The tall, rangy man sat under a tree on a nearby slope, working over a sketchbook. As a result of the clothes she had sent him, he looked as dapper as he did out of place in the outback in his usual formal attire. Instead of hiding, as he often did when unexpected visitors appeared, he put his sketchbook aside and waited as she rode toward him.
His thin, aristocratic face, like wrinkled leather from age and the elements, broke into a smile, and he doffed his hat as she reined up. "This is indeed a pleasure, Mistress Kerrick," he said.
"As it is for me, Mr. Bodenham. I trust that I find you well."
"I am quite well, dear lady, despite my advancing years," he replied. "One need not inquire about you, for you are a veritable picture of health and happiness. Please join me in the shade."
Sitting under the tree with him, she brushed aside his thanks for the clothes and sketching materials she had sent. They discussed his children who were employed at her station, Alexandra telling him about those he had not seen for some time, then she broached the purpose of her visit. When he acknowledged that he had traveled widely in the outback before working at Wayamba Station, she took out the map Pat had given them.
"I urgently need a map of the region west of this," she told him. "Ideally, it would encompass as much of the region as possible and include the area around Tibooburra Station. As an educated man with artistic talent who has traveled the outback, it occurred to me that you might be able to prepare a map that shows what you have seen."
He made no direct reply, perplexed as he studied the map. "I'm amazed, Mistress Kerrick," he commented. "It surpasses belief that no more of Australia than this has been explored."
"Officially explored," she pointed out. "Others must have traveled about, as you did, but their findings haven't been documented. But there are indications that official explorations will be undertaken eventually."
"And the region will be designated crown lands," Adolarious added, his astute mind perceiving her purpose. "So you need the map in connection with protecting Tibooburra Station. To get a land grant, perhaps?"
"Exactly. If I can get a map of the region, I'll rename the Cobdogla River the Darling River, for the governor. That should insure at least a sympathetic review of a request for a land grant."
"Indeed it should!" Adolarious exclaimed, laughing. "What an excellent idea, dear lady. As it happens, I'm in the happy position of being able to assist you. Years ago, I drew up maps of my travels. They extended to the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers south of here, hundreds of miles to the north, and to the desert country to the west. You are more than welcome to take the maps and do whatever you wish with them."
Alexandra was delighted, having expected at best that Adolarious would draw up a map and send it to her. As they went to their horses, he called to the four youths and told them that he was going to the fold and would return soon.
On the way to the fold, Alexandra asked Adolarious about his family. In newspapers she had received with the mail, she had read about a Sir Geoffrey Bodenham who had been appointed as an undersecretary in the colonial office in London. He was from the Surrey branch of Bodenhams, a well-placed family she had heard about long ago. When she mentioned him, Adolarious reluctantly admitted that the man was his younger brother.
"I prefer that not to be widely known," he added. "More important, at present I prefer that my family in England not know where I am."
His reasons none of her affair, Alexandra quickly agreed to say nothing to anyone about the matter. At the fold, Adolarious went into one of the huts and rummaged about, then came out with three maps drawn on sketch paper. Alexandra examined them, marveling at the gigantic area they covered, as well as the detailed depiction of rivers, mountain ranges, and other features. Barren Mountain at the south boundary of the station and Steeple Hills at the north boundary were clearly shown on one of the maps. Wayamba Station was also indicated, and Adolarious had written in some names for features.
A name near the station to the south aroused her curiosity. She pointed to it, and asked, "Broken Hill? Why did you call it that, Mr. Bodenham?"
"It's a translation of Wayamba, the Aborigine name," he told her.
Knowing that the wealth of information on the maps would be received in Sydney with great pleasure and gratitude, making her chances of success more likely, Alexandra wanted to repay Adolarious in some way. When she asked if there was anything she could do for him, he replied that he would like his family in England to be notified upon his death.
"That will resolve any problems regarding inheritance of family properties that were occasioned by my departure from there," he explained. "Also, I had hoped that whatever children I had would be of a self-sufficient age by now, but my wife is a woman of extraordinary fertility. So I would like for them and my wife to be looked after."
"I'd have done that without your asking, of course, so you may set your mind at ease about them. And while I'm sure you have many years remaining, I'll promptly notify your brother when you go to your reward. Can you think of anything else I can attend to for you, Mr. Bodenham?"
"Yes, my sketches. The ones I consider my best are boxed and wrapped in canvas. I'd like for you to do whatever seems best with them."
Alexandra agreed to take charge of the sketches upon his death, then asked if there was anything further she could do for him. He could think of nothing else, the simple life he had chosen involving few affairs that would need to be settled. She continued talking with him for a while, enjoying her conversation with the interesting, eccentric man. Then, leaving him to the privacy with his wife and numerous children that he preferred, she rode back to rejoin her son and the escort.
Beside the campfire that evening, Alexandra examined the maps again with great satisfaction. She showed them to Morton and explained what she intended to do, but he was disinterested, as she had more or less expected he would be. Instead of being blunt about it, though, he courteously expressed the hope that she would succeed, which was a very promising change in attitude for him.
