Where Rainbows End

  The cool breeze caught the dirt thrown on the lowered coffin and blew it onto the few mourners standing by the grave.

  Raindrops spattered Pippa and she shivered. She grasped Davy’s hand more firmly and smiled at him. Emotion squeezed her heart when he sadly smiled back. Poor little man.

  Finally, the vicar finished his oration of James’s life and the needs of God, allowing Pippa to turn Millie away from the dismal gravesite with its ugly mound of fresh earth.

  Millie took a few steps, and then stopped. The black dress she wore was old and dreadfully worn on the hem. It seemed to rob Millie of all healthy colour.

  Pippa leant close. ‘What is it?’

  ‘What do I do now?’ Millie’s grey eyes, dull with misery, mirrored the bleakness in her voice.

  ‘We’ll go have a cup of tea and something to eat. You’ve not had a morsel of food since yesterday.’

  ‘No, I mean about the rest of my life. I have no money and Davy …’

  ‘You aren’t to worry. I will take care of you.’ Pippa hugged her thin frame. ‘You and Davy will come live with me.’

  ‘With you?’

  ‘Yes, in the valley. You were going to stay with me anyway, while Father was away, so let’s make it permanent.’

  Blinking, Millie frowned, trying to comprehend. ‘I can work for you?’

  She tucked Millie’s hand through her arm and strode away from the churchyard with Davy in tow. ‘I have it all worked out. I will give you a plot of land in the valley to use as your own home.’

  ‘I have no money …’

  ‘You don’t have to pay for it. I’m giving it to you. Simple.’

  ‘Your father—’

  ‘Will understand.’

  ‘I don’t know, Pippa. It is a wonderful offer, but you can’t give away land—’

  ‘I can and I will. It’s my payment to you for being my friend. It would please me exceedingly to have you so close.’ She patted Millie’s hand where it lay on her arm. The rain fell faster. ‘We leave tomorrow.’

  Millie’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, but—’

  ‘No buts.’

  They hurried the rest of the way to the inn as the rain became a steady shower. Once up in her room, Pippa showed Millie her drawings of the valley. Another drawing showed how Pippa imagined the stud would look in a few years’ time with buildings in the middle of the valley and horses grazing with foals.

  Millie glanced at the drawings as she took off Davy’s coat and muddy shoes. ‘It looks really fine.’

  ‘Look closely.’ Pippa flattened the paper out on the writing desk. ‘See that area there, further up from the rise? It shall be yours. It backs onto the bush forming a natural boundary.’

  ‘I think we should wait until your father returns. He may be against this idea.’ Millie turned away to place Davy’s shoes under the bed.

  ‘A one acre plot will not be a great loss to us, Millie dear.’ She frowned at her friend’s reserve. ‘I promise you, Father will not be concerned.’

  Sighing, Millie sat on the bed beside Davy. ‘It is too generous. Besides, I cannot work it by myself, or build a house, or stock it.’

  Pippa crouched in front of her and gripped her hands. ‘You shan’t be doing it by yourself. You have me and, if you need to earn more money, you can always help in the house when it’s built.’

  ‘We’ve only known each other a short time, Pippa.’

  ‘Well, I am sure in my feelings. You are my friend. Friends help each other.’ She rose and sat beside them. They looked so wretched and lost it broke her heart. Pippa hated to think how lonely she would have been without Millie’s friendship in the last few weeks. She chaffed Millie’s cold hands between her own. ‘Of course, you may have somewhere else to go?’

  Millie shook her head. ‘I have nowhere and no one to go to, unless I travel to Sydney and see if I can get a live-in position somewhere, but would they allow Davy?’

  ‘You can’t go to Sydney and subject Davy to strangers.’ The thought horrified Pippa and she tussled Davy’s blond hair.

  ‘I doubt there will be work enough here in Berrima, though.’ Millie chewed her bottom lip, the look of anguish in her eyes.

  ‘You’ll not have to if you come with me. I need help to set up the house.’

  ‘But your family …’

  ‘My family will like you, don’t worry. My father already does and Hilary is soft and gentle …’ She faltered on what her mother would think and so instead she brightened and leapt from the bed. ‘So it’s decided, then? You’ll take a chance on me and my valley?’

