New Zealand Brides Box Set

by Diana Fraser

  “Aimee!” said the older of the two. “Stop wiggling it around and hold it still. You’ll never catch anything like that.”

  “I don’t want to catch anything. Think of the poor fish.”

  “Poor fish, my arse.”

  “Um! You’re not allowed to say ‘arse.’”

  “Arse, arse, arse,” muttered the older girl. “Fish are for eating.”

  The girl named Aimee appeared unperturbed by the outburst. “My Dad says I swim like a fish now.”

  “My Uncle Zane says I play rugby like a pro.”

  “That’s cool, Etta.”

  Etta grinned. “Yep! Sure is.” With obvious affection, she ruffled the younger girl’s blonde curls. “And so are you. Come on, cuz, let’s go and get some kai. I’m starving.”

  They both turned and saw Maddy at the same time. “Hey,” said Aimee. “Who are you?”

  Before Maddy could answer, Etta spoke.

  “You’re Maddy, I remember you from before. Your Gabe’s friend.” Etta put a cheeky emphasis on the word “friend” which Maddy decided it was best to ignore.

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Hi, Maddy!” said Aimee. “Do you want to come with us, and I’ll show you where Aunty Rachel is? She’s in the kitchen. She’s always in the kitchen,” she said, extending her hand trustingly.

  It was on the tip of Maddy’s tongue to say she’d been working here over the past few weeks, long enough to know her way around, but she didn’t want to turn down Aimee’s kind offer. Besides, this was Jonny’s niece. A niece he’d last seen as a baby.

  The two girls were as different as chalk and cheese, Maddy thought as she accepted Aimee’s hand and all three walked up to the house. Aimee chatted all the way. It was only a few minutes’ walk but by the end of it Maddy knew that her mother was Lizzi, the eldest daughter of the Connelly clan and that her new father was Pete and that they lived in the Mackenzie country and that Aimee was going to be a champion swimmer and that her Uncle Max and Auntie Laura were going to arrive in a helicopter.

  It was the one thing which made Etta listen. “A helicopter? That’s pretty cool, eh?”

  “Yes,” said Maddy. “I guess it is.”

  Etta stopped. “I’m going back to the beach. Are you coming, Aimee?”

  Aimee was torn between politeness and the novelty of bringing a grown-up to the house and having some fun.

  “Why don’t you go with Etta?” helped Maddy. “I’ll find my way from here.”

  “Okay,” said Aimee. “All you need to do is follow the smell of the food, anyway.” She laughed and went running down the steps to join Etta.

  Maddy caught a whiff of sensational food wafting from the house, and her mouth watered. She walked up the steps of the veranda and looked around. No one else was in sight, but she could hear someone moving around inside. She called out, but there was no response, so she stepped through the open door and walked into the large kitchen.

  A woman stood at the chopping board, her dark hair piled gloriously on her head, and her curvaceous figure shown off by the figure-hugging knee-length dress. She looked like an Italian film star. At that moment she looked up with dark eyes—eyes that Maddy had been bracing herself to see since she’d arrived in Akaroa, and seen Jonny’s sister on the television. And now she saw what she’d been both been dreading and eagerly anticipating—Jonny’s eyes, on his sister Rachel.

  Rachel smiled, and Maddy had no choice but to do the same.

  “You must be the elusive Madeleine. We barely exchanged a few words last time you were here, but Gabe’s told me all about you. Are you hungry? He said you have a good appetite.”

  Maddy laughed. “Please, call me Maddy. And I bet he said I’m always hungry.”

  Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Maybe.”

  “That doesn’t sound very complimentary.”

  “It does to me. I like hungry people. Without them, I’d be out of a job! Come. Help yourself to a glass of wine—there’s some in the fridge—and tell me all about yourself.”

  Maddy readily did what Rachel suggested. Rachel was like Jonny in that way too. She had a natural authority. It was interesting seeing who took after whom. It gave Jonny a context—a place within the world which she’d been ignorant of before.

  Maddy finished pouring out two glasses just as Rachel put the dish into the oven and set the timer. She rose and wiped her hands on the cloth. “There, now we can talk before everyone descends.”

