‘To shoot her!’ Clara gasped.
‘It’s the only humane thing to do.’
‘But shouldn’t your father or Arthur do that?’
‘No,’ Ronan said. ‘I’ll do it. They’ve enough on their plate with the other horses. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.’
As he drove up to the homestead to get his gun Ronan tried to control his emotions. It was one thing to shoot a rabbit or a snake. What he was about to do was worse than he could imagine, but he had no alternative. And there was no way he was going to ask Dad to do something he wasn’t prepared to do himself. Or Arthur for that matter. He was staggered at how Clara was coping. Over the many years she had been coming to Rathgarven they had often got into scrapes together, but he had no idea that she was made of such grit. With a pang he thought once again what a lucky man Lord Charles Fitzpatrick was.
Ten minutes later he was back at the gruesome scene and Clara was still consoling Melody.
‘You go over there behind the ute,’ he said to her, not wanting her to have to watch what he was going to do.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I’ll move away a bit, but I’ll talk to her while you do it.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. I’m sure.’
So, as Clara spoke softly to Melody, he lifted the gun and shot the mare through the skull, all the time shaking so much that he was surprised he was able to hit his target. With relief he saw Melody’s body collapse lifeless to the ground.
‘Oh, Ronan,’ Clara cried, rushing over to him. ‘She must have been in so much pain. And to think it took all that time to find her. The poor, poor mite.’
‘Yes,’ Ronan said, putting his arm around her.
Clara wiped tears away from her eyes. ‘Shannon Boy will wonder where she’s gone. Fret for her.’
Ronan held her tightly. ‘He’ll be okay. After all, he’s got Ma to look after him.’
He looked around at the devastation the fire had caused down here in the bottom paddock. Normally this was where the sheep grazed. As far as he could see it was black ash.
Now Clara wiped soot from his cheek with her hand. ‘Oh, Ronan,’ she said, looking at him with tears still streaming down her face. ‘Oh, Ronan. That must have taken so much courage.’
He thought of the times he had kissed her back at Rathgarven. Under the mulberry tree. On the island. All he wanted to do now was hold her in his arms and kiss her passionately. But he couldn’t. She belonged to another man. Instead, he took her hand and brought it to his lips.
‘Thank you, Clara, for being here with me while I did this.’
‘I’m glad I was,’ she said, wiping her tears with her other hand.
‘Now,’ he added hurriedly, afraid he would be unable to control the urge to kiss her, ‘we best head back up and see how the others are getting on.’
She held his eyes as she slowly took her hand away. ‘Yes,’ she said, moving away. ‘You’re right … we’d best go find the others.’
‘You get in the truck. I’ll deal with those poor burnt sheep in the corner over there. Relieve them from their agony.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ she said. ‘It’s not something you should do on your own.’
‘Clara, I’m fine. Truly I am.’
She shook her head. ‘No. I want to be with you.’
Ronan nodded. Together they walked over to the huddle of distressed sheep. As Ronan lifted his gun once again and fired time after time, he felt tears threaten. But whether they were tears for the desperate animals he was putting out of their misery, or tears of frustration that Clara was going home to Ireland to marry Lord Charles Fitzpatrick of Drominderry House, he wasn’t so sure.
CHAPTER
31
Kathleen saw the horse float coming up the driveway. The time had come: Shannon Boy was off to his new home. It wasn’t until Lorna had dropped her off on her way back to Medlow Stud from the train station the week before that Kathleen realised how close they had come to losing Eureka Park in the bushfire. But her relief was soon tempered when she discovered what had happened to Melody.
Clara was with Ronan when he told her. ‘I’m so sorry,’ Clara said. ‘Maybe if we’d found her sooner …’
‘No point in thinking that,’ Kathleen cut in. Despite her dreadful anguish, she didn’t want to add her own distress to Clara’s and Ronan’s. ‘I’m just grateful that you found her when you did and were able to end her agony.’ She put an arm around Ronan. ‘And those poor, poor sheep. That must have been so awful too. I’m very proud of you, darling. What you did couldn’t have been easy.’
Ronan looked at Clara. ‘I don’t think I could have shot Melody if Clara hadn’t been there to comfort her.’
