by Téa Cooper
“Do? Nothing.” Bonnie’s muffled yawn drifted through the balmy afternoon air. It had more than a hint of summer warmth than spring but none of the searing temperatures Christmas brought. “As far as I’m concerned life can stand still. This is my idea of paradise.” She tipped the hat back from her face and starred up into Lily’s eyes. “Oh. You’re serious.”
“Yes. I am. I want to get the horses to Sydney and I want to race Nero at Windsor.” She kicked the toe of her dusty leather boot against the base of the tree, her impatience at the enforced inactivity finally spilling over.
“There’s not a lot we can do right now. We just have to wait until the seven days are up and George returns.” Bonnie swung her legs over the side of the hammock and Lily realized with a start of surprise there was something different about her friend and companion. She tilted her head to one side and stared at Bonnie. Her skin had taken on a glow and the sparkle in her eye would have put the crystals on the chandelier in the dining room at Wordsworth to shame.
“You like it here, don’t you?”
“I love it.” Bonnie replied casually swinging the hammock with her feet like a child on a swing.
“Love it or the company?” Lily asked.
“Both.” Bonnie declared emphatically. “Will is… well, Will is…”
“Special?”
“Yes, special.”
“Oh, Bonnie.” Lily reached out for her hand and clasped it. “I am so sorry that I got you involved in all of this. If it hadn’t been for my defiant determination you would be–“
“Safely back at Wordsworth, bored to death playing nanny to a woman who no longer needed me, clearing up after a drunken sot and living my mother’s life.” She stood up and hugged Lily
“I wouldn’t have it any other way and no matter what happens, nothing will induce me to regret the last few days. For the first time since you returned to Wordsworth you look happy… alive in a way you haven’t been since Dom died, and I want nothing more than your happiness.” She patted her back and Lily relished the affection in her touch.
She stared at her, truly appreciating for the first time the honesty and support that she had taken for granted for so long. Their relationship had changed she realized with a shock. As she had got older, the ten years between them seemed to shrink and now they seemed more like sisters.
“And you should take a good look at yourself.” Bonnie touched her face as she spoke. “This life suits you too. Think long and hard before you leap down any more ravines.”
Lily titled her head back and combed her fingers through her hair holding it up from her warm neck. “I’m certain Father won’t be able to raise the ransom money, Bonnie.” She paused to let her bland statement sink in and Bonnie nodded slowly in agreement. She knew the state of the Wordsworth’s affairs as well as anyone.
“Then what do you think will happen? George will come back, you know.”
“Yes, I’m certain he will, but it will be without the money and with some sort of ridiculous deal my father and his brandy bottle will have dreamed up.” She screwed up her eyes and looked carefully at Bonnie weighing up the wisdom of sharing her plans. “I’ve been thinking and I believe I can make Tom a better offer, one that might create winners out of us all.” Looking over her shoulder she waved at Old Pete as he carried an arm full of logs into the slab hut then grabbed Bonnie by the hand and led her down toward the creek bank. “Come down here. I want to tell you my plan.”
Lily and Bonnie sank down into the soft sand, pulled off their boots and rolled up their breeches. Lily gasped as she dangled her feet into the cold crystal clear pool created by the rounded boulders that edged the creek bank.
“It’s cold, but nice.” She leaned back on her arms and tilted her face up to the sun.
“You’ll get freckles.” Bonnie threatened.
“Too late. I’ve got freckles.” She turned her face to Bonnie. “Here, across my nose.”
“Very unladylike, you’ll be drummed out of your Aunt’s Sydney drawing room.”
“I hope not because she forms part of my plan.”
“Right. I’m ready.” Bonnie wriggled her bottom deeper into the sand.
“We’ve got two more days and then George should be at The Settler’s Arms. I expect Tom will go and meet him and leave us here with Pete and Will. What do you think?”
“That’s sounds sensible.”
