Page 119 of The Seaside Homecoming
She nodded. “I’m that sorry for not telling ye sooner. I suspected as much when I asked ye to take me with ye. Now I’m sure.”
“Is that why you were afraid to go home to your father?”
“Aye. I woulda been scared anyway, but with this?” Sheplaced a hand on her slightly rounded abdomen and shook her head. “We’d both be goners. Da’ broke my brother’s arm for a far lesser offense.”
“Despicable. And the babe’s father?”
Mary hung her head.
Claire asked tentatively, “Was it Fergus?”
“No, thank God.” Mary visibly shuddered. “Though he certainly tried.”
“Then who?”
“Do ye remember Liam? Liam MacBain?”
At her blank look, Mary added, “The apothecary’s assistant. He delivered tinctures and draughts to your aunt regular-like?”
“Oh yes! Bright red hair, exceedingly polite.”
Mary nodded. “That’s him.”
“I remember Aunt Mercer chastising him for coming so often with one package of pills or one small vial of whatnot, instead of delivering her weekly supply at once. I suppose now I know why.”
Mary dipped a blushing face. “He came as often as he could. We fell in love and hoped to marry when we’d saved enough to live on our own. I know it were wrong, not waitin’ fer the weddin’.” Her blush deepened.
“Did your father find out?”
“About Liam, aye. Da’ came to take a share of my wages and saw Liam kiss me as he left the house. Put two and two together and flew into a rage. He struck Liam over the head and when he fell kicked him hard. A watchman came and broke it up or he’d ’a killed ’im.”
“When was this? I don’t remember hearing a fight.”
“You’d gone to the kirk.”
“Did the watchman summon a constable to arrest your father?”
“No, miss. Da’ intimidates everyone, so the watchman senthim off with barely a warnin’, though poor Liam was bleedin’ bad. Da’ left but said he’d find Liam and when he did, he’d be a dead man.”
“So what did you do?”
“I wanted us to run away together, but Liam said no. He couldna support me without a job, and he wouldn’t see me homeless. He said he would think on what to do and come back the next day after he’d bound his wounds. But Da’ came to the shop that very evenin’ and beat the apothecary when he refused to tell where Liam was. Took three passersby to pull ’im off the man. Liam sneaked over to see me one last time and told me he was leavin’ Edinburgh before anyone else got hurt on his account. He promised to write as soon as he had a new place somewhere.”
“And did he?”
“Aye.” Tears filled the girl’s eyes once again. “And it’s so awful. For me, at least.” She rose and retrieved a letter from her dressing chest and handed it to Claire. “Here. Read it.”
My dearest Mary,
I have taken a place as a surgeon’s mate on the merchant shipClyde.We’re undertaking a voyage for the East India Company, bound for Bengal. I know it’s a long way, and a long way from you, but the wages are good, and when I return, I shall be able to afford a place for the two of us and marry you proper-like. I do love you, my girl, more than you know, and I sincerely regret this time apart. Please don’t forget me. I promise I shall return for you, God willing.
Yours forever,
Liam
“Oh, miss! He’ll be gone ages! I don’t think he realized when he signed on how long he’d be away, and now it’s too late.”
Sympathy for the girl swelled in Claire, for who was she to judge? “Oh, Mary. I am so sorry.”
