by Jax Lusty
He stepped to the top of the porch steps as if barricading the building’s entrance. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing at all, Elder. It is Pastor Mackay I’m here to see.”
“Unfortunately your visit is a waste of time. Pastor Mackay is away in Coromandel, so you will have to be satisfied with me.”
Nobody would be satisfied with Elder Kant. He was an odious creature, and I felt sorry for the women in his care at the community. The only thing that favoured him over many of the other men in the Kotuku Valley was that as far as I was aware, he wasn’t a drunk.
I considered coming back once Pastor Mackay had returned from Coromandel, but our issue with Katie carried a degree of urgency.
“I’m here to register my intention to marry.”
The man looked surprised, as well he might. I could see him working through in his head the names of the few single women in the town, and I know he would have made a short list.
“Marry? And who might you be marrying, Mr. Tucker?”
“Miss Katie Masefield.” He didn’t require any more information than her name.
Elder Kant certainly looked puzzled now because the name was very likely familiar to him. Then a knowing grin opened his face. “She’s the woman who came out to be Sid Watson’s wife, isn’t she?”
I nodded. “That she is, Elder,” I said, “and given that the death of Sid Watson means any rights to Miss Masefield were forfeited, she is now under the protection of Ari Raukura and me.” I bluffed, As far as I was aware there was no law of forfeiture, but I was certain Katie was not bonded to Pastor Mackay’s community, or to the Watson family.
“I think Pastor Mackay might have something to say about that. Miss Masefield should be under the protection of the Mission if her previous arrangements haven’t worked out. That is the guarantee we give to the institutions in England from where we...shall we say, source, the girls.”
“She does not have any need for the Mission’s protection, Elder.” The idea of Elder Kant getting his hands on Katie turned my stomach. There was no way Ari or I would allow that man to touch her. “Katie is with us now, and she has agreed to marry me. All I need is for my intention to marry to be registered, and I’ll be on my way.”
“I’m not prepared to do that, Mr. Tucker. Pastor Mackay would have to make the registration for you under these unusual circumstances.”
The man was as infuriating as he was ugly. “Come now, I see nothing unusual about the circumstances. Surely it’s just some paperwork. Unless of course you’re incapable of doing that,” I added.
Elder Kant bristled and pulled himself an inch taller. “As you know, Mr. Watson’s cousin had permission for access to Miss Masefield. I think his claim for the young woman would be valid. Perhaps we should meet with him and get his authorisation.”
“I will not have Miss Masefield’s future placed in the hands of an abusive fool like Herbert Watson; we both know how he treats women. He’s banned from every house of pleasure from Waikato to Cape Reinga. Tell me when Pastor Mackay is expected to return, and I’ll be on my way.”
Kant seemed reluctant to give me further information, but I took a threatening step towards him and the small man relented.
“Pastor Mackay is due back on Friday.”
“Thank you, Elder, you’ve been most helpful.”
I set off for the hitching rail where my horse was tied.
“Mr. Tucker.”
I paused in my step, not giving the man the courtesy of facing him when he spoke. “What is it?”
“I’ll have the Consummation Room prepared. No matter what the outcome, it would appear there will be a wedding for Miss Masefield... though whether she becomes a Tucker, or a Watson remains to be seen. No matter. Either way, there’ll be a consummation.”
I knew he was trying to bait me, and I kept my voice calm and cold. “We will not require the Consummation Room because there will be no need to witness our joining.”
“But that is the process for one of our women.”
“She is not one of your women, Elder Kant.” I bit back the anger that rose in me. Losing control would do nothing to advance a favourable outcome to the situation.
“We’ll see what the Pastor says, shall we?”
I mounted my horse. “One last thing, Elder; Miss Masefield will become a Tucker.”
As I set off for my office at a brisk trot, a distinct feeling of unease came over me. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to talk with Ari at the noonday meal.
The Consummation Room was another little invention created by Pastor Mackay. Sometimes I wondered how he got away with his increasingly bizarre rules and regulations. This particular one came about as the result of a difficulty a couple of years ago with one of the women Pastor Mackay had brokered for marriage. The story in town was that she had refused to partake in any conjugal activities, instead barricading herself in the outhouse of her husband’s home. The hapless husband, having already paid a hefty fee to the Pastor for the privilege of procuring a wife, demanded his money be returned. The Pastor refused until the threat of violence became a reality. From that day on, the Pastor claimed to have found a rarely practiced wedding ritual where the consummation is witnessed, not just by the Pastor, but whomever he elects.
Pity the poor couple suffering any sort of anxiety that might affect arousal and performance. Sometimes the number of witnesses could be in the vicinity of ten or more, seeing as relatives at times demanded their right to witness.
No.
When it came time to take Katie’s virginity, it would be a matter for Ari and me. There would be no need for witnesses.
CHAPTER 3
KATIE
When Griff arrived for luncheon with the news that he had been unable to register his intent to marry, I was disappointed. Having already resolved to marry Sid Watson, I wrestled with the idea of making the decision to marry Griff and, in effect, Ari. If that decision were taken out of my hands, I would be so much happier. Although the men were handsome and of means, it still went beyond my principles to agree to marry one man and have relations with another.
