The Forgotten Pearl

by Belinda Murrell

  Mark rubbed his forehead. ‘There are rumours that they will start evacuating all civilians from Darwin any day now, starting with the women and children,’ he explained, glancing over towards Poppy and Bryony and smiling reassuringly. The girls smiled back nervously. ‘Only women in essential services will be allowed to stay.’

  ‘That’s ludicrous,’ argued Cecilia. ‘This is our home. Where would we go?’

  She strode back and forth across the floor, biting her thumbnail. Mark took her hand, stilling her. ‘I know this is our home, but we must think of the safety of you and the girls above all else. That’s the most important thing.’

  The ceiling fan whirred slowly overhead, stirring the muggy air.

  ‘Of course, I would have to stay here,’ continued Mark. ‘I’m needed at the hospital and, if things start getting worse in the Pacific, Darwin will be an important base for treating injured troops. You could take the girls down to Sydney or Adelaide for a few months until we know what’s happening.’

  Cecilia frowned. ‘I won’t leave you. This war might drag on for years. If Darwin becomes an important medical centre, then I should be here, too. I’ve nursed countless of our patients over the last twenty years, including the Great War. I won’t sit twiddling my thumbs in Sydney doing nothing when I’m needed here.’

  Poppy glanced at her father.

  Mark nodded, smiling ruefully. ‘You are a wonderful nurse, and I could ask for none better,’ he agreed, ‘but what about the girls?’

  Cecilia’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Perhaps they should go to boarding school down south,’ she suggested after a pause. ‘They’d be safe there, and I really should have sent them a couple of years ago. It was just with the war on, I didn’t want them to be so far away . . .’

  ‘No,’ cried Poppy. ‘I don’t want to go to boarding school. I want to stay here with you.’

  Cecilia and Mark exchanged worried glances.

  ‘Phoebe and Edward enjoyed boarding school,’ Cecilia reminded her, trying to be cheerful. ‘They made some lovely friends and had lots of fun.’

  Poppy crossed her arms and put on her mutinous face, which made Mark laugh. Her stomach was knotted with tension. She could sense the stress in the air as palpably as the humidity. Honey whined and rolled on her back. Absentmindedly, Poppy leant down and stroked her tummy.

  ‘What about you, Bryony?’ asked Mark.

  ‘Of course she wants to stay here,’ insisted Poppy. ‘George is here!’

  Bryony flushed and then tossed her head, not a curl out of place.

  ‘Of course I love Darwin, but I think it would be wonderful to visit Sydney. Phoebe says it’s a marvellous city – full of theatres, shops and dance halls . . .’

  ‘Of course all you can think about is shopping!’ snapped Poppy. Her fear made her want to strike out at something, anyone, but particularly her smug, gorgeous sister.

  ‘Well, you might want to start thinking a little more about how you look, Poppy,’ Bryony retorted. ‘You can’t spend your whole life looking like a ragamuffin hoyden.’

  Cecilia could not help but smile.

  ‘Poppy, Bryony – there’s no need for sniping. Sisters should support each other, especially in troubled times.’

  Poppy rolled her eyes. Bryony smirked back.

  ‘Girls, listen to your mother,’ Mark admonished impatiently. ‘I can’t believe you are baiting each other when we have to make life-changing decisions. We are trying to decide what is best – and safest – for you . . . what’s best for us as a family.’

  ‘What’s best for us as a family is to stay right here,’ maintained Poppy.

  Cecilia put her hand on Poppy’s shoulder and rubbed it soothingly. ‘For the time being, Poppy’s right,’ she agreed. ‘Who’s to say that Sydney is any safer than Darwin? Surely the Japanese would be more interested in a big city than a tiny backwater? What on earth would they want with Darwin?’

  Mark sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘We don’t need to make a decision straightaway,’ he suggested. ‘The Japanese are a long way away. The British say that Singapore is impregnable, and now the Americans have declared war. If things get worse, we can make a decision then. In the meantime, we’ll take as many precautions as we can.’

  Cecilia nodded. ‘They’ve asked us to tape up all the windows with masking tape in case of explosions, and pin up black material at night to block out any light that could show the bombers where to aim.’

