handed Elenor her prize?” Granny said. “And by the way, why did she no get to keep it?”
“The committee will have her name engraved on it and then Elenor will get it to keep. Yes, the lady was Miss Patten from Dunoon. Ye’ve heard me talk about her before.”
“Ye worked for her didn’t ye?”
Mary smiled. “Yes, but that’s not half of it. Ye remember I told ye about a stable she was going to let Ted convert into a wee cottage?”
“ Aye, and the fool dragged ye here to Govan instead.”
“Well, for some reason Miss Patten had it converted anyway ... it’s a long story maybe I should start at the beginning.”
“From the look o ye it’s a good story. Ye’ve been grinning yer head off ever since ye got in.”
“Ah’ll make us some more tea first. It is a long story and a strange one.”
Granny sat fidgeting while Mary fussed with the teapot and opened a small packet of biscuits before she finally sat again.
“When Ah realised that one of the dance judges was my very own Elenora Pattten from Dunoon ye could have knocked me down with a feather.”
“Aye, did look as though ye’d seen a ghost.”
“A ghost? Yes, Ah suppose she was a ghost – a haunting figure from my past. Anyway when Ah managed to speak to her she told me why she’d come to Govan as a dance judge. It seems she judges quite often at these competitions and when she heard that this one was to be held in Govan she felt she just had to be here.”
Granny shook her head. “Ah can’t think why anyone would feel they had to be in Govan.”
Mary laughed. “Miss Patten is a medium. She was guided here by her spirit friends. Of course, in their usual fashion they didn’t tell her why she should be in Govan or even what she would find here or what her mission would be. Can ye understand that, Granny?”
“Sounds a bit double-Dutch to me, but go on.”
“When Miss Patten, a psychic, gets a message either for herself or for someone else, from beyond the grave, no matter how garbled or strange it may be, she pays heed to it. When she saw me in Elder Park that’s when she knew why she’d been sent to Govan. It was to find me – us now – and to offer us a different way of life and at the same time bring some comfort to herself in her advancing years. She did once, years ago now, predict that her lovely home Ivylea would forever have a place, not only in my mind and memories, but also in my life. Remember Ah told ye she’d had the cottage renovation done?”
Granny nodded.
“Well, only two weeks ago her renters moved out and she had the place cleaned and aired.”
Mary stopped and looked expectantly at Granny.
“Can ye not guess? She says we can have it.”
Granny’s smile was a bit forced. “Ah’m pleased for ye, Ah really am. It’s great that ye’ve had the good fortune to be offered a cottage for ye and Elenor, away from the streets o Govan. But Ah must say Ah’m sorry to lose the best friend Ah ever had ... and wee Elenor will be away in Dunoon ... Ah’ll never see hide nor hair o either o ye again.”
“Granny! Ah thought ye prided yerself on being quick on the uptake. Have ye not heard me? Ah said, we and us. Ye’re going with us. Ye’re going to Dunoon.”
Chapter Sixteen
Despite Granny’s protestations that she was far too old to start ‘gallivantin’ about on boats, once she was aboard the ferry bound for Dunoon she thoroughly enjoyed the sail down the Clyde from Govan pier and out into the estuary. If the boat trip was a wonderful experience even that was as nothing compared to her first glimpse of Dunoon.
“Did ye ever see such a glorious sight?” she exclaimed and went on enthusing to any and all as they lined the ship’s rail on the approach to the pier already crowded with returning holidaymakers. “It’s a picture, just a beautiful picture, Elenor. Would ye just look at that cheeky big bird sittin on top o that pile o hampers.”
“It’s a seagull, Granny.” Elenor
“The committee will have her name engraved on it and then Elenor will get it to keep. Yes, the lady was Miss Patten from Dunoon. Ye’ve heard me talk about her before.”
“Ye worked for her didn’t ye?”
Mary smiled. “Yes, but that’s not half of it. Ye remember I told ye about a stable she was going to let Ted convert into a wee cottage?”
“ Aye, and the fool dragged ye here to Govan instead.”
“Well, for some reason Miss Patten had it converted anyway ... it’s a long story maybe I should start at the beginning.”
“From the look o ye it’s a good story. Ye’ve been grinning yer head off ever since ye got in.”
“Ah’ll make us some more tea first. It is a long story and a strange one.”
Granny sat fidgeting while Mary fussed with the teapot and opened a small packet of biscuits before she finally sat again.
“When Ah realised that one of the dance judges was my very own Elenora Pattten from Dunoon ye could have knocked me down with a feather.”
“Aye, did look as though ye’d seen a ghost.”
“A ghost? Yes, Ah suppose she was a ghost – a haunting figure from my past. Anyway when Ah managed to speak to her she told me why she’d come to Govan as a dance judge. It seems she judges quite often at these competitions and when she heard that this one was to be held in Govan she felt she just had to be here.”
Granny shook her head. “Ah can’t think why anyone would feel they had to be in Govan.”
Mary laughed. “Miss Patten is a medium. She was guided here by her spirit friends. Of course, in their usual fashion they didn’t tell her why she should be in Govan or even what she would find here or what her mission would be. Can ye understand that, Granny?”
“Sounds a bit double-Dutch to me, but go on.”
“When Miss Patten, a psychic, gets a message either for herself or for someone else, from beyond the grave, no matter how garbled or strange it may be, she pays heed to it. When she saw me in Elder Park that’s when she knew why she’d been sent to Govan. It was to find me – us now – and to offer us a different way of life and at the same time bring some comfort to herself in her advancing years. She did once, years ago now, predict that her lovely home Ivylea would forever have a place, not only in my mind and memories, but also in my life. Remember Ah told ye she’d had the cottage renovation done?”
Granny nodded.
“Well, only two weeks ago her renters moved out and she had the place cleaned and aired.”
Mary stopped and looked expectantly at Granny.
“Can ye not guess? She says we can have it.”
Granny’s smile was a bit forced. “Ah’m pleased for ye, Ah really am. It’s great that ye’ve had the good fortune to be offered a cottage for ye and Elenor, away from the streets o Govan. But Ah must say Ah’m sorry to lose the best friend Ah ever had ... and wee Elenor will be away in Dunoon ... Ah’ll never see hide nor hair o either o ye again.”
“Granny! Ah thought ye prided yerself on being quick on the uptake. Have ye not heard me? Ah said, we and us. Ye’re going with us. Ye’re going to Dunoon.”
Chapter Sixteen
Despite Granny’s protestations that she was far too old to start ‘gallivantin’ about on boats, once she was aboard the ferry bound for Dunoon she thoroughly enjoyed the sail down the Clyde from Govan pier and out into the estuary. If the boat trip was a wonderful experience even that was as nothing compared to her first glimpse of Dunoon.
“Did ye ever see such a glorious sight?” she exclaimed and went on enthusing to any and all as they lined the ship’s rail on the approach to the pier already crowded with returning holidaymakers. “It’s a picture, just a beautiful picture, Elenor. Would ye just look at that cheeky big bird sittin on top o that pile o hampers.”
“It’s a seagull, Granny.” Elenor
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