The Cartographer's Secret

by Téa Cooper

  ‘Does he indeed. Always knew that boy had his head screwed on.’

  ‘He didn’t tell me himself. Sam told me, I shouldn’t have said anything.’

  ‘No harm in knowing these things.’ Olivia brushed her hands together as though removing the last little crumb of doubt. ‘I will telegraph Miriam from Wollombi and tell her of your decision to stay. I’m not ready to deal with her just yet.’

  Whatever did Olivia need to do? ‘Deal with her?’

  ‘You concentrate on the map and I’ll concentrate on my business. Now off you go. Peg will move your belongings into the main house, you’ve got work to do. I’ll be back in time for supper. We’ll eat in the dining room tonight.’ And with that Olivia swept out of the door.

  Lettie sat for a while at the kitchen table pondering Olivia’s change of demeanour then returned to the study. She too had a plan, one she would discuss with Olivia over supper.

  Thirty-Three

  While Peg gave the massive cedar table a final polish and arranged carafes of water and lemonade and glasses on the sideboard next to plates of sandwiches, Lettie sat chewing the end of her pencil, her fingers itching to help. ‘Are you sure there’s nothing I can do, Peg?’ she called from the study.

  ‘Positive. You get on with that story. I thought you had a deadline.’

  She did. Raw Edge did. The response she’d had from The Bulletin when she’d pitched her idea for Evie’s story was as swift as it was surprising and now instead of an article as she had originally suggested she was putting together the final proposal for a book. Not The Prince of Explorers but the story of Evelyn Ludgrove, an adventurous and brave woman who set out to solve the mystery that consumed and baffled the world.

  Olivia swooped into the room and dived like a kookaburra after a lizard for the corner of the desk. ‘I don’t want this available until everyone is here.’ She snatched the foolscap leather wallet and marched across to the dining room.

  Neither she nor Peg knew what Olivia had planned but it had to be important because she’d worked herself into a frenzy ever since her visit to Cessnock four weeks ago. And she’d invited Miriam and Pater to Yellow Rock—much to Lettie’s surprise—and they had accepted.

  Nathaniel and Denman had arrived a day ago and, as Olivia had suggested, taken up residence in the farmhouse although Lettie had a sneaking suspicion Nathaniel might still be sleeping in the stables—something about needing to keep an eye on the horses.

  The morning wore on and the temperature climbed almost as high as her curiosity. She packed up her notebook and decided to take a walk. First and foremost, she wanted to see Nathaniel. She’d gone looking for him last evening but Denman had mumbled something about a job he had to do. In the end, she’d given up and gone to bed only to lie awake listening to the cicadas.

  She’d thought long and hard about what he’d said about Miriam’s plans for Ludgrove and tried in a million ways to decide what she should do. Olivia’s request that she should finish Evie’s map and her submission to The Bulletin had provided her with yet more excuses to procrastinate. There was no practical reason for her to stay at Yellow Rock anymore, just the sense of belonging, one she didn’t want to slip through her fingers.

  She found Nathaniel out in the paddocks, one of the young colts on a long rope bucking and kicking and carrying on a treat. She hung over the fence, admiring his patience and gentle words. The thought he might be avoiding her crossed her mind and when he took little notice of her arrival she found a spot in the shade to wait. Pulling out a piece of paper and pencil she started to sketch Nathaniel with the colt. Although she claimed to have finished Evie’s map there were little vignettes that she continued to add, rather as she suspected Evie had. This would be one of them. Nathaniel deserved a place on the map as much as anyone else. Without him, they would never have found Evie’s saddlebag.

  Lettie stretched and let out a long sigh when the large black Cadillac swept into the driveway, Pater behind the wheel and Miriam trailing her trademark chiffon scarf. They pulled to a halt outside the main house. Lettie pushed the sketch into her pocket and rose.

  The moment she rounded the corner of the farmhouse Pater leapt from the car, arms extended, a huge smile on his face. ‘Lettie, it is such a delight to see you.’ He held her away from him. ‘You look happy, the happiest I’ve seen you since … The country air must agree with you.’

  Her gaze raked his face, taking in the tell-tale signs of concern, the deepened lines around his mouth and his florid complexion. ‘It’s lovely to see you, Pater.’ She disentangled herself from his grasp and turned to Miriam. ‘Mother.’