“Right. Then he’ll come back here. If he has the money, all well and good, we will be handed over to George. Tom intends to keep the horses. But there’s no chance my father will accept that. I think he will make an offer or deal to Tom but it won’t be worth the paper it is written on. Tom’s no fool but he is too much of a gentleman.”
“That’s true.”
Lily pulled her feet from the water and crouched closer to Bonnie, keeping her voice low. “I am going to make him a counter offer.” She paused and looked closely at her friend trying to read her face, and see her reaction to the plan. She’d spent hours over the last few days mulling it over and over in her mind and now she needed another opinion. “I am going to tell him if he helps us take the horses to Sydney and deliver them to the docks I will pay the ransom and provide him with unbranded horses from Wordsworth on our return.” Her stomach churned as she waited for Bonnie’s reaction.
“It won’t work. How can you? You haven’t got the money and you can’t touch your inheritance until you’re twenty-one.”
Lily tutted quietly. “When’s my birthday?”
“Not until Christmas. Christmas Eve.”
“Well that’s only about six weeks away.” Lily sat back, feeling triumphant.
“Yes but…A look of confusion crossed Bonnie’s face.
“Yes, but nothing. When we get to Sydney we’ll go and see my aunt and uncle. They have all the paperwork for the shipment. Uncle Richard has no time for my father; he has always held him responsible for his sister’s death. He’ll help. I know he will.” Lily stared at Bonnie. She had to see the sense of her plan but her pursed lip and wrinkled brow didn’t bode well.
“But why would Tom agree? He’d run the risk of being arrested if he shows his face in Sydney.”
“There are plenty of places he can hole up. No one needs to know where he is, at least not until I have spoken to my aunt and uncle. Don’t forget they stand to make money out of the shipment too and it will do Wordsworth’s reputation no good if the truth gets out.”
“Oh, Lily. It’s a long shot. I don’t like your chances.”
“Well, what’s the alternative? If my father doesn’t pay the ransom we are as good as history anyway. Tom’s hardly likely to just let us go and take off into the bush with the horses. Apart from anything else, the brands would give him away every time anyone saw them.”
Lily jumped to her feet and stood in a shallow puddle of water with her hands on her hips while she delivered her final coup. “And Nero can race at Windsor on the way and I can give Tom the winnings as a down payment.” She waited for a reaction, her knee jiggled in the water and made small dark splashes on the legs of her breeches.
Finally Bonnie stood up and smiled at her. “It’s a plan and it’s better than any other we have, so let’s wait and see what George and the next couple of days bring.” She nodded as if agreeing with her own comment and bent down and picked up her boots. “I’m going to see what’s going on back at the house.”
“You won’t say anything to Will?”
“Of course not.” Bonnie threw the words over her shoulder as she waved and walked away from the creek.
Lily shuffled her feet in the sand and bent down, examining the round smooth stones. Selecting one, she stood up and skimmed it neatly across the calm water, counting the jumps before it fell with a plop below the surface. Articulating her plan made it seem more of a reality. Her stomach gave a skip of excitement as she pulled down the legs of her breeches and dragged her boots back on. The shade of the trees along the brook looked inviting and she wandered off think
ing through the details. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes this time.
As she rounded a curve on the creek bank, she came to a halt. Tom lay on his back on a bed of eucalyptus leaves, his chest rising and falling as though he hadn’t a care in the world. His lashes rested like dark fans on his tanned cheekbones. She stepped closer and gazed down at him and her heart contracted. What she wouldn’t give to be in a different time and a different place, far away from the commitments and confusion plaguing her.
****
“Your horses are loose on the other side of the brook.” Tom couldn’t resist a grin as Lily jumped at the sound of his voice and he sat up, marveling at the glorious picture she made. The smooth trunk of the river gum picked out the copper highlights in her hair and the patterned shadows cast by the overhanging branches accentuated the slim but powerful outline of her perfect body.
Her recovery from the shock of his voice was quick. “They won’t go anywhere without me. Watch.”
