Unable to resist any longer, and despite the feeling she was being watched, Rosa again lifted out the letters. It was a small collection, and clearly addressed. Rosa’s fingers were clumsy as she plucked out the sheets of paper from the only envelope that had been opened. It was dated several years ago, and when she’d finished reading it she understood why Catriona had been crying.
Blinking back her own tears, she quickly replaced everything and locked them away. She put the key back under the clock, checked the room for signs she might have left of her midnight search, and hurried on tiptoe back to her bedroom.
As the moon sailed past her window, Rosa stared into the night and wrestled with the knowledge of what she’d discovered.
Chapter Eighteen
St Helen’s High School for Girls was a private establishment, favoured by wealthy landowners and city elite. It had once been a grand house, but after the Depression it had been bought cheaply by two enterprising spinsters and turned into a school. The spinsters were long dead, but their legacy lived on in the new buildings, the stables and paddocks and in the well-stocked library and neat classrooms. An enormous gymnasium had been paid for by a grateful parent, and the dormitories were comfortable and homely thanks to generous donations from others. Off to one side was a large swimming pool, sheltered from the sun with canvas sails.
The main building was square, with white columns holding a portico above the stone steps. The red brick was almost smothered in ivy, which turned a glorious red in the winter. There was a tree-lined, gravel driveway which swept up to the steps and encircled a large fountain, and as Catriona sat in the taxi she was forcibly reminded of the hotel in Atherton.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked Pat. ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’
Catriona shook off the memories and concentrated on other things. ‘I hope I’ve packed everything,’ she murmured. ‘The list was endless.’
Pat laughed. ‘If we have forgotten anything, then it’s too late.’
They climbed out of the taxi and a man appeared from the side of the house, checked his list and loaded everything on to a trolley before taking it away. Belinda and Rosa were subdued which was unusual, but Catriona was remembering her first day at the Academy, and understood exactly how they were feeling. She wanted to hug Rosa and take her home again. It was such a big place, and there were so many other people here. What if she wasn’t happy?
‘She’ll be right,’ murmured Pat. ‘Look, they’ve already seen someone they know. They won’t be homesick for long.’
Catriona watched as the girls greeted their friends, and were joined by more. ‘Looks like half the Outback is here,’ she said, recognising most of the girls.
‘There’s certainly some money about,’ muttered Pat as they prepared to go up the steps and into the house. She nodded towards a chauffeur-driven car.
Catriona watched the little girl step out of the car and wait obediently while the chauffeur unloaded her trunk and passed it to the school porter. She was a pretty little thing, with lustrous fair hair and big blue eyes. Like Belinda and Rosa she wore the uniform gingham dress, white socks and dark blue blazer with the school badge emblazoned on the pocket. The panama hat sat jauntily on the lovely hair, but Catriona noticed how tightly she was clutching her expensive leather satchel. ‘Poor little mite,’ she said softly. ‘I wonder where her parents are?’
Pat sniffed. ‘Too busy making money probably. People like that shouldn’t have children if they can’t even be bothered to bring her to school on the first day.’
‘She looks very lost. Do you think we ought to encourage our girls to talk to her?’
Pat eyed the girl for a moment, then shook her head. ‘Better to let nature take its course,’ she said, as the child shook hands with several of the staff and stood talking quietly with them. ‘But it’s unsettling to see such composure in one so young.’
Catriona sighed. Pat was right. She was just feeling like a mother hen with an empty coop. She pulled the fur collar more closely around her neck. It was cold in Sydney, with winter still making itself felt in the wind that came off the sea.
They went up the steps into the echoing hall and were introduced to the headmistress who turned out to be very jolly and a great fan of the opera. After a cup of tea in her drawing room, they were escorted around the school by one of the older girls and shown where Belinda and Rosa would sleep during their first year here. Catriona eyed the two rows of beds in the enormous dormitory. How she envied Rosa, for this was a proper boarding school, just like the ones she’d read about as a child. What fun the girls would have, she thought wistfully as they turned to leave. There would be midnight feasts and whispering through the night, proper lessons during the day, and the chance to ride the sleek horses she’d noticed in the stables.
