Blood Bond (26 page)

Despite Penny's concern, the voyage from Brisbane back to Gulf Harbour proved enjoyable, if long. The winds were light and
Archangel
spent many hours rocking gently on a glassy ocean. Alone on deck at night, Steven and Penny talked about their future. Steven speculated about what life might be like if they remained in New Zealand and the difficulties they would confront if they returned to Haver. Despite his reasoning, Penny showed no sign of changing her mind. She wanted to go home to England.

 

Mark was relieved to see
Archangel
sailing along the southern coast of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. He'd expected her back three weeks earlier and had grown increasingly anxious. Now he apprehensively scanned her decks through his binoculars. He counted three adults and a child.

‘I think one of the Dalton lads is missing,' he finally said to Fergus.

‘Which one?'

‘I can't tell from here.'

‘He's probably sleeping.'

‘Would you be sleeping if you were arriving in a country you'd never visited before?' Mark said cynically.

As Steven rowed his party through the marina and up the canal, all the members of the community gathered to welcome them. Mark was with his grandchildren, Zach, Nicole and Audrey. Allison was holding the hands of Christopher's surviving grandchildren, Gina and Holly. Jessica had her arm round Fergus, who was maintaining a firm grip on Tommy to ensure the excited little boy didn't rush to join his friend Lee when the dinghy arrived.

Only Jane was missing. During his morning runs, Mark had covered every kilometre of the peninsula's roads several times, searching for signs of his daughter. While he never admitted it to anyone else, he now accepted that Jane must have perished in the tsunami.

As the dinghy approached and the exchange of greetings between the two groups rang out, Mark's concern grew. Robert was missing.

‘Where's Robert?' Mark asked anxiously as Tommy, Luke, Penny and Steven scrambled ashore but kept their distance.

Steven glanced at Luke. The question had brought the boy close to tears. ‘I'll tell you shortly.'

Tommy called across to Lee, ‘Did you see the koala?'

‘Is there anything to eat?' Steven asked before Lee could respond.

‘Don't worry, a meal's ready and waiting,' Mark said. ‘We'll catch up on the news over lunch.' He tried to disguise how desperate he was to know what had happened to Robert. Had the lure of the Aboriginal women been too great? Had he refused to come back to Gulf Harbour? Mark felt the anger boiling up. If necessary, he would sail to Australia and drag the boy back to New Zealand himself!

The two groups kept their distance as they hurried up the hill. A meal was laid out on separate barbecue tables in the gardens of the adjacent properties. The quarantine tape around Steven, Penny and Lee's house remained in place, reinforcing the fact that they were still
in isolation. They found themselves sharing, yet not sharing, a meal with the community on the other side of the tape.

‘So tell us what happened,' Mark prompted once everyone had begun their meal.

The Gulf Harbour community listened intently as the story unfolded. Luke, telling his story first, chose not to mention the Brisbane sandwich. However, the adults guessed — from how he skimmed quickly over certain aspects — that he had lost his virginity there. As Luke described his brother's murder and struggled to choke back the tears, Steven took over.

‘Why did you spend so much time refitting
Archangel
?' Mark asked as Steven's account drew to a close.

‘It was too good an opportunity to miss. Anyway, enough of our news — tell us what's been going on here.'

Penny glanced in Steven's direction. He guessed from the look on her face that she was furious he hadn't told his father the true reason for the refit.

‘First, a toast,' Mark said. He rose to his feet, poured wine for the members at his table and motioned to Steven to do the same for those in his group.

Steven, already feeling guilty for hiding things from his father, felt even worse when Mark lifted his glass and said, ‘To Steven, Penny, Luke and Lee — welcome home.'

Glasses were raised. To Steven, Penny, Luke and Lee.'

As he sipped his wine, Steven glanced across at Luke, who was close to tears. ‘Would you please stand?' Steven asked. ‘I think we should observe a minute's silence, in remembrance of Robert.'

