Blood Bond

by Green, Michael

  ‘The baby’s due in March and you’ll need time to recover from the birth. We’ve also got to get Archangel ready for the voyage.’

  ‘She is ready.’

  ‘She needs provisioning. It takes a lot of work.’

  ‘I’ll get Archangel ready myself,’ Penny said.

  ‘Then there’s the building projects. The earliest we can complete them is a year in May.’

  ‘At the rate your father’s adding to the list, we’ll never complete them,’ said Luke.

  Penny nodded. ‘Exactly — he’s just playing games.’

  ‘I’ll tell him tomorrow.’

  ‘Tell him what?’

  ‘I’ll tell him we’re leaving in eighteen months’ time. I’ll tell him he has to prioritise his list. That May the year after next is the absolute deadline. Fair enough?’

  Penny pondered for a few moments. ‘Fair enough, apart from one thing.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  Penny stood up and took Lee’s hand. ‘You’re going to tell him today. In fact, you’re going to tell him right now.’

  ‘It’s Christmas Day!’

  ‘Exactly. That can be your Christmas present to him — the fact you’re staying here for a whole eighteen months!’

  Luke stood up too. Steven had no option but to follow them towards Marina Hill.

  At least once a week, Penny and Lee would accompany Steven and Luke to Marina Hill and both communities would share a meal across the tape. The friendly banter between Fergus and Steven had increased as Jessica and Penny’s bellies grew. There was much boasting about the potency, swimming prowess and speed of their respective sperm. They both wagered their wife would give birth first.

  At Allison’s insistence, as soon as Penny went into labour, the Fishermans Cove group moved back to their old house on Marina Hill. As he arrived, Steven shouted the news across the tape, reminding Fergus of their wager. He had no sooner got Penny settled than Jessica went into labour too.

  Allison found herself moving between Jessica’s bedside and the quarantine tape, where she received updates from Steven, relayed by Luke. Allison had already decided she would cross the tape, irrespective of Mark’s edicts, if Penny had complications which Steven couldn’t handle. While she accepted the need for Lee to be kept isolated from the Gulf Harbour community, she considered Mark’s insistence about keeping Steven, Penny and Luke isolated unnecessarily paranoid.

  While all the drama was going on, Lee and Tommy sat on either side of the tape, talking about rabbits. Neither could understand what all the fuss was about.

  Fergus’s sperm clearly had the better stroke, or perhaps they had enjoyed a head start. Steven had, after all, been busy sailing Archangel for the first few days of the voyage from England. Whatever the reason, Fergus’s whoops of delight preceded Steven’s by forty-eight minutes. Both fathers were ecstatic, Fergus with his beautiful twin daughters — Marion and Chelsea — and Steven with his son, David.

  Mark was less pleased. Fergus had produced yet more girls. At least Penny had produced another son. Now he risked losing Steven, Luke, Lee and the new male baby’s genes. Perhaps with an expanded family Penny might still change her mind and stay in New Zealand.

  ‘I wonder if babies have a natural immunity to disease?’ Mark said to Allison later in the afternoon.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Maybe I could persuade Steven to swap his baby for one of Fergus’s twins.’

  Allison looked at him, incredulous. ‘You are joking, I hope?’

  ‘I’m not. Think about it. One of Fergus’s twins would solve Lee’s problem. If Lee had a mate, Penny would have no excuse to take Steven away. And we would get Steven’s baby’s genes.’

  ‘You’re warped. There’s no way Jessica and Fergus or Steven and Penny would even consider your stupid idea.’

  ‘It’s not stupid. It’s all a question of genes, don’t you see?’

  Allison was exasperated. ‘The only thing I see is that the Chatfield men of our generation have a flawed gene. Nigel, Corky and now you! You’re all as bad as one another!’ She left, slamming the door behind her, and didn’t talk to him again for over a week. Penny didn’t change her mind. Even though the departure date was still a year away, as soon as she had recovered from David’s birth she began planning the voyage back to England.

