CHAPTER 20 Jean’s Shinty and First Trial

 

It was Friday and Mary decided she would finish work at lunchtime and go to surprise Jock who had started work at the Forestry Commission plantation near the foot of the glen. She was desperate for him to see the large bonus that had arrived from head office for the work they had done in New Zealand. It had been a busy week as there had been enquiries from at least twelve mountain rescue teams, all the ski resorts, several outdoor centres and Number 45 Commando unit at Arbroath in Angus. Ken Dow was ecstatic about the response which had been due to the free publicity on the TV when they had been at the Cairngorm ski slopes.

Arriving at the site, Mary could hear two power saws disturbing the tranquillity of the glen and there was a huge stack of timber at the roadside. Then Jean appeared with Whisky, the Garron pony, who was dragging two trees out into an open space. Rambo came out of the wood and when Mary called him he ran over and did a meerkat impression, ever hopeful for a treat.

“I'll tell Jock you're here,” called Jean before unhooking the logs and then disappeared into the wood with Whisky. The noise of the power saws stopped and shortly, Jock and Ewan appeared. Mary looked at this dirty unshaven woodcutter who smelled of resin and looked just like he did all those years ago in the Ballachulish Hotel and thought nothing has changed, I am still deeply in love with him.

“You’re early this weekend,” was Jock's opening remark, “but you're looking absolutely beautiful!”

“You're only saying that because I brought the three of you coffee and doughnuts from the baker’s in Kingussie.”

Mary asked how the job was taking shape, to which Jock replied that he would need to go to the bank to get a loan to buy machinery which would make the job easier and eventually more profitable. The firm was to be called Feshie Forestry and he had bought Whisky and a second-hand horse trailer from the estate. They had also bought, but not yet paid for, a large tract of land adjacent to Nan’s property. The payment would be in the form of work for the estate later on in the year. This weekend they were going to submit planning permission to the council to build a large shed and a stable. Part of the area was for Whisky to graze on and the rest was for parking and storing timber. Nan had given Ewan money to buy the second-hand Ford Transit tipper truck which was parked alongside Jock’s pickup.

As Jock was talking, Jean came out of the wood with her horse dragging two more trees into the open space, then she joined them for coffee. Jock explained that as they were near to the road the job was easy, but further up it would be more difficult to extract the timber. The job was an experiment by the Forestry Commission to extract the timber from each compartment by horse, and the fire breaks between each compartment were the only places where a tractor or a Norcar Forwarder, a tracked logging truck, could operate. The estimated tonnage was forty thousand which would take two years’ work. Payment to the owners, at a very low price because of the experiment, would be in instalments every two months. If they got the loan from the bank, they would be able to buy a peeler and a saw for pointing posts, as there were a lot of larch trees in the forest, marked ready to be felled. The centre of the activity would be in a disused quarry in the next compartment which had a good road leading to the main road.

“Will this help you?” asked Mary, handing Jock the letter from the main office of Campbell holdings in America. It indicated how much of a bonus they were being given for a job well done, plus additional expenses and the gratuities from the Singapore and Hong Kong corporations.

When Jock read the letter, he nearly fell off his seat and exclaimed, “I am in the wrong job!” before handing the letter to Ewan who was lost for words.

“Before you accept this, both of you must forget this barter system that you indulge in.” Mary continued, “Everything, and I mean everything, must have a receipt and I will do the books for your firm every weekend. I’ll start this week as it is the beginning of the financial year, and I’ll do the tax returns for Jean and any other employee that you take on.”

“It looks like we have a new boss Jock,” said Ewan.

“Come over and meet Whisky,” interrupted Jean, “and give him a carrot that I pinched out of Jock’s garden.”

Mary was a bit apprehensive as she had never been close to a horse before but as she held out the carrot, she was amazed how gently it was taken from her. The smell from the sweat on its flank was more earthy than repugnant.

“What are the three shinty sticks doing here?” asked Mary as she suddenly spotted them.

