Something in the Wine

by Tricia Stringer

  She watched while he finished writing in his diary. She smiled to herself. How many times had the cry gone up ‘Pappou has lost his diary’? Then there would be a frantic search until it was found. She remembered sneaking a peek inside one day when she’d been the one to find it on the bathroom shelf – and her disappointment in discovering he wrote nothing more than vineyard facts and figures instead of the secrets her twelve-year-old self had hoped for.

  He closed the diary and slipped it into his pocket. “I’m glad you’ve come, Katerina. It’s wonderful to have you here. This is as much your home as the Yarra Valley, you know.” He looked proudly out over the vines spread before them and she couldn’t help but follow his gaze. “It’s your mother’s inheritance and so it is right that you should have a part of it.”

  Kat’s gaze jerked from the scenery to her grandfather. “What do you mean, Pappou?”

  “I started River Dynasty for my family. As the family grew, the business grew and we began Ocean Dynasty. Your parents’ holdings are only small in comparison.” He stood and cast his arm towards the vines. “This is where the future of the family lies.”

  Kat frowned. She was momentarily distracted by Pappou’s steadying grasp of the back of the chair. “Lucky you’ve got a big family to take it on, Pappou.” She kept her tone bright. This was not the conversation she’d imagined they would have. “You should be taking life a bit easier these days.”

  “Exactly my point, Katerina.” He turned his piercing gaze on her. “I have sons who manage the vines, make the wine and sell it. I have grandsons who follow in their fathers’ footsteps and one who has become a talented chef and produces fine food for our restaurant, to complement our superior wines. It has become very popular and the new expansion will allow us to cater for big functions. What I don’t have is someone to manage, market and grow our brand.” He bent down and took her hands in his old, weathered grip. “You are that someone, Katerina. There is a huge opportunity here and I need someone young and clever, with bright ideas, to manage it for me.”

  She gaped at him. His grasp was firm and there wasn’t any sign of his earlier shakiness but he may as well have been speaking in his native Greek tongue. She couldn’t make sense of what he was saying.

  “I know it is a big thing I am asking of you,” he hurried on. “Your parents wish you to stay with them and I understand that, but I am an old man. I need you more.”

  “Pappou…I…”

  “No. Don’t say anything now.” He let go of her hands and moved away.

  She looked at the redness on her skin where he’d held her firmly.

  “You need time to think it over. You will have lots of questions but there is time.”

  A door banged and they could hear the soft shuffle of Yia-yia’s feet on the path.

  He tapped his finger on the side of his nose. “I haven’t discussed this with anyone else yet.”

  Yia-yia appeared around the corner carrying a loaded tray. “I have kourabiedes.” Her cheeks glowed and her eyes sparkled as she paused to look from one to the other.

  Kat took one of the biscuits coated in icing sugar and smiled weakly at her grandparents. She may well have jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

  * * *

  The door opened to Euan’s knock and a short stocky woman stood framed in the light from the room behind her. She wore a dark green apron with Anna’s Kitchen scrawled across the bib and had a brightly coloured tea towel draped over her shoulder.

  “Hello, Euan. Welcome home.” She opened her arms to wrap his wiry frame in an effusive hug.

  “Thanks, Anna. It’s good to be back,” he said.

  Keely hovered behind him. Euan had insisted she come with him to the McPhersons’ for the evening meal but she felt uncomfortable about it.

  “And you must be the mystery guest.” Anna had stepped aside to let Euan in.

  Keely saw the look of surprise flash across the other woman’s face and noticed a slight hesitation before she held out a welcoming hand.

  “Nothing mysterious about Keely,” Euan said. “She’s one of the family already. Flynn had her working for us today. That was after he gave me one of his lectures on the backlog that needed doing.”

  “Welcome, Keely.” Anna’s firm hand clasped Keely’s. “I hope these Levallier men haven’t been giving you a hard time. They’re both passionate about that winery of theirs, but sometimes they forget they’re working towards the same thing.”

