Given the extremely late night for most, Aurora had expected them to sleep in to mid morning, if not late morning. She was, therefore, incredibly surprised when the opening doors and general noise started again at dawn. She would gladly have throttled one of them. Instead, she rolled out of bed and dragged herself over to the area where they had all been last night, doing her best to be as animated as possible under the circumstances.
The happy couple where preparing breakfast along with most of the Bilgarra crew. It sucked to be the only non-morning person amidst a group who bounced out of bed chirpy. Then the fact that the bride and groom were in the same place registered somewhere in the recesses of her brain. She figured that in the circumstances it may be a little hard for them to stay clear of each other until they said their vows, and quite frankly, who nowadays was superstitious anyway?
She was trying to huddle into the corner, desperately clutching her coffee when she noticed another man stride into the group. He hadn’t been there last night. She would have noticed as he had a city boy look about him and he stuck out from the others. The deck shoes and designer jeans and collared shirt very much gave him away. What really made her eyes bug was the fact that he strode straight over to Theresa, grabbed her in a monstrous hug and kissed her very soundly, in a way that was certainly NOT brotherly.
Aurora’s eyes searched for Cal. She was even more horrified when she spotted him at the back of the group, being firmly slapped on the shoulder by the interloper. Aurora had never taken him for a man who would be happy to share his fiancée with another. She gently shook her head as if to clear it. Maybe she was seeing things due to sleep deprivation and too much caffeine on an empty stomach. When she looked back, she realised that her eyes were not deceiving her, the man was standing there with his arm around Theresa.
She figured that there had to be some logical explanation. She sure as hell wasn’t going to ask. It was hard enough dealing with feelings she shouldn’t have when she was the only one who knew about it. It would be infinitely harder if others worked it out. It would create a lot of tension and unease. And she had to face it; she was only at Bilgarra for a couple more weeks. She made a determined decision to try an ignore Cal, Theresa and the stranger for the next few hours and just sit back and enjoy not having to do anything in the middle of a group of people who were fun and hell bent on enjoying themselves.
The wedding ceremony was held under one of the big trees to the side of the main house in the late afternoon. There was a slight breeze blowing and the gentle swish of the leaves was almost nature’s concerto to the happy couple. The subtle movement of the veil and the soft folds of the bride’s dress added movement to the music. Aurora had been to some very flash weddings in Sydney over the years but none of those came anywhere near to this one for its impact.
The bride and groom stood under a sprawling tree, blue skies above, the wheat coloured grass and the mountains behind. The simplicity of the picture and the couple was beautiful. She could tell from their attention to each other that making the commitment was more important than staging a gala event. Her eyes welled up when they took their first kiss as husband and wife. Whilst her rational brain told her that they had no doubt kissed hundreds, if not thousands of times before, this one carried special significance. Callan and Theresa stood beside the groom and bride respectively and it crossed Aurora’s mind that it would be their turn soon.
As hard as she was trying to ignore him, and her newly discovered, and very inappropriate, feelings for him, she couldn’t miss the statement that he made in black suit pants and open necked black satin shirt. He normally had a masculine rugged air about him but in the groomsman outfit he looked like a real bad boy all he needed to complete the picture was 2 day stubble. She was thankful in a way that he was off limits. It would be so easy to make a fool of herself over him.
After the congratulatory huddle around the bride and groom had died down and the photographer had assembled everybody for a group shot, he borrowed the bridal party and immediate family for some photos. There was some great scenery here and Aurora didn’t doubt that the wedding photos would be absolutely stunning. The photographer was lucky he had attractive subjects and a fantastic backdrop. If he couldn’t work magic out of that there was no hope for him.
The group moved over to where the buffet tables had been set up. The whole ‘reception’ was taking place under the stars. Strings of fairy lights had been criss-crossed over the area and a large wooden dance floor erected to one side. There were tables and chairs set out with stark white cloths and table centrepieces made of native flowers that matched the bride’s bouquet. Once again, the simplicity of it all struck Aurora. There were no formal place cards or seating plan and one of the others had told her that the bride and groom had banned speeches so she guessed that it was not going to have any of the formal hallmarks of a traditional wedding reception.
There had been two spits roasting for a few hours now one with beef and the other with lamb. The women, herself included, had spent a lot of time this morning organising vegetables and side dishes. The idea had been to serve dishes that were not going to require a lot of attention to cooking so that nobody had the burden of worrying about the catering. So far it seemed to be working well and the men had organised the alfoil packages of roast vegies into the coals under the spits. The side dishes didn’t require refrigeration and were already on the tables, covered, so there was nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy.
A band had been brought in from Charters Towers and they started not long after the end of the ceremony. The family returned from photos relatively quickly, with the bridal party making their entrance just on dusk. Aurora’s eyes went straight to Cal and Theresa entering together behind the bride and groom. They had to be excited over the fact that they would be doing it themselves soon. Their faces were certainly radiating happiness.
She turned her attention away, quickly scanning the crowd, checking out people and outfits and generally absorbing the atmosphere. People were milling about, chatting in small groups when Cal whistled incredibly loudly, snagging everybody’s attention and there was an almost immediate hush that fell over the group.
