The Betrayal of Maggie Blair - By Elizabeth Laird Page 0,105
little eyes would pop out."
The lawyer, who was as tall and thin as a birch sapling, rocked on his feet, recovered himself, and poked his head forward, frowning at Tam.
"Maybe you are who you say you are," he said huffily. "I don't remember. In any case, 'wee Timmy' is not the name I'm known by in Edinburgh. Mr. Shillinglaw is a more common form of address for a Writer to the Signet at the Court of Session."
"Aye. Quite right. So it would be," Tam said, looking abashed. "My memory of that sad day and of your noble father carried me away. It's a long time, after all, since you left the island and became so fine a gentleman. But since we're old friends, in a manner of speaking, do please tell me why Danny Blair's daughter is a sight so upsetting to Mr. Bannantyne?"
"Firstly," said Mr. Shillinglaw, ticking his point off on one stick-thin finger, "Danny Blair had no living children at the time of his death, as you well know. And moreover"—he ticked off the second point—"this is the second young woman to claim that honor and to approach the Laird of Keames to settle on her a debt that he owed to her father."
His words struck me like a dash of freezing water.
"What are you saying? That I'm not my father's daughter? I know my mother died when I was born, but my daddy was mine! I remember him throwing me up in the air. He wouldn't have done that if I wasn't his, would he, Tam! Tam?"
Mr. Shillinglaw wagged a finger at me.
"You can't deceive me, young woman. When Daniel Blair died, Mr. Bannantyne wrote a letter to the farmer at Scalpsie Bay, who also owed the man some money, asking him if he knew of any heirs to whom the debts to Mr. Blair should be paid. The farmer answered categorically that Mr. Blair's only child had died along with its mother at the time of its birth, and that consequently no debt was still owed."
He glared at me triumphantly. I could say nothing. Mr. Shillinglaw's words were spinning around my head like leaves tossed in a whirlwind. They settled only slowly to form a pattern that I could understand.
"The farmer at Scalpsie—that must have been Mr. Macbean. The letter Annie found and read—it must have been the one from Mr. Bannantyne. Mr. Macbean lied about me when he wrote back, so that he could keep the money. And Annie, she pretended to be me so she could steal it for herself !"
Mr. Shillinglaw pursed his lips, shook his head, and turned his back on us to stride on up the street. I felt a rush of rage so great I hardly knew what I was doing.
"Wait!" I shrieked. "You! Lawyer!"
He quickened his pace. I raced after him and grabbed his arm, forcing him to spin around.
"I've been tricked, swindled, lied to, stolen from, and insulted. You can tell Mr. High-and-Mighty Laird Bannantyne that he can keep his stinking money. But if he gives a groat—one groat—to Annie, I'll tear that stupid wig from his head and rip it to pieces. And if anyone ever again dares to tell me that my name is not Margaret Blair, and that Daniel Blair of Ladymuir was not my father, or that Mary Wylie was not my mother, I'll—I'll..."
I couldn't go on. Sobs had cut my voice. People were staring at me, and a crowd was starting to form.
"Come on, Maidie, come away," said Tam, taking my hand. "We don't want all the loons of Edinburgh knowing our business."
I let him lead me away through the crowd, but I turned back to glare at Mr. Shillinglaw. He was standing looking after me, frowning.
My cooling temper left me feeling sick and shaky. By now, I knew to expect any trickery and meanness from Annie, but the revelation that Mr. Macbean had sent false information to Mr. Bannantyne set painful new thoughts running through my head.
"That must have been why he was so keen to get me hanged with Granny," I told Tam. "He was afraid I'd find out what he'd done."
"Could be, darling. More than likely," said Tam, who was too busy looking over his shoulder to listen to me.
"Do you think Annie's still in Edinburgh, Tam? If she is, I'm going to find her, and when I do..."
I'd caught his attention now. We'd arrived at Mistress Virtue's cellar, and he was hurrying me inside.