by Anne Hampson
'No—I mean—'
'Yes? What do you mean?'
'Let me go!' she flared suddenly. 'Why are you treating me like this? What has Paul to do with it anyway…?' Slowly, incredulously, her voice faded away to silence. But this idea was too ridiculous for words. Jealousy… 'Why—why have you mentioned Paul?'
'Don't treat me to that obtuse look.' No longer was the anger in evidence, nor was his voice upraised. In fact, he was the cool and unruffled Boss of High Creek Downs, languidly staring down at her from his superior height, the man whom she had first met on coming here, to claim her inheritance. 'You know very well that you're attracted to Paul. But watch you don't make a mistake. Marriage is a serious business, and in my family we don't treat it lightly.'
'Marriage? Paul hasn't asked me to marry him.'
Mark did not respond at once; he seemed to swallow something in his throat before he said, quietly but with emphasis:
'Not yet, but he might. If and when he does, make sure you give the right answer. Remember what I've just said: marriage is a serious business in my family, so I advise you to make sure you know your own mind.'
CHAPTER NINE
If Kate's peace of mind was disturbed before, it was doubly so after the experience with Mark. So unexpected it had been, and the Boss of High Creek Downs so unpredictable as, dropping his customary impersonal reserve, he had become human—no, much more than human was that man of passion and mastery she had encountered out there in the lonely bush. He had thrilled while he terrified; she had come at last to the point where her own feelings could no longer be denied, even while at the same time she was being told that Mark had acted as he did simply for his own enjoyment—kissing her one moment, forgetting all about it the next. His final advice—or was it warning?—had also been incomprehensible. Had Paul given his brother some small indication that he meant to propose marriage to Kate? And if so, had Mark decided that his brother and Kate weren't suited? It seemed very much like it, and yet surely Paul would make his own decision, when the time came for him to choose a wife. Troublesome thoughts gave way temporarily to anxious ones as Kate visualized the scene should Paul ask her to marry him. She would refuse him, of course, but not because of any advice from Mark. Paul would be hurt and probably humiliated. Kate dwelt for a long while on how she could prevent Paul's asking her to marry him, but, apart from admitting the truth—confessing that she cared for his brother—she saw no way of forestalling the proposal. And as an admission such as that was naturally out of the question Kate reluctantly allowed the matter to fade from her mind, making a mental vow to avoid Paul as much as she could from now on.
When Cherry arrived home from Cunya River Downs she sat down to the tea and biscuits Kate had ready and said:
'How about our doing a spot of entertaining, seeing that we're receiving all those invitations from other people?'
'We can't entertain!' Kate looked at her friend with something akin to horror. 'For one thing we haven't the money and for another we haven't the right kind of setting.'
'I was thinking only of a sundowner. We could buy some drink in town—Paul's going in tomorrow and I can go with him after I've finished my work. He's flying and I happened to mention that I loved aeroplanes so he offered to take me.'
'Well,' after a moment of frowning concentration, 'I expect we could run to a few bottles of something or other. But this place…' A deprecating hand was spread comprehensively. Cherry merely smiled.
'I was thinking only of Mark and Paul. Let's just ask those two.'
Warning lights flickered. Cherry wanted to entertain Mark, that was clear. Kate on the other hand had no wish to come into contact with him again just yet. She would not know how to treat him, she thought, recalling the silent ride to High Creek after that incident in the bush. On arrival at the end of the track Mark had raised a hand in salute, but no words were spoken between him and Kate as he rode off, leaving her to go more slowly, along the track to the rickety bridge over the creek. No, she did not wish to see him again yet awhile. The gymkhana would be soon enough and there would be many people there, so it was unlikely that she and Mark would find themselves alone, even for a moment or two.
'They won't want to come here, Cherry,' she said at last, but Cherry was shaking her head.
'I've already mentioned it to Paul and he said yes, of course he would come.'
'And—Mark?'
'Paul's sure he'll come too.' She looked at Kate. 'There's really no reason why he shouldn't. The distance is nothing.'
