by Tony Parsons
Meanwhile, David had Catriona to consider. He knew that he could not put off talking to Angus any longer. Catriona was adamant that they be married after the National, with or without her parents’ approval. She was even prepared to get married in a registry office, although that was a last resort. David knew that deep down Cat did want a grander wedding with all her friends around her, and if she was prepared to fly in the face of her parents’ wishes, it was up to him to front up to Angus and lay their situation on the line.
A few days earlier, Catriona had ridden up to see David and they had boiled the billy down by the creek.
‘Darling, it’s no good going on like this,’ Catriona said. ‘Mum and Dad are at me all the time about this or that fellow. I can’t keep stalling them forever. I’ve waited all this time for you. I want you and I know you want me. If we’re to have a future together, you’ll have to tackle Daddy one day. Let’s do it and get it over with.’
‘What if Angus digs his toes in?’ David asked.
‘I think we can expect that,’ Catriona said. ‘You’ll have to tell him we are getting married with or without his approval. Tell him we’ll get married in a registry office if we have to. That should rock the boat a bit.’
‘You don’t want to do that, do you, Cat?’
‘Of course not. Ideally, I’d like to be married in Sydney and in a ceremony I’ll always remember.’
David walked up and down beside the creek. He had always known that it would come to this. It was not that he was afraid to face Angus – what concerned him were the consequences of such a confrontation. The atmosphere could get nasty. Catriona could be cut off from her family, and would be extremely upset; it wouldn’t be the ideal start to a successful marriage. But things couldn’t drag on. Catriona was being pushed to marry someone else, and David wouldn’t abide that.
‘Come here, Cat,’ he said. He put his arms around her and kissed her gently. It was a very long kiss, and by the end of it Catriona was close to tears.
‘You’re going to tell me something, aren’t you?’ she asked.
He nodded. ‘I’m going to see Angus. I can’t have you hassled to marry someone else. One way or another, we’ll be married after the National.’
‘Oh, David, you darling,’ Catriona cried. ‘I’m sorry you have to front Daddy, but I can’t bear the suspense any longer.’
They sat with their arms around each other’s waists, Catriona’s head on David’s shoulder, each knowing that the die was cast and, come what may, they would be married.
So several days later, on his way back from town where he had been finalising details for their purchase of Glen Morrison, David stopped off at Inverlochy. Angus was attending to his mail and invited David into his office.
‘Got Poitrel all fenced again?’ he asked.
‘All fenced, and the Poitrel sheep back in their old paddocks.’
‘I hear that you and Andy have been up north,’ Angus said as David seated himself in one of the big leather chairs. ‘Looking at horses or cattle?’
‘Both, actually,’ David said noncommittally.
‘Wouldn’t think you’d need to bring cattle from up there. Your herd has improved out of sight. You’d not be buying a bull up there, would you?’
‘No, we weren’t thinking of doing that. Listen, Mr Campbell, I have come here to talk to you about something more important than cattle.’
To Angus Campbell there weren’t many things more important than cattle, and suddenly David had his full attention.
‘Is that a fact?’
‘I want to talk about Catriona. We want to get married after Canberra next year, and I am here to ask you for her hand.’
Angus shook his head. ‘You’re a nice fellow, David, and you’ve achieved a lot in your young life. I like you as a man and as a neighbour, but I can’t give you my permission to marry Catriona.’
‘That’s a pity,’ David said. ‘Would you mind telling me why?’
‘I don’t have to give my reasons,’ Angus replied.
‘Is it because you think Catriona could marry someone wealthier?’ he persisted.
‘That’s one reason,’ Angus agreed.
‘And is it because I didn’t go to a private school?’
‘That has to be taken into consideration also.’
‘And is it because a son-in-law with a father who’s a shearer is not acceptable in your circle?’
‘There’s no need to be offensive, David.’
