Mary's Guardian

by Carol Preston

  ‘Chased off a drunken convict or two, you mean,’ Mary grinned. ‘They’ve come to see me as ferocious, I think.’

  ‘Well, it’s not a bad thing to be able to scare some of them.’ Ellen shuddered. ‘I know I came with a reputation for, you know, being loose. But it’s not my nature. It’s not how I want to live.’

  ‘That’s plain to see, Ellen. Even if some of the locals don’t want to see it. Joe certainly does.’

  ‘And that’s all that matters, isn’t it?’ She patted Mary’s hand gratefully. ‘So, now, let’s hope the Governor gives his permission to Joe today when he and William get to the cove.’

  ‘Yes, and in the mean time we’d best get these rags of ours mended…for the hundredth time. We’ve been told there’s no more clothes in the stores, despite the second fleet having brought a bit in. If I put another patch on this skirt there’ll be nothin’ left of the original, I reckon.’

  ‘At least we both still have shoes on our feet. There’s many without them at all. And besides, the skirt’s all the prettier for the different colours, don’t you think?’

  Mary laughed lightly. ‘You are good for me, Ellen. Always seeing the brighter side of things. A lot like Will in that.’

  ‘It pays, I’ve found. To find the brighter side. I’d not have made it this far if I couldn’t look at life that way. And it’s not always been easy to do so.’

  Ellen’s smile faded and Mary could see the deep sadness in her eyes. She was still very pale of skin and her fair hair was quite lank. She needed more sunshine and a few more vegetables in her, Mary mused. Her face would be seen by most as plain but when she smiled the readiness in her heart to love shone through, and Mary could see it would make her quite lovely when that was satisfied.

  ***

  When Joe and William arrived back at Rose Hill they had both good and bad news.

  ‘The Governor was pleased to give permission for the wedding, girls,’ William announced the minute they walked into the tent. It was late in the evening and Mary and Ellen were still mending by a low lamp.

  ‘That’s wonderful,’ Ellen rubbed her eyes and stood ready to receive a hug from Joe.

  ‘It is,’ he said shyly. ‘And Reverend Johnson said he’d do the service before Christmas. I think he’s anxious we’ll do it all in the right order.’ He squeezed Ellen close and kissed her forehead.

  ‘You know I want that, Joe,’ she said demurely. ‘I do want this to be right between us.’

  ‘And so it will be, love.’ He grinned broadly and dropped into a chair.

  ‘I’ll get you a cup of tea, eh,’ she said, seeing his weariness. ‘It’s been a long day for you both.’

  ‘Lucky we were able to ride in with the stores’ cart this morning and then found one of the farmers coming back or we’d have been a lot longer.’ Will sighed, also dropping into a chair.

  Mary moved behind her husband and rubbed his shoulders. ‘So all’s good, eh?’ She was pleased with herself, feeling some of Ellen’s optimism rubbing off on her.

  ‘Not all, I’m afraid,’ Joe sighed. He was more inclined to Mary’s nature; easily dispirited.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she said, leaning over the table, quickly tuning in to what seemed would be bad news.

  ‘Even with the extra supplies that have come in on the boats, the food available is still less than the colony needs. There’s lots of talk about it at the cove. Rations are reduced to a third of what we got originally. Down to two pounds of pork, two and a half pounds of flour and two pounds of rice a week. And married couples have to share the ration!’ He sat back as Ellen passed him a steaming mug. ‘Not that it puts me off marrying you, love,’ he said quickly, looking up at her gratefully.

  ‘We can supplement that with what we’re growing here though,’ she said, patting his arm. ‘We’ll be right. I need little food. God knows I’ve learned to survive on scraps.’

  ‘Well, there’s plenty not willing to accept that, I’m afraid,’ he went on, his face downcast. ‘Will and I saw a man get two hundred lashes today at the cove: for stealin’ a few biscuits and potatoes.’

  ‘Ugly business, these floggings,’ William sighed. ‘It’s an awful thing to watch a man, already half dead with hunger, lashed for trying to fill his stomach.’

  ‘Says you who’s always disapproved of stealing food here,’ Mary said, her eyebrows raising as she set hot tea before William.