Lin was also keen on doing this spot of entertaining, but said it was a pity they couldn't find another man, just to make the number of males and females equal. Cherry, not as informed as Kate, suggested they ask James, but Lin instantly shook her head, saying the distance would be far too great to come merely for a sundowner.
'Pity,' said Cherry with a little sigh of resignation. 'I like James very much indeed and it would have been nice to have him.'
Cherry looked quite charming when she went off to work the following morning. She had washed her hair the previous evening and Kate had set if for her in a new style; the flowered dress she wore gave her curves the maximum enhancement and seemed to relieve the pallor of her face. White bag and sandals completed the picture and Kate just had to remark on it.
'You look lovely!' she exclaimed when Cherry emerged from her bedroom on hearing the utility crunch to a standstill at the front of the homestead. That dress looks different, somehow.'
'Probably because you haven't seen it on me for a while,' returned Cherry with a grimace, and added, 'It's nice to dress up now and then, isn't it?'
Kate nodded, and went to the verandah to see her off. She had no idea when she would be back, she had already told Kate and Lin; they must expect her when they saw her.
And so it was not until about ten o'clock that Cherry's two friends began to worry. And even then neither spoke, but sat there, silent, and watched the clock covertly, their ears strained. At last Kate said:
'I hope everything's all right…?' Her heartbeats had been gradually increasing and she knew she was pale.
'I expect so,' from Lin with her customary cheerfulness. 'They've probably gone to a restaurant for dinner.'
Kate nodded.
'Yes, that's what they'll have done.'
Ten-thirty… eleven… twelve.
Neither girl could go to bed even though they had already decided that Cherry and Paul must be staying in town until the morning, as something must have gone wrong with the plane. Kate made some tea; this was drunk and more made.
'We ought to go to bed,' said Lin, yet she shook her head even while she spoke. 'They must be staying in town.'
'Yes,' agreed Kate thickly, 'they must.' It was the third time this had been said, and each time with more stress and conviction. 'I can't stand it,' decided Kate at last. 'I'm going to see Mark. Thank goodness for the pony. Are you coming?'
'Of course.'
They set off, riding through the moonlit bush, with no danger of getting lost this time because with a small hill crossed they knew the bungalows of the stockriders would come into view. An odd light here and there sent its glow into the surrounding darkness. Someone up with a baby, perhaps, thought Kate, trying desperately to keep her thoughts from Cherry and Paul and what might have happened.
The homestead was in total darkness, for it was now past two o'clock in the morning. Kate rang the bell and it seemed an eternity before the door was opened, by Sophia, blinking in the brilliance of the light she had switched on in the hall.
'Mr. Copeland,' said Kate at once. 'Please tell him to come down. It's very urgent.' That last sentence was unnecessary, she realized, but only after it had been said. Sophia opened the door wider to allow them to enter and then went off with as much speed as her bulk would allow. Within half a minute Mark was in the hall, a dressing-gown over his pyjamas, his hair tousled and his eyes narrowed against the light.
'What on earth's wrong—?'
'Cherry,'
burst out the two girls together.
'Cherry? She's ill?'
'She went to town with Paul—in the plane—' Kate broke off, for she seemed to be choking, and although she swallowed convulsively over and over again she could not dislodge the little ball of fear in her throat. Mark was looking down at her, and neither of them even remembered that scene which had occurred the last time they had met.
'Paul—and Cherry? What time were they expected back?'
'Cherry didn't know,' Kate had to admit, but added that she expected to be back before this, and so something must have gone wrong.
'Undoubtedly something's gone wrong,' he agreed, sweeping an urgent gesture towards the lounge, indicating that the girls should go in there and sit down. 'I'll get through to town on the air—' He was gone and another eternity followed before he returned, his face grave as he told them that the plane had left town just after five-thirty in the afternoon.
'Then they've crashed?' Kate's face was ashen, Lin's grey too, and drawn. Mark's eyes rested for a fleeting second on Kate's face before he said he would immediately organize a search party.