Everyone scrambled to their feet. Luke was not the only one who was moved to tears, and those who weren't crying were close. It was only when Luke finally regained control and sat down, some five minutes later, that the tribute to Robert ended.

Steven poured more wine and then repeated his question. ‘So what's been happening back here at Gulf Harbour?'

Mark launched into an account of the progress that had been achieved during the two months
Archangel
had been away. His enthusiasm gradually lifted everyone's spirits.

Much had been achieved. Their first triumph had been to defeat the dogs, most of which had been poisoned. The community still needed to be on their guard against the occasional stray, but with the main pack destroyed, they had been able to press ahead establishing their base. They had undertaken an expedition beyond the end of the peninsula to find additional cattle and sheep to begin replenishing their stock, and the gardens established on the slopes of Marina Hill had begun to produce. Foraging parties were returning daily with more seedlings, fruit trees and vines. Fishing continued most days and the smokehouse was operating continuously. The shellfish beds in Okoromai Bay, which had been wiped out by the tsunami, were beginning to recover.

No sooner had Mark completed his account of what had been achieved than he launched into his plans for the future. Steven listened, uncomfortable with the words streaming from his father's lips. Many of the projects — the plans for a power plant, the building of a windmill, the development of water and sewage systems, establishing and equipping workshops, setting up bottling and food-processing equipment — relied on his knowledge and trade expertise. The work would take months to complete. He was relieved when his father finally said, ‘Talking of things to do, we must press on. We've still got another three hours work to do today.'

There was a good-humoured groan from the family members around his table before the group, including the children, clambered to their feet and began to move off.

As Mark and Allison turned to follow them, Penny jabbed Steven in the ribs. ‘Tell him now,' she whispered angrily.

‘Dad, before you go, we need to have a word.'

Mark stopped abruptly. He realised from Steven's tone that his son had something serious to tell them.

Steven put his arm around Penny, who was holding Lee's hand. Luke moved a little closer to her, as if subconsciously wishing to be seen as part of their family.

There was no way of breaking the news gently. ‘Penny and I have decided we will take Lee back to England.'

Mark was unable to hide his anger. ‘Why, for heaven's sake?'

‘There's no future for us here.'

‘There's no future for you at Haver either. They won't want Lee if they know he's carrying typhoid.'

‘If we have to live in isolation, we want to live in England. Penny wants to know her mother is all right. And I want to be with Penny. That means I have to go back too.'

‘Go back to what — a life of slavery? That's the best you can hope for if Nigel catches up with you. He sentenced you to death, or had you forgotten that?'

‘I'm not daft!' Steven shouted back. ‘The situation at Haver could have improved by now. We might find the Union Jack and flag of St George flying above the West Tower.'

‘And you might find pigs flying above Lawn Court,' Mark said irritably. ‘What are you going to do if you get back and Paul hasn't hoisted the flags?'

‘Well, we're not just going to go waltzing in, are we? We'll use our common sense. We'll set up camp a few miles away, slip into the park and make contact with the farm workers and gardeners.'

‘I still can't see any point in your going back to England — you won't achieve anything. Lee is still a carrier.'

‘I want to see my mother,' Penny shouted. ‘I want her to at least see Lee again, even if it is from a distance. And I want her to see my new baby.'

Mark looked at her. Of course: she was pregnant. Why hadn't he noticed? ‘Congratulations … both of you.' The words came out as a mere grunt. He should have been over the moon. Another grandchild — an addition to the community. But he felt betrayed. Penny not only wanted to take Steven away, she also proposed robbing the community of genes it desperately needed.

Just when he thought things could get no worse, Luke joined in.

‘I want to go back too.'

‘Well, you can't.'

‘It's Luke's choice,' Allison said softly.

‘It's not. He's needed here.'

Allison stormed off. ‘What happened to democracy? You're a worse dictator than Nigel!' she yelled over her shoulder.

Mark felt compelled to answer Allison's rhetorical question. ‘Sometimes, democracy is a luxury we cannot afford.'

