Frontier Wife

by Margaret Tanner

  They rushed outside. Standing there, laughing and shouting they let the rain drench them. A jagged flash of lightning slashed the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. The rain hitting the ground lay in pools on the rock-hard earth. It would take some time for the soil to moisten enough for the water to soak in.

  They went inside the hut and Tommy extinguished the fire before picking up her basket. After latching the door, they started for home.

  By the time they reached the homestead they were soaking wet, their hair plastered to their heads. She carried her hat because after a short time, the weight of the water kept pushing the brim down on to her face.

  Arriving at the homestead, they found Adam waiting for them, his face darker than the blackest thundercloud.

  “Where have you two been?” He stood with a scowl on his face, hands on his hips, feet apart.

  “We went to Tommy's little house and fell asleep. The rain woke us up. Whoopee.”

  “Get inside and out of those wet clothes.”

  “Stop ordering me around. It's heavenly feeling the rain against my skin.” Tommy pirouetting in front of him caused his face to darken even more.

  “I'm warning you,” he snarled. “Jamie, go inside and tell Mrs. Rogers to prepare you a hot bath.”

  “All right.” He flashed a grin before darting away.

  “Now, come in out of the rain this instant.”

  “Why should I?” She did a few more dance steps deliberately taunting him. Any reaction from him was better than stony, brooding silence.

  “Come inside.” He lunged. Darting back she forced him to follow her out into the wet. He grabbed hold of one arm and pulled her onto the verandah.

  On the verandah she twisted free. “Just because you came home last night like a drunken pig.”

  “Shut up. For God’s sake, stop goading me.” He turned on his heel and disappeared inside, almost banging the door shut in her face.

  ****

  It rained almost non-stop now. For the first few days everyone danced around outside, letting themselves get drenched. After two weeks of sometimes torrential rain they started to worry. The drought was crippling, but a flood right now would finish them off.

  As suddenly as it came, it went. The sun shone from a blue sky only flecked with fluffy white clouds. The bird life returned; hundreds of parrots and cockatoos sat on every tree branch or post. Tommy had no idea where they came from.

  She went into town with Adam for the first time since their marriage. She had not even been able to say farewell to Jim and Mary Cavendish, who returned to Beechworth to live with relatives when the drought forced them off their land.

  Adam stocked up on their supplies and the quantities he ordered amazed her. “Do you want anything?” he asked gruffly.

  “Um, yes, I want to get some sewing material.”

  “All right, I’ll leave you to it. Put everything on my account. You can come along with me, Jamie.”

  Unbeknown to Adam, she bought yards of fine white linen, piles of wool and needles to start the baby's layette.

  He gave her parcel a cursory glance but didn’t bother to ask what it contained.

  They spoke to several people. Adam rested his hand on her shoulder. She forced herself to stand stiffly and not respond to the heat of his touch. He obviously did not intend for anyone to guess the true state of their marriage. She felt attractive in a blue velvet gown with a matching jacket and hat. Because of the weather, instead of wearing a cloak she wore a dolman, just a shade or two darker in color than her gown. But Adam didn’t seem to care what she wore. He gave her little more than a cursory glance these days.

  He promised to buy her new clothes when he asked her to marry him, but did nothing about it except off-handedly tell her she could send to Melbourne for a catalogue. It wasn’t the same as the shopping trip she had been looking forward to. Of course, as far as he was concerned, she hadn’t kept her part of the bargain to provide him with a son. She gave a smug little smile, imagining what his reaction would be when he learned her secret.

  “Something amusing you? Why don’t you share the joke? I could do with a laugh.” He rubbed his hand across his jaw, in a weary, hopeless gesture that tore at her heart.

  “I remembered something I heard the other day.” She would have been happy to confide in him if he had shown any softening in his attitude toward her. Some sign that he cared.

  The long journey home in the wagon made her regret having accepted his half-hearted invitation. By the time they arrived at the homestead, she wanted nothing more than to lie down. Jamie jumped down by himself. Adam lifted her to the ground, his hands about her waist strong, impersonal and he quickly stepped away from her. He made it crystal clear he couldn’t bear to be near her.

