Beyond the Sunset Page 25

  Bert was relieved. He was sick of trying to manage one-handedly, but Leo had already done one or two small tasks for him without being asked. He was a strange lad, but good-hearted. They’d have been lost without him on the journey. He’d even prevented the accident going from bad to worse.

  It just went to show you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance.

  Bert cleared his plate without more conversation, though Martin yabbered on a bit. Luckily there was another traveller who was happy to chat to him. Bert liked to chew his food in peace.

  The first morning on the ship Pandora woke with a start, uncertain where she was for a moment or two. Then it all came rushing back to her. She was married. On her way back to England.

  ‘I’m awake,’ Zachary said quietly from above her head. ‘Do you want to get dressed first or shall I? If we ring the bell, the steward will bring us some hot water.’

  ‘You’ll need to shave while the water’s hot. I’ll wait to get up.’

  She watched him shave then he hesitated and looked at her, so she turned her back to the room and waited for him to finish his ablutions. A tear trickled down her cheek. This wasn’t what she’d expected of marriage, or what she wanted.

  ‘I’m ready now, Pandora. I’ll go and wait for you in the day cabin.’

  She tried to speak cheerfully. ‘I won’t be long.’ But she didn’t feel cheerful. She felt disappointed. Bitterly disappointed. She didn’t want him being all noble about their marriage. She wanted . . . him. Properly.

  Not all the cabin passengers were there for breakfast, one or two being ‘indisposed’, though the sea wasn’t really rough, just ‘a bit lively’ according to the steward.

  After breakfast, Pandora went to stand by the rail, waiting for her husband to join her. She found herself surrounded by young men and didn’t know how to tell them to go away. She didn’t want to offend anyone, but she’d never learned how to flirt and wasn’t going to start now. It turned out they were the All England Eleven and had been in Australia to play cricket.

  She was relieved when Zachary joined her, summed up the situation at a glance and said cheerfully, ‘Thank you for keeping my wife company, gentlemen, but I’ll take over that pleasant task now, if you don’t mind. After all, we are on our honeymoon.’

  With murmurs of regret they moved away.

  ‘I was so glad to see you,’ she confessed in a whisper. ‘I didn’t know what to do. They were saying such silly things.’

  ‘Just smile and let them do the talking. You must expect to attract attention, you know.’

  She looked at him in puzzlement.

  ‘You’re a beautiful woman, Pandora.’

  ‘Oh, that. I wish I wasn’t. I don’t like to attract that sort of attention. Anyway, don’t let’s talk about them any more. Did you fetch our books?’

  ‘Yes. We’ll find a sheltered place and read.’

  ‘That’ll be lovely.’

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had nothing pressing to do and could simply sit down to read a book. But she found it hard to settle today. When she looked up after reading the first couple of pages a second time because nothing seemed to be going into her mind, she saw him staring into the distance, making no attempt to read.

  He turned to her. ‘You don’t have to stop reading just because I’m too lazy to concentrate.’

  She laid her book down and leaned back, closing her eyes. ‘I feel lazy too.’

  After a few moments of silence, he asked abruptly, ‘You’re not regretting anything, are you?’

  ‘Getting married, you mean?’

  He nodded.

  ‘How many times do I have to tell you that I wanted to marry you?’

  ‘I have to be sure.’ He reached across to clasp her hand for a moment, then they lay quietly on the deckchairs, resting.

  She woke with a start, realising she’d drifted off. Zachary was still there, smiling at her. ‘I can’t believe I fell asleep,’ she said in bewilderment. ‘I’ve only just got up.’

  ‘You’re still pale. I’m sure a long rest will be good for you.’

  ‘How long does it take to get to Point de Galle?’

  ‘About a fortnight, I think.’

  That evening, he asked about the whole journey and several people chimed in with information.

  ‘About fifteen days to Point de Galle. Nice place to stop, that.’

  ‘About seventeen or eighteen days to get to Suez from there.’

  ‘Six weeks in all to get to England, give or take a few days.’

  Pandora knew her map of the world and frowned. ‘How do we get from to the Mediterranean Sea from there? Is there a road?’