The girls came flying into the hall just as they were beginning to wonder where they were. ‘It’s fab, Mum,’ yelled Rosa, as she threw herself into Catriona’s arms. ‘There’s loads of horses, a huge pool and me and Belinda already know most of the girls in our year.’
Catriona held her tightly. She could barely breathe. ‘What did you say, darling?’
Rosa pulled back and looked up at her. ‘I said there’s a pool and horses …’
‘No,’ interrupted Catriona, her heart beating a rapid tattoo. ‘Not all that. The first bit.’
Rosa blushed to the roots of her untidy hair. ‘Mum,’ she said with uncharacteristic hesitancy.
Catriona’s tears streamed down her face and the girl rushed back into her embrace and held her tightly. ‘I know it’s silly,’ Catriona sobbed. ‘But you’ve never called me that before and I’ve waited so long to hear it.’
Rosa drew back and looked into her face. ‘Mum,’ she said firmly. ‘You’re the very best Mum I could ever have, and I’m sorry you’ve had to wait so long. But I wasn’t sure if you’d mind.’
Catriona hugged her again and kissed her forehead. ‘Oh, darling,’ she sighed. ‘I think it’s the most beautiful name in the world. Of course I don’t mind.’
Rosa grinned as she emerged from the embrace, and Catriona wiped the lipstick from her forehead and tried to bring some order to her hair. ‘What on earth have you been doing?’ she chided softly. ‘Why can’t you keep tidy for more than five minutes?’
‘We’ve been to see the horses,’ she explained. ‘They’re beaut, Mum.’ She took a breath. ‘And they’ve got a real science block here. Belinda and I are going to make stink-bombs and let them off at the boys’ grammar school up the road.’
Catriona looked over Rosa’s head to Pat. They exchanged a smile of relief. Their girls were going to be just fine.
*
Pat had left an hour before and Catriona sat on the back verandah and stared out over the pastures. It was too quiet. The house echoed, and she felt very alone. Yet she realised there was no point in sitting here feeling sorry for herself. She’d known this moment would come, had prepared for it by making plans to become more active in her charity work and in the organisation of the Melbourne Academy. Life would go on, and the thrill of seeing Rosa and Connor mature into adults would compensate for these moments of sadness. For this was their home, and she, their mainstay. They would always keep in touch no matter what life’s adventures held for them.
A movement in the shadows made her tense. Then she smiled as a kitten stalked towards her. For such a tiny, bedraggled little thing, it had a very demanding mewl and a determined strut. She reached down and picked it up. Beneath the dirt, she could see he was a ginger tom, with white bib and socks and a skinny, striped tail. ‘Where have you come from?’
The scrap of fur sat in her hand and stared back at her with disconcerting yellow eyes. He looked half-starved and didn’t weigh more than a few ounces, and Catriona guessed he was only a few weeks old. She stroked the dirty fur and he began to purr, his eyes rolling back, his tongue sticking out between his needle-sharp baby teeth. She laughed. ‘Well,’ she murmured. ‘It looks like you enjoy th
at, but I suspect you’re really looking for food.’
She carried him into the house, knowing she was breaking all the rules. The kitten was no doubt the runt of the litter and had been abandoned by his mother. Like everything else on Belvedere, the cats had to earn their keep, by hunting the vermin that got into the barns and occasionally attacked the livestock. This little chap didn’t look capable of hunting anything, and had been left to survive or die.
She put some milk in a saucer and watched him lap it up. When he’d finished, he looked up at her and demanded more. She gave in and sliced up some of the chicken she’d kept for her supper. He ate with a voracious appetite, and when he’d finished, he spent a long time cleaning his whiskers and grooming his fur. Sated and sleepy, he clawed at her leg and demanded to be picked up. Content, he curled up in her lap.
She stroked the fur and felt the bones of his skinny frame as he purred. The house suddenly didn’t feel so empty now. It was strange and rather wonderful how fate had intervened, for now she had someone else to care for and mother. ‘What am I going to call you?’ she murmured.