I wondered if Griff’s inability to notify the parish of our intended marriage was a sign from above which I should heed, and I voiced my concern to the two men. They laughed so hard I finished by joining them.
“There’ll be no plague or pestilence if you decide to marry me, Katie. I can assure you, this way of life in Kotuku has gone on for so many years, God’s wrath would have destroyed the town by now if He were unhappy.”
I was yet to be convinced. If it wasn’t a sign from above to avoid this marriage, perhaps it was a signal that I should return to England, after all. I didn’t have the money for the passage, but Griff had mentioned that they would pay for my ticket if I was determined to leave. They most certainly weren’t obliged to, and I was not their responsibility, so surely this was a measure of their true decency of character.
In the afternoon, I helped Maraea in the garden. She was a mixed-race Māori-Pākehā woman of about thirty years of age, although she wasn’t exactly sure. Her mother was European, her father, a Māori. He had been killed in a skirmish in the Waikato region, and her mother had died from scrofula two years later. Maraea spoke differently, a softer accent, to Griff, and I loved how she called me Keiti. Maraea had been forced to marry at an age she guessed to be fifteen, and the man had been a brute. After telling me this, she went quiet for a while and pulled weeds with vigour. When she spoke again, it was of the plans she had for the summer vegetable garden.
I also learned that Ari was some sort of cousin, although his circumstances were the opposite in that his mother had been Māori and his father a European gentleman. When it was learned that his mother was carrying a European’s child, she had been banished by her family and later succumbed to influenza. Ari was only two years old. He had been taken in by an uncle, enduring a tough upbringing as an outcast, and in the finish, he’d run off at age thirteen.
When I ask
ed how Griff and Ari had met up, Maraea shook her head and mentioned something about the Mission. After that, she seemed reluctant to talk about the men.
Griff and Ari had taken her in to help with chores around the house and on the farm. She and Ari had fixed up an old raupo whare for her to live in. “They wanted to build me a proper cottage, out of wood, but my raupo whare reminds me of my childhood before everything turned bad. I’m very happy with it and need nothing more.”
She went on to explain how she cared for the men and made a bit of money selling her excess vegetables, and eggs from the hens and ducks she kept, in town. She also insisted that I wouldn’t find better men in the entire district to take care of me.
Back at the house Maraea, gave me a lesson on how to work the Shacklock range.
“Griff likes his comforts, and this range he’s installed has a high-pressure boiler. Mind, you have to keep the fire stoked to heat the water, but when you do, it’s just as plentiful as the hot spring out the back.”
“What’s a hot spring?”
“That’s where your bath water comes from. There’s a special place where the water bubbles from the ground, already heated. There is a well sunk to capture the hot water just behind the back washroom. Have you taken a special bath yet?”
“I’ve had a bath in the tin tub.” It was glorious, too, after all that time on the boat.
“The men have another special bathing place, too. It’s outdoors, surrounded by bush and very private. I’m sure they’ll take you there.”
My face heated at the idea of the men having any involvement with my bathing. “I think the tin bath suits me fine.”
Maraea grinned. “You’ll lose that shyness soon, Keiti,” she said and went back to explaining the oven damper operation and how to add fuel to the range.
It wasn’t until we had the evening meal prepared that Maraea voiced her concerns.
“The men won’t need me once you are married.”
“Surely they will keep you on. I don’t know any of this work you do.”
“I’ve always believed this to be a temporary situation. Griff and Ari can’t be expected to give me shelter when they have a woman of their own.”
“So long as I stay here, Maraea, there will always be a place here for you. You will not be turned out because of my arrival, nor would I think the men capable of such cruelty.”
The suggestion that she would be turned out surprised me after she’d seemed so eager to ensure I thought well of Griff and Ari. But the look she gave me reminded me that she had learned of man’s cruelty, and I suspected she struggled to trust even those with the best intentions. She returned to her cottage quite soon after our conversation, refusing to stay for dinner even though I explained how much I would welcome her company.
Once we’d eaten we were again settled in the sitting room—the men with their whiskey and I with a cup of tea—when we were startled by a commotion in the front yard, followed by a harsh knock at the door.
A man shouted, his speech marred by a slur. “I’ve come for my woman, Tucker. Bring her out here.”
“Herbert Watson?” Ari suggested with a sigh.
“Sure to be,” Griff replied. “Stay with Katie, and I’ll see him off.”
Before Griff reached it, the front door burst open, and a great bear of a man lurched in, knocking a small pot from the bench.
“Drunk again, Watson?” Griff asked mildly.
The man brushed Griff aside, his eyes only on me. His leer revealed a missing tooth, his breath, even from such a distance, foul with alcohol and tobacco. “There she is, as fine as my cousin suggested. Come on, woman, the Pastor waits for us.”
Griff stayed calm and stepped in front of Mr Watson. “She’s going nowhere, Watson. Miss Masefield is under our protection, so I suggest you leave.”
Watson took another step towards me. “I’ve registered my intent to marry—”
Ari shot to his feet. “Impossible. Who took your registration?”
