Read Online Rose McQuinn 7 - Deadly Legacy by Alanna Knight - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alanna Knight
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opposite which I approached cautiously and swept some dirty undergarments on to the floor.
'Go on, miss. Sit ye down.' And lifting the bottle. 'A drink perhaps?'
I would have loved a drink of tea at that moment but a swig from his ale bottle had no appeal whatsoever.
'Where is Meg?' I demanded.
He stared at me, taking in the words slowly as if having difficulty in understanding them.
I added sharply, 'I expected to find her here with you.'
His eyes evaded me, searching the corners of the room, as if she might be lurking there. 'Oh aye, she was here with us, until recently. Ye'll ken that her aunty, my late wife, died of consumption in the summer?' And without waiting for any response, 'Annie nursed her in the last months.'
'You were fostering other children--'
'No, just Meg then. When Pam died, Annie moved in - we're just married.'
I could see the reason for that: as well as nursing Pam she had been consoling the husband with some missing home comforts. I thought of the result - the unborn child filled in a whole lot of the story that was thankfully left to imagination.
'Where is Meg now?'
He tried looking at me, but his gaze was shifty. 'She's fine - all is well with the wee lass, I assure you.'
'Then why was her father not informed of this change of circumstances, namely that her aunt had died?'
Again he looked at me. 'We didna' want to worry him, but Annie wrote a letter. Did he not get it?' I said, 'The last letter her father received was when you were moving here to Tarnbrae six months ago. There was no mention that Pam was in poor health.'
'Oh,' was all he could summon up as a reply, frowning, thinking hard.
'I want to see Meg,' I said firmly. 'If you will be so good as to inform me of her present whereabouts. And tell me what has happened in the meantime.'
'Aye, aye, let me explain. Annie was living here - when Pam died - had all these lads and she didna' think it a proper place for a wee lass, seeing as they were a bit rough. If ye see what I mean.'
I didn't, but it was becoming repetitious and abundantly clear from my recent witness of their behaviour.
He sighed deeply. 'As Annie's expecting another, that makes things a bit awkward. I'm out of work at present, so there's no money coming in.'
I gave the ale bottle an accusing look, no doubt the reason for Joe losing his job, as he went on, 'It was all going to be too much for Annie. The wee lass had all her own way with my Pam - spoilt her a bit, right fond of her, fair doted on her in fact, especially as we had no bairns of our own.'
He frowned, a moment's thought. 'So Annie and me thought she'd be much happier with a family who wanted her, needed a bairn of their own.' He paused. 'We decided the best thing was that we put her up for adoption.'
I was horrified. 'You did this - without even consulting her father?'
He shook his head. 'Ah, but we did. Just that exactly. Annie wrote to him.' Then looking at me very directly, suddenly quite sober, 'To be quite honest about this, I didna' ken how well you are acquainted with Macmerry, but we thought he would be quite glad not to have the responsibility. It's not as if he's a married man and could have ever offered her a home.'
As he spoke he was looking me over very candidly, as if trying to assess what position I held in Jack's life.
'Between you and me,' he added confidentially, 'Macmerry's never showed that much interest in the wee lass. Of course, I kenned from my poor Pam that his marriage to her sister had not been a success - to put it mildly. And after she died, he was right glad we took the bairn in. A busy policeman chasing criminals in Edinburgh hadna' much time to spare and didna' want to spend it with the bairn Pam believed he never wanted in the first place.'
Although I listened in shocked silence, I knew Joe Pringless made sense; he was speaking nothing but the truth. The truth I had heard in as many words from Jack himself. Now the situation was obvious. Perhaps the wily widow had
'Go on, miss. Sit ye down.' And lifting the bottle. 'A drink perhaps?'
I would have loved a drink of tea at that moment but a swig from his ale bottle had no appeal whatsoever.
'Where is Meg?' I demanded.
He stared at me, taking in the words slowly as if having difficulty in understanding them.
I added sharply, 'I expected to find her here with you.'
His eyes evaded me, searching the corners of the room, as if she might be lurking there. 'Oh aye, she was here with us, until recently. Ye'll ken that her aunty, my late wife, died of consumption in the summer?' And without waiting for any response, 'Annie nursed her in the last months.'
'You were fostering other children--'
'No, just Meg then. When Pam died, Annie moved in - we're just married.'
I could see the reason for that: as well as nursing Pam she had been consoling the husband with some missing home comforts. I thought of the result - the unborn child filled in a whole lot of the story that was thankfully left to imagination.
'Where is Meg now?'
He tried looking at me, but his gaze was shifty. 'She's fine - all is well with the wee lass, I assure you.'
'Then why was her father not informed of this change of circumstances, namely that her aunt had died?'
Again he looked at me. 'We didna' want to worry him, but Annie wrote a letter. Did he not get it?' I said, 'The last letter her father received was when you were moving here to Tarnbrae six months ago. There was no mention that Pam was in poor health.'
'Oh,' was all he could summon up as a reply, frowning, thinking hard.
'I want to see Meg,' I said firmly. 'If you will be so good as to inform me of her present whereabouts. And tell me what has happened in the meantime.'
'Aye, aye, let me explain. Annie was living here - when Pam died - had all these lads and she didna' think it a proper place for a wee lass, seeing as they were a bit rough. If ye see what I mean.'
I didn't, but it was becoming repetitious and abundantly clear from my recent witness of their behaviour.
He sighed deeply. 'As Annie's expecting another, that makes things a bit awkward. I'm out of work at present, so there's no money coming in.'
I gave the ale bottle an accusing look, no doubt the reason for Joe losing his job, as he went on, 'It was all going to be too much for Annie. The wee lass had all her own way with my Pam - spoilt her a bit, right fond of her, fair doted on her in fact, especially as we had no bairns of our own.'
He frowned, a moment's thought. 'So Annie and me thought she'd be much happier with a family who wanted her, needed a bairn of their own.' He paused. 'We decided the best thing was that we put her up for adoption.'
I was horrified. 'You did this - without even consulting her father?'
He shook his head. 'Ah, but we did. Just that exactly. Annie wrote to him.' Then looking at me very directly, suddenly quite sober, 'To be quite honest about this, I didna' ken how well you are acquainted with Macmerry, but we thought he would be quite glad not to have the responsibility. It's not as if he's a married man and could have ever offered her a home.'
As he spoke he was looking me over very candidly, as if trying to assess what position I held in Jack's life.
'Between you and me,' he added confidentially, 'Macmerry's never showed that much interest in the wee lass. Of course, I kenned from my poor Pam that his marriage to her sister had not been a success - to put it mildly. And after she died, he was right glad we took the bairn in. A busy policeman chasing criminals in Edinburgh hadna' much time to spare and didna' want to spend it with the bairn Pam believed he never wanted in the first place.'
Although I listened in shocked silence, I knew Joe Pringless made sense; he was speaking nothing but the truth. The truth I had heard in as many words from Jack himself. Now the situation was obvious. Perhaps the wily widow had
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