Written in the Stars (15 page)

His friend’s words came back to taunt him again. ‘Don’t be greedy.’ That was all right for Gary, because he was living a footloose life and had no particular goal, whereas Mark wanted to make something of his life. It was not greed; it was necessity. Even as he begrudgingly admitted it was risky, he was determined to push his luck to the limit to raise the money he needed. He replaced the box in the wardrobe and went to bed.

He lay staring at the ceiling for a long time before he went to sleep. His night was filled with conflicting dreams. In one situation he would be see himself carrying Suzi across the threshold of Caxton Manor and up the long flight of stairs leading to a to beautifully decorated bedroom. In another scene he saw her watch him dispassionately as he wagered his last pound on an outsider in a desperate attempt to claw back some of the money he had lost.

The grey light of a new day was a welcome relief from the troubled sleep. He stamped across the frosty parking area, rubbing his hands together against the bitterly cold wind that tore at his jacket. The car was blanketed in a thick coating of frost and there were miniature icicles hanging off the rear-view mirrors. After scraping the windows clear he started the vehicle and eased it out onto the road. As he drove to The Stow Restaurant, he thought about Suzi and her friend in sunny Queensland—they had picked a good time to be out of Britain.

Yes, he mused, but I bet she’ll get tired of it in a few weeks. He was sure that by the end of the holiday she would be more than keen to get back to the restaurant.

‘I’ll even bet on it,’ he murmured, and then laughed.

Chapter Nineteen

Three days later Mark received an airmail letter from Suzi. She wrote to say they were having a wonderful time, that everyone was friendly, the food was fabulous, and it was all very exciting. They found the heat a bit unbearable at times, and she had to be extra careful about protecting her fair skin, but that seemed to be the only complaint. The rest of the letter was taken up with a short description of some of the places they had visited.

She closed with the words:

Sometimes I wish you were here to share in this marvellous experience
.
Maybe we can visit it together at some future date when we’ve made lots of money from the restaurant
.

With love
,

Suzi

He dropped the letter back onto the table and looked at the calendar.

‘She’ll be home in three days,’ he mused. Narelle would probably be happy to see her back, too, because he had noticed that the novelty of being a full time hostess seemed to have worn a bit thin now.

As soon as the last customer left that afternoon, Mark began to work on the racing formula. It had been nearly a week since he had placed a winning bet, and he was eager to recuperate the money he had lost on the last wager. The horse had run well, but faded in the closing stages and was forced back to third place. It had been a bitter disappointment, because he had been absolutely sure it would last the distance, and he had bet accordingly.

However, he knew that his hope of handing Suzi a bag full of money when she came home was just a dream now. Even if he could back a winner each week, it would take quite a few months to accumulate enough to satisfy his needs. Unless of course he could find a horse that he considered unbeatable, and a bookie willing to accept a bet of a thousand pounds or more.

*

Suzi and Charlize spent the last part of the flight discussing the various excursions that were included in the prize. They leafed through pamphlets depicting some of the attractions to be seen in the various resort areas around Brisbane.

‘The Gold Coast sounds like a great place to start,’ Suzi said. ‘It says here that although it was initially a haven for fishermen and surfers, it’s now considered Australia’s top playground.’

‘So we go there to play?’

‘Whatever,’ Suzi laughed.

Charlize turned over another brochure.

‘Now… we’ve got the choice between Hervey Bay and Fraser Island.’ She read aloud the description of the world’s largest sand island that boasts a fresh water lake and wild horses. ‘That sounds better than leaning over the side of a boat trying to catch sight of a whale.’

‘It all sounds great,’ Suzi enthused, as she grabbed one of the other folders that extolled the virtues of the Whitsunday Passage. ‘We’re going Airlie Beach, aren’t we?’ She sighed. ‘It’s a bit hard to take it all in at once.’

Part of the package holiday included a stop-over in Townsville and Cairns. From the northernmost city they would take a ride the famous narrow track railway that had serviced the early settlers on the Atherton Tablelands. The opportunity to trek through the rainforest at Kuranda did not appeal to either of them so they crossed that one off the list.

‘And there’s an optional visit to museum at Longreach.’ Suzi turned the brochure so that Charlize could see the picture of a huge corrugated iron building standing on the flat plain. ‘I think it’s a tribute to all the cowpokes who went out west.’

Charlize looked at her and then laughed uproariously.

‘Good heavens, get your facts right. They don’t call them cowpokes in Australia.’

