The angry mob surged forward, dragging the three of them along with it.
Violet saw a Richmond Push lad pull a glass jar filled with liquid out of his bag. He threw it against the tannery wall, where it smashed, releasing a strong stench of petrol. Violet automatically lifted her camera from around her neck, roughly aimed it and shot off a photograph of the lad tossing another jar towards the factory.
A second push member did the same. Then he flicked a burning match towards the spilled petrol. The effect was instantaneous. Flames roared into the air. The blaze licked the windows, the door, the walls, racing out of control as it took hold of the aged timber soaked with the grease from thousands of animal hides. A shout of excitement went up from the mob.
‘Fire,’ yelled one of the workers. ‘Fire!’
The crowd pulled away from the flames. Violet knew she had to capture the chaotic scene on film. She lifted her camera and shot photos, regardless of keeping steady or framing shots. There simply wasn’t time, and Nikolai was dragging her back.
Violet realised that she’d finished her first film and quickly wound it back into its cartridge. She opened the camera and slipped the finished one into her pocket, quickly winding on the second film and snapping the back of the camera closed.
‘Come on, Violet,’ Nikolai hissed. ‘It’s not safe. We’ve got to go.’
Violet shot off another couple of photographs of the men jostling, illuminated from behind by the flames, and the Richmond Push lads attacking Theodore’s car with their fence palings, smashing the headlights and denting the duco.
‘Look, she ’as a camera!’ warned one of the push lads.
Violet heard him and turned to flee. Nikolai put his arm around her protectively, hugging her to his side.
‘They’ve seen you, miss,’ warned Frank. ‘You’d better get out of here. They won’t like you takin’ photos.’
Nikolai and Frank started to run, but a big, burly man barrelled into Violet. He clutched her arm, leering in her face, his breath rank with alcohol and raw onion.
‘Not so fast, young lady,’ he sneered. ‘I’ll take that.’ The ruffian snatched the camera from Violet’s hands and flicked the back latch.
‘Leave her alone,’ Nikolai demanded, battling back through the throng to help her.
‘No,’ cried Violet. ‘You’ll ruin the film.’
The man grabbed the film and ripped it out of its cartridge, exposing it to the light. He thrust the camera back in Violet’s hands, and she clutched it desperately.
‘That’s the idea,’ he slurred. ‘Can’t have you takin’ incriminatin’ photos now, can we? You’re lucky I don’t smash your camera as well. Better get home where it’s safe, missy.’
Violet planned to do exactly that when a loud whistle sounded from up on the main road. A group of policemen came running, their truncheons at the ready. The crowd dispersed and men began running for the side streets and laneways. A man burst between Violet and Nikolai, breaking them apart. Violet felt her hat get knocked off and saw it trampled underfoot.
‘It’s the coppers,’ yelled one of the protesters. ‘Get out of here!’
‘Come on,’ Nikolai urged. ‘He’s right.’
Running through the throng was like battling a huge wave. Violet and Frank were swept one way. Nikolai was swept another. Truncheon blows fell down on shoulders, heads and backs. Violet saw Nikolai sink under a rain of blows.
‘Nikolai!’ she screamed.
‘Go home!’ Nikolai yelled, his arms flailing to protect himself.
Frank was pushed over by the surge. He fell flat on his belly and cried out in agony as dozens of tramping boots stomped over him.
Violet leaned down and dragged Frank, who was whimpering in pain, to his feet. She searched in vain for Nikolai, but he had been swept away. Violet didn’t know what to do. She searched the crowd fruitlessly. A block away, men were being arrested and shoved into the back of two police cars.
Frank retched and groaned, holding his side. His face was white as a cloud. Violet decided that her priority was to lead him to safety.
‘Come on, Frank,’ Violet whispered. ‘Let’s get you back to Sally.’
‘I feel crook,’ Frank gasped. ‘My ribs feel like they’re on fire.’
Violet murmured reassuringly, ‘It’ll be all right.’ She carefully pulled his arm around her shoulder and set off, carrying his weight.
