by Dilly Court
‘I’m sorry, Freddie, but you were always so useless, and now it seems you’ve found your true calling in life.’ Lady Alice subsided into a fit of the giggles that was so infectious it made everyone laugh, even Freddie.
‘You can poke fun, Alice, but I made that pasta from scratch. If you don’t like it I can always call the cook back—’
‘No!’ They all spoke in unison.
‘And before you ask,’ Freddie said defensively, ‘the crew loved it, although Hooper, being a Londoner born and bred, said he wanted boiled beef and carrots. I pointed out that we’d used up our supply of salt beef, so he’ll have to wait until we take on fresh supplies.’
Essie met Freddie’s triumphant gaze with an encouraging smile. She had a feeling his cooking talent would make the final stage of their voyage a more enjoyable experience, and the sails had been set in order to take advantage of the Roaring Forties, the strong westerly winds that would speed them across the Indian Ocean to their final destination. Keeping boredom at bay was the main problem, but Essie busied herself with her sewing and she taught Sadie how to stitch a seam. Lady Alice, who had recovered fully, began to take an interest in the new dresses that Essie had made for her. She added a few frills, using scraps of material and ribbon, and they sat on deck plying their needles and drinking tea, much to the amusement of Raven, who teased Lady Alice mercilessly. However, he changed his tune when he ripped a hole in his shirt, having caught it on a rusty nail, and he had to persuade someone to mend it as neatly as possible. Lady Alice refused, but Essie took pity on him and spent a whole evening working by the light of a paraffin lamp, using tiny stitches to patch the tear.
She took the mended garment up on deck where Raven was leaning on the rail, staring into the darkness. ‘There you are,’ she said, handing him the shirt. ‘It’s as good as new, well, almost.’
‘Thank you, Essie. It was kind of you to bother. Alice would have torn it up for rags, if she thought about it at all. We were very spoilt as children – I realise that now.’
‘Which must have made it harder for you when everything went wrong,’ Essie said softly. ‘At least growing up with nothing makes you appreciate good fortune.’
He turned to give her a searching look, his face pale in the moonlight. ‘You haven’t had an easy time of it.’
‘Maybe not, but I was happy enough, except when Ma died and George left home. That was bad.’
‘Have you any idea where your brother might have gone?’
‘No, but I think he might have stowed away on a ship. I’ve nothing to base it on other than the fact that he always wanted to join the navy.’
‘Why didn’t he?’
‘Pa wouldn’t allow it. He said that it was a hard life and only toffs became officers. I’m sorry to say so, but it’s how Pa thinks.’
Raven nodded, his expression serious. ‘Your father’s right, but I suspect that your brother went his own way. Maybe he’s sailing the seven seas as we speak.’
‘I like to think that he’s happy, wherever he is. George was a good brother, even if he did tease me a lot.’
‘That’s what brothers do. I was just as bad when I was young. Freddie will vouch for that.’
‘I’m sure that’s an exaggeration. You couldn’t have done more for him.’
‘Maybe not, but now we’ve involved you in our family troubles.’ He laid his hand over hers as it rested on the ship’s rail. ‘I’m sorry, Essie. You didn’t deserve to be involved with outlaws like us, and now we’re dragging you to the other side of the world without a by-your-leave. It’s unforgiveable.’
The pressure of his fingers and the warmth of his hand made any anger she might have felt against the Dorincourt brothers and Lady Alice Crozier melt into the infinity of space. The sky was a dark indigo bowl, studded with diamond-bright stars and a silver moon that formed a pathway on the surface of the oily black sea. It looked so solid that Essie imagined she might walk across the Indian Ocean and step onto land without getting her feet wet. She came back to earth with a jolt as Raven withdrew his hand.
‘I am sorry, Essie,’ he said earnestly. ‘I’ll do my best to atone somehow.’
She clasped her hands together in an attempt to retain the warmth of his touch and failing miserably. ‘You don’t need to do any such thing. Just show me how to find gold and I can return home with my head held high.’
‘You really mean that, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do. It’s a gamble I’m prepared to take if it means that I can make a better life for myself and my pa.’
‘You never fail to surprise me, Essie Chapman. You’re a girl after my own heart.’