‘Never mind, it still doesn’t sound like a very nice place to visit.’ Suzi looked at the brochure again.

They spent the first night in the heart of Brisbane and in the morning took the bus to the Surfers Paradise the next morning. After having lunch at SeaWorld, they caught another bus to the bird sanctuary, at Currumbin, where flocks of lorikeets fly into feed on the bread and honey mixture prepared by the proprietors.

The myriad of beautifully coloured birds perched on anything available—usually the nearest shoulder or an outstretched arm. They watched as one even settled on the top of a man’s crutches.

On the way back to Brisbane they stopped off at Bundaberg where Australia’s favourite rum was produced, but neither of them could bring themselves to drink the samples on offer.

‘Much too strong,’ Charlize complained, putting her glass down after a tiny sip.

Wherever they went, the two women found themselves the centre of attraction. It seemed as if everyone wanted to invite them to a barbecue, or take them to dinner, or buy them a drink. They soon learned to say no, but were highly amused at the outrageous comments made by the local inhabitants.

They were sitting on the verandah of a country hotel one afternoon when a couple of workmen sat down at a nearby table.

‘Hey, there’s a pair of good looking sheilas, Trev,’ one of them said, in a voice loud enough for them to hear. ‘Which one do you fancy? I like the dark haired one, myself.’

‘Please yourself, mate,’ Trevor replied, with a laugh. ‘Which ever one you chose, I’ll fancy the other one.’ He took a swig of beer. ‘Why don’t you chat ‘em up, Chicka?’

The man called Chicka eased himself off the chair and nonchalantly wandered over to where Suzi and Charlize sat. He looked from one to the other and smiled.

‘G’day. How’s it going, girls, pretty good, eh?’ But before they could respond he continued with an answer. ‘Not too bad, that’s good. Can I buy you a drink?’

‘No thanks,’ Charlize replied, sweetly. ‘But thanks for the offer.’

He turned to Suzi. ‘How about you, love?’

Suzi managed to stop herself from laughing and shook her head vigorously. ‘I’m fine, thank you.’

‘You want keep your eye on that bloke, girls,’ Trevor called out. ‘He’s a bit of a lady’s man. Really knows his way about, he does.’ He laughed good-naturedly.

‘Come on, Chicka,’ Trevor said, climbing to his feet, ‘they’re awake to you. You’re not going to do any good there, so you might as well have another beer.’

As made their way to the bar, Chicka took one last look at them.

‘You’re right, Trev, it’s a waste of time laying on the charm with those pommie sheilas.’

‘Yeah, like I said they just don’t appreciate when they’re on to a good thing.’

Charlize nudged Suzi again.

‘Well, that’s the end of a beautiful friendship, but thank goodness.’ She looked at her empty glass. ‘I think it’s your shout.’

The next day they headed north to Cairns. The hot and steamy town was full of tourists and backpackers even though it was officially off-season. Once again the two women were pleased to find that their hotel was air-conditioned. Charlize found the heat particularly hard to bear, and was almost on the point of suggesting that they should go back to Brisbane when something made her change her mind.

They were making their way towards the dining room that evening, when a man bumped into Charlize, nearly knocking her off her feet. He apologized profusely, and then offered to buy them a drink in the bar. Suzi had visions of the episode with Trevor and Chicka and tried to hurry her friend away, but then she saw a smile light up Charlize’s face. The man introduced himself as Lloyd Bridgestone, from New Zealand.

After he had ordered the drinks, he looked directly at Charlize. ‘So you’re on holidays.’ It was neither a question nor a statement, then without waiting for a reply he continued. ‘It’s a bad time of year to visit North Queensland. The heat is always unbearable and the insects are… well, ferocious to say the least.’

‘Then why are you here?’

‘No option, I’m afraid. I’m a property developer. My company is looking at this area with a view to expanding our interests.’ Then he took a sip from his glass. ‘But I haven’t seen anything that interests me, to be frank, so I’ll be more than pleased to go back home where the weather’s more temperate.’

‘We’ve just reached the same conclusion,’ Suzi said. ‘I don’t know how people put up with this humidity.’

‘I can understand your point of view.’ Lloyd nodded. Then he gave them a quizzical look. ‘I’m trying to place your accents. What part of England are you from?’ When neither of them answered immediately, he gave a nervous laugh. ‘Oops, should I have said Britain? I know the people from Wales and Scotland don’t like to be called English.’