  ‘Is there someone who can see to our bags? Your father refused to allow Connors to accompany us.’ She disentangled her chiffon scarf and peeled off her gloves. ‘It is appallingly hot. Not a breath of air.’

  ‘I’ll take your bags. Peg has prepared rooms for you.’ Lettie bent down to pick up the two leather cases and hatbox.

  ‘I can manage those. You take the hatbox.’ Pater grasped a bag in either hand, gave a huff. ‘Lead the way.’

  Lettie skittered up the path, a rush of apprehension drying her mouth. Whatever had Olivia planned? No matter how many questions she’d asked, how she’d phrased them, Olivia had refused to enter into any discussion and now Miriam and Pater had finally arrived she couldn’t pretend everything would stay the same.

  Once she reached the top of the stairs she gestured to the bedrooms. ‘Olivia said you were to take your pick.’

  Miriam marched across the landing and threw open the door to Alice’s bedroom with a proprietorial air, gave a nod of approval. ‘Your father will take Pa’s old room. I shall be down once I have refreshed myself.’ The door closed with a bang, reminding Lettie that she had promised Olivia she would change.

  ‘I won’t be a moment, Pater.’ She gestured to her moleskins. ‘I need to change.’

  ‘Very good, very good.’ He tossed his small bag onto the bed in the sparse room adjacent to the main bedroom. ‘Try not to take too long. I shall wait here.’

  Lettie slipped into Evie’s room and opened the cupboard door. Peg had hung her clothes up but there was nothing that suited her mood; finally she pulled down one of Evie’s white muslin dresses and slipped it over her head. If nothing else she would be cool. She pulled a brush through her hair and fastened it with a black ribbon, slipped on a pair of stockings and boots and within moments joined Pater.

  ‘Now, you can tell me everything that has been happening. I’ve quite missed my favourite girl.’ He threaded his arm through hers and they made their way back down the stairs to the dining room.

  There was no sign of Olivia but Denman stood deep in conversation with a couple Lettie had never met before.

  Peg appeared carrying a plate of fruit cake. ‘Ah! I see your parents have arrived.’ She led them across to Denman. ‘Mr and Mrs Lovedale, may I introduce Olivia’s great-niece, Letitia Rawlings.’

  ‘Delighted to meet you, at long last, my dear.’ Mr Lovedale’s eyes sparkled as he reached out and took her hand in both of his. ‘I’ve heard all about you.’

  Lettie stammered some sort of welcome and extricated her hand. ‘This is my father, Edward Rawlings.’

  ‘Ah, yes. Rawlings. Good day. I hope your wife will be joining us.’

  ‘She will.’ Pater turned to Lettie. ‘I should go and find your mother, she won’t want to miss anything.’

  More likely she’d wait until everyone was seated before she made some sort of entrance. As if to call her a liar, Miriam appeared. Quick to grasp the opportunity, Pater rushed across the room and settled her in the chair at the top of the table just as Olivia and Nathaniel entered the room.

  Olivia moved to the other end of the table, away from Miriam. She gestured to the seat to her right. ‘Lettie, I’d like you to sit here, Mr Lovedale next to Lettie and then Mrs Lovedale. Peg, perhaps you’d like to sit opposite Mrs Lovedale. Nathaniel on my left and Denman next to Peg.’ Then she stood at the head of the ta
ble, leaving Miriam and Pater marooned at the bottom of the table.

  Olivia raised the empty glass in front of her and hit it with a knife. The murmur of conversation stilled. ‘I’ve asked you all here today because the time has come to settle the future. Our future. The future of Yellow Rock.

  ‘Before we go any further I would like to introduce Mr Lovedale and his wife. Mr Lovedale is my solicitor. I have known them for many years and value their opinion.’

  Miriam’s face flushed an interesting shade of purple. ‘Edward,’ she hissed. ‘Credentials. What are his credentials?’

  Before Pater could answer Lovedale rose to his feet and took matters into his own hands. ‘I believe my credentials are more than adequate. I worked in Sydney for many years and more recently confined my practice to the local area. Shall we continue, Olivia?’ He gave a tight bow of his head and sat down.

  Olivia’s lips tilted. ‘Firstly, I would like to thank you, Miriam, for sending Letitia here to Yellow Rock. She has helped me move forward and I now find myself able to look to the future.’ Olivia reached out and grasped Lettie’s hand.

