by Faye Hall
“My family are wealthy, as was I while I worked for them. It was when I turned my back on them all and left the family business that I fell into debt. That was when I needed to start borrowing money.”
David looked confused. “And who do you claim your family to be exactly, Duncan?”
He sighed heavily, knowing he could no longer hide from the man he once was. “My parents own The Lester Company. I was the chief executive there since I was eighteen years old. I have ordered more things to be smuggled into and out of this country than any legitimate shipping order taken. I have connections in nearly every country. I can smuggle anything in or out of this country from drugs to women to dead bodies that need to be lost at sea.”
David looked at him doubtingly. “Say I believe you, you no longer work for your family, Duncan. From what your brother told me, you are practically an outcast.”
“I know what I am. I need your help to change that. I need you men to do what has to be done to get me back in the position I was once in. I need men capable of theft, assault, debauchery, and even murder if needs be. I need someone to do the things I no longer can. I need my parents to believe though that it is me committing these crimes and that I’m the ruthless fool I once was...then I need you men to help me destroy the company from the inside out.”
David stared at him. “What if your plan doesn’t work, Duncan?” David asked. “What if your brother discovers what you’re up to and tries to stop you?”
“He won’t so long as you and your men keep your mouths shut,” Duncan reminded him. “Each one of you who help me will be well compensated with money and goods and anything else you could want.”
“What if you are killed?” David asked the obvious question. “Who compensates us then?”
Duncan thought long and hard, knowing he would have to offer up something great to get these men to participate in his plan.
“You will have the contents of a safety deposit box being held at the bank in Holme Hill, and you get my cattle station,” Duncan finally said. “If I die or end up in jail, then my station is yours to do with as you please, as too is the jewel the bank has.”
David laughed. “You have worked so long for the money to get that cattle station back from us. Now you are offering to give it back to us?”
Duncan nodded. “If it gives me back Phoebe then I will give you everything I own.”
Silence fell between the two men.
“Will you do it?” Duncan finally asked.
David nodded.
* * * * *
“You men stay on your horses,” Duncan called back to David and his men as they approached the aboriginal mission just ahead of them.
“We can’t go in there!” David exclaimed. “They’re savages!”
“Only if you piss them off,” he replied.
Stopping just at the entrance of the mission, Duncan dismounted from his horse and holding the reins in his hand began slowly walking toward the row of elders waiting for him.
Respectfully he took his hat off as he came to a stop before the three men.
“Simon said I could call in here on my way back home to rest the horses and get a few more supplies, please.”
The three men whispered between themselves in their native tongue. Finally one of the men turned back to him.
“Simon isn’t here. Where is your home?” he asked in a broken form of English.
“Inkerman, sir.”
The other men stopped whispering. “You’re Duncan MacAllester?”
He nodded.
“Your men have to wait here. You come with us and we will get you what you need to see you home safely.”
Duncan threw his horse's reins to the young aboriginal boy standing near him. “My men will need some water please.”
The elders nodded. “The boy will fetch it for them. Come. Simon has left a list of stuff we were to give you should he not be here when you came.”
Following the elders, he stopped under the grass covered shelter. “The boys will get the supplies Simon left for you. He told us you would be coming.”
“Where is Simon?” Duncan asked carefully, fearing the worse.
“He’s hunting. Won’t be back for another day or more. He said he would join you in Inkerman though if you needed him.”
“Can you tell him I will need him? A few more men too if possible. I need workers on my cattle station back home. I will feed them and give them a bed and keep them out of trouble.”
The elders nodded. “We have some young single men who might be willing to go. They will travel with Simon to your station.”
Leaving the elders, he went back to the men waiting for him, and swung himself up into his saddle.
“You’re friends with the aboriginals?” David Pola asked him, both shocked and hesitant.
He nodded. “They have been more loyal to me than most white folk I have ever known.”
Duncan turned his horse away from the village. “We need to head east...and home.”
Chapter Eight
Inkerman Downs Station
Phoebe dismounted from her horse at the front of Inkerman Downs Station and walked hesitantly toward the grand front doors of the house. The house had been built by her grandfather when first he had migrated from Scotland to Australia. The walls were made of stone, local silky oak used to support the veranda out the front.
In its time, Inkerman Downs Station house was the grandest in the district, as too were the lands they owned that stretched for miles and miles. The grandest part of the station by far was Inkerman Hill, where she had once climbed as a child to see the supply boats sailing in from the east into Heaths Creek.
As a child, she would have given anything to come live here with her maiden aunt and help look after the station, continuing to make supply runs on the dray out to Ravenswood and back.
She loved the beauty of this station, the hill and all the native trees that were still left standing to help give the cattle shelter from the scorching Queensland sun. She’d have given anything to watch the sun setting to the west behind the tall gum trees that looked to be as old as time. Right now though, she would have given anything to be anywhere else but at this place.
