Loving Daughters
Page 28
‘He has visited us only once since my marriage. It was to take a service on the anniversary of the opening of St Jude’s. By great good fortune it was also the anniversary (or near enough) of the opening of St Peter’s in Pambula so he had time only for a brief meeting with parishioners and morning tea in the rectory before going off. He mistook Enid for Una and to my everlasting shame I did nothing to rectify the error. Enid made a perfect hostess. Una had taken her bathing suit to the swimming hole, although the middle of winter. I was terrified she would appear looking like a deep green football sprouting arms and legs.’
He wriggled on his chair to rid himself of cold and cramp and then wrote on:
‘I have this plan. So far only God and I know of it and I now share it with you.
‘When the new little one is born I hope to carry it off and place it in Enid’s arms. If a boy Small Colin, if a girl Small Enid. I will insist. Una I don’t think by that time will raise any objections, simply allow herself to go off for the long (very long) rest cure.
‘In her state I think Una will allow herself to be confined at Violet’s, although the two still do not speak. Violet wants it desperately. She has few patients owing to this limited population (of adults) and for her own niece not to be confined in her hospital (and next door) would be taken as a social blight.
‘Ned recovered from his burning accident, and now walks with two sticks. He goes to the bush less and less which is easier on Violet. My prayers in that area have brought results, although I have to admit, since he burned the farmhouse down, shelter is unavailable and nights spent in the open during an Australian winter would have limited appeal.
‘But to say more about my plan. It was I who took Small Henry to Enid when Violet had to handle the unexpected birth of twins, followed by Ned’s burned legs. I took great delight in the happiness he brought her. Then she lost him and I feel somehow I failed her. This way I will make it up to her. (Please God!)’
He laid down his pen and rubbed the finger that held it. A noise startled him. Una had returned from her walk carrying a long branch and trailed it along the windows of the church, then around the tankstand. The noise was like a bell tolling, a light ringing on the surface above a deep and thunderous sound.
He went swiftly to the kitchen, tearing off the written pages and folding them.
He lifted the ring of the stove and laid the pages on the coals. Flames ran from the corners curling them as they went. Some of the words leaped up blackened and with letters enlarged.
Then the pages turned to transparency, and when he last looked, reminded him of frail waves breaking up on some strange, metal-coloured sea.
Other Titles in UQP Modern Classics Series
JOAN MAKES HISTORY
Kate Grenville
This is Australia’s past as you won’t read it in any history book. Joan pops up in all our famous moments and gives her irreverent female version of them. She remakes history in her own image and asks: who gets written into history, who gets written out, and why?
‘A writer of quite extraordinary talent, slipping between the centuries with a fluid and vigorous prose style.’ Literary Review
‘Hugely entertaining. It is impossible to resist Grenville’s warm and affectionate wit. We follow Joan’s rich and complex story with a profound sense of engagement.’ Courier-Mail
‘Joan Makes History is a lively, witty, very wise look at the role of women in our society. Kate Grenville is a writer who knows about those things which belong to eternity.’ Manning Clark
ISBN 978 0 7022 5351 5
First published 1984 by University of Queensland Press
PO Box 6042, St Lucia, Queensland 4067 Australia
Reprinted in paperback 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
Reset with corrections 1993
Reprinted 1998, 2014
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© The Estate of Olga Masters 1984, 1993
This book is copyright. Except for private study, research,
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no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
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Typeset by Post Pre-press Group, Brisbane
Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
National Library of Australia
http://catalogue.nla.gov.au
Masters, Olga, 1919-1986, author.
Loving daughters / Olga Masters.
Australian fiction.
Domestic fiction.
Daughters–Fiction.
A823.3
ISBN 978 0 7022 5345 4 (pbk)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5479 6 (pdf)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5480 2 (epub)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5481 9 (kindle)
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