During the weekdays Tanner lived at Rosewood, and on the days she didn’t have the girls she stayed over in Tanner’s flat. They often ate dinner with Meredith and Phil in the main house and the kitchen would echo with their merriment. No longer was Tanner’s swag permanently positioned at the flat door.
Ever since his trip away it had been as Ella had predicted: there’d been no more road bumps between them. Instead there’d been commitment, laughter and in-depth conversations, but most of all love. Now all she needed were some answers about Edward Jones and for Tanner to again talk to his father. But so far there’d been no reply to the letter she’d sent to the United Kingdom and there’d been no more contact between Tanner and Stewart.
As she added the pot to the collection filling the box beside her, Meredith smiled from where she was digging up clumps of leafy violets. ‘I’m sure Reggie won’t mind if we donate some of his carrot seedlings.’
‘I won’t tell him if you don’t.’
Meredith laughed and moved to dig around another violet clump.
A car engine sounded. Meredith straightened and shaded her eyes against the morning sunlight. ‘Where’s Tanner?’
‘At the rodeo yards.’ Neve paused to examine the luxury vehicle that slowly made its way to the end of the poplar-lined driveway. ‘Why?’
Meredith lowered her hand and took off her pink gardening gloves. ‘That’s a city car with a city driver. I hope … Tanner might have a visitor.’
Neve pulled out her phone.
Tanner answered after one ring. ‘Hey, finished with Meredith yet?’
His husky tone made her cheeks blush. ‘No. I thought you said you had a ton of work to do this morning.’ Neve paused as Meredith approached the unfamiliar car and spoke to the elderly gentleman behind the wheel. Meredith glanced over at her and nodded. ‘Tanner …’
‘Yeah … you really do want me to come home?’
‘I do, but not for the reason you’re hoping for. I think … your father’s here.’
Silence.
‘Tanner?’
‘I’m on my way. Neve … don’t take anything he says personally … he’s gruff and opinionated, but he’s a good man.’
‘Okay.’
She brushed off her hands and went over to where Tanner’s father stood beside his car with the aid of a cane. Tall and thin, he once would have been a physically powerful man as well as an important one. His formal fawn trousers and blazer now hung off him, but there was no mistaking the hard line of his chin or air of self-assurance. It wasn’t any wonder Tanner and his father’s estrangement had endured. Both were strong-willed.
Bushy grey eyebrows drew together as Neve stopped in front of him.
‘Hi, I’m Neve.’ She offered him her hand, which he didn’t shake.
When she saw his white-knuckled grip on his cane she understood why. He was working hard to maintain his balance.
‘Good morning, I’m Stewart. I take it you’re the city girl my son’s been helping?’
She smiled, conscious she was in dirt-covered farm clothes and that Tanner’s father’s voice was modulated and highly educated.
‘I think the politically correct term is I’m a ring-in, which means I get to enjoy the best of both worlds.’
Stewart’s forbidding expression didn’t change. She was also conscious he’d called Tanner his son. As hostile as their relationship was, he loved the child he’d adopted. He’d also ventured out to the bush to see him, which wouldn’t have been a decision he’d have made lightly.
Meredith stood quietly watching the two of them.
Neve offered Stewart her arm. ‘How about we go inside for a cuppa. I’ll make yours Earl Grey so you too can have the best of both worlds … city refinement and country hospitality.’
For a long second she thought he wouldn’t accept her offer, then his lips twisted in what she hoped was a smile.
He took her arm. ‘Thank you. A proper cup of tea would be appreciated. I don’t know what I drank at that hotel I stayed in last night.’
She matched her pace to his. He looked around as he walked. ‘Your photographs don’t do your home justice, Meredith.’
‘Thank you. I’m glad you’ve decided to see it for yourself. I’ve a large ground-floor guest room that I believe you’ll find very comfortable.’
‘We’ll see,’ was all Stewart said.
