Madeleine, she was remembering hollowly, Madeleine at seventeen, which was the last time she had seen her. Shining copper hair, not 'peeled twigs', dancing cornflower blue eyes, not steady grey. As beautiful a girl as any girl could hope to be and any man could wish a girl to be.
Selina looked at Roger and felt a finger touching her heart. How would Roger who liked everything to be beautiful, to be the best, regard Madeleine?
Roger, at this state, was quite gratifyingly annoyed at the idea of Madeleine. Selina, who instantly put Roger's dismay down to a reluctance to have anyone else around with his Selina, glowed with happiness,
and did not hear anything amiss in Roger's perturbed : "What does your sister think she'll get ?"
"She's beautiful, Roger," Selina said, tucking her arm in his.
"I won't see it."
"You'll have to see it. She's a bird of paradise, Roger, compared to a brown wren." Selina was wondering wistfully if some of the copper of Maddie's glorious hair had faded, the eyes as well. But, she faced up, you could always fix hair, fix eyes, too, for that matter, with skill and with shadow, and Madeleine would certainly have the art. Oh, Madeleine, don't get ideas about Roger.
Roger was saying encouragingly : "My dearest, you have all I could ask for—I dislike flamboyance. But I must add that I think it was bad taste of Grant to ask your sister here, and certainly not his prerogative. —Selina, is there any, possibility—any likelihood of—"
"Yes, Roger ?"
"Your late uncle, dear. The will."
"Oh, no, nothing would be left to Madeleine."
"Madeleine ? I once knew a Madeleine . . ." For a moment Roger did not seem to be with Selina. Then he recovered himself, returned to the present and kissed her.
Coming out of the house at that moment Joel Grant called : "Lovers' Lane seems to have changed its location. You two should put up a signboard to warn trespassers away. I'm leaving for Tallow Wood to collect your sister now, Miss Lockwood. Prepare at least four bedrooms. If more old mates arrive on the flight, I'll ring from town." He wheeled round and was gone before they could say a word back to him. But
they said a word to each other . . . many words. "Really, Selina, that man should be put in his place !" Roger said angrily.
"I'm expecting you to do that, Roger, as soon as—well—"
"He goes on as though he owns this property. I've never seen anyone presume on a friendship quite like he does, even if your uncle was alive it would be abominable, but to persist after someone has passed on is really beyond the pale. You're right, it will have to stop, and I'll have pleasure in stopping it. Sellie, how long now? I understand. your sense of fitness, darling, but you can see for yourself that apart from us loving each other, that man is making a fool of us."
"Soon. Very soon.—You see, Roger, I hesitated before because—well, because Uncle had reservations about you." She had not wanted to bring it up, but now it seemed she had to.
"What do you mean, Selina ?"
"He seemed to think you wanted what came with me, or presumably came with me, as well as me."
"That was damnably unkind," said Roger, and he looked sensitively away. Presently he turned and gulped : "I must admit I would like to make a success of it all for you, Selina, but surely I can't be blamed for that."
"Blamed ! Darling, I praise you for it. Take no notice of poor old Unk. He was sweet, but he was elderly, and—well, you understand."
"The only thing that matters is what you yourself understand. Understand about me. Tell me it's a good worthy understanding, Selina."
"It is, oh, it is Roger. I'll marry you any time you say. I feel different about it now. I know that Uncle would have been different had he had longer, poor dear, and less time under the influence of that man." Selina looked at her watch, then sighed.
"How long," she asked, "to get five bedrooms ready ?"
"Five ?"
"One, of course, for Madeleine."
"Driving a car of the kind he drives" ... an envious note in Roger's voice . . . "less than three hours. I mean, there won't be any shopping at Tallow Wood, will there? Just direct to the field, then back. In which case I wouldn't count on a leisurely preparation, Sellie. Look, dear, I'll help you."
Giggling, Selina refused. "Our sleeper cutter wouldn't approve of that. He's an old-fashioned man."