'Why didn't we come sooner?' said Kate in a strangled voice. 'How stupid of us to wait this long!'
'You probably thought they were staying the night in town?'
'Yes, as a matter of fact, we did—concluding that the plane had gone wrong, or something,' Lin ended vaguely.
'Can we help?' asked Kate a trifle pleadingly. She was not in the least surprised when he shook his head. He could not risk their being lost at a time like this.
'No, stay where you are,' he ordered, and again was gone.
'How are we to stand it!' exclaimed Lin. 'Why can't we do something?'
'We'd only get lost if we went out there searching,' Kate said, her voice dull and hoarse with anxiety. 'Do you think—think they might have escaped?—I mean, made a forced landing?' She stopped, listening to the bell which was sounding the alarm. Activity soon followed as men came running from the bungalows to the homestead, or drove over in their own vehicles. Mark's voice was heard, crisp and commanding, giving orders. Vehicles drove off, lights flaring, passing the lounge window one after another. Other station owners were alerted over the air and their stockmen and other employees would soon be roused to take part in the search. James's ranch was on the route which Paul would have taken, Mark told the girls, and he had hopes of success from this region. But the whole route would be covered, so there was no doubt at all about the plane's being found eventually. Mark was dressed in slacks and sweater, his face drawn and strained and one hand tightly clenched so that the skin became transparent and the knuckle bones shone white, contrasting sharply with the mahogany skin around them. A nerve pulsating in his throat gave evidence of his deep anxiety for the safety of his brother and the girl who was with him. After advising Kate and Lin to try and rest he left them.
The two girls watched the activity again from the lounge window. Men were still driving off, having loaded stockmen, both white and Aboriginal, into the homestead vehicles and also their own private cars; they saw Mark stride away towards the jeep, at the wheel of which was one of the station hands. He drove towards the airstrip, where Mark would leave the jeep and the man would drive out into the bush, joining in the ground search while Mark searched from above.
The girls watched the plane rise in the dark distance, its lights twinkling like stars.
'I wish we'd never come,' cried Kate, pacing the floor an hour and a half later as the first light of dawn streaked the sky. 'I wish with all my heart we'd never seen Australia!'
'You think—they're—they're dead?'
'Don't say it,' begged Kate in an agonized voice. But she herself had been saying it. Something deep down inside her seemed to be convincing her she would never see Cherry alive again. Neither Cherry nor Paul. But it was not Paul of whom she thought; he was nebulous and only Cherry was there, her sweet face always so pale and her ways always so unhurried and calm. Cherry, the efficient one of the three, the girl who had wept for nights and nights on Kate's breast when, on the death of her brother, she was left alone in the world. Kate had been mother, sister and friend during that tragic period in Cherry's life, and the two girls had come very close.
It was ten o'clock in the morning before the news came in that the plane had been sighted. But the man who brought this news had had it passed on and he was not sure whether the couple were dead or merely injured. Mark had his own ambulance which had been out on the search and was now speeding to where the plane had been spotted. It had crashed, he thought.
'The plane crashed?' Kate was at the front door, questioning the man who, tired and slightly impatient, did not appear particularly pleased by Kate's questions. 'It might only have been a forced landing?' Her heart was throbbing painfully as she waited for his reply. It was not very helpful, simply because he did not know the details. He was going home to get some sleep, he said, but did manage an apologetic:
'I've been ill for three days, and this is the first time I've been up.'
Kate could only nod dumbly, feeling sorry for the man, yet perversely, angry with him for not obtaining more details.
The ambulance arrived at last. Kate and Lin just looked at one another, unable to move. Mercifully, Mark strode in and on seeing his expression Kate almost fainted with relief. She said huskily:
'They're alive? Both of them?' He nodded, and at last the two girls sat down, having stood about or paced the floor for hours.
