by Lena Dowling
Before she could answer Nellie hugged her until she could hardly breathe, and then as if she had changed her mind about being excited to see her roughly pushed her back.
‘What are you doing here?’ Nellie hissed.
‘I rode here.’
‘You stole a horse? Oh God Colleen. What have you done? You’ll swing for this, for sure.’ Nellie’s voice rose from a whisper and Colleen clapped a hand over her cousin’s mouth.
‘No I didn’t steal it. I got married.’
Nellie pushed Colleen’s hand away, remembering to answer in a whisper this time.
‘Married?’
‘Yes married.’
‘I heard a rumour, but I didn’t believe it.’ Nellie gasped. ‘Doesn’t he treat you right? Is that why you’re here?’
Colleen grasped Nellie’s hands. ‘No, nothing like that. He’s a good ‘un.’
‘Then what in God’s name are you doing here?’ Nellie flung Colleen’s hands off. ‘You’ve got to get out of here. What do you think will happen if Danny finds you?’
‘But I had to see you, Nell.’
‘Have you forgotten?’ Nellie placed her palm on Colleen’s belly. ‘This babe has sent you soft and fried your brain. Go back, please Coll. Think about what you’re doing.’
‘But I just wanted to see you, Nell.’
‘And now you’ve feckin’ well seen me.’ Nell grasped her by the shoulders and gave her a shake. ‘But for the love of God, you know what Danny’s like, you’ve got to go now while you still can.’
For the first time since Colleen had stolen over to the stables and taken Samuel’s horse, fear crept up inside her like an ominous fog rising up from the ground. Until now, she had been so determined to get to Sydney, and to evade the toll for which she had no money, concentrating on finding her way past it without getting lost, skirting out around it through the bush, that she hadn’t stopped to think what Danny was capable of.
For some reason she had thought that being a respectable married woman would protect her like some magic spell, but breathing in the smell stale rum on Nellie’s breath — rum she had supped with a customer’s back turned or maybe a drink that had been bought for her in the hope it would make her more willing, brought it all back. You never knew what Danny might do.
She hugged Nellie tight. ‘I’ll find a way to get you out of here I promise.’
‘Don’t be makin’ promises you can’t keep. Now push off before Danny clocks yer or may God have mercy on your soul.’
Nellie gave her a fierce shove and reluctantly Colleen let her cousin push her away. Nellie was right, she needed to get out of O’Shane’s before anyone woke up.
Colleen opened the door praying the hinges wouldn’t squeak then tiptoed out through the narrow passageway down the stairs, carefully keeping to the edge where the floorboards were less likely to make a noise, and into the kitchen, heading for the back door.
It was fully light outside but the kitchen windows were shuttered. She could barely see but she remembered where everything was. She rounded the table snagging something; she pulled away and the clatter of metal against the flagstone floor echoed through the ramshackle building. She lifted up her skirts and ran for the door but reaching out to open it, a hand appeared in front of her holding it closed. A preposterously large gold signet ring caught the little light there was. Colleen’s mouth ran dry. She thought her legs were going to go out from under her there and then.
‘Well, well, well. What have we here?’
Colleen whirled around, backing against the door, her hand behind her searching for the handle.
‘Leave me be, Danny. I’m a married woman now so you can’t send me back to The Factory.’
‘Who said anything about sending you back? I can’t believe me luck. Welcome home darlin’.’
Danny grabbed her shoulder with an iron grip, squeezing hard. She yelped. He pushed her through the kitchen, out into the passageway and up the stairs. At the top he didn’t hesitate, thrusting her back into Nellie’s room. She fell on to the floorboards face down and before she could pull herself up a key clicked in the lock behind her.
They were too high off the street for Colleen to jump and while she might have risked it before, she wouldn’t now. Not with the baby.
She had no choice but to wait. Wait for whatever despicable, unspeakable thing Danny had planned.
When Samuel woke, Colleen was already up and gone from the cabin. He wasn’t surprised. He and James had made quite a night of it, drinking well into the small hours.