  Apart from getting Archangel ready for the voyage, Luke and Penny had to prepare themselves. They knew from their experiences during the voyages across the Tasman that they were ill-prepared to fend for themselves if Steven was injured or incapacitated in any way. They needed to learn to take sights and become competent navigators. They spent the evenings practising their navigation skills and learning as much as they could about the theory of offshore sailing.

  On Sunday, the official day of rest for the community, Steven, Penny, Luke, Lee and baby David would head out to Archangel. Sets of charts, navigation tables, sextants, chronometers, tools, bolts and screws were all checked.

  The year flew by. Finally, during April, they began loading the food for the voyage that Penny had spent months preparing and stockpiling. Their main provisions were smoked fish, dried meat, biscuits and a wide range of bottled food carefully packed into wooden boxes lined with straw.

  Despite the agreed deadline, more building projects were added to the list. Mark suggested their journey be postponed another month. Steven realised that he had no option but to announce a specific date in May. They would leave on May 24 — the anniversary of Archangel’s departure for England three years previously.

  They all felt the strain of the rapidly approaching departure date. Fergus was forever cracking jokes to ease the tension. Jessica looked longingly towards Archangel. Penny was excited, Steven and Mark both unusually quiet and subdued. Allison seemed to be the worst affected — jumpy, irritable and prone to break into tears for no apparent reason. Mark tried his best to console her, but his own emotions were in turmoil and try as he might he found himself unable to comfort her.

  On the evening of May 23, a farewell dinner was held on Marina Hill. Once again the groups sat on their respective sides of the quarantine tape, exchanging conversation and trying their best to make light of the situation.

  A pile of letters for relatives back in England were left beside one of the quarantine posts.

  ‘I hope they’re stamped,’ Steven quipped.

  Mark asked about Steven’s planned route and offered advice. Fergus offered advice on the best way to castrate Damian — two large flat stones being his recommended method. Finally, when all the wine and food had been consumed and all the lame jokes told, Steven announced that his party was returning to Fishermans Cove for an early night.

  ‘I’ll say goodbye now,’ Allison said.

  Steven looked at her.

  ‘I don’t think I can face standing on the beach tomorrow and saying goodbye,’ she explained wearily. ‘I’m going to get up early and walk out to Shakespear Park. I’ll wave to you from the cliffs. Can you please give my mother my love and give her those letters.’ Steven and Penny were both fond of Allison and they wanted to rush forward to hold her, to hug her, to kiss her goodbye. With tears in their eyes they turned and made their way back to Fishermans Cove. They didn’t have an early night; instead, Steven and Penny sat together on the veranda looking out over the water, enjoying their last night in New Zealand.

  Steven did not want to leave his father; he didn’t want to leave Zach and Nicole. Neither did he want to leave the community he had worked so hard to establish, or the country that he called home. But he wanted to be with Penny, and he wanted to be there for Lee and baby David. It had been a hard choice, but as he felt Penny snuggle closer to him he knew he had made the right choice.

  36

  Standing on the dockside, waiting to say goodbye to Steven, Mark felt more angry than sad. He wished Allison was beside him. He had woken when she left their bed before dawn, and had sensed her standing over him for a while. Then he felt her kiss him on the forehe
ad, as if saying she was sorry she wouldn’t be there to support him when he said goodbye to Steven. He loved her all the more for that kiss.

  He knew they’d both felt the strain of Archangel’s impending departure. They’d been snapping at each another and had been distant and aloof. Perhaps things would improve once Archangel had departed. No, they would improve. He promised himself he would make more time for her. He was determined to rekindle their love.

  Mark noticed one of the children was missing from the group. ‘Where’s Holly?’ he asked Zach.

  ‘She’s sick — she ate too much cake at the midnight feast,’ Nicole said before her brother could answer.

  ‘What were you doing having a midnight feast?’

  ‘All kids have midnight feasts,’ said Jessica, keen that Archangel’s departure should not be made more stressful than it already was by petty arguments.

  Fergus stood tall and upright, holding his baby daughter Chelsea with one arm, the other around Jessica’s shoulders, as if he was subconsciously tying to hold her back from running over to join her cousin Penny. The other twin, Marion, was fast asleep in Jessica’s arms. Tommy was jumping about as usual, trying to amuse himself, not sure what all the fuss was about. Misty lay on the grass close by, watching proceedings through one eye.