Violet looked back at the top of the road, scanning the crowd. Men were fighting and fleeing, but there was no still sign of Nikolai. Violet bit the inside of her cheek. There was nothing she could do. At last, she turned away. Nikolai had survived Bolshevik soldiers, starvation and violence. She was sure he would be all right.
It was a long walk back to Riversleigh with Frank injured. Finally, they sneaked around the back of the house and came in through the servants’ entrance. Violet sat Frank down in the servants’ dining room and searched for Sally.
Sally and Mrs Darling were in the kitchen mending linen. They leapt to their feet as soon as they realised it was Violet.
‘Miss Violet, whatever’s the matter?’ asked Mrs Darling. ‘You look terrible.’
Violet forced a smile to reassure her. ‘Sally, please don’t panic, but your brother Frank is here – he’s been injured in a strike riot.’
‘Cripes,’ said Sally, her face crumpling. ‘How bad is he?’
Mrs Darling raced into the dining room to check over Frank and wash his wounds. ‘I think the poor lad has broken some ribs,’ she said. ‘He’d better stay here the night. Sally, you can make him a bed in the men’s quarters.’
Mrs Darling and Sally fussed over Frank, strapping him up and feeding him a hearty meal. Violet left them to it and crept up the back servants’ stairs. At the top, she opened the door and peeked through to make sure the way was clear, then she crept into the bathroom to wash and change.
When she was respectable again, Violet ran down the main stairs and went through to the kitchen to see if Nikolai had returned. Mrs Darling shook her head. ‘He was expected back by now, but he hasn’t arrived yet. I hope he’s not much later or Mr Saunders will be very unhappy with him.’
‘Could you please let me know when Nikolai gets back?’ Violet asked, trying to sound calm. ‘I just need to check something with him urgently.’
23
The Tower
Hawthorn, modern day
In the morning, Marli woke to find that Dad had gone to work. Under the muesli packet on the kitchen bench was a note:
Good morning, myshka. Sorry, I had to go early – there’s been a problem at work. Tell you all about it this afternoon. Love, Dad xx
Marli felt her anger at her father well up again – even after their argument nothing had changed. She picked up the note, crumpled it into a ball and threw it at the garbage bin. It missed and rolled on the floor.
She had to get out.
Marli grabbed the peacock hatbox, the camera and backpack, and cycled as fast as she could to Riversleigh. This time she went in through the double blue door, through the garage and into the service courtyard. She unlocked the back door, then went through the kitchen and its green baize door, into the front of the house and up the stairs.
It felt eerie being in the empty house by herself, without Luca to give her courage.
Using the large iron key, she unlocked the door to the tower and went inside. Somehow she felt calmer in the small forgotten tower room, with its relics of a bygone age.
Using a wad of tissues from her bag, she dusted off the desk and began laying out all the items from the hatbox – the scrapbook, the Kodak Brownie camera, the key and various loose photographs.
Marli sat at the desk and closed her eyes, fiddling with the engraved silver bangle on her wrist. She thought about everything that had been going on in her life for the last few weeks. Her anger with her mother for going away without her, and now with her father for working so much. Her fascination with the Hamilton family and their secrets. Her friendsh
ip with Luca and his family. The discovery of Riversleigh and her determination to ensure that it wasn’t destroyed. Learning about her great-grandmother Violet and life in the 1920s.
Didi had said that Violet had been disinherited by her father, and Nonno had said that Violet’s mother had died of grief, leaving her daughters behind. Despite her own dramas with her parents, she couldn’t imagine having her family torn apart by war and grief.
Marli thought about her mother and realised that she had always put Marli first. The realisation made her feel warm and happy, but also guilty. I’ve been punishing Mum for not getting my own way.
Marli pulled out her phone and hit her mum’s number. The phone rang for a few moments before she answered, sounding groggy but panicked. ‘Hello, Marli? Is everything all right? Has something happened?’
Marli suddenly realised that it was ten o’clock in the morning in Melbourne, which meant it was eleven o’clock at night in Cambridge. ‘Oh, Mum. I’m so sorry to wake you. Yes, everything’s all right. I just wanted to talk to you.’
