Catholic church. But I no longer cared about that. The prospect of Mrs Macmerry’s tight-lipped disapproval had ceased to matter.
A man, a relative of Danny’s, had been murdered.
As I ran up the track to the farm, there were voices raised. Mrs Macmerry’s shrill, protesting. Dogs barking.
Above them all, I recognised Jack’s deep voice.
Jack!
Thank God. Jack would know what to do.
The door was flung open. A huge grey shadow hurtled towards me.
I screamed!
Chapter Eight
‘Thane!’
Even on three of his four feet, he was much faster than Jack, desperately clinging on to the rope around his neck.
‘Thane,’ I yelled again as he reached me, threw out those three anchors and stopped just in time, at my feet. There he sat down. Even sitting he reached my shoulder as he gazed at me adoringly and blissfully attempted to lick my cheek.
‘Thane – what on earth –?’
As Thane, however willing, was incapable by nature of human speech, it was Jack’s turn. Regardless of his parents at the door, he pushed Thane aside and swung me off my feet in a lingering passionate embrace.
Thane regarded this with the human equivalent of a heavy sigh. He had seen all this before. He yawned.
‘I’ve missed you,’ said Jack tenderly. ‘How have you been?’ he added glancing nervously over his shoulder at his approaching parents while the two labradors, Whisky and Soda, who had been roused from their apathy by the arrival of Wonder Dog, peered out of the kitchen door like disgruntled dowagers.
‘Jack, for heaven’s sake. Are you mad? What on earth is Thane doing here?’
Thane, who was following this comment closely, held up a heavily and somewhat inexpertly bandaged paw by way of explanation .
‘What happened to you?’
‘You might well ask,’ said Jack. ‘Just look at him. I couldn’t leave him in Edinburgh. He has a badly cut paw, caught in a snare or something. You weren’t at home, so who was to take care of him?’
As he spoke, a series of images floated rapidly through my mind. Thane, whose habitat was Arthur’s Seat, brought into astrange environment miles from home. How he lived on Arthur’s Seat, who fed him and groomed him was one mystery we had never solved. How would he react and live in Eildon was immediate and our responsibility, as imagination prompted a ghostly tribe of panic-stricken woolly sheep streaking across the fields –
‘Jack, what have you done?’ I wailed.
Jack stamped an impatient foot. ‘You aren’t listening to me, Rose. I’m telling you I couldn’t leave him. He was at the back door when I called at the Tower, and I’m pretty certain he’s been sitting there every day, waiting for you to come home.’
Pausing to stroke Thane’s neck, he said, ‘Looking so poorly, too. You wouldn’t have wanted that, you’d have been worried sick.’
That at least was true.
I made no comment and Jack beamed. ‘Then I had a brain wave. All I could think of was that Da is fantastic with animals, a real animal doctor, he missed his vocation. As anyone around here would tell you. So I knew exactly what I had to do,’ he added firmly.
I looked at Thane who was studiously avoiding my eye. I patted his head. He turned and winked at me, and Jack said in wounded tones. ‘I thought you’d be pleased’.
I was trying to think of a suitable reply when his parents decided to join us. His mother said quickly, in a no-nonsense tone, firm and decisive, ‘That Dog can’t stay here.’
Thane and Jack both looked at her and Jack said patiently but rather proudly. ‘He isn’t a dog, Ma, he’s a deerhound.’
Mrs Macmerry considered this correction, shrugged and said, ‘Whatever he is, he can’t stay in my house, that’s for sure. He’s far too big for one thing, for another, Whisky and Soda wouldn’t tolerate it.’
And neither would Thane, I thought as Jack’s father beamed on us, rubbing his hands in an excited way.
‘What a fine chap he is. We haven’t seen a deerhound in
A man, a relative of Danny’s, had been murdered.
As I ran up the track to the farm, there were voices raised. Mrs Macmerry’s shrill, protesting. Dogs barking.
Above them all, I recognised Jack’s deep voice.
Jack!
Thank God. Jack would know what to do.
The door was flung open. A huge grey shadow hurtled towards me.
I screamed!
Chapter Eight
‘Thane!’
Even on three of his four feet, he was much faster than Jack, desperately clinging on to the rope around his neck.
‘Thane,’ I yelled again as he reached me, threw out those three anchors and stopped just in time, at my feet. There he sat down. Even sitting he reached my shoulder as he gazed at me adoringly and blissfully attempted to lick my cheek.
‘Thane – what on earth –?’
As Thane, however willing, was incapable by nature of human speech, it was Jack’s turn. Regardless of his parents at the door, he pushed Thane aside and swung me off my feet in a lingering passionate embrace.
Thane regarded this with the human equivalent of a heavy sigh. He had seen all this before. He yawned.
‘I’ve missed you,’ said Jack tenderly. ‘How have you been?’ he added glancing nervously over his shoulder at his approaching parents while the two labradors, Whisky and Soda, who had been roused from their apathy by the arrival of Wonder Dog, peered out of the kitchen door like disgruntled dowagers.
‘Jack, for heaven’s sake. Are you mad? What on earth is Thane doing here?’
Thane, who was following this comment closely, held up a heavily and somewhat inexpertly bandaged paw by way of explanation .
‘What happened to you?’
‘You might well ask,’ said Jack. ‘Just look at him. I couldn’t leave him in Edinburgh. He has a badly cut paw, caught in a snare or something. You weren’t at home, so who was to take care of him?’
As he spoke, a series of images floated rapidly through my mind. Thane, whose habitat was Arthur’s Seat, brought into astrange environment miles from home. How he lived on Arthur’s Seat, who fed him and groomed him was one mystery we had never solved. How would he react and live in Eildon was immediate and our responsibility, as imagination prompted a ghostly tribe of panic-stricken woolly sheep streaking across the fields –
‘Jack, what have you done?’ I wailed.
Jack stamped an impatient foot. ‘You aren’t listening to me, Rose. I’m telling you I couldn’t leave him. He was at the back door when I called at the Tower, and I’m pretty certain he’s been sitting there every day, waiting for you to come home.’
Pausing to stroke Thane’s neck, he said, ‘Looking so poorly, too. You wouldn’t have wanted that, you’d have been worried sick.’
That at least was true.
I made no comment and Jack beamed. ‘Then I had a brain wave. All I could think of was that Da is fantastic with animals, a real animal doctor, he missed his vocation. As anyone around here would tell you. So I knew exactly what I had to do,’ he added firmly.
I looked at Thane who was studiously avoiding my eye. I patted his head. He turned and winked at me, and Jack said in wounded tones. ‘I thought you’d be pleased’.
I was trying to think of a suitable reply when his parents decided to join us. His mother said quickly, in a no-nonsense tone, firm and decisive, ‘That Dog can’t stay here.’
Thane and Jack both looked at her and Jack said patiently but rather proudly. ‘He isn’t a dog, Ma, he’s a deerhound.’
Mrs Macmerry considered this correction, shrugged and said, ‘Whatever he is, he can’t stay in my house, that’s for sure. He’s far too big for one thing, for another, Whisky and Soda wouldn’t tolerate it.’
And neither would Thane, I thought as Jack’s father beamed on us, rubbing his hands in an excited way.
‘What a fine chap he is. We haven’t seen a deerhound in
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