Beyond the Sunset (11 page)

‘She’s the one they told me was most valuable,’ the convict said. ‘They brought her out for breeding, but she’ll have to be slaughtered. The owner won’t be pleased about that. Still, they can’t blame us for a storm, can they?’ He went off to find an officer.

Leo went to examine the poor creature which was making distressed noises.

When the ship’s doctor came to look, he shook his head. ‘You can’t set a cow’s leg. She’ll have to be shot.’

‘I can set her leg,’ Leo said.

They looked at him in surprise.

‘Have you done it before?’ the doctor asked.

Leo nodded. ‘But it was a sheep. The farrier said I should practise on a sheep.’

‘Did it recover?’

‘Yes. If it’s the front leg, you can sometimes mend it, if it’s only a simple break. If it’s the back leg, you can’t do much. I can straighten it if someone will hold her down for me. I’ll need a splint and a bandage.’

‘He doesn’t understand,’ the convict muttered, tapping his forehead.

‘He sounds as if he does. Sometimes people like him have special skills, as if to make up for their other problems.’ The doctor frowned then shrugged. ‘It’s worth giving it a try. This is a very valuable animal.’ He turned back to Leo. ‘All right, young man. Show me what you can do.’

‘Can’t
you
do it, doctor?’ the convict begged. ‘I don’t want them blaming me.’

‘I’ve never tried anything with animals. He clearly has. I’ll be interested to watch and of course I’ll stop him making things worse, if I have to, and put it out of its misery.’

Leo dealt with the leg with a speed that surprised them all. Ignoring the animal’s struggles and the noises it was making, he felt carefully along the bone and pushed quickly. ‘We need to tie it to the wood now,’ he said.

‘Is that it?’ the convict asked, sounding disappointed.

Leo looked at him in puzzlement. ‘It was only a simple break.’

‘Will she recover?’ the doctor asked.

‘Some do, some just die. But she’s young. It’d be better if I stayed with her.’ He stroked the animal’s head and she quieted almost immediately.

Several passengers and members of the crew came to look at the invalid, walking away muttering.

Leo ignored them, spending most of his time for several days by the side of the sick animal, which always seemed calmer when he was with it.

‘Damnedest thing I ever saw,’ the doctor said to Zachary. ‘He did it so quickly, and look how well the animal responds to him. The owner is going to be very pleased about this if it recovers.’

6

O
n the day after the wedding Pandora woke early, thankful to see daylight lightening the tent walls. She’d started awake several times during the night, wondering what some nearby noise was.

After washing herself all over, she stood for a moment or two naked, feeling guilty at acting immodestly, but the air on her skin was so blessedly cool. Reluctantly she reached for her working clothes: drawers, one petticoat only, a cotton skirt, a camisole and a bodice from which she’d removed the sleeves in a vain attempt to keep cool. Over it all she tied a coarse twill pinafore, then lingered for a moment or two longer to stare at herself in the broken mirror Mrs Southerham had given them.

Her skin was a light golden colour now, though still much paler than everyone else’s. She didn’t spend any more time than she had to in the sun because she still found the heat uncomfortable. Her hair was shiny again though – she put up one hand to touch it. It had been dull during the times they’d gone hungry after the cotton mills closed.

Were people still starving in Outham? Was the Civil War still going on in America? They were cut off from the latest news here, because without a railway system newspapers took a long time to reach the country settlements. Mr Southerham grumbled about that quite often.

If you went anywhere, you went on foot or by horse. Her employer had said he’d teach her to ride, if she liked. She’d remind him of that. If she could ride, maybe he’d let her go to visit Xanthe and Maia on her own occasionally. Surely she’d be safe with so few people around? And learning to ride would give her something different to do. It got so boring doing the same chores every day, with no one to talk to now, even. She’d never have chosen to be a maid. When she’d worked in the mill, it had been hard work, not particularly interesting, but she and her workmates had had fun as well, and her time off had been her own.

She took the bowl of water outside and threw it on the small row of plants struggling to survive. It didn’t do to waste water here. It hadn’t rained once since they arrived in December.