‘Well, I’m immensely proud of you both.’
And she really was. Not just of Ronan and Clara, but also James, Arthur and Lillie for how they had coped. She was also very relieved that no one had been hurt and that the property had got off relatively unscathed apart from a number of fences needing replacing and quite a bit of burnt pasture. But fences could be rebuilt. Grass would grow back. Lives wouldn’t. Dreadfully sad as it was to lose Melody, Shannon Boy hadn’t seemed to fret too much after the first day or so. Nonetheless, the mare’s loss was also a blow financially. What she and James hadn’t told the rest of the family, as it would cause even more distress, was that she was once again in foal.
Kathleen refused to let herself dwell on what had happened. Australia was a land of extremes: floods, droughts and bushfires. They weren’t the first people on the land to be hit by a fire, and wouldn’t be the last. All they could do was get on with it and remember Melody for the fine mare that she was. And that she had given them Shannon Boy.
Now Tommy Brown’s horse float had arrived and she went to direct the driver where to park down by the stables. She had Shannon Boy in there ready to go. Yesterday she had taken a heap of photos of him. By himself and then with the children. Clara had wanted a special one of her with him to take back home.
‘When I’m at Drominderry House and hear he’s won the Melbourne Cup I’ll be famous,’ she’d laughed.
Lorna had told Kathleen she’d find it hard to let Shannon Boy go, and she was right.
‘Just remember you’re doing the best thing possible,’ she’d said on the phone last night. ‘We had a young foal I adored. When he went down to Tommy I lost my heart. Then he did so well I was really pleased I’d sent him.’
Although they’d practised putting Shannon Boy in their own float here at Eureka, he wasn’t too keen on this one. So it took James, Kathleen and Arthur quite a while to coax him up as he snorted and pranced about. When he was finally aboard, Kathleen tied him to the railing at the front of the box and kissed him on the forehead.
‘This is a great opportunity, young man,’ she said. ‘Now you make the best of it.’
She stepped down from the float and stood beside James. ‘He’ll be just fine,’ he said, placing an arm around her waist.
‘I know,’ she said. ‘But I’ll miss him.’
‘You’ll be able to go down and see him when he’s settled in, Mrs O’Sullivan,’ Arthur said.
‘Yes, you’re quite right, Arthur,’ Kathleen said. ‘It’ll be good to see how he comes on.’
Kathleen wiped a tear from her eye as the horse float disappeared down the driveway towards the front gate, and smiled at James.
‘Silly me. You’d think it was a child I was seeing off. Not a horse. Now come and I’ll make you both a cup of tea. Then I’ve got to go and get Lillie and Clara.’ The two girls had stayed the night in Tam-worth with a school friend, and Kathleen hoped Lillie would find a dress she liked for Deb’s birthday party as Kathleen had saved up some of her housekeeping money to give her as a surprise, knowing she was envious of Clara’s beautiful clothes.
* * *
When Kathleen picked the girls up in front of Marcus Clark’s, Lillie was gushing about the dress she’d found.
You’ll love it, Ma. It’s
sort of like a shift in a lovely floaty material … quite short.’
‘Not too short I hope.’
‘Minis are all the rage, Aunt Kathleen,’ Clara said. ‘And Lillie looks super in this one.’
Kathleen smiled. ‘I’m sure she does.’
It’ll be such fun to see a real Aussie woolshed,’ Clara said. ‘I’m thrilled Deb is having her party in one.’
‘A bit different to Drominderry House,’ Kathleen laughed.
‘I was telling Lillie how much Mummy’s looking forward to visiting me there. She can’t wait to help me have my first dinner party. And have the first hunt meet there. I think she’s got a list already of who she’s going to invite.’
‘Won’t Charles and his mother have a say?’ Kathleen asked. ‘I mean … it’s not as though Jessica will own the place.’
‘Ah, I think that’s the point. She may not have to worry about the upkeep and all that, but she can still invite her friends. Charles assured her she can regard it as her own place as much as she likes.’
‘What about his mother?’
‘Poor Lady Fitzpatrick isn’t well at all. She hardly leaves her room now.’
‘Oh. How sad. She’s always been such a vibrant woman. I hate to think of her being unwell.’
