The River Charm (24 page)

‘Four weeks after the attack, George Barton and I were married by special licence in the very same church where I married your papa. The two weddings could not have been more different. It was a terrible mistake. The next day, Thomas Smith was bludgeoned to death outside his hut by two of our convicts – John Lynch and John Williamson – apparently for informing on them.

‘As John Lynch was being taken away by the con­stables, he whispered to Mr Barton to watch his back – he would be next. He said the forests around Oldbury would always be filled with spying eyes and assailants, ready to strike. Mr Barton would drink himself into stupors that would last for weeks at a time. From the first day of our marriage he revealed himself to be a violent drunkard, deranged with fear.'

He certainly was
, Charlotte thought, remembering her own aches and bruises.

‘You asked me once why I married George Barton and why I had ruined our lives,' Mamma reminded her. ‘It simply came down to making a poor decision under difficult circumstances. Yet, it was a decision that I have lived to regret every waking moment of my life.'

Mamma took Charlotte's hand and smiled.

‘Now I am not for one moment suggesting that your dashing William Cummings will turn out to be a scoundrel like Mr Barton – but I do wish you would think very carefully upon your reasons for marrying him. I would not want you to marry for money or position in society or to escape a difficult situation – you must only marry if you truly, deeply love him.'

Charlotte glanced down at the pearl-and-diamond ring on her finger.
Do I love Will? Am I tempted by his family's wealth? Am I blinded by the attention he gives me? Am I determined to prove Ettie wrong?

‘Mamma, of course I love him,' Charlotte reassured her. ‘Of course I wish to marry him.'

Mamma sighed and kissed Charlotte on the forehead. ‘Good, my dearest. Then marry him you shall.'

 

26

The She-Dragon

 

‘Is there something wrong, Will?' asked Charlotte as they strolled along a footpath in the Botanic Gardens on their way home from church. Workers and their families were enjoying the Sabbath, sitting on blankets on the grass, sharing picnics and playing with balls. Mamma and the children were walking ahead, giving Charlotte and Will a chance to talk.

‘Sorry?' he asked, patting her hand absent-mindedly.

Since summer had finished, Will had been much busier with his father's business and had spent most of his time at Liverpool. Charlotte had not seen him for weeks. Now his mind was definitely elsewhere.

‘You seem very distracted today,' Charlotte said, twirl­ing the parasol that shaded her from the brilliant autumn sun.

‘I beg your pardon,' said Will with a forced smile. ‘I was just thinking through a few business issues, which was unbearably rude of me.'

‘Tell me,' Charlotte invited with a smile.

‘What do you mean?' asked Will.

A boy with a kite ran across the path, nearly bumping into them.

‘Tell me about the business issues that you are concerned about,' Charlotte repeated.

Will shook his head and laughed. ‘No, I wouldn't be so boring. It is nothing to worry your sweet little head with.'

A flash of annoyance surged through Charlotte. There was obviously something worrying Will and his response irked her, as though he thought her too young or too foolish to confide in.

‘We are to be married, Will,' Charlotte reminded him. ‘I would like to share any problems you might have and learn about your company. Perhaps there is something I can do to help?'

Will laughed again. ‘In twenty years of marriage, I don't think my father has ever discussed his business affairs with my mother. She doesn't even know –' Will stopped abruptly then changed the subject. ‘Well, never mind. I won't be up in Sydney for another four weeks; perhaps we can go for a ride then? Amber has been missing you.'

‘Four weeks is such a long time,' Charlotte complained. ‘And I haven't seen you for several weeks already. Can't you come up next week? We could go for a picnic at the beach.'

Will shook his head, a furrow between his brows.

‘I cannot, Charlotte,' Will explained. ‘I have other things I need to do.'

Will seems so reserved
, thought Charlotte.
Where is my fun-loving, teasing companion?

‘Are you worried about the petition?' asked Charlotte, suddenly sympathetic. As Charlotte was still officially underage and a ward of the court, they had to apply to the Equity Court for permission to marry, even though Mamma had given her consent.

‘No, Charlotte,' snapped Will. ‘When we are married will you be constantly asking me questions about my business? It is not your concern.'