  ‘Poppy and I can get to work digging a shelter in the backyard,’ suggested Mark with a quick grin at Poppy. ‘We’ll manage, darling.’

  Poppy jumped up, relieved. Good, Dad’s not going to send us away. Everything will be fine.

  ‘I’m going to feed the animals. Christabel will be starving.’

  7

  Iris

  Over the next few days, things changed rapidly in Darwin. Teams of soldiers laboured to improve Darwin’s defences – bulldozing the trees around Fannie Bay, building gun emplacements on the headlands, digging air-raid trenches and barriers of barbed wire around the harbour. Trucks full of soldiers poured in from the south, while planes full of wharf labourers arrived to help unload the ships of supplies.

  Poppy and Maude wandered into town to pick up the mail from the post office. Outside the old stone building, a pretty girl, about nineteen years old, waved at them. She was dressed fashionably in a floral dress with a nipped-in waist, her hair curled back in a pompadour roll, a slick of red across her lips.

  ‘Hello, Poppy,’ she called. ‘How are you? Have you heard from Phoebe? And how’s that handsome brother of yours?’

  Poppy waved back and dragged Maude over. ‘Hello, Iris,’ replied Poppy. ‘We’re all fine. We’re just visiting the post office to see if there are any letters from Phoebe or Edward. Iris, this is my friend Maude, from Sydney. Maude, this is Iris, she’s one of Phoebe’s friends. Her parents run the post office.’

  ‘Hello, Maude. Welcome to Darwin. How’re you enjoying it?’ asked Iris. ‘It’s certainly a lot more fun now that the army’s taking over.’

  ‘I like it,’ Maude replied, ‘although I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the heat and humidity.’

  Maude pulled at her limp skirt sticking to the back of her sweaty legs.

  ‘Is Peter home for the holidays yet?’ asked Poppy. She turned to Maude to explain. ‘Iris’s fifteen-year-old brother is down in Adelaide at boarding school.’

  Iris wrinkled her nose. ‘No! Mum is devastated. The military has commandeered his flight. They’re not letting any civilians come north at the moment. Mum’s convinced she can get him on another flight, but it looks like poor Peter is stuck in Adelaide for Christmas.’

  ‘I’m so sorry to hear that,’ Poppy sympathised. ‘That’s really rotten luck.’

  Iris glanced at her watch. ‘I have to get back to work. It’s chaos there with everything happening. I was just popping in to tell Mum that I wouldn’t be home for dinner – a handsome young man has asked me out to the cinema. Can’t pass up a chance like that now, can I? Make sure you send my love to Phoebe and Edward next time you write to them – especially Edward. Tell him to hurry home or all the gorgeous girls will be snapped up!’

  Poppy smiled. ‘I will. Do you want me to tell your mum? We’re going in there now.’

  ‘Thanks, Poppy, that would be lovely. See you soon. Bye, Maude.’

  Iris waved and darted across the road, her high heels clicking. A uniformed soldier passing by stopped and wolf-whistled in appreciation at the pretty girl. Iris tossed her head in disdain and kept going. Poppy laughed.

  ‘Bryony says that Iris is having a wonderful time,’ Poppy explained. ‘She’s always being asked to dances and picnics and the cinema. She’s so lovely that she’ll have half the Australian army chasing her.’

 
Maude grinned. ‘I guess there’s not a lot of competition up here. Most of the girls are hardly fashionable, compared to Sydney. It’s hard to look glamorous when it’s hot and raining all the time. I don’t think gumboots count as a fashion statement.’

  Poppy shrugged, pushing open the heavy door into the post office and heading to the wooden counter.

  ‘Hello, Mrs Bald,’ Poppy called. ‘Anything for us?’

  ‘Hello, Poppy,’ said Mrs Bald with a smile. ‘Can you believe how many soldiers there are everywhere? The army are flying them in by the thousands!’

  ‘Sorry to hear about Peter,’ Poppy offered. ‘He’ll hate being stuck down south for the holidays.’

  A look of distress crossed Mrs Bald’s usually cheery face.

  ‘I’ve been so looking forward to seeing him,’ she said. ‘He hasn’t been home for months. But I’m hoping the military will relent and put him on a flight. We miss him terribly. In the meantime, he’s staying with my sister and she’ll look after him.’