He flicked his ears and opened his eyes to regard her with arch composure. He seemed to be telling her he’d come here for food, warmth and kindness, and that Catriona should understand he was in charge from now on, that he was doing her a favour by adopting her.
She grinned and gave him a hug. ‘I’ll call you Archie,’ she said as she carried him into the lounge and settled them both on the couch. ‘I reckon you and I will get along just fine.’
*
Rosa had been away at school for almost five weeks, and although Catriona realised Connor missed her, she knew he was relieved to see the back of Belinda. He was already beginning to dread the school holidays.
Rosa flew home for the half-term break and spent the entire weekend telling them about her new friend Harriet Wilson. Catriona listened as this paragon of virtue and beauty was extolled at length to anyone who would listen. It seemed Harriet, or Hattie, as Rosa called her, was a wonderful dancer, rider and gymnast. She was also very clever, and often helped Rosa with her homework when the teachers weren’t watching.
Connor seemed less than impressed and appeared more interested in the horses the school provided, and the rides the girls took at the weekends and evenings. He thought it very odd there should be stables and paddocks in a city, and Rosa promised he could come and visit, so he could see for himself
The mid-term break was soon over and Catriona watched from the paddock as the Cessna lifted into the sky. She would be seeing Rosa again the next week, for it was almost 20 October, the date of the official opening of the Opera House. She was sad Connor had decided not to witness her moment of glory, but the boy hadn’t really understood what it meant to her, and had seemed less than enthusiastic about a trip into Sydney anyway.
She smiled as she returned to the homestead and made the final preparations for her trip. He certainly wouldn’t enjoy sitting through the arias and music recitals, the speeches and the endless round of polite conversation at the reception afterwards and, although he would have done his best to appear interested for her sake, she knew he would have been bored rigid and desperate to get out of the formal suit and back onto a horse.
Rosa, on the other hand was bubbling with excitement. She had a new dress and shoes and Catriona was going to lend her the single strand of pearls Velda had left her so many years before. It was to be Rosa’s first formal occasion, and Catriona was keeping everything crossed that the child would behave herself.
That special day dawned with warm sunshine. There was bunting and strings of lights all around Circular Quay. All manner of craft were out on the river, the fire boats sending great arcs of water from their jets in salute as the bigger ships sounded their horns and sirens. The Sydney ferries and tourist pleasure boats had been dressed in flags and the excited crowd was already pressing several hundred deep behind the barriers as the Royal Australian Air Force band struck up a rousing tune.
With roars of delight and the enthusiastic waving of flags, the people of Sydney welcomed the Royal cavalcade which slowly drove up to Bennelong Point and stopped at the bottom of the graceful flight of steps. A red carpet flowed up the steps to the main door which was sheltered by one of the magnificent sails of the Opera House roof.
Catriona stood calmly in the reception line, Rosa next to her. The child was pale, but her eyes shone as she smoothed the frills of her dress and shuffled her feet. As Queen Elizabeth was escorted into the red-carpeted foyer by the British Ambassador, the child’s eyes widened. ‘She’s got a real crown with diamonds in it,’ she breathed. ‘Look how they sparkle.’
Catriona told her to hush, but she could see why the child was impressed. Her Majesty’s tiara, necklace, earrings and brooch shot fire in the sun, the diamonds sparkling against the dark blue of her dress. ‘Get ready to curtsy,’ she muttered as the Queen approached. ‘And don’t talk unless she asks you a question.’
Her Majesty paused as she moved down the line and was introduced to the great and the good of the cultural world. There were dancers and singers and musicians, divas by the dozen, as well as the Mayor of Sydney and the ministers of the Australian Parliament.
Catriona held her breath as the Queen drew close to Rosa. The child dipped into the slow and quite elegant curtsy she’d been practising all month. The Queen smiled and said ‘Well done,’ and moved on to Catriona.
