‘Although I have to tell you,’ Brad added, with a huge grin, ‘I reckon Hugh’s biggest achievement at Queensland Uni was when he lip-synced “Eagle Rock” at the Union College ball. You should have seen him back then, with his long, dark, seventies hair and his linen jacket, wiggling his hips and flapping his arms like Daddy Cool. The girls went crazy.’
Of course, this was greeted by roars of laughter and cheers and calls for a repeat performance.
‘I always knew you were a cool dad,’ yelled Flora, and that brought more laughter.
Other people spoke. Not surprisingly, Hugh Drummond had been a leader in the cattle industry, fighting for Beef Roads and cattle exports and helping on the committee of the Mareeba Rodeo. But beyond these predictable interests of a cattleman, he’d also been a great supporter of the Regional Art Gallery and a willing helper at the Multicultural Festival.
A rather brash, bearded young councillor even spoke about Hugh’s term on the shire council.
‘The best committee chairman we ever had,’ he said. ‘Should have been mayor.’
Then it was Hugh’s turn to respond. Graciously, he thanked the speakers, thanked the guests for coming and thanked his family, especially Jackie. As he did this, he turned to Jackie, giving her a look of heart-stopping fondness as he held out his arms to her. The cheers were even louder as they hugged and kissed.
It was absolutely perfect, Alice thought, and she found herself swiping at tears. She didn’t dare to catch Seth’s eye.
Hugh kept his arm around his wife’s shoulders as he continued with his speech. ‘Good friends, while you’re all here, Jackie and I have something rather significant to tell you.’
A hush fell over the crowd. All eyes were riveted on Hugh and Jackie. Alice shot a glance at Seth, saw the way his jaw tightened, and felt suddenly nervous.
Hugh said, ‘We’ve decided – actually, the whole family has decided – that the time has come to sell Ruthven Downs.’
A collective gasp broke from the crowd. Dropped jaws and stunned faces, even cries of ‘Oh, no.’
Watching everyone’s reaction, Alice felt sick. She was sure this decision was directly related to the documents she’d found behind the mirror. She looked towards Jackie, but there were no visible signs of strain as she stood there, smiling, beside her husband. Was she putting on a brave face?
Alice turned to Seth, but his gaze was fixed on his father, his expression hard to read. She glanced towards Flora and her aunt and cousin. None of them looked especially upset.
Hugh waited till the shock-waves subsided before he continued. He smiled at the crowd. ‘So, as you can see, this party is more than a birthday for an old codger. It’s also a kind of farewell, the end of an era, and the start of new beginnings for the Drummonds.’
Another ripple of reaction travelled through the guests. Hugh held up his hand. ‘I know this is a surprise, but as I said, this is a family decision and we’re all comfortable with it. It’s nothing dramatic like a bust-up or a bank foreclosure.’
‘But you’re not leaving the district, are you?’ someone called.
Hugh’s smile was patient. ‘I know there’ll be lots of questions and you’re all good friends, so you deserve answers, but let’s leave that for later. Right now, I have some candles to blow out and a cake to cut.’
‘And more bottles to open,’ called Brad.
38
The joyous cheers for Hugh faded and Alice turned to Seth. ‘Well, your dad certainly managed to surprise everyone.’
Seth cracked a wry smile. ‘The surprise wasn’t really planned. Just the way things worked out. Good timing, though.’
‘I guess the whole district will know by tomorrow.’
‘Yeah, we won’t have to worry about spreading the word.’
Already, the crowd had begun to disperse. People helped themselves to fresh drinks, several women began clearing away plates, others were talking rather animatedly in groups.
Jackie and Deborah began to cut the cake into slices, while the Woods and the Kinsellas cornered Hugh, no doubt plying him with questions.
Alice waited till she and Seth were alone before she gave in to her burning curiosity. ‘So, how do you feel about your family’s decision to sell?’
‘It had to happen,’ he responded enigmatically. ‘It was a unanimous decision.’
‘But do you mind? You love it here, don’t you?’