"So am I, Selina," warned Roger with delightful mastery, "but, like our backwoodsman, I like things done properly. Ties tied properly. Selina, we'll be married today week if that suits you."
"Oh, it does !"
"Your sister can be your bridesmaid."
That did not suit so much, but Selina encouraged herself by remembering that copper hair can fade, cornflower eyes grow less radiantly blue.
. . . Most of all that in a week's time it would not matter, for she would not be Miss Selina Lockwood any longer, she would be Mrs. Roger Peters.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE billets were finished just as the big Bentley swung into Tall Tops drive. Four men . . . Selina was glad she had prepared five rooms . . . alighted.
And Madeleine.
Iron Grant did not get out of the car. He sat behind the wheel and watched sharply, shamelessly, and with unconcealed enjoyment. Watched Selina's reaction to her sister. For if Madeleine had been lovely before, now she was something of which dreams are made.
Her hair was more copper than ever, her eyes if not bluer, as Selina knew they could not be, then certainly bluer with their subtle turquoise shadow, with their fabulous fringing lashes. For the rest, Madeleine was as slender as ever, as graceful as ever, but infinitely better presented. She had always had flair for clothes, but now as well as the best boutiques of Sydney to assist her, she had the know-how of London, Paris, New York. The old woodsmen, come to pay their respects to Uncle, were obviously dazzled.
Selina, wishing that Iron Grant would stop looking like a Cheshire cat and instead move off, kissed Madeleine, old her hastily she would get the old men settled first, then busied herself performing the settling.
They were all old dears. They could have come out of the same mould as Uncle Claud . . . wiry, hard, spare, calloused, slow of speech as people are slower
away from the hurly-burly, thoughtful from years of estimating a tree's height and the way it should fall. They all patted Selina's hand and asked would it offend her if they kipped for a while, for they were not, they reminded her, young saplings any more, and needed their rest.
"You poor old trees," Selina smiled. She knew the language. She took in a cup of tea to each of them, then closed each door. Then she turned to Madeleine.
"At last !" her sister grinned.
"Well, Maddie, they've come a long way."
"I know. I got it all on the plane. Thank heaven they're bedded now and we can talk." Madeleine lit a cigarette and regarded her younger sister. "You've turned out better than I thought," she observed.
"Was I that awful ?"
"You were terribly childish for your age. You're a bit immature now, but the promise is there." Madeleine grinned again.
"You are a riot." Selina found she had to say that.
"Not bad, but it does keep me busier than it used to maintaining the standard. You get a bit sick of it at times. When I got Joel's letter" ... Joel already !
"it was like manna from heaven. I'm not usually a mountain and tree lover, but I was a bit sick of city concrete."
"Have you been back in Sydney long ?"
"Under a month. I returned after Rod and I split up."
"Rod ?" Selina queried.
"Number three, dear, and good riddance to him. I think I'm going to enjoy a rest here for a while, particularly with a Bentley owner like Joel about."
"Mr. Grant comes from Redgum Ridge."
"Oh, yes, I know all that. He told me everything on the way up." Everything? "Quite a dish if you go for the masterful type, which I do. But what about you, darling ?"
Selina said : "I'm engaged."
"To that ma
sterful type ?"
If Grant had told her everything he would have told her that, thought Selina. She answered : "Oh, no. To Roger. "Look" . . . drawing Selina's attention to Roger walking through the garden down to his villa ... "there he is."
There was silence from Madeleine. It became such a long silence that Selina turned and looked at her sister. But the girl was only ashing her cigarette.
"Name of ?",she asked casually.
"Roger Peters. He was Uncle's overseer. Academy type." -
"Yes, I know that. I really mean" ... a little hurriedly.. . "you would know, wouldn't you, just looking at him."
"Yes, just looking at him," Selina agreed proudly.
No railway sleeper stuff there, she thought. Madeleine turned a little abruptly from the window
and said : "So you had the right idea after all." "What, Maddie ?"
"Staying on. Digging in your toes. Oh, I'm sorry, pet, you do genuinely like it, I can see that, but you must admit it has paid dividends."
"If you mean Tall Tops—"
"I do."
