“Of course.”
“And William?”
“It’s worked out well, as you suggested it would. Jessie loves the house at Smith’s Ridge and William is grateful to have Clem overseeing there. Robert may decide to settle there if he ever gives up his carting business, but in the meantime we’re happy Clem and Jessie are there.” She looked at her mother. “Swan’s gone.”
“I didn’t think he would last.”
They were both silent a moment.
“How are William’s family at Wildu Creek? I never see them in town.”
“Joseph comes sometimes but Millie won’t, even now the children are grown. The girls have come once or twice and Matthew accompanies Joseph everywhere else but never here.”
“Such a pity. They’re delightful young people. How will they learn to mix with others?”
“Millie spends more time with her own family in the hills now. William says she all but shunned them when she was younger, but now she wants her children to understand more of their culture.”
“I can understand that. I wanted to take you back to England, remember.”
“I don’t think it’s quite the same.”
“Why not? When you become a mother you want your children to know where they came from.”
“Eleanor won’t have to travel halfway across the world to know that.”
Johanna gazed at the fire. “I’m sorry I was unkind about Joseph’s marriage to Millie. She’s a good woman. She must be so strong to have made the choices she has. I really enjoyed our Christmas all together last year. It was wonderful to see the house at Prosser’s Run full of people again.”
Once more they lapsed into silence. Georgina recalled her days in England and how different life was there. She wondered what Millie’s children thought of their Aboriginal family. Beth and Ruth came to stay at Prosser’s Run from time to time: they were both well spoken, rather shy but keen horsewomen. They rode out together when they came and she enjoyed their company.
“I had planned to go back to stay, you know.”
Johanna’s comment startled Georgina from her thoughts. “Where? To England?”
Her mother nodded.
“When?”
“You married William against my wishes. I felt as if my whole family were lost to me. The only ones I had left were in England.”
“You wouldn’t have gone back to live with Aunt Anne and Uncle Winston?”
“Look at your face.” Johanna laughed.
“Anyway, they’re both gone now, Mother. You would have been on your own all the way across the world.”
“I am thankful you and I have reconciled.” Johanna’s face was remorseful. “I made a mistake. William is a fine husband and if you are only blessed with one child look at the wider family you have married into.” Johanna smiled. “There are so many of them.”
Georgina thought of her extended family and chuckled. “You’re right about that, Mother.”
Fifty-three
November 1912
Johannes Becker paused at the gate outside the big house. All the windows were open and the most beautiful sounds drifted out to him. Someone was playing the piano and singing. He looked up and down the street. It was the only house of such grand size and had to be the one he’d been directed to. He stepped through the gate that hung by one hinge against the fence and made his way along the lavender-lined path around a cherub to the front door.
He lifted the brass knocker and paused, not wanting to interrupt what must be an angel singing. A horse clopped past on the road behind him. Not wanting to appear as if he were loitering, Johannes rapped the knocker sharply two times. The music stopped. There was no further sound from beyond the solid wooden door, then suddenly it opened. Standing before him was indeed an angel. A beautiful girl dressed in a soft white shirt tucked in to a deep blue skirt. Her dark brown hair fell to her shoulders and the locks that were pulled back from her face were tied with a blue bow that matched her skirt. A pair of grey eyes studied him.
“Good morning,” she said in the same lilting tones as the singer. It was she.
She put her head to one side. “Can I help you?” The exquisite heart-shaped locket on a chain around her neck slipped sideways across her shirt.
“Charles Wiltshire.” Johannes cleared his throat. He was twenty-one, but the words had come out in the squeaky tones of his pubescent years. “I was told he lived here.”
“Yes, he does.” She looked at him expectantly.
Johannes swept off his hat. “I am Johannes Becker. Mr Wiltshire is expecting me.”
A puzzled frown creased her face. “Today?”
“Not exactly. I wasn’t sure how soon I would arrive. I have ridden from Adelaide. I sent Mr Wiltshire a telegram a week ago.”
