by Jane Corrie
leave Pete alone. She also knew something else. She was free, it was as if he had told her that he would not stand in her way, that he had accepted her decision to go her own way.
Vicky went up to her room in a thoughtful mood. She ought to be brimming with success, but she felt very let down. She had felt like this before, and there was no accounting for it. Nothing she could put her finger on, so what on earth was the matter with her? Why was it that whenever Ross behaved in a rational and perfectly normal way, she was made to feel wretched?
The answer came as she closed her bedroom door behind her. It had closed with a final snap, she was this side, and Ross was on the other side of the door, shut out because she had wanted it that way. She thought of his strong arms around her, and the kiss he had given her. This awakened memories of Pete and the quick kiss he had given her, and of the way she had felt at the light contact of a stranger's lips. It had repelled her, that was the only way she could put it, because—Her eyes opened wide. Oh, no—not that! She hadn't fallen in love with Ross, had she?
She walked over to her bed and sat down weakly. She had! Of all the dumb, foolish, impossible things to do! She had done precisely what everyone expected her to do, Ross included! Which was fine, she thought bitterly, except for the fact that Ross did not love her!
Vicky counted off the days before she could leave Jarra. Four days at least, she thought miserably,
and somehow she had to act like her old self, and not give the show away. Ross knew her a little too well for her liking. She had no excuse now for keeping out of his way, and would be expected to have dinner with him. She remembered the way he had spotted her surreptitious survey of him the last time she had had dinner with him, and she groaned inwardly. What on earth was she going to do?
Her slim shoulders straightened. She would act normally, she told herself sternly. Nothing really had changed. She was still in the same position she had been in before. She shook her head slowly, no, that was not true. Everything had changed for her. She hadn't had any breaks at all. If Mrs George had not fallen and sprained her ankle, she would not have come to Jana. Would not have realised that she did love Ross, and must have loved him all the time. It had only taken a shaking up to realise it.
Her chin lifted. Ross had his pride, and she had hers. Her pride would not allow him to marry her. Not when she knew the way he felt about her. To him, she was just Vicky, the little girl next door and to whom he felt an obligation.
The following week passed slowly for Vicky. Mrs George was pronounced fit five days after Vicky's last encounter with Ross. Had she but known it, her worry of giving the game away during the evening dinner sessions she had thought she would be having with Ross turned out to be groundless, for Ross was not present. He appeared to have other engagements, a meeting here, and a meeting
there, and it all sounded perfectly reasonable. Mrs George, for one, did not show any surprise at his absence from the scene and even half apologised to Vicky for his absorption in farming matters. 'Being president of the local farming community places a lot of responsibility on his shoulders,' she explained. 'It means a lot of evening work for him, particularly at this time of year.'
Although Vicky agreed with everything that Mrs George had said, for she knew full well how busy Ross had been in the past, she could not rid herself of a suspicion that his absence was a deliberate ploy on his part to keep out of her way. She also suspected that having washed his hands of her, he was making sure that he was not around to provide a shoulder for her to weep on when the crash came—in other words, when Pete Noonan got tired of the game.
When at last Vicky was able to return to Dale's Creek, she knew a feeling of relief mingled with sadness, for she was not only leaving Jarra, but the man she loved, and there had been times when her emotions had got the better of her good sense and she had wanted to wait up for Ross to return from his meetings and fling herself at him, telling him that she had made a ghastly mistake, and that he was the only one for her and could they please get married.
In these dreamy imaginings she would conveniently forget all her previous good resolutions of giving Ross a chance to choose his own bride. Nothing mattered but that she should have him by
her side for the rest of time.
Now, as she motored back to Dale's Creek, she was grateful that she had confined these fond imaginings to the world of dreams and had not given way to temptation. She even felt a little proud of herself for standing firm. If Ross had truly loved her, he would have fought for her, instead of making a half-hearted effort to keep her away from Pete, and that had been through pride and not any other reason.