'It was a forced landing, but the plane was badly damaged and both Cherry and Paul are injured. However, it isn't serious in either case and there's no need for the Flying Doctor.' He spoke slowly, and in his usual languid drawl, but Kate sensed the depth of emotion through which he had been, out there, flying over the bush, searching in the dark, and then the dawn, for the brother who was his twin. Perhaps to him only Paul was real, and Cherry nebulous. Or had he been concerned about Cherry too? He always got on with her; he liked her, that had always been obvious. 'One of the stockmen's wives is a nurse,' Mark was continuing, 'and she was immediately alerted. I'm told she has the sickrooms prepared for the patients.' He looked tired, and a hand went to his mouth, stifling a yawn.
Half an hour later Kate and Lin, a little of the colour having returned to their faces, were standing by Cherry's bed, smiling down at her; so pale and drawn she looked, and yet there seemed to be a glow about her, somehow, which caused Lin and Kate to exchange glances, although they had no ideas to offer as to why their friend should look like this.
The extent of Cherry's injuries were a cut head, which was bandaged, and a good many cuts and bruises on various parts of her body. Something had gone wrong with the engine, she was able to tell them, and Paul decided to make a forced landing. But the difficulty lay in finding a suitable place and, with the urgency of an imminent failure altogether, he had chosen the best site he could in the time available. But gibbers abounded and in consequence what he had hoped would be a fairly smooth landing had in fact proved to be a crash landing almost, extensive damage being done to the plane but its occupants, by some miracle of luck, escaping with comparatively minor injuries. Paul's injuries were even less severe than those sustained by Cherry, and the nurse predicted he would be up and about in a couple of days.
'We've been almost out of our minds,' Lin said in gruff tones as she looked down at her friend. 'But, thank God, you're safe!'
'I suppose you were worried.' Her eyes met those of Kate before passing to Lin. 'I kept thinking about you both and wishing I could send a message by mental telepathy, to tell you I was all right.'
'Almost all right,' corrected Kate gently, her gaze on the bandage on Cherry's head and the plasters on her cheek and neck and arms. 'It's a miracle and, like Lin, I thank God you're safe.'
The three of them would have talked a little while longer, but Mark entered the room and peremptorily ordered Kate and Lin out.
'Cherry must rest,' he added, 'and so must you. It's been an anxious time for yo
u all, and as I've given instructions for rooms to be made ready there's no reason why you shouldn't go straight to bed—unless you want something to eat?' he thought to ask, glancing from one to the other. They shook their heads and he continued, 'You'll probably not wake until dinner time, so you'll remain here tonight too—'
'The animals,' interrupted Kate, grateful for the offer of the bed during the day but feeling they should not stay tonight as well.
'One of my men will go over and see to them.'
'We have the extra calves,' said Kate unnecessarily. 'They won't take any harm, though. It's the milking cow that can't be left. The other cow still has its calf with it.' She stopped on noting the hint of amusement mingling with the tiredness in Mark's eyes and supposed that, like Paul, he considered her stupid to leave the calf with its mother all this time.
'You've quite a stock,' Mark observed, and then, abruptly, and with a sweep of his hand in the direction of the door, 'Off you go. The nurse will be with Cherry in a moment, so you've no need to worry about her.' The stern implacable expression in his eyes dissolved when, looking down at Cherry, he smiled and asked her how she was feeling now. Kate watched them—one so pale and helpless-looking, the other so bronzed and strong. 'I said, off you go.' Mark turned, with raised brows, a question in his manner. What were they waiting for? was his silent inquiry, and both girls said their good nights to Cherry and left the room.
Despite their tiredness they sat for a while, talking, in the room which had been given to Kate.
'I'll say one thing about Mark Copeland, he's thorough. And he knows a thing or two about organization. That operation was an eye-opener to me. I respect him—whatever else my opinion of him.'
'Else?' Kate eyed her curiously. 'What is your opinion of him?'
'The same as yours; we decided he was a pompous, insufferable man, despicable for the way he allowed us to come in here and stake a claim to his property.'
