Written in the Stars (12 page)

Chapter Fourteen

When Suzi voiced her concern about staff gossip, he hinted that Gary might have passed on something to Narelle. This confirmed he must have told Gary something, but she kept her peace: they could ill afford more problems at the moment. As Christmas approached the pressure continued to mount, and their relationship gradually reverted to a purely business one again, which suited her fine.

Gary’s feverish pace seemed excessive at times, but he was as good as he was fast. When he had finished for the day, he would grab a couple of beers from the bar and throw himself into a chair by the window. After he had calmed down he would methodically work his way through the racing papers, circling his selections with a red felt tip pen. Suzi saw no reason to complain, but wondered if he was still passing on tips to Mark.

By now, Narelle had slipped into her role as hostess with the minimum of fuss, and that had released Suzi to attend to other matters. She felt confident the woman would cope when she went on her trip with Charlize.

Her friend popped into the restaurant to discuss the matter one afternoon.

‘I’ve arranged my time off in February, so I’ll notify the prize draw committee and ask them to organise the tickets.’

‘That should work out well for me too,’ Suzi agreed. ‘I’ll have a couple of weeks to wind down after the Christmas and New Year rush.’ She gave a little laugh. ‘All I’ve told Mark is that I want time off in the New Year. I haven’t told him where I’m going, but I I’d better say something soon.’

‘He won’t cause any problems will he?’

‘I hope not. It’s just that he’s come to rely on me too much lately, and gets a bit touchy if I’m not around to hold his hand.’

‘And what about Caxton Manor? Have you heard from that New Zealand fellow, yet?’

‘Steve Pardoe? No, the solicitor hasn’t received a reply to the last letter he sent. Things have gone quiet and I’m a bit concerned.’

‘What happens now?’

Suzi shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I’ll just have to wait and see, I suppose.’ Then she laughed. ‘If he hasn’t answered by the time we go on our trip, maybe I’ll might pop over to Auckland and confront him in person.’

After Charlize left Suzi sat deep in thought about Caxton Manor possibly attracting more thieves if it remained empty. The previous burglars had by-passed the alarm system to gain entry, and they might choose to pay another visit. She decided to phone Mr Duncan first thing in the morning to see if he could arrange for her to move in as a deterrent to any further break-in.

Having settled her mind on that, she went to the kitchen and found Mark preparing chickens. He straightened up and sighed.

‘How’s everything?’

‘Fine. I think I told you about Charlize’s holiday win to Australia, and that she could take someone with her.’ Suzi hesitated for a moment, but Mark made no comment. ‘She’s given the holiday organisers a firm date in February, and I said I’d go with her. I may as well, it’s a free holiday, so is that okay with you?’

He shrugged and turned back without comments to work his way steadily through the pile of chickens in front of him.

The job completed, he wiped his brow with the back of his free hand and hoped that Gary wouldn’t be late because there was still a lot of preparation to do for the party that night. Then he thought of Suzi. They had not been out together for ages because of the pressure of business. In-as-much as he was pleased with the success of their venture, he wanted to cement their relationship. He would have to make a point of their having a drink together at least once or twice a week when the festive season was over.

His thoughts were interrupted by Gary’s cheery hello. ‘Hi, Mark, how’s it going?’ He threw a newspaper on the stool and laughed. ‘Just as well I’ve got something else to keep me busy, I haven’t seen anything that looks like a winner all week.’

‘Surely there’s something worth backing?’

‘I don’t bet for the sake of betting,’ Gary’s serious tone sounded ominous. ‘That’s a mug’s game. I don’t put my money on anything that doesn’t stand more than an even chance of winning.’ He tapped the paper. ‘I wouldn’t like to have to pick a winner in any of these races.’

Mark watched him slip on an apron and begin to sharpen his knives.

‘You’ll have to explain it all to me again,’ he said. ‘I was under the impression you had at least one winner on every card.’

As they worked, Gary explained again how he worked out a horse’s chances by the weights it carried in comparison to the other runners. He told Mark he kept a record of the horse’s performance over a variety of distances, and a dozen other variables that affected its chances. Finally, he repeated the old adage; odds on—look on.