  Both the group staying behind and the one about to sail for England suddenly seemed pitifully small and vulnerable. ‘You could always change your mind,’ Mark said to Steven. ‘It’s not too late.’

  But it was too late. They all knew it. Worst of all was not being able to say goodbye properly by hugging and touching one another.

  ‘If you must go,’ Mark continued, barely able to conceal his anger and disappointment, ‘you should at least go via the west coast of America and search for other members of the Chatfield family.’

  ‘Dad, that’s not on. All Aunt Margaret told you before we left England was that your uncle had sired a child in a place in America that started with San! Have you any idea how many cities and towns beginning with San there are on the west coast of America? It’d be like searching for a needle in a haystack.’

  ‘She said she thought it was San Francisco or San Diego,’ Mark said stubbornly.

  ‘Thought — she wasn’t sure. Anyway, I’ve promised Penny we’ll arrive in England before winter sets in. We just haven’t got time.’

  Suddenly Steven just wanted to get away. ‘Take care,’ he said to his father. ‘All of you.’

  ‘And you,’ Mark said gruffly.

  ‘Bye, Uncle Steven,’ Nicole shouted, and a chorus of goodbyes erupted from the children.

  Misty, as if he sensed the time had finally come, stood up, arched his back, wandered lazily across and rubbed himself against Steven’s legs.

  As the chorus died down, Jessica started crying, and soon everyone, including Mark and Steven, had joined in. The voyagers climbed into the dinghy, keen to get the farewell over and done with. Steven pushed the dinghy off and had the oars shipped within seconds. As he rowed away from the waving figures he was overcome with guilt, sadness and fear of the future.

  He felt more relaxed once they had reached Archangel, but still the need to get away spurred him on. He clambered aboard and went straight to the anchor winch, leaving Penny and Luke to haul the dinghy up on the davits while Lee looked after the baby.

  As soon as the anchor was on deck, he unfurled the jib. Penny and Luke were still securing the dinghy as he took the wheel and swung Archangel ’s bow out towards the Hauraki Gulf. He knew there were still things to sort out below, last-minute supplies that needed to be stowed, but he wanted to get away. Everything could be sorted out later.

  From the cockpit they watched as the figures on shore, vigorously waving, became smaller and smaller. When Archangel passed Rakauananga Point and he could no longer see the party on shore, Steven changed course towards Rakino Island.

  ‘That was horrible,’ he said to Penny as she came and stood beside him at the wheel.

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘I know it was difficult for you. Thank you. I love you.’

  ‘I don’t love you like she does,’ Luke joked, ‘but thanks from me too.’

  Lee was not to be outdone. He put his arms around his adopted father’s waist. ‘I love you too, Dad,’ he said.

  The words brought fresh tears to Steven’s eyes. He had forgotten to say those words to his own father.

  The breeze was building, Luke helped Steven hoist the main and soon they were running fast across the shallow southern bays of the peninsula’s coastline. As soon as the sails were correctly set, Steven took his binoculars and scanned the clifftops. The group of figures reappeared on the old golf course and again the two parties waved frantically to each other.

  Steven scanned ahead to the knoll at the end of the peninsula, expecting to see Allison, but there was no sign of her. He handed the binoculars to Penny and helped Luke set the mizzen. Archangel was now creaming along, her wake foaming, as if she too was anxious to get away.

  ‘How sick is Holly?’ Mark asked Zach as they hurried back towards Marina Hill.

  ‘She’s got the runs,’ said Nicole.

  ‘What were you doing having a midnight feast?’ Mark asked again.

  Zach looked at the ground.

  ‘What’s been going on?’ Mark demanded. The sternness of his voice caused everyone to stop in their tracks.

  ‘It was Lee’s fault,’ sobbed Gina suddenly. ‘He stole a cake from his mother’s pantry and came across to our house at midnight. He wanted to say goodbye to Tommy properly.’

  ‘I didn’t know anything about it till it was too late,’ said Zach defensively. ‘Then I was too frightened to tell you.’