  A slow, relieved smile seeped across Millie’s wan face. She nodded. ‘But only on one condition?’

  ‘Oh, and what is that?’

  ‘That I earn my living in the valley, whether that’s working in your house as a sort of housekeeper, or in the dairy, or garden, anything. I won’t take charity, Pippa, not when I can work.’

  ‘But—’

  Millie held up her hand. ‘You said no buts. I earn my way or I don’t go. Agreed?’

  ‘If you insist.’ Pippa nodded and then grabbed Davy’s hand. ‘Let’s go downstairs and eat.’

  Pippa gripped the side of the seat as the wagon bumped and trundled over the uneven ground. Scrub grasses scratched against the wheels in accompaniment with the squeaking load. Wind chased grey clouds across the sky, keeping the rain at bay. The trail leading to the ridgeline appeared a little more defined than it had on her previous visit because of the last two weeks of heavy traffic. Yet, it was the track down to the valley bottom that had been totally transformed.

  Robson halted the horses as they neared the descent. Fallen trees and stumps littered the area. He climbed down from the wagon and checked the ropes securing the load.

  Pippa peered over the horses’ heads, noting the improved path disappearing through the trees. ‘You have achieved much here, Robson.’

  He climbed back onto the seat and gathered the reins. ‘Aye, miss. I concentrated on this track down to the valley because of the need for the transports to get safely down.’

  Millie, holding Davy tightly on her lap, glanced at them both. ‘Is it safe? I can walk with Davy.’

  Robson nodded with a gentle smile. ‘Indeed, Mrs Stroker, it’s quite safe. I’ve had the men clearing a roadway in a gentle sweep. From here it looks like it goes straight down, but it doesn’t. In places we have levelled the track for twenty yards or more to take the strain off the horses going either up or down.’ He clicked his tongue and urged the pair on.

  In silence, they negotiated the first descent. The horses placed their feet carefully, going at their own pace, and Robson rode the brake with his foot. After the first slope, the track levelled off for close to fifteen yards before descending again. Pippa stared at the thick bush beside her, its shade throwing a cool blanket over them. However, at intervals, the sun streamed through gaps the men had made by removing trees.

  Robson pointed to the logs edging the road. ‘I think it wise to whitewash those logs, Miss Noble, to make it easier to see the track at night should the need arise.’

  ‘Good idea.’ Pippa thanked the fates that led this wise man to them. ‘I’ll order more whitewash, for we will need it in abundance.’

  A kangaroo jumped down from the high side and dashed away in front of the horses to disappear into the bush going down the slope at Pippa’s side.

  ‘Did you see him?’ Davy squirmed in excitement.

  Robson soothed the horses as they tossed their heads at the sharp intrusion. The wagon jerked and he muttered a curse. ‘We can do without those blasted animals, Davy, lad.’

  Davy stared at him. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because they eat the grass which is needed for the beasts and they scare the horses into bolting when they jump out like that.’

  Davy shrugged. ‘I like them.’

  They made it to the valley bottom without further incident. Rumbling out into the plain, Pippa scanned the ragged tree line that marked the creek. Canvas te
nts dotted the distance like giant mushrooms. A flutter of exhilaration filled her as they travelled closer.

  ‘It’s a beautiful place,’ Millie murmured, eyeing their surroundings.

  ‘It’s a Noble place,’ Pippa whispered.

  Robson reined in at the campsite by the creek. Two men worked on a timber building on the opposite side, while another man guided a Clydesdale dragging a log towards the structure.

  Pippa gathered her skirts and climbed down before Robson had the chance to assist her. She shielded her eyes with her hand. ‘What building are they working on?’

  ‘That’s the beginning of the first stable block, miss.’ Robson swung Davy down before helping Millie. ‘I thought it best to start on a stable first for the stallion and his mares. I didn’t think your father would want Noble Blaze being hobbled out in the open every night. I have a team of men arriving tomorrow who will build a holding yard to the right of it.’ He walked to the back of the wagon and untied the ropes. ‘I’ll set up your tent and then help the men before we lose the light.’

