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Larry Roper, too, for all his chance admission on that first night that Joanne talked too much, was apparently as smitten as the rest. Georgina never saw him unless he had her stepsister with him, and after a few days he had her hanging on his arm, which rather contradicted Joanne’s statement that he was not the type to move quickly, Georgina thought.

In fact the only one apart from herself who was not seemingly bewitched with Joanne was Willy. Mrs Willmott didn’t take to her, in fact she disliked her, and she told Georgina so.

‘You two are as different as chalk and cheese,’ she muttered resentfully.

‘Well, Willy, we’re not blood relations.’

‘Yes, but you grew up together, I’ve heard you say, and often something rubs off. Well, nothing of you rubbed off on her, George, and I’m pleased to say vice versa. How long is Madam staying?’

‘I don’t know. Until Mr Roper says she goes, I suppose.’ Mrs Willmott frowned. ‘She’s put him on a spot. He’s a gentleman and he wouldn’t like to tell her to go, especially when she’s a connection of yours.’

All this considerably surprised Georgina. First the possibility of the mighty Roper letting himself get put on a spot: second, his gentlemanliness, that would prevent him taking a stand against a woman. Third, and most important of all, Willy’s opinion that he would even consider his humble geologist.

‘After his past experience’... that should be experiences, plural, Georgina thought, recalling the three other girls in the photos besides Elva ... ‘it’s not fair to put him through another. I know my Mr Larry, and she—Miss Sutherland —definitely is not the one for him,’ said Mrs Willmott firmly.

‘Is there a one?’ Georgina asked.

‘Yes, George, I rather think there is, but I don’t know her, and I’m just sensing this. He could have met her on one of his trips, but there’s still someone, I’m sure. A woman always knows.’

‘I don’t.’ Georgina just stopped that in time. ‘Woman’s intuition,’ she said aloud instead.

‘Well, maybe,’ shrugged Willy, ‘and maybe it’s only wishful thinking on my part for Mr Roper. I admit I don’t want to see him take up with your stepsister, George. I don’t like her and I don’t trust her. Also, the longer she stays here the harder it will be to get her out; people get entrenched. Can’t
you
do anything about it?’

‘No, Mrs Willmott, I can’t,’ Georgina said simply.

‘Then I suppose we’ll just have to wait and hope that her boredom—for she is bored, you know—finally comes to a head, and that she’ll get sick of waiting and takes off with someone else instead.’

‘Someone up here?’

‘It’s been done before,’ said Mrs Willmott cryptically, and left it at that.

That her dislike of Joanne was not a passing mood was established a few days later by her pointblank refusal to put on a barn-dance for the visitor. Larry Roper told Georgina so when he came down one day to the hut to pick up Georgina’s reports.

‘I don’t like what’s got into Willy, she’s usually the most generous soul and never spares herself when it comes to providing for a party, but when I suggested a night for your stepsister, she turned it down.’

‘It’s a lot of work,’ excused Georgina.

‘Willy thrives on work. No, she just wouldn’t be in on it. I would insist, for after all it’s an accepted thing out here to share your guest around—especially such a guest as Joanne—except that it’s all been taken out of my hands.’

‘You mean the men are doing it on their own accord?’ inquired Georgina, and he shook his head.

‘My men, as you must have noted by now, Brown, are almost without exception the maturer type. Even the younger ones are old compared with you and your stepsister. Oh, no, they’re not putting on anything. They’re quite content to look upon Joanne now and then and be glad that they can do so without ruin to their pockets, for undoubtedly a girl like that would ruin a man’s pockets. I pay high salaries up here, but the money is hard toil and the men appreciate that, and mostly their wages go to some private goal. I’ve no doubt that every member of my employ is out for what he can get and as much as he can get with a definite end in view, and good luck to them, I say.’

‘Yes,’ nodded Georgina. ‘Then where is the party to be held?’

‘East of Roper’s, a big holding, though not so big as ours: Fortescues’. There’ll be the usual crowd there, plus the lovely ladies and our loveliest lady. She will be the draw,’ Roper smiled.

‘Drawing you?’ asked Georgina.

‘Not drawing me. I’ve never been much of a socialiser, and I won’t be there. You see,’ grinning, ‘when it comes to dancing I have two left feet. Also, I doubt if the men will go.’

‘But they enjoyed our barn-dance.’

