Billie smiled reassuringly and it sort of helped. ‘But it’s not like Rex doesn’t know you better than a lot of other men. He probably wanted to spoil you with the marquee. It’s not usually something men choose for themselves. You’ll be fine with Rex. He’s seen you in action, Daphne. The real you. You’re a star.’
The heat rushed back into her cheeks. ‘No, I’m not.’
Billie frowned. ‘I can see I’ll have to stand beside you at the bathroom mirror every morning and make you say it. Daphne is a star!’
They heard footsteps and Soretta crossed the yard just as Billie said the words and she smiled at them both as she leapt up the steps.
‘You are, you know.’ She turned to Billie. ‘You should’ve seen her the day my grandad was hurt. The plane steps came down and Daphne striding across with her kit was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.’ Soretta’s eyes glinted with the memories and she brushed the moisture away.
‘You were incredible,’ she said to Daphne. ‘Like a machine saving his life.’ She leant down and hugged her warmly, which was all the more surprising because Soretta didn’t give away hugs liberally and Daphne thought her throat was going to close. ‘I’ll never forget you saving my grandad that day.’
Daphne swallowed. Her own eyes filled and her face felt hot. It was probably all blotchy with emotion. ‘Stop it. I was doing my job.’
‘You did everything better and faster than I’d seen it ever done before. And when I thanked Rex, he said you were the awesome one.’
Rex thought she was awesome? There was the problem. She was none of those things. And he’d see it when they were surrounded by beautifully dressed and assured women at the races, just like her ex had. Just like she’d always been a disappointment to her father despite her many step ‘aunties’ trying to make a ‘silk glove out of a sow’s ear’, as one of them had said.
‘Just say thank you.’ Billie patted her arm. ‘Funny how that’s one of the hardest things we seem to have to do.’
Soretta nodded and agreed. ‘I know. If someone says, you do a good job on the station, I wince. It feels undeserved. And I usually end up saying something stupid like, “not as good as I should”, and then I think, hang on a minute. I’m doing a freaking fabulous job here.’ She shrugged. ‘Must be a woman thing.’
‘I think so.’ Daphne thought about Morgan or even Rex. ‘Rex would never say he wasn’t a good pilot if someone complimented him.’
‘Let’s make a new pact,’ Billie said. ‘About compliments and accepting them. We will practise.’
Oh, Lord.
‘And if you want me to come shopping with you for a new frock, bag, shoes, whatever, just let me know.’
Billie’s suggestion was tempting, but all Daphne could remember were the horrible times when she’d been dragged and pulled into clothes she hated. ‘Thanks. I’ll think about it.’ With dread.
‘Where’s Mia?’ Billie looked past Soretta towards the shed.
‘She’s in with the puppies. That girl can’t get enough of them. Then she said she was going over to check on one of the lambs we weaned. She’ll be fine.’
Daphne’s gaze met Billie’s in shared amusement. What Soretta meant was, ‘She’d better not get into strife or else!’
The day dawned hot and dry like the hundred before and it’d just get hotter. Soretta glared accusingly at the cloudless sky. The dam had completely dried now, the first time that she could remember it happening, though grandad had seen it before, and she needed to check the far troughs because the sheep were getting desperate anytime the bore water slowed up.
Yesterday she’d seen two small kangaroos in there with the sheep trying to catch the water as it pumped from the bore. She’d checked the house tanks last night and they hadn’t used as much water as she’d feared considering the influx of people and the extra drain on water resources. Her housemates were good people.
The phone rang, and she grinned to herself because she’d have to answer it. It was lunchtime and her house was empty for a change. The phone had been one thing she hadn’t had to deal with lately, though it had been ringing more than ever with all the women in the house.
Normally Mia was onto it like a shot, but she was still at school.
‘Is that you, Soretta?’
She couldn’t place the voice. ‘Yes. Who’s this?’
‘Just the person I wanted. Lorna Lamerton. I came out a month ago with Daphne.’
The old doctor’s wife. A sweetie and quite a card, Soretta thought. ‘Yes, Mrs Lamerton. I remember. What can I do for you?’