  ‘I do disapprove. It’s foolishness but it doesn’t stop me feeling sorry for the silly beggars. We all know what it is to be hungry. We all have to guard ourselves that we don’t fall to that temptation.’

  ‘A reward’s been offered, you know,’ Joe added. ‘Sixty pound of flour to anyone who brings to justice a robber of garden produce.’

  ‘Well, out here we don’t have to worry.’ William managed a chuckle. ‘We have Mary to guard our gardens. She’s been known to almost tear the ears from those caught in the vegetable patch.’

  ‘Perhaps I could just catch one at it and bring him to justice,’ she said the last phrase with a touch of sarcasm. ‘Then we’d get the reward, eh?’ They all gave in to a moment of laughing. Despite the differences in their natures they all knew instinctively that it was better for their souls when they could find the lighter side of a situation.

  It was Joe who brought the mood back to their harsh realities. ‘We asked about land grants while we were in town as well,’ he started. ‘Nothing good to look forward to there, either, I’m afraid. It’s the soldiers and seamen who are being offered land. Up to one hundred and thirty acres a piece if they agree to stay in the colony and work it for ten years.’

  ‘Another daft scheme if you ask me,’ Mary frowned. ‘All to induce them not to go back to England when they’ve completed their tour of duty. An’ they’re to get an additional twenty acres if they marry an’ then ten acres for every child. They don’t even have to pay rent for ten years and then only one shillin’ annually for every fifty acres.’ She scowled as she drew breath. ‘It’s all the talk amongst the men around here. As soon as ever they sit down to eat the scrappy bit o’ food we can serve up they’re grumblin’ about what the officers get.’

  ‘Truth is, many of the officers would rather spend any money they have getting drunk,’ William said. ‘Or inducing some poor girl into their tent for a cup of grog. I don’t trust that they’re the best bet for the continuation of the colony.’

  ‘Then why isn’t the Governor listenin’ to you, eh?’ Mary rubbed her husband’s shoulders again, soothing his annoyance. It was unlike him to voice such criticism.

  ‘Because for all our hard work, we’re still convicts,’ Joe interjected glumly. ‘And will be till our sentences are up. And probably because he sees what some convicts do, like the ones who stole the punt from the bay and took off to sea. Stupid fools will likely drown before they get a few miles.’

  ‘They’re desperate,’ William said, ‘and they don’t have the legitimate means of escape that the soldiers and seamen have. Either way, the Governor has his work cut out for him. More want to leave than stay, convict or free man.’

  ‘Couldn’t we just think about our wedding, Joe?’ Ellen smiled sweetly and pushed herself into his lap. ‘Leave all this worry for a bit, eh?’

  Joe put his arms around her waist and gave her a squeeze. ‘You’re right. I’ve much to look forward to these next few weeks and I’ll not give anything else a single thought. I promise.’

  ***

  On the 13th of December the four piled into the rickety cart they had managed to procure for the wedding and headed for Sydney Cove. It was a steaming hot day and they all thought they’d go mad with the swarms of flies that harassed them throughout the two hour trip. By the time they arrived they were dripping with sweat, their clothes soured and crumpled. But still Ellen was not disheartened.

  ‘In a few hours you’ll be a married man, Joseph Wright, and I’ll hold you to a lifetime of loving and laughing, no matter what we face.’ She chuckled loudly and sl
apped him playfully on the back as he secured the horse outside the church tent.

  ‘That’s the spirit, Ellen.’ William smiled as he led the way inside.

  A few faithful observers of weddings, who always made a point of encouraging those entering into what they believed were the relationships that would eventually save the colony from its debauchery, sat beaming in the back rows as Reverend Johnson solemnly spoke the words of commitment and faithfulness that he still hoped would be firmly planted in the hearts and souls of the couples who came before him.

  ‘Will you, Joseph Wright, take Ellen Gott to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you be faithful to her only, forsaking all others until death parts you?’

  ‘I will,’ Joe said loudly, glancing sideways at his bride. She winked at him in response and turned to Reverend Johnson, ready to affirm her own faithfulness.

