Chapter 5
Mairi only employed two boys, but each did the work of a dozen hawkers.
Bobby had a perpetually dirty face, like he’d rubbed his cheeks on a soot-covered building on his way to the paper. His nose was red and delightfully rounded, and his brown eyes sparkled with mischief. She thought he was a successful hawker because his grin and his joyful air intrigued people. On even the dourest day in Edinburgh, Bobby was smiling.
Samuel was taller and slimmer, with a long face that probably wouldn’t change much as he grew. He looked like a man of importance who passed judgment on others. She wondered what he would become, being one of innumerable children growing up in poverty.
She paid them their commission and added in a little bit besides. Bobby had a new sister, and Samuel’s father was ill. Granted, she would have to explain to Robert, and he would grumble, not understanding that generosity was sometimes its own reward.
After the boys had pocketed the coins, she gave them tea and fed them treats she’d requested from Cook. Today it was rock biscuits, and the boys fell on them as if they were starving. She didn’t know how much either boy had to eat, but it was obviously never enough.
When they were satiated for the moment, she began to ask them questions. Bobby had Macrath’s talent for listening. He, too, came back to the paper with information about what he’d overheard, tales people were talking about on street corners and in pubs. She took notes of his comments so she could tailor the next broadside to mirror those topics on the minds of Edinburgh’s citizens.
One day, she was certain the Edinburgh Gazette would be famous throughout Scotland. Until then the income from the broadsides helped defray most of their operating expenses.
She often published broadsides of a salacious nature, simply because they sold well. People hungered for the bizarre, the tragic, and the risqué. Even more than that, they loved gossip and intrigue. She was determined to give them all of that.
Still, today was the first time they’d sold every single copy of their broadside so quickly.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, and the two boys nodded.
Bobby’s grin would charm the paint off a canvas. She smiled back at him, and resisted the urge to ruffle Samuel’s hair as he passed.
Perhaps the two boys would be as close as she ever came to having children of her own.
She walked into the pressroom to talk to Allan.
“I’m off now,” she said over the sound of the press. “Do you need anything anywhere?”
Allan smiled and shook his head.
Gathering up her cloak and gloves, she prepared to do battle with the November cold. Eyeing her bonnet, she decided to leave it behind. The hated thing wouldn’t make her warmer, and it would act as an inducement for the wind to catch it and tug at the ribbon beneath her chin. Better for it to remain here.
At the last minute she changed her mind, grabbed it and wrapped the ribbon around her wrist. She might go somewhere she needed it.
When she went out reporting, she never knew where she would end up. Reporting was like pulling a thread. She almost never saw where the thread ended, but the beginning was lure enough.
She traveled down Cockburn Street, the cobbles wet in the sleet, and hesitated at the base of Warriston Close. The steps were shallow but seemed to go upward forever. In the gloom of a November afternoon, they were draped in shadow, not yet illuminated by the gas lamps.
Instead of climbing the steps, she went around the long way, continuing on Cockburn Street.
Beneath the Royal Mile were places where Edinburgh citizens had lived and died in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. She always felt like she was walking over a graveyard, as densely populated as the burial ground on Calton Hill.
She turned left, heading upward toward the castle again, then following another street around to St. Giles Cathedral.
Named for the patron saint of Edinburgh, the cathedral was undergoing restoration, something the Lord Provost was responsible for starting. She hadn’t been able to see inside, but Bobby had told her that all the old galleries and partitions were being removed to create one single space. Evidently, the provost had also planned and financed the new stained glass, one section of which sat in a wagon covered by canvas.
Strange, that she knew so much about the Lord Provost but had never met him until the other night. After the success of the broadside sale, perhaps she should reassess her stance about not delving into politics.
Walking on, she finally reached her destination.
Donovan’s Bar was known as a place where many of Edinburgh’s magistrates and elected officials frequented, since it wasn’t far from the City Chambers. Mr. Donovan was one of her best sources for what was happening among the important people in Edinburgh. Sooner or later every man stopped in for a pint or a dram at Donovan’s. Once a confectionery shop, the bar still looked like a shop from the outside, as most of Edinburgh’s taverns did.
As she did whenever she called on him, she knocked on the rear door, familiar enough with the alley that the location didn’t disturb her. Perhaps she didn’t have the sensibilities of most women. Or perhaps she’d simply had to ignore them over the years. The stench of ale and whiskey wafting from the empty barrels stacked against the building made her grateful for the gusty November winds. From inside the tavern came the rhythmic drone of conversation, waves of sound reaching her whenever an inner door was opened.
