Haunted Creek

by Ann Cliff

  Rather sadly, Freda said, ‘I suppose you’d like to marry again and you need to know whether you’re free.’

  Rose felt hot. ‘Marriage is the last thing on my mind. I just – well, I can accept his death, but if Luke really has gone off somewhere … it’s a terrible thing to do to your wife. I need to know, Freda.’ This was about Luke and their life together and whether he had deliberately deserted her.

  On her way to the door, Rose turned to say goodbye to Freda and the older woman said, ‘I – I should tell you that a few people expect you to marry Mr Barrington, so I thought that was it.’ The blue eyes were questioning.

  Appalled, Rose felt herself turning brick red. So that was it. The gossips must have been busy. Maybe that story had affected Erik? ‘Of course not! He’s— He wants to marry someone else. He stayed with us because he was too sick to move, and now he’s well again.’ Anger was rising. ‘I did what I could to help him and I was pleased that he recovered. I’d do it all over again if need be. If Lordy hadn’t stayed in my cabin, he would be dead now.’ Without waiting for an answer, she stalked out of the room.

  Back in the classroom, Rose forced herself to simmer down. Calm and quiet was what the children needed. Once they were all busy with new tasks, she had a few minutes to herself. So they still thought she was going to marry Lordy! Only time would prove them wrong, and even time might not repair her reputation.

  Lord Barrington was regarded as a rogue by all sober citizens and he kept the worst company. But she could hardly tell people that he had saved her from rape or even murder by the eucy men, as well as saving Ada from a snake, and that she loved him like a favourite uncle. It would probably be misunderstood.

  Maeve knew the man well, of course. She’d said that Lordy had found a job for Sean, the young Irish lad whose life he had saved, on a farm near Moe. ‘And him a Protestant, for all love, they’re often against the Irish. Jasper has a heart of gold, so he has. He’s taking Sean down to Moe this week.’ Maeve was sending a man up the track to collect the produce, now that Rose was busy at the school, and the evening before she had come with him to see Rose.

  The next day Erik drove his mother to Moe to catch the Melbourne coach and Rose was left alone with the school for the first time. She was kept very busy answering questions and smoothing out difficulties. The heat was intense and the sky was growing dark with smoke. It was not possible to see what was happening in the next valley; was the fire coming towards them? Mrs Watson at the store had told her that the smoke was coming from fires started by lightning strikes in the forest and that it was miles away.

  As the air grew hotter and even drier, some parents came to collect their children with grim faces. Some of them took neighbours’ children as well. When Rose asked them how near the fire was, they tried to reassure her. ‘Can’t tell,’ said one sturdy settler. ‘It’s maybe not coming our way but we thought we’d better … we’re off to Moe for a few days to see my ma. There’s no stock on our farm just now.’ He looked at Rose and then said, ‘Don’t worry, Mrs Teesdale, it’s likely to die down by night. If the wind changes, and it surely will.’ He clopped off on a big working horse with his little boy perched in front of him.

  It seemed a good idea to close the school early and she decided to send the children home at two o’clock. For the last hour, Rose called all the pupils together and read them chapters of Coral Island. There were only seven children left by then. They all found it hard to concentrate and little Ada kept glancing nervously out of the window. Fire was on their minds.

  Rose was uncertain what to do. Should she send the remaining children home? It was hard to tell whether there was real danger, or just a distant fire on a hot day. She tried to concentrate on the story. The wind was rising.

  The reading was interrupted when Mr Sawley, the neighbouring farmer, came in without knocking, his face a mask of worry. ‘Where’s Erik? I would have thought he’d have you oooout of here by now.’ Behind him through the open door Rose saw the sky was a livid red, not sunset but an eerie glow.

  ‘He’ll be on the way back from Moe,’ Rose told him quietly. ‘What do you think we should do? I was just about to send the children home … or if it’s too dangerous, we could jump in Jensens’ big watering hole.’ Her lack of experience was putting the children in danger. Why had she not acted earlier and sent them all home? The pupils’ eyes were large and round and they sat at their desks, absolutely still.