  Joe’s face conveyed deep pride as he listened to Ellen commit herself to be his wife and then to the Reverend’s final words of warning; that those who made this holy oath in the sight of God should consider it with due respect and responsibility. He grasped Ellen’s hands firmly after they were officially pronounced man and wife and they moved together for a final kiss.

  There was a light round of applause behind them and a few giggles. Mary was first to their side to congratulate them. Some of the women who had been transported with Ellen twittered from half way back in the tent and waited their turn to wish her well.

  ‘Lucky duck,’ said a surprisingly rounded woman who clearly had no compunction about showing what she had that might delight a man. ‘Didn’t take you long to land one, eh?’ She looked Joe up and down and nudged the girl beside her, who was considerably thinner and still very gaunt.

  ‘You’re looking well, Sal.’ Ellen averted her eyes from the woman’s cleavage. ‘Seems you’ve been getting enough to eat at least.’ She raised her eyebrows and her mouth split into a grin, though she wondered what price the woman would be paying for her sustenance.

  ‘Oh, yeah,’ Sally retorted, shrugging her shoulders. ‘But you got a real one, eh? Best o’ British with him, love. I ’ope it works for you.’

  ‘Oh, it will, Sal. I intend to make this work very well.’

  Joe took Ellen’s arm gently and led her out of the tent. Mary and William followed. Once in the sunshine they had to shield their faces from the searing heat while they thanked their well-wishers and waved them off.

  ‘I’m so proud, Ellen,’ Joe said softly as the two couples began to walk down towards the shore.

  ‘We can both be rightly proud, Joe.’ William beamed, taking Mary’s arm and folding it into his own. ‘Two beautiful women on our arms and good prospects ahead for the future, eh?’

  They walked arm in arm for a few minutes, not sure how they might spend the rest of the day. Usually their Sunday afternoons, which were granted as free time for all assigned convicts, were spent on more practical tasks: finishing off mending, repairing their tent, making small pieces of furniture from scraps of wood or saplings close by the settlement. But this afternoon they had no mind to rush back to Rose Hill. They wanted to draw out the gladness in their hearts, to revel in it, let it sure up their hopes for the future.

  They noted the progress of the settlement at Sydney Cove. There were numerous wooden buildings either side of what was now called George Street. Store fronts advertising fresh bread, eggs, milk and cheese. There were a blacksmith, a wood turner, a bank and the government stores building. The beginnings of a stone structure which would become the soldiers’ barracks could be seen not far from the edge of the bay. New roads were under construction but the picks and shovels of the chained gangs who usually worked on them were quiet this afternoon, when even the worst of criminals were meant to be contemplating their sins. The couples compared the settlement at the Cove with that at Rose Hill, which definitely had a more genteel feel with its low lying hills and fields of corn and maize. They considered themselves fortunate to be living there. After they’d eaten the bread and cheese they’d brought with them and strolled the length of the growing township, William’s mind turned back to practical things.

  ‘While you’ve got your head in the clouds, you might take the ladies for a stroll by the water, Joe. Perhaps in the cool of some of those trees.’ William nodded towards the lapping waters of the bay. ‘I’ll just take half an hour before we head back and see if I can secure some extra tools and building supplies to take with us.’ He gave Mary a quick hug. ‘I might even be able to pick up something special for Christmas.’

  ‘That sounds like an old habit.’ Mary laughed. ‘Picking something up.’

  ‘Don’t even joke about it, love. We’re different people now. All of us. I’ll meet you back at the cart. You have a nice walk and take it easy, for you’ve that look about you.’ He moved closer and spoke quietly into her ear. ‘Who knows? Perhaps this time we’ll be blessed with a little one, eh?’

  ***

  ‘That’s highway robbery and you know it.’ William scowled at the seaman who was displaying a range of tools, household implements and clothing by the side of the track from the docks. ‘These goods should have gone into the public store on arrival.’

  ‘And so they did,’ the seaman sneered. ‘But I was fortunate enough to buy them back and now I’m selling ’em on. You want something or not?’

  ‘Men out at Rose Hill need these tools. They’ve little enough in the way of money. A small allowance plus their rations. Have a heart, man. We’re trying to build something for our families.’ William was trying to remain composed though he could feel his anger rising.