Mairi was welcome to stand at the back door, a fact that started to grate on her only recently. She’d never seen the interior because women didn’t frequent Donovan’s Bar. She’d been told it was one large space. A U-shaped station sat at the head of the room, with spirit barrels mounted high up against the wall. From his vantage point, Mr. Donovan could see the majority of his patrons. Just when she thought she couldn’t bear the cold one minute more, Mr. Donovan opened the door and peered outside.
Despite his sixty years, he was a man of erect posture and sturdy gait. Experience showed in the depth of his gaze and good living in the folds of his face. His normally affable expression was in evidence now.
“Now you’ll be having me thinking terrible thoughts about myself all day, lass, making you wait for me,” he said as she shivered and thrust her gloved hands into the slits of her cloak.
“It’s all right, Mr. Donovan. Your customers come first.”
“As they do, lass, as they do.”
“Do you have anything you’d like to share?”
She never asked Mr. Donovan to betray a trust, knowing how vital that was between a merchant and his customers. Over the years, however, he had provided her enough information that she could hint at activities soon to occur in Edinburgh. She wasn’t necessarily the first person with the story, but she prided herself on the fact that she got the details correct.
“Naught happening of much interest, lass. The government commissioners on the pollution of rivers are meeting in Leith. Had a few of them here, fussing about who’s responsible for the sewage of the water of Leith and such. But you’re not interested in that.”
Nor did she think her readers would be interested in sewage.
“But I do have news you can use. Mr. MacTavish is getting wed again.”
MacTavish was a wealthy merchant, a well-known figure in Edinburgh. The fact that he had outlived a great many wives always sparked talk. His previous wives had died either of ill health or in childbirth. Within months of the funeral, however, he always had another young woman picked out for his bride.
“What does that make now?” she asked. “Five?”
Mr. Donovan shook his head. “This one will be number six. It’s a Burns girl from Glasgow. I’ve heard the Lord Provost is thinking of doing the same.”
“Truly?” She hadn’t heard that from her other sources.
“His secretary stops in here almost every night. I learned it from him.”
“I would have thought a secretary would be more discreet,” she said.
Mr. Donovan nodded. “Aye, lass, I thought the same, but maybe he has a reason for telling tales. It could be the provost himself wants the news known.”
“Why would he do that?”
Mr. Donovan laughed. “He’s much sought after by the ladies. Maybe the notion that he’s interested in taking a wife will calm the women of Edinburgh.”
She’d never heard of the provost being so irresistible to the opposite sex. The man was entirely too large, too forceful, and he had a way of smiling at someone that simply stripped the words from her.
She was not going to ask, for fear of appearing too curious, but thankfully Mr. Donovan didn’t need prodding.
“The Drummond lass is rumored to be Provost Harrison’s pick.”
She knew of the Drummonds, of course. A wealthy and accomplished family, they were renowned throughout Scotland. Most of Scotland’s history featured a Drummond from one side of the family or the other.
They chatted for a moment or two more before his glances toward the interior hinted that he needed to attend to his customers. She made her farewells then, thanking Mr. Donovan as she always did and promising him a supply of next week’s broadsides for distribution to his customers.
Donovan’s Bar was located off the Royal Mile, and in this same area she had three other sources. Perhaps one of them could tell her something more exciting. She certainly didn’t need to hear anything further about the Lord Provost and his potential bride.
Leaving the narrow wynd, she headed uphill. She loved this part of Edinburgh, but then she loved most of the city. Every part of her home was infused with history, some of it bloody and most of it tragic.
For hundreds of years Scotland had fought against oppression. Now, they’d learned to live with it, absorbing the English into their borders. They’d even charmed an English Queen until Victoria rhapsodized over the beauty of Scotland.
English accents were as common as Scottish ones on the streets of Edinburgh. The English purchased homes in Scotland or visited often, buying souvenirs to take home and display in England.
In the end, would the lines between the two countries blur? She couldn’t believe that would ever happen, not as long as a true Scottish heart still beat, but there were things each country could learn from the other.
She rounded the corner, her gaze caught by a group of men dressed in long coats and wearing gloves and hats against the November cold. They were a prosperous looking bunch, intent on conversation. In the middle of them, as if she’d conjured him up simply with her thoughts, was Logan Harrison.
He wasn’t wearing a hat, his black hair ruffled by the increasing wind. Here, the gusts reached out to snatch at her hem and travel down the back of her cloak, a reminder that she’d stood in one place for too long waiting for Mr. Donovan. If she didn’t hurry, she’d get a chill.
She wasn’t going to get sick staring at the Lord Provost like one of those fascinated women Mr. Donovan had mentioned.
He glanced at her at that moment, their gazes meeting across the cobbled street. Her stomach clenched.
She was not afraid of the man.
Nor was she overly impressed with him. A great many men looked like Highlanders of old. Granted, he was taller and broader than the men around him, but perhaps they were simply short and thin.