‘It was here, and that’s a big thing when you’re working flat out as they are. That drive home afterwards over a hundred kilometres can be a killer. But I expect you and Joanne to represent Roper’s, Brown.’

‘Joanne won’t care for that at all,’ said Georgina, ‘being accompanied by her step ... stepbrother.’

‘I think she’ll like it. Well, she’ll have to, either that or miss out. You can grab some other girl as soon as you get there, and leave her to her own conquests.’

Georgina shifted. ‘I’m afraid like you, sir, I’m no socialiser.’

‘Then at least we have something in common as well as rock,’ he laughed. ‘Not to worry, Brown, you can always conduct your choice to some nook under the stars.’

About to say something concerning that, too, Georgina desisted, and the conversation left the forthcoming party and got back to business again. Roper said that he had planned another safari, but a brief one this time, and its purpose was to make a second search on their finds before he went down to register a claim.

‘It’s an extremely expensive business,’ he said, ‘so I want to be absolutely certain. I feel confident, but I must be cautious. How are your feelings, George?’

‘I feel certain,’ she agreed.

‘But you agree I should check?’

‘By all means double-check,’ Georgina advised wholeheartedly, especially wholeheartedly because she knew she could give the advice with an easy mind. She had no qualms about going out there with him any more, not on an allabsorbing geological search.

‘You’ll doubtless hear from the Fortescues,’ Roper tossed at her, then he rose and left the hut.

Joanne was excited about the party; at least it would be a break in the boredom, she said.

‘If you don’t like it here now,’ Georgina said once, ‘how can you expect to change your mind if, and when, later on you—well ’

‘Become Mrs Roper?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then no ifs, George, and
when
is getting closer every day. As for liking it, it will be different then. We’ll only come out here on occasion, and live in the city as lots of men like Larry do.’

‘But such men aren’t Larry.'

A hard glitter came into Joanne’s eyes. ‘You seem to know a lot about him, George. So long as it’s strictly man to man?’

‘Oh, it’s man to man,' Georgina assured her, and was dismayed at the bitter note she detected in her voice. She looked quickly at Joanne to see her reaction, but, typical of Joanne, in her vain self-absorption she had not heard.

‘I’ll wear my pink,’ she was planning, ‘I’ll be femininity itself. These westerners are woman-starved.'

‘Not really, there’ll be cars and trucks driving in from miles away, and a lot of them will carry some very pretty girls.'

Joanne smiled pityingly at Georgina for making such a stupid statement, then she asked: ‘What about you?'

‘Well, what about me?’

‘You’re coming, aren’t you?'

‘It appears it’s expected of me. You see, Mr Roper won't be there.'

Joanne was unperturbed. ‘No, I didn't think it would be his cup of tea, and I can’t say I’m very disappointed. He’d be rather a damper at a party, or at least to me. He’s certainly not the party type. Now I’ll be able to let myself go, play the field.' She looked at Georgina again. ‘You never answered. What about you?’

‘I’m going.’

‘I know. But—as George?’

‘Oh, don’t be silly, Joanne, how can I go as anything else?’

‘But a bit risky, isn’t it? I mean, mingling as we’re presumably expected to mingle.’

‘I won’t be mingling,’ Georgina said, ‘I’ll be waiting in the car.’

‘Wise girl—I mean wise boy. I only hope the night doesn’t seem interminable to you.’ Joanne paused. ‘Do you think it’s likely that—that man will be there?’

‘Which man?’

‘Oh, don’t be infuriating, George, you know I mean that man we passed on the road.’

‘He could be,’ admitted Georgina.

‘Can’t you do better than that? Can’t you contact him and tell him he should go?’

‘No, I can’t. To begin with he’s not in high favour at Roper’s.’

‘That needn’t matter, because they needn’t know.’ Joanne, I couldn’t tell him because I don’t know where he is! He leases his station to the Brydens while he travels for some farm machinery firm in Melbourne. The Brydens are the next holding north, but that’s all I know.’

Joanne shrugged. ‘Simple, then, he’s sure to call in at these Brydens if only to collect his dues.’

‘They don’t particularly like him.’

Joanne shrugged again. ‘They would still be obliged to pass on your message.’

‘No,’ refused Georgina.

Joanne, about to argue, evidently changed her mind, and though Georgina did not trust the little smile she wore, she let it pass.

There were some moments of unease for Georgina when Larry Roper reported that all the men save one had turned down the Fortescue invitation.

