raining…alright?”

  “Lovely, now can I please go to bed?”

  “Of course you can, darling.  Have a pleasant sleep,” he said, expressing surprise when she walked o’er and gied him a peck oan the cheek, smiled at him and disappeared oot ae the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

  “Well, I never…things are definitely taking a turn for the better,” he said tae himsel oot loud, as he reached fur his cigar cutter and took a sip ae his dram.

  Saba ran straight up tae her room and burst through the door.  She grabbed the radio and ran back quickly, slowing doon before passing the smoking room door, then hurrying doon the stairs tae the kitchen.  Efter locking the kitchen door behind her and slipping the key back under it, she nipped doon the steps, two at a time.  She wis cursing hersel.  She knew The Lost Boy wid be fuming at her as she sped aroond the corner tae the arch ae the stable block and ran straight intae the side ae the Land Rover, bouncing aff the door panel and landing oan her arse.

  “Wid ye stoap fucking aboot and get in before ye wake up every gamekeeper between here and Bettyhill,” Paul growled, peering doon at her through the open passenger windae.