‘Well, I'm going back — democracy or no democracy,' Luke said defiantly.

‘You're not.'

‘You can't keep me here. If necessary I'll find a boat and sail to England alone.'

Mark was too angry to reply. Steven felt compelled to offer an olive branch. ‘Dad, I'm not going to leave you or the others in the lurch. I'll help complete all the essential rebuilding projects before I go.' Mark still said nothing. Steven, upset with how the conversation had gone, continued. ‘Tomorrow we'll move over to Fishermans Cove at Army Bay and set up our own base there.'

‘Why?'

Penny intervened. ‘Think of it from Lee's point of view. He knows he's caused the deaths of all those people in Australia and poor little Zoë here. How do you think he feels? You're treating him like a leper, keeping him behind this tape.'

‘It's for everyone's safety.'

Steven seized on his father's argument. ‘Exactly. And it'll be much safer for everyone if we move across to Fishermans Cove. Penny can look after Lee, and Luke and I can work on the building projects. We'll keep our distance from everyone else.'

‘I want Luke to join the main group.'

Luke opened his mouth to protest, but Steven spoke first. ‘You can't be certain Luke isn't carrying the disease. I know it's unlikely, but it's possible. If you want to integrate him, you'll have to go through the same rigmarole with the children all over again.'

‘I don't want to be integrated,' Luke said stubbornly. ‘I'm going back to England.'

‘There's no way…'

‘I'll need help with the building projects,' Steven interrupted his father. ‘Luke can be my apprentice. He can live with us at Fishermans Cove for now.'

‘I'll think about it,' Mark said, as he turned and walked away.

As he hurried towards the farm, Mark began to calm down. Further
debate was futile for the present. He told himself that once Steven became involved in the building projects, he would change his mind. Perhaps letting them settle in Fishermans Cove wasn't such a bad idea after all. It was a beautiful location — they could have a house on the beach with plenty of sun and within earshot of the lapping of waves. He was sure it was better than anything Penny had ever experienced in England. She'd soon change her mind. He definitely wasn't going to allow Luke to go to England, whatever happened.

 

The community became frantically busy. Fergus had taken responsibility for food production and the gardens were planted to capacity, crops sown on the farm, additional animals located and grains milled. Fish was smoked, dried and salted.

Steven and Luke concentrated on the building projects. There was much to do. They worked ten hours a day, six days a week. As one project was completed another ‘essential' project seemed to be added to the list.

Mark charged himself with foraging. He was acutely aware that with such a small workforce, future generations would be severely limited as to what they would be able to produce. Buildings were already being overrun and weakened by vegetation. Within a few years buildings would begin collapsing, burying essential items in their rubble. In a few centuries the march of nature would make it difficult to locate even large cities.

In addition to seeking out materials and equipment required by Steven and Luke for their building projects, Mark was determined to assemble, preserve and catalogue as many useful items as he could find. As his collection grew, he converted more houses along the ridge of Marina Hill to warehouses. His fervour bordered on obsession.

 

While Penny enjoyed her life with Lee in the idyllic setting of Fishermans Cove, she remained homesick.

‘When are we going back to England?' she asked Steven on Christmas Day.

Three months had elapsed since their return to Gulf Harbour. Spending Christmas Day sitting on a beach with Steven, Luke and
Lee, cooking a barbecue in the sunshine, was alien to her. She missed the Christmas tree, the snow, huddling around the fire to keep warm. She missed her family.

‘Well we can hardly go yet, can we?' he joked, winking at Luke and trying to make light of her enquiry. ‘Look at the size of you!'

Penny was now six months pregnant.

‘You're as bad as your father. You're evading my question.'

Steven knew she was right. ‘I promised my father I wouldn't leave him and the rest of the community in the lurch.'

‘And you promised Lee, Luke and I that you would take us back to England.'

‘And I will. It's not a question of if. It's a question of when.'

‘Exactly, we need to agree on a date. Haven't you twigged your father's game?'