Neve had only helped him negotiate the bottom veranda step when the engine of Tanner’s ute roared. Gravel skittered as he braked to a stop. Shoulders braced and stride long, he headed their way. His gaze skimmed her face before he greeted his father.
‘Dad.’
From the grim cast of Tanner’s profile, he hadn’t expected his father to be so frail.
‘Tanner.’
He moved forward to take his father’s arm. Neve released her hold and went to stand beside Meredith at the base of the steps.
‘You’ve met him before?’ she asked quietly.
‘No. We’ve only sent an occasional email since Tanner found me. I just wanted him to know that my door’s always open. This is significant that Stewart’s come today. I hope for Tanner’s sake it isn’t to deliver bad news.’
‘Walking stick new?’ Tanner asked when he and his father took a rest on the middle step.
‘No.’
‘Did you have a fall when we spoke last? Is that what that crash was?’
Stewart didn’t answer until he reached the top step. Once on the veranda, he pulled his arm free from Tanner’s grasp and looked around for Neve. She scaled the steps and again offered him her arm.
‘Yes,’ he said without looking at Tanner. His blunt tone indicated that this was the end of their conversation.
A muscle worked in Tanner’s jaw.
When Stewart’s arm trembled, Neve knew why he’d appeared to reject Tanner’s assistance. He didn’t want his son to know how exhausted and physically weak he was.
While Meredith prepared the tea, Neve made sure she sat between Tanner and his father. She was also careful to not make it obvious that she and Tanner were a couple. But when Tanner plucked a leaf out of her hair, his father’s shrewd gaze narrowed.
After Stewart had enjoyed two cups of Earl Grey tea and a slice of Meredith’s show-winning sponge cake, colour had replaced his ashen tone. Meredith and Neve worked hard to steer the small talk onto safe topics, but once Stewart had declined a second piece of cake, he turned to Tanner. ‘I’m guessing you want to know why I’m here?’
Tanner nodded, his mouth a tense, serious line.
‘I’m not sick, just old, so you can stop looking so worried. You’ll have to put up with me for a while longer yet.’ He glanced at Neve. ‘I wanted to meet you and tell you in person why your grandmother’s Mr Jones was such a mystery.’
Stewart reached into his coat pocket for a folded piece of paper. He placed it on the table, but before he opened it, he looked at Tanner. ‘I also came because I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have snapped at you when you last called. Yes, I lost my balance and knocked over a small table, but that was no excuse for taking out my frustration on you.’
Father and son looked at each other, both of their gazes steely and their jaws jutted. Tanner mightn’t be Stewart’s biological child, but their similar mannerisms said they’d grown up as a close-knit family unit.
‘Apology accepted,’ Tanner said, tone gruff.
‘While we’re clearing the air … seeing as you finally would have made your mother proud and happy …’ When Stewart looked at Neve she was surprised to see his grey eyes well with emotion. ‘Cynthia would have liked you, Neve. I know she wasn’t well, but she never went much on that American Genevieve.’ Stewart looked back at Tanner. ‘I also need to say I’m proud of you too … for being true to who you are.’
‘Dad …’
Neve eased her seat backwards to give Tanner room to reach past to grasp his father’s hand.
The intensity of emotion in the kitchen was almost palpable. She didn�
�t dare look at Meredith because if her eyes watered, Neve’s would too.
Stewart spoke again. ‘I know you think I disapproved of you for not choosing law over the bush, but the truth is I was jealous of the blood that flows through your veins. Your passion for horses is a constant reminder that you aren’t really my son. When your mother died … I was so scared I’d lose you too … I said things I shouldn’t have.’
‘You’re the man who raised me. I’ll always be your son.’
‘I hope so …’ Stewart settled his other hand on the top of Tanner’s. ‘Son.’
Meredith briefly left the table to touch the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief. Neve blinked to hold back her own tears.
Father and son smiled at each other before Tanner settled back in his chair. His hand sought Neve’s and she entwined her fingers with his.