  Pippa and Millie inspected the campsite while he unloaded the wagon. A campfire sat in the middle between the creek and the two canvas tents the men shared.

  Millie poked at the ashes and embers sparked at her. She added dry grass to it and watched it catch alight. ‘There is a tremendous amount of work to do,’ she murmured, looking up.

  Pippa grinned. ‘Yes, I know. I’m looking forward to it.’

  ‘Does nothing deter you?’ Millie added little twigs to the small blaze.

  ‘Not really … except perhaps losing this place.’ Pippa sniffed the fresh air. ‘This is my home.’ She surveyed the valley and sighed. ‘I will never become tired of looking at this valley.’

  ‘You will when you’re cold, hungry and exhausted,’ Millie joked.

  Robson joined them, carrying a small sack. ‘I’ll get the fire going and put water on to boil for you, miss.’ He placed the sack at his feet. ‘Likely you’re in need of a cup of tea?’

  ‘Thank you, Robson, but leave that. Millie and I can light a fire and make tea.’

  His eyebrows rose. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Of course.’ Pippa gathered a few sticks from the stockpile the men had made near the fire. ‘You have enough to do. I do not need a butler at the moment.’

  He chuckled and then glanced at Millie. ‘Can you cook damper, Mrs Stroker?’

  ‘Naturally.’

  He indicated the sack. ‘Flour is in there. Everything else you’ll need is in the wagon or in the tents.’

  Pippa threw the sticks onto the fire, watching Millie prepare the evening meal. ‘Damper is bread, yes?’

  ‘Yes, a flat bread cooked in the fire coals or in a frying pan if you have one. It’s easy to make and tastes lovely. We must go for a walk tomorrow and see if we can find a hive. Wild honey tastes great, too.’

  ‘Really? I’ve never thought we could have wild honey. I imagined building hives later. What else can we use in the valley?’

  ‘Fresh meat. If the men can shoot kangaroos or wild ducks.’ Millie walked into the men’s tents and returned with a box of cooking ingredients plus a frying pan. ‘Davy, don’t stray too close to the creek,’ she called as he wandered along the creek bank.

  The clang of Robson’s hammer as it hit the iron tent stakes into the ground reverberated throughout the valley. It did not take him long to erect the large tent that Pippa was to share with Millie and Davy. Once the shelter was up, she and Millie placed their few belongings inside. Robson carried two cot beds and placed one on either side of the tent, leaving a central walkway. The tent was large enough for Pippa to stand upright in the middle.

  As the sun descended behind the distant ridges, Pippa strolled to the creek edge and waited for the men to walk up to the campsite. An enormous tree trunk, cut in half, spanned the narrow creek bed as a bridge.

  Robson stood beside her to introduce the men as they filed across. ‘Miss Noble, this is Barney Goodfellow; behind him are his two sons, Peter and Colin.’

  Pippa inclined her head to the short, older man. ‘Pleased to meet you, Mr Goodfellow. I trust you and your sons have everything you need?’

  Goodfellow doffed his cap. ‘Aye, miss, indeed we have.’

  ‘Excellent.’ Pippa looked at the two young men standing behind their father. They seemed decent enough and strong. She waved towards the campfire. ‘My friend, Mrs Millie Stroker and her son, Davy, are staying in the valley also. Mrs Stroker has cooked damper and potatoes and there is tea. Please go about your normal routine.’

  ‘Thank you, Miss Noble. We ate the last of the wallaby this morning, but we’ll hunt again this evening.’ Barney Goodfellow rubbed his rough hands together. ‘We’re as hungry as a fox in a henhouse.’

  She grinned and returned to the fire. Davy rushed to her and grabbed her skirts. She placed a hand on his head and stroked his hair. A wonderful feeling of achievement and satisfaction filled her.

  The sounds of the bush changed as the birds quieted while crickets and other insects took up a chorus of their own. The last of the sun’s rays washed a golden light over the valley. The men’s quiet discussion joined the pleasant noises Millie made while tinkering by the fire.