Seth turned to the railing and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the timber ledge. ‘There’ve been hassles and unfairness over the whole inheritance set-up,’ he said. ‘It was time to set things straight. We’re going to form a family trust and everyone will have shares. It all has to be worked out very carefully and fairly, of course, but everyone’s in agreement.’
‘Well, that’s good, I guess.’ Alice studied his profile as he looked out into the garden. He looked and sounded calm enough, but she knew he’d lived here all his life and he must have expected to live here forever. ‘Are you truly happy, Seth?’ she asked cautiously.
‘Yes, I am, actually.’ He turned to her and smiled. ‘You’re as bad as everyone else. They’ve all been worried about me, especially Dad. He knows how much I love working with cattle, but I’ve been saying for ages now that I’d love to breed stud cattle, and this place has never really been suitable for cell grazing and stud breeding. The rainfall’s not all that reliable.’
‘Right. So you’ll look around for a place of your own?’
‘Yeah, I’m looking forward to a new challenge, to be honest. Starting my own venture.’
‘That’s great.’ Alice tried to sound enthusiastic, but she couldn’t quite pull it off. She was too painfully aware that she wouldn’t be a part of Seth’s exciting future. He would be on his own farm with Charlie – and she wouldn’t be in that picture.
‘Is something wrong?’ he asked her suddenly.
She hadn’t realised he was still watching her. ‘No, of course not.’ She managed to smile. ‘I’m fine.’ But she hoped Seth didn’t expect her to elaborate on why she was so fine. Truth was, she felt miserable. Now that the major party event was over, things would start winding down. Her role at this ball was coming to an end. When the clock struck twelve, she would have to scurry away before her ute turned into a pumpkin.
‘You’re probably tired,’ Seth said. ‘You’ve had to drag yourself over here two nights in a row.’
‘No, honestly, I’m okay, but I should help with the cleaning up.’
‘No way, Alice. I’m sure there are plenty of –’
Alice didn’t wait till he’d finished. She needed a little distance, some head space. Soon she would be saying goodbye to Seth and the Drummonds, and Ruthven Downs, and she needed to do be able to do this with dry eyes and a convincing smile.
When she reached the kitchen, however, she found a team of women busily working at the sink, wielding tea-towels, wiping down bench tops, stacking the dishwasher, all of them chattering non-stop as they worked.
‘Jackie says she and Hugh want to do a whole lot more travel.’
‘I heard they’re talking of moving to Burralea.’
‘But what about Seth? What will he do now?’
The chatter stopped as Alice appeared. ‘Can I help?’ she asked, feeling just a little foolish.
A woman in bright red spectacles shooed her good-naturedly. ‘Thank you, dear, that’s very kind, but we’ve had so many offers from the CWA girls, we can’t possibly squeeze in another body. Off you go and enjoy yourself.’ Her significant smile conveyed what she hadn’t said – enjoy yourself with Seth.
Sure enough, when Alice returned to the verandah, Seth was waiting for her and, unfairly, he managed to look hotter than ever.
He was grinning at her too. ‘Told you they wouldn’t need you.’
She shrugged.
‘Why don’t we find somewhere quiet to sit for a bit?’
Under other circumstances, Alice would have relished a chance to slip away with Seth, but now ne
rvous knots tightened in her stomach. Was this it? The goodbye chat?
‘Why not?’ she said as lightly as she could.
They took the small flight of steps leading from the verandah to a side garden. The night was warm, but Alice shivered as they crossed the lawn under a clear sky filled with stars, past a bed of lilies and a trellis covered in sweet-smelling jasmine to a seat in a secluded corner.
The long seat was made of wooden slats with curly wrought-iron arms and legs. They sat apart.
No more touching.
The time for painful honesty had arrived.
She was aware of the cooling night air on her bare arms and neck, and she was super-aware of the gorgeous man, some distance away, with his arms hooked over the back of the seat, his long legs sprawled. He reminded her of an athlete, exhausted after finishing a marathon.