‘Thanks everyone. Look I know that there are to be no speeches and I was expressly told that I wasn’t to prepare one and don’t panic, I haven’t, but I think it would be wrong for us to celebrate the marriage of Sophie and Jeff without a formal introduction of Mr and Mrs Calvin and a toast to their good health and a long and fruitful union.’
At that point a young guy from the area over towards the drinks on ice yelled out that he bet that Jeff and Sophie had already been practising producing fruit. Cal chuckled at that and continued.
‘In all seriousness, Soph and Jeff, all the best.’
With that he raised the can in his hand, the group following suit with a chorus of ‘To Sophie and Jeff.’ Catcalls and whistles followed with cutlery being hit against glasses, calling for a kiss. With a genuineness that touched Aurora, Jeff placed his hands on either side of Sophie’s face and kissed her in an incredibly tender fashion. Applause rippled through the guests and the band took that as their cue to launch into a version of an early Madonna number, Crazy for You.
Completely breaking with tradition, Jeff grabbed Sophie’s hand and pulled her over to the dance floor. The pair of them moved to the song, speaking in hushed tones and lost in their little world together. Before she knew what was happening, Cal had grabbed Aurora’s hand and pulled her to her feet.
‘Come dance with me.’
Aurora was too stunned to disagree and blindly followed him out to the dance floor. Cal didn’t hold her in the traditional waltz position, but rather looped his arms around the back of her waist. She didn’t feel comfortable in putting her arms around his neck so she left her hands resting awkwardly on top of his arms. When they spun around she noticed that Theresa and the guy from this morning were wrapped around each other in a very surprising way. She wondered whether Cal’s interest in her
was some sort of jealous payback for Theresa’s behaviour with the other man. That realisation took the pleasure out of the moment for her.
The song ended and the band launched into a fast number. Some people stayed on the floor bouncing around but when Cal raised a questioning eyebrow at her she shook her head and he walked her back to where she had been sitting. Trudy and Rick had sat down and once she herself had sat down, Cal and Rick launched into an in depth conversation about some breeding programme that the owners of this property were considering trialling.
Rick’s and Cal’s father, Trevor, also came and stood alongside the table, bringing Arthur with him. The four of them had only been together for a matter of minutes before Cal headed off in the direction of the drinks. Aurora snuck some covert glances at Trevor. He had very much kept to himself for the time that Aurora had been at Bilgarra Springs and she didn’t think that she had said more than two words to him. He and Rick had an easiness between them though that made her realise what she had missed out on losing her parents as she had.
She glanced over Trevor’s shoulder and saw Callan and Theresa on the dance floor. The pace had changed again and this was another slower number. They also had a relaxed way when they were together that made the problems that she had glossed over in her own marriage all the more obvious. She did envy them. She envied what they had together. She was also, she hated to admit, a little jealous of Theresa and the life that she would build with Cal.
She averted her eyes with difficulty. There was nothing to be gained by hoping for what couldn’t be. She decided to focus on the company at the table. It may have been Aurora’s imagination, or maybe her guilty conscience, but it certainly appeared to her that Trudy had a look on her face that said that she could see right through Aurora. When the music changed again, it was Rick who was asking her to dance and she gladly accepted. It was a convenient means of escape from any questions that Trudy may have been going to fire at her.
The next couple of hours were a blur of food and dancing for Aurora. She had barely had time to catch her breath when Arthur took her out to dance. She had sat down for the fifteen minute break for the band and had a good feed. Then it was Trevor asking her to dance, which initially made her feel a little uncomfortable, but he turned out to be incredibly funny in his own quiet way. Dessert had come next, followed by another dance with Cal, a turn around the floor with Mike, followed by three consecutive songs with Gerry, then another slow round with Callan.
Being close to him again wasn’t helping any with the budding feelings. She did wonder at the relationship that he and Theresa had as she was now sitting on the lap of the stranger who had kissed her so soundly this morning. She at least appreciated now how easy it was to develop feelings for someone that weren’t strictly appropriate and how easy it would be to slip into the role of ‘other woman’ even if she hadn’t set out to organise it.
There had been more dancing and things had been going along really nicely until Keith asked her to dance. It was a slow number and she couldn’t very well say no as she had danced with every other male from Bilgarra at one point or another, with the exception of Matt who hadn’t danced at all. She had accepted, but it hadn’t taken very long at all until the hand that should have been on her back slipped lower and lower, until it was resting on one of her buttocks. Not very elegantly or subtly Aurora grabbed and it put it back where it belonged. Less than thirty seconds later both hands had gravitated downwards and Keith had a firm grip on her, pulling her against him.
As far as she was concerned it was bad enough having his hands on her without being pressed against him as well. She semi-gently pushed against his chest to try and make it known that he needed to giver her space but he wouldn’t let go. She pushed harder still with no luck. She was just about to give him a really hard shove when she and Keith were pulled unceremoniously off the side of the dance floor into the darkness under the trees. Aurora stumbled a bit but was set right by a hand behind her. Next thing she knew she was abruptly removed from Keith’s hold and placed to one side and as neat as you like Callan turned Keith by the arm and punched him squarely in the mouth.