In a voice full of laughter, Jock explained, “Every lunch we teach Jean about the moves, body position, tackles and employment as she has her first game in two weeks’ time. Anyhow, I think we’ll call it a day there. Ewan, you and I are going to Elgin tomorrow to see what’s on offer, and make sure we get all the receipts for our new boss. See you back at the house Mary,” and with that he strode off into the wood to collect his tools.

Later that evening, after dining on Mary's cooking, they sat in the conservatory watching the sun setting over the Laggan hills in breathtaking splendour, the fading rays turning everything to a rosy, pink colour. The game of chess lay before them unfinished. Just to be with each was contentment enough. Their conversation ranged across many topics, from Jock’s plans, the AGM at the Duke of Gordon hotel, the croft, Rambo, and their visit to America to enjoy the hospitality of the Campbells in Wyoming.

After a night of unbridled passion, Mary asked Jock how he felt about being a father. “Nothing I would like better,” was his reply, before drifting off into a deep sleep.

After a quick run and a shower next morning, Jock left straight after breakfast. Mary began to put the house in order after the previous weekend’s guests. She had just started when Nan and Jean arrived. Nan thanked Mary for her contribution to Feshie Forestry and insisted that she did the housework while Mary got the accounts in order. Jean was out in the field, brushing, combing and feeding Whisky and playing with Rambo.

Over coffee, Nan was very emotional as she thanked Mary for her and Jock being such good neighbours and friends and said what a difference it had made to her and her family. She said that her late husband would have been so proud of how his family were turning out. She also expressed some doubts about Jean doing the shinty training as she had seen some of the other girls ignoring her and treating her with disrespect.

It was late afternoon when Jock and Ewan came back from Elgin, very pleased with what they had bought. They had bought a peeler, a saw for pointing posts, a fuel bowser and a Norcar Forwarder, all to be delivered on Monday morning. Ewan told them about his girlfriend, Betty, who was in the same year as him at the forestry college. She was going to drive the Forwarder as she had worked in timber harvesting with her father since leaving school. As no one was prepared to give her a job because she was a female, she was unable to do a dissertation. Jock was also going to employ two local lads who would be making fencing material. Ewan said that his biggest worry was what his mother was going to say about Betty, and if she would let her stay at their house.

Jock and Mary dropped Ewan off at his home on their way to walk Rambo through the wood where they were working. This would give Mary an idea of the size of the task before them.

That evening they played chess again and then Mary showed Jock the accounts book, the insurance details and the draught letter she had composed for the buildings next to Nan’s property.

On Sunday morning, the two of them and Rambo went for a long run and walk up the glen before going to church. After the service, they spoke to Nan about Betty coming to stay. “No problem,” declared Nan. “She can stay in Ewan’s room and he can move into one of the caravans. With her board money and Ewan working full time, I will have never had it so good. Plus, I'll have help making all these packed lunches and washing up after dinner.” Mary and Jock could hardly contain their mirth, spotting Ewan giving the thumbs up sign behind his mother's back.

After lunch Mary settled into office work while Jock was in the workshop, maintaining saws and making signs. As she had important interviews the next morning, she decided to leave that evening to drive to Glasgow.

The next week just flew by and Mary worked late every night, going for a gym and swim and a meal in the cafe before she got home. She only spoke to Jock twice on the telephone and he gave the impression that all was going well. On Friday, she finished work at lunchtime and drove up to Glen Feshie, needing a box to carry all the coffee and doughnuts for the workforce.

The site was a hive of activity. Two lads were pointing posts and peeling them, Jock was cross-cutting trees and Betty was unloading whole trees near Jock. The sheer volume of the noise made Mary cringe. Jock spotted her as she emerged from the car carrying the coffee and doughnuts. “I hope you’ve got a receipt for that,” he remarked whilst laughing, before indicating to the two lads that it was break time.

“Don't be sarcastic, it doesn’t suit you, or I'll give your doughnut to Rambo and Whisky,” replied Mary.

Ewan soon appeared, along with Jean and Whisky. Rambo was already there and in the meerkat position, hoping for a treat.