  A smile danced across Miriam’s face and she sat back, hands neatly clasped in front of her. Pater cleared his throat and mopped at his forehead with a large silk handkerchief. Lettie’s stomach turned. Had Olivia gone mad? Was she about to fulfil Miriam’s appalling demands? The words of the awful note Miriam had sent to Olivia danced in front of her eyes. Both the Ludgrove and Maynard properties will now pass to my daughter, Letitia Miriam Rawlings, the family’s sole heir.

  Was Olivia finally going to acquiesce to Miriam’s outrageous claims? Did Olivia not understand what this would mean? Why hadn’t she discussed it with her? The fighting and the bickering that would ensue when Miriam demanded one, or worse, both properties should be sold made her blood run cold. ‘No!’ The word was out of her mouth before she knew it had happened.

  ‘Letitia, calm yourself. Everything is as it should be.’ Miriam could hardly contain her jubilation. ‘Let Aunt Olivia finish.’

  Oh! How she wished Thorne was here. His inheritance, not hers. Nothing she wanted. What would happen to Olivia, to Peg, to Denman and Nathaniel? To Evie’s map, her story.

  Miriam sat up a little straighter, possibly considered standing but Pater rested his hand on her arm and mumbled something Lettie didn’t catch under his breath.

  ‘I have asked you all here to tell you my plans for the future,’ Olivia continued.

  ‘Discuss our plans for the future.’ Miriam pushed Pater’s hand aside.

  ‘My plans for the Maynard property, which as Mr Lovedale will attest, are mine, and mine alone to make, and my decision, as trustee, regarding Ludgrove, due to Thorne’s unfortunate demise.’

  The bald statement was too much for Miriam. She flew to her feet, knocking a glass of water across the pristine white tablecloth. ‘It is only right and fair that Letitia should inherit. She is—’

  Olivia didn’t give Miriam the opportunity to finish. ‘Mr Lovedale, perhaps you’d like to explain.’ With a slight smile tipping her lips she sat down.

  Mr Lovedale opened the foolscap wallet Lettie had last seen on the desk in the study, rose to his feet, adjusted his waistcoat and cleared his throat. ‘Firstly, I would like to address the Ludgrove portion of the two properties. William Ludgrove’s will stipulated that the land and the dwellings built on the original grant should remain in trust for his daughter Evie. He settled a significant endowment on his eldest daughter, Miriam, when she married, and on his demise the title to the dwelling in Horbury Terrace passed to her. He saw no reason for further compensation. Olivia’s role was to hold the Ludgrove land in trusteeship until Evelyn Ludgrove returned, or her demise could be proven. It would then pass to Thorne Rawlings on his thirtieth birthday.’

  More huffings and puffings echoed from the other end of the table but no one paid any attention. Lettie lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Nathaniel; he offered a small, somewhat sad smile and looked away. There was something going on, something she didn’t understand.

  ‘And Maynard?’ Miriam couldn’t restrain herself.

  ‘I have decided to sell Maynard,’ Olivia said.

  A strangled gasp slipped between Miriam’s lips. ‘You cannot. That is part of Letitia’s inheritance. The Rawlings family is entitled to it. The Maynard and Ludgrove properties were to remain intact and pass to Thorne, the family’s only male heir.’

  And once more, it all came back to Thorne.

  ‘I have taken Mr Lovedale’s advice on the matter. The Maynard property belongs to me. I am within my rights.’

  Miriam thumped her fist on the table. ‘What about Father’s will? It specifically said that the two properties should not be divided. This is manipulation and fraud. I will not sit here and—’

  ‘Perhaps I should explain.’ Mr Lovedale rose again and with a benign smile raised his hand to stifle Miriam’s tirade. ‘I have perused William Ludgrove’s will at length. You are quite right, madam, to say that it was his preferred option that the two properties should not be divided. However, he simply did not own the Maynard property and was not in a position to make any stipulations regarding it.’

  ‘But my mother, Alice, was a Maynard. She and Olivia inherited the property when their parents, Mary and Alexander Maynard, died.’

