Duplicity

and Other Stories

Doris Davidson

• Publisher: Birlinn
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN:
  9781841588247
• eBook ISBN:
  9780857905581
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Scottish Literature
• Index: Literature

The acclaimed author of The Brow of the Gallowgate presents 20 short stories from across her decades-long career as well as a new novella.
 
Two men sit petrified on Christmas Eve at the thought of spending it in supernatural company; a young family makes a tense Cross-channel trip in fear of some unspecified threat; an old man contemplates jumping to his death at the thought of being evicted from the house in which he has lived all his life. In these and other tales, Doris Davidson explores moments of desperation in the lives of ordinary people.
 
Looking back over her successful writing career, Davidson has collected these twenty short stories to pair with her eagerly awaited novella "Duplicity". Together, these stories trace the progression of one of Scotland's best-loved authors and stand as a tribute to her skill and imagination.

Duplicity

Chapter One

Having just carried their last case in from the car, Brian Lewis whipped round angrily when the doorbell rang. ‘Who the devil can that be? Can’t they at least give us a chance to settle in before they start poking their noses in?’

‘I’ll go.’ Roselle stepped carefully over the luggage scattered haphazardly over the hall carpet and inched the door open. She hadn’t given a thought to who might be on the doorstep. In fact, she hadn’t really been capable of any rational thinking for some time.

The middle-aged woman smiled apologetically. ‘I’m sorry to bother you, lass, but I thought you’d be glad of a wee something to keep the wolf from the door.’ She took a vacuum flask from the basket over her arm. ‘I know you’ve rented the house furnished and won’t know where to find anything, so I took what I thought you’d need. Let me come in, and you and your husband can sit down. The two of you look absolutely whacked.’

She walked into the lounge as if accustomed to having her orders obeyed, smiling at the man, who seemed somewhat suspicious. ‘I live next door and I like to be a good neighbour, so put your feet up. I’ll just pour out and you can have a wee rest and I’ll take the babies with me so you can get on with your unpacking.’ She stopped speaking, probably to regain her breath, and soon had the small coffee table set neatly with two china mugs, two small jars - one with tea and one with milk - a plate of sandwiches and another with biscuits and an assortment of dainty little cakes, all of which were clearly home-made.

Having poured the tea, she stated firmly, ‘Now, get on with it. I’ll take the wee pets and give you peace to get things organised. And you’ve likely been too anxious to get here to stop and feed them, so give me what it is they get and I’ll do the needful.’

With Brian seemingly struck dumb by this chattering avalanche, Roselle had to make an effort. ‘It’s very kind of you, Mrs … um …’

‘Milne.’

‘We’re really grateful to you, Mrs Milne, for all this, but we can’t expect you to look after the twins as well.’

‘No arguments, I’m looking forward to it.’ Waiting until the younger woman had handed her a shoulder bag that obviously held the necessities for the babies, she raised her eyebrows at Brian. ‘If you’d be as good as carry one of the little cots, I’ll take the other one.’

For a moment, it was as if he would refuse, but he got to his feet reluctantly and lifted both cots. ‘Lead the way, Mrs Milne.’

He returned in less than five minutes and plonked down wearily on one of the well-worn armchairs. ‘Nosey old bitch!’

‘Oh, she wasn’t being nosey. She was being neighbourly and I’m glad she came. I was starving.’ She grabbed another sandwich as he reached for the plate. ‘And we’ll get so much more work done with the twins out of the way.’

He nodded. ‘I suppose you’re right, darling.’ He studied her as he ate. Her cheeks, so pale for days, had a little tinge of pink in them; her deep blue eyes were brighter. She even held her head higher, although tresses of her usually well-coiffed blonde hair were straggling round her face. His heart went out to her. She’d come through so much, and he was glad that she couldn’t remember what had happened. It had all been so sudden, although he’d planned the move for over a year with no definite date in mind, but fate had played into his hands. It was as if it had all been arranged, and it had gone so smoothly, he could hardly believe it. As long as she didn’t regain her memory, everything would be hunky-dory, though he’d have to make sure she’d didn’t get too friendly with Mrs Milne. That woman would probably keep asking things until she winkled the whole sorry business out …

‘They seem a nice young couple,’ Mrs Milne was telling her husband. ‘Mind you, Frank, I think he’s the boss - I wouldn’t like to get up his wrong side. I don’t think he trusted me, but she’s a quiet wee thing, wouldn’t say boo to a goose, so we’ll get along fine.’

Frank took off his glasses and laid them on the low mantelpiece. ‘Give her a bit of space, though. You can be overpowering at times, Helen.’

‘She’s hiding something, I can tell that, and he’s scared she’ll give the game away.’

‘Och, woman, it’s love stories you should be reading instead of all that crime stuff.’