Jock introduced Mary to the two lads, Alf and Bob, from Kingussie.

“Time is money Mrs Stewart, so we will have to get back to work,” announced Jock as he finished his coffee. “I'll be back at Achlean at about six o’clock with lots to tell you.” As the noise of the machines starting up was painful to the ear Mary left, very happy with what she had seen.

At the croft, Mary could see that Jock had been busy with the cultivation of the vegetable garden and the polytunnels. Even the flower garden had been tidied up. In the kitchen the tin was half full of money. I'll ask him about that mused Mary, knowing full well that he had been selling firewood for fuel, food and pocket money.

Jock and Rambo came to the house at the time promised and once showered, shaved and changed into casual clothes, Jock looked a different person as he sat down to dine with Mary.

Mary told him about everything that had been taking place at the office and that she wouldn’t be leaving for Glasgow until Monday morning. She was going to travel down via Kinlochleven. The smelter there was working at full capacity and she had a meeting with the workers there to pass on the good news that, because of this, they would be receiving a modest pay rise. She also told Jock that she had received a citation to attend the court in Glasgow as a witness in the case against Tommy Arthur. Jock told her that he too had a meeting next week with the council’s planning committee. It was to be held in Boat of Garten community hall and was to discuss building a large shed and a stable, adjacent to Nan’s property. They also discussed Jean’s big shinty game the following day at the Dell in Kingussie and how they were keen to offer their support. Mary told Jock about how Nan was concerned that Jean wasn’t fitting in with the team, but he forecast that Jean would do well if she got the chance.

The next day, Mary, Nan and Jock sat in the front row of the small stand at the Dell. Jean was sitting on the subs bench, dressed in the Kingussie strip, her body language indicating that she was feeling dejected. As the game progressed Skye were winning 4-0 and two substitutes had been used. Just after half time, one of the Kingussie players was injured and the manager told Jean to go and play on the left wing.

Jock was standing to the left of the stand and made his way to the other side of the pitch so that he could be near Jean to offer his advice and encouragement. He had just got there when the ball broke in her direction. Jock shouted, “It's yours Jean, collect and run.”

Jean did as instructed. She gathered the ball, put it past the defender, ran past her as though she was standing still and, when she reached the penalty area, hit the ball past the advancing goalkeeper and straight into the net.

In the stand Nan screamed, “Well done Jeannie.” She gave Mary a big hug and burst into tears. “I never would have believed that this could happen. Her dad would have been so proud.”

At the throw-up, the ball broke towards Jean, and Jock shouted, “Get it Jean! Scoop, then hit it.” Jean again did as instructed, beating the defender to the ball, flicking it in the air the way she had been taught and then hitting it as hard as she could. The ball flew like a guided missile into the top right-hand corner of the net. This time all the Kingussie players came to congratulate Jean who wore a big grin of satisfaction, stretching from ear to ear. The small crowd, mostly home support, started to shout to the rest of the Kingussie team to keep giving the ball to Jean.

A few minutes later, the ball went out of play near to where Jock was standing. As Jean went to pick it up, Jock said in a quiet voice, “Hit it as hard as you can towards the goal.” Again, as instructed, Jean hit the ball and the goalkeeper, with the sun in her eyes, never saw it until it hit the net.

After the congratulations for Jean’s third goal were over, the manager drew all the Kingussie team in a tight formation and told Jean to play in the centre where her team would hit long balls to her from defence.

During the rest of the game, Jean had two defenders marking her but it made no difference. With her speed, stamina and strength she ran riot around the defenders and scored three more goals. Every tackle she made, she won the ball. A third defender was brought to mark her but even she posed no threat and Jean’s team went on to a resounding victory.

When Jock joined Mary and Nan in the stand, Nan gave Jock a kiss and a hug, and the tears of happiness started all over again. They waited for Jean to come out of the dressing room and when she appeared, one of the men in the Kingussie team shouted, “Never mind playing for the women's team Jean you come and play for us,” to which she replied, “You lot play like a bunch of lassies anyway,” causing a few onlookers to burst out laughing and clapping.

