Part 14 (1/2)

Diarmuid rubbed his hands. ”Just wait till I tell my friends.”

”Yes, now you've money, you'll probably see them all again,” said Hamish cynically, but Diarmuid wasn't listening.

He crossed to the bar. ”Well,” he said cheerfully, ”this does call for a celebration.”

Hamish felt he had had enough. ”No, we must go. Coming, Harriet?”

Harriet stood up reluctantly. Hamish was going to ask her questions she didn't want to answer.

They walked silently together to their hotel. This time, Hamish followed Harriet into her room and looked down at her seriously. ”I am not in the way of making pa.s.ses when I think they will not be welcome,” said Hamish. ”So what L happened?”

”Sit down, Hamish,” said Harriet. Hamish sat on the edge of the bed and she sat beside him and took one of his hands in hers.

”I'm to blame.” Harriet looked up at him and there was the glitter of tears in her large grey eyes. ”I was...I am attracted to you. I should have let you know before, but it, was all so exciting, the murder investigation, I mean.”

”Let me know what?”

”I am engaged to be married, My future husband, Neil, is an officer in the British Army. He's due back from Hong Kong.”

Hamish removed his hand. ”When?”

”In London, tomorrow. I'm travelling down on the morning plane.”

”You might have let me know,” said Hamish stiffly. ”Oh, Hamish...”

He rose. ”I, too, will leave in the morning,” he said without looking at her. ”Thank you for all your generosity and help.”

”Hamish...”

But he walked out and closed the door behind him.

He went to his room and set the alarm in case he slept in. He would catch the train to Edinburgh in the morning and from there take the train to Inverness. He lay down on the bed, fully dressed, and tried not to feel like a fool.

And then the phone beside his ear rang sharp and insistent. He reached out and picked it up.

”Hamis.h.!.+” came Priscilla Halburton-Smythe's voice.

”Priscilla.”Hesatup.

”I've been phoning and phoning,” cried Priscilla. ”Where have you been?”

”Out. It's a long story. What's wrong?”

”I just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year.”

”Oh, aye, Happy New Year, Priscilla. Still with my folks?”

”No, back at the hotel. Towser's here. He's fine but missing you. I had the best Christmas ever. When do you get back?”

”I'm catching the Inverness train from Edinburgh tomorrow. I'll be in Inverness just after eight. I'll probably stay the night with my friends, lain and Biddy, out at Torgormack, and then catch the sprinter in the morning.”

There was a silence and then Priscilla said, ”I'll come and fetch you if you like. Tomorrow. At Inverness station.”

”That would be grand, Priscilla.”

There was another silence.

Then Priscilla's voice, sharp and anxious. ”What's up, Hamish?”

”It wa.s.s the end of a murder inquiry,” said Hamish. ”I feel flat. I'll tell you all about it when I see you.”

”How come you are staying at such an expensive hotel? Glasgow police being generous?”

”No, I'll tell you about that as well. I'd better get some sleep.”

”All right, Hamish. Goodbye.”

Priscilla slowly replaced the receiver. Something had happened to Hamish Macbeth and she was sure it was nothing to do with the murder case he had been on.

EIGHT.

Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person. Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person. -MARK TWAIN -MARK TWAIN The tinny alarm bell shrilled in Hamish's ear and he started up. He had Mien asleep still dressed, and he felt hot and dirty. He had a shower and changed and then went along to Harriet's room and tapped on the door.

He felt he had behaved very badly. She had not thrown herself at him. He had read too much into simple friendliness and he had no right to be angry with her.

There was no reply to his knock and all at once he knew she had left. He looked at his watch. Seven in the morning.

He went down to the reception desk. The night porter, still on duty, answered his query by saying that, yes, she had left. There was a letter for him. Hamish glanced at it. He could not bear to read it and shoved it into his pocket.

He had breakfast and then packed and made his way to the station to catch the Edinburgh train, stopping off on the way to buy a bottle of perfume for Priscilla. He felt he should have gone to visit his relatives and stayed with them in Glasgow for another night, but could riot bring himself to do so. Before boarding the train, he bought the morning papers.

The news of the arrest of Jessie and her husband had occurred too late for the first editions. He wondered if he would be mentioned in the later editions and then decided, probably not. Glasgow police would take the credit, not out of vanity, but simply to avoid long-winded explanations to the press about how some holidaying Highland copper came to solve the mystery.

He had had very little sleep and nodded off, only waking when a shout of 'Waverly, next stop!' heralded his arrival in Edinburgh.

A group raising money for famine relief were singing Christmas carols in a corner of the station. It seemed almost indecent to hear Christmas carols in the new year.

Hamish lugged his travelling-bag to the Inverness train. Every seat was taken and he had to stand as far as Stirling. When he was finally seated, he remembered Harriet's letter and reluctantly pulled it out. ”Dear Hamish,” he read. ”Do not think too badly of me. I should have told you at the beginning that I was engaged. It was all my fault. I am sorry our great adventure had to end this way and please don't feel too badly rejected. Think of me sometimes. I shall certainly never forget you. Love, Harriet.”

He shrugged and put the letter back in his pocket. As the towns slid past on the road to the north, Perth, Blair Atholl, Dalwhinnie, Kingussie, Aviemore, he felt the whole business receding. Eileencraig with Jane and her health farm, Geordie and his truck seemed a million miles away. He wondered briefly if Jane and John Wetherby would remarry.

And then he arrived in Inverness. Snow was falling as he walked along the platform, the seagulls of Inverness were screaming overhead, and there was Priscilla, standing at the end of the platform with Towser on a leash.

She dropped the leash and Towser came bounding up to meet him, ridiculous, tail wagging energetically, scrabbling at Hamish in delight with large muddy paws.

”He looks well,” said Hamish, dropping a kiss on Priscilla's cold cheek, ”andsodoyou.” She was almost restored to her former beauty. Her golden hair had a healthy s.h.i.+ne and the hollows had left her cheeks.