‘She is getting on.’
‘She’s not that old!’
‘Oh, I know that. She seems old, that’s all.’
‘That’s because she’s not well. I’m sure when she’s better she’ll be back to her old self.’
‘You’re probably quite right, Aunt Kathleen. How awful of me to have her with one foot in the grave already. I’m really very fond of her. And so is Charles.’
‘Anyway,’ Kathleen added, ‘undoubtedly Jessica will be a great asset to the place. As will you, my darling.’
‘Do you think so? I must admit I’d rather Charles wasn’t a lord with a huge estate. It is rather daunting.’
‘Darling, I know you’ll be brilliant.’
Having said that, Kathleen thought back to when she had arrived at Rathgarven as a young bride after returning from India all those years ago. How nervous she had been, wondering how she’d cope with having James’s mother in the same house. At least Kathleen hadn’t had to contend with her own mother living there as well. But her own mother would be a much easier woman to live with than Jessica would ever be. There was no way in the world Jessica would be able to stop herself making suggestions as to how the place was run. In a way I wouldn’t mind being a fly on the wall to see how it all pans out, Kathleen thought. The person who would have to compromise the most was Clara.
* * *
‘My God,’ Deb exclaimed to Lillie as they sat on one of the hay bales scattered about the woolshed. ‘You didn’t tell me she looks like that. I may not have asked her if I’d known. All the fellas will be lining up to dance with her. You and I won’t have a chance in hell.’ She eyed Clara and Ronan as they talked to the daughter of one of her parents’ friends. The party was in full swing.
‘Oh, you don’t have to worry about Clara. As I’ve told you, she’s engaged to an Irish lord. And having a huge wedding in Dublin.’
‘True. Still … she is gorgeous, isn’t she? And she has that great accent.’
‘Yeah, I suppose she does.’
Ronan came and joined them, leaving Clara talking to the girl, who was waving her hands around animatedly.
‘Fun, isn’t it?’ he said, sitting down next to Deb and looking around. ‘Your parents have put on a great do.’
‘The band’s great, isn’t it?’ Deb glanced over to where her parents were serving out soft drinks to the young ones. ‘Mum said they’ll play till eleven.’
Clara walked over and sat down. ‘That girl was really interesting, Deb,’ she said. ‘She told me she went to London for a year after she left school. She loved it.’
‘I may not be able to take you overseas, but would the birthday girl like a dance?’ Ronan asked, standing in front of Deb. ‘What’s say we show this lot how it’s done?’
Lillie felt like kissing her brother, for she knew how much that would mean to Deb, who was looking gorgeous in a red spotted mini dress, not unlike the one Lillie was wearing, except Lillie’s was blue. Clara was wearing a short white skirt and a pink halter-neck top, which showed off the great tan she had got being at Eureka. Across the room Lillie saw a boy she quite liked dancing with one of the girls who also caught the school bus. When the song ended she saw him escort the girl back to her seat, then start across the floor. For a moment she thought he was going to ask her for a dance. To her mortification, she saw it was Clara he was aiming for.
‘Heavens no,’ Clara said when he asked her for a dance, flashing her ring. ‘I’m an engaged woman. Lillie’s the one you should be dancing with.’
Lillie felt like a complete idiot. ‘I’m sorry,’ she stammered. ‘I’ve gotta go see someone.’ With that she rushed out to the loo, which was up near the stockyards. She thought of spending all night outside, rather than being a wallflower. Then she decided that was silly. In any case, Deb, or even Clara or Ronan, would probably come to look for her. So in the end she fiddled with her hair in the cracked mirror above the grimy sink and went back inside. Deb and Ronan were still dancing and Clara was still speaking to the fellow from the bus. No one seemed to have noticed she had gone outside at all, which made her feel even worse.
Ronan saw Deb back to her seat, and asked Lillie for a dance. She was feeling so down she refused.
‘Have it as you will,’ he said. ‘Don’t say I didn’t try to get you up.’
He asked Clara if she’d like a dance and she said yes.
‘Well … Ronan’s almost family,’ she laughed, winking at Lillie. ‘And I didn’t go much on that other fellow anyway.’