“Pastor Mackay, of course.”
Griff extended a hand to the man. “Well, in that case, fair is fair, and congratulations. She’s certainly a fine lass, and I hope you’ll be happy together.”
My stomach sank. Was this how it was in this town? First to gain registration wins the woman? I had been certain Griff and Ari would fight for me, but instead they showed their bellies like a pair of cowardly curs, happy to hand me over to the first rogue to enter the house.
“Please, Griff...Ari?”
Cool dark eyes pinned me in place, and I snapped my mouth shut. I immediately had the feeling that whatever happened over the coming moments, I should follow the men’s lead.
“He’s got you fair and square, sweetheart. We can’t argue with the registration...it’s the law. However, I think our Mr Watson is being a little hasty.”
“Hasty?” Watson said with care as if trying to discover where his misstep had occurred.
“You’ve registered your intent without the doctor checking Miss Masefield’s virtue—”
His eyes narrowed, deepening his frown. “It was guaranteed by Pastor Mackay. All the girls he brings out are guaranteed to be virgins. It’s part of the contract.”
“That may well have been the situation when the young woman arrived in Kotuku, but I can assure you, Watson, her virtue is no longer intact. And it was a great pleasure taking her virginity. Wasn’t it, Ari?”
“A juicier cherry we could not have picked,” Ari replied with an ever-present smile as if they were discussing nothing more mundane than a crop of kumara.
I could not account for the way this evening had turned. While the discussion continued my disbelief grew. It was perplexing that the two men I thought would protect me had proceeded to ruin me with their lies.
Watson’s gaze swept the length of me, coming to rest on my bodice.
“So, the Pastor’s delivered me a grubby little whore. Never mind, at least there’ll be no simpering on our wedding night...which is still taking place.” He smacked his lips together, making a rude sound. “My right as your husband-to-be, my little slut, is to ensure you’re suitably punished and humiliated before the ceremony—as a lesson, you understand.”
“What is this—?”
“At Sunday’s service,” Watson continued, “you will be stripped bare and whipped before the congregation. Following that, in the Consummation Room, you will be taken by the Pastor and church Elders...for purification.” His speech, earlier slurred by drink, had somehow improved with his excitement, so that I was painfully aware of every word he spoke.
“No, please. You must tell him the truth,” I implored the men.
Ari dipped his head towards Watson, giving him a respectful smile. “If you’ll allow me one moment with Miss Masefield,” he said. “I’ll make sure she understands her situation correctly.”
He took me to the corner of the room. “Trust me when I say the truth will only harm you, Katie,” he whispered. “You must keep quiet.”
“And...and what about me? What of my feelings in this? My reputation?”
Griff had joined us, and the way the two men had placed themselves had me effectively trapped in the corner. And protected.
Griff canted his head, looking curious, like one of the farm dogs. A smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “Well, that’s hard to say until you tell us just what your feelings are in this matter.”
My situation had rapidly come to a head so that I was being forced to make my intentions known. I had been indecisive until now, but this turn of events certainly created a sense of urgency.
“You have to tell us if you want our protection, and by that I mean, if you want to marry me. This is an unusual situation, but I believe at the moment Watson certainly has a right to take you as his wife. Money passed between his cousin and the Pastor for your passage to New Zealand and your marriage. If you had married before Sid Watson passed, your protection would automatically have passed to Herbert.”
My stomach churned as
the full implication of my situation dawned upon me. “But you have made things worse, saying that my virtue is no longer...” I blushed furiously, unable to complete my accusation not only because of the subject, but because each time I was in the proximity of these two men my virtue was the last thing on my mind.
I did not find Mr Watson remotely appealing. If his cousin, Sid—the man I was supposed to marry—had resembled him in any way, I would have suffered a life of misery with a man married to both his bottle and his spouse. What was worse was the description of public humiliation and to be taken by a group of men I had never met, with the congregation as witness.
I began to feel faint.
“Katie?”
I took a full breath and met Griff’s gaze.
“You must tell us of your intention.”
“I want to stay here with you and Ari.”
“And marry—”
Watson staggered closer. “Enough of your whispering and plotting. Hand over my woman.”
I shrank from his reach all the while searching for the courage to speak. Perhaps some well-chosen words would diffuse the tension in the room.
“Please, Mr Watson, could I see your proof of this registration of your intent to marry me?”
“Proof! You, a whore, question the word of the man who is about to make an honest woman of you? I should put you over my knee; give you a taste of my whip. That will be proof for you.”
My face reddened as I thought about what had happened when I was over Griff’s knee, but I was confident Mr Watson was incapable of bringing me to a similar place of pleasure after pain.
“I don’t know you, Mr Watson—”
“You didn’t know these men, either, yet you were willing to open your legs for them and hand over your virtue like a common slut. What’s more, you were going to marry my cousin...another man you didn’t know. Now that he is dead, God rest his soul, you are my property. That is also the law.” He reached for me again, but just as he took hold of my arm, Ari grabbed him.
“Don’t touch the lady, Watson, or you’ll be dealing with two of us.” His voice was low and terrifying.