Charlize gave a small laugh.

‘How right you are, but it’s just a bit of national pride. We Welsh like to think we’re different.’

‘No, special,’ Suzi interjected. We are special. Some of us like to think that maybe some truly ancient blood runs in our veins, the blood of the earliest pre-Celt Britons.’

Lloyd inclined his head.

‘Very interesting,’ he said. ‘So tell me, how does it go?’ He tapped his forehead with his finger. ‘Croseo, er... Croseo y? Ah, yes, I think I’ve got it now. Croseo Y Cymru.’ He gave a small laugh. ‘That’s it isn’t it? It means welcome to Wales.’

‘Well done.’ Charlize clapped her hands. ‘You’ve even pronounced it correctly… someone must have taught you that.’

When he offered to escort them into the dining room she readily agreed. He seemed very knowledgeable about the restaurant industry and asked Suzi a couple of leading questions. But it was Charlize who had most of his attention. He wanted to know all about her family and her job as a PR consultant. After dinner they all moved into the lounge bar for coffee and liqueurs.

By the time they said goodnight, he and Charlize had eyes only for each other. Although Suzi was feeling a little neglected she wanted to hide it, so as they climbed the stairs to their room, she tried to sound casual.

‘He seems rather nice.’

‘Yes. And attractive. And intelligent,’ Charlize said, dropping her bag onto the dressing table. ‘And quite rich, apparently.’ She sank down on the side of the bed and grinned. ‘He’s asked me to have breakfast with him.’

‘Where? In the dining room, or in his bedroom?’

Charlize spent more time with Lloyd over breakfast than she had intended, and had barely enough time to change into something more suitable to for the day trip to Kuranda. She ran out into the parking lot to find Suzi waiting impatiently. They scrambled onto the bus just before the driver closed the doors, and had to sit on opposite sides of the vehicle. Suzi was somewhat piqued at first, but then she saw the funny side of it.

I think she would have preferred to miss the bus altogether,
she mused, as she noted the far-away look in her friend’s eyes. She seemed to have been very taken with Lloyd, and Suzi knew it was unusual for Charlize to become this attracted to a man so quickly. They usually had to stand in line and wait to be noticed.

They were both enthralled by the primitive beauty of the rain forest, and agreed that they would like to spend more time absorbing the tranquil setting. The train trip was entirely different, but equally enjoyable, but by the time they climbed back on the bus, the ordeal had exhausted them. It had been a very long and tiring day, and the air-conditioned hotel room was a welcome relief from the heat and the humidity.

Charlize threw her bag on the bed, and looked anxiously at her watch.

‘Will it be all right if I use the bathroom first? I promised Lloyd I’d have a drink with him before dinner. You don’t mind, do you? It’s just that…’ She stopped and gave a little laugh. ‘You can meet us after you’ve showered if you want to.’

‘I don’t mind if you go first,’ Suzi said, joining in her friend’s laughter. ‘I won’t spoil the party, so just you go ahead and make the most of it while you can.’

While Charlize swept around the room like a whirlwind, scattering clothes as she tried first one dress and then another in an attempt to choose the right one, Suzi brought her diary up to date. Then she took a shower and eventually made her way downstairs. Lloyd and Charlize were deep in conversation at the far end of the bar, so she found a table by the window. As she sat down they crossed the room and asked to join her.

Suzi was amazed at Charlize’s reaction to the tall, blonde New Zealander. He had evidently triggered something in her that no other man had done before, and he was obviously equally as enchanted with her. She felt slightly embarrassed by their open intimacy and nearly suggested that they have dinner by themselves, but Lloyd must have read her mind. He looked directly at her.

‘I feel a bit of an interloper,’ he said, quietly. ‘I’ve come between you both. That wasn’t my intention, I can assure you, but… ‘ He paused and looked at Charlize for help. ‘I, er... we seem to have found each other mutually attractive, and er... you know how it is.’ He stopped again, and smiled engagingly.

‘Yes, I do know, and I can identify with that,’ Suzi said, as she recalled her own situation with Steve Pardoe. She patted her friend’s hand. ‘Just remember we have to be at the airport in time to catch a plane in the morning… that’s all.’

As they moved away, Suzi wondered whether Steve ever thought of her. She had a feeling deep down that he had not married the woman waiting for him in New Zealand, although there seemed to be no reason for her to think that way, but she hoped she was right. It’s just female intuition, she had told herself, more than once.