‘Pat Dawson is going,’ he said, ‘he’s sweet on a girl from The Downs. He met her at our own party. I was glad when I found out about Pat being there, otherwise I think I would have had second thoughts.’

‘About our going?’ she asked.

‘No—I wanted, and still want, Joanne to have that experience.’ No mention of her, Georgina noticed. ‘No, my second thoughts were concerning myself. I didn’t fancy you driving there alone. Brown, I mean driving your stepsister. By the way, I’m presuming that you do drive a car? You’re certainly a whizz on bikes.’

‘I drive,' Georgina said shortly.

‘But now Pat can take you.’

‘Yes,’ said Georgina unhappily. She could see Pat leaping out of the car when they got to the Fortescues’, and sweeping George with him to meet the boys. She could see big pints of beer, feel slaps on the back, see girls being brought across. Larry Roper cut in: ‘Not that Pat will even be aware of you once you’re there. He’s got it badly, I’m afraid.’

Georgina hid her relief.

Joanne was in high spirits. Once Georgina warned her that perhaps her spirits were too high; it was more likely than not, since Craig wasn’t a popular figure up here, that he would not be there. He might not even know “about it. Possibly, and probably, by this time he was back in the city.

‘No,’ said Joanne, and a dimple formed in one cheek, something that had always happened when she had got her own way, ‘he’s not. He’ll be there.’

‘You can’t know,’ objected Georgina.

‘I’d take a bet on it. You see he does know, George. I rang his place, the Brydens’.’

‘You did?’

‘I said: “Kindly inform Mr Everson from Mr Brown that there will be something for him at Fortescues’ next Saturday”.’

‘Joanne, you didn’t!'

Joanne just displayed her triumphant dimple again. ‘Pink for an ingénue?’ she pondered. ‘Or blue, since men like it?’ In the end she wore red. A glowing ruby red guaranteed to put all the other pastel-clad females into the pale doldrums. She looked beautiful and vital and desirable, and Georgina wondered what Larry Roper was thinking. He wasn’t there, for he had had a call from one of his trucking gangs that the Roper thirty-six wheeler, as these gargantuan transports were called, had broken down a hundred kilometres to the south, so Roper had left to help effect repairs.

Joanne did not seem unduly upset by this, nor by the fact that her stunning appearance would have to be wasted on someone else. Wasted was Georgina’s word. She felt she understood Joanne, and the Joanne she knew never staged anything unless there were strings attached. Yet Joanne, as she whirled her red skirts round, seemed pleased enough.

Georgina went in clean pants and loose clean overshirt. She had expected criticism from Mrs Willmott about this— ‘Wear something bright at least, George’—but Mrs Willmott did not even come out to the verandah to wish them a happy night. Pat, too, was too self-absorbed to notice either of them.

‘I met Jenny,’ he related to anyone who would listen, ‘at our do, and I thought to myself at once: “She’s the girl.” I didn’t mean to fall yet, I wanted to pile up a bit of dough, but ’

‘Shut the window,’ broke in Joanne, 'I'm getting blown about.’

It took an hour to get to the Fortescue sign, and once they passed the gate it was snail’s pace to the homestead because of the number of cars. Was one of them Craig’s? Georgina wondered.

A paddock close to the party barn had been reserved for parking, and as soon as Pat stopped the car he was out and making for the source of the music, by the old-time beat of it the same musicians that Roper’s had had. No need to have worried on Pat’s account, Georgina smiled to herself, there would be no male back-slapping, no big pints, no introducing of the new Roper geo. Jenny was Pat’s only goal. '

Joanne followed just as eagerly but not so fast. It was typical of Joanne that she needed no one to present her, for which Georgina should have been relieved and indeed was, but did Joanne have to be quite so sure of herself? She watched her stepsister as she hesitated with a winning show of shyness at the barn door, then Joanne disappeared.

Georgina sat back in the car and gave the party an hour, then she went quietly over to stand in the shadows and watch the scene.

Joanne was not there.

The scene was like all party scenes, probably the same as the scene she had missed at Roper’s, and Georgina enjoyed it for a while, but when some of the men emerged for a smoke she decided she would be safer back in the car.

As she started across to the parking paddock, the light from a late arrival lit up the exterior, and she knew why she hadn’t seen Joanne, for Joanne had certainly wasted no time. She must have met Craig Everson at once, for the two Of them were talking together on the lawn. Very close together.