Especially when, with their six-hour stopover almost up, an indecipherable voice on the intercom announced their plane was to be delayed at least another few hours.
Seraphim groaned at the news, wondering if Chad were groaning at that moment too.
She'd already checked out a fair few of the airport's shops, but with more hours to kill, she had time to revisit most of them again, and when that became too boring, she went back to a plush leather lounge and finally managed to succumb to that elusive sleep.
It felt like she'd just drifted off when she was woken by the boarding call for her flight. Looking out the window she was surprised to see the sun high in the morning sky and wondered how many hours she had actually been asleep.
As she left to board her flight she hoped she might find a seat with Chad again. Next time, she decided, they'd both travel together - in economy if Chad was stuffy about her paying.
It pleased her enormously to think in terms of the future. Her imagination went into overdrive and by the time she walked back down the ramp to the plane, she had the next twenty years pretty much in order.
As the jumbo lifted off she was in a froth of impatience. An eternity of time seemed to pass as she watched the city fade from view, to be replaced with the crystal clear blue of sky; its sheer brilliance reminding her of the shining surface of a glacier.
Finally the lights pinged and the seatbelt sign went off. As she squeezed her way between the long rows of seats it occurred to her that she should have organised to meet Chad somewhere.
Ten minutes later, her frustration levels were hitting the roof as she realised that she was back where she had started. Where the hell was he? She was sure she'd covered all the territory. What if he'd missed the flight for some reason? But that was just being silly. Of course he was here. He had to be.
She peered over the seething mass of humanity, scanning backwards and forwards. But it was hopeless; there were just too many people. The only thing for it was to start again, but this time she'd go anti-clockwise to try and get a different perspective.
A small but very rude word escaped her as she returned once again to her point of origin. Although she hated to admit it, Chad simply wasn't there. Dismayed and anxious she returned to her compartment, for want of any better plan.
At her seat she stopped and stared. It was only as he spoke that she twigged.
Chad put down a glass of what looked like orange juice. “Where've you been? I've been waiting ages.”
She was torn between slapping him and kissing him. “I've been looking for you, idiot.”
“Didn't do much of a job then, did you.”
She plopped happily into the seat beside him and stared at him openly. Slowly she ran a hand down the smooth plane of his jaw. There were no scars, no acne, nor any other hideous facial deformities. He looked younger, but also more sophisticated. Handsome didn't even make it halfway. Seraphim thought it was the most beautiful face she'd ever seen.
“You shaved,” she said lamely, feeling shy as if he was a stranger.
He ran a hand down his face. “I felt pretty rough. A shave helps. Besides, I usually take the beard off through the wet season, gets too itchy in the heat.”
Slowly she absorbed the change, unsure and a little anxious. She had the unsettling feeling that the man that she knew had gone and felt a tinge of something akin to sadness.
Perhaps something of her perplexion communicated itself to him. He reached out and took her chin gently in his hands and lifted her face to his. “If you don't like it, I can soon grow it back.”
Relief flooded through her, reassured by the familiar warmth in the golden eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. He tasted the same too.
Suddenly he broke away abruptly.
“What's wrong?” She observed him anxiously. Had she done something wrong?
He blinked and then leaned toward her. “Seraphim, have you been smoking?”
“Well, yes… and no.” The strained tone of his voice unsettled her a little. Maybe he was an ex-smoker. They always were fanatically anti-smoking.
He leant back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. For a moment her concentration lapsed as she admired the high set of his newly exposed cheekbones and the strong, and if she were honest, slightly stubborn set of his chin. She brushed a finger lightly down his nose. “Don't worry; it was just one of Nanny M's herbal cigarettes.”
He sat bolt upright as if he'd been electrocuted. His eyes opened wide in shock. “Please Seraphim, tell me you're kidding.”
She laughed, amused by his concern. “Don't be silly. They're not even real cigarettes. Honestly, I only took them so as not to upset her. Besides, they were truly horrible, I gave them away.”
He sank back into his chair and his eyes closed. “You gave them away?”
“Oh yes. A young man took them and shared them with his friends.” She paused for a moment as she recalled the event. “Funnily enough they seemed to like them.”
Chad's eyes had opened again. He observed her with an expression both of exasperation and amusement.
“What? What is it?” she said, beginning to feel irritated by his odd behavior.
He took in a deep breath and leaned in closer. It was hard to concentrate on his words when she could feel the heat from his skin, and breathe in his own peculiar scent of soap, leather and man. But his whispered message slowly sank in.
It was her turn to rear back in shock. “What?” she finally managed to squeak. “You're trying to tell me that my nanny, my dear, white haired, little old nanny, is a… a drug addict?” It was as ridiculous as it was incomprehensible.
A wide grin slid across his face. “That's one way to put it.”
“I need a drink,” she said.
He laughed. “I'm not surprised.” Then his expression sobered. “I tell you what though, you're bloody lucky you gave them away. The sniffer dogs at Brisbane would have picked them up for sure.”
Seraphim sat in horrified silence as she absorbed this last. In her mind she could imagine herself incarcerated for twenty years in an Australian prison. She felt quite sick. “I'm going to murder Nanny.”