“Did I do all right Jock?” asked Jean.

“You’ll have to improve and train harder because you missed two or three chances to score,” he answered.

On the way home in the car Mary challenged Jock, “You were a bit hard on Jean, not praising her and telling her she did well when actually, she was outstanding.”

“I didn't want her to get big-headed and she has to keep her feet on the ground,” he replied.

That night after they dined, Mary and Jock walked around the croft, arm in arm, with Rambo roaming in the spare ground looking for something to chase. They talked about walking over the hills to Memus, perhaps over a long weekend, to see Laura and Barry and her godchildren.

After Sunday’s church service, they took Rambo on a long walk up to the head of the glen and came back over the shoulder of the hills. When they reached home, Mary wondered whether she or Rambo was the most tired.

The meeting with selected members of staff, trade union officials and management at the smelter went well, a little bit of ‘give and take’ on both sides and everyone was pleased with the outcome.

Back at the office, Mary discovered that the citation for the trial of Tommy Arthur, due on Thursday, had been postponed. No reason had been given. It made her think that it might be possible for her and Jock to take a few days off this weekend, to visit Laura and Barry, so she phoned him and asked if he was able to do it at such short notice. Needless to say he agreed but warned that the weather could be inclement and cold as there was a dusting of fresh snow on the hills.

It was late on Wednesday evening when she drove up to Achlean. She was always delighted with the welcome that Rambo gave her as she got out of her car and with the big smile, kiss and passionate embrace with which Jock welcomed her.

Sitting before the log burning stove, sipping a hot toddy, they discussed their plans for the weekend and Jock said that he was glad he was taking several days off as there was a lot happening. Ewan and Bettys’ tutors were coming to see them as they were most interested in seeing what they had been doing. The district officer for the Forestry Commission of that area was bringing other officials to see the results of the wood being extracted by horse, as well as the new roads which had been constructed for the extraction, and the local paper was doing an article on Jean because of the shinty match and her working in the timber with a horse and how she had overcome her disability.

Mary was delighted for him when he told her that Feshie Forestry had been given the go-ahead by the planning committee of the local council to build the big shed and stable on the ground next to Nan's property. One of the main factors was that they were hiring young locals and a person of special needs in the workforce. The builder had already been informed and work would start very soon.

It was early next morning that Nan dropped Jock, Mary and Rambo off at Loch Morlich for their walk over the hills to Memus. As they started their walk, up the forest track to Rothiemurchus Lodge, Rambo flushed out a creature from the undergrowth which then disappeared up a tree.

“That's not a squirrel, what is it?” exclaimed Mary.

“It's a polecat,” answered Jock, “It's a few years since I’ve seen one but it wasn’t as big as that one.”

A mile further on, a huge bird took off as they came round the bend in the road. “Before you ask, that's a capercaillie and they are an endangered species so we were fortunate to see it,” informed Jock.

“A nature lesson and a good walk in the company of a handsome man on a lovely morning, what more could a woman want,” retorted Mary, and they shared a laugh.

As they came up to Rothiemurchus Lodge, two dark brown animals with pointed ears were trying to get into the dustbins before Rambo chased after them. “Don't tell me, they are pine martens,” said Mary.

“You're getting to be an expert,” was the mock sarcastic reply.

Rambo was making quite a noise chasing the pine martens, causing a man to come out of a building marked reception. Mary recognised him as George Gaff. He had organised the wreath-laying ceremony for the Norwegians and was holding two small cardboard boxes which he gave to Jock. Some army humour took place between the three of them before Jock and Mary set off on another path which took them to the famous Lairig Ghru, one of the routes through the Cairngorms.

Mary was amazed at the boulder fields as they went through the pass and marvelled at the rugged landscape. They camped by the River Dee, a few miles from Braemar, where they dined on the compo rations which George Gaff had given them. Snuggled up in her sleeping bag, Mary laughed as Rambo lay between her and Jock, getting body heat from all angles. So much for a romantic evening under canvas thought Mary.