He edged his head in cautious movements up from the pillow. As he had expected it hurt like Hades but nothing, not even the beast of all hangovers, could dampen his spirits.
He was going to be a father.
It was as if everything in his life had finally fallen into place. He would never forget Amelia, never fail to worship the memory of her dutiful goodness, but he had a completely different life now, and a wife to match it. And Colleen and Amelia were so different there was no comparison and therefore no risk of disloyalty. Colleen could never be a replacement. She was her own person.
Unique.
He dressed quickly and still in a reflective mood headed to the Hunter residence where, having anticipated this very consequence of their celebrations from the night before, James had invited him to take a full breakfast with him and Lady Hunter.
Samuel rubbed his hands together. It would be an improvement on his usual morning meal of bread and cheese, and taken alongside some reasonable ale, he predicted his headache would soon be gone.
In the main house he found James and Lady Hunter were already at the breakfast table.
‘Samuel, you’re here at last. Take a seat and I’ll have Cook bring you some chocolate.’
Samuel reached out for the chair James had indicated, eager to sit down. He had rather hoped he might be treated to a cup of steaming hot chocolate, a scarcity in the colony that he very much doubted he would ever be able to obtain, much less afford.
Samuel had his hand on the chair scraping it towards him, about to sit down, when a voice from the doorway out to the kitchen caused him to turn.
‘Mr Biggs, sir, your mount is gone.’
It was Tom, wisely lurking just beyond the jamb rather than enter the Hunter’s private lodgings.
‘Perhaps it slipped the latch to its stall. Have a look around the yard,’ Biggs said, irritated.
‘I have, sir, but the barn door was closed when I arrived. Someone has to have taken it. Horses might open doors but I never saw one yet that could close one after itself.’
‘Have you seen Colleen this morning?’ Lady Hunter asked pausing to look up from buttering a roll.
‘No, why?’
‘Liza’s fit to be tied since Colleen was supposed to help her with the wash this morning, and she’s nowhere to be found.’
‘Do you think Mrs Biggs has taken your horse?’ Tom asked.
‘Don’t be preposterous. Get back to your work,’ Biggs said waving him off.
‘Very good, sir.’
‘It may not be so preposterous,’ Lady Hunter said after Tom had gone, ‘I have an idea she may have gone to Sydney Town to try to see her cousin at O’Shane’s.’
‘Surely not.’ Samuel said, distractedly as he decided if he too should have some bread and jam before his chocolate arrived, or if filling up on that would ruin it.
‘I think it’s likely.’ Lady Thea had put down her roll and was staring directly at Samuel.
‘Then we need to go after her and fetch her back,’ James said, replacing his cup into his saucer, his face several shades lighter as if it had suddenly given up its tan.
‘She’ll come back when she’s ready. Tom and I have lot of work to do,’ Samuel said increasingly exasperated with the Hunter’s overreaction and silently furious that Colleen would risk riding a horse while pregnant, not to mention that she had left him horseless when he had so much to be getting on with.
Thea leaned in, pla
cing her palms down on the table, her voice an entreaty, ‘James, if anyone were to see her…’
James turned to his wife.
‘Thea, would you leave Samuel and I a moment.’
‘But James — ’
‘I said leave us! It’s not often I insist on my prerogative as head of this household but I need to speak to Samuel, alone. Man to man and without delay.’
Thea looked up at both men, bewildered by her husband’s rare display of authority, but nevertheless did as she was asked.
Samuel silently cheered. A first; and something that James might do well to repeat in the future.
James scraped backwards in his chair, taking up his napkin.
‘You’ve never been in an establishment like O’Shane’s, I take it.’
Samuel shook his head. ‘Of course not.’
James wiped his mouth then threw down the napkin down on the table.
‘Because if you had, you’d already be on a horse.’
‘James, I never took you for a man who would frequent such a place. One of London’s pricier courtesan’s in Covent Garden is one thing, but a colonial bawdy house?’
‘You forget I spent seven years as a convict. Come on, man. God only knows if we’ll get there in time.’ James was already up, striding towards the door and Samuel, pausing only to grab a bread roll to eat en route, hurried after him.