Catriona dipped low and lifted her head only when the Queen asked how she was enjoying her retirement. ‘Very much, Your Majesty,’ she replied. The Queen smiled and nodded, glanced once more at Rosa and then moved down the line.
The line gradually disintegrated as the Queen was escorted into the Exhibition Hall where she would be presenting the honours. ‘Go with Clemmie,’ she whispered to Rosa as her friend moved forward from the crush behind the reception line. ‘I have to wait here until I’m called.’
Rosa nodded, then stood on tiptoe and kissed Catriona’s cheek. ‘Good luck, Mum,’ she said, her eyes shining with pride.
Catriona watched her walk away with Clemmie to take their seats in the hall. She took a deep breath to still the flutter of nervous excitement in her midriff. The volume of the chatter around her was growing and she was delighted to see so many old friends again. There were baritones, contraltos and sopranos she’d worked with, conductors she’d fallen out with, managers and directors with whom she’d clashed, and members of the chorus she’d shared dressing-rooms with. It was fun to catch up on the gossip, but there was little time, for the first names were already being called. The babble died to a whisper as the line edged into the exhibition hall.
A gilt and red velvet chair had been set at the end of a long strip of red carpet. The Queen stood beside the Governor who was handing her the appropriate medals and advising on the name of the recipient.
Catriona glanced swiftly at Rosa and Clemmie as she waited her turn. Then she was walking along the carpet, bowing to her Sovereign and receiving her honour. With a few words, the Queen congratulated her on the work she had done to help fund the building of the Opera House, and thanked her for the years of pleasure Catriona had given her with her singing. The Queen stepped back, Catriona curtsied again and moved away.
The rest of the day disappeared in a haze of happiness and disbelief. As she was congratulated by the Mayor, the Ambassador and the Minister of Culture, she could barely hold back the giggles. Dame Catriona: it made her sound terribly important, but she just felt bemused by it all. What an extraordinary honour for one who’d started life in the back of a painted wagon.
Chapter Nineteen
Christmas came and went and Catriona was once more saying goodbye to Rosa. ‘Can Hattie come and stay the whole of next holiday?’ Rosa asked as they loaded the trunk into the Cessna.
Catriona thought for a moment. ‘Won’t her parents want her at home?’
Rosa shook her head. ‘Her dad’s dead and her mum’s always away on tour.’
Catrion
a’s interest was piqued. ‘On tour? Is she in the theatre then?’
Rosa shrugged. ‘Yeah. She’s a dancer or something.’ She looked up at Catriona. ‘So can she?’
Catriona had to force herself to concentrate. ‘What’s her mother like?’
‘She’s all right, I suppose. But she’s not like you.’ Rosa hesitated as if trying to find the right words. ‘She’s not warm and smiling like you, and she’s really thin. Always complaining about the cold and fussing about crumbs in the car.’
‘When did you go in their car?’ Rosa hadn’t mentioned outings during the term.
‘We went out for tea when Hat’s mum came back from London. Belinda and three of the other girls came too, but I don’t think she liked any of us very much.’
‘Why?’ Catriona tried not to laugh, the child was looking so serious.
Rosa shrugged. ‘How should I know?’ she said baldly. ‘She just doesn’t like girls, I suppose. We were a bit noisy.’ She grinned. ‘But we had a bonzer tea, much better than we’d have had at school.’
‘Oh, dear,’ sighed Catriona as she tried not to smile. ‘Perhaps Harriet’d better not come and stay if her mother’s a bit …’ She let the sentence hang in the air.
‘She won’t care,’ retorted Rosa with the carelessness and inhibition of a twelve-year-old. ‘She’ll be in Paris anyway.’
‘So the child will be on her own all through the holiday?’
Rosa nodded. ‘Yeah, she’ll have to stay at school with Miss Hollobone. She says she doesn’t mind, and that she’s used to it, but I think she’d much prefer staying with us.’
Catriona couldn’t bear the thought of that lonely little girl spending her holiday in an empty school. ‘Then you’d better ask her,’ she said as the pilot started the engine. ‘I’ll ring Miss Hollobone later today.’
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