Gallipoli Street (11 page)

Introductions were made as Kevin set up his camera and took a photo of them all surrounding the car and afterwards everyone clamoured to take turns sitting behind the wheel. Veronica hung back and noticed Rose did the same, which was unlike her. Then she noticed her expression. Rose was frozen to the spot, looking at Gregory Chambers as if he were a ghost. And Gregory Chambers was staring straight back at Rose, although he didn't seem surprised to see her at all.

Rose stood at the end of her bed, gripping the rail and staring out at the date palms as they bobbed about in the breeze. Funny, she thought. There'd been date palms outside the bedroom window of Gregory's house in Melbourne too. She remembered watching the green and gold fronds dance at the precise moment that her life changed forever.

And now here they were again, waving their long, thin fingers. Changing her fate.

‘How did you find me?'

Gregory moved up to stand behind her. ‘I missed you too, Rose, or should I say I missed this.' He grabbed her, turning her about and kissing her hard on the mouth. She resisted and he twisted his hands into her hair and pulled her close against his big frame.

‘Stop it.' She pushed at him. ‘I thought…I hoped I'd never see you again.'

‘You say the words but your body says something else.' He spoke against her mouth, kissing her again hungrily.

She felt herself weaken, then remembered and pulled away, distancing herself back against the door. ‘I don't know how you found me but it doesn't matter because I won't go back to you, Gregory. It's over. I told you before and nothing you say can change it now.'

‘Marry me, Rose.' He closed in on her, holding her face between his hands. ‘Let's just stop this nonsense and get married once and for all.'

She allowed him to kiss her, just once, and it felt familiar, echoing moments of stolen passion she'd tried to forget. He held her with a restrained forcefulness that made her shiver, her body on high alert to his touch.

‘You were a bad girl, running away like that,' he whispered, kissing his way down her neck as she leant in towards him. ‘I don't know how long it will take until you make it up to me.'

Then she remembered and opened her eyes, moving along the wall as he followed close, their breathing heavy with desire. ‘I can't.' She shook her head, desperately trying to gain back some control of her reeling senses. She couldn't let it happen again. He would take her, then control her, and she would lose herself in the process. Gregory was an overwhelming force and she knew if she went back to him she would bend to his will and surrender more than her body.

He studied her for a moment, pinning her with his pale blue eyes, then smiled in a sudden flash of white teeth against brown skin. ‘You can and you will,' he instructed.

‘You…you ask for too much.'

‘Yes, but this time I'm willing to pay, Rose. This time you can be the wife
and
the whore.'

‘Don't call me that!' she flashed at him.

‘You know you want me to,' he whispered and she felt a damning rush of desire. It was so wrong but it felt so good to give in and let him take charge. Maybe she could let him do this. Maybe he could just rescue her and take her away.

‘I'll give you everything your greedy little heart desires. The estate in London, the house in Melbourne, the family name. Marry me, Rose. Be my woman.'

He reached into his pocket and presented her with a large yellow diamond set in a platinum ring.

Rose gasped. It was exquisite. ‘You're serious…'

‘Very.'

‘I can't, Gregory…you…you take me over…' Images of him looming over her the last time they were together flashed through her mind. The day she'd feared him. He was both powerful and dangerous and it excited her and terrified her at the same time.

‘So give in,' he instructed, his breath against her ear as he reached for the door behind. ‘I can never give you up now, Rose.'

The latch clicked behind him and her legs gave out as she collapsed on the bed. Now there were two ways out and time was closing on the deal. She had to make her move.

By the time the men returned and washed up for dinner that night the women had prepared the feast for the pavilion party the next day, as well as an informal dinner.

The night's fare was buffet style, mostly consisting of cold meats, pickles, breads and an assortment of fresh fruits from the orchards. Tradition dictated that the family Christmas was held now, before the greater number of guests arrived on the morrow. Marjorie also insisted on an informal concert every year, and delighted in the news that Iggy was an accomplished pianist. He was in fine form, having won the race on Ebony in a close finish against Jack on Tilley, and was itching to play.

Clarkson Senior got the ball rolling after dinner by handing out various costumes and masks, this year choosing Tom and Mick to perform the first number of choice. Seeing as they were already dressed as gypsies thanks to their host, they sang a version of ‘The Gypsy Rover', interspersed with impromptu ‘readings' throughout. These included the prediction that they had an ‘inkling' Pattie's legs would grow so long she would turn into a gigantic squid and that Alice would divorce and marry a certain rooster and become queen of England. This was followed by an almighty performance by Clarkson Senior, Dr Dwyer, George Murphy and Kevin who sang ‘Danny Boy' in strong, rich voices. Kevin interspersed the singing with sweet variations on his violin before the whole group eventually joined in.

Veronica watched Jack sitting next to Rose, who had donned a princess crown, his arm around her as he sang along in his beautiful voice. Rose's fingers fidgeted somewhat nervously with the string of pearls at her throat and Veronica wondered at it. Perhaps she was expecting a Christmas proposal. Veronica felt sick at the thought of that cold heart beneath the pearls beating against Jack's warm loving one for the rest of his days.

Suddenly she needed air and slipped onto the porch, wandering out to walk the frangipani colonnade, breathing the summer night in and trying to exhale the ache within.

‘Hello, Veronica.' She looked up, her heart in her mouth, only to be confronted by the sight of Dan, still in riding clothes on the drive. ‘What are you doing alone out here? Too much for you?' He nodded at the house, grinning at the rowdy rendition of ‘Good King Wenceslas' occurring within.

‘Dan! We didn't expect you till tomorrow,' Veronica exclaimed. ‘Have you eaten? Goodness, you must be ravenous. Let me fetch you some dinner,' she said, starting towards the house, but Dan seized his opportunity, turning her about.