  “I might have a lie down before dinner, I feel weary.”

  Leaving the two of them to deal with the unloading, she made her way into the bedroom. After removing her outer clothing, she thankfully slipped under the covers. Having always been strong and full of vigor, this lethargy was worrying. Perhaps she should have called in and seen the doctor even if it meant telling Adam.

  In the quiet haven of her bedroom she fretted about her condition. Foolishly, incomprehensibly, she had fallen in love with a man who married her just to beget heirs, without feeling a scrap of affection for her. Deep in her heart, she nurtured the hope he might begin to feel something for her, but as time passed he became colder, more distant.

  He wasn’t happy either. She saw the pained expression in his eyes sometimes. Full of regret for not marrying Sophia as he originally planned?

  The fact that his child grew inside her, a seed planted in what she wrongly assumed to be love, brought tears to her eyes. He would never feel anything for her, she would be crazy to believe otherwise. As the mother of his child he would tolerate her. She wanted more from him than that. She fell asleep and dreamed that he sat by the bed, stroking her hair and whispering words of endearment.

  ****

  Adam sighed deeply. For God’s sake, what was Tommy doing to herself? She looked so sad sometimes he could have wept for what he had done.

  He had cheapened what they shared on their wedding night with some stupid remark to Rodney. It had been a desperate form of self-preservation. Drunk and all as Rodney had been, he was astute enough to pick up on how vulnerable he felt when it came to Tommy. He couldn’t take the risk of letting anyone know that, despite all his sneering over the years about men being weak-willed when it came to a pretty woman, he had succumbed himself. But hell, Tommy was no ordinary woman.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I’d like you to come with me to see my cousin Melanie,” Adam announced one morning. “She’s married to Richard Jarratt.”

  “Jarratt? Weren’t they the people who sent us the silver cutlery service?”

  “Yes, we’ll have an early lunch before we go.”

  “You’ve never mentioned any relatives.”

  “You didn’t ask.” He raked his fingers through his hair and frowned. “I’m worried about Melanie.”

  “You are?” Tommy feigned shock. “I thought you only cared about four-legged things.”

  “Jarratt is twisted and vicious. No one has seen Melanie for months. I ran into her father, Arthur, yesterday and he asked me to call in and see them on some pretext or other.”

  “Why doesn’t he go himself?”

  “Because Jarratt won’t let him near the place, they hate each other’s guts. He only married Melanie out of revenge.”

  Adam hadn’t spoken more than a dozen words to her in days. Amazing the change of tune when he wanted something, but she was interested despite herself. “Go on.”

  “Jarratt owned a property a few miles out of Bendigo. Arthur worked there for a time. Jarratt’s wife’s name was Maryanne, a beautiful woman by all accounts, but selfish and spoilt.” Adam’s lips twisted. “Typical woman. Anyway, Jarratt was besotted with her, insanely jealous.

  “He caught her and A
rthur together one day, all perfectly innocent, but he became enraged and dismissed him. Arthur left straight away but Maryanne followed him into town. Jarratt thought they planned to run away together.”

  “Really?” The story sounded like some melodrama from a trashy novel, but a team of wild horses wouldn’t have dragged her away from this tale.

  “Maryanne was with child. She drove recklessly and her buggy tipped over in the main street. Arthur, drowning his sorrows in the hotel, rushed outside and she died in his arms just as Jarratt arrived on the scene. The baby was born dead.

  He carried on like a madman. Said Arthur should be charged with murder. When he wasn’t, Jarratt claimed he stole a large sum of money. Poor Arthur spent two years in jail for a nonexistent crime.”

  “What an awful story. You really think he means to harm Melanie?” What sort of fiend was he?

  “I’m sure of it. I don’t like meddling in other people’s affairs, but Arthur sounded desperate. He’ll be working in Melbourne for a few months, wants Melanie to know she has somewhere to shelter if things become intolerable.”

  “You want her to come here?”