‘I don’t bet on odds-on favourites; not ever.’

Mark tried to absorb what his friend was saying, but still failed to understand all the racing terms and the jargon used by commentators and sportswriters. Within ten minutes there was no time to think about anything except getting the meals out to customers. When they finally hung up their aprons and said goodnight, horse racing was the last thing on his mind.

*

Steve looked at Kirsty for several seconds without answering her question. He had forgotten about Jenny’s note, and now he wondered why he had not destroyed it straight away instead of stuffing it into his pocket. Of course it was easy to be wise after the event. As he attempted to take it from her hand, she moved away.

‘Who’s Jenny?’ She repeated her question. ‘And what’s this all about?’

‘She’s Jock’s sister,’ Steve replied, squirming in the seat as he coughed self-consciously. ‘She rather fancied me, that’s all.’

‘Ha, just rather fancies you? Oh yeah?’ Kirsty’s tiny laugh had a brittle edge to it. ‘Sounds a bit more than that to me.’

Steve sighed again. The roles had suddenly been reversed. Whereas he had seen himself as the one who had been betrayed, now he realised that although he had done no more than kiss the girl, he was also at fault. He knew Kirsty had spent the weekend with Joey Ruawhane, but that was of no matter now, because she could accuse him of being unfaithful, too. It was an impasse.

‘First of all, it was this Suzi Lysle whatsername and now it’s Jenny Mac whatever. Unless, of course, there’s also someone else I don’t know about.’ Kirsty screwed up the note and threw in onto the floor of the car.

‘I’ve got the feeling that no matter what I say you’re not going to believe me. I could try to explain it, but…’ Steve stopped. To him, it seemed as though a sense of freedom had suddenly swept over her—as if she had been given a heaven sent opportunity to make the break from the past that bound her to him, his family, and their way of life. He sensed she couldn’t care now if he had indeed slept with the girl or not. He felt convinced that what had happened had unwittingly liberated her.

Kirsty climbed out of the car. ‘Carry on. I’ll catch a cab,’ she said, and slammed the door shut before Steve could stop her. Then she ran lightly down the street and hailed a passing taxi.

‘You’re in a happy mood,’ the driver remarked, as she slid into the front seat, smiling broadly. ‘Have you won the lotto, or found a new boyfriend?’

‘Better than that,’ she replied, quickly. ‘I’m free at last.’

The cab driver looked at her sideways, but made no comment. Twenty-five minutes later he pulled up outside Hepora’s house. ‘Here we are, love,’ he said, and wished her well as he accepted the fare. ‘You hang onto that freedom now, you hear? Don’t let anyone take if off you again.’

Impulsively, Kirsty leaned over and kissed his cheek.

‘You better believe it mister.’ Then she bounced out of the cab and ran up the garden path to the house. Kirsty followed her friend into the kitchen and related what had happened since she woken up that morning. She spoke about her feelings as she had gone through the gifts Norah and Vince had given her, and recalled their kindness over the years. Then she spoke of the guilt that had almost overwhelmed her when she realised that her relationship with Steve had to be terminated. Finally, she ecstatically related how the note she had found gave her a way out of it all.

When she finished, Hepora laughed softly.

‘Well, it certainly let you off the hook. I’d say it’s all been handed to you on a plate.’

‘Yeah. Looks like it was meant to happen.’ It was only after she had told Hepora the whole story of the way she felt that she headed for the only home she’d known for years.

*

Steve watched her climb into the cab with mixed feelings. On one hand, he was relieved that she had found the note; it had helped her come to grips with her situation. He still cared deeply for her, but deep down in his heart he knew that this development was the best for them both. It was her choice, and he had no right to deny her that.

He stared into the middle distance for a while before starting the car and driving to the factory. Vince looked up as he walked into the office.

‘Everything all right?’

‘Yes, and no,’ Steve replied, and then told his father what had happened.