The conversation about Alexandra's brother resumed as they traveled back toward the home paddock, Morton remaining deeply intrigued by what Creighton did. Searching her memory for details, she elaborated on what she had told her son about the family business. At length, the boy expressed a wish to do the same himself when he became an adult.
"If you're going to do that," Alexandra told him,
"you'll have to trim your sails closer to the wind. My brother is a well-educated man, as is your father, for that matter. At your age, they were working hard at their lessons instead of sulking in front of a chalk board."
Nettled by the straightforward advice, Morton was quiet for a time, something of his former attitude returning. Alexandra also remained silent, waiting for him to speak and take the initiative for communication between them. Finally he did, although reluctantly, and asked if she would help him find out more about business activities.
"Of course," she replied. "Morton, I'll always be ready to help you achieve what you want. You do realize that I love you, don't you?"
"You say you do, but you criticize me constantly."
"Morton, you know that if you eat too much fresh fruit, you'll have a bad stomach. There are many things in life that can have a much worse effect, but instead of happening quickly like that, they stretch over a period of years. I've lived a number of years and know of these things, whereas you're very young and don't. When I correct you, it's simply to make you avoid those things, certainly not because I enjoy doing it."
The boy was silent for a time, weighing what she had said. Then, as she had many times before, Alexandra explained the importance of his concentrating on his lessons, not only for the purpose of learning them, but also to develop mental discipline. For the first time, the boy listened and seemed to understand.
Beside the campfire that evening, he raised the subject of his lessons. "I don't always know what to do with a carry-over number when I'm doing sums," he told her. "Woul
d you show me again?"
Alexandra smoothed off a spot on the ground, picking up a stick to draw numbers in the dirt and demonstrate the procedure. Recalling errors he had made, she realized his lack of understanding on that point had been responsible for some of them. She wondered whether it had been pride, stubbornness, or something else that had kept him from telling her.
The essential point, however, was that he had told her. While she had obtained the maps she needed, she had also achieved a success of infinitely greater importance to her on the journey. She knew she would continue to have difficulties with Morton, and she would always be fearful about the origins of some of his characteristics. But at least she could now work with him, having at last broken through his cold reserve.
During the weeks that followed her return home, Alexandra discovered that she was indeed pregnant again. David was delighted when she told him, and both of them hoped for a daughter. During that time, Alexandra had to begin giving her sons different lessons. Highly intelligent, as well as older and more mature for his age, Morton had raced ahead of Jonathan in arithmetic as well as the other subjects she was teaching them. His behavior remained a problem at times, but he was obedient, if often reluctantly so, and he worked long and hard at his lessons.
Each day, when she was done with the lessons and her other responsibilities, Alexandra worked over the maps at her desk in the family parlor. On a large sheet of paper, she consolidated the maps that Adolarious had given her and the one from Pat. Converting them to approximately the same scale with a ruler, she sketched in the lines with a sharp charcoal pencil and then traced over them in ink.
After the map was completed, and the Cobdogla changed to the Darling River, Alexandra knew she had only begun on what she needed. The map would create favorable attention, but the request for a land grant had to be fully substantiated. Her request had ample justification. First of all, the station made a large contribution to the colonial economy, and secondly its land was too arid for small holdings to be self-sufficient. But there were many other reasons why the grant would be in the best interests of the colony.
Those reasons, however, had to be presented compellingly, and Alexandra labored over drafts of the request to get each sentence correct. As she worked on the request, she knew it was important to have it placed in the governor's hands, rather than have some clerk either pigeonhole it or send it to the colonial surveyor. Reasonably sure that her brother would be at least acquainted with the governor, she planned to send it to Creighton and ask him to deliver it personally to Governor Darling.
That particular part of her plans was superseded on an early-summer afternoon in December, when the tranquility of the house was broken by the thump of the knocker on the front door. Visitors were still an extreme rarity, so Alexandra curiously walked out of the family parlor into the entry as Emma went to the door. The maid opened it, and Alexandra was stunned to see her brother standing in the doorway.
Besides being untidy from his long journey, Creighton had changed through the years, his face lined and his hair streaked with gray. For the first time, Alexandra realized that he closely resembled their father. But he was still her loving brother, and an affectionate smile wreathed his face. ''Creighton!" she cried ecstatically, running to him. "My dear, dear Creighton!"
Laughing in delight, he held Alexandra close and kissed her. "My lovely Alexandra," he said. "It would be worth traveling any distance just to see you. Words can't express how I've missed you."
"I've also longed to see you, Creighton," she replied. "But come, let's get you settled, then you can have a refreshing drink while we talk. I want to know all about your wife and family, as well as everything that's happened during the long, long years since I've seen you."
The stable boy led the horses away after Creighton and Alexandra, with Emma's help, had taken the baggage off the pack animal. "David is out in the paddocks," Alexandra told her brother as they went inside. "He should return within the next day or two. And as soon as you've unpacked, you can meet my sons."