  “Yes.” His jaw thrust out. “She’s a nice little thing, wretchedly shy. Fey would be the best word to describe her.”

  “I’d be happy for her to stay here. It would be nice having some cheerful adult company for a change.”

  “Meaning?”

  She tossed her head and glared at him. “Meaning, I’m fed up with your surly moods and foul temper.”

  “I’ve had a lot on my mind.” He sighed and the lines gouging his mouth seemed even deeper than usual.

  “All right, I’ll come because I feel sorry for this girl. If she’s being kept prisoner why doesn’t her father go to the authorities?”

  “Because he’s an ex-convict; besides, Jarratt is her husband and can legally do whatever he likes to her. She could be dead already for all I know.”

  Tommy gasped with shock. “If he won’t let anyone see her, what can we do?”

  “You insisted I drive you over to thank them for the wedding present. You’re a stranger to the district so he’ll be interested in meeting you. Women between the ages of fourteen and forty are fair game to him, he wouldn’t be able to resist.”

  “It could work.” She took a sip of tea. “Maybe Melanie loves him.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she does.” Adam’s lips twisted. “That would be part of his evil plan. Once she gives him a child to replace the one he blames Arthur for killing, he’ll get rid of her.”

  Tommy shivered, even thought it wasn’t cold. “How?”

  “Probably meet with an accident. I don’t know; but he’s so twisted and sick, he’ll think of something. There have been rumors circulating about his unsavory doings for years, but the authorities can’t prove anything.”

  They set off straight after lunch. The blue sky was scattered with fluffy clouds. The clean, crisp smell of damp eucalyptus leaves permeated the air and Tommy breathed in deeply. She had dressed up for the occasion in a deep blue gown trimmed with pale blue velvet. Adam wore close fitting black trousers with a braided side seam down either leg. He rolled the sleeves of his white linen shirt up to the elbows. How tanned and well muscled his arms were. She never tired of watching the loose limbed graceful way he walked.

  He lifted her into the buggy. Did his hands linger a fraction longer than necessary? Fool, of course not; wishful thinking, but she didn’t imagine the savage hunger burning in his eyes. Lust wasn’t love, though. Purposely she stiffened away from him and his breath escaped in an angry hiss.

  They drove without speaking for a while until she broke the silence. “I visited the little cemetery the other day. Is it you who keeps your mother’s grave so nice?”

  “Yes.” He lapsed into a brooding silence that she didn’t know how to penetrate.

  It took them nearly an hour to reach Jarratt’s place. A battered sign hanging on an open gate bore the words: “Ravenswood. Keep out.” As they drove up the tree-lined drive, Tommy shivered. A bad aura hung over this place. Her feeling of foreboding grew when they pulled up at the double storied blue stone house. It stood grim and unwelcoming. Huge trees growing right up close to the walls would let little light in through the upstairs windows.

  What a horrible place for a young girl to live. When Adam lifted her down from the buggy, Tommy stayed close to him. He slipped his arm through hers and she welcomed the feel of his warm flesh.

  “Just so we look like a happy, newly married couple,” he mocked.

  He slammed the knocker against the door.

  “I’ll get it, Mrs. Davies,” a young woman said as the door opened. “Adam, what are you doing here? Is something wrong with father?”

  “No, there’s nothing wrong, Mel.” He flashed one of his rare bewitching smiles. Picking up the girl’s trembling hands, he gave them a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “I wanted to bring my wife over to meet you. Tommy, this is my dear cousin, Melanie.”

  “I’m so pleased to meet you, Melanie. I told Adam I had to come over and thank you for the beautiful cutlery service. I’m sorry you couldn’t come to the wedding.” She smiled at the pretty, fragile-looking girl. Her dark curls were tied back with a pink ribbon that exactly matched her gown. She had milk-white skin and huge brown eyes. Exquisite, she looked hardly old enough to be wed, yet she was with child.

  Tommy felt Adam’s shocked recoil. He obviously hadn’t expected to find his cousin so heavily pregnant.

  “Come in, please, you’re my first visitors.”