  ‘It might not be the cake anyway,’ said Nicole. ‘She was sick straight after she ate the cake, but then she wasn’t sick yesterday or the day before.’

  Mark’s look of thunder was replaced by one of alarm.

  ‘When was this midnight feast?’

  ‘Three nights ago,’ said Zach softly.

  Mark and Fergus started running towards the house. He found Holly lying in her own excrement.

  Sweating profusely, she had ripped off her nightdress and was lying on her back, clutching her father’s greenstone tiki, which always hung around her neck.

  ‘That’s the reason!’ Mark exclaimed after a few seconds.

  He rushed out of the room, almost knocking over Fergus in his haste.

  ‘What reason?’ called Fergus.

  ‘The reason they died.’

  Fergus bounded up the stairs behind his uncle.

  ‘What do you mean?’ he asked again. Without replying, Mark rushed to the wardrobe, pulled out his rifle and hurried to the window, where he fired four shots into the air.

  ‘What’s going on?’ demanded Fergus.

  As Mark turned to answer he noticed an envelope bearing his name sitting beside the stack of ammunition in the wardrobe. The handwriting on the envelope was Allison’s. He ripped it open and read it quickly.

  ‘Allison’s gone,’ he said, slumping down on the bed, tears streaming down his face. ‘She’s aboard Archangel.’ His inaction lasted only seconds as his mind raced ahead. ‘Go up to the cliffs and light a bonfire.’

  ‘But why, what’s happened?’

  ‘Just do it,’ Mark snapped, the distress in his voice compelling Fergus to hurry off without further question.

  Steven had just set the mizzen when he heard the faint retort of rifle fire. ‘Did you hear that?’ he asked Penny.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How many shots were there?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘I think it was four,’ Luke said.

  Steven was alarmed: four shots was the accepted signal for trouble. ‘I wonder what’s wrong.’

  ‘Maybe someone wants to post another letter,’ Luke joked. ‘Anyway, I’m not sure it was four shots — perhaps it was only three.’

  ‘Could have been Fergus shooting at that stray dog that was hanging around yes
terday,’ Penny suggested.

  Steven remained tense and alert. If there was trouble ashore they would surely hear the signal again. Perhaps his father was signalling that they’d left something behind. He racked his brains but he couldn’t think of anything. It didn’t matter anyway. If they’d forgotten anything they’d just have to improvise. He couldn’t go back and endure another tearful farewell.

  ‘Where did you say Allison would be standing?’ Luke asked, breaking Steven’s train of thought.

  Steven pointed to the rise at the eastern end of Te Haruhi Bay. ‘There’s a lookout point beside the track on the hillside.’

  Luke continued to search the clifftops as Archangel raced towards the end of the peninsula. All too soon the lookout point was out of sight.

  ‘We’re sailing much faster than I anticipated,’ Steven explained. ‘She obviously didn’t make it on time.’ They all felt disappointed, an emotion that was replaced by an overwhelming feeling of loneliness as the Whangaparaoa Peninsula fell away behind them.

  They sat in the cockpit for the rest of the morning, looking back, still vainly hoping to catch sight of Allison. In their hearts they knew they were already too far away to see her. Late in the morning, however, they noticed a plume of smoke above the peninsula.

  Steven’s concerns resurfaced. ‘I wonder if that’s a signal from my father.’

  ‘If it is, it’ll be another one of his tricks to delay you,’ said Penny firmly.

  ‘They’ll just be burning off more scrub,’ said Luke. ‘They’ve been talking about it for days.’

  Eventually Steven stopped looking back. Penny and Lee went below to make lunch while he and Luke made further adjustments to the sails and tuned the self-steering gear. They all relaxed once they could no longer see the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

  Fergus hurried back down from the cliffs and found Mark and Jessica at Holly’s bedside. They had bathed her, but she was delirious and clutching her stomach.

  ‘Any sign of Archangel turning back?’

  Fergus shook his head.

  ‘If Steven had known the full facts I know he would have stayed,’ Mark said bitterly. ‘And Allison, too.’