The voice was hesitant and Soretta wiped the hallway table with her finger while she waited. No dust. And she hadn’t done the hall yet. Daphne was encroaching on her cleaning duties, she could see. The voice strengthened and Soretta paid attention. ‘I wondered if you still had any rooms to let. Or have you reached capacity?’
Soretta lifted her head and stared at the wall. Had she reached capacity? Could the house hold any more? It was working well now. Might another person create problems? She still had to settle her grandfather back into a world of women he wasn’t used to when he came out of hospital, but he had his own room. And she was making headway with the bills so he had no excuse to rush into selling.
She stalled. ‘Do you know someone who needs accommodation?’ If it was a man maybe they could stay down at the quarters with Klaus. She needed an extra farmhand who wasn’t a boarder.
‘Just one. A single woman.’
She could probably take one more single. And a woman would be easier than a single man in the house considering the bathroom situation. Another hundred dollars a week and that was decent income once a month until the rain came.
‘Do they know it’s a shared bathroom? My grandfather has his but the rest of us share.’
‘It’s for me, dear. Just for a couple of months as a wee break for my son and his wife. Just for a holiday with all you lovely ladies.’
Soretta tried to keep her face straight. It would be a wee break for Lorna away from her son’s wife. Interesting times coming up. ‘In that case I’m sure we could fit you in, Mrs Lamerton. When would you like to come?’
‘I was thinking a taxi could bring me out tonight.’
‘How about I pick you up after I visit my grandfather this afternoon. Around five?’
‘That would be lovely.’
Billie put down the note Soretta had left and smiled at Daphne. ‘You say she’s eighty?’
‘Turned eighty recently. She was an outback nurse fifty years ago and she’s quicker on her feet than I am.’
Billie looked sceptical. ‘Never.’
‘Maybe not,’ Daphne conceded, ‘but tough as old leather and been the doctor’s wife for almost that long. Nursed him through the last two years of terminal dementia at home. She’s not a frail eighty.’ Daphne’s voice dropped to a softer note. ‘She remembers your parents.’
An unexpected sadness buffeted Billie, like a willy-willy passing, leaving her disorientated and churning and covered in memories. But then she thought of the little house and the new family living there. And of having a job she loved in the town her parents had loved. It was good to be back in Mica Ridge.
Last week she’d taken Mia past her old home on the way to school and talked about her memories of growing up there and in the town. Mia had listened quietly and even leaned across and kissed her before she’d got out.
After a minute Billie said, ‘I’ve never known anyone except for my aunt who remembered my parents.’
‘Lorna said you were young when they died.’
‘Sixteen. The same as Mia is now.’ Billie thought about that and shuddered. Who would look after her daughter if anything happened to her? She forced the words out in as light a tone as she could manage. ‘There aren’t any aunts left now, so I’d better stay healthy.’
‘I’m sure you will.’ She heard the hesitation in Daphne’s voice. ‘But remember, Mia is your daughter and she’s had the best example of
what rising above heartbreak and challenges means.’
There was actual comfort in those words. And the fact that Billie had set up a trust fund that ensured Mia would be housed and educated for as long as she needed.
Still, Billie looked at this woman she’d known for barely a month, and except for those first few years when Mia had been young and her aunt had been there, she’d never had a friend like Daphne before.
‘How did you get to be so wise?’
‘I’m not wise,’ Daphne said. ‘I’d better get back to the kitchen. Wise cooks don’t let their cakes burn.’
‘I can’t imagine you doing that.’ Billie called after her. ‘I’ll look forward to seeing if Lorna likes to cook. Maybe you’ll have to fight for the kitchen.’
Daphne turned back, blinked, and then saw Billie was teasing her and started to laugh. ‘Having to fight for cooking, that would be a change,’ she teased.
They both knew Daphne revelled in it.
NINE
Lorna arrived with Soretta at ten past five in the afternoon. She’d packed two old polished leather suitcases, which must have been worth a lot of money in the days before weighing suitcases made leather carry-ons a niche market.