  They didn’t go outside but sat in the window seat of the kitchen overlooking the lawn which ran down to the beach where the two girls were now swimming. Rachel sighed, her eyes focused on Etta. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for moments like these.” She laughed as Aimee splashed Etta, and Etta restrained her natural boisterousness to splash Aimee back.

  “Like this?” Maddy asked, puzzled. It seemed a very quiet kind of moment.

  Rachel turned away from the window and looked at Maddy. “It probably doesn’t seem much to you. Very domestic—food in the oven, a husband arriving shortly, and my child playing on the beach with my niece. But it’s all I’ve ever wanted, and it took me a long time to find it.”

  Rachel’s openness touched Maddy. “It’s good to know what you want.”

  “It’s even better to get it!” Rachel’s eyes narrowed as she sipped her wine. “But don’t you know what you want? I’m sure you do, deep down.”

  Maddy shrugged, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “I guess I enjoy my job, I like to travel.”

  Rachel cocked her head to catch Maddy’s eye. “But? I sense a ‘but.’”

  Maddy drew in a deep breath to give herself courage and looked Rachel in the eye. “But, no, I don’t know what I want. Or rather, I think I do, but I’m not sure I should have it.”

  “Should have it? Who’s to dictate what you should, or shouldn’t have?”

  Maddy grimaced. “Someone from my past.”

  “Ah.” Rachel leaned back against the sofa. “Is that person likely to show up in the present?”

  Maddy shook her head. “No. He died.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Maddy swallowed and shrugged, unable to say anything.

  “And so you feel guilty that you might want to move on?”

  Maddy nodded. In the distance she heard some cars enter the drive, followed by the bang of car doors, and voices calling out in greeting.

  Rachel ignored them, and reached out and took Maddy’s hand. “It’s difficult for you. But time will make it easier. And talking about it.”

  “Thank you. Yes, I realize that, but knowing it doesn’t seem to make me feel any better.”

  “No, but you will.” Rachel rose and glanced out the window and waved to someone who Maddy couldn’t see. “They’re here.” She looked back at Maddy. “Promise me one thing. Go easy on Gabe. He likes you.”

  “And I like him.”

  “No, but he really likes you, in a way I haven’t seen Gabe like anyone before. So, as a fond sister, I’d ask that you don’t hurt him. If you don’t think you can commit, you might want to let him know, before he gets in any deeper.”

  “Of course.” That was the second family warning she’d received, suggesting she didn’t hurt Gabe. Jim and Rachel didn’t realize that she didn’t need warning, because she didn’t want to hurt him.

  She followed Rachel outside where all the family had arrived, including Gabe, intensely aware that everything was about to change. Time was running out.

  * * *

  Gabe immediately noticed Maddy standing behind Rachel and knew that they’d had a serious chat. He wished his family wouldn’t keep meddling in his business. He’d never minded before, but it was different this time.

  While the introductions were being made, Aimee, Etta, and the dogs emerged, dripping from the sea, and the dogs shook their wet coats over everyone. Maddy looked more ill-at-ease than ever amongst all the chaos. He longed to reach out to her, to squeeze her hand, to ask her if she was okay, to draw
her to one side and find out what the matter was, what fears and doubts were passing through that beautiful head of hers, but he could do none of these things. She wasn’t his date and didn’t want to be. She’d made that very clear.

  But he was her friend. He stepped forward, ignoring his family, and spoke directly to Maddy. “Have you been shown around the house, Maddy?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. I’ve spent most of my time in the grounds.”

  “Would you like me to show you around Belendroit?”

  Her face flooded with relief as the noisy family settled down and words flew between them. He opened a door, and Maddy gratefully slipped into the darkened room. He closed it behind him. She looked around with a strangely keen curiosity. He watched her for a few moments. The room was dark after the bright light outside and he watched the tension ease from Maddy’s shoulders.

  “This is the library. A bit dusty, but Dad won’t let anyone do anything about it. We call it his ‘shrine.’”

  “Will he mind us being here?”