A boy Lillie had met at the gymkhana came over and asked her to dance, which made her feel much better. Even though she didn’t like him in a romantic sort of way, at least she wasn’t left standing on the edge of the dance floor looking like a complete idiot.
‘You’re a great dancer, Lillie,’ he said when he saw her back to her seat. ‘Maybe we can have another dance later?’
‘Yeah. That’d be great,’ she said, wondering why it couldn’t be someone she really fancied who had taken a shine to her. Like Brad Hickey.
‘Sorry,’ Deb had said when Lillie asked hopefully if he was coming. ‘He’s gone to a showjumping event in Brisbane. But he would’ve brought his girlfriend anyway. So you wouldn’t have had a hope.’
As Lillie sat there, she noticed Ronan was still dancing with Clara. Deb had gone over to talk to a group of their school friends, and Lillie went over to join them. When the band finished playing, she saw Ronan and Clara head outside. She thought of going to join them, but they seemed so engrossed in conversation she felt she might be intruding. After the band started up once more they came back onto the dance floor. This time the band played a slow ballad. As Ronan held Clara close to him, he had a look on his face Lillie had never seen before. It was a look she’d have loved someone like Brad Hickey to have on his face when he danced with her. Oh, Ronan! she thought. If Charles Fitzpatrick could see you dancing with Clara like that, he’d be furious.
Don’t go there, Ronan. Please … just don’t.
CHAPTER
32
Kathleen was sad when April came around and it was time for Clara to leave and get organised for her wedding to Charles Fitzpatrick in August.
‘But why can’t you stay longer?’ Freddie asked.
‘Because I have to get my wedding dress organised. And Mummy needs me to help choose her outfit as well. And we have to send the invitations out. There’s so much to do.’
‘Well, I don’t think it’s fair,’ Freddie protested as Clara said goodbye to him and Marcus as they left for school the day she was to leave. ‘I think that lord or whoever he is should come here to live. Then you could stay.’
Lillie laughed. ‘I can’t see Lord Fitzpatrick wanting to l
ive here, Freddie.’ She looked at Ronan. ‘Can you?’
Ronan, who was about to drive back to Armidale, dropping Lillie off at school on the way, smiled. ‘No, I can’t.’
Kathleen watched Clara kiss Lillie goodbye, and then Ronan.
‘Goodbye, Clara,’ he said. ‘And good luck.’
Kathleen saw Clara and her son hold each other’s eyes for just a second. But in that second Kathleen felt something familiar about that look. It was a look she had given her squadron leader all those years ago when they had first met. Maybe it’s time Clara did go back to her lord, she thought. Although she didn’t suspect anything had gone on between Clara and Ronan, maybe too much time away from her fiancé was not good.
Ronan abruptly jumped in the car and he and Lillie drove off, with Lillie waving out of the window. And straightaway, without saying anything, Clara turned around and went inside to pack.
Later in the day Clara sought James out to say a final goodbye before Kathleen drove her to the train. ‘Take care, Uncle James,’ she said, giving him a huge kiss.
‘You look after yourself, Clara. And do tell your mother how we’re looking after Finn’s place for him. Undoubtedly she’ll be sad to know he’d started drinking again, causing him to do what he did.’
To Kathleen it was as if James wanted Clara to tell Jessica again how Finn had succumbed to the drink and that’s what had killed him. Why was James rubbing it in?
‘Anyway,’ he added, walking them to the car, ‘we loved having you, Clara. And good luck with the wedding. Make sure you send lots of photos.’
‘I promise I’ll send heaps.’ After saying goodbye to Arthur and then kneeling down to kiss Dingo, she got in the car next to Kathleen and they drove off. ‘I’m going to miss Eureka and everyone so much,’ she said, waving out the window.
‘Ah,’ Kathleen said, placing a hand on her knee. ‘As soon as you see your Charles you’ll forget all about us.’
‘That’s not true.’
Despite her misgivings earlier on, Kathleen thought it probably was true. With the excitement of the wedding, then the honeymoon and moving to Drominderry House, the O’Sullivans, including Ronan, were bound to fade into the distance. Later, as she drove home, Kathleen felt quite low. The house would be so quiet without her.
The Homestead on the River Page 29