Creighton nodded happily, commenting that he had been looking forward to meeting her husband and sons. They continued talking cheerfully as they went upstairs, but from subtle nuances, Alexandra knew he had bad news. Their mother and grandmother dead, it could only be about their father or their younger brother, Robert, a naval officer.
It was their father, Creighton told her when they were alone in the guest room. "He had a heart seizure," Creighton explained, taking out a letter. "He lingered on for a few days, during which he was very remorseful over how things stood between you. He wrote this to you, then passed on a few hours after finishing it."
Alexandra took the letter, a pall suddenly cast over her joy at seeing her brother. Although her father had wounded her deeply, making her resentful toward him, he had still been her father. "Very well, Creighton. After you've freshened up, join me in the garden at the side of the house."
He smiled and nodded, exchanging a kiss with her. Then she went downstairs and after telling a maid to bring refreshments when Creighton came down, Alexandra went into the garden. At one side of the path that wound through the trees and flower beds, stone benches and a table were under a large rose arbor, the shady conversation nook made fragrant by the flowers. Alexandra sat on a bench, opening the letter.
As she read the apologies and expressions of regret, Alexandra realized that her father had indeed been extremely sorrowful over the rift between them. Her resentment toward him fading, tears filled her eyes and overflowed. She clutched a handkerchief to her face and sobbed, remembering acrimonious arguments that she had done much more to create than to avoid, facing him with youthful obstinance instead of willingness to compromise.
Creighton sat down beside her, putting his arm around her. "Your tears do you credit, Alexandra," he told her. "Facing death, he wanted to be reconciled with you. But in life, he treated you very badly."
"Yes," Alexandra agreed, wiping her eyes. "But that might not have happened if I had been less willful and made him love me more."
"It's up to a parent to take the lead in coming to terms with a child. The measures used may vary from gentle to stern, but it's the responsibility of the parent. I've found that out, as you must have."
Recalling her experience with Morton, Alexandra nodded. "Even so, it grieves me that we weren't reconciled when he was alive."
"Again, that wasn't your fault. Also, he's much more at peace now, because he was a very unhappy man after our mother passed away."
The moment was reminiscent of the times in her girlhood when Creighton had soothed away her tears, and Alexandra dried her eyes. He looked more like himself, having washed up and changed into a clean suit. She asked about his family, and he replied that they were well and he now had a fourth daughter, the conversation moving on to more cheerful subjects.
When the maid brought a tray laid out with port and sherry, Alexandra told her to send the boys to the garden.
Shortly after, they appeared, Morton for once more eager than Jonathan to meet a visitor. He was still reserved, hanging back as his brother exchanged an affectionate hug with Creighton, but he was bursting with questions. Leaving her brother talking with the boys, Alexandra went to discuss dinner with Flora.
Returning to the garden, Alexandra sent her sons to play. She had to tell Morton twice to leave. He finally slouched glumly away. "Morton has ambitions to be a businessman like you," she explained to her brother.
"Yes, he said as much," Creighton replied. "He appears to have a very fine mind, so he should do well. I have some business to discuss with you, Alexandra, our father's will."
He explained to her that shortly before he had died, their father had made out a new will, specifying that his property was to be divided equally among his three children. The family business comprised the bulk of the estate, but its value was in various investments and property holdings. Money could be raised to cover Robert's share, but it would bankrupt the business if the same was don
e for Alexandra's share.
"You and I could become partners," Creighton suggested. "Some debt will be incurred in giving Robert his share, but that should be paid off within a year. I would draw a salary for managing the business, then we would divide the profits annually. It should be a tidy sum."
Thinking about it, Alexandra saw a way to resolve a potential problem in the years ahead. If Morton did decide upon a career in business, he would need at least a modest capital that would have to come from the resources of the station. But with a partnership in the Hammond family business, which could be turned over to him as his inheritance, he would start out as an equal to those who had been in commerce for decades.
"I'll have to discuss it with David, of course," Alexandra replied, "but it appears a very sound proposal, Creighton. Now I have a matter to discuss with you, one that concerns Tibooburra Station."
Creighton understood immediately when she explained her concern about the region being designated crown lands, then he nodded as she told him about her plan to get a land grant. "That's an excellent idea," he said. "As you say, it would be an extremely large grant, so approval is open to question. But I can assure you that the request will be placed in the governor's hands for his personal review, because he and I are on good terms."
Knowing she could ask for no more, that, in fact, she was very fortunate her brother was acquainted with the governor, Alexandra also knew the coming months would be uneasy ones. To her, Tibooburra Station was life itself. More than fear, a threat to the station created a shrinking dread within her, a menace to her very existence.
Creighton then described how Sydney had changed and gossiped about their old friends until dinnertime. The boys joined them in the dining room, and the meal was flawless, Flora having outdone herself. The beef was tender and juicy, and the dressing was robustly flavorful with spices and onions. The vegetables and other side dishes were seasoned to perfection, while the rich, fruity wine, with its overtone of the oak in which it had aged, provided the finishing touch.
Outback Station Page 31