  “Not at all. Dad might not want anyone throwing anything out, or tidying up, but otherwise what’s his is everyone’s. It’s family stuff.” He walked over to the arrangement of photos. They weren’t beautifully arranged and dusted, but clumped together. Finger marks were visible where they’d been recently picked up. Gabe grunted. “I see Dad’s been looking at the last photo of us all together before Jonny left.” He grimaced and held it out for Maddy to see. “I don’t think he’ll ever get over his death.”

  Maddy took the photo from him, and her eyes moved over the individual members of the family. “You all look quite different. There’s a similarity between some of you. Who are these two at the back?”

  Gabe looked to see where she was pointing and grinned. “Rob and Cameron. They never seem to understand that you should smile in a photo.”

  Maddy smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I think you were smiling for all the guys.”

  “Yeah, Jonny didn’t have to do a thing. All eyes were on him anyway.” He glanced at Maddy. “Like yours.”

  She looked up suddenly and he was shocked at the intensity he saw in her eyes. She looked away again as quickly and handed him the photo.

  Slowly he replaced it on the shelf. He felt strangely disappointed that Maddy should be like all the rest, focused intently on his twin brother. “Would you like to see the rest of the place? It’s pretty old and has been rebuilt using even earlier timbers. I think the archaeologist in you might be interested.” He kept talking, as he tried to make sense of the expression he’d seen in her eyes. It was like she’d seen a ghost. He wanted it gone. “And the estate, too. But then you know all about that, don’t you? Dad said you and the university team had already made a start on the dig.”

  He walked over to the door to the hall and opened it wide. Evening sunlight flooded in, breaking the spell. She looked up, and the light robbed him of the ability to read her eyes. It reflected back to him as she glanced at him and passed through into the hallway.

  They sat down on the veranda with the others. Gabe was relieved to be back with his brother and sisters. Something was wrong—out of place—but he didn’t know what. Maybe by watching Maddy interact with his family he could find out what.

  “So,” asked Lizzi, with a welcoming smile. “What did you say do for a living, Maddy?”

  Maddy sat where indicated and accepted a glass of soda water from Gabe. “I’m an archaeologist.” She’d always found it easier to tell people the bare minimum about her work. Any more than “archaeologist” and people’s eyes glazed over. But it seemed Gabe had different ideas.

  “Maddy specializes in Geographic Information Systems.”

  Lizzi narrowed her eyes. “Geographic Information Systems? What’s that? Sorry, I’m so unscientific, it’s not funny.”

  “Maddy, you’ll have to take it from here. I’ve gone to the limits of my knowledge.”

  She shook her head. “Really, it’s not very interesting.”

  “Then why do you do it?” asked Lizzi.

  “Well, I mean it’s interesting to me. But…” Maddy sighed, realizing she hadn’t managed to avoid the science speech. “Okay, basically it takes unrelated information and relates it by using location as the key index variable.”

  Somehow she’d managed to arrest every conversation and all eyes turned to her. She smiled uncertainly.

  Lizzi’s nodded encouragingly, despite the fact she clearly had no understanding of what Maddy had just said. “Go on,” she said politely.

  Maddy hated the fact that everyone was looking at her. She shrugged. “It relates earth-based spatial-temporal locations to—” She paused to see the reaction. It wasn’t good. Lizzi’s smile had become fixed; Pete sighed and looked down. “I mean, it helps archaeologists,” she added.

  “Oh,” said Lizzi and Pete together, relieved that they understood a word. “You know, Maddy, you should meet one of my best friends. I have a feeling you and Rebecca would get along well. Don’t you Pete?”

  Pete grinned. “Sure. She’s a science nerd, too.”

  “Pete!” said Lizzi, flicking him on the arm. “You’ll have to excuse my husband. He’s only interested in science as far as his wine crop goes, and nothing more. Like me and my cooking, I guess. I know as much as I need to make sure ingredients work well together, and that’s my limit.”

  Jim barked out a sharp laugh. “You see, Maddy, I told you my family wouldn’t appreciate your skills.”

  “And I suppose you do, Dad?” asked Lizzi.

  “Of course. I’ve always subscribed to National Geographic.”

  “Oh well, then, you’re an expert,” Lizzi continued.

  “Now, don’t be facetious.”