His gaze stayed on her as she walked to the edge of the creek, her hair dancing in the breeze as she raised a hand to shield her eyes. His breath caught in his throat. It was as if the rays of the sun had been trapped between her burnished curls. She licked her soft lips and placed two fingers between them and blew. Her whistle echoed across the valley and the stallion’s ears cocked and he turned to look directly at her before trotting amicably across the shallow creek followed by every other horse carrying the ED brand.
“Witch!” he muttered into the air and closed his eyes again.
Chapter 5
“Lily, I don’t care what you think. This is what is going to happen.” Troubled by a feeling of impending doom, Tom’s tone left no room for misinterpretation. “Will and Bonnie will stay here with Pete and the horses. Jem and I will escort you to St Albans.”
The situation was ridiculous. This time she would have to do as she was told; besides he needed her there in exchange for the ransom money. He didn’t want the other horses or his men anywhere near Dungarven. There was always the possibility that they might have the constabulary in tow, but he doubted it. Men of Dungarven’s ilk wouldn’t want the magistrate or the constabulary involved; they’d rather fight their own battles and not run the risk of having their property confiscated for unpaid bills and outstanding debts. And if Lily was right, there were plenty of those.
“But Tom I–”
“No, Lily. That is what is happening. Now saddle up we’re leaving. I want to be there before dark.”
“I’m taking Nero.”
Tom licked the beaded sweat from his upper lip. Oppressed by the afternoon heat and the tension, he just wanted the whole thing over and done with as soon as possible. If everything went according to plan, they’d hand over the money and Lily would be out of his life. As much as he would love to keep the stallion, Nero was far too recognizable and he’d never be able to ride him. His stomach sank, he’d never be able to look at the stallion without seeing Lily, her hair flying behind her, a purple vine tangled in it, as she galloped through the bush. He shook his head and exhaled noisily trying to still the churning in his stomach.
“Yes, take Nero, that’s fine.”
“What about Bonnie?”
“For God’s sake!” He’d be well shot of her if she continued to carry on this way. “I told you, Bonnie stays here with Will and Pete. When your father hands over the money he gets you back and Bonnie will be brought to The Settler’s Arms. That way we’ve still got a bit of muscle if anything goes wrong.” He swung up onto his horse noticing immediately the comparison between Pete’s old nag and the gray remount that he’d become accustomed to.
“Are you ready?” He drummed his feet in the stirrups as Bonnie handed Lily her heavy black cape and gave her the kind of hug he would have preferred to deliver.
“Let’s go.”
****
The moon was rising by the time the lights of The Settler’s Arms appeared through the trees. They had managed to cover the entire distance on the tracks running parallel to Mogo Creek and they’d seen no one.
Reining the horses in under the cover of the white cedars backing the inn, Tom looked around his mind filled with thoughts of hold-ups and shootouts. “Jem. Stay here with Lily until you hear my whistle. I’m going to check everything is clear and have a word with Molly.” He wheeled his horse around.
“But I–”
He turned back, looking over his shoulder and tossed a deliberate look of reproach at her. “For once, Lily, do what you’re told and stop interfering. Jem will keep you company.” There was no time for her constant questions and arguments. Entanglements made a man vulnerable. It was a luxury he couldn’t afford. He needed his wits about him and his concentration razor sharp.
Leaving the stand of massive white cedars which marked the boundary of the cleared land, he flexed his muscles hoping to relieve the tension that lay curled like a snake in his stomach. He strode purposefully toward the bright light of the inn. Through the canopy of leaves the stars of the Southern Cross pinpointed his progress and he heard the hoot of a mopoke owl. Distant hooves beat a galloping tattoo on the hard packed dirt of the road in front of the inn and then the drumming slowed as yet another visitor pulled up.
He tethered his horse at the back door and dismounted. Ducking his head beneath the lintel he made his way through the narrow passage into the poorly lit taproom and up to the timber bar.
Molly McDonald looked up, and then put down her drying cloth. She leaned suggestively across the bar raising her eyebrows and grinning. “Hello stranger.”
Tom smiled at the buxom woman. “It’s good to see you, Molly.”