  In the years at Haunted Creek, Rose had often seen fires in distant forests. At first they had scared her but she had got used to the smell of smoke on hot days. In spite of talking to Freda about it, she hadn’t realized that the emergency was here, and now. ‘Maybe we should go to the dam?’

  Sawley tutted impatiently. ‘That won’t aaanswer, not this time. The fire’s coming across the ridge. Wattle Tree’s in line unless the wind changes, as faaar as I can tell. Every fire’s different – you have to guess. Best get down the creek as faaast as you can, take the children with you. Go down as faaar as you can to the river. I think the fire will come across the high grooound, it shouldn’t go into the valley.’ He paused and then said, ‘It’s a looot for you to do on your own, but I’ve got to stay here and save what I can. If any folks come for their children I’ll tell them where you’ve gone.’

  Mr Sawley wasn’t sure where the fire would strike, so how should she know? Rose felt afraid. If they went down the creek, what then? Directions were hard to tell in this part of the world and she couldn’t imagine why Haunted Creek would be safer than Wattle Tree.

  Rose thanked him and told the children calmly that they were going to walk along the creek. On the way they could call in at her hut. As they made their way down the track, the rising wind blew black ash over their heads, flakes of burnt bark and leaves. If any of that ash carried sparks they could be in trouble. Apart from the dark red sky, they could see no other evidence of the fire and Rose had no idea how far away it was. It was over the ridge – it could be minutes away.

  At the hut, Rose gave each child a drink of water and then changed from her blue school dress into an old black one. She tied a rope round her waist. The pupils took the rope in one hand and this made it seem more like a game to them.

  ‘Follow my leader,’ Rose said cheerfully as she saddled up Dougal. The smallest child, little Lizzie, could ride and Ada was proud to lead the donkey.

  After a minute’s thought, Rose picked up the money she had saved and let the poultry and the goats out of their runs. A few eggs and vegetables went quickly into the donkey baskets and then they were off. It was more important to get the children to safety than to spend time packing up her possessions.

  The strange procession picked its way down the track beside the creek as the sky grew darker and the wind rose again; it seemed to be following them down to the river. The mid-afternoon light was as dim as twilight. Rose kept glancing behind. They were all perspiring in the heat and as the fine black ash stuck to their faces and clothing, they were soon very dirty. ‘My ma’ll be angry,’ one girl said, looking at her once white pinafore.

  ‘Your mothers will all be pleased you are safe,’ Rose said firmly. ‘Let’s go a little faster, if we can. We’ll be able to wash our faces in the creek later on.’

  They met no one on the track and the journey seemed to go on for hours. Birds flew over their heads, parrots and kookaburras, making for the river. Rose kept glancing at the creek, which was the usual shallow trickle of water after weeks of drought. Here and there were deeper pools and if the fire overtook them, they would need to jump in. ‘Can any of you swim?” she asked hopefully.

  ‘No, Mrs Teesdale,’ the pupils said, looking fearfully at the water.

  Lizzie who was riding the donkey piped up, ‘My papa says you should go in the water if the fire comes, so we’ll all get wet, Mrs Teesdale.’

  ‘So we will,’ said teacher calmly. ‘It will be nice and cool after this heat.’ Looking over her shoulder, she saw flames at the top of the ridge, leapi
ng high into the air and playing in the tops of tall trees. It was the Noojee side of Wattle Tree, well alight. Would the little town be next? ‘See how many different kinds of birds you can count.’

  The wind increased to a roar. Tall trees were thrashing about and branches were breaking and falling, each one of them lethal if it hit you. Trying not to panic, Rose looked ahead down the track and realized they were not far from the All Nations hotel. ‘Let’s try running, shall we?’ At least the building would give them some protection.

  The children trotted obediently along, pushed by the hot wind behind them. It was darker than ever, but in the gloom Rose could see figures moving about. It would be good to be with other people, although it seemed to her that there was little any human being could do against the huge force of nature. Fires were natural here, the dark women had once told her, which was a good reason for not living anywhere permanently. You moved on and built a hut somewhere else.