“Oh, I see.” Her smile returned. “I am Laura Wiltshire. Would you like to come in and wait? I can make you some refreshments.”
She stepped back from the door and Johannes entered. The house was suddenly cool after the warmth of the sunny day outside.
“This way, Mr Becker.”
She led him along a hall to a large sitting room. Against one wall was the piano, the lid still up and music sheets propped on the stand. Laura crossed to it, put away the music and closed the lid. He knew he was staring but her every movement was so graceful and her smile so sweet he couldn’t help himself. Charles was an older man. Surely she was too young to be his wife. Perhaps his daughter?
“Please make yourself comfortable, Mr Becker.” She held out one slender hand towards the chairs. “My brother and his family are at a Sunday School presentation. They shouldn’t be long.”
Johannes lowered himself to one of the brocade-covered chairs. The stuffing was soft and he sank lower than expected, falling the last few inches.
“I’m sorry.” She grinned. “Our furniture has taken some poundings these last few years. Would you prefer a straight-backed chair?
“No, no. I am quite comfortable here, thank you … Miss Wiltshire?”
“I am. Now can I make you some tea? I baked biscuits for the Sunday School gathering first thing this morning, and have kept a few back.”
“Thank you.”
While she was gone he made himself more comfortable in the chair and took in the room. The furnishings were indeed showing signs of wear and the curtains fading, but there was no mistaking the quality. Charles Wiltshire’s house was certainly one of the best in the small Hawker settlement. Johannes wondered once again about the man his uncle Heinrich had staked his diamond claim with. No word had ever come from Australia: Johannes didn’t know if that meant there were no diamonds or Wiltshire had kept the find to himself.
Laura returned with a tray of tea things and a dainty plate of biscuits. She set them out on the small table beside him. There was only one cup.
“Won’t you join me?” He wanted to spend more time in the company of the delightful Laura Wiltshire.
“I’m sorry, Mr Becker. The baby is stirring and I must see to her. I shall return in a short while.” She gave him a radiant smile. “Enjoy your tea.”
Johannes sagged in his chair. Baby? Surely not her own? She had agreed that she was Miss Wiltshire. Noisy chatter and footsteps crunching over the gravel path outside distracted him. He could hear doors opening and closing and more voices from the back of the house, then a door shut, muffling the sounds, followed by a heavy tread along the hall runner.
Johannes struggled to his feet as a tall portly man appeared in the sitting-room doorway. The man paused and looked around before his gaze fell on Johannes again.
“My sister said Mr Becker was waiting for me.”
“That is correct.” Johannes crossed the room and extended his hand. “I am Johannes Becker, Heinrich’s nephew.”
“Your telegram simply said Becker. I assumed …” Charles looked past him. “I see Laura has brought you some refreshments. I will join you and you can tell me why you are here. Please sit down.” Charles crossed to a padded seat with a
n upright wooden back. “How is your uncle?”
“Uncle Heinrich was killed during the war.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss. Heinrich was a fine man.”
“I liked him, though I was very young when he died.” Johannes studied Wiltshire closely. He had no idea about the man’s character, but his lack of eye contact made Johannes uneasy. “When I came across papers about a diamond claim in Australia, I decided to travel and see for myself the country he thought so much like our own. It is a pilgrimage, of sorts.”
“I’m glad you’ve come. I did wonder why I hadn’t heard from Heinrich since he returned to South Africa.”
“And the claim?”
“We had no luck there, I’m afraid. After your uncle left I continued to work it for several years with little sign of anything remotely like a diamond. Then a terrible storm washed away all the work we’d done. I go back regularly and spend a week there, but I’m afraid I’ve found nothing.”
“I’ve come all this way, Mr Wiltshire.” Johannes looked the man squarely in the eye. “You can understand my yearning to see the place my uncle spent some time working for myself.”
“Of course — I can take you there, but I will not be free to do so for a few days. How long are you staying, Mr Becker?”
“I don’t have a return date yet.”