The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion but in reality probably only took a few seconds. When Aurora got over the initial shock of it all, she noticed that Keith had moved even further into the darkness and was holding his jaw and moving it slowly. Theresa had materialised from nowhere, the stranger two steps behind her. Theresa grabbed Callan by the arm.
‘Cal, don’t. It’s not worth it.’
Aurora could see the restrained fury coursing through Callan. She took a couple of steps backwards herself. She had learnt the hard way what that did to a man and she had no intention of hanging around. Just as she turned to make her escape into the crowd, Trudy grabbed her elbow.
‘Let’s go and grab a drink. Put a bit of space between you and Keith. Hmm?’
Aurora could only nod.
Bizarrely enough, nobody else seemed to be paying any attention to the ruckus beside the dance floor. Maybe that was because the dance floor itself blocked the view from where the tables were and the guests dancing were too busy doing their own thing to care. Aurora was relieved. She would hate to be part of something that spoiled somebody’s wedding.
On their way over to the drinks, Aurora was a little reassured that no lasting damage had been done when she saw the bride and groom together and laughing with a crowd of people that she didn’t know. She hoped that the whole incident permanently escaped their attention. She flicked her eyes over the crowd on the dance floor and saw Callan and Theresa a few steps away from the action. Theresa had a fierce look on her face and from the jerky hand movements and the stubborn look on Cal’s face, Aurora figured that Theresa’s words were not pleasant. She had a very bad feeling that Callan hitting Keith was only the beginning of the trouble.
twelve
Under the Stars
Even though she knew that she shouldn’t be staring at them, Aurora’s attention was riveted to what was taking place between Theresa and Callan in the shadows beside the dance floor. She was too far away to hear what was going on but the body language said everything. Cal had dropped his head and was staring at either the ground or his feet and Theresa’s body was slightly bent forward, fairly close to his and whatever she had to say she hadn’t paused to take a breath.
Aurora was ashamed of her role in their altercation. It can’t be nice to watch your fiancé draped over somebody else, nor to have him act in a way that claims ownership of another woman. The fact that Theresa herself wasn’t behaving correctly was really by the wayside. Reality was though, Aurora didn’t like her role in things. She eventually turned her attention back to Trudy, who, once again, had a very knowing look on her face. Aurora had always had a face that gave whatever she was thinking away unless she particularly tried hard to keep it blank, and she figured that her thoughts were written all over her face for all to see. Trudy couldn’t help laughing.
‘Theresa goes off like a rocket.’
Trudy paused for a second to take a sip of the scotch and coke in her hand before continuing.
‘She calms down equally as quickly but crap does she let fly when she’s wild, which she looks like she is at the moment.’
Aurora looked at the can of soft drink in her own hand, avoiding Trudy’s eyes when she replied.
‘She certainly does.’
Trudy turned around, surveying the dance floor, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth when she spotted Rick dancing with Fiona. Her words were distracted.
‘Cal will deal with her. She hasn’t beaten him yet.’
Aurora turned as well, not wanting Cal and Theresa to think that she was watching them, now that Trudy had moved her attention. She and Trudy made their way without speaking back to the table. Aurora had just put her drink down when the band launched into a lively number and Gerry was at her elbow asking her to dance. She accepted, glad of the distraction. When the song ended, the new song that the band lau
nched into didn’t suit either her or Gerry and she was sitting down when Theresa came over and sat in the chair beside her.
Aurora braced herself for the dressing down that she assumed she was about to receive. If she were completely honest with herself she did deserve it, but that didn’t necessarily mean that she wanted to face it. She was very surprised when it never came and instead Theresa smiled.
‘Cal sometimes doesn’t think before he acts. You will have to forgive him for dragging you into that.’
Aurora was gobsmacked. A plea for forgiveness was the last thing that she had expected from the conversation. She still hadn’t quite worked out what to say when the stranger that Theresa had been spending a lot of time with, pulled the chair up beside Theresa, grabbed her hand and kissed the knuckles. Theresa turned her dazzling smile on him. She spoke again when she returned her attention to Aurora.
‘I don’t think that I have had a chance to introduce you yet, but this is my fiancé, Brett Turner.’
With that, Theresa turned to Brett, which was good because Aurora was sure that her jaw had dropped open.
‘Brett, this is Aurora. She will be staying out at Bilgarra for a month or so.’
The attention of both was now squarely on Aurora again, although that couple of seconds had allowed her to get her reaction to the news under control. Brett had a fairly dazzling smile of his own which he flashed at Aurora, who couldn’t help returning it when he spoke.
‘Nice to meet you. How are you enjoying it so far?’
Despite the designer clothes, he actually seemed down to earth and genuine. Aurora wanted to laugh at her misconception, but she didn’t, guessing that explaining that she had thought him a stuck up, city boy wouldn’t be the best way to start off.
Bilgarra Springs Page 15