Song of the Spirits (33 page)

Lionel Station lay in the Makarora region, west of Lake Pukaki. The estate dominated a bay at the mouth of the Makarora River, and the pastureland occupied by the Sideblossoms’ sheep stretched around the manor and along the river up into the McKenzie Highlands. The house servants consisted entirely of Maori, but since no village lay directly adjacent, they slept in provisional shelters on Lionel Station. Even Elaine, who was not all that familiar with Maori customs, understood that this likely meant a great deal of fluctuation in the staff. The Maori were a family-based people, and their tribes drew them back even when they enjoyed working for the
pakeha
. The personnel who were expecting them that day, therefore, consisted of many different members of the tribe than those who were present on Elaine’s first visit. Zoé had complained about that en route. She was endlessly occupied with training new people. She seemed to have a talent for it, however, since the new personnel carried themselves impeccably. Then again, the servants were overseen by another Maori.

Elaine recognized an older woman who had been introduced to her previously as Emere. Her face still bore tattooing, but would have appeared fearsome even without the traditional ornamentation of
Maori women. She wore her long gray-laced black hair down, which was unusual for the servant of a mistress as strict as Zoé, who placed value on Western clothing and pinned-up hair and even insisted that the chambermaids wear bonnets. But Emere did not look like she took many orders. She had an air of unflappable self-assurance as she appraised Zoé and then Elaine with bottomless, expressionless dark eyes.

Elaine greeted her as graciously as she could after her long journey. She wanted to establish a good relationship with the staff. Without any friends, she knew she would be lost on Lionel Station.

Thomas did not leave her enough time for a thorough introduction, however.

“Come, Elaine, I’ll show you our apartments. I had the west wing arranged for us. Zoé was kind enough to help furnish it.”

Elaine, who, after her first restful night, was no longer docile and afraid but angry about the way she had been treated, followed him peevishly.

Thomas came to a stop in front of the entrance. A door in the lavish entry hall led to the west wing.

“Do you want me to carry you over the threshold?” he asked, grinning.

“Save your romantic inclinations for more intimate occasions,” she retorted brusquely.

Thomas looked at her, astonished. Then his gaze became wary, and a flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. With unaccustomed courage, Elaine returned his gaze.

As she had expected, the west wing was overflowing with flowery valances and prim, dark furniture, none of which appealed to Elaine. Normally, she would not have cared much, since she preferred to keep busy outside and she hardly noticed her surroundings when she found herself reading an interesting book inside. But just then, she could no longer restrain herself.

“Can I change anything about the furnishings if I don’t like it?” she asked, her tone more provocative than she had intended.

“What don’t you like about it?” Thomas inquired. “The furnishings meet the highest standards of taste. Everyone who’s seen it has been in agreement. You can do as you like, but—”

“My standards may not be particularly fine, but I like to see my hand when it’s in front of my face,” declared Elaine, shoving the heavy curtains in front of one of the windows resolutely aside. This required a bit of strength as Zoé liked voluminous velvet monstrosities that completely shut out the outside world. “These, at the very least, must go.”

Thomas looked at her, and his gaze spellbound her. Had she really believed a week ago that pain underlay his impenetrable expression? His secrets had been revealed since then. Thomas may have felt abandoned as a little boy, but he had found a way to get what he wanted as an adult.

“I like them,” he said heatedly. “I’ll have your belongings brought up. Tell the servants where you want them to put your things.” With that, he turned around, dismissing Elaine, who found herself both frightened and humiliated by the threatening tone in his voice.

What was she supposed to do with an entire wagonful of her trousseau? Because of their confrontation, Thomas had not even shown her into their shared rooms. Elaine looked desperately around her.

“May I help you, madam?” an affected and very young voice asked her from the entrance. “I am Pai, your lady’s maid. Or at least that is what Mrs. Sideblossom said I am supposed to be, if it pleases you.”

Elaine looked confused. She had never had a lady’s maid before. Why did she need one? Little Pai did not quite seem to know, either. She couldn’t have been more than thirteen years old and looked lost in her black maid’s uniform with its white apron and bonnet. And this formal form of address. Zoé had sent the girl she could most easily do without to her daughter-in-law. Anger and defiance sprang up inside Elaine. But it wasn’t Pai’s fault. With her wide, unusually light-skinned face, the girl looked innocent and kind. She wore her thick black hair in a tight ponytail that emphasized her heart-shaped face. She was certainly not pure Maori, but mixed like Kura, though far from being such an extraordinary beauty.

Elaine smiled. “How lovely.
Kia ora
, Pai! Do you know these rooms? The men are about to bring a mountain of stuff in here, and we have to do something about it. Do we have… Do I have any other servants?”

Pai nodded energetically. “Yes, madam, another maid, Rahera. But she is shy. She does not speak much English. She first came here two weeks ago.”

So, it was just as Elaine had thought. Zoé had kept the experienced servants for herself while she had to sort things out with the new arrivals. Well, she would try to hold onto her maids for a longer time.

“That’s all right, Pai, I speak a little Maori,” she said pleasantly. “And you speak very good English, so we’ll get along fine. Go fetch Rahera… Or, no, first show me the apartments. I need some idea of where things should go.”

So Pai led Elaine around. She felt much better as soon as Pai pointed out her room. It looked like Elaine had a bedroom and dressing room all to herself. She would not have to share her bed with her husband every night then, or at least not have to sleep beside him. In addition to those rooms, there was a salon and a study, one leading into the other, neither of which was very large. It was reasonable to assume that Lionel Station was similar to Kiward Station in that the biggest common room would be used by everyone in the house, and meals would be taken together. The west wing had no kitchen, but did have two amply furnished, extremely modern bathrooms.