Stewart sat straighter, before opening the folded piece of paper in front of him. ‘Now, Neve … why it’s been such a challenge to find anything out about this first husband of your grandmother’s is because … he was a member of a top-secret United Kingdom squadron called the 618.’
‘Wow. Sibylla was right. He was involved in something secret.’
‘He certainly was. This highly elite RAF squadron flew modified versions of the Mosquito aircraft, which was why the engine plate wasn’t from the usual Tiger Moths at the flying school. Edward was part of a covert mission that involved training for a special sea operation that used a highball or bouncing bomb.’
‘No wonder there wasn’t any information about what he did during the war.’
Stewart slid the paper that contained a page of printed information over to her. ‘Exactly. Not only were the war records top secret, but under the Official Secrets Act Edward would have been forbidden to talk about what he did even to family members. Your grandmother wouldn’t have really known why he was here.’
‘So what happened? His plane must have crashed, even though we can’t find any proof?’
‘Unfortunately it did, just after take-off. There was a dust storm and poor visibility. The incident was recorded as a general RAAF crash so as to not alert the Japanese via the press that the 618 squadron was in Australia. When I found that record I knew something didn’t add up, so I started digging.’
Neve stared unseeingly at the paper in front of her. She could only hope that Tanner had been right and that Netta and Edward had fitted a lifetime’s worth of living into their too-short time together.
She focused on the section of information that listed Edward’s war record. ‘So this isn’t all top secret now?’
‘No, the veil of secrecy was lifted in 1975. It’s incredible how many stories could then be told.’
‘I can imagine. Especially Edward’s. Thank you. This helps answer so many questions.’
‘You’re very welcome. I’m glad to have been able to help you find some answers.’ Stewart smiled across at Meredith. ‘If your offer of a room still stands, I’d like to accept it.’ He then nodded towards Tanner. ‘I’ll have a rest before seeing this fancy horse of yours that’s splashed all over your website.’
Stewart’s overnight stay turned into three nights. When he left Tanner had already booked a plane ticket from Sydney to Dubbo for his father’s next trip. They’d planned to drive out to see the hideaways and also to take a look at the old wartime airfield. Having his relationship with his father restored removed the last of the shadows from Tanner’s eyes. The time Stewart spent with Tanner also seemed to have lifted a burden from him. On his final day at Claremont he’d needed no help negotiating the front veranda steps.
Intrigued by the revelations about Edward Jones’s secret bouncing bomb mission, Neve looked further into the 618 squadron that had been given the codename ‘Oxtail’. Edward and her grandmother must have met sometime after the squadron arrived in January 1945, the ball was March, which was perhaps when he’d proposed, and then by April they were married. Now all she needed were the more personal details about how they met and why the marriage had been kept hidden.
The answers arrived in a large envelope with United Kingdom postage stamps. As hard as it was Neve waited until the girls had left and Tanner had arrived before opening the letter. They sat on the lounge, in front of the open fire, while she read the contents.
Edward’s youngest sister, Alice, had been thrilled to receive Neve’s letter. She’d known about her brother’s marriage. After the Official Secrets Act had been lifted, a 618 squadron member had contacted her to fill her in on what her brother had done during the war. As she was family she was then able to obtain Edward’s official military service record from the Ministry of Defence, which she had included.
Before the war Edward had been a fingerprint expert. His sister remembered him as being loyal and compassionate and a real gentleman. He’d written to her that he’d met someone, Netta, while playing tennis at a local hall. In his next letter he’d revealed he’d asked Netta to marry him at a ball and had proposed with a posy of flowers instead of a ring. In a subsequent letter he’d contained photos of the wedding along with a personal note from Netta.
Neve stopped reading to examine the full-length wedding photos Alice had sent copies of. The beautiful black-and-white images further showed how much her grandmother and Edward had loved each other.
Alice then detailed how her family had been notified about Edward’s death. Straight away she’d written to Netta and the two had exchanged letters. It was what Alice then revealed about Netta that answered the questions as to why her grandmother’s first marriage had been wiped from Neve’s family history.