She laughed and turned away. He was so near to the truth that it hurt – she would have given her soul for a chance to win the love of the Earl of Starcross, but that was as impossible as walking to Australia on a path created by moonlight.
‘I’d better go below,’ she said awkwardly. For a moment she thought he might try to detain her, but he merely nodded and rested his arms on the rail, gazing out into the inky darkness. Essie stifled a heartfelt sigh and went to join Lady Alice and Sadie.
The sound of Falco singing a snatch of ‘The Last Rose of Summer’, wafted from the open door. It always brought tears to Essie’s eyes, and was usually followed by the equally sad ‘Long, Long Ago’. She waited until he had come to the end before entering the saloon.
‘You took your time,’ Lady Alice said, frowning. ‘Sadie was certain you’d fallen overboard.’
‘I was enjoying the night air.’ Essie tried to sound casual, but she knew that she was blushing. She could only hope that they would think her heightened colour was due to the salty breeze.
Freddie was lounging in a chair with his feet up on a stool. ‘Come and sit down. I’ve had a go at making a cake, which is a feat in itself in the galley stove, and I don’t think Cook would give me top marks.’
Sadie seized a knife and cut a slice. ‘It’s nice, Essie. I can’t remember the last time I had cake.’
Falco leaned over and helped himself. ‘Not bad, Freddie. But a little more sugar, perhaps?’
Freddie tossed a spoon at him, which Falco caught and placed on the table. ‘It’s lucky you are not in the habit of throwing knives, my friend.’ He eyed Essie with a smile curving his lips. ‘You look prettily pink, Signorina Esther.’
‘It’s breezy on deck,’ Essie said hastily. ‘I’m going to make a pot of tea. Would anyone like some?’ She left the saloon and made her way to the tiny galley on the port side of the vessel, where the kettle was simmering on the embers of the fire in the brick-built oven. She looked round to see Freddie standing in the doorway. ‘Would you like a cup?’
‘Yes, although I’m not sure if there’s milk left in the jug. That goat is a nasty beast – she tried to butt me when I was talking to Hooper. He can do anything with the animal but she’s taken a dislike to me.’
‘It’s your imagination,’ Essie said, smiling. It was true, Graciela the goat had a mind of her own and a mean temperament. She disliked everyone except Hooper, whom she tolerated. He had bought her in Brindisi so that they would have milk during the last half of their voyage, but Essie suspected that the person who sold Graciela had been glad to get rid of her. It was an odd friendship, but one that produced fresh milk daily. Hooper, although a terrible cook, knew how to make the excess into a creamy cheese, which was a welcome addition to their diet.
‘Is there anything wrong, Essie?’ Freddie leaned against the door jamb. ‘You seemed uneasy just now, so I thought I’d come and make sure you were all right.’
She managed a tight little smile. ‘Thanks, Freddie, but I’m fine. It’s just that Australia is so far away from home and I’m worried about my pa. He won’t know what’s happened to me. In fact he probably thinks I drowned when the boat sank, and there’s nothing I can do about it.’
‘That’s unfortunate and I’m sorry. I hope Raven appreciates what you’ve done for us.’
‘I’m sure h
e does, and it wasn’t his intention to bring us with him. You could call it a stroke of fate.’ She concentrated on making the tea, avoiding his penetrating gaze. Freddie might appear to have a casual attitude to life, but he was more sensitive and perceptive than almost everyone on board. She knew that Raven was well aware of the sacrifice she had made, but he was single-minded in his intention to return to Australia before the authorities discovered his absence.
‘Here,’ Freddie said, taking the teapot from her hand. ‘Let me do this. You look as though you need to sit down. It’s only natural that you should be concerned about your father, Essie. My brother and I have no close relatives, apart from Alice, so we don’t have that problem, but I can see that it’s hard for you.’
Essie accepted a tin mug filled to the brim with tea. ‘Thank you, Freddie. I suppose it will all work out in the end, especially if I can strike it rich.’
‘Not you as well.’ He cast his eyes heavenwards. ‘Gold fever is catching.’
