South of Capricorn (17 page)

Gail lost a little of her colour. And that odd little access of doubt rose up again. She was suddenly floundering in uncertainty, like someone lost and not knowing which way to turn.

‘I did say, if you remember, that I couldn’t believe you were the cad we had all branded you.’ Not in the least diplomatic, but she had to speak plainly to him.

His eyes kindled for a space, but then they portrayed a sort of amused satire as he returned, his voice low and carrying a faintly husky note which always sounded so attractive to Gail,

‘But what about Leta? Isn’t she proof that I’m the cad you branded me?’

She looked down at her hands, strangely reluctant to agree with what he had said. She tried to analyse her emotions, tried to tell herself that , she should retain her contempt for this man ... Mechanically she shook her head, her thoughts going for a moment to Sandra. Gould there possibly have been some blame on her part?

Suddenly Gail found herself saying, as she looked across at Kane, looked into steadfast grey eyes that never flinched under her stare,

‘You told me to remember that there are always parts unknown.’ Her voice was low, and not quite clear, for in her throat was a constriction that made speech most difficult ‘You - you didn’t explain, though?’ A question - and a plea. Gail now knew for sure that she wished for nothing more than to be told that Kane had not been entirely to blame for what had happened.

His eyes were soft; her voice contained a gentle note, a note that held a wealth of understanding.

‘I can’t explain, my dear. But just you keep on remembering about those parts unknown.’ He looked kindly at her and said, ‘It’s all puzzling to you; I can see this. But be patient, Gail, and do the job you promised to do. It doesn’t really matter whether or not you understand everything, since when your job is done you’ll be leaving here and never returning.’

She moved her tongue, swallowing the moisture that had collected on it. ‘...you’ll be leaving here and never returning.’ Unemotional tones, even though the kindly expression remained. Gail was acutely conscious of a dead weight within her, of a sort of hopelessness which she could not even begin to explain.

‘Kane,’ she said at last, and her eyes were far too bright as they looked into his, ‘I wish you would explain - just a little?’

He shook his head and once again he was the Boss of Vernay Downs, authoritative, inflexible.

‘It’s quite unnecessary. You’re here to do this job; you are in fact an employee—’ His eyebrows lifted in a gesture of inquiry. ‘You will agree about that, I think?’

She nodded and said yes, she did agree.

‘But-’

‘No arguments,’ he interrupted on a note of finality that gave its own warning. ‘As you’re an employee of mine it’s not either necessary or desirable that you should be given any details about my personal affairs. If you’ll keep that in mind, Gail, then it will save any unpleasantness between us.’

She flushed uncomfortably and turned her face away from him. Her voice quivered as she said,

‘I shall make sure to keep it in mind, Kane.’

‘Good!’ He then changed the subject and they discussed details of the party. She would not be pestered with questions, this he promised her, and although she would not venture to inquire how he knew, she was extremely puzzled, simply because it would only be natural for people to ply her with questions. However, she would have to wait and see what happened. She was given a picture of the activities and despite her anxiety she could not help but be a little excited at the prospect of so expensive and well-organized a party being given for her - even though it was only for appearances’ sake, a mere business event that was, in her ‘husband’s’ opinion, necessary.

The day arrived and still the preparations continued, preparations which had been going on for several days. The party was to be in the large barn which stood some distance from the house. Its name was rather deceiving since it was beautifully constructed of pine with polished blood-wood floor and panelled walls. Concealed lights ran all round the ceiling, which was raftered and festooned with brightly-coloured paper flowers and streamers. Outside was a surrounding garden complete with massive lawn - on which sprinklers worked regularly - flower borders and of course trees of many varieties. Secluded arbours abounded, and a lovely ornamental pool also had seats set around it, partially hidden by the bushes growing close to its edges. In the centre of the pool was a waterfall and a beautiful piece of statuary - a grotto of cherubs - from which came several coloured lights - pink, deep rose and yellow. Part of the pool was covered with mauve lilies, and black and white ducks swam about among them.