Mary's welcoming smile and 'Hi!' as she walked into the homestead brought a film of tears to her eyes, and she hastily passed through the hall and on up to her room, after returning her greeting with what she hoped sounded as cheery as Mary's greeting.
When she got to her room, she took a deep breath. She would have to get a hold of herself. She was acting like a stupid schoolgirl with her first crush, she told herself scathingly. How right Ross had been over that, she thought. She had not grown up at all.
As she threw her case on to her bed, she shook her head. She had grown up, but the transformation had come too suddenly for her to cope with, she thought wearily, and she would not confide in anyone, least of all Mary, who would understand only too well, and would protect her from any further heartbreak, and sympathy was something that Vicky could not take at that time. Mary would probably guess in time, but until Vicky was able to handle the situation her way, she had to keep her
from finding out, and goodness knew how she was going to do that. Look at the way she had reacted to Mary's smiling welcome just now, she thought sadly. Another minute and she would have been howling her eyes out, pouring it all out to Mary, and that would never do.
There was her father too, she thought with a wild jerk of panic. If he were to discover what a mess she had made of things, he would try to put things right for her. He would tell Ross that she loved him, of that she had no doubt, and she would be back to square one with a vengeance, let alone the embarrassment such a situation would put her in.
With such thoughts on her mind, Vicky dreaded the next few days when she would have to attempt to return to the normal routine of life back at Dale's Creek. On the whole she managed well enough, although she had felt Mary giving her a few hard looks now and again, and wondered if she had overdone her heartiness at being back home again, particularly as she was so forthcoming when normally she was on the quiet side.
Her father, however, saw nothing unusual in her behaviour, and for that she was grateful. He was, it appeared, thoroughly happy with his situation, and although the job Ross had offered him had sounded a menial one to Vicky, from all accounts it suited him, and the fact that Ross had also offered him the post of secretary to the farming community of which he was the president had given a definite fillip to his confidence, and the talk was
mostly confined to policies made at the meetings he now attended with Ross.
With Jake and Mary for company, let alone the good food provided by Mary, and the odd hand of cards with Jake, Gordon Dale's life was happier than it had been for some time, and that should have made Vicky content too. What had once been a shell of a homestead, with two lonely people inhabiting it, had now become once more a real home, and if it were not for the twinges of heartache Vicky felt, her life would have been happier too. As it was, she found herself listening for news of Ross, and what he was up to, and these were provided by her father, and what Ross had said at a particular meeting, and how much he was looked up to by his fellow members of the community.
So the days passed, and all Vicky had to do was to keep a firm rein on her emotions. The danger points came when she was alone with Mary and they indulged in local gossip.
Mary had never asked her about Pete Noonan, and Vicky, although a little surprised, did not bring the subject up either. It was a little too near other subjects she had no wi
sh to discuss with Mary.
A fortnight after Vicky had returned home, and when things had settled down and she began to think that it might be possible for her to look forward to the future—a future that did not involve the man she loved, but the quiet acceptance of the fact that she was not the only one who had suffered the fate of unrequited love, and would certainly not be the last, a telephone call from Albury started
a train of events that jerked her out of her fatalistic musings.
It began with Mrs Richards, the Albury housekeeper, asking to speak to Ross, and Vicky, taking the initial call, handed over to her father who had just come in and who would know where Ross was. She heard her father say that he would get a message sent down to him as he was in the lower paddocks. Hearing this, Vicky made a quick retreat in case she was asked to find Ross. She knew he had made several visits since her return home, but she had made a point of avoiding coming into contact with him. This was not hard to do. He rarely came to the homestead, but spent his time on the station inspecting the stock and giving orders for improving the running of the station.