‘Maybe, but I know I’m right, and I bet I’ll manage to get round her.’ She turned to look down at the twin carrycots by her feet. ‘They’re little darlings, aren’t they, and they don’t look like twins, which is likely a good thing for them.’

‘Why? What’s wrong with twins looking like twins?’

‘People would get them muddled, of course.’

‘Only if they were dressed the same, and from what I can see, there’s a pink one and a blue one. A girl and a boy, I’d say.’

‘Clever dick! You think you know everything, Frank Milne.’

‘I stop and think before I open my mouth, that’s why.’

They looked at each other now and laughed softly. Thirty-odd years of marriage had taught them never to let a small tiff develop into a full-blown row. ‘I’m just glad they’re a young couple, though, and we’ll see the babies grow up. They should keep us young, too.’

Lifting his newspaper and reaching for his spectacles, her husband just said, ‘They’ve rented the house furnished, remember. They likely don’t mean to stay very long.’

In the next-door cottage, two exhausted people were enjoying the last of the food and tea they had been given. ‘Thank goodness that’s everything put away,’ sighed the man. ‘I’ll just have ten minutes, before I collect our wee demons.’

‘They’re not demons. They’ve been really good.’

‘I’m only teasing. To be honest, I’m astonished at how well they’ve behaved. They’ve been moved about from pillar to post, different places, and so many strangers speaking to them and fussing over them. Still, from tomorrow, it should be plain sailing, and they’ll get used to a steady routine.’

Roselle watched him as he lay back and closed his eyes. He seemed oddly unfamiliar, she couldn’t understand it. His dark hair was not as tidy as it usually was, his eyes had seemed to be a lighter shade of blue, his face was leaner, but, of course, they’d been on the move for what seemed like forever. But it did worry her that her memory wasn’t to be depended on. She couldn’t remember anything of her life until she was in that small hotel in London with the babies, waiting for her husband to come back from whatever he’d nipped out to do. Any time she mentioned this, he held her closely and assured her that it was nothing to worry about. She had come through a terrible ordeal and memory loss was how that kind of thing affected some people.

‘Don’t try to remember,’ he had urged her. ‘It’ll all come back to you some day, but only if you give it time.’

‘But I want to know what happened,’ she had persisted. ‘It’s awful being like this. I couldn’t even remember my own name, or yours, or the babies’. But you told me all that, so why can’t you tell me the rest?’

‘All the doctors we saw told us the same thing. Your condition is a fairly normal reaction to trauma, and it will improve as time goes by.’

Why could no one tell her what the trauma had been? It was the not knowing that worried her. Surely doctors should have known that? Not that she could recall ever having been seen by doctors. Her life seemed to have started on the day she woke up in that hotel, with someone at the door shouting, ‘Open up, darling. It’s me, Brian.’

Remembering, she had the same feeling of bewilderment at a name that was familiar, but at the same time strangely unfamiliar.

‘Yes, your husband. Come on, Roselle, don’t play silly beggars with me.’

She had risen and opened the door, but hadn’t recognised the man who came in and took her in his arms. ‘Oh darling, you had me worried. Are you all right?’

It had taken him some time to understand what she told him, and even then, he didn’t seem to be convinced that it wasn’t a joke. Maybe he had taken her to see a doctor after that, or more than one doctor, but that was a blank to her as well. That was little more than a week ago, of course, so maybe she hadn’t let enough time pass. Maybe she was expecting too much of herself. But at least Brian couldn’t have been more considerate and caring, helping with the babies. There wasn’t much she could recall of the journey here, though; only that it had taken two days.

Jerking up suddenly, Brian said, ‘I’d better collect the last of our luggage from the old dears next door - only joking.’

She smiled as he went out. Yes, they were part of the luggage, the little darlings - the most important part.

Chapter Two

Roselle knew better than to remind Brian that this was the afternoon she took the twins round to see Helen. She was aware that, even after four years, he was still inclined to be unhappy about the friendship, but he’d never ordered her to stop it. In any case, she wasn’t doing anything wrong, and the Milnes treated the kids like grandchildren; and she sometimes felt as close to them as if they were her parents. It crossed her mind then that perhaps that was wha...

Table of contents

• Duplicity
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Never Marry A Policeman
• The Witch
• A Gift From William
• The Night Before Christmas
• Monte Meets The Conquistadores
• The Bobbydazzler
• Paul, First and Foremost
• The Peak Of Happiness
• Search For A Prince
• The Arches
• The Christmas Baby
• The Christmas Spirit
• From Paula’s Journal
• Beginnings
• The Tomato Plant
• Committed
• The Intruder
• Teddy Bare
• Decision at Gowanbank
• Duplicity
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight
• Chapter Nine
• Chapter Ten
• Chapter Eleven
• Chapter Twelve
• Chapter Thirteen
• Chapter Fourteen