  “Well, really, what do you know about archaeology?”

  “A darn sight more than you do.” Jim turned to Maddy. “Shall we show them?”

  She grinned. “I reckon.”

  Gabe turned from one to the other. “What have you two been up to?”

  “Not only us two, eh, Madeleine?”

  Maddy and Jim led the way off the veranda, down the steps, across the short stretch of lawn toward the woods. At the far end, hidden from the house by the trees, they stopped in front of the trench.

  “Wow! You didn’t hang around!” said Gabe, amazed, as he paced from one end of the trench to the other.

  “Careful!” said Maddy. “Don’t stand too near the edge. You need to keep behind the markers!”

  “Okay,” said Gabe stepping away, but peering inside. “So what’s been going on, then?”

  “We’ve discovered the remnants of post holes of what we think is a blockhouse, as well as examining the remains of middens. There’s a lot of stuff here.”

  “Dad! It’s brilliant that you’ve let them dig here, after so long. What changed your mind?”

  Jim looked at Maddy with a gentle smile. “I couldn’t resist Madeleine’s explanation of why we should dig here.”

  “What was it?” asked Gabe.

  “Madeleine?” Jim raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you’d care to repeat your persuasive argument?”

  “Just that uncovering the past is important,” said Maddy. “We can’t move forward until we know what went before. It’s important—especially so here, where these people were most likely your ancestors.” She looked around from one stunned face to another. “They’re your family. You can’t just forget they existed. We need to know them. We need to know what happened to them.”

  Maddy had been speaking from the heart and hadn’t been thinking specifically of Jonny. But when she looked around at the faces of the Connelly family, she realized something had happened. The atmosphere had changed. Lizzi turned away abruptly, and Pete put his arm around her. Rachel looked anxiously at Gabe. And Gabe? He was looking at her with a look of complete and utter disbelief on his face.

  “What did you say?” he asked.

  Maddy repeated what she’d said, and Gabe shook his head, after a gl
ance at his father, and followed Lizzi and Pete to the house.

  “Anyway,” said Jim rubbing his hands together. “Time for dinner.” He walked away with the others, leaving Gabe and Maddy alone.

  Maddy looked at Gabe. “What did I say?”

  “Something which reminded us of Jonny, that’s all. An open wound still.”

  Gabe changed the subject and they walked back to the house. But his words repeated in her head. She couldn’t put it off any longer; she’d have to tell him, and soon.

  9

  It was late now. Maddy paused on her way back from the kitchen as Lizzi’s voice drifted down the hallway. She was trying to settle an over-tired Aimee whom she and Pete had awoken as they’d retired to bed. Maddy listened to Lizzi sing a song to soothe Aimee back to sleep. It was a Simon and Garfunkel song which Maddy remembered her uncle playing—Are you going to Scarborough Fair. An odd choice for a lullaby maybe, but Lizzi’s sweet voice must have worked because soon there was no sound coming from the bedroom which all three were sharing.

  And Lizzi’s song had an odd effect on Maddy, too. She also felt strangely soothed. Or maybe it was the light of the moon which was high now and bathed Belendroit in silver. Amongst the trees, solar lights glowed alongside the driveway, up to the road. Or maybe it was the quiet, indistinct talk coming from the veranda. Light in the dark, the comforting sounds of family around; whatever it was, it sent a delicious shiver down Maddy’s spine. She looked through the open door, hesitating on the threshold, not wanting that feeling to leave, not yet. Seated in the glow of half-a-dozen candles were Jim Connelly, Max and Laura, who lay along the cushioned seat, her head in Max’s lap, as he played with her hair.

  They were talking about Laura’s new challenge, and Gabe was teasing her and Max about their inability to lead a quiet life, only to receive a heap of teasing back from Max.

  “You guys! Quit teasing!” said Laura, sounding almost shocked by the banter.

  “Don’t worry about them, Laura,” said Jim. “If they didn’t drive each other to distraction I’d think something was wrong. Gabe honed his skills early, with Jonny. They used to drive their mother crazy with their arguing and fighting.” He turned to Max. “Do you remember all that business over Gabe’s toy car, Max?”