Vince sighed deeply. ‘That’s it then, isn’t it?’ He picked up the phone. ‘I’d better tell Norah.’ When he had finished speaking to his wife he handed the instrument to Steve. ‘She wants to talk to you.’

Steve listened in silence, answering her questions as best he could, and then said goodbye. The two men looked at each other as if unwilling to allow their emotions to show, until Vince sniffed noisily.

‘I’d sooner see her dead than take up with that man,’ he said, in a strangled voice. ‘She’s throwing her life away.’

‘But it’s her life, Vince. You can’t live it for her.’

Kirsty was busy heaping her belongings into the back of her car when Steve pulled up behind Norah’s Mitsubishi. He hesitated before climbing out of his vehicle and walked towards her. She paused for a moment as he reached her side, but continued to shove things into the trunk while he waited patiently for her to acknowledge him. When he finally called her name, she turned to face him.

‘I’m not saying anything until Vince comes home.’ Her voice was strained and hard. ‘I don’t want to repeat myself. It’ll keep.’ With that, she marched purposefully into the house.

When Vince finally arrived, Norah met him at the door, and placed a finger to her lips to indicate he should say nothing before going into the lounge. Steve joined them moments later. Kirsty was standing by the window, her arms folded across her chest in a defiant manner.

‘What’s going on Kirsty…?’ Vince began, and then stopped as Norah grabbed his arm.

‘No, Vince, I promised we would listen to what she has to say first, and without interruption. Now let her be.’ She pushed him down onto the sofa and nodded to the young woman. ‘Okay Kirsty, we’re prepared to hear what you have to say, but I hope you’re mindful of the effect your actions will have on us all.’ Then she lifted a hand as if to ward off any objection. ‘This is not the time to air your grievances, real or imagined. Okay?’

Kirsty hesitated and appeared to deflate. It was as if her foster-mother had stripped away the barrier she had managed to erect around herself. She had nothing to hide behind now. When she finally spoke, her voice was pitched so low everyone had to strain to hear what she was saying.

‘I appreciate everything you’ve done for me over the years, and I won’t ever forget it. Not ever.’ She looked at each of them in turn. ‘My pain is as deep as yours, believe it or not, but it is.’

‘You can’t…’ Vince began only to be stopped by Norah once again.

‘No, I can’t feel your pain, Vince. Or Steve’s or Norah’s; it’s personal to each one of you, and so is mine, to me.’ She took a deep breath and began to explain why she had arrived at her decision. In short, stilted sentences, she spoke of her frustrations, of her longings, and of her desire to live with her people—the people she identified with. She acknowledged her debt to the family, yet again, and thanked them for being mindful of her welfare. ‘I don’t want to cause any of you more pain,’ she concluded.

Her voice broke again as she turned to Steve, and she took another deep breath to calm herself. ‘Now that I have taken this step I can see it would not have been right to marry you. I always felt like your kid sister, and I think you saw me that way too. I don’t care whether you screwed this Jenny woman or not. It doesn’t matter one way or the other, although I’d believe you if you say you hadn’t.’

‘Then what…?’

‘It just made up my mind for me. I don’t ask me why or how… I don’t know, but it did. If I could go the whole weekend without giving you a single thought, then there has to be something missing in our relationship.’ She paused as Steve nodded his head, evidently knowing what she meant. ‘Sooner or later we would have realised we were wrong for each other and it would have been worse for us both if we were married.’

‘Yes.’ Steve’s reply was just loud enough for everyone to hear.

‘I don’t want to go from here feeling bad about you.’ She tried to laugh, but the sound was brittle and cracked. ‘I know I had no right to accuse you of being unfaithful, because I am too. I just hope you find what you want. Maybe you should hightail it back to Britain and hook up with that Suzi whatshername.’

The ticking grandfather clock in the corner seemed excessively loud as her voice trailed off. Norah sat staring at her folded hands until Kirsty walked over to her, then she climbed slowly to her feet. The two women embraced each other for a long time. Vince choked back a sob as she turned her tearstained face in his direction, and then he placed an arm around her shoulder. She broke away from them and grabbed Steve’s hands.