  The scene comforted Pippa in a way she had never known. Here she was, a stranger in a strange place, surrounded by wild, inhospitable bush with people she had only known a short time, yet it felt natural. Tonight, for the first time, she would eat and sit beside an open fire, sleep in a tent, and do it all on her own land. She felt more alive than ever before.

  Chapter Six

  Dawn filtered over the valley in hues of pink and orange, lifting the grey. The kookaburras, or laughing jackasses, as the locals called them, sent out their deep-throated calls, awaking the bush to a new day. Pippa opened her eyes and stared at the canvas above her. She listened to the sounds outside the tent flap: the men stirring the fire, putting the water on to boil, muttering.

  Three weeks had passed since her father had returned to Sydney. Three weeks, in which she’d lived in the valley and learnt to cook bush food and wash her own clothes. She smiled, remembering the ache in her arms after she’d scrubbed her clothes for the first time, an ache overwhelmed by the satisfaction of a job well done.

  Learning to cook gave her the same fulfilment. Millie patiently showed her the ways of bush life. Each day she learnt something new. Her mother would be horrified if she knew of her daughter skivvying like a maid, but they hadn’t budgeted for the cost of servants, yet. Besides, Millie and Robson did the most odious tasks, leaving her to paint and sketch and dream of what the valley would be like in the future.

  Gradually, the sounds of the men’s presence faded into the distance, indicating that they’d crossed the creek to start work. She threw back the blankets and climbed out of the cot. She wrapped her shawl around her nightgown, untied the flap, and stepped out. The fresh, crisp air woke her fully and she stretched. Overnight dew coated the grass and shimmered like thousands of diamond beads. Necklaces of wet cobwebs adorned shrubs and, on the far side of the valley, mobs of kangaroos grazed.

  She walked to the fire and held her hands out to the warmth. The shade thrown by the large gum tree at the creek’s edge chilled her, but the day would be hot.

  On the other side of the creek and to the right, the sight of the first completed building, a stable with three stalls, gave her immense pleasure. The holding yard led off to the side of the stable, and within it, Peter Goodfellow harnessed Ginger and Happy, the new draught horse. Further on, Barney gestured to Colin, who descended into the sawpit.

  Movement from behind made her spin around. Robson came down the slope carrying an armload of wood.

  ‘Good morning, miss.’

  ‘Good morning, Robson. What are the plans for today?’ She wrapped her long shawl around her tighter. Again, her mother would be traumatised to know Robson had seen Pippa in her voluminous nightgown on many occasions, but privacy in a camp was limited.


  Robson threw down his load and turned to survey the stables and yards. ‘Now we have one stable and a holding yard built, I’ve asked Barney and Colin to make a start on the storage hut. We’ll build it beside the stable and we should have it finished in a few days with the four of us at it. Then Peter and me are going to fence off an acre directly behind the stable for the stallion and his mares to be turned out in during the day. We should have it finished by the end of next week, hopefully.’

  ‘Father and I wish to have the stable block in the shape of a quadrangle, with one side open, or maybe a stone wall with arches for entry.’

  ‘Building by stone is slower than timber, miss. That construction may have to be a project for the future.’

  ‘Yes, of course. I am foolish to get ahead of myself, forgive me.’

  Robson nodded. ‘The new carpenter and his team should be arriving any day to start on the house.’

  Pippa laughed. ‘You have been saying that for three weeks now. I seriously doubt he’ll turn up at all.’

  ‘Yes, well, the canny little Irishman is known for his temper and tantrums.’

  ‘As long as he works well, that is all that matters.’

  Robson added more wood to the fire and set the water can over it. ‘He is the best in the district and highly sought after. But it’ll be useful to have him concentrate on the house while we are in the yards.’

  ‘So he is worth the extra money of two teams being here?’

  ‘Absolutely, miss. We’ve got to start ploughing up ground and clearing more land if we are to be ready to sow next March.’

  Pippa nibbled her thumbnail. ‘Has my father mentioned …’ She hesitated, not knowing whether to breach the sensitive subject of money to Robson.

  He looked up as if reading her thoughts. ‘At the end of the month, I will need to pay the men.’