As she went to draw another bucket of clean water, she saw a few kangaroos hopping among the trees behind the house – females. Kevin said the male kangaroos could be dangerous, but the females were gentler. They seemed to go round in groups. She’d seen this lot before. The biggest one had a ragged ear.

When the animals had moved away, she got the fire burning and made herself a pot of tea, drinking it from one of the half-pint enamel mugs everyone used, though the Southerhams always got out their china teacups in the afternoons –
you have to keep up standards
– which made extra work for their maid. She had to wash the tea service carefully afterwards, with a tea towel in the bottom of the tin washing-up bowl to prevent chipping the fine china.

She swirled the dark liquid round her mug, watching the hollow in the centre, seeing how deep she could make it. There was no milk for the tea because the Southerhams didn’t want the trouble of keeping a cow, and there was no other way of getting milk here. Anyway, milk would sour too quickly in this heat. She didn’t add sugar, either, because she’d grown to like the bitter taste of unsweetened tea during the years when sugar was too expensive, years when they’d struggled to find one decent meal a day and a few pieces of dry bread the rest of the time if they were lucky. They’d had to reuse their tealeaves several times in those days, till finally the water was barely coloured, which was perhaps why she enjoyed strong tea now.

Mrs Southerham came out on to the veranda of their tiny wooden dwelling, yawning and stretching, then walked across to join her at the table under its canvas awning. ‘Is there any tea left in that pot?’

‘Plenty.’ She started to stand up.

‘Sit down. I’ll get my own. I think the wedding went well, don’t you?’

‘Yes. Cassandra made a beautiful bride.’

‘Not as beautiful as you will be one day.’

‘I doubt I’ll find another man like Bill.’ He’d been the kindest man she’d ever met, and fun to be with.

‘Oh, I think you might find someone else. I was quite on the shelf myself and resigned to living and dying a spinster, when I met Francis. You’ll see. A girl as beautiful and intelligent as you is bound to attract interest.’

Pandora didn’t argue. It wasn’t worth it. She didn’t want to marry someone from round here and spend the rest of her life stuck miles away from anywhere. She went to get out the flour and bicarbonate of soda and set to work to make the first batch of damper, pummelling it hard, wishing people wouldn’t keep harping on about her getting married.

As she straightened up from putting the tins of dough into the oven, she stared down the track that led up to the farm. She often caught herself doing this and sometimes her imagination conjured up an image of a man striding up that track and taking her away from this place, away from Australia and back to Lancashire.

How foolish she was! You didn’t get knights in shining armour coming to rescue you in these modern times. She was trapped here in Australia. But one day she’d escape, even if it was only to go and live in Perth.

The following week, when Hallie and her mother went to market, a lad with a cap pulled down over his face and a muffler round his neck came running round a corner and bumped right into her mother, knocking her over.

Someone called ‘Hoy!’ but the lad ran away.

Hallie bent over her mother, who was gasping for breath. A man from a nearby stall came to help Mrs Carr stand up. But she couldn’t seem to catch her breath for a few moments.

Someone else brought a stool and when Mrs Carr did manage to get up she was glad to sit down on it.

‘He seemed to – jab me in my stomach and – I couldn’t catch my breath.’

Hallie knew then that this was what Harry had meant. He’d done it. Hurt her mother but made people think it was an accident.

‘Careless young devil!’ the man who’d helped them said. ‘If I knew who that lad was I’d be round to tell his parents.’ He raised his voice. ‘Anyone know who he was?’

Heads were shaken. Most people had already gone back to their shopping.

All the way home Hallie worried about what Harry was going to want from her next week. The thought of kissing him made her feel sick.

But if she didn’t, he might hurt her mother again.

Should she tell someone?

She didn’t dare. She knew about the Prebbles. Everyone did. If you upset them, they got their own back on you.

In early March it rained, heavy drops that dried before they could wet the ground properly. But even that was something so unusual that Pandora went to stand outside, her head tilted up to enjoy the feeling of cool moisture on her face.

Cassandra, sheltering under the awning over the table, laughed at her antics. Pandora laughed back, dancing round, arms spread out. The Southerhams had gone for a ride, so they were alone, for once, and could relax – though there were always jobs to be done.