Charlotte fumed. This was a side of Will she hadn't seen during the relaxed, holiday atmosphere of summer.

‘I would think it is very much my concern,' Charlotte said, raising her voice. ‘I don't want to be an empty-headed wife who spends my days shopping and gossiping – I would be bored to tears. My mother always helped and supported my father.'

‘My mother is not an empty-headed wife,' Will insisted. ‘At least my mother is not a “notable she-dragon”, as they call your mother. You will be busy enough looking after the house and our children without worrying about business affairs.'

Charlotte gazed ahead up the path. There was Mamma, walking along straight-backed, holding Louisa's hand, chatting to Emily while James was running in front, chasing Samson.

A notable she-dragon
, thought Charlotte.
Is that what people think of my mother? Is that what Will thinks of her?

‘A she-dragon?' Charlotte asked stiffly. ‘Who calls my mother that?'

Will paused and flushed. ‘I apologise. I should not have said that.'

Charlotte stopped walking and glared at him. ‘Who calls my mother a she-dragon?' she repeated, her voice rising. A group of women sitting on a picnic rug turned to stare. Will hurriedly took her arm and led her on.

‘One of the executors of your father's estate told my father that your mother had been difficult to deal with,' Will murmured reluctantly. ‘That she was . . . well, you know.'

Charlotte shook off Will's hand. ‘My mother has always fought for what she thinks is right. The executors drove us from our home, refused to pay us our allowance and tried to take us away from our mother. Is it any wonder she was difficult?'

Will looked shamefaced. ‘I'm sorry, Charlotte,' he said, his shoulders sagging. ‘I have been a little preoccupied.'

He paused, then continued with a rush, ‘You see, my father has been in poor health for the last few years, and I have taken over running the family business concerns. However, with the ongoing economic depression, so many people are unemployed or spending less money, so the business has not been thriving.'

Charlotte nodded, feeling mollified. ‘Mamma says that the income from our estates has dwindled drastically over the last four years because of the depression. The tenant who was leasing Oldbury went bankrupt and was unable to pay the rent. The house has been lying empty and neglected.'

Will sighed, shaking his head in agreement. ‘It is happening all over the colony. Many of the leading businessmen have gone bankrupt . . .' He eyed the path ahead. ‘I am applying for a licence to run an inn at Macquarie Street in Liverpool – The Liverpool Arms. I must make it a success. If I cannot turn the business around, Father will be declared insolvent. The shame would kill him.'

Charlotte looked at Will. He suddenly seemed so young and vulnerable with the weight of his family's expectations on his shoulders. She was only fifteen. He was only eighteen. She felt like they were children playing at being adults in a complex, harsh world.

‘My whole family is depending on me,' Will said. ‘If I fail we will lose everything – our house, our land, our reputation.'

She took his hand and squeezed it. ‘You will make a success of the business, Will. The depression must end soon.'

Will smiled at her, his face still strained. ‘It will be difficult for me to get up to Sydney once I am running The Liverpool Arms,' he explained. ‘As father keeps reminding me, it is more than a full-time occupation running a hotel. There is no time for anything else.'

‘I understand,' replied Charlotte, her heart sinking.

Mamma and Emily were waiting at the end of the gardens, near the gate that led towards Woolloomooloo. James was throwing sticks into a nearby pond, while Louisa was trying to catch a dragonfly in her hands. Mamma looked enquiringly at Charlotte's pale face and Will's stiff posture, but she did not comment.

‘Would you like to join us for a family lunch, Mr Cummings?' asked Mamma. ‘We are just having a simple roast, but you have a long drive ahead of you back to Liverpool.'

‘Thank you, ma'am,' Will replied. ‘That would be delightful.'

There was an awkward pause, as Charlotte couldn't think of anything to say.

‘The children and I were just talking,' Mamma began. ‘We were thinking that once you are married, Charlotte, perhaps we should move back to Oldbury?'

Charlotte's heart beat faster. She twisted the pearl ring on her finger.

‘Move back to Oldbury?' Charlotte's voice croaked.