A quick walk into Braemar next morning gave them a good appetite for a hearty breakfast at a cafe on the main street, before heading off to Loch Callater where they had their first break. From there they went on the hill path called Jock’s Road which took them to Glen Clova via Glen Doll. Just as they reached the disused quarry at Braedownie, a minibus drew up near them, driven by Barry and accompanied by his two children.

“Auntie Mary!” came the cry as the two children got out of the vehicle and gave Mary a big hug before making a fuss of Rambo. Jock was totally ignored except by Barry who gave him a welcome. The conversation was then non-stop all the way to Memus.

The conversation continued when they reached Memus, with Laura and Mary in the kitchen. The children were delighted with the presents that Mary had brought them from New Zealand.

After the evening meal, they went over to the Drovers Inn which brought a lot of memories back for Mary. While they were chatting in the bar, they were approached by a man wearing tweed clothes and who was obviously a gamekeeper. “Sorry to interrupt, Laura and Barry,” he began, “but I see you have that good-looking red-headed woman visiting you again.”

“I see you're no longer in the Black Watch,” retorted Mary. “Come and join us. This is my husband,” and she introduced Jock.

The man shook Jock’s hand saying, “I’m George Milne, ex-Black Watch and now gamekeeper at Purtie estate. I met your good lady at their first christening here about ten years ago, but Jock, I believe our paths have crossed before, in Northern Ireland.”

Jock looked puzzled.

“Bushmills whiskey and cigarettes?” continued George, and this brought a big smile to Jock's face.

“I had forgotten all about that,” were the only words Jock could muster, upon which George Milne gave a blow-by-blow account of the whole incident, making Jock squirm with embarrassment, much to the amusement of the whole company.

The next topic of conversation was about the nearby open prison called Noranside where every afternoon the prisoners were allowed to go fishing at Glen Ogle reservoir, unescorted or supervised. About twelve to fifteen at any one time. The local population were extremely upset about this practice.

When Mary mentioned that they had eaten compo rations from George Gaff to sustain them during their walk, George Milne had them in raptures of mirth, telling tales of ‘rat packs’ in the Black Watch. What had started out as a quiet drink finished as a good night out with a lot of laughs in good company.

Next morning, Laura took them to Forfar to let Jock taste the famous bridies which he really enjoyed. That afternoon they took Rambo for a long run and walk over the moor to Glen Ogle reservoir and saw a group of men lounging on the grass banks, reading books and magazines instead of fishing. They are obviously inmates from the nearby prison thought Jock. Crossing over to Glen Moy, they came back down the hill path to Memus.

Mary and Jock were delighted to see how busy the shop and filling station were. By this time Jock had established a good rapport with the children, making Mary realise what a good father he would make.

After the church service next morning Barry, Laura, Mary and Jock sat outside absorbing the warm spring sunshine and helping to serve customers. They were enjoying the conversation and the tranquillity of the Angus countryside where the trees, fields and gardens were displaying all the different shades of green.

Early next morning, before Barry drove them to Perth to catch the first train to Kingussie, they called in at the baker’s in Forfar to purchase bridies and rhubarb tarts to take back to Glen Feshie. True to her word, Nan was waiting for them at Kingussie station and drove them to Glen Feshie where they stopped at the forest. The produce from the Forfar bakery was distributed amongst the team and Mary, Nan and Jock sat with them, joining in their midday break. As usual Jean made a fuss of Rambo and talked incessantly about shinty and all the visitors last week.

Meal over, Nan drove Mary and Jock to Achlean where, after they had unpacked, Mary got the books of Feshie forestry up to date while Jock did jobs around the croft and in the workshop.

It was after the evening meal that Mary decided to drive to Glasgow as a lot of work would have arrived on her desk in her absence. Later, as she drove down the glen, the thought of the last few days, the adventure, trips down memory lane and the company of good friends made her recognise the fact that she had a good life and was grateful for it.