‘It can wait. Actually I'm glad to find you alone. There was something I wanted to ask you. That is, something that has been bothering me. Not bothering me, just you know, on my mind so to speak…Blimey, I'm not much good at this am I?' He laughed self-consciously.

‘I'm not sure I understand,' Veronica hedged.

‘Not much good at…talking to girls. Pretty girls especially, which is stupid because you're not like that.'

‘I'm not pretty?'

‘What? No. You are! Very! I just don't know how to talk to you, even though I know you're, you know, normal. You're very…normal.'

‘Were you expecting something to be wrong?' She began to laugh a little and he relaxed, laughing too.

‘Point is, look I know you are young and all but I…I think–'

‘You're right, she is young, and definitely too young to be standing out here with you alone.' Jack's expression was stern as he walked towards them. ‘I'm sure you're hungry, Dan. Why don't you go inside and wash up? Vera, a word if you don't mind.'

Dan had little choice but to obey Jack, whom he knew was practically Veronica's brother. She felt for him as he stammered an apology and left, making his way into the house.

‘What the blazes do you think you are up to now?' Jack rounded on her angrily.

‘Nothing, he just saw me and spoke to me…Nothing!' she ended, feeling angry herself. ‘Anyway it's none of your business what I do.'

‘Of course it's my business. You're like family and I won't have you behaving like that. It'll ruin your reputation, Vera, and you can't ever win that back once it's lost. Don't you get that?'

‘And I suppose Rose hasn't done any damage to her reputation, draping herself all over you like…like
seaw
eed
.'

Jack looked taken aback.

‘That's completely different. Anyway, I'm not always going to turn up at the right minute to save you. Start thinking about how things look!'

‘Oh, I've got to start thinking how things look, do I? What about you? Walking about half dressed and putting your…your hands all…everywhere…' she stammered, regretting each word as she said it.

The frangipani trees above them swayed gently in the moonlight, the shadows across their faces seeming uncertain where to land.

He gazed at her for a moment, and she remembered the feel of him that afternoon, his hands upon her. Jack lifted a strand of her hair that had escaped its confines, tugging on it slightly, and she did not breathe as he pulled her towards him until their mouths were close. Veronica leant in slightly, unable to resist what she had imagined for so long.

She brushed her lips against his, so light a touch, yet she felt every part of her resided there, in that one place.

Jack closed his eyes and she thought for a moment he felt the same.

‘Damn it!' He swore, turning away.

‘Jack.' The word slipped out, a pleading, desperate sound she couldn't take back.

It halted him and he stood still, his back to her. ‘What are you trying to do to me, Vera?'

‘Nothing. I…Nothing.'

‘You know I'm with Rose. How can you treat her like this?'

His hostility struck her hard, as if he'd reached out and slapped her, and she flinched as if it really were a physical blow. ‘What do you mean?'

‘Seriously, Vera, what do you want me to do? Say that I won't marry her now because you threw yourself at me?'

‘Threw myself?'

‘Hell, she saved your life. What does she have to do to prove herself to you all?' He ran his hand over his face. ‘She deserves better than this…and God knows I expected more from you.'

Vera stood frozen to the spot as the nightmare played out before her. He was going to marry Rose. She had offered herself and he'd rejected her.

‘Why do you assume I'm just trying to hurt her?'

‘Oh I don't know, Vera, maybe because you just kissed me, when you know I'm going to marry her!' He moved closer, tilting his head. ‘You've been trying to break us up all along, haven't you? Did Pattie put you up to it?'

Veronica felt her anger flare. ‘This has nothing to do with Pattie!'

‘Oh really? So you expect me to believe you just happened to drive past me on a cart with your skirt around your waist and you just happened to fall into my arms in a bathing suit and you just happened to accidentally kiss me just now…'

‘Actually…yes.'

‘All accidents, eh? No other motives? No actual feelings?' She couldn't find any words as he studied her face and for a moment she thought he might soften. ‘Vera, how can you do this? She saved your life.'

It was Veronica's turn to explode then. ‘Stop saying that! Saved my life! If I hear that one more time…you bloody fool, Jack, she didn't do it to save me!'

‘The fact that you're alive seems to indicate otherwise. And you haven't even so much as thanked her…'

‘I did thank her!'

Jack frowned in confusion. ‘That's not what she said…anyway, the point is she did save your life. It's a straight-out fact. How can you be so ungrateful?'

‘Because she doesn't care two hoots about me or anyone else, she only cares about herself and trapping herself a husband and she…she used me to get to you, can't you see that? You're just blinded by her. All of you men are, even my own brothers!'

‘Stop it, Vera.'

But she was furious with him now, and lashed out with all the pent-up feelings of the past few months. ‘Stop calling me that! You don't get to call me that any more! It's Veronica to you, and if you're stupid enough to go and marry that…that
wench
then go ahead. You deserve what you get. And by the way, the only feeling I have for you is pity.'

She turned to walk as he grabbed her arm.

‘Oh really? No other feelings?' He swung her around and they stood face to face, neither noticing as the parlour curtain parted nearby. ‘Then how come every time I turn around you're trying to…to tempt me?' Their breathing was hard as he inched closer. ‘Don't lie to me, Vera, I know you too well. And we both know what's going on here.'

‘Oh we do, do we?' She flung his arm off, finding her senses again and poking his chest hard. ‘You know what you are? You're…you're Henry. You're the puffed-up rooster in the henhouse who thinks he's king of the chickens, but let me tell you something, Jack Murphy, there are plenty more fish in the sea, and I wouldn't want you if you were the last one swimming!'