In the ensuing weeks it seemed that the lust for gold was the wind that filled the sails and fuelled the boilers, giving them full steam ahead as the Santa Gabriella ploughed her way across the Indian Ocean. It infected the crew as well as the captain and his passengers. Lady Alice was beginning to take an interest, although she feigned boredom whenever the subject was mentioned, and Sadie was already planning how she would spend the money when she struck gold. Her cupboard would be filled with red leather boots and shoes, and she would have as much cake as she could eat. Essie kept her dreams to herself, but the first thing she would do when she returned to London a rich woman would be to purchase a house in a more respectable street, with a privy in the back yard and their own pump, so that she did not have to walk down the street to fetch water. Such luxuries were truly the stuff of wild imaginings, but at sea there was plenty of time to allow her mind to wander into the realms of fantasy.
The one person she banished from her daydreams was Raven, and she avoided his company as much as was possible in the confines of a relatively small vessel. Freddie was her friend and confidant. He had recovered from his illness and was a different person from the sick young man they had found in the monastery. Raven spent most of his time alone on deck or else he was in Falco’s cabin poring over maps, while Falco himself was entertaining Lady Alice. He left Hooper to navigate, with a crewman at the wheel, and Falco sang and charmed his way across the Indian Ocean. Lady Alice appeared to enjoy his company, but Essie suspected that her ladyship’s interest in Falco was driven by boredom rather than any romantic feelings. It was impossible to know what Falco thought or felt, but he appeared to be enjoying himself. Maybe they were simply using each other to alleviate the tedium of a long sea voyage. Essie wondered what would happen when they eventually made landfall in Australia.
It was dark when they arrived in Corio Bay. The Santa Gabriella was at anchor and they were rowed ashore in relays. Left standing on the jetty in Geelong, Essie shivered and clutched Sadie’s hand. The suffocating darkness was relieved by a few tiny pinpoints of light.
‘What sort of place is this?’ Lady Alice demanded angrily. ‘It seems they’ve brought us to the back of beyond.’
Essie shrugged and shivered. It was chilly and she had only a thin shawl wrapped around her shoulders. ‘It’s impossible to tell until daybreak.’
‘Well, I wish they’d done as I asked and put us ashore before we left England. Now we’re stuck on the other side of the world, and we’ll probably be arrested because we’re here under false pretences.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Essie said, mystified.
‘We haven’t committed a crime.’ Lady Alice shuddered dramatically. ‘We’ve landed amongst convicts, some of them murderers, and we’re defenceless.’
Raven had gone to find some sort of conveyance to take them to Ballarat, but he rejoined them smiling broadly. ‘You? Defenceless? Alice, my love, I would place bets on your ability to stun a man with a single glance. You don’t need pistols or fists.’
‘You’re just saying that to ease your conscience, you villain. Anyway, have you found us a carriage, or is there a railway station nearby?’
‘They’re only just starting out here, Alice,’ Raven said patiently. ‘It’s pretty basic, as you’ll find out in the morning, but it’s not safe to travel at night. I’ve booked us into the only hotel in town. We’ll leave first thing when I’ve had a chance to hire some horses.’
‘But I haven’t brought my riding costume,’ Lady Alice protested.
Raven threw back his head and laughed. The sound echoed eerily across the dark water of Corio Bay.
Alice turned to Falco, who had come ashore on the last boat. ‘I can’t stay here. You will take me to England, won’t you, Captain? You said you would.’
He took her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘I would do anything for you, beautiful lady, but you don’t seem to understand that I have to earn my living.’
Lady Alice stared at him in dismay. ‘I thought that I could trust you.’
‘And you can, my lady. I would give my life for you, but this is where I must be until I can return home to Italy.’
‘But you brought Raven to London,’ she insisted angrily. ‘You could do that again.’
‘Leave him alone, Alice,’ Raven said sharply. ‘Falco’s work is here now, transporting people from Geelong to Melbourne or round the coast to Sydney.’
Falco nodded gravely. ‘I wish I could oblige, but you must understand that I cannot. We spend one night ashore and tomorrow I pick up passengers bound for Melbourne. I would like to stay by your side, but I have to think of my crew. We all have to live, my lady.’
‘You are a wicked man and a philanderer,’ Lady Alice cried angrily. ‘You led me to believe that you would do anything I asked.’