‘In time? In time for what? Surely, you don’t think Colleen would be in danger?’ Samuel called after him. ‘She’s a married woman and pregnant for God’s sake.’
James glanced back over his shoulder as he hurried out of the house. ‘I sincerely hope not but Danny O’Shane is the Devil’s representative. Pregnant or not I’d put nothing past the man. We mustn’t waste any more time.’
Good Lord. What had Colleen gone and done? And why hadn’t she told him about wanting to see her cousin. But then he should have thought she would want to see her. Why hadn’t it occurred to him?
Once outside, James began yelling for Tom to saddle his horse from halfway across the yard.
‘If only Colleen had told me how much she wanted to see her I could have brought her there,’ he said, between hurried breaths as he struggled to match James’ longer stride.
‘Places like this don’t run visiting hours. Listen, when we get there you’ll have to follow my lead. If you go in asking for Colleen right off the bat you might never see your wife again.’
Colleen tried the door but it was locked fast. She jiggled the handle and threw herself against it. What had she gotten herself into? She had never considered that Danny would want to keep her. He had thrown her out. Why would he want her now? What was his game?
‘Stop it Coll, you’ll only wear yourself out, or worse, hurt the baby.’
Colleen rubbed her shoulder. She had probably bruised it something terrible already so she pummelled the door with her fists and shouted at the top of her lungs.
‘Danny O’Shane. You let me out. I’m a married woman now and not one of your girls.’
‘Who’d marry you?’ Danny’s mocking voice came back, muffled from behind the door. ‘I’ve got a punter with a proclivity — likes ‘em in the family-way. Came in here asking for it specially, the day after I let you go. I thought I’d made a mistake sending off but looks like it’s me lucky day.’
An ice-cold shot ran up Colleen’s spine. So that’s what this was about. She went weak, doubling over.
‘Danny, you let me out,’ she said hopelessly, slumping to the floor.
‘Sorry darling. Finders are keepers, and you came back to me of your own free will.’
‘Feckin’ hell. What have I gone and done, Nell?’
Nellie patted the bed.
‘Come here ya daft eejit. Don’t be upsetting yourself. Easy now. Breathe — in and out. Now tell me about this husband of yours.’
Thinking of Samuel calmed her nerves as she tried to explain him to Nellie, to do him justice so she would see what she saw.
‘He’s big, but strong big, not blubbery and he’s bald, but not patchy bald, he shaves his head and it suits him. He smiles and laughs a lot and his eyes are so sparkly, Nell you’d need to see it to believe it. They’re like the colour of a beautiful pale blue lake shimmerin’ as the sun comes up, and he’s kind. Real kind.’
Nellie looked at her quizzical, like she didn’t quite believe her.
‘Eyes like a lake as the sun comes up, yer reckon?’
Colleen searched for another way to describe them that would make Nellie understand.
‘Smilin’ eyes. You know what I mean?’
‘Oh, I know what you mean, Colleen Mary Malone. I know exactly what you mean.’ Nellie bunted Colleen with her shoulder. ‘You’re in love, yer daft eejit.’
‘Get away with you. I wouldn’t even know what love feels like. I wouldn’t know any feelin’s lately except what this babe is doing to me; turnin’ me stomach over, sending me heart racin’ and me legs to calf’s foot.’
‘And is your Mr Biggs usually around when that happens?’
‘Mostly.’
Nellie grinned at her.
‘That’s lovesick that’s what that is. Not to mention going cracked in the head and doing daft things like turnin’ up here. Now, who knew you were comin’?’
In love with Samuel? Love was supposed to be a good thing, not make a person weak and sick all over. And even if she was in love with Samuel, she didn’t even dare think about it now, not when Danny was fixing to hand her over to God only knew who to have their wicked perverted way with her. Why the feckin’ hell did Nell have to bring that up now?
‘That’s the trouble. I didn’t tell no one, Nellie,’ she said, breaking down into sobs.