Phoebe had just stepped onto the solid wooden veranda when the front door was opened and the aging figure of her father walked out. Her heart sank when her gaze met his.
“Where did you find her, Gordon?” William Porter yelled, going straight to his daughter, his arms engulfing her.
She just stood still, not returning her father’s embrace, knowing it was only being given to keep up appearances to the men that were still travelling with her fiancé.
“She was about a day’s ride west of here...in the company of my brother…” Gordon dismounted the horse and stormed toward the house. “She claims to be with child!”
“What?” her father exclaimed. “You stupid girl!”
“We will have to bring forward the wedding,” he demanded. “After Phoebe and I are married, you and I can begin putting things in motion, William.”
William Porter nodded, the short, stocky built man turning his attentions back to his daughter. “The marriage will take place before the month is out, unless you sign this station and the money over to us and Gordon now, Phoebe.”
She glared at her father. “I don’t have the money, Father, at least not all of it.”
“What?” William exclaimed. “Why not?”
“She gave it to some debt collectors that were chasing my brother,” Gordon answered.
“You stupid girl!” her father yelled. “I needed that money—”
“But it is not your money, Father!” she yelled, pulling away from the older man and walking toward the door. “Nor is this your house! It is mine!”
“It won’t be for much longer unless you learn to behave yourself, Phoebe!” Gordon yelled, reaching out to her, his fingers tight around her elbow. “You learn to keep your mouth shut and do what you’re told to and you may yet live through th
is.”
She fought against him. “And what if I don’t?”
His grip on her tightened. “Then you will suffer pain until the day you die and we take this station anyway!”
* * * * *
Phoebe sat on the corner of her bed, her fingers playing with the Honiton lace adorning the hem of her silken white wedding gown, tears trailing down her cheeks. She had foolishly waited these past few weeks for any word from Duncan MacAllester, hoping he might come to rescue her from the hell she knew awaited her.
Still she had heard nothing. It was as if he had disappeared.
Out of desperation, she had sought out an informant hoping they might be able to track Duncan down and tell her of his whereabouts. She had heard nothing from them though.
Hearing a knock at her door, Phoebe quickly wiped away her tears.
“Come in,” she called.
Turning, she watched as the informant she had hired walked cautiously into her room.
“Have you found him?” she asked, unable to hide her hopefulness.
The informant shook his head. “I’m sorry, Miss.”
She fought back her tears, the sinking feeling in her stomach from the informant’s reply consuming her.
“Have you heard nothing at all?” she asked again, her desperation returning.
The informant stepped forward nervously. “R-Rumour has it Duncan MacAllester ran into some natives near the Burdekin River. There were no survivors.”
Phoebe felt her heart break as she listened to these words.
Duncan was dead!
She couldn’t bear for this to be reality not now. Not ever.
“H-He can’t be d-dead?” she begged, her tears consuming her as she looked desperate eyes to her informant.
“I’m so sorry, Miss.”
Defeated by the tragedy she had just been told of, she slowly stood up and walked over to her dressing table. Opening the drawer, she pulled forth a small bag of coin and set it on the dresser.
“Thank you for your service,” she muttered through her tears.
Waiting until the informant had quickly come forward to collect their payment, then just as quickly leave her room, Phoebe finally succumb to her emotions. Suddenly feeling very cold and empty, as if a part of her had just died, she collapsed to the floor.
“No!” she screamed.
* * * * *
Duncan approached the group of aboriginal men who were pulling their horses to a halt at the front of his station.
“Thank you for coming, Simon,” he greeted them. “You and your men can stay in the workers quarters out back. You have full control of the station and do what you must to get it back up and running.”
Simon nodded, signalling for his men to start moving out to the workers quarters behind the main house.
“Some men came to the mission looking for you, Duncan,” Simon said. “We told them we knew no man by your description.”
He nodded. “I appreciate that, my friend.”
“Did you return that woman to her family?” Simon asked.
He shuffled his feet in the dirt. “That woman is to be married to my brother. She claims to own Inkerman Downs Station.”
“She’s a Porter?” Simon asked. “She comes from wealthy people then. Her grandfather bought up most of the property around Inkerman and Holme Hill when they were first selling it to the white people.”
“You know her?” He asked.
Simon shook her head. “My people traded for supplies with the Porter’s ever since the supply boats started coming in.”
He thought on what his friend told him. Phoebe had been telling him the truth all along about her inheritance. He had heard of the Porter’s as most in the district had, but Duncan learnt long ago not to rate a person on their wealth. And to be honest, he had not come after her for her money or any property she might own.
He was here to ensure his brother didn’t put her through the hell he knew he was capable of. He was also here to beg her forgiveness for all he had kept hidden from her, and plead with her to give him another chance to prove himself worthy of the heart she once claimed to have given him.