‘All this is for you, Mummy,’ cried Leta as she and Gail watched the three lubras setting out the long table with pretty cloths, prior to the important event of bringing out the food. ‘Will I be having a party like this?’

‘Of course — when it’s your birthday.’

‘I’ll have all my friends from school, won’t I?’

Gail looked down at her.

‘Have you made some more friends, then?’

Leta’s eyes shone.

‘Yes, they all like me - not hitting me as they did when I went to the other school!’

‘But you hit them first, remember.’

‘Only because they didn’t like me!’

Was it all a vicious circle? Gail was asking herself when on looking round she saw Dave coming across the ochre-coloured ground that separated the barn and its gardens from the home paddock.

‘Hello there, you two!’ he was greeting them a moment later as he slid from his horse. He was hot and dusty, but there was a brightness in his eyes as they settled on Leta. Playfully he ruffled her hair and she laughed up at him. Gail’s eyes flickered as she watched; this was a strange relationship which had sprung up between Dave and Leta. In fact, she was sure that the relationship was stronger and closer than that between Leta and her father. Come to think of it, Kane showed practically no interest at all in his daughter. He accepted her and yet she was just left to get along - another addition to the household as it were, but one of no real importance, of no importance other than that of making herself a nuisance to Mrs. Farrell, that was. ‘What have you been doing, my little one – other than giving cheek to certain people, that is?’

A grin of pure mischief looked out from those vivid blue eyes, eyes that were not unlike Dave’s when it came to expressiveness.

‘Being good!’ she chuckled, and again he tousled her hair. Fascinated by the way they were with each other, Gail stood aside, content to be the silent onlooker. Never had anyone ruffled Leta’s hair and got away without a kick in the shins or a finger being viciously bitten.

‘Fibber! The truth – or we don’t go riding—’

‘Ooh ... Are we going riding? I want Sinner; he’s not so quiet as Sunstorm—’

‘Not so fast!’ he interrupted sternly. ‘I asked what you had been doing?’

‘Reading my book - truly!’

‘Has she?’ he asked Gail.

‘Yes, as a matter of fact she’s been sitting quietly with a book. I couldn’t make out what had got into her. I didn’t ask, as you can imagine - not when she was quiet like that! I left her alone.’

Dave gave a laugh and returned his attention to Leta.

‘Very well, so long as you’ve done as you were told you shall have Sinner.’

‘Oh, but—’ Gail looked at him in some consternation, ‘I heard Kane say that Sinner was far too frisky even for an experienced child.’

‘I’m riding Sinner!’ stamped Leta, glaring up at her. ‘You mind your own business! Dave knows what I want. He knows I’m a good rider!’

‘Will it be all right?’ Gail asked, and he nodded at once, reassuringly.

‘She’s cut out for something more challenging than Sunstorm. Yes, she’ll be all right. I’ll be alongside her, so you’ve no need to worry.’

Gail relaxed, confident that Dave would know what he was doing. And he did. A couple of hours later Gail happened to be by the paddock when the two came riding back after having ridden their horses hard, judging by the sweat on the animals’ necks.

‘She’s going to be a champion! I’m entering her in the gymkhana!’

Gail frowned. I’m entering her...

‘Will that be all right with Kane?’ she felt bound to ask.

‘I shouldn’t think he’ll mind.’

‘I want to ride in the gymkhana! I want to beat everybody else!’

‘And you will!’ declared Dave. How happy he looked, thought Gail, wondering if he had resigned himself to the fact that he and she herself could never be more than the casual acquaintances which they were at the present time. But she discovered differently later in the evening when, looking inordinately attractive in a lightweight jacket and fine worsted trousers, he invited her to dance.

‘You look adorable!’ he exclaimed as he drew her into his arms. ‘Gail, I’m beginning to fall in love with you!’

‘No, Dave, it mustn’t happen!’

‘Why not?’ He held her from him and looked ques- tioningly at her. ‘We’ll think of something when the time of your freedom comes along, you’ll see.’

‘If we did get together in that way, then you couldn’t stay here.’

‘That’s for sure. But I can settle anywhere where you want to settle.’