  Mrs Bald turned away and searched through the stacks of mail on the shelves behind her. She turned back, smiling brightly once more.

  ‘Here you go, Poppy.’ Mrs Bald handed her a small pile of envelopes. ‘A letter from Phoebe and one from overseas, from Edward. Your mother must be missing them, too.’

  Poppy nodded. ‘Especially Edward – she worries about him. Maybe this letter will tell us where he is?’

  ‘We’re all praying for him, love.’

  A man came into the post office, carrying a large parcel.

  ‘Good morning, Mr Lockwood. Just a moment,’ called Mrs Bald. She turned back to the girls and spoke in a low voice. ‘Nice young man – a journalist from Melbourne. Just married. And here are some letters for Mrs Tibbets as well, Maude.’

  ‘Thanks, Mrs Bald,’ replied Maude, taking the small pile of brown envelopes.

  ‘By the way, we saw Iris outside and she said to tell you that a gorgeous young man has asked her to the cinema tonight, so she won’t be home for dinner,’ said Poppy.

  Mrs Bald laughed. ‘Thanks, Poppy. Well, you’re only young once, and it’s wartime, so I’m glad she’s having fun. It’s a shame that older brother of yours isn’t around – we saw quite a bit of him when he was home on leave. I hope he’s all right.’

  Poppy gathered her mail, waved goodbye and headed outside.

  ‘Give my regards to your mother, Poppy.’

  Cecilia was beside herself with anticipation when Poppy handed her the two envelopes. She dithered over which one to open first, then tore at Edward’s, her hands shaking. Two photos fell out – one showed Edward with two mates, Joe and Frank, all smiling at the camera under the brims of their slouch hats. Another grainier photo showed a group of soldiers, shirts off, lounging in the shade. Cecilia ran her finger over the smiling face of her son.

  Poppy read over her shoulder.

  Dear Mum, Dad, Bryony and Poppy,

  Just a quick note to let you know I’m fine. Hope you’re all well too and that Poppy hasn’t brought home any baby salties or brown snakes. The sail was shorter than we expected. The powers-that-be diverted us from Europe, which I must say I was disappointed about. We’re in Malaya, which reminds me of old Darwin – hot, sticky and wet. So we’re all kitted out for desert country and here we are in jungle. Typical army disorganisation!

  It seems old Churchill has caved in and let some of the Aussies stay a bit closer to home, which is good news. Don’t worry about the Japs. We’ll see them off quick smart. The jungle up here is impenetrable – and the mud! I must say I’m looking forward to seeing a bit of action after all these months of training. We’ve been doing lots of route marches – my muscles are aching after not doing much aboard ship. We get time for fun, too – rugby, soccer, cricket, and some leave in town to watch a movie.

  I tried out my Malay on one of the locals but found they mostly speak really good English. Our new camp is near the beach, which gives some relief from the heat.

  I’m with a great bunch of blokes, although I still feel a bit of a rookie. Here are a couple of snaps of me with some of the lads. Joe Callahan is a good mate and we have lots of jokes. He’s a great rugby player – I think he could’ve played for Australia if it wasn’t for the war. My other mate is Frank Bernard – a typical country boy from WA with a heart of gold. We all look out for each other.

  I’ll write you once a week so you know I’m okay. Please send my love to Phoebe, too, and everyone I know in good old Darwin. Look forward to hearing all the news from home.

  Cheerio for now, and much love to you all.

  Your son,

  Edward

  ‘Thank God, he’s all right,’ sighed Cecilia, clutching the letter to her chest. She tore open the envelope from Phoebe.

  Dear Mum and Dad,

  It’s late so I’ll just scribble off a few words to let you know how it’s all going. I love the nursing but working and studying hard. There are some lovely girls training with me, from all over Australia, so we have a good laugh together. Some of them are quite young, not much older than Poppy.

  It’s up at 5.30 and often not to bed until midnight. We work sixty-three hours per week, then study at night for our exams. We’re allowed two nights out a week to go to the cinema. I went with a group of girls last night to see Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, but am ashamed to say I fell asleep within the first few minutes. I’m just so tired. The girls gave me a real ribbing.