‘Are you okay, darling? You sound upset.’
‘Yeah, well, it’s Dad. He’s working all the time. He’s hardly ever home.’
There was silence for a moment on the other end of the line. ‘That’s not like Alex,’ Mum said. ‘He was so excited about you coming down. He said he’d planned lots of fun things to do with you. I would never have sent you to Melbourne if I’d thought he’d neglect you.’
Mum sounded upset, and it made Marli feel even more guilty. Things weren’t as bad as Marli had made them sound.
‘He’s had some dramas at work,’ Marli explained. ‘He seems super stressed.’
‘I’ll ring Aunty Julia now and organise for you to go there until I sort something out,’ Mum decided. ‘I can get you on a plane this afternoon, right after I speak with your father. Julia can meet you at the airport in Brisbane.’
Marli thought about the offer. Do I really want to leave Melbourne? Do I want to leave Didi and Dad and Luca? What will happen to Riversleigh if I leave? She remembered Didi talking about Violet: ‘She would always fight for what she believed in.’
‘Thanks, Mum,’ replied Marli, ‘but I’ll be okay. I don’t want to leave Melbourne just yet. I just need to talk to Dad. And I’ve been having fun most of the time.’
‘Are you sure?’ Mum asked. ‘I don’t like to think of you being on your own all the time.’
‘I haven’t been alone all the time,’ Marli admitted. ‘I’ve been hanging out with a nice boy called Luca, who lives nearby, watching movies, exploring the area, doing stuff. He has a big Italian family, and they’ve had me for dinner a couple of times. And I’ve been visiting Didi, which has been lovely. Dad and I are going out tonight, so I’m fine, really.’
Mum sighed. ‘Well, if you’re sure. But if you change your mind, let me know and I’ll have it all organised in a jiffy.’
‘Thanks, Mum. Thanks for everything.’
Marli could almost feel Mum’s smile down the line. ‘I love you, darling.’
‘Love you, Mum.’
‘You know, Marli, your dad loves you very much too. He would never want to do anything to upset you.’
Marli felt her pent-up emotion release. ‘I know.’
‘And I’m so glad you’re enjoying Melbourne.’ Mum paused. ‘I was waiting to see how you found it before I mentioned an idea to you. We’ve been offered an opportunity that could mean moving down there.’
‘Moving? What do you mean?’ Marli asked.
‘I’ve been offered a huge promotion, but I turned it down. It was as a senior lecturer at Melbourne University, starting next year.’
‘Wow,’ Marli exclaimed. A multitude of emotions raced through her brain – pride in her mum, anxiety about the possibility of change, curiosity. ‘That’s great, but why did you turn it down?’
‘I didn’t think you’d want to leave your friends, your school, your life in Brisbane. And when I arranged for you to visit Alex, you made such fuss. I realised I was right, so I turned the job down. But they rang me again today with an even better offer. They’ve given me a few days to decide. So I thought I’d give you the chance to think about it too, and we can make the decision together.’
They chatted for a few minutes about Mum’s research and her lectures at Cambridge, then they said goodbye. Marli felt relieved. She was glad she wasn’t arguing with her mum any more. And the thought of moving to Melbourne wasn’t as terrifying as it might have been a few weeks ago.
Marli began to think about Riversleigh as she flipped through the scrapbook, examining the photographs and invitations. How could she convince Dad that Riversleigh should be saved and restored, not knocked over for soulless flats?
When she reached the back of the scrapbook, there was a pocket on the inside of the black leather cover. It bulged. Something was hidden in there. Marli slipped her fingers inside the flap and drew it out.
Marli spent the rest of the day with Luca. They played soccer on the freshly mown back lawn and had a picnic lunch on the back terrace. At about five o’clock, a text message pinged on her phone. It was from Dad.
Hi sweetie. I’m home. Where are you? See you soon. Love Dad xx
Marli quickly texted a reply: Coming
‘Gotta go,’ Marli said to Luca. ‘See you tomorrow.’
She cycled back to Dad’s apartment in Richmond, parked the bike in the garage and caught the lift upstairs.