‘I don’t believe that, Dave,’ she returned with a wise little smile. ‘This is the life you’ve been accustomed to and it’s the life you love.’

He made no reply and for the rest of the dance they were silent. When at length he took her back to the table where she had a drink half finished, he shook his head a little dejectedly and said,

‘Why did you come, Gail, upsetting my life like this?’ But she had no time to answer, for at that moment Kane arrived at the table and silently invited her to dance. Slipping into his outstretched arms, she found herself being whirled away, floating as if on air as Kane’s long legs found a way between the dancers to the edge of the floor where there was not only more room but where they could enjoy the breeze drifting in from the open windows.

‘You seem rather fond of Dave.’ Quiet the tone and yet there was a strange undercurrent about it. ‘And he of you.’

‘That’s true,’ she replied, seeing no harm in this small admission.

‘And yet he knows you’re married to me?’ Suspicion in the voice? She rather thought so, but she merely gave the careless reply, ‘We like each other as friends. Isn’t that per-missible?’

‘Of course. But remember, Gail, you’re not to run any risks.’ A pause as he afforded her time to speak, but as he saw that she was not accepting the opportunity he went on, ‘I don’t expect, though, that Dave will go beyond what is correct behaviour; he’s always afforded me the respect which is due to me.’ He was speaking in tones little above a whisper and she realized it was to himself rather than to her.

‘You’re sure of Dave, but not of me?’ She could not resist this challenge and she saw him give a small start as it struck him just what he had said.

‘My apologies,’ he returned, surprising her. ‘I should know by now that you’re to be trusted.’

‘Thank you.’ She was shy all at once, and felt very small in his arms. And she felt safe, too, just as if she really were his wife. ‘I must thank you for this wonderful party, too. You’ve been so generous—’

‘Forget it,’ he broke in curtly, ‘You know very well that it was a necessity.’

‘But you had no need to go to such great expense, surely?’

‘We always do this sort of thing in a big way, as you’ll see when we attend Craig Bowden’s party next month.’

‘We’re going to a party?’

‘He’s giving it for his son’s birthday. Yes, of course we shall be going.’ They were dancing in perfect harmony and Gail thought she had never before enjoyed a dance so much. For one thing, many girls were turning their heads to stare at them with eyes that would invariably come to rest with envy on Gail’s flushed face. And she had actually overheard one pretty girl saying, to another of about Gail’s own age,

‘The lucky thing! And just to think, Kane was married all the time! I’d never let him go off and leave me if I were married to him. She must have been out of her mind!’

‘Are you warm?’ Kane asked the question and all unthinking she replied,

‘I’m more than warm, I’m hot! I could do with a breath of fresh air.’

‘So could I,’ he returned promptly, and before she knew she was being steered with the deftest of manoeuvres towards the french window. Once through it Kane released her and she fell into step beside him as he made for one of the tables set in romantic seclusion under the spreading foliage of a clump of ghost gums.

‘You would like something to eat?’ he queried, but she shook her head.

‘I’m not hungry at the moment – but, if you are...?’

‘No, I don’t want anything just now.’ He leant back in his chair, hitched up the leg of his trousers and, crossing one leg over the other, stared at her from this most relaxed position on the opposite side of the table. ‘You’re enjoying yourself?’

She answered spontaneously, her eyes bright and very revealing.

‘This is a night I shall always remember!’

A smiled curved the firm hard mouth.

‘It’s come up to your expectations, apparently.’

‘It’s exceeded them. Oh, Kane, that food! How do the lubras do it? They’re expert enough to make a trade of it.’

‘They’re clever, undoubtedly, although it’s Daisybell mainly.’ He paused a moment and then, ‘You haven’t been plied with questions, that’s quite plain.’

‘Because I would soon have mentioned it to you?’ she asked with a wry quiver of her lips. ‘I certainly would have done!’

‘But I did assure you that no one would be asking questions - at least the kind of questions which might cause you embarrassment.’

‘I was asked how I’m liking it here now. And once I was asked if I would be able to settle.’

His lips curved again.

‘And your answer?’ he queried, his eyes subjecting her to a close scrutiny.