  Discipline is strict. The Matron is an absolute dragon. Heaven help the girl whose veil is crooked or who misses the ten o’clock curfew. We all have to wear stiff, starched uniforms with long sleeves and big cuffs that must be kept pristine – or else! We all joke that the Australian Army should send Matron up to Malaya – she’d terrify the Japanese into surrendering in no time at all!

  I miss you all but know I’m doing the right thing. I’m learning so much and am glad to be doing something useful. I guess you both know what a good feeling it is to know that every day you could be helping to save someone’s life. Sorry I won’t be home for Christmas.

  Love and kisses to you both, and to Bryony and Poppy, too. Sweet dreams.

  Phoebe

  Poppy felt a wave of longing and love wash over her for her absent siblings. I hope they’ll be all right. I wonder when I’ll see them again. It could be months. It might even be years. I just wish we could all be together at home.

  8

  In the Mood

  The next day a welcome visitor turned up on the Trehearnes’ verandah, his best town hat in hand. Honey wagged her tail madly, jumping up into a show-off pirouette. Coco stalked across the verandah, nose and tail firmly in the air, to check out the interloper.

  ‘Jack,’ cried Poppy, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Hello, Midget,’ replied Jack with a warm grin. ‘Mum, Dad and I have come up to Darwin to see off my brothers. Danny and Harry have joined up, now that Japan is in the war. So have most of our stockmen. We’re staying at the Hotel Darwin – it’s pretty swish.’

  Jack stood on the verandah, dangling his hat in his hands. He was tanned a deep brown, which enhanced the startling blue of his eyes beneath his fair fringe. He wore a white open-necked shirt and cream moleskins with polished brown riding boots.

  ‘Come and sit down,’ offered Poppy. ‘When do they leave?’

  Poppy and Jack sat side by side in the cane chairs facing out over the view. Jack stooped and picked up a fallen pink frangipani flower and handed it to Poppy with a smile.

  ‘Their ship leaves for Fremantle tomorrow.’

  Honey had rolled over, four paws in the air, exposing her belly for a rub, and Jack obliged.

  ‘What are you going to do at Alexandra Downs?’ asked Poppy. ‘If all the stockmen have joined up, how
will you run the cattle?’

  ‘It’ll be just Mum, Dad, me and some of our Aboriginal stockmen. It’ll be hard work. The only good thing is that Dad says cattle prices will surge with the army needing all that meat.’

  The two sat in silence for a while, Jack rubbing Honey’s tummy.

  ‘How do you feel about Danny and Harry joining up?’ asked Poppy, thinking of her own siblings far away.

  Jack pulled a face and shrugged his shoulders, slouching down into his chair.

  ‘Oh, it’ll be good to be rid of them for a while,’ Jack claimed with false bravado. He paused a moment. ‘Actually, I feel pretty rotten. It’ll be lonely without them on the property. To tell you the truth, I’m jealous. They’re sailing off tomorrow to new places and adventures, and I’ll be stuck at home doing all their chores, as well as mine.’

  Poppy giggled, her nose wrinkling up. ‘But not today,’ she suggested. ‘What are you doing? Do you want to come fishing with us? I promised to take my friend Maude barra fishing today. She’s never seen a croc, so hopefully there’ll be a few big reptiles lazing around.’

  Jack sat up straighter. ‘Sounds good. Do you have enough gear? By the way, before I forget, Mum told me to ask all of you to come and dine with us tonight at the Hotel Darwin. She wants to give Danny and Harry a proper send-off. Mum’s pretty cut up about the boys going so she needs some cheering up.’

  Poppy nodded. ‘My mum, too, about Edward. I’m sure we’d love to come. I’ll check with my parents and let you know.

  ‘Why don’t we bike over and pick you up in an hour?’ Poppy continued. ‘You’d better get changed, though – we don’t want to get your good town duds all muddy.’

  Jack smiled. ‘You’d better get there sooner than that if we want to catch the top of the incoming tide. How about asking Daisy if she’ll pack us some of her special lemon cake, too?’

  Poppy rode to the Hotel Darwin with three fishing rods over her shoulder and a bucket over the handlebars, while Maude carried a thermos of tea, some picnic supplies and pack of lemon cake in a canvas knapsack on her back. Honey ran along behind, her short legs struggling to keep up.