  Men with axes were chopping down trees and bushes round the hotel and others were spraying water over the roof and walls of the building with hoses. Maeve was supervising, dressed in black, and she swept Rose into her arms briefly before looking round the forlorn bunch of children. ‘You poor dears, come in and we’ll give you some lemonade.’ She looked at Rose and added, ‘You did well – Wattle Tree must have gone by now. Praise the saints, I think we’ll be safe here …’ Then she looked up and saw the flames advancing. ‘Have you seen Lordy? He went to Moe yesterday with Sean.’

  The children trooped into the hotel and sat down obediently. Rose was glad to get them out of the danger under the trees. ‘Please may we bring Dougal in, Mrs Malone?’ Ada pleaded at the door, but Maeve shook her head.

  ‘No donkeys in the bar, it’s not allowed,’ she said gently. ‘There’s a stable out there, he’ll be safe,’ she promised and Ada breathed a sigh of relief.

  One of the men took the donkey, smiling through the grime on his face at the little girl. ‘She’ll be right, love,’ he said and Ada muttered that Dougal was a boy, not a girl.

  Rose could not see how they would be safe, any of them. The pub was a large wooden building and it would go up like a torch if sparks ignited it. The men with hoses and buckets were working on, sweating profusely. ‘Got to save the pub,’ they joked. ‘Most important place in the district.’

  Time went by. Boris the cook, bringing out drinks for the men, was very calm. ‘Keep down low on the floor,’ he growled at the children in his deep voice. It was now pitch black in the building as the smoke crept inside. Her heart thumping, Rose joined the children and found herself crouching next to Maeve.

  ‘I’ll never see Jasper again. He’ll not live through this, he’s had it this time. If only … if only I’d told him I really do care for him,’ she whispered to Rose.

  ‘Jasper is a kind, brave man,’ Rose said quietly. ‘Did I tell you how he saved Ada from a snake?’

  Rose had regrets of her own. Oh, Erik, I wish we’d been friends and talked to each other. She should have approached him, broken down that wall of reserve to find out why he had changed towards her. She should have realized how he felt when he heard about Lordy living at the hut. It all looked so simple now, when it was too late. Rose shook her head as she realized that her mourning dresses had been too effective.

  The heat increased and the children whimpered. Rose found herself thinking about long ago – how long it seemed since she had seen snow! In its way, snow was as lethal as fire. People could lose their way on the moors above Kirkby in the snow, when it covered familiar landmarks. Sometimes a man had died up there. Was it better to die of cold or heat? Like everybody else, Rose was trying not to cough. It was likely that the smoke would kill them soon.

  TWENTY TWO

  ERIK DROVE AS fast as he could on the rutted road and his horse seemed to sense the urgency. The air was thick with smoke and ash and the wind was blowing leaves and small branches across the track. He turned to his passenger. ‘I have to get back to the farm but you could have stayed in Moe. Are you sure you want to go on? The fire seems to be heading up Wattle Tree way.’

  Lord Barrington’s face was grimy but he looked quite cheerful. ‘We can jump in a water hole if we need to, dear boy,’ he said briskly. ‘And I may be of some small use to you, or to one of the neighbours. Haven’t fought a fire for years, but I still know what to do.’ He paused and then added, ‘I always like to get out of the town again, y’know. Go there as seldom as I can.’

  ‘Well, I’m afraid we seem to be in for it this time.’

  After this there was silence for a while, apart from the incessant moaning of the wind. Thank goodness, Freda was safely on the Melbourne coach, one less person to worry about. Erik’s mind was busy with plans to meet various possible emergencies at home and in any case, he had no wish to talk to Barrington. But it seemed that his lordship wanted to get something off his chest.

  ‘I had thought of coming to see you,’ Lordy began. ‘Would you mind very much if we had a talk, while you are driving? I believe it is time I set the record straight.’

  Erik sighed. ‘Very well, let’s get it over with. I’ve a lot on my mind at the moment.’ He wiped the sweat out of his eyes.

  ‘It won’t take long.’ Lordy dived into a pocket and handed over a bottle of water.