Soretta and Mia heaved the suitcases up the stairs with strain on their red faces, while Billie hid her smile and was glad the young ones were here to carry.
Lorna Lamerton had dressed for the occasion. Her purple hair had been recently permed and pouffed, her cream cashmere twin-set, while it had short sleeves, seemed too hot for the warmth of the afternoon, even though it did set off the beautiful crystal flower spray brooch she wore, accompanied by stockings and black buckled shoes that were definitely too hot.
Billie found herself saying, ‘Welcome to the ranks of the Homestead Girls,’ off the top of her head, and she had no idea where that came from but it amused her. Soretta laughed.
Daphne held the door for the straining porters and Mia followed Soretta, panting, trying not to drag the suitcase down the hallway to Lorna’s new room that Daphne had polished to within an inch of its life.
Lorna inclined her head regally, but the twinkle in her eyes hinted at the mischief and glee bursting inside her at being here. Billie suspected Lorna was very much looking forward to diving into their world and remembered Daphne saying how lonely she’d been since her husband had passed away.
Billie held out her hand and shook the soft fingers of their new housemate and squeezed them. ‘You are very welcome and I for one can’t wait to hear about your days as a nurse in the outback.’
Lorna squeezed back. ‘I remember your mother, dear. You have the look of her. She was a beautiful woman. I’m sure your parents would be very proud of you, young Williamina, back here as a flying doctor. I’m a big supporter of the service.’
‘Thank you.’ Williamina. Nobody had called her that for years. She stepped back, feeling like she’d just had an audience with the queen, and Daphne ushered the older lady in after her luggage.
Billie gazed after her and had the feeling that Lorna was going to be an interesting and amusing fifth housemate.
Lorna was soon ensconced in her room and Daphne encouraged her to consider the sitting room she used hers as well. Billie had no doubt that Daphne would enjoy the extra company.
She wondered how Mia would find living with an older lady. Her daughter had been very young when Billie’s aunt had died and she’d never had the opportunity to interact with a grandmotherly figure.
Another benefit was there would be someone at the homestead practically all the time now, and perhaps Soretta’s grandfather might be able to come home from the hospital a little earlier than he otherwise would have.
That would have two effects at least. Hopefully, Lachlan would be happier in his own house than the hospital, though now that it was full of women it would be very different to what he remembered. And the other positive would be that Soretta would be able to cease her time-consuming trips to town to visit him and the costs involved in that.
The phone rang and Billie picked it up before Mia could swoop.
It was Morgan. Brief and to the point. ‘Head into town, will you, we’re on stand-by for a major incident. Bring Daphne.’
She didn’t bother to ask why. Just popped her head into Lorna’s room, where Daphne was helping her settle in.
‘Morgan wants us in town on stand-by. You right to leave in five minutes?’
Daphne looked up at Billie, before turning to Lorna, who looked more excited than fazed by the fact that her hostesses were leaving her immediately.
‘Shoo,’ Lorna said with an expansive wave of the hands. ‘I’ll be fine. I lived with a man leaving at the drop of a hat for fifty years.’
‘Silly me. Of course you will.’ Daphne smiled. ‘Coming, Billie.’
They arrived at the base within the fifteen minutes of Morgan’s call, and while it all seemed calm there was a tense set to Morgan’s mouth that Billie could see. She wondered if the others noticed. Rex was there, as were Hector and Michael, though Rex and Hector were on their way out the door to ready their aircraft.
‘Unconfirmed multiple trauma near Belly Girth Bluff. Sounds like a school excursion bus from Sydney, so possibly up to twenty children and two teachers. We’re waiting for the local cattle truck driver to arrive on site—he picked up the two-way call that no one else heard and called us.We’ll have to assess the need to fly critical direct to Adelaide and maybe get some help from Broken Hill.’
‘Trauma kits and neck braces, then,’ Daphne muttered and hurried off to the storeroom. Michael followed her, which left Billie and Morgan alone. Morgan was on the computer zeroing in on the apparent site of the accident and Billie leaned over his shoulder. ‘I hate these situations,’ he said. ‘The waiting for confirmation when you know you could be on your way and maybe get there before someone dies. But both teams will take off as soon as they can.’
