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Authors: Joyce Dingwell
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unfortunately, unfortunately for all her real pleasure in seeing Scott, she could not correct him. She would have loved to have been able to do that, say to him, ‘I took a country road, I never bothered about town,’ but she hadn’t, so she said instead, ‘I’m sorry I’ve inconvenienced you.’
‘It wasn’t that,’ he grumbled, ‘it was the fact of your returning alone by night over a still unfamiliar route.’ For some stubborn reason she did not t e ll him she had returned accompanied. She said, ‘Well, I did it, didn’t I?’ adding, as his face darkened at her pert answer, ‘I was held up a while by a car coming out of Uplands.’
‘Trev Trent’s place,’ he nodded. ‘All right then, this time you’re excused. I’ve always told Trev his gate is in a bad position, bang on the bend as it is. There’ll be an accident one day. Run along now, the bell has gone. I’ll put away your car.’
‘Thank you.’ Over her shoulder she asked, ‘Is Uplands on the river like West is?’ She was remembering how that man, Trev Trent, had suggested a meeting on the river. It had, she thought a little wistfully, sounded fun.
‘Only overlooking it,’ he called back. ‘Trev used to have to come down here for a swim or to pan. You must meet him some time. We went to school together, were, and are, and always will be thick as thieves, yet like true friends, not needing to be in each other’s pockets to proclaim that fact. He’s a tall, fair monster. You’ll like him. When he returns... yes, he’s away just now ... I’ll — ’
He’s here at Uplands, he’s back, Frances started to call, but shrewdly she paused. If she described her meeting and her over-cautiousness with such a bosom friend she would certainly get derision from Burn West.—Yet, on the other hand, when West found out for himself, as probably he must, that she and Trent had already met, wouldn’t there be censure from this very difficult man because she had not informed him? Whatever I do, she sighed inwardly, it will be wrong. She stood trying to decide, and at that moment Jim the fencer hurried by saying he was late, and she would be, too, didn’t she know it was on, so there was no opportunity to say anything.
While Burn West garaged her car, Frances ran inside, found that Sandra had fed and bedded a sleepy Jason, so, after checking the boy, after combing her long gold hair, she went along to the communal board and the eager smiles of the overseer, bookie, Jim and the two jackeroos. She would talk to Burn over the meal.
Burn West did not come in.
CHAPTER FIVE
Frances had her plate filled by Jim, her fellow latecomer, and the fencer claimed because of this that it was his turn to sit near her. This suited Frances. Although she had made a vow to herself not to probe, and so far had kept to that vow, she felt in the instance of Trev Trent of Uplands that it was not so much a case of probing as protecting herself, protection against Burn West’s undoubted ridicule when he learned, as he must lea rn , being a thick-as-thief friend, that she had held his lifelong mate at arm’s length and allotted him the caution that had been impressed upon her. But, she thought helplessly, how had she been expected to know?
But she could try to discover something at least from Jim, and she drew the conversation at once around to his work. Surely it ... she concentrated on the fencing, not the carpentering ... wasn’t so onerous as it might have been, seeing the river took up one large side.
Jim said it was still considerable, more so since the boundary between West of the River and Uplands was very irregular.
‘Uplands doesn’t touch the Murrumbidgee, then?’ She had been told that by Burn, but she pretended ignorance.
‘No, it overlooks it. But it might just as well as far as Trent was ever concerned. Trev and Burn were friends from the day they learned to walk and promp tl y spent all their hours there on the bank.’
‘Is it a good
‘It wasn’t that,’ he grumbled, ‘it was the fact of your returning alone by night over a still unfamiliar route.’ For some stubborn reason she did not t e ll him she had returned accompanied. She said, ‘Well, I did it, didn’t I?’ adding, as his face darkened at her pert answer, ‘I was held up a while by a car coming out of Uplands.’
‘Trev Trent’s place,’ he nodded. ‘All right then, this time you’re excused. I’ve always told Trev his gate is in a bad position, bang on the bend as it is. There’ll be an accident one day. Run along now, the bell has gone. I’ll put away your car.’
‘Thank you.’ Over her shoulder she asked, ‘Is Uplands on the river like West is?’ She was remembering how that man, Trev Trent, had suggested a meeting on the river. It had, she thought a little wistfully, sounded fun.
‘Only overlooking it,’ he called back. ‘Trev used to have to come down here for a swim or to pan. You must meet him some time. We went to school together, were, and are, and always will be thick as thieves, yet like true friends, not needing to be in each other’s pockets to proclaim that fact. He’s a tall, fair monster. You’ll like him. When he returns... yes, he’s away just now ... I’ll — ’
He’s here at Uplands, he’s back, Frances started to call, but shrewdly she paused. If she described her meeting and her over-cautiousness with such a bosom friend she would certainly get derision from Burn West.—Yet, on the other hand, when West found out for himself, as probably he must, that she and Trent had already met, wouldn’t there be censure from this very difficult man because she had not informed him? Whatever I do, she sighed inwardly, it will be wrong. She stood trying to decide, and at that moment Jim the fencer hurried by saying he was late, and she would be, too, didn’t she know it was on, so there was no opportunity to say anything.
While Burn West garaged her car, Frances ran inside, found that Sandra had fed and bedded a sleepy Jason, so, after checking the boy, after combing her long gold hair, she went along to the communal board and the eager smiles of the overseer, bookie, Jim and the two jackeroos. She would talk to Burn over the meal.
Burn West did not come in.
CHAPTER FIVE
Frances had her plate filled by Jim, her fellow latecomer, and the fencer claimed because of this that it was his turn to sit near her. This suited Frances. Although she had made a vow to herself not to probe, and so far had kept to that vow, she felt in the instance of Trev Trent of Uplands that it was not so much a case of probing as protecting herself, protection against Burn West’s undoubted ridicule when he learned, as he must lea rn , being a thick-as-thief friend, that she had held his lifelong mate at arm’s length and allotted him the caution that had been impressed upon her. But, she thought helplessly, how had she been expected to know?
But she could try to discover something at least from Jim, and she drew the conversation at once around to his work. Surely it ... she concentrated on the fencing, not the carpentering ... wasn’t so onerous as it might have been, seeing the river took up one large side.
Jim said it was still considerable, more so since the boundary between West of the River and Uplands was very irregular.
‘Uplands doesn’t touch the Murrumbidgee, then?’ She had been told that by Burn, but she pretended ignorance.
‘No, it overlooks it. But it might just as well as far as Trent was ever concerned. Trev and Burn were friends from the day they learned to walk and promp tl y spent all their hours there on the bank.’
‘Is it a good
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