  ‘Thanks,’ Erik muttered. It was just what he needed but he found it hard to tolerate the man. He drank some water and felt slightly less irritable.

  ‘It seems that Mrs Teesdale’s reputation is suffering as a result of my actions,’ Lordy said quietly, looking straight ahead. ‘I was badly injured, y’see, damned careless of me really, and she found me near her garden. I was barely alive.’

  ‘So I believe,’ Erik said coldly, peering at the glow from the nearest ridge. ‘This is hardly the time to go over the past. I’m worrying about the fire.’ He was probably going to announce their marriage.

  ‘With great respect, Mr Jensen, this is important to me and I suspect it may be of some interest to you, also. If I could have removed from Rose’s house I would have done so, but I was very weak and in need of care. So she gave me her new cabin for my own use, and tended my wound until it healed. There was no impropriety at all, I assure you.’ The man was cool, you had to admit it. Lying in his teeth and also cool in the face of a huge fire.

  The horse clopped on for a few minutes. Then Erik shook his head. ‘I saw you together,’ he said, all the bitterness welling up inside him. ‘There was no mistake; you needn’t lie to save her reputation. I suppose I shouldn’t blame you – Rose is an attractive woman. But I’d rather see her with someone her own age.’

  Lord Barrington went on with a touch of hauteur. ‘I give you my word as a gentleman – and I am accustomed to being believed.’ The old villain’s eyes were flashing and his head was up. ‘You may have seen Rose bandaging my wound, and mistaken it for an embrace. I assure you it was nothing of the kind.’

  Erik felt his face growing even hotter. ‘So you saw me at the gate, that evening … Then why did she suddenly stop wearing black? She went out of mourning when you arrived. It seemed obvious to everyone that she’s found a new man.’

  Lordy hesitated. ‘As a matter of fact, Rose had another reason. I shouldn’t tell you this … but I happened – unintentionally, of course, I was working in the house – to overhear part of a conversation she had with a lady from Moe who appeared one day.’ They both ducked to avoid a flying branch and the horse danced nervously. ‘This is a betrayal of confidence, but justified, I think. The woman said she was Luke’s mistress, which shocked Rose to the core. And then she suggested that the hapless youth might not be dead, but might have absconded. Left her in the lurch.’ He turned to look at Erik. ‘It was bound to affect her deeply … she had always honoured his memory. Several of us knew that he had, um, indulged in an active social life, but evidently Rose did not.’

  ‘I knew,’ Erik muttered. ‘The swine never treated her well.’

  ‘Just so. The next day, I notice
d that Rose had changed to a lighter dress. I have tried to make enquiries as to Luke’s fate – without telling Rose, of course – but his employer has departed for distant places and apparently he was the only witness. There was no formal burial, no parson, they couldn’t wait. The weather was hot, you understand.’

  The wind was fiercer than ever as they neared Wattle Tree. To go on seemed risky, but what else could they do? ‘We’d better stop here, give the horse a drink.’ Erik pulled up by a water hole and as the horse drank he said, ‘Thank you, Lord Barrington.’ In spite of the fire, he felt lighter than for months. ‘Poor Rose! If she’d asked me, I could have told her that Luke did die at Noojee.’

  ‘That would be preferable,’ Lordy said quietly. ‘It would be impertinent of me to comment on your affairs, but … I happen to know that Rose thinks very highly of you.’

  Erik led the horse back to the track and they jumped into the vehicle. ‘And I of her,’ he admitted. ‘But we’ve got to survive today first, all of us. Let’s see what we can do.’ He squared his shoulders, now full of energy. If the wind would only drop they could have a chance. ‘I only hope Rose and the children are safe.’

  At a time like this, you realized what was really important. It was possible that none of them would survive, Rose thought with a strange feeling of calm. She held Ada’s hand in hers and hoped that these children would live to grow up.

  The All Nations was filled with smoke and with the noise of things hitting the roof, flying debris from the fire. Down on the floor they could just breathe. Should they have come here, or would the creek have been safer? The temperature rose even more and sweat ran down their faces.