The weeks passed in a similar fashion and before long it was the AGM of Campbell holdings in the Duke of Gordon hotel. Organisation of the event had been given to Linda McCulloch, with lots of help and advice from Mary.

Mary and Linda spent most of the day before the event running a taxi service, either from Kingussie railway station or Inverness airport. Beth and Doug Campbell, accompanied by Amy and Max, arrived at the airport where Jock and Mary had a jovial reunion with them in the foyer. As usual, the ladies were in Mary’s Land Rover and the men in Jock’s pickup.

That evening there was a gala dinner. Mary introduced Doug Campbell and gave a short speech of welcome. The emotion apparent in his voice, Doug gave a brief history of the firm, from its infancy to the present day. He then spoke about the AGM at the Ballachulish hotel all these years ago, about the smelters at Kinlochleven and Fort William, how Jock and Mary met, the shinty match and even about the salmon-poaching. Although the whole company enjoyed the story, it made Mary and Jock ill-at-ease with embarrassment.

Doug finished his speech with a word of praise for all his staff, the great friendship with Max and Amy and a glowing tribute to Beth, who had tears trickling down her cheeks as Doug voiced his love and dedication to her. All the delegates rose to give him a standing ovation. The meal was served with entertainment between each course. First there were Highland dancers, accompanied by a piper. Next was a singer in a white dress with a tartan sash. Then came Nan, who had had her hair permed and her make-up superbly applied. Mary and Jock were amazed by her transformation. What a performance she gave of a Gaelic song. Not a sound was heard other than her rich Highland voice. When she finished, the room rose to give her a standing ovation and demanded an encore which they got.

Mary had been unaware that Nan was involved in the evening’s entertainment, the surprise clear on her face as she looked over at Linda who laughed and put her fingers to her lips, indicating that she had known all along. Later in the evening, Mary congratulated Linda on a job well done.

The following day, they had a working breakfast and lunch, with the intention of getting the AGM over with by late afternoon.

Linda took Nan, Beth and Amy on a shopping trip to Inverness while Jock picked up Max at the hotel and took him up to Achlean. When they arrived, Jock opened a locked, hidden cupboard and brought out a highly polished wooden box. When the contents were exposed to Max, he gave a sigh of admiration, a Mauser hunting rifle in pristine condition and various components plus a silencer and a top-of-the-range telescopic sight.

“What a weapon!” exclaimed Max. “Where did you get that from?”

“It's a souvenir from the Falklands War,” announced Jock, “but I only have a very limited supply of ammunition. It's custom-made and the bullets are very expensive and hard to come by. It's not registered so I have to be very careful when I use it. You're the only person I’ve shown it to so please don't tell anyone about it.”

They drove up the glen and walked for about an hour before they came across a herd of red deer. After another two hundred yards through the heather, Jock indicated to Max which stag to aim for. His shot was accurate and the stag dropped where he stood. Jock gralloched the deer where it lay and then carried it over his shoulders to the pickup.

Back at Achlean, after butchering the carcass, Max showed Jock how to cure and stretch the deerskin to make a jacket. Later that night, there was a dinner and dance at the Duke of Gordon hotel where, once again, Nan entertained the delegates. When she was dancing with Jock, she confided in him that she had never enjoyed herself as much and she was even getting paid for it.

The following morning, Jock and Linda took some of the delegates in the minibus to Loch Ness, Culloden, Glenlivet distillery and the Cairngorm brewery in Aviemore. Most of them had partaken in the whisky and beer on offer, and the return journey to the Duke of Gordon hotel was a babble of animated conversation. Jock could not suppress his mirth when he and Linda were given a lot of gratuities in coin for their guided tour.

Some of the delegates left that evening and the others went the following morning. Beth and Doug Campbell congratulated Linda and Mary for a job well done. Mary took Beth and Amy in her car, and Jock took Doug and Max in the pickup, to the hotel at Glasgow Airport where they all boarded a plane next morning to Dallas in Texas. If Mary and Jock had been impressed with business travel, first class travel on the airline left them speechless with the sheer luxury.