But Chad shook his head. “Don't be cross with her; I don't think she has a clue. Young Shelley sells them to her.”
Well, that made it easier. Strangling Shelley would be a positive pleasure! Her mood was improved as she pondered on the young maid's sins, which seemed to be piling up by the hour.
She glanced at Chad. A flush of heat began to creep up her neck as she vividly recalled the morning she inadvertently found him, practically naked, with the maid. In an agony of embarrassment she screwed up her courage. “I want to ask you something.”
He nodded. “Sure, anything.”
She wiggled uncomfortably in her seat and could barely meet his eyes. “That morning, you know when I came to wake you, and I found you with her… well… I wondered… that is… I want to know...” But she couldn't go on.
“You want to know if I'd had my wicked way with her?”
Her face felt like the rising sun as she forced herself to look at him. To her relief there was no trace of amusement on his tanned face. “Yes,” she said softly. “I want to know.”
“I know how it must have looked, and I'm really sorry, but the truth is she had just arrived. She had it in mind to wake me personally. You arrived just as I was trying to get her out the door as politely as possible.”
“So, nothing happened?”
“No. Nothing.”
He regarded her steadily without any trace of embarrassment and a flood of relief swept through her. Without a doubt he told the truth.
Then he took her in his arms and looked down at her. “I had other things on my mind,” he said.
A verbal response was not necessary.
Fourteen
Chad's eyes devoured the landscape as the jet descended. The airport seemed an oasis of green beneath the brilliant rays of the southern sun. Home.
&n
bsp; Although immensely pleased to be back on his home turf, with the end of the flight, the full weight of the responsibilities and burdens that went hand-in-hand with running his business settled upon his shoulders.
Already the overseas trip seemed slightly surreal. The long flight had sped by as he'd listened and watched and tried to learn all he could about the young woman he'd recently met. They'd both been amused by the attitude of the hostesses, obviously caught between their disapproval of his presence in the first-class compartment and their equally obvious reluctance to express as much to Seraphim.
But as they bumped to the ground Chad realised that, jokes aside, it had also served to underline the great social division that lay between them. That Seraphim seemed oblivious to this small detail did nothing to reassure him. He felt certain that someone would enlighten her before too long. And then what?
But of course there were no answers for such questions and he firmly pushed the thoughts aside. He stretched as best he could in the cramped quarters, doing his best not to elbow either of the weary travellers tucked in beside him. Inside the plane, the air had become stale and he longed to fill his lungs with the clean, hot air of his beloved home. He smiled as he visualised the vast tracts of flat red earth that spread away to more tracks of flat red earth. The delay in Dubai had added quite a few hours to the trip, and with a long drive ahead, it would be early evening before they reached his place, Dingo's Rest.
What would she think of it? His mind's eye travelled around the house. For the first time it occurred to him that to an outsider it may appear spartan. It was impossible not to compare it to the opulent environment he'd left behind. Would Seraphim cope? He sensed that a life of privilege and over-protective parents had left her insulated from the harsher realities of many people's lives. But still, he sensed a depth of quiet determination within her. She sure was going to need it!
By comparison he felt worldly wise. Perhaps it was that air of innocence that attracted him so strongly. In his experience it was a rarity. In her good heart and wide-eyed trust he had found part of what he had believed long lost. In his eyes it made her precious. But these very qualities also made him anxious. Quite simply he feared she just wouldn't be tough enough.
At the same time he knew he must not protect her. He sensed that she was evolving, that she had embarked upon her own journey. Where it would end, or how, he did not know, but he understood that she must walk the path on her own. As everyone who is to become anyone, must do so.
As they taxied slowly along the tarmac, Chad realised that, for the first time, his life had become intrinsically bound to that of another. It was a novel concept, both exhilarating and scary. As the huge airbus slid to a halt, a rush of happiness coursed through him. He felt an urgent desire to get home. Suddenly, he wanted to share. To take her to every corner of his world and share with her all his fears, his hopes and even, perhaps, his secrets.
Immigration was a bloody nightmare. Naturally he became victim to a random search. Immigration officers sifted through his belongings and Chad found himself growing increasingly uptight. What the hell did they think he'd brought back? For some reason he felt guilty, almost as if they ought to find something. Maybe it was a result of Seraphim's recent brush with marijuana. That thought only served to wind him up further. Bloody hell, maybe someone had slipped something illegal into his bag at the stopover.
But of course, his paranoia was unjustified. He spent a humiliating five minutes minus his boots, which a chubby young female officer insisted needed to be decontaminated. When he finally pulled them back on he'd just about had enough. He glanced at his watch. Immigration had wasted half an hour of his time. Seraphim would be waiting.
Thankfully he passed through the final gates without further delay and found his gear slowly rotating in solitary splendor on the baggage carousel. At the final exit the opaque glass doors swished open and he stepped out into the bright, light expanse of the modern airport. Brilliant sunshine poured through giant panes of pristinely clean glass, warming his face. Outside he could see fronded palms waving gently in the breeze. He felt himself relax. He was home.
