She knew him slightly as a distant cousin of Rob's father, but would have gone on her way had he not greeted her.
"A fine day, Miss Macpherson," he said loudly, as a couple of soldiers tramped past them along the road, and then in a low tone, "have you news of Rob?"
"No," she replied, "and no news is like to be good news in these times. What set him meddling with such things—the feckless loon?"
He jerked his head towards his house.
"Come away in," he whispered, "we must see what can be done."
Together they entered the place and going upstairs came to an upper room.
He was a very heavy, red-faced, helpless kind of man. His massive incompetence under stress of emergency irritated her to tartness.
"It was here Rob met that soft-spoken gomeril, Muckle John," she snapped.
"Aye, that it was," he replied, nodding moodily.
"And I suspect the man who gave him my address that evening, Major Fraser."