  ‘Ah, how touching’, the seaman taunted. ‘A criminal with a heart.’

  ‘A soft touch, you mean?’ Another seaman moved alongside the first, chuckling at the conversation he’d heard as he approached. William could see he’d get no more understanding from the second.

  ‘Look, you two. This is wrong. You bring these stores for the colony. It’s your job to supply what we need, not benefit from it yourselves. Some of your own have decided to stay on here and make a life in this place. You’re robbing them as well, you know.’

  ‘Eh, Stan! We could stay on.’ The second seaman’s voice was more jeering than the first. ‘We could get us a whore and pitch a tent in this paradise.’ Both men threw back their heads and laughed. William stood very still, his heart thumping in his chest, his face dark with indignation.

  ‘You got a whore?’ the first poked at William’s chest playfully, still laughing.

  ‘I have a wife and hopefully a child on the way.’ William’s voice was steely. He was struggling to know what to do next.

  ‘Oh, the man’s got himself a wife. A permanent prostitute, no doubt. Really playing house is this one.’

  ‘Are you going to sell me these tools or not?’ William’s tone was thick with disgust.

  ‘You’ve upset him, you ’ave.’ The first seaman now jostled the other as they continued to laugh, snorting as they doubled over, immensely amused by their interchange. ‘P’raps you should lower the price just a little, as a gesture of good will, eh?’ The taunting continued.

  ‘Maybe he’d throw in a quick roll in the grass with his missus. How about that? For both of us, like?’

  It was all William could take. He reached out across the tools on the ground and grabbed one of the seamen by the shirt. The rattle and banging of household goods and implements rang out as the man’s boots were dragged through them. Before the other seaman could react William had punched the first hard in the jaw and sent him spinning onto the ground. The second man launched himself at William, who moved sideways, avoiding the outstretched arms of his assailant and then kicked him hard in the middle of the back. Both men were picking themselves up when an officer appeared. He immediately called for a second and the two of them frog-marched William from the scene.

  ‘You could let me explain,’ William pleaded, rubbing his fists together.

  ‘You’ll explain all right,’ the officer mumble
d. ‘To the magistrate. As if we don’t have enough scuffles between drunken convicts and natives. You’ll spend the night in chains and see the magistrate in the morning.’

  ‘Look, I’ve got my wife and friends here. They can vouch for me. Give me a chance. Please.’

  ‘I said you can tell the magistrate in the morning.’ The officer hardly slowed his steps.

  The next morning the magistrate was no more willing to hear William’s case than the officers had been. ‘Assaulting a British mariner or two, should earn you thirty lashes. How do I know you weren’t bent on stealing their longboat and heading for China? We’ve had more than enough of you convicts trying that. It won’t be tolerated.’ He thundered over his desk. ‘Be grateful I’m being lenient. You’ll spend the next six weeks in chains. Clearing ground for roads ought to give you plenty of time to consider your behaviour.’

  ‘But, sir,’ William pleaded. ‘I’ve a wife who’s likely pregnant. I need to be out at Rose Hill to support her. We need every hand in the fields out there. And these men were…’

  ‘Shut up or I’ll increase your punishment to thirty lashes and six weeks in chains.’ He cut William off and nodded vigorously to the officers, who roughly dragged him away.

  ***

  It was late in January when William arrived back in Rose Hill, his clothes torn and filthy, the skin on his face and arms deeply tanned and wizened from long hours in the sun without protection. He fell into Mary’s arms, weary to the bone and feeling very ashamed.

  ‘Was it very bad, Will?’ she asked sympathetically as she stroked his back.

  ‘Not so bad, love. The work’s not much harder than here on the land. Being chained up was difficult to take again, though. I shouldn’t have risked it. I’m so sorry.’

  ‘It’s not your fault, Will. Joe found out what happened when he went looking for you. He got some tools for us, paid way too much but at least we’ve been able to keep up the work.’ She kissed him on the forehead. ‘We’ll do it despite these mongrels, we will. Don’t you go being hard on yourself. I know you were only trying to get what we needed.’