Light footsteps sounded from the hall. Johannes turned expectantly but was disappointed that an older woman appeared in the doorway, and not the delightful Laura. She carried a tray with more tea things. He struggled out of the sagging chair.
“This is Mr Becker, Edith. Mr Becker, my wife.”
“I am pleased to meet you, Mrs Wiltshire.”
The polite curve of Mrs Wiltshire’s lips did little to relieve her sour look. She raised one eyebrow. “Mr Becker?”
“This is Heinrich’s nephew, my dear, Johannes Becker.”
“I see.” The woman gave a perfunctory nod and crossed the room to unload her tray. “Would you like more tea, Mr Becker?”
“No, thank you. I shall finish this then go in search of accommodation.”
“Why, you should stay with us, Mr Becker,” Charles said. “We have rooms at the back that were once the housekeeper’s.”
The offer appeared genuine, but Johannes noticed Mrs Wiltshire’s shoulders stiffen.
Charles went on. “I was very fond of your uncle and I would like to extend to you our hospitality. I am sure you would find it most comfortable here as our guest.” He turned to his wife. “Wouldn’t he, Edith?”
“We are a busy household here, Mr Becker — we have four children — but the quarters are quite separate.” She crossed back to the door. “I shall get Laura to prepare them for you.”
“Thank you,” Johannes said, but she was already gone. He wouldn’t have accepted Wiltshire’s offer but the thought of perhaps getting to see Laura again and spend some time with her was paramount in his mind.
Laura hefted the washing basket to her hip and turned to make her way across the courtyard. As she did the door to Flora’s old rooms opened, and Johannes stepped out. He hurried towards her.
“Let me take that for you,” he said and had it before she could protest. Not that she minded having an excuse to walk beside him. Johannes Becker was the most handsome man she had ever met, and her heart beat faster at the sight of him. He had ginger hair cut short, and a neat beard and moustache that hid much of the pale skin of his face. When he smiled at her his blue eyes sparkled with a look that seemed to be for her only, even though they were rarely alone. He had been staying with them for four days now and she felt anxious at the thought that tomorrow Charles was taking him to visit the diamond claim, and then he would most likely return to South Africa. Already she couldn’t abide the thought of not being able to see him again.
“How are you finding our little town, Johannes?” She felt a small thrill that he insisted she use his first name and she loved the way her name sounded so different when he spoke it.
“I like it here. It is different to my home in South Africa and yet some things are the same. I can see what attracted Uncle Heinrich here.” He smiled as she opened the back door to the house. “I am looking forward to visiting the claim tomorrow.”
The last of his words were drowned by the crying of baby Emma. Johannes cast a look at the cradle in the corner of the kitchen, where four-year-old Grace was trying valiantly to soothe her baby sister. The door to the hall was closed, and Laura swallowed a small flutter of irritation — no doubt Edith was resting or playing piano. Laura loved her sister-in-law as it was her duty to do, but sometimes Edith was rather selfish when it came to her children.
“Thank you for helping, Gracie.” Laura scooped the baby from the cradle and cuddled the dear little mite close. Such a pity her own mother didn’t do more of it. Laura’s arms were always full of children and Edith’s rarely. “There, there, Emmie.” When she turned Johannes had placed the basket of washing on the table and was standing watching her. She lowered her own gaze at the adoration she saw in his.
“You are so good with the children, Laura. A natural mother.”
Emma nestled into Laura’s shoulder and she took Grace’s hand. “It’s certainly easier when the older two are at school.”
“Can I have a biscuit, please?”
She looked down at the little girl pulling on her hand. “Of course, Gracie.” She smiled at Johannes. “Perhaps Mr Becker would like to join us for morning tea.”
Gracie ran to him and began tugging on his hand. “Yes, sit with us, Mr Becker.” The children were as taken with Johannes as Laura was.
“Very well,” he said. “I shall help. I will put the kettle on and you ladies can sit.”