He was studying her carefully, even as he spoke to someone at his side. Was he commenting about her? She doubted it when no one turned to look at her.
Had he read the broadside yet? Evidently not, because his expression was agreeable, not angry. She might even call him handsome if she wasn’t so irritated at him.
She nodded to him. To her surprise, he nodded back.
A moment later he strode across the cobbled street with the intent of a man with a destination in mind.
Her.
For a frozen second she debated turning and walking as quickly as she could in the other direction. Or simply gathering up her skirts and making a dash for the next wynd.
She was wrong. He’d read the broadside and was going to make his opinion known publicly. He was going to dress her down right here on the street as the men watched.
He stopped in front of her, nodded his head in lieu of tipping a nonexistent hat, and then confused her thoroughly by smiling at her.
Perhaps he was more handsome than she realized, especially when he was smiling. His green eyes were gleaming and his face ruddy from the cold.
“Miss Sinclair. It’s a raw day, isn’t it?”
She hadn’t felt anything for the last minute, the temperature not as important as anticipating the confrontation with him.
“It is cold, but it’s November in Scotland.”
“Aye, that it is.”
Had she amused him? Why were his eyes twinkling at her?
Gathering her cloak around her throat, she forced a smile to her frozen face.
“I should be about my work.”
“And what would you be doing out on such a raw day?”
The comment grated on her.
“My job, Lord Provost.”
“What would an editor of the Edinburgh Gazette do on the streets, Miss Sinclair?”
“I’m not merely an editor, Lord Provost. I also write columns and do the reporting for the paper. Otherwise, all the Gazette would publish would be legal notices. Who would subscribe to us then?”
“Indeed,” he said, his smile still in evidence. Was he impervious to the cold? Weren’t his lips numb and his teeth freezing?
She felt as if her nose must be bright red. Hopefully, it wasn’t running. She slipped a hand up to her lips, breathing on her glove.
“And you, Lord Provost, why would you be out and about and not in council chambers?”
“We had an inspection of the gradient of the street,” he said. “A company is claiming that steam power will effectively power tramways in the city.”
“Do you agree?”
“I’m not certain,” he said. “Steam power might be against the Edinburgh Tramways Act we passed last year. Besides, I see the possibility of accidents through failing brakes. It’s not a chance I’m willing to take with the lives of the citizens of Edinburgh.”
She was going to have to examine the act in more detail. Perhaps she should write a column about the future of Edinburgh, including the Lord Provost’s opinion on steam trams. Perhaps the man was simply averse to progress.
That, she could most certainly pass along to her readers.
“But I’ve kept you too long,” he said, reaching out and wrapping her scarf around her throat, a gesture that held her silent and surprised. “You’re beginning to shiver. However, it was a pleasure to see you again, Miss Sinclair.”
“I’m quite used to Edinburgh’s winters,” she said. “It’s my home.”
He smiled again. “How odd that we’ve never met before now.”
The fact that she had thought the same was annoying.
“Not that odd. I do not cover politics. I prefer to report on things that matter.”
His smile didn’t slip one degree. Instead, she seemed to have amused him again.
“I shall keep your words in mind, Miss Sinclair, and endeavor to matter today.”
She wanted to say something wickedly wise, words that would impress him with her capacity for repartee. Nothing, absolutely nothing, came to mind, and she was forced to simply nod, watching as he walked back over the street, his long coat flapping around his legs. She’d never been rendered speechless around anyone.
He was an imposing man and a bothersome one. He’d either seen the broadside and wanted to confuse her or hadn’t yet read it.
She only wished she knew which one it was.
Turning, she made her way to her next source, a shopkeeper near Princes Street.
She could feel Harrison’s eyes on her all the way up the street. Twice, she stopped, and twice told herself to keep walking. She would not turn around to see if he was still there. What disturbed her was not the sensation that the Lord Provost was watching her but the fact that her heart was racing at the thought of him doing so.
The Drummonds had two daughters. Which one was he going to marry?
She would bet next month’s income from the paper that none of the Drummond girls ever wondered about their futures. Nor would they be concerned about the plight of women in Scotland.
Perhaps she wasn’t being fair. She had a habit of prejudging people sometimes, especially when she felt lacking or not as accomplished as the other person. When that happened, and she noted it at the time, she made a concerted effort to correct her behavior.
Both Drummond girls could be suffragettes for all she knew.
She doubted it, however. They were probably the type who would simper around Harrison, playing coy and delicate and helpless. He would like that type of female.
He probably thought it beneath him to be challenged by a woman.
No, he hadn’t read the broadside, she was certain of it. She smiled into the wind, anticipating when he finally did.