"Then I don't know anything yet."
"You mean the will hasn't been read ?"
"No."
"But you're pretty confident of the result ?"
"I wouldn't say confident, Madeleine, but everyone seems to think—"
"And you, what do you think ?"
"Frankly, I don't know, and I don't really care, so long as I don't leave my timberland."
Madeleine looked at her with amused pity. "You
do really love it, don't you ? ; ''yes.''
"But for all your unworldliness, Selina, you still must have a clue."
"About Tall Tops ?"
"What else ?"
"Well, Uncle did say once".. . an apologetic pause from Selina.. . "that you, Maddie, shouldn't complain, because he had spent as much on your upbringing."
"Could be," admitted Madeleine, not at all put out, "that school was so exclusive even I was out of face at times, and it takes a lot to rattle me. But" ... a shrug ... "little good it did me. The same for the university. Three men and not one sou settled on me from any of them for the simple reason that they hadn't any. Your big sister proved herself a bad chooser. Better luck next time."
"Next time ?"
"Darling, I'm still only twenty-six." Madeleine looked at Selina with estimation. "You must be twenty-two."
"Yes."
"You look like a kid taking a break from her gym tunic for the day."
"I look older with make-up," Selina argued.
"I should hope so, you'll get nowhere as an ingenue."
"Oh, but I have. I have Roger."
Yes." Again a pause. Presently Madeleine said : "While you're doing the million and one things that have to be done with guests in the house I'll go down and meet this Roger."
"I'll come and introduce you."
"Darling, since when have I needed introductions ?" With a little low laugh Madeleine departed, leaving a faintly uneasy Selina standing at the window. She saw Madeleine go across the garden, then up to the door of the overseer's villa, saw the door open, saw Madeleine disappear inside.
More than faintly uneasy now, Selina turned back to perform the 'million and one things'. The therapy of work ! Selina was so busy for the next hour she completely forgot her unease. She saw to the evening meal, buffet and cold to help everyone relax, then one by one greeted the old woodsmen as they came out of their rooms to sit on the verandah and smoke and yarn. Particularly yarn.
What stories they had to tell ! Mostly about difficult cuts, long haulages, snakes, dingoes, the advantage of hickory over gum and of American axe handles over Australian or ones from New Zealand, for there was one Kiwi among them. Many of the tales Uncle had told Selina before, but many were new, frequently blatantly untrue but very good listening. One by one she identified the old fellows. . . . 'Woody' Glenner who still flew up from Gippsland every year for the Sydney Royal Show axe events but these times only as an
adjudicator, 'Timber' Benson whose record for the Undercut had never been bettered, 'Chip' Summers from New Zealand kauri country, though undoubtedly he had never had a chip on his shoulder, 'Savage' O'Reilly, the meekest-looking man Selina had ever seen.
"Yes," the others agreed when Selina said this, "but you should have seen him with a saw. Three big blocks to be severed. He was quicksilver, and look at the lumbering luke he is now."
This was the time for beer, definitely beer, not any of Roger's fine wines, and Selina brought the bottles out and left the old woodsmen reminiscing. She felt cheerful again, almost as though Unk was by her side and saying proudly to them : "This is my sapling." She was cheered again by the sight of Madeleine and Roger coming across to the house, a full yard apart, and patently uninterested in each other. Perhaps Roger had been speaking truly when he said he disliked flamboyance.
But if Roger disliked it, someone else quite openly appreciated it. Iron Grant did. He drove down later, and he did not try to conceal his admiration of Madeleine. Madeleine responded enthusiastically, and the two paired off. That left Roger for Selina, which was what she wanted, so why— Why?
The following day the minister arrived from Tallow Wood and the service for an old woodsman was conducted in the tiny bush church off the Tallow Wood road. The Reverend Bill Flett had been born in timber country, and, apart from college days, had served in timber country all his life. He could have been a woodsman himself with his bark-brown eyes and his
estimating look, but instead of estimating a tree's height, he estimated people. He began with Deuteronomy. "...for the tree of the field is man's life." He used phrases the foresters knew and liked, he said of Uncle Claud : "Not sawn, not axed, just fallen in the wind."