She looked up at the sky to the silver half-moon and the astonishing dazzle of stars, and before Seth could start talking about the end of their relationship, she launched into a different topic. ‘I’m so relieved that Charlie’s had no lingering after-effects.’
‘Yeah,’ Seth agreed. ‘You should have seen him running around today. It was hard to believe he’d had a close shave.’
‘That’s great. And the sitter hasn’t had to call you tonight, so that’s even better. You’ll probably be able to start using sitters more often.’
‘Mmm.’ Seth frowned.
Alice looked back to the house, low and sprawling and rather splendid with its silver roof winking in the moonlight and the golden glow of house lights spilling over the lawn. She thought again about the Drummond family leaving all this – not just the house, but the hundreds of acres of bush and grasslands and dams and hills.
She still felt sad about it, but perhaps Seth was right. It was time for a change, for all of them.
‘You must be so proud of your father,’ she said.
‘Yeah, he’s a good bloke.’
Seth said this quietly – such a simple statement – but the note of sincerity in his voice conveyed a deep wealth of emotion.
You’re a good father too, Seth. One day Charlie will speak glowingly about you.
Alice could so easily picture Seth in the future, running his cattle stud, a loving family man with a wife – possibly a local girl like one of those pretty blonde twins – and another child or two. He would be a pillar of his community. A salt-of-the-earth type. A good bloke.
‘Alice.’ Seth’s deep voice broke into her miserable thoughts. ‘Why don’t we cut to the chase?’
She stiffened. ‘What chase?’
Goodbye?
Seth turned to her, and in the moonlight, his eyes were a clear steel blue. ‘We shouldn’t be talking about my dad or Charlie or the damn babysitter. We need to talk about us.’
Us. Her heart began to pound. There was no us. ‘But there’s nothing to discuss.’ She spoke tightly, sitting straight, hands gripping the edge of the seat. ‘Once this party’s over we say goodbye. You’ll explain to your parents.’
‘Is that what you want?’
‘I – I –’ His question totally threw her.
‘You don’t want to see me again?’ Seth challenged.
Alice swallowed, fighting tears. ‘It’s not really a matter of what I want, is it? We broke it off, Seth. You were fed up with me and that was fair enough. The whole business with children. My hang-ups.’
A painful lump had ballooned in Alice’s throat.
Seth’s gaze was fixed on her. ‘The thing is, I’m not sure I’m ready to say goodbye. I know you have issues, but I reckon we could still try to make a go of this.’
‘This?’ she squeaked, hardly daring to guess, to understand.
He’d moved closer, and now he dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. ‘This,’ he murmured.
The warm imprint of his lips on her skin sent thrills streaking all the way to her toes, to her fingertips.
‘I’m crazy about you, Alice.’
Zap. She tried to speak but no words came out.
She couldn’t even see Seth. Her eyes were blurred with tears, but she felt his warm, strong hands as he cupped her face, sensed him lean into her, felt his lips brushing hers, lightly, gently, gliding seductively.
It was a kiss of sublime tenderness, making her feel as if she’d never been kissed before. A kiss filled with magic, touched by stars.
Closing her eyes, Alice pressed close, loving the familiar scent of Seth, the longed-for taste of him, the amazing intimacy of his lips on hers – soft and warm – unpicking her stitch by stitch with slow devastation. Teasing, teasing.
Oh, the sweetness of it. A soft groan broke from her. She couldn’t help it. She wanted this man so badly she couldn’t hold back. Weeks, days and nights of wanting blended into this single moment. Winding her arms around his neck, she pressed closer.
Instantly, Seth’s arms tightened around her and his kiss became hungry, fierce. Gloriously possessive.
It was some time before they released each other, and they did so slowly, reluctantly, not speaking, as if they were both too shaken by the force of their feelings to find anything as trivial as words.
A gentle breeze blew over them. The sound of happy, innocent voices drifted from the house. In the trees by the creek an owl hooted.
