Now you can meet her.
With a sense of dread numbing him, Sean realized he was trapped.
There was no escape-the buggy was less than fifty yards away, and he
could see Anna sitting up behind the coloured driver staring at them.
Michael shouted,
'Hello, Ma!' 'Michael! Whatever have you been doing? Look at you!'
There was a shrewishness in her voice now. The years had treated Anna
in the manner she deserved, had sharpened her features and exaggerated
the catlike set of her eyes. She turned those eyes on Sean and she
frowned. The frown cut deep grooves in her forehead and showed the
heavy lines of flesh beneath her chin.
'Who's that with you?' she asked Michael.
'A friend. He helped me free a bogged animal. You should have seen
him, Ma. He lifted it clean out of the mud.'
Sean saw that she was expensively dressed, ostentatiously so for a
farmer's wife on a working day. Velvet and ostrich feathers-those
pearls must have cost Garry a small fortune. The rig was new, polished
black lacquer picked out with scarlet, and brass fittings-another few
hundred pounds' worth. Sean ran his eyes over the horses, matched
bays, blood stock-Jesus! be thollo.
Anna was still frowning at him, recognition and doubt mixed in her
expression. She was starting to flush, her lips trembling.
'Hello, Anna.'
'Sean!' She spat the word.
'It's been a long time. How are you?'
Her eyes slanted venomously. She hardly moved her lips as she snapped
at Michael,
'Get away from that man!'
'But . . . ' The bewildered look on Michael's face hurt Sean like a
spear thrust.
'Do as your mother says, Michael,' Sean told him.
'Are you ... are you my Uncle Sean?
'Yes.'
'Get away from him, ' shrilled Anna. 'Don't you ever speak to him
again. Do you hear me, Michael? He's evil-evil! Don't ever let him
near you. He'll destroy you. ' Anna was panting, shaking with rage
and hatred, babbling like a mad-woman. 'Get off our land, Sean
Courtney. Get off Theuniskraal and don't come on again.'
'Very well, Anna. I'm going.'
'Michael. Get on your horse!' she screamed at him. I
'Hurry.
Come away from him.'
Michael swung up into the saddle.
'Drive on. Drive quickly,' she ordered the coloured coachman. At the
touch of the whip the big bays jumped forward and Anna was thrown back
against the padded seat. 'Come on, Michael. Come home immediately.'
Michael looked across at Sean. He was bewildered, uncertain. 'I don't
... I don't believe that you .
'We'll talk again some other time, Mike.