‘Well if it isn’t James Hunter. It’s been a few years since we’ve seen you. Tired of that piece of the quality now are you? Lookin’ for some variety?’ said the man who had eventually opened the door to the bawdy house after James had pounded on it to raise the dead. The husky spoken dandy had a scarred cheek, a missing tooth and the biggest gold signet Samuel had ever seen.
‘Variety. That’s it, Danny.’ James said absently as Samuel looked around the dim room.
It was furnished with coarse tables and benches that had once been rough-hewn but were now polished smooth by the hundreds of customers that had sat at them. The walls were made with wattle and daub, wooden slats gummed up with sod to stop the draft. The only furnishings were some ribald sketches tacked up around the walls showing a variety of positions and acts, which Samuel could now claim first-hand experience of.
‘There’ll be a few things your lady won’t do for you that my lot will, I’ll bet,’ Danny said to James, ‘But it’s a bit early yet. You know what the girls are like if they don’t get their sleep.’
James laid his hat on a nearby table and motioned for Samuel to sit down.
‘We can wait. We’ll take some ale. Put it on my card and I’ll settle up at the end.’
‘Well you know I wouldn’t usually,’ Danny said, walking around behind the bar picking up a rag off the end of it, slinging it over his shoulder as he went. ‘But I’ll say aye just this once in honour of having a good customer back.’
‘You think she’s here?’ Samuel whispered as Danny poured the drinks, wiping up the spillage with the rag.
James shielded his mouth with his hand to further deaden his whisper, ‘We won’t know until we get upstairs, and the only way we’ll get up there is with a girl each.’ Then removing his hand added in a normal pitch, ‘I’ll take two of your girls. One for my friend here as well.’ James said, as Danny set the drinks down and turned to leave them.
‘I’ll go and see who is awake.’
Samuel blanched, his feet treading air as his eyes searched wildly about and his body instinctively sought a way out from behind the bench he was sitting on towards the door.
‘No, I couldn’t,’ he said, as Danny disappeared out a door to the side of the bar.
‘Trust me,’ James said in a
low voice, wisely restraining Samuel by the arm. ‘Just follow my lead. If you if go in there all bluster demanding your wife all you’re likely to get is your head blown off. O’Shane is fairly handy with a pistol — he needs to be.’
By the time they had finished the ale, four ladies had appeared fanning around them in a semi-circle.
James motioned to two girls on the end.
‘We’ll take those two, but we’ll only need the one room.’
‘Like that, is it,’ said the taller of the girls giving the other a sideway glance who giggled until she wore it from Danny with a cuff around the ear.
‘The gentlemen pay. The gentlemen get. You hear? It’s not up to you to be saying how it goes. Now move it,’ Danny said.
Upstairs, James picked up a pillow. ‘My friend and I here have very specific requirements and we don’t like a lot of noise.’ He wrenched the pillowcase off and ripped it apart, tearing it into strips.
The women looked curious but neither said anything. Presumably they’d had much stranger requests.
James threw him one of the rags.
‘Gag your one first.’
The girls’ eyebrows twitched upwards, but caught by surprise they were no match for either of the men who quickly subdued them. James threw two more strips of cloth at him. ‘Now do her hands and feet.’
The women struggled but after only a quick scuffle he and James easily overpowered them.
‘Sorry ladies, but it won’t be for long and you won’t be hurt.’
The women’s eyes bulged as they wrestled against the ties, unintelligible sounds emanating from their throats as they railed against the gags, but there was nothing they could do save make a noise that might be expected to be overheard outside a whore’s bedroom.
James opened the bedroom door. Looked right and left and then knelt at the keyhole of the door opposite.
‘This way.’
He motioned for Samuel to cross the narrow passageway.
James cupped his hands to his mouth and spoke into the keyhole. ‘Nellie, Colleen. It’s me James, are you in there?’
‘Yes, but the door is locked.’
The voice was weak but it was Colleen’s. Until that moment, Samuel had been hoping James was wrong and that apart from having to apologise to the proprietor for having hog-tied his merchandise there would be little consequence to their breakneck jaunt into town other than a couple of exhausted horses. Until he heard her voice he had been incapable of truly believing that Colleen would come back to a place like this of her own volition.