  Tommy glanced around. The room seemed well furnished but dull, no place for a young woman. It would suck all the life out of her. The only spot of color was a large bowl of red and white roses; some of Melanie’s handiwork no doubt.

  “You’ll stay for dinner?” She sounded pathetically eager.

  “I’m sorry we can’t. But you’d like a cup of tea, wouldn’t you, my dear?” Adam smiled at Tommy with false devotion.

  “Yes, dearest, I would.”

  “Where’s Richard?” Adam asked, giving the room a cursory glance.

  Tommy expected Melanie to cringe at the mere mention of her husband’s name. The soft glow coming to the girl’s eyes surprised her. She glanced at Adam who shrugged.

  “He will join us,” Melanie replied. She appeared happy, chattering about the clothes Richard bought her from Melbourne and the mare he promised to give her.

  Could Adam have made a terrible mistake? Arthur’s hatred of Jarratt might have caused him to imagine things.

  “Have you seen much of your father?” Adam asked.

  “No.” Her face clouded over. “Richard doesn’t like me going anywhere on my own, and he’s been too busy to take me.”

  Tommy bit back on the retort that he could get someone else to accompany her.

  Richard Jarratt met them in the small salon. Tall and swarthy, the insolent way he ran his icy blue eyes over her caused Tommy to fume. A granite faced beanpole of a woman brought in their tea. “Melanie will pour.” Richard dismissed her. What an ill-mannered brute.

  Adam drew Richard into conversation about stock numbers now the drought had broken, leaving Tommy to chat with Melanie.

  “When is the baby due?”

  “In about two months. I’m going to love having a baby all of my own.” She gave a sweet smile; how serene and pretty she looked.

  “I suppose you’ve been busy working on the layette?” Tommy tried to ignore the musty smell of the room.

  “Oh, yes. I’ve sewn some beautiful things, haven’t I, Richard?”

  “What?”

  “The layette?”

  “It would be easier to buy what you need,” he growled.

  “Why don’t you show them to me?” Tommy took this chance to get the girl alone and find out if she was happy. Her gaze met Adam’s and his eyes flashed approval.

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Richard said.

  Melanie gasped. “But, but...”

>   “I don’t want you tiring yourself going up and down the stairs all the time, my sweet.”

  Richard Jarratt seemed an astute man; or more likely he had the rat cunning to see through her ploy to get Melanie alone. What other excuse could she use?

  “Would you like some fruit cake, Tommy? Mrs. Davies is a wonderful cook.”

  “Thank you.” She took a slice and bit into it. Melanie hadn’t exaggerated, the older woman could cook.

  “How about showing me your new stallion, Richard? I heard in town that he’s something out of the ordinary.”

  Richard’s lips thinned and his veneer of friendliness evaporated. “You came over to cheek on me. What kind of fool do you take me for?”

  “All right,” Adam shot back. “Arthur’s been worried about Melanie. He hasn’t seen her for months. No one has.”

  “You’re happy here with me, my sweet, aren’t you?” Richard favored Melanie with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Melanie, gazing at him like a puppy craving affection, was taken in by it.

  Tommy sensed Adam’s growing anger at being out-maneuvered.

  “You better take good care of her,” Adam said.

  “Or what?” Animosity throbbed between the two men now.

  “You’ll answer to me,” Adam snarled. “Come on, time to go.”

  “You haven’t been here long.” Melanie’s voice wavered and her gaze flew first to Richard’s face then Adam’s in bewilderment.

  “We do have to get back.” Tommy went over and put her arm around the girl’s trembling shoulders. She was so finely built a puff of wind would blow her over. “You’ll have to get Richard to bring you over for lunch one day soon.”

  “Oh, yes.” Melanie clapped her hands, happy once more. “When?”

  How sweet and child-like she seemed, but, oh, so vulnerable. Adam described her as fey, how appropriate. Tommy felt overwhelmed by a terrible fear. You imaginative fool. This brooding, spooky place caused her mind to play tricks. She wanted to take to her heels and run outside into the sunlight. To breathe fresh clear air, not the cloying dampness of this decaying mausoleum.