Reece also stopped to smile at Pandora’s antics. He was working on the Southerhams’ hut, because Livia had at last persuaded her husband to enlarge their dwelling by enclosing part of the veranda before the winter rains really set in. He was using bits and pieces of packing cases, as well as the huge strips of bark you could get from some trees. They would get some glass for windows next time they were in Perth.

To her disappointment the spatter of rain soon stopped and the brassy sun took over again.

‘I wonder what winter’s really like,’ she said as they all three stopped for a mid-morning snack. ‘I don’t call that pitter-patter
rain
.’

‘In winter it beats down so hard, it bounces up again from the ground,’ Reece said. ‘And it’ll come straight towards us from the sea.’ He gestured across the sloping land to the horizon. ‘We don’t get much rain from an easterly direction.’

Cassandra got out the mugs. ‘I’m worried about you alone in that tent. What if it blows away?’

Pandora shrugged. ‘If it does, I’ll seek refuge in the house, or with you, perhaps.’

‘At the very least I’ll build a bed frame and erect a bark and pole shelter over the tent before the rains really set in,’ Reece promised. ‘I can’t build proper living quarters without money to buy sawn wood, though.’

‘Will Mr Southerham let you take the time to do that?’

‘I’ll insist. He can’t expect you to sleep in a soaked tent that may blow away any minute. Even the horses have better shelters than you do.’

Francis and Livia were riding along a track they’d found in the bush when the rain started to fall. They had no idea who had made this path or where it led, but it was clearly man-made, though not recently used. He’d got Reece to clear away the regrowth and then Francis had walked along it to make sure the track was safe for the horses.

After a while the path turned downhill towards the main Albany road, which they could follow to the entrance to their own property and then come back up the hill.

‘Rain!’ Livia held out one hand, palm upwards, enjoying the feel of the drops. ‘Oh dear, it’s stopping already. I’d have loved a proper shower.’

‘Mmm.’

He was lost in thought today and she hesitated, then reined in her horse. ‘Let’s get off and walk along this part. The horses will follow us.’

As they tramped along, she said what she’d been holding back for a while now, ‘What’s wrong, Francis? It’s no use pretending you’re well. I’ve noticed you slowing down, tiring more easily . . . coughing again. It isn’t—’ She broke off hating even to say the word.

He stopped to stare down at the ground and kick away a small branch. ‘I do feel – more tired lately. And – I’m coughing up blood again. Not a lot, but a smear or two occasionally.’

She stopped dead, one hand on his arm. ‘I’d heard you coughing, but you said it was just the dust. And it
is
dusty here.’

‘I’d been hoping I’d get better once we’d settled in.’

‘That’s what persuaded your father to let you come to Australia in the end, isn’t it? The doctors told him you had consumption.’

He nodded.

‘You made light of it then, said it wasn’t bad, told me the doctor was sure things would get better in a warmer climate. Oh, Francis!’ Her throat closed with anguish and the last word came out muffled.

He came to take her in his arms. ‘I didn’t want to worry you.’

‘We must go to Perth, find a doctor.’

‘I saw doctors in England. There’s nothing they can do about consumption that I’ve not done already, not really. I’ve come to a warm climate, changed to an outdoor life, and that hasn’t helped. Oh, my darling, don’t cry!’ He pulled her into his arms.

She fought against tears but couldn’t hold them back, weeping on his shoulder. But she didn’t let herself weep for long. She had to keep her courage up, look after him, make his last years as happy as possible.

He spoke against her hair, holding her close. ‘I shouldn’t have bought this land. It’s used up too much of our money. That’s why I didn’t want to make too many changes here, because everything I spend will mean less left for you . . . afterwards.’

‘Don’t worry about me. If we look after you, see that you get lots of rest, maybe there’s a chance that you’ll get better.’

‘Maybe.’

Anguish ran through her, sitting heavily in her chest because she understood then that he’d given up hope of recovering – which meant he must be feeling worse than he’d admitted.

‘My main worry is what will happen to you,’ he said.

‘I’ll be fine. I’ll have some money because I can sell the land again. Reece has made a lot of improvements, so this place should be worth more. Don’t waste time worrying about me, my darling. We have to think what can we do to make your life as happy as possible.’