  “Now don’t you start, Anna,” Euan growled but there was no malice in it. “Let Keely in. It’s chilly out there and she’s still recovering from her operation.”

  Anna guided Keely inside with the hand she still clasped tightly. “You poor love. Flynn said something about you being unwell.”

  “It was my appendix but I’m fine now…” Keely faltered under Anna’s scrutiny and withdrew her hand. “It’s kind of you to include me.”

  “No trouble at all. The more the merrier around our table. It can get a bit quiet with just Sean and me these days. Besides, I should imagine you’d be needing a decent feed. Euan and Flynn are lovely men but their cooking skills are fairly basic.” Anna looked at her closely. “You’d better come in and sit down. It’s not that long ago I had my appendix out. I know you say you’re better but you’ve had an operation and you look a bit pale. You’ve probably lost condition.”

  Keely stepped further into the warm house. Her body ached in a pleasant kind of way from the more active day she’d had. She had been pleased to repay Euan’s hospitality by making lunch and organising the house. The two men had worked all day on the various jobs Flynn had listed. She had pitched in with errands and making lunch. Now she felt tired but not unwell.

  Anna was right about losing condition. Keely had worn her trackpants or drawstring shorts since her operation. Tonight, after her shower, she’d put on her jeans and they were loose. She’d looked in the mirror in amazement.

  For as long as she could remember she’d struggled with her weight. Both of her younger brothers were beanpoles and her father referred to her as his ‘cuddly kid’. Her mother was always telling her to be careful about what she ate, but Keely’s downfall was the sweet stuff. When things got tough she reached for the chocolate and the cakes. They made life bearable.

  Whatever the reason for her trimmer appearance, she felt better as well. It was almost as if she’d given herself a makeover to go with her new life.

  She smiled and gave Anna the parcel she’d brought with her. “This is a small thank-you gift.”

  “You didn’t need to bring anything—”

  “Open it, Anna,” Euan interrupted. “Keely made it for you.”

  Anna stopped her protest and opened the tissue paper to reveal one of Keely’s wine-bottle decorations.

  “Oh, it’s very pretty,” she said. The beads sparkled in the light as she spread it over her fingers and jiggled her hand.

  “Here’s the wine to go with it.” Euan handed over a bottle. “Now come on, don’t keep us hanging about out here in the cold, I can smell something good.”

  “Thank you, Keely,” Anna said, “but you didn’t need to bother.” She dispatched the beads into her apron pocket. “Come and meet the others.”

  Keely followed Anna through the house to the big kitchen. Cheery voices spilled out into the passage and, Euan was right, there was also the delicious aroma of roasting meat. A large table dominated the room and several people were already seated around it.

  “Everyone.” Anna clapped her hands. “This is Euan’s mystery guest, Keely, who’s staying at Levallier Dell for a while.”

  The conversation stopped and Anna dragged her further into the room.

  “This is my son, Sean.” Anna indicated a young man standing at the stove stirring something in a large pot, then she waved towards the table. “There’s my daughter, Megan, her husband, Terry and their boys, Sam and Tom. Next are my wonderful neighbours, Mary and David.”

  Keely’s face radiated heat a
s all eyes looked her way expectantly.

  “Hello, everyone,” she murmured.

  “There will be a test on all those names later.” Mary laughed. “Come and sit by me, Keely. I hear you’ve got a talent with beads and you’ve already been into my shop.”

  “Yes, and look at this dear little decoration she’s made with them.” Anna handed over the bottle and jumble of beads from her pocket before turning her attention to the food.

  Keely sat, relieved that the conversation around the table had resumed and all the eyes in the room were no longer focused on her. She glanced at Mary, who was untangling the bottle cover.

  Mary’s dark hair was held back from her face by a beaded head band and she wore a maroon cheesecloth top that was gathered under her bust line by some kind of stitching. The opening at the neck revealed a black turtleneck sweater. Delicate earrings made of deep red and green gems and beads dangled from her ears. She looked like someone from the seventies.