In the normal run of events Vicky would be bound to run into him at some time during these visits, for in the past she had never confined herself to the boundaries of the homestead, but had borrowed one of the station hands' mounts for her excursions over the station. Now, however, her activities had been cut down simply because of the fear of meeting Ross. She too had her pride, and the more she had thought about her last few days at Jarra, the more convinced she was that Ross had deliberately gone out of his way to avoid her company, in spite of what Mrs George had said.
When Ross arrived at the homestead, Vicky was in the kitchen with Mary, helping to prepare the vegetables for lunch. The sound of his car pulling up outside the homestead was clearly heard by both
of them. 'That sounds like Ross's motor,' said Mary, as she put the vegetables on to boil. 'Is he coming to lunch?' she asked Vicky.
Vicky then told her about the phone call from Albury and that she doubted that he would be staying for lunch, hoping that no such offer was made, in case he accepted!
`Mr Waden's away, isn't he?' Mary mused, as she turned the heat down under the pans now boiling merrily. 'I expect something's cropped up and they need some advice.'
As Vicky got the plates out of the kitchen cupboard a thought suddenly struck her, and she stared unseeingly at the Willow Pattern plates in her hand. She had a good idea of what had `cropped up'. 'Where is Mr Waden?' she asked.
`At a conference up north—at least, he's on his way. Won't get there until tomorrow,' Mary replied, starting to lay the table.
Vicky put the plates ready for the dishing up of the meal and moved towards the door that led out to the hall. Ella had eloped with Pete! She was sure of it! What better chance would they have? she thought. With Ella's father so far away they would have a good head start on any attempt at pursuit.
From her hovering position by the hallway door, Vicky could hear Ross on the telephone, but could not be seen. Mary was too busy with the lunch to notice her blatant eavesdropping.
For a moment Vicky thought she had missed hearing the information she wanted, but Ross must have been listening to what Mrs Richard was tell-
ing him, then she heard him say, 'When?' and this was followed by a harsh-sounding, 'Are you sure?' and then, 'I'm coming over,' and the hard click of the receiver being put down. 'Going over to Albury,' Ross called out to Mr Dale. 'Get Jake to get on with the clearing out of that scrub land we were looking at,' he said, and marched out of the homestead.
Vicky knew a sense of disappointment. Ross had said nothing about the reason why he was going to Albury, and she wondered if she had been wrong in assuming that Ella had left with Pete, but she could see no other reason for Ross's reticence. If the whole thing turned out to be a mare's nest, then the less said about it the better. It was not a thing the Wadens would want broadcast.
On the other hand, she mused, if it was true, then the news would spread like wildfire round the district and nothing Ross could do would prevent it becoming known.
`Wonder what all that was about,' Vicky's father commented at lunch. 'Mrs Richards was in a right tizzy, and that's not like her,' he added musingly. `Not like Ross not to put us in the picture either,' he added, then sat up straight as a thought struck him. 'Say, you don't think there's a scare on, do you?' he asked Jake.
Jake finished the last of his meal, and shaking his head at Mary's offer of a second helping, commented, 'I doubt it. If it is, we'll know in good time. Ross isn't one to hang about.'
An hour later Vicky got the news she was waiting
for. Ross rang her father, and hearing the ring of the telephone she moved the chair that she had taken out on to the porch a little nearer the office window so that she would hear what was said.
Her father's surprised, 'Well, I'm danged!' was the first proof, and his, 'George will be fit to be tied!' comment settled the matter for Vicky, as she quietly replaced her chair back against the door of the homestead and settled down again in the sunshine.
Good for Ella and Pete, she thought drowsily, and she wished them bon voyage. Whatever happened now, they would be together. Even if Ella's father did find them, they would have to marry, because it would be several days before he could get home and however much he hated it, he would have to accept Pete as his son-in-law, for the sake of Ella if nothing else.
A few minutes later Mary joined her on the porch, and Vicky's father came out bursting with the news. 'Say, what do you think? Ella Waden's lit out with Pete Noonan!'
Vicky saw Mary glance at her before asking, 'Is that true?' in a shocked voice.