Elaine had a gift for quickly assessing a situation and good spatial imagination. She therefore had no trouble figuring out the layout of the apartments, and when the men—the driver her father had sent and a Maori worker—carried in her furniture and chests, she could tell them quite precisely where to put them. Pai likewise proved herself useful. She may not have had much experience, but she knew that as a lady’s maid, it was incumbent upon her to take care of her mistress’s clothing—and that consequently, it was best that the clothing be placed in the dressing room. So Pai energetically emptied chests of clothing into the dressers and drawers, while Rahera placed silver and crystal ware in the display cases with so much care that it bordered on
reverence. The Maori boy assisting with the move introduced himself as Rahera’s brother Pita. Normally, he explained to Elaine, he worked as a shepherd. He had only offered his services as a mover to be close to Rahera.

Or rather, Pai, Elaine thought, who had not missed the conspiratorial sparks in the eyes of the boy and girl. But all the better. If Pai found a suitor here, she would not run off anytime soon.

“That be beautiful dog!” Pita said, admiring Callie, who had entered the house with the driver. The dog had spent the previous few nights with him in the covered wagon. Elaine had to find somewhere new for her, not an easy task, and all the more pressing for that reason.

“Good for sheep. Bought Mr. Sideblossom?” Pita’s English needed work. Elaine had to find out where these people came from, what tribe they belonged to, and why there was such a difference in the education level between Pai and the others.

“No,” she said with a bitter smile. “He came here along with me. Her name’s Callie. She’s my dog.” She pointed to herself when Pita seemed not to understand right away. “Only listens to me.”

Pita nodded. “Very beautiful dog. You lend us for sheep.”

“Madam!” A sharp voice came from the door. Zoé rushed into the room. The young woman had apparently already taken a bath and changed after the trip. She looked a good deal fresher and cleaner than Elaine felt. She immediately set about correcting the servants. “Repeat after me, Pita! ‘If it would be agreeable to Mr. Sideblossom and yourself, we would like to borrow the dog for our work with the sheep, madam.’ I don’t want to hear this native babble in my house. And above all, habituate yourself to the correct form of address: ‘madam.’”

Zoé waited until the terrified Pita had repeated her complicated phrase—doubtless without completely understanding it. Only then did she turn to Elaine. “Is everything to your satisfaction? Thomas said you… particularly liked the furniture.” The young woman smiled sardonically.

Callie growled at Zoé. Elaine suddenly wished her gentle collie were a snarling rottweiler.

“My own furniture will mix things up a little,” Elaine said with steely self-control. “If Pita would be so kind as to help his sister push the drapes out of the way. There’s no need to call me ‘madam,’ by the way, Pita, not in my house.”

Pita and Rahera looked at her like frightened rabbits, but Pai suppressed a giggle.

“We will await you at eight o’ clock for dinner,” Zoé said as she left the west wing carrying herself majestically.

“Goat,” growled Elaine.

Pai grinned at her. “What did you say, madam?”

It was almost eight o’clock by the time all the chests had finally been emptied and the furniture distributed among the rooms. Most of it had been placed in Elaine’s bedroom and dressing room. To make room, she’d had a few of the original pieces of furniture distributed to other rooms. The living room now looked rather crowded, but Elaine did not care, since she did not plan to spend much time there. She had only ten minutes to change for dinner. She recalled from her visit that dinner had been a very formal affair. Was it John who insisted on that? Or Zoé? It would depend on how strictly the men interpreted the rules. Elaine did not believe that Zoé had as much say in the house as she pretended to. During their journey, she had always proved quite submissive to John.

Nevertheless, Elaine would not have sat down at the table in a dirty traveling dress even in Queenstown. She had to at least provisionally clean herself and put on another dress. Fortunately, Pai was already laying one out for her. But first her father’s driver wanted to say his good-byes.

“Do you want to get going already, Pat?” she asked, astonished. “You could leave tomorrow at your leisure. I’m sure there’s a bed for you around here somewhere.”

Patrick O’Mally nodded. “I’m sleeping in the servants’ quarters, Lainie. Pita invited me. Otherwise, I would have slept in the wagon like I did on the trip.”

Elaine realized with some regret that none of the Sideblossoms had thought of lodging for Patrick. She thought that inconsiderate, as she knew there had been free rooms in the hotels.

“But I want to get out of here at the crack of dawn. Without a load to carry, and the ladies to hold me up, I’ll easily make it to Wanaka.” Patrick saw a troubled look cross Elaine’s face and corrected himself. “Sorry, Elaine I… uh… didn’t mean it like that. I know you’re a fast rider. But that Zoé Sideblossom’s chaise and the lame nags pulling it…”

Elaine smiled with understanding. She, too, had noted that the noble steeds pulling Zoé’s chaise could not keep up with a draft horse like Owen or the cob mare team pulling Patrick’s freight wagon.

Patrick could have left it at that, but he seemed to have something else weighing on him.

“Elaine… is everything really all right?” he finally stammered. “With your…” He cast a side glance at Callie. Elaine had not explained to him why she’d had the dog sleep with him during the journey, but Patrick was not dumb.

Elaine fumbled for words. She had no idea how to answer his question. But just then, Thomas materialized behind Patrick.

“Mrs. Sideblossom, if I may!” he said sharply. “I will not tolerate this intimate form of address, boy. It’s disrespectful. Besides, you wanted to be on your way, didn’t you? So say your good-byes properly then. I want to see the backs of your horses before the day is done, boy!”

Patrick O’Mally grinned at him. He was not easy to intimidate.

“Gladly, Mr. Sideblossom,” he said calmly. “But I didn’t realize I was your bondman. So please, don’t address
me
too intimately. I don’t recall giving you permission to call me ‘boy.’”

Thomas’s pupils widened, and Elaine saw the abyss in his eyes once again. What would he have done if Patrick did work for him?