“What can I get you?”
“A brandy if you have one.” He leaned against the bar. “I’ll be using my room tonight if that’s alright.”
“It’s your room, you pay the rent. I just keep it locked, just as you asked.”
His heart rate kicked up a notch as he looked around. “It’s pretty busy tonight. Anyone I should be worried about?” He scoured the room in the half-light searching for Dungarven, George or anyone who looked remotely connected to him.
“No. The usual crowd and a coach is in though I can’t understand why they’d bother to come this way. The steamer’s much quicker now you can get through to Morpeth.”
Tom drummed his fingers on the bar as he continued to search the crowd. Molly was worth her weight in gold and as an ex-convict she hated the authorities with a passion that rivaled his own. Like most of the locals she was more than willing to help out whenever she could, anything that rectified the biased justice system. He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a low whisper. “I’ll have a visitor tonight, staying with me.”
“There’s room in the stables, I’m down to one yard boy. You’d probably like some peace and quiet.”
Tom lent across the bar and spoke softly. “No Molly. A visitor. A guest.” He emphasized the final word and Molly’s eyes widened.
“Oh.” She drew out the comment until it was almost a whistle. “A lady friend.”
Tom nodded as Molly placed her finger against her bulbous nose and tapped it. “Fine by me. Been telling you for a long time that’s what you needed.” She pulled the bottle of brandy back down from the shelf and handed it to Tom. “You’ll be wanting that too then.” He dropped the half-full bottle into his coat pocket as she winked, and the wrinkles in her skin contracted like worn leather. “Have you eaten? I can send something up to the room.”
“That’d be good Molly. Whatever you have. I’ll be back in a few minutes and pick it up. Is it alright if we use the back stairs?”
“You know the way. Help yourself.”
Tom left the way he had come, constantly scanning the crowd until he ducked back through the door into the night. Jem answered his long, low whistled immediately and within a matter of moments he and Lily appeared through the darkness.
“Lily, come with me.” He reached up to help her dismount but she was too fast for him. Exaspera
ted, he grabbed her hand and pulled her firmly to his side. “Jem, I’ll leave the horses with you. There’s room in the stable if you want a bed.”
“Nah, I’m fine. I’ll take the horses with me. We’ll be in earshot.” He jerked his head in the direction of the stand of cedar trees. “Just whistle if you need me.”
With his palm resting against the small of Lily’s rigid back he guided her through the door and up the irregular wooden stairs.
“Tom I–”
“Ssh! Wait until we get to my room.” He leaned closer trying to ignore the familiar waft of the warm perfume from her body.
“Your –”
“Ssh!” His hand fumbled deep in the pocket of his breeches for the worn key and he pulled it out and inserted it into the lock. The door groaned as he pushed his shoulder against it and then he stood back allowing Lily to enter the room. With his palm still in the small of her back, he nudged her in the direction of the bed and placed the bottle of brandy on a small table. She moved to the bed, turned and sat facing him. His gaze raked her lovely body outlined in the shadowy moonlight and he forced down the mixture of admiration and sympathy threatening to distract him. He didn’t want to feel anything for Lilibeth Dungarven. She was, at this moment as she had so rightly put it, a cash cow. He turned on his heel with almost military precision and left.
****
The door shut behind him with a groan and Lily heard the key rattle in the lock.
“No!” She struggled to her feet but the uneven mattress hampered her movements. By the time she reached the door it was firmly locked. She pounded her hands against the timber in frustrated fury until her palms were red and stinging. Finally she gave up and kicked the unyielding door in blind rage.
She crossed the room to the single sash-cord window. Breathing heavily against the dirty glass she rubbed the pane with her hand and tried to clear the accumulated dirt and dust but her efforts were futile. With trembling lips, she bit back her tears and peered out into the shadows, craning from left to right in an attempt to get her bearings. Crashing her foot against the sandstone wall, she turned and raked her fingers through her hair blinking as she became accustomed to the half-light and the details of the room slowly came into focus.