He spotted her first, her pale face anxious, her nose wrinkled in concern. He waved and was rewarded with a wide smile. Even from a distance he could see the tension ebb from her slender form. As he strode up the aisle he noted with an odd sense of pride that she caught the eye of many a traveller, although she made no attempt to draw attention to herself.
She came to him and held out a hand. He ignored it, dropped his bags and pulled her into a bear hug, making her squeal with delighted surprise. He stole a kiss and put her down.
Together they rounded up a trolley and stowed their gear. It was a fair walk to the car park where he'd left his vehicle. Outside the terminal building they both blinked beneath the intensity of the sun's rays. Chad watched her, eager to see her first response to his country.
Slowly she turned her head, left and right. “It's so hot!”
He grinned. “This? No, it's just pleasantly warm. Where I live, now that's hot.”
“How hot exactly?”
For a moment he almost funked out and opted for a white lie, scared she'd gallop back into the terminal to find the next flight home. But he pushed the idea away. It wouldn't be fair. He glanced at his watch and reset to Aussie time: just after eleven am.
“Well, about now it'll be well on its way to forty degrees. Celsius.” Another month and it'd be nearer forty-five, but he decided to keep that little gem to himself, for the time being.
“Celsius? What's that in Fahrenheit?”
After some frantic mathematical calculating Chad told her. “A hundred and four.”
Her eyes grew into orbs of amazement. “But, that's impossible. You must live in the desert.”
“No. The Outback, we call it. It rains all right. In a good year we get as much as sixteen inches.”
“Sixteen inches? A year? Good grief.” She shook her head and her black hair swung across her face, momentarily hiding her. Slowly she lifted a hand and brushed the dark curtain away. An odd expression sat upon her features, intensely serious.
His heart sank. “Do you want to go home?” The words were dragged out reluctantly. He looked her in the eye, afraid of what he might find.
For a minute that felt longer than an eternity, she looked back unblinkingly. Then she shook her head. “No.”
Relief and happiness danced a samba through his brain.
Her hand gently touched his arm. “Is there anything else I ought to know?” A small, quirky smile teased him.
“I don't think so,” he said honestly.
“Good,” she said, “let's get cracking then.”
There was, he decided, a subtle change in her demeanor. She seemed somehow more mature, more self-assured. Even her gait seemed different, more purposeful, as she swung easily along beside him, looking around with her dark, eager eyes. In his estimation, it heightened her attraction, something he would have considered impossible just a short time before.
Out of the clear blue sky a flock of parakeets swept past them, rainbow colours dazzling, voices shrill. Seraphim cried out in delight, her head craning back to watch them until they disappeared on the horizon. “What were they?”
Delighted by her enthusiasm he told her, adding, “bird life's pretty good back home.”
She slipped an arm through his and rested her dark head against his shoulder for a brief moment and sighed. “I love Australia.”
He laughed, touched by her enthusiasm. At the same time he ardently prayed that she'd feel the same about the Outback. It wasn't for everyone but for him, there was nothing else.
Happily, his Land Cruiser was exactly where he had left it in the long lines of vehicles. They slung their varied bags into the cavernous space at the rear and were soon settled in the high, comfortable seats.
“How far is it to your place?” she asked, as she buckled up.
“It's about seven hundred kilometres.”
“How long will it take?”
“About nine hours.”
A long silence ensued. Chad reversed carefully out of the parking space and maneuvered the large vehicle down to the tollbooth. The accumulated fee left him light headed. As they pulled out onto the freeway he chanced a glance at Seraphim. A light sheen of perspiration lay upon her forehead and he adjusted the air conditioning. Inside the car, the temperature rivalled that of a pizza oven.
Concentrating on the road and the massive volume of traffic, Chad did not attempt conversation. Unused to city driving, it took every ounce of brainpower to stay on track and out of trouble. Seraphim sat quietly beside him staring out of the windows.
They scooted down past the Brisbane River, wide and free flowing, lightly populated with boats, canoes and ferries.
“Chad, it's a lovely city. It's so green and clean.”
To his way of thinking all cities were undesirable, but his profound relief in her approval cut through his prejudices. “She's not bad.”
Finally they left the great spread of suburbia behind and headed out down the broad bitumen road towards Gatton. They sped past the black soil flats, dark as bitter chocolate, and finally began the slow climb up the great granite range that led to Toowoomba.
Inside the vehicle, with its controlled climate, the temperature remained a pleasant twenty-four degrees but Chad knew that outside the air was cooling, and the heavy humidity lifting.
Seraphim admired Toowoomba, with its avenues of trees and splendid buildings.
“It's dry here isn't it?” she remarked.
Chad chanced a quick look around and frowned, it looked pretty good to him. “Maybe a little.” He felt foolish. What the hell would she think? She was used to the lush, green brilliance of England. His spirit quailed. After seven years of drought, Dingo's Rest resembled nothing more than a big red dust bowl. It hadn't been a deliberate deception. Drought was a way of life. It had just never occurred to him.
A Man For All Seasons Page 9