  One man laughed. ‘It’s all very civilised these days, my dear young lady. We go by train to Alexandria and that takes only a couple of days, as long as the train doesn’t break down. In Alexandria we take another steamship.’

  An older man smiled reminiscently. ‘The first time my wife and I went to Australia was by sailing ship. Later we went via Egypt, using the overland route. She was an intrepid traveller, my Mary. We went back to England several times. We had to go by horse and carriage from Suez to Cairo at first – about eighty miles but it felt more like five hundred. Dreadful roads, they were. We were black and blue from the jolting by the time we arrived. The next stage was down the Nile in a filthy old steamer. Mary suffered dreadfully from bug bites, poor thing, but she always laughed about that sort of thing. And finally, the last stage was in a stuffy canal boat to Alexandria.’

  Some of the older passengers began to exchange anecdotes of the old days and Pandora was content to listen.

  That night at bedtime Zachary again went out for a walk on deck and it was so long before he came back that she could feel herself falling asleep.

  She woke in the night to hear his slow, steady breathing above her and sighed. She wished he was holding her in his arms again.

  The old gentleman who’d travelled by the overland route in the old days asked if he could sit with them the following morning, clearly longing for a chat. Pandora put down her book in relief. She kept finding herself watching Zachary instead of reading, wondering what he was thinking.

  ‘I’m going home to live permanently in England,’ Mr Plumley confided. ‘I have two sons in Australia and two in England, grandchildren in both places. But since my wife died, I long for the old country. Foolish, isn’t it?’

  ‘If you’re foolish, so am I,’ Pandora said. ‘I was so homesick I couldn’t wait to leave Australia, even though my three sisters are still there.’

  ‘It’s tragic how families are torn apart by distance.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘When you’re young, it’s a big adventure to travel and settle in another country, but as you get older you long to see the old places, old friends too, those who are still alive, that is. I doubt I’ll ever see my Australian children and grandchildren again, unless they come to visit me.’ He brightened. ‘My Paul may do that, though. He’s done well for himself and he takes after his mother, loves seeing new places. But I doubt I’ll see George again. He’s a homebody. I don’t know how we got a son like that.’

  They sat with Mr Plumley quite often after that and accepted with great relief his offer to guide them through the process of finding a ship for Suez in Point de Galle. He didn’t seem to mind when she fell asleep on him, just said if she’d been ill her body needed peace and quiet to repair itself.

  It was a comfort to chat to him during the day, but nights were still fraught with sudden tensions and Pandora sometimes longed to shout at Zachary and ask him what was wrong with her that he didn’t even want to touch her.

  But pride stopped her doing that. Pride, and his gentle courtesy. It created a very effective wall between them, as if they were strangers somehow.

  17

  Zachary stared in delight across the pale turquoise water as a warm wind blew around them. How different it was here at Point de Galle from the English Channel, where the water had seemed dirty b
rown. Inland stood a range of mountains with one sitting proudly higher than the rest. Below that sat a huge fort overlooking the harbour and town of Galle.

  Pandora echoed his thoughts. ‘Isn’t it beautiful?’

  ‘Very.’ He longed to put his arm round her shoulders or take her hand, but wouldn’t allow himself to give in to temptation.

  She fanned herself with a piece of folded paper, moving it languidly to and fro in front of her flushed face. ‘I wish it wasn’t so hot and humid, though. That makes me feel tired all the time.’

  Indeed, she was still so lethargic he was worried about her health. He heard her sighing and mopping herself with a damp cloth during the night to get cooler. But when he asked if anything was wrong, she said she was all right. Only, he knew she wasn’t. She was nothing like the vibrant, energetic young woman he remembered seeing in Outham.

  As their ship was eased into the deep, sheltered water of the harbour, Mr Plumley came up to them. ‘Ready to disembark? It’ll take a while, so don’t get impatient.’

  ‘We’re grateful for your help,’ Zachary said.

  ‘It’s good to have some young company.’ He gestured to the ramparts. ‘We’ll take a walk along those later, once it’s cooler. They’re a favourite promenade for travellers.’