Dad was sitting at the kitchen bench, looking exhausted. But as soon as Marli walked in his face brightened and he sat up. ‘How was your day, myshka?’
Marli told him about playing soccer with Luca and having a picnic, but she didn’t mention where. She looked at Dad and noticed that the tense lines around his face had softened while he listened to her stories.
‘How about your day, Dad?’ Marli asked. ‘Looks like it might have been tough.’
Dad looked surprised for a moment and then sighed. ‘I didn’t want to bother you with it, myshka, but it’s been a horror.’
‘Tell me about it. I’d like to know.’
‘There was an accident at the building site today,’ Dad began. ‘One of our workers was seriously injured, and it should never have happened. The proper safety regulations weren’t being observed.’
Dad gathered his thoughts, before continuing. ‘Because the project costs have blown out and we’ve had to cut costs, our suppliers have switched to poorer quality materials – not the ones I originally specified – and the contractors have been forced to take shortcuts.
‘I have spoken to my boss, Tony, several times about my concerns, but he refuses to listen. I was worried something like this would happen. Now a man with three young children is seriously hurt – it’s a miracle he wasn’t killed. I watched him fall and couldn’t do anything to stop it.’
Dad shook his head, as though trying to clear the image of the accident from his mind. ‘I had a huge argument with Tony today, and he gave me my marching orders.’
‘Marching orders?’ Marli asked, feeling anxious.
Dad stroked her cheek to reassure her. ‘The company has been cutting costs for a few months; several people have been retrenched. Now I’m the latest one.’
Marli felt sick. She had been so angry and horrible to Dad, and the whole time he was trying to save her from worrying about his problems.
‘I’m so sorry, Dad,’ Marli said. ‘You should have told me things were so serious.’
‘I didn’t want to spoil your holiday. But I realise I’ve ruined it anyway – your mum rang me today and was furious that I’ve been neglecting you. I really wanted to spend lots of time with you, but Tony insisted that everyone work extra-long hours to get the project done. Anyone who didn’t would lose their job.’
‘That’s awful,’ said Marli. ‘So you’ve been working six or seven days a week for months, and now you’ve lost your job anyway?’
Dad shrugged. ‘I’ll get paid a lump sum of money, but it will be hard
to get another job in the construction industry now. So many companies are finding it tough.’ He gave Marli a hug. ‘That’s why I think we should build apartments at Riversleigh. It would be a way to make money. I could use my payout to fund the building and borrow the balance from the bank, using the land as security. It would be the perfect solution to all our problems.’
Marli felt her heart sink. The future of Riversleigh was looking grimmer than ever.
24
Police Visit
Riversleigh, Saturday, 9 December 1922
Violet walked through into the morning room where Imogen was stretched out on the chaise longue, reading a book. She glanced up as Violet walked in.
‘How was your day?’ Imogen asked, putting her book aside. Violet noticed that her sister was still wearing Theodore’s pearl ring and shivered. Imogen looked concerned. ‘Is everything quite all right? You look very pale.’
Violet nodded. ‘I just have a little headache, that’s all. I went for a walk to try to clear it.’
Romeo was lying in the sun, but he came over to Violet and pushed his nose into her hand. He licked her fingers to comfort her.
Mr Hamilton popped his head around the door. ‘Here you are. I’ve just heard the most dreadful news from Mr Ramsay.’
Imogen sat up. ‘What was it?’
Violet stayed silent. She had a terrible feeling she knew what her father was going to say.
‘He telephoned to say there’s been a riot down at his tannery,’ Mr Hamilton explained, wandering into the room. ‘The workers went on strike this morning and set fire to the factory. The firefighters are still trying to subdue the flames, but they’ve lost over two thousand hides. The damage is already estimated to be more than thirty thousand pounds.’
‘How dreadful for the Ramsays,’ Imogen replied. ‘But won’t it be insured?’
Mr Hamilton shook his head. ‘The insurance won’t go anywhere near covering the damage, but the police are investigating. Theodore says they’ve arrested a Russian Bolshevik. They’re questioning him now.’
The Lost Sapphire Page 21