From Dallas, they flew in a private plane to the Campbells’ residence in Wyoming. Mary had been there several times before but it was Jock’s first visit and he was most impressed. The two weeks passed quickly. He went hunting and fishing with Doug and Max and even helped Max to cut the grass and chop firewood. Mary, Beth and Amy took several shopping trips and they all had several barbecues on the beach at the lakeside. All too soon they were saying their goodbyes and invitations were extended for the following year.

Back in Glasgow, they stayed overnight in Mary's flat. Jock left very early the next morning for Achlean, so Mary decided to go into the office early.

When Jock stopped off at the wood where Feshie Forestry were working, the welcome he got from Rambo gave him a lump in his throat and made him realise how much he had missed that little terrier.

Mary came up on Saturday morning and found only Ewan and Jock working as Nan, Jean and Betty were shopping and the two boys were playing shinty that afternoon. She told Jock that she had a citation for the trial of Tommy Arthur next week and that a huge parcel had arrived from Norway which contained four oiled wool sweaters. There was one each for Linda, Mary, Jock and Nan.

As they were loading Ewan’s vehicle with firewood, Nan, Jean and Beth drew up after their shopping trip in Aviemore. Nan was delighted with the Norwegian sweater and with the bottle of perfume from the Dallas airport duty-free shop, making her comment, “If I don't get a toy-boy dressed in this and wearing this perfume, I'll never get one,” making everyone laugh.

Back at Achlean, while doing Feshie Forestry’s books, Mary complemented Jock on how well they were doing but did not bring up the subject of the tin which was almost full of paper money. The weekend passed helping Jock in the garden, going for a long walk in the glen and attending the church service. She confided to Jock that she was a bit nervous about giving evidence at the trial but she refused his offer of support on the day.

It was a lovely morning as she drove down the glen to go to Glasgow. She was sad to leave and say goodbye to her man but how fortunate she was to have the best of two worlds. A successful executive and a crofter’s wife.

On Thursday she walked into Glasgow Sheriff Court. Having never been in a place of jurisdiction before, she was shocked by the organised chaos that was taking place. George Young came over and started talking to her which boosted her confidence. He then introduced her to several members of the CID who were involved in the case.

After a short wait, her name was called and she was ushered into the witness box where she told the court what had taken place. She was helped by the fiscal who thanked her after she had given her testimony. She was then questioned, in a very supercilious manner which suggested that it was all a figment of her imagination, by the defence lawyer, William Liddle.

Next to give evidence was Joe Rae who refused to speak at all, much to the fury of the judge who then sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment for contempt of court. It was a similar story for the other three men from the office at Kinlochleven smelter. It was obvious that the fear of repercussion from the criminal world caused them to remain silent. The judge returned a verdict of not proven. When Tommy Arthur left the court he glared at Mary, his face contorted with rage.

George Young and the detectives were very disappointed in the outcome of the trial and told Mary that the murky world of the criminal world works to defeat justice.

Mary decided to take the next day off and drove up to Achlean that afternoon, arriving just as Feshie Forestry were finishing for the day. Alone with Jock as he was putting his tools in the pickup, she told him all about the trial. She then asked him to sit down on a log as she had something very important to tell him, which she had been desperate to do ever since she had arrived.

“Darling, I am four weeks pregnant. You are going to be a father in the spring.”

A big smile appeared on Jock's face and he rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb several times before he remarked, “Mary I am delighted, I am lost for words, I never thought I would be a father.” With that he took Mary in his arms for a tender embrace and a long, passionate kiss.

“I didn’t want to build your hopes up until I was sure, but I had it confirmed on Tuesday. I don’t know how I managed not to tell you before, it was killing me keeping it to myself.”

“Let's celebrate at the Duke of Gordon tonight,” replied Jock excitedly. “Incidentally, the shed and the stable are now built and I'll show you around it on the way home. Will we tell Nan?”

“Mary, as well you know what she'll say. About time you two! I’ve been expecting that news for weeks!”