Seth threaded his fingers through Alice’s. ‘So,’ he said. ‘I think we’ve answered my question.’
‘I guess.’ She hoped she didn’t sound too over-the-top happy.
‘I reckon both Charlie and I are crazy about you, Alice.’
She laughed.
‘I suppose Charlie might still be a problem for you, but perhaps –’
‘Actually –’ Alice took a deep breath. ‘I think I might be getting over that particular hurdle.’
Seth stared at her, his expression a mix of delight and caution. ‘So last night’s drama didn’t totally freak you out?’
‘I think it might have helped. I was absolutely terrified at the time, of course. But the amazing thing is, I coped.’
Seth gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. ‘You did. You were wonderful. You did exactly what you had to do.’
‘I didn’t know I had it in me. I was always so sure I’d be a mess, hopeless with kids, dropping my bundle at the first hint of a problem.’
Some day soon, she would tell him the whole sad story that she’d shared with Tammy, but already it was losing it’s pernicious grip.
He kissed her forehead. ‘You were fabulous.’
‘And for me that’s a kind of miracle.’
‘And I’ll always be incredibly grateful. I’ll probably be like our neighbours, the Hargreaves, telling everyone about it at your sixty-fifth birthday party.’
Alice laughed and felt herself blushing at the very thought of still knowing Seth when she was sixty-five.
‘The really good thing is,’ she said more seriously, ‘I’ve felt really different today. I don’t suppose I’m cured exactly, but I’ve been thinking about it all day and it doesn’t make me panic any more. I can even picture caring for Charlie, or some other little kid, without feeling the horrible, crippling terror I’ve always felt. I think I’m starting to realise I can be like everyone else. There might be another crisis one day, but really, all anyone can do is try to be sensible and do their best. And – and most times that’s enough.’
‘Alice, that’s right. Good on you. That’s bloody fantastic.’
‘I know. It’s such a relief.’
They stayed there for ages, talking, kissing, talking some more in the moonlight.
Seth looked relieved and relaxed, almost boyish as he told Alice about his plans. He would probably look for a smaller property, somewhere more suitable for breeding. Closer to Burralea, perhaps.
Alice liked the sound of that. She was practically floating with excitement.
‘It’s good country over there and great pasture,’ Seth said. ‘Last year, a fellow near Burralea got the highest price ever paid in Australia for one of his
bulls.’
‘And you want to beat his record?’
‘I can always try.’
He told her that Hugh and Jackie were thinking of moving closer to Burralea, too. They were going to look for a place down near the lake.
Alice loved the happy picture this conjured. This afternoon she’d felt so low and miserable, expecting to never see the Drummonds again. Now, within a few short hours, it seemed that she’d be seeing more of Seth’s family than ever.
After all the years of missing her parents and Daisy, she longed to be part of a proper extended family. And now, she and Seth were even talking of taking Charlie to England to visit Joanna. And somewhere within the lovely countryside around Burralea, there’d be a farm, Seth and Charlie’s farm, a stud farm, no less. A farmhouse on a sloping green hill, and Charlie’s grandparents in their own house near the lake.
It all seemed too good to be true. She might have become teary if Flora hadn’t suddenly burst around the corner of the jasmine trellis.
‘Oh, there you both are.’
‘Have we been missed?’ asked Seth.
‘Well, yes, you’ve been gone for ages. I suppose you’ve been snogging, but people are leaving and Mum thinks you should be there to say goodbye.’
‘Then we’d better get cracking.’
39
It was after midnight, the guests were gone, and the Drummonds, plus Alice, were in the lounge room, winding down. Seth and Xavier had dismantled the trestle tables and taken them onto the verandah before dragging the lounge furniture back into a semblance of their normal positions.
Now Jackie and Hugh sagged with relief into the nearest chairs and Alice and Deborah handed round mugs of tea.
‘Thank you, Alice,’ said Jackie as she propped her aching feet onto a footstool. ‘This is heavenly, exactly what I needed. And how clever of you two to find your way around the kitchen. It must be such a mess.’
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