Lara reached the boarding house, Bertha was waiting for her. ‘What happened?’
Lara told her.
‘Oh, God!’ Bertha said. ‘And today is Friday.’
‘What?’
‘Friday. The day the rents have to be collected. If I know Sean MacAllister, he’ll use this as an excuse to throw us all out into the streets.’
At least a dozen times in the past when James Cameron had been too drunk to handle it himself, he had sent Lara around to collect the rents from the other boarding houses that Sean MacAllister owned. Lara had given the money to her father, and the next day he had taken it to the banker.
‘What are we going to do?’ Bertha moaned.
And suddenly Lara knew what had to be done.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’ll take care of it.’
In the middle of supper that evening Lara said, ‘Gentlemen, would you listen to me, please?’ The conversations stopped. They were all watching her. ‘My father has had a … a little dizzy spell. He’s in the hospital. They want to keep him under observation for a bit. So, until he comes back, I’ll be collecting the rents. After supper, I’ll wait for you in the parlour.’
‘Is he going to be all right?’ one of the boarders asked.
‘Oh, yes,’ Lara said with a forced smile. ‘It’s nothing serious.’
After supper the men came into the parlour and handed Lara their week’s rent.
‘I hope your father recovers soon, child …’
‘If there’s anything I can do, let me know …’
‘You’re a braw lassie to do this for your father …’
‘What about the other boarding houses?’ Bertha asked Lara. ‘He has to collect from four more.’
‘I know,’ Lara said. ‘If you’ll take care of the dishes, I’ll go collect the rents.’
Bertha looked at her dubiously. ‘I wish you luck.’
It was easier than Lara had expected. Most of the boarders were sympathetic, and happy to help out the young girl.
Early the following morning, Lara took the rent envelopes and went to see Sean MacAllister. The banker was seated in his office when Lara walked in.
‘My secretary said you wanted to see me.’
‘Yes, sir.’
MacAllister studied the scrawny, unkempt girl standing before him. ‘You’re James Cameron’s daughter, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Sarah.’
‘Lara.’
‘Sorry to hear about your father,’ MacAllister said. There was no sympathy in his voice. ‘I’ll have to make other arrangements, of course, now that your father’s too ill to carry out his job. I …’
‘Oh, no, sir!’ Lara said quickly. ‘He asked me to handle it for him.’
‘You?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘I’m afraid that won’t …’
Lara put the envelopes on his desk. ‘Here are this week’s rents.’
MacAllister looked at her, surprised. ‘All of them?’
She nodded.
‘And you collected them?’
‘Yes, sir. And I’ll do it every week until Papa gets better.’
‘I see.’ He opened the envelopes and carefully counted the money. Lara watched him enter the amount in a large green ledger.
For some time now, MacAllister had intended to replace James Cameron because of his drunkenness and erratic performance, and now he saw his opportunity to get rid of the family.
He was sure that the young girl in front of him would not be able to carry out her father’s duties, but at the same time, he realized what the town’s reaction would be if he threw James Cameron and his daughter out of the boarding house into the street. He made his decision.
‘I’ll try you for one month,’ he said. ‘At the end of that time, we’ll see where we stand.’
‘Thank you, Mr MacAllister. Thank you very much.’
‘Wait.’ He handed Lara twenty-five dollars. ‘This is yours.’
Lara held the money in her hand, and it was like a taste of freedom. It was the first time she had ever been paid for what she had done.
From the bank, Lara went to the hospital. Dr Duncan was just coming out of her father’s room. Lara felt a sudden sense of panic. ‘He isn’t …?’
‘No … no … he’s going to be all right, Lara.’ He hesitated. ‘When I say “all right”, I mean he is not going to die … not yet, at least … but he is going to have to stay in bed for a few weeks. He’ll need someone to take care of him.’
‘I’ll take care of him,’ Lara said.
He looked at her and said, softly, ‘Your father doesn’t know it, my dear, but he’s a very lucky man.’
‘May I go in and see him now?’
‘Yes.’
Lara walked into her father’s room and stood there staring at him. James Cameron lay in bed, looking pale and helpless, and he suddenly seemed very old. Lara was engulfed by a wave of tenderness. She was finally going to be able to do something for her father, something that would make him appreciate her and love her. She approached the bed.
‘Papa …’
He looked up and muttered, ‘What the bluidy hell are you doin’ here? You’ve work to dae at the boardin’ house.’
Lara froze. ‘I … I know, Papa. I just wanted to tell you that I saw Mr MacAllister. I told him I would collect the rents until you got better and …’
‘Ye collect the rents? Dinna make me laugh.’ He was shaken with a sudden spasm. When he spoke again, his voice was weak. ‘It’s the Fates,’ he moaned. ‘I’m gang to be thrown oot into the streets.’
He was not even thinking about what would happen to her. Lara stood there looking at him for a long time. Then she turned and walked out.
James Cameron was brought home