Then he finished with Revelations. "Hurt not the trees."
Noses were blown, though Savage O'Reilly openly wept, then they were all out in the sunlight again, because, unlike the deep valleys, there were few trees here to make it a green instead of a blue and gold world, and Iron was waiting with his Bentley to drive the old boys back to the Tallow Wood strip.
They all kissed Selina, looked dazzled again at Madeleine, and then the big car was turning the bend and beginning the big descent.
Madeleine, Roger and Selina walked back to Tall Tops. Roger put Selina in the middle and every now and then he caught at her hand. I needn't have worried, Selina glowed.
The rest of the week proceeded quite pleasantly. Although she was no help in the house, Maddie was amiable enough. The old Maddie who had grumbled about everything from spiders to mill dust seemed to have gone. The girl was obviously appreciating the quiet after years of jet living.
Then the following morning among the letters, mostly condolence, that Sam brought up from the Tall Tops box on the Tallow Wood road, there was an official-looking letter for Selina. The way you do, even though you know it seldom reveals much, Selina turned the letter over. But this time it did reveal
something, it told her it came from Nossiter and Nossiter of Tallow Wood. Neil Nossiter had been Unk's legal man.
Selina opened up the letter.
"Miss Selina Lockwood, Dear Madam" ... though he had known her for years, indeed since she had come here, Neil was always very correct professionally... "You are hereby requested to attend the reading of the will of the late Claud Whittier at two o'clock on Wednesday i th, at this office." Then : "Yours etc."
Attached, Neil had written : "If you can't make it, ring me, Sellie, and we'll fix another date."
"Can you make it ?" Madeleine, to whom Selina had read the letter, asked idly. Madeleine knew she was not concerned, so she was not particularly interested.
"Yes," Selina said.
It was three more days till Wednesday, and Madeleine and Selina spent the time looking at the long-forgotten corners (forgotten by Madeleine) of Tall Tops.
"Though I doubt if I ever looked into any corners," confessed Madeleine. "All I wanted was to get back to the city again."
Her sister
was behaving quite beautifully, Selina had to admit. Madeleine visited the ;harried chalets as well as the bachelor ones . . . the bachelors were no chore . . . patted the heads of the children, took a ride in the jinker and helped down in the nursery. She spent more time in the nursery than Selina expected of her, but that would be because Iron Grant had come down on his side of the fence. The two talked for a while, then the man whistled across to Selina.
"You can whistle !" Selina fumed. "Whistle, my lad, and I'll come doesn't refer to me." She added mutinously to herself : "Oh, no, my lad !"
However, Madeleine came across and told her that Joel wished to speak to her, so Selina put down the seedling tree she was about to insert in the rich waiting soil, and strolled across.
"You had a letter from Nossiter ?" he began. "Did Madeleine tell you ?"
"No, Neil did himself. He rang me and said you would be down for the reading on Wednesday."
"Neil did that " she gasped.
"Why not?"
"Well—well, it sounds unethical, to say the least." "When I am the executor ?"
"The—?"
"Executor. Kind of trustee. Sort of general watchdog to see things are done right."
"You!" she exclaimed.
Again the man said : "Why not ?" When Selina did not answer, he pointed out that someone unrelated was generally preferred.
"I'm unrelated," he concluded.
"So am I," Selina said.
"But you are concerned with the actual will, I am not."
"You seem to know all about it, though," she commented.
"I know nothing, nothing, I mean, that's concrete." "But—implied ?" Selina slipped in.
"Look, I don't wish to discuss that, I'm just telling you that as executor, trustee, guardian—"
"Sort of general watchdog," added Selina icily.
"Exactly. I just want you to know that I'm expected to be there."
"Then you'll have to be, won't you, but what beats me is why ... that is if I'm really concerned—" "You are."
"Why I should need a—dog. I'm not a child. In fact I am well and truly of age. Over age. I'm twenty-two."
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