She got that. ‘Do you know exactly where it is?’
He shook his head. ‘Nope. The call came through on a patchy cell. Somewhere near here.’ He pointed to the screen. ‘Our contact is taking a load of goats through the back way and is driving out to find the site. He’s got a satellite phone.’
Just then the phone rang and Morgan picked it up with slow deliberation. Billie drew a breath and held it. Morgan switched on the loudspeaker.
‘It’s Tom, from Cart’n’go. Hello.’
‘We hear you, Tom. Have you on loudspeaker. Have you found the site?’
‘My word I’ve found it. Dog’s breakfast is what it is. That bus won’t drive again.’
‘Can you give us a location?’ Morgan was to the point.
Tom didn’t seem to mind. ‘Belly Girth Bluff junction. The sign says ninety-seven kilometres to the border and a hundred and fifty to Mica Ridge. He must’ve missed the turn.’
Billie frowned at the map. That was near Barbara Tomkins’s place.
Morgan went on. ‘Nearest station with landing strip?’
She heard Tom say, ‘I’d reckon Golden Ridge. Nineteen kilometres, it says on the road sign here.’ Billie nodded in satisfaction. She was getting the hang of this.
‘Right. How many injured?’
‘Just got here, mate, but I’ll put you onto one of the teachers.’ There was a brief offside conversation and then a woman’s voice came on.
‘Georgina Harvey. Teacher at St Fergus School. Who am I speaking to?’
‘Morgan Fraser, at Mica Ridge Flying Doctor Base. Georgina, when you’re ready can you give me an idea of the injured to the best of your knowledge please.’
They heard the big indrawn breath as the woman wrestled with composure and then in a remarkably steady voice she said, ‘Bob, the bus driver, has had a heart attack I think. He slumped and the bus crashed. I managed with some of the boys to get him out of the bus and we performed cardiac massage.’ She took a shuddering breath. ‘It worked but he’s in pain, sitting up and conscious.’
‘Good job, Georgina. Sit
ting him up and keeping him quiet is all you can do now. Can you tell me how many people in total on the bus?’
‘Twenty children aged from nine to eleven and two teachers.’
Morgan’s voice was steady and calm. ‘That’s great. Are you hurt at all yourself?’
There was another shuddering breath. ‘No. I bumped my head but I’m okay. The other teacher has a broken leg I think, and he hit his head, too. He’s not making much sense, but he’s trapped in the seat he fell into when the bus hit the boulder and when we tried to move him he said not to. So I can’t do much there.’
She went on, the words coming faster now that she had someone to share them with. ‘Luckily most of the children had their seatbelts on and the bus is generally intact. I have two ten-year-olds who were knocked out when they hit the bar on the seat in front, but both are awake now and breathing fine.’ She gave a shaky laugh. ‘One girl is a notorious fainter, so I’m hoping hers was just shock, and several others are complaining of being unable to move their arms without it hurting.’
She stopped. As if the torrent of words had exhausted her. Her voice cracked. ‘Sorry. Cuts and bruises and crying. I don’t know where to start.’
‘You’ve done a great job already. We’ll be there as quickly as we can. We’ll stay on the line to give you advice until then.’
‘So what should I do now?’
‘You started at the most important place. Get Tom to help you check everyone again. He’ll help you find any major problems, but it sounds like you have it pretty much under control. Tom will have another first-aid kit. Have someone stay with the kids who were knocked out. You right with that?’
‘Yes.’ She sounded composed again and Billie felt her throat tighten in sympathy. People were amazing when they had to be.
Morgan was saying, ‘We’ll contact the owners of the nearest station. They’ll come out to help until we get there. Two aircraft will take off in a few minutes with a doctor and two nurses.’ He glanced at the map. ‘They’ll land on the road. So plan on trying to keep people calm and out of the sun until we get there. I’ll organise another bus for the walking wounded. Keep everyone together and don’t let them wander off.’
The Homestead Girls Page 11