  ‘And that I am afraid is where you are mistaken. Alice Maynard received a large dowry, which passed to her husband, William, on their marriage. That dowry did not include the title to the land. That title rests solely with Olivia Maynard as it has done since her parents’ passing. In much the same way as you have no claim over the Ludgrove property.’

  As though awaking from a coma Pater jumped to his feet. ‘I wish to purchase the Maynard property.’

  ‘Unfortunately that is not possible. An offer has already been accepted.’ Mr Lovedale paused, no doubt expecting Miriam to interject but strangely she remained silent.

  Lettie slumped back in the chair. How could this be happening? How could Olivia be sitting there with such a beatific smile on her face, not the slightest bit concerned about the ruckus her announcement had caused? More to the point how could she sell the only home she had ever known? Her gaze roamed the table. Mr Lovedale sat, his chin resting on his interlocked fingers rather as though he knew he held the winning hand. His wife by his side, composed, no hint of a frown upon her face. Only Oxley, perched next to Peg, with his lip caught on his tooth showed the slightest hint of the ghastly tension swirling around the table.

  And there in the middle, Denman, his pipe clasped in his hand waiting until he could take a surreptitious puff and Nathaniel refusing, refusing to catch her eye. It seemed that the Rawlings family, she, Miriam and Pater, were on the outer and being played by a master puppeteer.

  Amid a series of rattling glasses, Miriam struggled to her feet, grasped vainly at the cloth Peg had carefully placed on the table. ‘Olivia, Edward and I came here in the spirit of reconciliation—at your request, I might add. You have seen fit to make a mockery of our families’ heritage. I shall be seeking legal advice in Sydney. I have no intention of letting the matter rest. Letitia, we are leaving. You went to great pains to tell me that you were capable of making your own decisions. Now is the time to decide where your loyalties lie. Edward …’ Miriam groped for his hand. ‘I wish to retire.’

  The silence, heavy, charged and ominous, settled as Lettie strived to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. Olivia had sold Maynard! Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined it would come to this. The scraping of Olivia’s chair against the floorboards brought her from her reverie. ‘Aunt Olivia—’

  ‘Not now, Lettie, I have matters to discuss with Mr Lovedale. Peg, would you please serve the tea and sandwiches.’

  Unable to sit a moment longer, Lettie left the room. She walked directly into the study, leaning her back against the door hoping for some peace to collect her scattered thoughts. Oxley sloped in and settled under the desk as she sank into the chair and cast h
er eye over the room she had come to love.

  Maynard to be sold! Whatever was Olivia thinking? She’d said she wanted to keep the two properties as one. What would happen to the horses, the farmhouse, her business? She buried her face in her hands trying to settle her racing heart, trying to understand Olivia’s motives.

  ‘Can you spare me a moment?’ Nathaniel’s grave voice sent a wave of despair through her.

  What about Nathaniel and Denman? Hadn’t Olivia told them they could live in the farmhouse? Would that still be the case? Where did the Ludgrove property end and the Maynard property begin? The main house was on Ludgrove land, that she knew. What about the farmhouse? ‘Nathaniel.’ She lifted her head, pushed back the chair. ‘I am so sorry, so very, very sorry.’

  A frown creased his forehead, as though he didn’t understand a word she’d said. ‘I have to speak to you. I hoped to be able to tell you this before Olivia’s announcement but both she and Mr Lovedale felt it better to keep quiet until after the meeting.’

  Oh! The poor man, all his dreams shattered about Rossgole and now this. And what of Denman? He’d given up his smithy, left his livelihood. ‘Keep quiet? How can you keep quiet? What Olivia has done is outrageous. She has disenfranchised both you and Denman.’ She slammed her hands down on the desk, her building anger a respite from the overwhelming sense of sorrow enveloping her.

  ‘Lettie, listen. Olivia has accepted my offer for Maynard.’

  Every breath sucked out of her lungs. ‘Your offer?’ The words choked in her dry throat.

  ‘Yes. Once the contracts are signed I will own Maynard.’

  She shook her head, the last remnants of despair replaced by a swelling fury. How dare he? How dare he manipulate poor Olivia, take advantage of her while she was at her lowest, mourning the loss of Evie and Bailey?

  She covered the distance between them, thundered her fists against his chest. ‘You! You selfish, unthinking—’ her voice rose with a quiver of hysteria ‘—you conniving rat.’

  His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, imprisoning her flaying fists.