believe. I’ll certainly ride back on the tractor.”
But it was a mistake. Wedged and cramped, she was glad when they reached the Drummonds’ cottage and delivered the letters and parcels—but a little less pleased to discover a large oil-stain on her pleated skirt.
“Will you come in for a wee while?” Mrs. Drummond invited, but Neil politely refused, saying he had to deliver supplies at several other crofts.
“It’s a grand morning to be out enjoying yourselves together, the pair of you,” she continued. “Aye, and it’s good fortune that a bonnie girl like Judith is staying with her sister.”
Good heavens, thought Judith. Don’t let her start her matchmaking tactics on me! But the next instant she laughed to herself. Not even Mrs. Drummond could hope to arrange matrimonial affairs in the few days that remained of Judith’s holiday.
She sighed gustily, deciding that she was making too much of what must appear as trivialities to people who were forced to live simply, even roughly, on the island. She was beginning to see Barbara’s point of view. Kylsaig demanded a way of life that involved many changes of one’s former attitudes.
Neil stayed to lunch, asked about Susan and added his tribute, discreetly in Robbie’s absence, to the boy’s courage. When he was on the point of leaving, he said to Judith, “Would you—that is—there’s an evening of Highland games in Cruban tomorrow. Care to come?”
Judith hesitated. "Well, I don’t know whether it fits in with Barbara’s plans, but—”
“It’s quite interesting. Pipe bands and tossing the caber and all that.”
“All right. Thank you for asking me. I’ll come. What time?”
He started the tractor with a roar and above the noise she heard him yell, “I’ll tell Mairi to expect you at the ferry about half-past seven.”
She stood still, watching him manoeuvre the tractor out of the yard and on to the path towards the shore. What a fool she had been to believe that he was inviting her out for an evening’s entertainment! Now she had let herself in to play the intrusive third party, and Mairi would certainly be annoyed.
She worked on her oil-stained skirt until a voice enquired “Busy?”
She glanced up sharply into Stuart’s face. “Oh, hello.”
“Here, let me do that.” He took the rags and cottonwool out of her hand and applied firmer pressure than she could manage, to push the stain through to a towel underneath.
As he worked, he asked about Susan, and Judith gave him all the details she knew.
“Robbie’s a bright lad,” Stuart commented. “His father should be proud of him.” He slid the skirt off the board between two packing-cases and held it for her to take. “There! That’s the best we can do for the moment.”
“Thank you for helping.”
“Anything else in the establishment that you want dry-cleaned, washed or scrubbed?”
She laughed. “You’d better not let Barbara hear you or she’ll keep you busy.”
“Then how about coming with me down to the shore? McKinnon promised to do some haulage for me with his tractor today, if he had time.”
“Mr. McKinnon?” She thought guiltily of all the time his tractor had stood idle while Neil stayed to lunch. “Was he wanting it this afternoon?”
“Yes. Is somebody else using it?”
“Well—” Judith turned her face away. “It was used this morning to bring stores from the ferry.”
Stuart’s mouth tightened and he frowned. “Raeburn, I suppose. Of course he has to commandeer the tractor just when I’d won McKinnon round to helping me.”
“But Mr. McKinnon will have the tractor soon. Neil— Mr. Raeburn—was going there when he left here.” Stuart leaned against the outhouse door. “What’s the use? In the end I shall have to bring over one of my own tractors if I want the job done. If I don’t soon get some of those stones hauled up and cemented into position, the summer will be over and nothing will be done until next year. By that time
But it was a mistake. Wedged and cramped, she was glad when they reached the Drummonds’ cottage and delivered the letters and parcels—but a little less pleased to discover a large oil-stain on her pleated skirt.
“Will you come in for a wee while?” Mrs. Drummond invited, but Neil politely refused, saying he had to deliver supplies at several other crofts.
“It’s a grand morning to be out enjoying yourselves together, the pair of you,” she continued. “Aye, and it’s good fortune that a bonnie girl like Judith is staying with her sister.”
Good heavens, thought Judith. Don’t let her start her matchmaking tactics on me! But the next instant she laughed to herself. Not even Mrs. Drummond could hope to arrange matrimonial affairs in the few days that remained of Judith’s holiday.
She sighed gustily, deciding that she was making too much of what must appear as trivialities to people who were forced to live simply, even roughly, on the island. She was beginning to see Barbara’s point of view. Kylsaig demanded a way of life that involved many changes of one’s former attitudes.
Neil stayed to lunch, asked about Susan and added his tribute, discreetly in Robbie’s absence, to the boy’s courage. When he was on the point of leaving, he said to Judith, “Would you—that is—there’s an evening of Highland games in Cruban tomorrow. Care to come?”
Judith hesitated. "Well, I don’t know whether it fits in with Barbara’s plans, but—”
“It’s quite interesting. Pipe bands and tossing the caber and all that.”
“All right. Thank you for asking me. I’ll come. What time?”
He started the tractor with a roar and above the noise she heard him yell, “I’ll tell Mairi to expect you at the ferry about half-past seven.”
She stood still, watching him manoeuvre the tractor out of the yard and on to the path towards the shore. What a fool she had been to believe that he was inviting her out for an evening’s entertainment! Now she had let herself in to play the intrusive third party, and Mairi would certainly be annoyed.
She worked on her oil-stained skirt until a voice enquired “Busy?”
She glanced up sharply into Stuart’s face. “Oh, hello.”
“Here, let me do that.” He took the rags and cottonwool out of her hand and applied firmer pressure than she could manage, to push the stain through to a towel underneath.
As he worked, he asked about Susan, and Judith gave him all the details she knew.
“Robbie’s a bright lad,” Stuart commented. “His father should be proud of him.” He slid the skirt off the board between two packing-cases and held it for her to take. “There! That’s the best we can do for the moment.”
“Thank you for helping.”
“Anything else in the establishment that you want dry-cleaned, washed or scrubbed?”
She laughed. “You’d better not let Barbara hear you or she’ll keep you busy.”
“Then how about coming with me down to the shore? McKinnon promised to do some haulage for me with his tractor today, if he had time.”
“Mr. McKinnon?” She thought guiltily of all the time his tractor had stood idle while Neil stayed to lunch. “Was he wanting it this afternoon?”
“Yes. Is somebody else using it?”
“Well—” Judith turned her face away. “It was used this morning to bring stores from the ferry.”
Stuart’s mouth tightened and he frowned. “Raeburn, I suppose. Of course he has to commandeer the tractor just when I’d won McKinnon round to helping me.”
“But Mr. McKinnon will have the tractor soon. Neil— Mr. Raeburn—was going there when he left here.” Stuart leaned against the outhouse door. “What’s the use? In the end I shall have to bring over one of my own tractors if I want the job done. If I don’t soon get some of those stones hauled up and cemented into position, the summer will be over and nothing will be done until next year. By that time
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