Grace giggled in delight at being called a lady. Laura sat and felt a small rush of relief. She had been up at first light to get breakfast for everyone and then had washed several of her brother’s shirts and some of Leonard’s. Then she had baked a pie for lunch and some biscuits. Grace had helped her with those. Laura was always so busy with household chores. Thankfully Mrs Coleman still did some of the heavy cleaning, and at least Edith had made the beds today. Often she only made her own in the big front bedroom. Laura rarely went in there.
Johannes lifted the teapot and took down the wooden tea caddy. Laura felt herself relaxing even more. It was so pleasant to be waited on and even better to bask in the sunshine of Johannes’s attentiveness.
That was how they were, seated around the kitchen table, chatting easily together, Johannes with Grace on his knee and Laura nursing the baby, when Edith came in.
“Good heavens, what is going on here?”
Grace bounced up. “We are having a tea party, Mother.”
“So I can see.” Edith reached for the now sleeping baby. “I’ve told you not to keep picking her up, Laura. She will never learn to sleep in her own bed.”
Laura’s shoulder was cool after the warmth of the baby against her. She felt sad for dear little Emma, who was only three months old. She determined if she ever had her own babies she would cuddle them whenever she wished.
“Have you finished all your jobs, Laura?”
Before Laura could reply, Johannes got to his feet. “It’s my fault if she hasn’t, Mrs Wiltshire. I was in need of a cup of tea. I asked Laura to join me.”
“And me,” piped Grace.
“Yes, well we are busy, as you can see, Mr Becker. Perhaps you could pay a visit to my husband at the shop.”
Laura was embarrassed by Edith’s tone.
“I have some tasks of my own to complete.” Johannes turned to Laura and gave her the most wonderful smile. “I shall see you all at dinner this evening.”
She followed his progress to the door, wishing with all her might she was walking out with him instead of remaining there.
“Laura.” Edith’s voice was especially high pitched, which meant she was annoyed about something. “There are still dishes to be done. Grace, you are to leave Laura to get on with her work. You can c
ome up to the sitting room with me while I practise piano.”
Edith bustled from the room, dragging Grace with her. There was a tiny sigh from the cradle; Laura glanced in but Emma remained asleep. The sounds of the piano drifted from the hall and Laura winced as Edith began to sing. Quietly she closed the door to the hall then retied her apron. She sang softly to herself as she worked, picturing Johannes’s handsome face.
Edith turned out the bedside lamp and Charles snuggled against her, but she remained rigid in his arms.
“I tell you, Charles, we must be vigilant. Your sister must be chaperoned.”
He sighed and rolled away onto his back. He could tell he would get no interest from Edith tonight. She had been going on about Laura ever since they retired to their bedroom.
“She usually has at least one child with her, often all four.” He still thought of Laura as a little girl too.
“Laura is well on her way to seventeen, and more than old enough to draw the attention of men.” Edith turned her face to him. “You should have seen the way Johannes was looking at her across the table when I came into the kitchen today.”
“He will be gone soon. We will go to the claim tomorrow and then he will no doubt set off for Adelaide.”
“There will be others. Laura doesn’t know this house is hers, but if she marries she will need somewhere to live — who knows what might come out?”
“Her husband can provide for her. When or if it happens.”
“This house is hers, Charles,” Edith hissed. “What if she learns the truth?”
“Don’t worry, Edith.” He reached for her again but she inched away. “I can handle my sister.”
“Very well. Good night.” Edith turned her back to him.
Charles ground his teeth. Edith had been less agreeable since the last baby. She pestered him for a full-time housekeeper but Laura cost them nothing and was easily managed. He would have to think of some other way to sweeten up his wife.
Fifty-four
The two men on horseback crested the hill and paused at the sight before them. A wide creek bed with signs of recent erosion spread out in front of them. Further up it disappeared into a narrow gully crowded with rocks and trees, and downstream it spread out even wider. Large gum trees dotted its sandy soil. Down the middle a deeper section still ran with water from a larger pool just below them.
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