Before the war, Netta’s parents had pushed her towards the son of prominent family friends. When war started, faced with uncertainty and pressure from both families as well as the son, Netta had agreed to be engaged. But before they were able to marry, her fiancé was posted overseas.
While he was away, she met and fell in love with Edward. Wanting to do the right thing by both men, she’d written to her fiancé and broken off their engagement. She returned her engagement ring to his family who, along with her parents, refused to speak to her or to acknowledge her marriage to Edward. Neve reached for Tanner’s hand when she read that this treatment continued even after Netta had lost Edward.
When her ex-fiancé returned injured from the war, mired in grief and with nowhere to go, Netta again faced pressure from both families to marry the man she’d jilted. They believed it would be the only way to make the scandal disappear. Her ex-fiancé had been prepared to take her back on the condition she never mention the name of her first husband. Alice then wrote that once Netta was remarried her letters stopped. She’d never heard from her again.
Neve re-read the last paragraph. Here was proof that her grandparents hadn’t been a love match. It was also clear why her grandfather had never gone to Reedy Creek Hall and why, when her grandmother had gone, she’d appeared almost young and carefree.
As for why her grandfather had been prepared to still marry her grandmother, she could only hazard a guess. Maybe it was because with her red-gold hair and gracefulness, Netta had been considered the beauty of the district. Or maybe it was because as the only surviving child, she’d stood to inherit bluestone Bundara and its productive farm land.
Tanner’s arm encircled her and he kissed her temple. ‘You okay? This is a lot to take in.’
‘It is. I just feel so sad for my grandmother. All those years of silence and secretive visits to Edward’s grave. I also feel anger towards my grandfather … but I think in his cold, unemotional way he loved her. My mother said he asked for her before he passed away.’
‘I wonder why your grandmother’s memento box stayed hidden?’
‘I wonder too … she didn’t live long after my grandfather died.’ Neve leaned forward to place the envelope and its contents on the coffee table. ‘The farm was in debt after years of drought and grandfather’s mental and physical ill health. My mother always blamed the stress of getting Bundara ready for sale
for my grandmother’s stroke. Perhaps she simply didn’t have a chance to dig the box up again?’
‘Your grandmother’s love for Edward might have been hidden for decades, but now it’s no longer a secret. In a way they’re together again and can now rest in peace.’
Neve turned to kiss the man whose integrity, strength and unselfishness had not only enriched her life, but had also brought her so much peace. ‘Have I told you today how much I love you, Tanner Callahan?’
EPILOGUE
Autumn had segued into winter and now bare branches swayed against the backdrop of an airbrushed sunset of apricot orange.
A hint of wood smoke tinged the air as the bonfire Neve had helped Tanner build took its time to burst into life. Around the large pile of wood, checked blankets covered hay bales and lanterns hung on poles to push back the incoming night. Neve counted the marshmallow packet stash she’d hidden in the basket beneath the bread rolls. Tanner had already snuck one packet and Maya and Kait’s cheeks resembled those of the wombat she’d discovered on her morning ride.
Tonight was the first celebration of many at the site where their dream home would be built. Thanks to heavy financial losses, Claremont’s stockbroker neighbour had abandoned his plans to renovate his small farmhouse. When Tanner had approached him about buying the farm, contracts had been exchanged within a month.
She moved the marshmallows to a new hiding place in another basket and stared out over the picturesque Bell River Valley to the distant hewn ridge. She could understand why Tanner loved this elevated plateau and had wanted to wake up every morning to the breathtaking view.
As well as finalising their house design, Neve had worked with Meredith to plan a water-wise garden. Fliss had already potted up cuttings from the Bundara garden that Neve’s grandmother had once planted.
To the left of where the house would sit there would also be enough space for a vegetable garden as well as smaller paddocks. When Dell’s foal arrived she would need space away from Bassie and Skittles, who had become partners in pony crime. Add into the mix two big-eyed alpacas and their animal family was growing.
The Round Yard Page 29