Australia. It seemed there wasn’t nearly as much shipping traffic to such a small place, population-wise, as there was to India and the Far East. People joked about ‘the ends of the earth’. He seemed to be heading there.
Each time he gathered more information from the crew or other passengers, Ronan reported his findings to Kathleen, who listened to what he had to say then inclined her head. She was still avoiding speaking directly to him if she possibly could, and she was still spending most of her time on her own, her expression stoic.
He wished he could travel ahead of her and warn Conn of her impending arrival, but he knew he couldn’t leave a woman to find her own way in a strange land. Perhaps he could send Bram ahead, though he wasn’t sure there would be any chance of that. From what other passengers said, travel in Western Australia was very primitive, with no railways to take passengers from one town to the next. And anyway, Bram would be as much a stranger to the place as he was, as likely to go astray.
Ronan found Galle and its people charming and wouldn’t have objected to lingering there a while, but Kathleen turned up her nose at it.
‘You aren’t trying to find a way to get us to the Swan River Colony, Ronan Maguire. It’s bad enough for me to be travelling with a man, but to linger here is absolutely wrong.’
‘Do you think I can magically produce a ship?’
‘There are ships in the harbour here. Why not hire one of them?’
‘Because I’m not made of money, that’s why. Nor are you.’
The next day Bram, who had the rare ability to talk to anyone and everyone, came back from a walk looking smug.
‘I’ve found a ship we could take passage on, Ronan.’
‘You have?’
‘Yes. It’s a smaller trading vessel, that’s been blown off course and has sought shelter and minor repairs in Galle. It’s going to the port of Fremantle, which is what we want, isn’t it?
‘No, it isn’t. We have to go to Perth,’ Kathleen said, nose in the air.
‘Fremantle is the port for Perth, which is a few miles inland,’ Ronan told her for the third time.
‘But we were going to a port called Albany.’
‘That’s where the mail ships go. This ship isn’t a mail ship. And anyway, Fremantle is nearer to Perth.’
‘Should I ask them if they could carry us all?’ Bram asked.
Ronan nodded. ‘I’ll come with you.’ As they walked down the street he said through gritted teeth, ‘The sooner we finish this journey and I get rid of her the better.’
‘But you won’t be getting rid of her, will you? You’ll both be staying with Mr Conn.’
‘If she stays there for long, I’ll be moving on after a few days. I thought it strange that he married her. Now I’ve spent time with her, I can only think he went temporarily mad. Or that she’s losing her mind.’
The captain of the trading vessel had two cabins and sometimes took passengers. Ronan inspected them and decided they’d do, since the journey would only take two weeks or so. He could share one cabin with Bram, and Kathleen would have to lower her standards to share with the maid. He didn’t envy Orla that!
They were the only passengers. Bram watched the crew and the others in their party because there was little else to do on a trading vessel where no activities were provided for passengers. It didn’t have the smooth service offered on the larger passenger ships, either, and the food was plain and often downright unappetising.
He didn’t mind that. It filled his belly, which was what mattered.
As the days passed, Bram spent a lot of time with the captain, with whom he was soon on first-name terms. He was fascinated by the way Dougal made his living, and quite a good living too.
They discussed the merits of various trading goods and he began to wonder if fate wasn’t showing him an opportunity.
‘Do you – carry goods for other people?’ he asked Dougal one day.
‘I carry anything that will pay.’
‘Small
Each time he gathered more information from the crew or other passengers, Ronan reported his findings to Kathleen, who listened to what he had to say then inclined her head. She was still avoiding speaking directly to him if she possibly could, and she was still spending most of her time on her own, her expression stoic.
He wished he could travel ahead of her and warn Conn of her impending arrival, but he knew he couldn’t leave a woman to find her own way in a strange land. Perhaps he could send Bram ahead, though he wasn’t sure there would be any chance of that. From what other passengers said, travel in Western Australia was very primitive, with no railways to take passengers from one town to the next. And anyway, Bram would be as much a stranger to the place as he was, as likely to go astray.
Ronan found Galle and its people charming and wouldn’t have objected to lingering there a while, but Kathleen turned up her nose at it.
‘You aren’t trying to find a way to get us to the Swan River Colony, Ronan Maguire. It’s bad enough for me to be travelling with a man, but to linger here is absolutely wrong.’
‘Do you think I can magically produce a ship?’
‘There are ships in the harbour here. Why not hire one of them?’
‘Because I’m not made of money, that’s why. Nor are you.’
The next day Bram, who had the rare ability to talk to anyone and everyone, came back from a walk looking smug.
‘I’ve found a ship we could take passage on, Ronan.’
‘You have?’
‘Yes. It’s a smaller trading vessel, that’s been blown off course and has sought shelter and minor repairs in Galle. It’s going to the port of Fremantle, which is what we want, isn’t it?
‘No, it isn’t. We have to go to Perth,’ Kathleen said, nose in the air.
‘Fremantle is the port for Perth, which is a few miles inland,’ Ronan told her for the third time.
‘But we were going to a port called Albany.’
‘That’s where the mail ships go. This ship isn’t a mail ship. And anyway, Fremantle is nearer to Perth.’
‘Should I ask them if they could carry us all?’ Bram asked.
Ronan nodded. ‘I’ll come with you.’ As they walked down the street he said through gritted teeth, ‘The sooner we finish this journey and I get rid of her the better.’
‘But you won’t be getting rid of her, will you? You’ll both be staying with Mr Conn.’
‘If she stays there for long, I’ll be moving on after a few days. I thought it strange that he married her. Now I’ve spent time with her, I can only think he went temporarily mad. Or that she’s losing her mind.’
The captain of the trading vessel had two cabins and sometimes took passengers. Ronan inspected them and decided they’d do, since the journey would only take two weeks or so. He could share one cabin with Bram, and Kathleen would have to lower her standards to share with the maid. He didn’t envy Orla that!
They were the only passengers. Bram watched the crew and the others in their party because there was little else to do on a trading vessel where no activities were provided for passengers. It didn’t have the smooth service offered on the larger passenger ships, either, and the food was plain and often downright unappetising.
He didn’t mind that. It filled his belly, which was what mattered.
As the days passed, Bram spent a lot of time with the captain, with whom he was soon on first-name terms. He was fascinated by the way Dougal made his living, and quite a good living too.
They discussed the merits of various trading goods and he began to wonder if fate wasn’t showing him an opportunity.
‘Do you – carry goods for other people?’ he asked Dougal one day.
‘I carry anything that will pay.’
‘Small
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