  “I like jewellery making,” Keely said. “This is just something I’ve dabbled with while I’ve been staying at Levallier Dell.”

  “Jewellery is my love too.” Mary studied Keely’s project with enthusiasm. “But I don’t get as much time as I’d like. The shop keeps me busy. The winter months used to be the time I got on with my own projects but we seem to have extras in the town all year round now.”

  “Margaret River’s a pretty place. I’m almost glad I had the appendix op or I might not have come this way. I was heading north.”

  “A lot of South Aussies end up here for one reason or another. David came from Broken Hill, which is nearly South Australian. He’s a truckie. These days he directs their movements and isn’t on the road quite so much.”

  Mary put a gentle hand on her husband’s broad back.

  “That’s because you’ve got him on too short a rein,” Euan teased from further down the table.

  “Some people need a short rein.” Anna reached over and placed bowls of steaming soup in front of them. “Flynn’s had a time of it while you’ve been away.”

  “He worries too much.” Euan shook his head.

  “Where is he, anyway?” Sean asked. He was the one ladling the soup into the bowls. “Keely and I are the only young ones here.”

  “Watch it, little brother,” Megan threatened. “Terry and I aren’t exactly in our dotage and there are your nephews.”

  “Flynn called,” Anna said. “He’ll be a bit late so we’ll start without him.”

  Keely smiled down at her soup. She had been vaguely disappointed there was no Flynn at the table when she’d come in. It had been good working with both the Levallier men today. She had seen a different side to them. Levallier Dell was special to both but Flynn was a very organised person and his father took life much more casually. She imagined that would be frustrating for Flynn.

  There was a noise from the back of the house.

  “Speak of the devil.” Anna beamed as Flynn stepped through the door.

  His face was flushed and his eyes shone. “Hello, everyone. Sorry I’m late.” He stopped and reached behind him. “I hope you don’t mind, Anna. I’ve brought a friend.”

  A tall, dark-haired woman stepped out from behind him.

  “This is Katerina. She’s Theo’s granddaughter, back for a holiday.”

  Keely glanced around at the smiling faces, as the chorus of voices that had welcomed her only a little while earlier now welcomed Katerina. She noticed Euan wasn’t smiling. He turned his attention back to his food. Anna shuffled chairs to make another space and fussed over Flynn while Sean jumped up to ladle more soup.

  Keely concentrated on her food. She recalled her meeting with Flynn the day before, when he’d made it clear the invitation to the meal that night was for the Levallier men only. Now here he was casually bringing an extra guest himself.

  “Where is home, Katerina?” Megan asked.

  “Please call me Kat.” Everyone listened as Kat told them about the Yarra Valley and her links with Margaret River. She was a very attractive woman. Beyond pretty, vivacious was a better word. Like Flynn’s, her eyes were bright and her skin glowed. Flynn joked about knocking her off her pony when she was a little girl and put his arm casually around her shoulders. Kat smiled back at him. They looked perfectly at ease with each other.

  Keely sat quietly in her chair but Kat, who was sitting across from her, was keen to include her in the conversation.

  “What kind of work do you do, Keely?” she asked.

  “I’m a teacher.”

  “So am I,” Megan said. “Secondary or primary?”

  “Secondary but—”

  “We’re often short on relief teachers here.” Megan lurched forward in her chair, her eyes bright. “If you stick around there’d be work if you ever wanted it.”

  Keely shifted in her chair. She wished she hadn’t mentioned it. “I’d prefer to have a complete break from teaching…it can be so… demanding.”

  “There are other avenues for creative people besides teaching.” Euan’s quiet words surprised her. She looked along the table and met his reassuring gaze.

  “We also need to be practical.” Anna tutted. “There’s a teacher shortage. Last term Megan went back to school when she was still getting over a nasty wog because there was no one to take her class.”

  “I won’t be here for much longer…” Keely stumbled over the words and was relieved when Terry asked Kat about her family winery and turned the attention of the table elsewhere.