`Ross says so,' replied Gordon Dale, 'and Ross doesn't spread rumours, does he? It's true all right!' He shook his head. 'Ella must have got sunstroke,' he said, 'there's no accounting otherwise for her doing a thing like that—not with someone like Noonan. She's got a mite too much sense for that.'
Vicky felt an urge to stand up for Pete, but wisely held her tongue. The less she said, the better, she thought.
`Ross found someone who thinks he knows where they're heading,' Mr Dale continued. 'Seems he's been receiving mail from Mildura, and he's taken off after them. With any luck he'll catch them up before they reach the highway. They're travelling in Noonan's old roadster, and she'll only do about thirty on good roads. Seems they left around seven—Mrs Richards thinks she heard a car's engine at the back of the homestead. That was before she saw the note Ella had left propped up on the mantelpiece for her father to find when he got home.'
Vicky was so indignant at Ross's interference, she had spoken before she had time to think. `Why should Ross take that on?' she demanded crossly. 'It's Ella's father's job to go after them.'
`Seeing as George is up the North, it's up to Ross to do something about it,' replied her father. 'It's what he would be expected to do. I offered to go myself, but Ross wouldn't hear of it. I wouldn't care to be in Noonan's shoes when he does catch them up,' he added with a chuckle. 'Ross sounded set to give him a right thrashing!'
When Vicky's father had left the room to go in search of Jake and tell him the news, Vicky, meeting Mary's eyes, was surprised to find a look of sympathy in them. 'That doesn't sound like Ross,' Mary said quietly. 'Ella's old enough to know what she's doing.'
Vicky said nothing. She was not supposed to know anything about it, and did not intend to get
caught up in the coming backlash of Ella's father's temper when he heard the news.
The look of sympathy in Mary's eyes as she had looked at her after she had heard the news still puzzled her, and her mind was busy finding the explanation. Then she had it. Mary must think that she had fallen for Pete! Perhaps Ross had said something, asking for Mary's co-operation perhaps in watching out for Vicky's interests?
Mary picked up her knitting and shook her head sadly. 'So it was Ella after all, wasn't it?' she said slowly.
Vicky blinked, then frowned, and seeing her puzzlement Mary
went on, 'I can't see Ross interfering like that unless he had a very good reason, can you?' she said. 'It's not as if Ella was a flighty young girl. She knows what she's doing all right.'
It took a minute or so for Vicky to get her meaning, and she drew in her breath sharply. Ross loved Ella! He intended to bring her back at all costs. He would probably arrange to marry her to save her good name—but Ella loved Pete, and Vicky could see no way that Ross could alter that.
Her unhappy eyes met Mary's. 'I'm sorry, Vicky,' Mary said in a low voice. 'I guess things didn't work out for you. I still think that if you had married Ross you'd have been happy. Not all marriages are made in heaven, some need a helping hand from us ordinary mortals.'
Vicky swallowed. She looked away from Mary and down at the floor. As long as Mary thought it was Pete that she cared for, there was no harm
done. She could face the future, even if Ross was successful, and brought Ella back. 'Don't worry, Mary,' she said lightly. 'I liked Pete, but I didn't go overboard for him. I only met him once. You can hardly call that an affair,' she added, still managing to keep an airy note in her voice.
Mary looked at her. 'That's not what Pete Noonan put around,' she said. 'According to him, you'd got a big thing going between you. But I didn't mean Pete,' she added quietly. 'It's Ross, isn't it?'
It was Vicky's turn to stare at Mary. Then she looked down at her hands. 'How did you know?' she asked in a low voice.
Mary gave a light shrug of her broad shoulders. `Call it womanly intuition,' she said. 'You didn't fool me for one minute with that gay chatter of yours when you came back from Jarra. I knew something had happened, and when you started avoiding Ross, and stopped talking about him, then it was the only thing that made sense. I thought you were trying to make Ross jealous by seeing Pete,' she added.