Falco bowed and backed away. ‘You don’t know how much it pains me to leave you here, my lady.’
‘But not enough to save me from certain death in this benighted land.’ Lady Alice made to follow him but Essie caught her by the sleeve.
‘Let him go, my lady,’ Essie said urgently. ‘You can see that this is hard for him.’
Lady Alice pushed her away. ‘Don’t tell me what to do, Esther. Remember your place.’
‘That’s enough of that talk, Alice. We are all equal here.’ Raven proffered his arm to Essie. ‘Come along, I’ll take you to the hotel.’ He turned to Sadie with a grin. ‘And you, child. You look dead on your feet.’
‘What about me?’ Lady Alice said sulkily. ‘Have you forgotten family loyalty, Raven?’
Freddie stepped forward and linked her hand through the crook of his arm. ‘Stop being a brat, Alice. As Raven said, we’re in this together and we’re all the same. Come on, you need a good night’s sleep and you’ll see things differently in the morning.’
The hotel was little more than a shack with a wooden veranda and one large room downstairs, which was filled with tables and benches, and a lean-to kitchen tacked onto the back. A rickety ladder led to the first floor, which was partitioned off into small rooms, each containing a camp bed and a palliasse filled with something prickly and crunchy that might have been dried grasses or straw, it was impossible to tell. The smell of unwashed bodies and urine hung in the still air like a bad memory, but Essie was so tired that she fell on the makeshift mattress, fully clothed, and was asleep in minutes with Sadie curled up at her side like a warm puppy. How Lady Alice coped with such privations was not Essie’s main concern, although she knew that she would hear about it for several days to come.
Next morning Essie awakened to find herself covered in flea bites and she clambered to her feet, rousing Sadie by the sudden movement. She too had been bitten and they stripped off their clothes, regardless of who might see them, giving each garment a good shake to dislodge their unwelcome lodgers. A scream from Lady Alice followed by hysterical babbling made Essie rush to her side, although she knew what the problem was even before she had seen the red marks on Lady Alice’s white skin.
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‘It’s only fleas,’ Essie said in an attempt to calm her, but the hysterical cries grew louder, bringing Raven and Falco hurrying to the door.
‘Stop that, Alice,’ Essie said angrily. ‘They’ll think you’re being murdered.’
Lady Alice’s eyes widened with shock. ‘How dare you speak to me like that? Did you hear her, Raven?’
‘For God’s sake stop behaving like a spoiled brat, Alice,’ he said, backing away. ‘It’s only a few flea bites. They won’t kill you.’
‘No, but I might murder you,’ Lady Alice said, choking back a sob. ‘You dragged me here, Raven. You and that villain Falco forced me to stay on board when I asked – no, demanded – to be put ashore.’
‘Get dressed, Alice. I’ve bought horses, at enormous expense, and we’re going to set off for Ballarat.’
‘No.’ Lady Alice stamped her foot. ‘I want a passage home. You promised me that, Raven. I insist that you keep your word. These girls must go with me.’
‘There are no ships leaving for England,’ he said wearily. ‘This is a penal colony, not a stop on the grand tour.’
Essie held her breath, watching Lady Alice’s reaction. She was silent for a few seconds, her face turning ashen and her lips tightening into a rigid line. Sadie curled her fingers around Essie’s hand and Essie gave them a comforting squeeze, as she waited for the storm to break.
‘You’ll pay for this,’ Lady Alice hissed. ‘I hate you, Raven Dorincourt.’
‘Five minutes,’ he said coolly. ‘If you’re not ready then you’ll be left to make your own way.’
Essie followed him to the top of the ladder. ‘Is it far to Ballarat?’
‘About fifty miles.’
‘I’ve never ridden a horse,’ Essie admitted reluctantly. ‘I don’t suppose that Sadie has, either.’
His expression softened. ‘We’ll take it easy, don’t worry, and we should be there in two days or so.’ He climbed onto the ladder and disappeared into the depths of the building.
Essie hesitated before going to break the news of the journey ahead. She could hear Lady Alice grumbling and Sadie’s more childish voice attempting to soothe her. If the sea voyage had been trying, Essie suspected that by comparison their troubles had only just begun.