  Keely noticed Kat hesitate before she spoke. She hadn’t appeared to be the shy type, just the opposite really. Self-assured and confident was how Keely would describe her. Keely felt like a faded flower in comparison to the vibrant Katerina.

  Anna’s beautiful roast congealed on Keely’s plate. She could only pick at it. Her hunger had waned, as had the shine on the evening. The talk of teaching had brought all the old demons out to haunt her again. Just the thought of walking into a classroom made her tender stomach churn.

  “So Flynn, do you need any help with the Divine Wine and Dine weekend?” Sean asked later as the teas and coffees were passed around.

  Flynn lowered his gaze. Keely thought he looked uncomfortable and wondered why.

  “I haven’t thought about it much yet,” he mumbled.

  “Well, you’d better,” Sean said. “It’s only two weeks away. I think we’ve got everything organised here. I’ll be into exams but I could give you a hand if you like.”

  “You’ll have your work cut out in the cafe,” Megan said and turned to Flynn. “There are a couple of kids in my home economics class who would love the experience.”

  “Margs will be bursting at the seams again and we haven’t recovered from the school holidays yet.” Anna groaned.

  Mary leaned into Keely’s ear. “I love it, though,” she said. “It’s full on but it’s fun.”

  “Where is Margs?” Keely asked.

  Mary chuckled. “It’s what some of us locals call the town, a kind of affectionate name for a friendly place. We literally overflow when we hold special weekends like the Divine Wine and Dine.”

  “Margaret River is such a big region these days,” David said. “There’s a huge gourmet weekend later in the year but we’ve been running this smaller homegrown event for twelve years. It’s a fundraiser for local charities. It’s a good way to pull the community together and the money goes to a good cause.”

  “David’s on the organising committee so he’s in the thick of it.” Mary patted her husband’s hand. “The phone has been running hot at our place.”

  “Pappou has had everyone working around the clock so that the cellar-door extensions would be finished in time and Michael is preparing a gourmet menu,” Kat said. “It will be a big weekend.”

  “It’s good to have Levallier Dell on the list this time, Euan,” David said.

  “I didn’t know it was.”

  Euan’s reply was quiet and Keely noticed the firm set of his jaw. There was a
momentary silence around the table.

  “Well, that will teach you for staying away so long,” Anna rebuked.

  “Will you still be here, Keely?” Sean asked.

  “I don’t know. What happens?”

  “It’s a great weekend,” he said. “People come from all over.”

  “They can just wander the region and take in the sights, the wineries and entertainment,” Megan said.

  “Or they can purchase a Divine Wine and Dine passport and a special map,” David said. “That gives them four meals over the course of the weekend and access to some wineries, like Levallier Dell, that aren’t normally open to the public.”

  Keely glanced past David to Euan. He was holding his coffee cup in both hands and staring into it.

  “What kind of food will you have, Flynn?” Kat asked.

  “I’ve been waiting for Euan to get back to discuss it with him.”

  “You’re running out of time,” David said. “The programs have to be printed soon. I need to know the details of what’s on offer at Levallier Dell.”

  “Fancy leaving you two in charge of food,” Anna teased.

  “Perhaps we could organise something in conjunction with River Dynasty. Pappou has plenty of…” Kat was cut off by the scraping of Euan’s chair on the floor as he shoved it back and stood up.

  “I think Flynn and I need to discuss this privately,” he said quietly. A small muscle in his cheek twitched. “Thank you for the meal, Anna. It was delicious, as always, but I think I should take Keely home. She’s had a busy day, for someone who’s still recuperating from an operation.”

  Keely felt the full force of everyone’s attention as she rose from her seat. She shuffled backwards just as David pulled at her chair, which caused her to lose her balance. She flopped back down and, as if in slow motion, the chair tipped backwards and crashed into the cupboard behind her. A jolt of pain slashed across her stomach and she gasped.

  “Are you hurt?” Anna rushed around the table. Everyone stood up and Euan was quickly at her side.