‘He’s not doing it.’
‘Why the hell not?’ He caught himself and cast a glance at Karli, who was gazing straight at him. ‘I mean…he’ll be fine. He’s flown the plane in a lot worse conditions than tonight.’
‘Not unless he has to, and tonight he doesn’t have to. He’s my husband and I say he’s not doing it.’ Maggie drew herself up to her full five feet two inches and she glared. ‘I don’t often put my foot down, Riley Jackson, but I’m putting it down now. You let these two mites sleep here for the night. They look almost as tired as you and that’s saying something. I’ll talk to Max and maybe he can fly them south in the morning.’
‘I employ Max,’ Riley growled, and Maggie gave him a long, thoughtful look.
‘So you do. Just like you employ me. But you won’t employ either of us if we quit, which we just might do if you make him do that.’
‘Hey,’ Jenna said. Things were starting to sound crazy. ‘I don’t…it doesn’t matter.’
Maggie put her hands on her hips and planted her feet apart, pugnaciously standing her ground. ‘It does matter,’ she retorted. ‘Riley’s being ridiculous.’ She turned to face him again. ‘You go in and get yourself clean and dressed and ready for dinner and cut it out with this nonsense. Dinner’ll be on the table in half an hour.’
‘I’ll eat with the men.’
‘What the…?’
‘Feed Jenna and Karli, Maggie,’ he told her, and he turned away as if weariness had suddenly overtaken him completely. ‘Give them a bed for the night. Max can take them on in the morning.’
It was the start of a really strained evening.
Maggie took them through to a guest bedroom that normally would have had Jenna exclaiming in delight. Twin beds with mosquito-net canopies, luxurious bedding, a vast overhead fan that wafted the warm air gently around the big room, French windows leading out to the veranda and to the pool beyond. It was truly magnificent, but Jenna hardly saw it.
Maggie seemed distracted. She fussed over them a little, but left as soon as she could so they could shower and change. They used the
Karli was back to being quiet again. She hardly spoke as they dressed and went through to dinner.
The little girl grew even quieter when she realised their dinner was to be taken in solitary splendour-in a dining room that was beautiful but overpoweringly formal and more suited for twelve people than for two.
Maggie flew in and out with their dinner-magnificent steak and fresh salad and a lemon tart that would normally have made both their mouths water. Maggie looked at them with worry in her eyes but she, too, hardly spoke. Her bubbly personality seemed to have disappeared.
We should have caught the train, Jenna thought drearily. This was well nigh unbearable.
After dinner there was no one around at all. The house seemed deserted. They carried their plates through to the big farmhouse kitchen, but even Maggie had now disappeared.
They drifted back to their bedroom, feeling lost.
Jenna put Karli to bed.
‘Riley doesn’t like us any more,’ Karli whispered, and Jenna hugged her and told her of course he did, he was just tired.
She didn’t believe it. She comforted Karli, but she needed comfort herself.
With Karli finally asleep she went outside to sit on the veranda. Here at least she could look up into the same sky she’d looked at for the last few days. Tomorrow she’d be back in the city and this would be over.
The night was beautiful. Munyering was beautiful, she thought. It was the loveliest place she’d ever been in-a magic mix of outback dreaming and delicious comfort.
Why on earth had Riley’s wife ever walked from this?
Where was everyone? The place seemed almost ghostly.
A dog appeared from the shadows, a three-quarter-grown collie. Jenna clicked her fingers and the pup wriggled in delight and slunk forward to have his ears scratched. Any company was welcome. She could go nuts, she thought. Where was Riley?
This was hardly a hospitable end to their stay. Maybe she should be angry. But then, she had foisted herself onto him, she conceded. He’d already done more than he’d had to in helping her. He’d fed her and housed her and he was organising a flight to Adelaide. How could she ask more of him than that?
How could she not?
‘Does he talk to you?’ she asked the pup.
‘No.’ The woman’s voice came out of the shadows and she turned to find Maggie watching her from behind the gnarled wisteria trunk. ‘Riley talk to a dog?’ she said bitterly. ‘He might get attached and that would never do.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Jenna started to rise, but Maggie signalled her to stay where she was.
‘Don’t get up. I need to talk to you.’
‘I didn’t want to disturb you.’
‘You’re not disturbing me,’ Maggie told her. ‘You’re disturbing Riley and that’s what I want to talk to you about.’
‘Well, if you want me to apologise for that…’
Maggie managed a worried smile. ‘No. Of course I don’t want you to apologise. The opposite, in fact. Riley hasn’t been disturbed for a very long time and this is way overdue.’
‘What’s overdue?’
‘Falling in love.’
‘Um…’ Jenna stared at Maggie, stunned.
Maggie gazed right back.
Jenna broke the look first, turning to gaze out over the swimming pool. There were tiny insects just above water-level and swallows were swooping in and out of the light to snatch their evening meal. A mass of roses grew almost wild on the other side of the pool. A huge overhead sprinkler sent water drifting across the garden in a long, lazy, arcing spray, and the smell of the damp roses was everywhere.
‘Who said anything about falling in love?’ Jenna whispered.
‘Are you in love with him?’ Maggie asked.
‘I might be.’ What was the use of denying it?
‘Well, he’s sure as eggs in love with you.’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Have you seen his face?’
‘I…’
‘Of course. You don’t know enough of him to realise.’ Maggie took a deep breath and plumped herself down on the bench beside Jenna. ‘I’m sorry, Jenna. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. From the minute he got off that plane and I saw his face… I haven’t seen that look since his father died and it made me feel ill.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Well, maybe you ought,’ Maggie said resolutely. ‘You can’t fight without weapons, is what I always say. I’ve been talking to my Max and he says I should butt out of what’s not my business, but when have I ever? Did you know Riley’s mother walked out on him?’
Jenna was having trouble keeping up. ‘No, I-’
‘When he was four,’ she said, turning to watch the swallows herself. ‘Riley’s dad was hopelessly in love with her, but she was a spoiled little princess. She came here and he gave her the world, but it wasn’t enough. They had three kids-two girls who were older than Riley. Then she met some millionaire at a race meet and she walked away without a backward glance. She broke his father’s heart and, as far as I know, Riley never saw her again.’
‘Oh, no.’
‘Yeah, but that was just the beginning,’ Maggie said grimly. ‘The girls were just as bad. Riley’s sisters. Sure, their mother had walked out on them, but they were older and she’d taught them to be just like her. They didn’t like the School of the Air we have here, so they went to boarding-school. They came home when they had to, but they hated the place. By the time Riley was eight they were gone completely. Leaving heartache behind. Riley’s father tried hard to keep them together, but it didn’t work. So Riley was left with his father, who was just bereft. He died when Riley was eleven.’