‘You should know that Catriona and I will be married whether you give your approval or not. Naturally, she would prefer your consent. Catriona is prepared to be married in a registry office, but it needn’t come to that. We’d both prefer a proper wedding.’
‘No doubt. But the fact remains that I won’t give you my permission. I have to think about my grandchildren, too. I would want Catriona’s children to be properly educated, as Catriona has been. My daughter could marry anyone she likes. She’s had a string of proposals – young men from the most prominent families in the country.’
‘But Catriona loves me, Mr Campbell.’
‘What is love, David, if you don’t have security and prestige?’
‘You are a damned snob, Mr Campbell, and a patronising one at that,’ David said vehemently.
‘You can’t talk to me like that,’ Angus said with his face growing even ruddier.
‘I can and I will. Catriona and I will be married whether you like it or not. If you really want to know the truth, we have been engaged for months. In fact, there’s a lot you don’t know, Angus Campbell. You mentioned Dad and me having been up north. You want to know why? Tim Sparkes left me everything. Everything, you hear. You know what it amounted to? A cattle property running over three and a half thousand head, plus over a hundred good horses and a holiday house at Yeppoon, not to mention two hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars in the bank. So I own a damn sight more cattle than you do. What do you think of that?’
‘Well, er, I had no –’
David didn’t wait for him to finish. ‘I have just come from town where I signed a contract to buy Glen Morrison. As of today, the MacLeod family now owns four properties. Not bad for a shearer and his son. We own more land, more cattle, more horses and as many sheep as you do, Angus. I didn’t want any of this information to influence your decision about Catriona and me. As far as I’m concerned, you can go to the devil. We will go ahead and make all the necessary wedding arrangements, and pay for them, too. It’s up to you whether you come or not. Now, good day, Angus,’ David said and walked out of the office and down the steps to his vehicle.
He was still fuming when he arrived home at High Peaks. His father and mother were outside drinking tea on the front verandah. Anne could see that David was agitated as he threw himself down on a chair beside them.
‘Is something wrong? Did the sale fall through?’ she asked.
‘No. Glen Morrison is ours, but I just had it out with Angus. I asked for his permission to marry Catriona and he refused.’
‘Oh, David. You didn’t tell us you were engaged! And Angus has refused? What will you do now?’
‘Get married anyway. I told him we would pay for everything. Catriona is coming over here tonight. We can discuss all the arrangements with her then.’
‘Did Angus tell you why he wouldn’t give you his blessing?’ Anne asked.
‘Only after I pushed him. You should have seen his face when he heard what I had to say to him.’
Anne looked at Andy, who was grinning broadly. ‘You approve of all this, do you?’ she asked sternly.
‘Damned right I do,’ Andy said. ‘One hundred per cent.’
‘I don’t suppose either of you have considered what sort of position this puts Catriona in. The poor girl will feel terrible. Her people have given her everything her whole life and now she has to turn her back on them.’
‘We always knew it would come to this,’ David said grimly. ‘Cat told me she would marry me with or without their p
ermission. And she wants to get married as soon as possible after I get back from Canberra – if I get to Canberra. It’s her parents’ fault. They’re just damned snobs.’
‘That they are, but they’re trying to do the best by Catriona and her children,’ Anne said. ‘You can’t blame them for that.’
‘Any children we might have won’t want for anything,’ David said. ‘It’s what Cat wants that matters. Anyway, they can’t stop her. Imagine how it would look if we had the wedding without them. They would never live it down. Any tea left?’
‘I’ll make some more,’ Anne said.
‘About time someone tore a few strips off Angus,’ Andy said when Anne had left the room. ‘He’ll either hate you forever or respect you for this, David.’
‘I’ve got more to think about than him. I wanted to talk to you and Mum about putting up a house for Cat and me,’ he said.
‘What’s all this?’ Anne asked as she came back into the room carrying a full teapot.
‘I’ll need to build a house for Cat and me, Mum.’
‘Of course you will. Where?’