‘Well, you will be living at Liverpool, busy with your new life,' Mamma explained, smiling. ‘The house at Oldbury is empty, and it is nearly time that James began to learn how to be a farmer. It will certainly be a lot more affordable for us to live in the country than here in Sydney.'

‘It will be wonderful to go home at last,' Emily sighed, clasping her hands together under her chin. ‘Although we will miss you so much, Charlotte.'

James ran up to Charlotte. ‘Did Mamma tell you we will be going home soon?'

‘That is good news,' Charlotte agreed. Even to herself, her voice sounded hollow.

 

It was late afternoon, several weeks later, and Mamma was cooking in the kitchen. It was the new servant girl's day off, so Mamma and Emily were preparing the meal. Emily was peeling potatoes while Mamma was dressing a leg of lamb with butter, lemon and rosemary. In the corner, James was reading a book on Greek mythology. Louisa was sitting in a chair, topping and tailing the beans with a sharp knife.

Samson lay across the doorway. He wasn't supposed to be in the kitchen, but he believed that lying in the doorway didn't count. Charlotte stepped over him and dropped her new bonnet and gloves on the dresser.

‘Mmm – that smells delicious,' Charlotte said. ‘I haven't had Mamma's roast leg of lamb for an age.'

‘That's because you are never home,' Emily said, sounding aggrieved. ‘You are forever gallivanting about Sydney Town with your friends or your fiancé.'

‘It is an exciting time in a girl's life being engaged,' Mamma explained. ‘It is nice that the Cummings are up in Sydney for a few days. How did you go shopping for your trousseau with Miss Cummings today?'

‘I didn't go after all,' Charlotte said, looking embarrassed. ‘I had a headache.'

‘Too many late nights, I suspect, my dearest. You have been on a whirligig of social engagements this past week. Please try not to overdo it.'

‘I cannot wait until the ball at the Cummings villa to celebrate your engagement,' Emily said. ‘Mamma and I have started making a new gown for me to wear. It is pink with pale-green ribbons.'

Charlotte paused, took up a knife and began to peel a potato in a single, sweeping cut.

‘Actually, Mamma, there was something I wished to speak to you about,' Charlotte confessed, her eyes on the long curl of potato peel.

‘You have not quarrelled with Mr Cummings, have you?' Louisa teased, pointing a bean at Charlotte. ‘Not after he gave you all those lovely presents?'

Charlotte glanced at Louisa and frowned. ‘I told Will today that I could not marry him,' she explained, her voice thick.

‘Oh, Charlotte!' Mamma exclaimed, wiping her hands on a linen towel. She came and hugged her daughter against her. Charlotte breathed in the soft, familiar scent of her mother mixed with lemon and rosemary. ‘I am so sorry. What made you change your mind?'

Charlotte glanced around the warm kitchen, with its blazing wood fire and her beloved family grouped around their household tasks.

‘I have been thinking about things,' Charlotte explained slowly. ‘I'm not sure I really understand why, but it just didn't feel right.'

‘You were not put off by his family, were you?' asked Mamma. ‘I know you said Will's mother did not seem terribly pleased with the prospect of you being engaged?'

Charlotte laughed. ‘I am sure she and Harriet are most relieved. Mrs Cummings would adore me if I were a wealthy heiress – especially now Mr Cummings has lost his fortune.'

A look of pain crossed Mamma's face. Charlotte took her hand and squeezed it.

‘So why have you broken your engagement?' asked Emily.

‘Will has been so tense about the new inn and working so hard,' Charlotte explained. ‘He says it is almost certain now that his father will be declared bankrupt after all these years of hard work. The whole family must depend on what he can earn.'

‘Oh, that is a dreadful shame,' Mamma sympathised. ‘But I would not let that deter you. You are both young and can work hard to get established.'

‘No, it's not that,' Charlotte replied, shaking her head. ‘I'm not afraid of hard work. Actually, it was when you said that you would move back to Oldbury after the wedding. I imagined you all living at Oldbury without me, and I realised that I wanted to go home too.' Charlotte started peeling another potato. ‘I suddenly felt that both of us are too young to get married just yet. I remembered what you said about making a bad choice that I might regret my whole life.'