Knowing he had to hurry and put things in motion, Duncan called David Pola over to where he still stood with Simon.
“I need to go into town on business now, Simon. You need anything at all, David and his men are here at your disposal.”
“Disposal?” David Pola asked annoyed. “You expect me and my men to stay here and be ordered around by a tribe of blacks?”
He nodded. “If you want your money, David, you’ll do what I ask without question.”
Turning, Duncan walked to where his horse was stabled.
“I’ll be back shortly,” he yelled back at the two men.
“How do you know we won’t just steal everything and be on our way?” David asked, yelling after him.
Duncan stopped, turning to face him with a smile. “I figure if that were your intentions, David, you and your men would have already done so in my absence.”
He looked around at his surroundings, glad to be home. “Besides, as you and your men have no doubt already gathered, there isn’t much of value here to steal.”
David laughed slightly, nodding at his comment.
“I need to go into town now and arrange the payment I promised you.”
* * * * *
David Pola stood uncomfortably next to the tall dark figure of Simon.
“This is bullshit!” David cursed. “I’ve every mind to just take my men and high tail it out of here.”
Reaching for a smoke, David lit it. “This Duncan MacAllester is full of shit. He ain’t got no money to pay us.”
“His family is the third wealthiest in the town you know,” Simon corrected the man beside him.
David laughed. “Maybe, but unless you don’t know, the MacAllester’s have practically disowned him!”
“It was Duncan who left,” Simon spoke up. “He made a lot of money working for his family, but he called it bad money. He bought this station with it hoping to settle here and get away from his family’s company. There was even a woman who wanted to settle here with him.”
“Say I believe you. What happened to his money then?” David asked.
“His brother took it bit by bit. Gordon stole stock from him, even cattle. Told the bank not to give Duncan any money to help when deals went bad. Rustlers stole most of the cattle and destroyed the station. After he was left an inheritance by a wealthy aunt, Duncan thought he was made and could repair the damage to his wealth, but the bank froze his accounts and wouldn’t give him access to any of what was left to him.”
David studied Simon, thinking over what he had just been told.
“What happened to the woman?” David finally asked.
Simon took off his hat and wiped his sweaty brow on his shirt sleeve.
“Gordon raped and killed her.”
Before David could ask any more questions, Simon turned and walked away from him.
* * * * *
Swinging himself up into the saddle on his horse, Duncan struggled to focus his thoughts. Since returning to town, he’d wanted nothing more than to rush to Phoebe’s side, holding her to him and taking her away from the dangers of her family. He also knew though the foolishness of such a thought.
He and Phoebe were not in a relationship, other than the few passionate encounters they had shared along their journey from Ravenswood to Inkerman. He couldn’t turn up at her door and sweep her up into his arms and take her away from all the evils. If he even tried, men would be sent after them again, and they would both be hunted down like criminals.
He was smart enough to know that trying to take her away at this stage would put her in even more danger than before. Depending on the men his brother sent after them, the danger could be even worse than what she may well already be living with.
He knew the monster his brother could be, and the ruthlessness of his family to get what they wanted, especially if there was
a debt involved. He knew too what Phoebe had told him of her own family, and he feared that should he not get to her soon that she would befall a fatal accident. But he had to tread carefully so Gordon didn’t suspect anything or she would no doubt pay dearly.
Another problem was Duncan didn’t know where to find Phoebe. He had sent one of David’s men to Inkerman Downs Station in search of her when first he had returned but she was nowhere to be found. He was growing desperate to know of her whereabouts and just how much she had been made to live through at the hands of his brother.
He knew there was only one way to know for certain where she was. He had to get back in good favour with his family and with his brother. Then and only then would he be in a position to find Phoebe and help her.
But what if she didn’t want his help?
Shaking his head as he pulled his horse away from the station, Duncan knew he couldn’t think about this now. Right now he needed to deal with the matter at hand.
Money.
He knew he had to first go to the bank to try and obtain the money he needed so that he could pay David Pola and his men to do his dirty work. He also needed to go about finding buyers for his cattle so that he might get his cattle station back in a profitable business.
Once this was done he could begin convincing his father that he was indeed the prodigal son returned. If he was smart enough, his family would never learn that he had really returned for Phoebe...and only her.
Dismounting from his horse out the front of the Burdekin Inn on the southern edge of the nearest township of Holme Hill, Duncan reached out for a young errand boy running past him.
“Boy, I need to know the whereabouts of a Miss Phoebe Porter.”
The boy struggled against him, but he didn’t concede.
“I’ll be leaving town in a few hours,” Duncan threw a coin at the boy. “I want everything you can find out on Miss Porter by then. Meet me here and there will be more coin waiting for you.”
Catching the coin, the boy pulled away from his loosened grip and quickly ran off into the busy streets.