‘Well, we could live at Glen Morrison, but I don’t really want to leave High Peaks. This is my home and this is where I want to live. I thought I might build close to Creek Paddock.’
‘You should know you can build anywhere you like, David,’ Anne said.
‘That’s good, because I had a yarn to a builder this morning. He could make a start about the time we’re due to go to Canberra.’
‘If we go to Canberra,’ Anne pointed out. ‘How is Clancy coming along?’
‘Very steadily. We started him on a drug called formalin and now I’ve got him onto a wattle-bark mixture. Mr Chalmers has had a couple of pairs of soft boots made up. I’ll pick them up in a few days’ time. They’ll be better than the bandages. It’s going to be touch and go, but I’m working on Needle in the meantime. As for Belle, she’s a pro – doesn’t need any extra tuition at her stage in life. The main thing is to keep her in good working condition. Everything depends on Clancy. If we can’t get him fit, we won’t be going to Canberra. It’s as simple as that.’
‘Where does that leave you and Catriona?’ Anne asked. ‘You used to say you wouldn’t get married until after you’d worked at Canberra.’
‘Canberra or no Canberra, we’ll be married. A fellow can’t keep a girl like Cat waiting forever.’
Anne clapped her hands. ‘The Lord be praised! You have at last come to your senses. I must say it’s about time. How wonderful, David. Congratulations. Oh, I can’t believe it. I can’t wait to tell Kate and Jean. A wedding at long last.’
Angus Campbell went storming out of his office in search of his wife.
‘Jane,’ he roared. ‘Jane, where the blazes are you?’
‘In here, dear,’ she called.
‘Are you aware that Catriona and David MacLeod are unofficially engaged?’ he asked.
‘No,’ Jane said. ‘Are they?’
‘David has just asked for my permission to marry Catriona and then had a go at me when I refused. Told me some story about having been left Tim Sparkes’s property in Queensland with thousands of cattle thrown in plus a holiday home on the coast. And the MacLeods have just bought Glen Morrison.’
‘Fancy that. They have come up in the world.’
‘Come up in the world? They own more than we do. That’s if what David tells me is true. I don’t think he’d lie. What do you think about your daughter marrying David?’
‘Well, it’s not what we had in mind, Angus. I know Catriona always liked David a lot but I did think she would get over it. Apparently she hasn’t, and won’t.’
‘So what do we do now?’ Angus asked.
‘Catriona doesn’t need your permission to marry now that she is of age,’ Jane reminded him. ‘You can try and dissuade her but I think you’ll be wasting your time.’
‘Does that mean we have to accept this … this … situation?’
‘I don’t see what else we can do, Angus, without making Catriona very unhappy. Do you want that?’
‘Damn it, Jane, I don’t want any of this! And I can’t believe that Catriona made this arrangement behind our backs. Damn David MacLeod. He made me look small when he gave Catriona her black horse and now he’s done it again. He didn’t tell me about the other properties before asking me about Catriona. He sure let me have it with both barrels.’
‘Catriona could do worse, you know,’ Jane said.
‘I must say you are taking this more calmly than I expected,’ Angus replied.
‘The fact is we’ve lost, Angus. David will be our son-in-law and that’s that.’
‘Bloody hell,’ he roared and stormed away again.
He was still breathing fire when Catriona drove in that afternoon. She had no sooner walked onto the front verandah than he confronted her. ‘In here, Catriona,’ he said, pointing towards his office.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Your mother and I are very disappointed in you,’ he said. ‘How could you not see fit to tell us, your parents, about your engagement to David MacLeod?’
‘Because I knew you wouldn’t approve of David. You never have,’ Catriona said calmly.
‘Well, the boy has no breeding, even if he does own four properties.’
‘I am going to marry him and that’s all there is to say. It’s my life. I love him.’
‘Don’t be so ungrateful. We only want the best for you and our grandchildren.’
‘They will have the best,’ Catriona said firmly. ‘And they will be brought up in a home full of love.’
Angus did not know what else to say.
Right up to the last week David was unsure if he would get Clancy to Canberra. The formalin and wattle-bark treatments had done the trick in toughening up his pads, which meant he could now run for short periods without boots, but he was hesitant in his moves. For the first few runs he was very diffident about stretching out, and he gingerly picked his way over ground that was at all rough. David tried him with the boots and saw the dog move with far greater freedom. From then on Clancy did not hesitate to run. The problem was that the rough ground played havoc with the specially treated basil and David urgently sent away for half a dozen more pairs of boots. He didn’t fancy going to Canberra short of the precious boots. Of Clancy’s ability David had absolutely no doubt. The dog was a freak. It would not be lack of ability that hindered him if he got to Canberra – it would be his feet.
When David finally announced that the trip to Canberra was a certainty, a mood of relief swept over High Peaks and Poitrel, for they all knew that the wedding was sure to follow.
Catriona was relieved, too, because there was a very strained atmosphere at Inverlochy. Her father hardly spoke to her and her mother seemed not to know how to handle the situation. Catriona could hardly wait to leave for Canberra.
She was to drive down with David – their first trip away together – and she would stay at a nearby motel. David had presented his mother with a new air-conditioned Ford Fairmont, which she would be driving with Andy to Canberra. They had booked a caravan right next to David’s.
Anne sensed that Andy was excited about the trip, which made a nice change for him as he never got excited about anything. Following his stroke, Andy had been living from day to day, and he very much wanted to get to Canberra. For all his years with kelpies, he had never been to a trial the scale of the National. He had read of the great dogs and handlers who had won there, and he knew that some of them would be working against his son. He also knew exactly what the National meant to David. The one thing David could give his father, something that no money could buy, was the National Championship. That would put the seal on a lifetime of achievement in perpetuating the MacLeod kelpies.
Everyone associated with the MacLeods seemed to be excited about Canberra, too. Everyone but David, that is. He was concerned that virtually everything depended on the thin layer of skin tissue that covered Clancy’s pads. The dog h
ad a great heart and would give it everything he could, but his pads might just let him down. David thought about taking the safer option by working Clancy in boots, but that would slow him down, and nobody could predict how much of a handicap that might be. Otherwise he would just have to take the risk and work him without boots in the hope that his pads would hold up.
And so they went to Canberra. The showground was actually in the suburb of Hall, but the great event was always referred to simply as ‘Canberra’. Kate had been invited, too, but she had elected to stay and oversee things at home.
The dogs were housed in separate, straw-filled pens in the handsome crate on the back of David’s utility which was parked between his caravan and the one his parents were staying in. Each morning, following an early cup of tea, David and Andrew drove out to a nearby property to give the dogs a run. The property owner was a kelpie crank who the previous year had invited David to visit. ‘You want to give your dogs a gallop, or work ’em on a few sheep, you come on out,’ Ed Somerville had told him.
David wasn’t interested in working his dogs on sheep. He said that if his dogs couldn’t handle the sheep by now, they shouldn’t be in Canberra. He was more interested in trying out Clancy’s special basil boots and giving his dogs a decent run in safe surroundings. Keeping bush dogs tied up for a week without exercise wasn’t ideal for good trialling.
Anne would have breakfast ready for them when they returned, and a bloke or two would be waiting to talk sheepdogs. Bruce McClymont would drop in to the van for a cuppa and a yarn, mostly about the formidable task facing David’s two novice dogs. Unlike their mother, Belle, who had won trials in the past – therefore automatically qualifying for the National Open trial – neither Clancy nor Needle had ever worked in a trial, let alone won one. They would have to work in the Maiden trial, and only a handful of top-scoring dogs from this were admitted into the Open. A dog had to be in the top half-dozen or so to make it. It was a tall order to expect that young, relatively inexperienced dogs could make the final of the Maiden, much less do well in the Open.