  In a confusion of shouting, what seemed like hundreds of dark-skinned men poured on to the ship and began moving luggage and cargo off it. When the passengers disembarked, Mr Plumley took the Carrs straight to the P&O agent and waited patiently with them for Mr Bailey’s attention.

  ‘We shouldn’t take up your time like this,’ Zachary said to their companion.

  Mr Plumley smiled. ‘What else should I do with it but help my fellow human beings? Besides, seeing things anew through your eyes adds to my own pleasure.’

  To Zachary’s relief, there was a ship leaving for Suez in two days’ time and it had a cabin free, so all that remained was to find somewhere to stay until they could board it. Once again, this was easily accomplished with Mr Plumley’s help. Then, as the sun began to slip below the horizon with tropical swiftness, they all took a gentle stroll along the ramparts.

  ‘What do you want to do tomorrow?’ the old man asked.

  ‘See as much as possible,’ Zachary said.

  ‘As long as I can stay out of the direct sun,’ Pandora added.

  ‘We can hire a vehicle and keep you in the shade for most of the time,’ Mr Plumley said. ‘If you’re too hot, we can easily bring you back. Well, we’ll come back during the middle of the day anyway. It’s too hot to stay outside then.’

  So for the first time in his life, Zachary saw coconut palms and breadfruit trees, tasted strange spicy dishes which made Pandora fan her mouth and laughingly confess that she preferred plain food. It was fascinating to hear people speaking in a variety of different languages, for there were travellers from many countries wandering the streets while their ships took on coal.

  And it did seem that Pandora perked up a little as they did the sightseeing.

  But the main problem had not been solved for Zachary. Why he’d been foolish enough to agree to this sham of a marriage he couldn’t now understand. A temporary attack of madness caused by intoxication with her, not so much her beauty, but her very self.

  No, not intoxication, just plain, old-fashioned love.

  But he loved her too much not to give her the chance to change her mind when she was in a more rational state, however many restless nights it cost him. He couldn’t live with himself otherwise. His mother had often teased him for having such firm principles, but that was how he was made.

  The journey was uneventful, and Leo and Bert arrived back at Westview at about two o’clock in the afternoon a week after leaving Mount Barker. They drove up the slope and were met by Reece and the Southerhams, all eager for news of Pandora. A young girl who hadn’t been there last time stayed by the cooking area, watching them.

  ‘I have to see to the horses,’ Leo said at once.

  Bert smiled to see the frustration on his companions’ faces. He was used to Leo’s single-minded attention to the animals now. ‘Give them the letters first, lad.’

  Leo stopped. ‘Oh, yes.’ He pulled out two crumpled letters from his pocket and passed them to Reece, then went to unharness the horse.

  ‘They got on the ship safely,’ Bert said. ‘I didn’t see them do it myself because of this.’ He waggled the rapidly healing arm still in its sling. ‘But a fellow from Mount Barker went with them for the last stage of the journey.’ Another waggle of the arm drew their attention to the cart. ‘We had a bit of an accident. Wheel came off.’

  ‘Pandora wasn’t injured?’ Livia asked sharply.

  ‘No. Just me.’

  Francis was paying more attention to the livestock. ‘The horses are not in bad condition, considering. Kevin and Conn will be pleased. And the cart’s been well repaired.’ He clapped Leo on the shoulder. ‘I’m glad to see you back. We’ll have to introduce you to Patty, who’s come to help my wife.’

  Leo ignored the reference to the new maid and repeated, ‘I have to look after the horses now.’

  ‘And you’ll be helping Reece about the place from now on.’

  More nodding. ‘I like him.’

  Reece looked at the letters, which were addressed to his wife. He was itching to find out what was in them, but they were addressed to her. ‘You’ve got enough help for the next hour. I’ll take these across to Cassandra and let Kevin know you’re safely back. I’ll drive his cart round there tonight by road after I finish work.’

  ‘Can’t you read the letters now?’ Francis asked in surprise. ‘You’re her husband, after all, and we’re dying to find out what happened.’

  ‘No. They’re addressed to her.’ He knew most husbands wouldn’t hesitate, but he would never open something addressed to her.

  Cassandra looked up to see Reece hurrying along the bush path. ‘Is everything all right?’

  ‘Yes. Leo and Bert just got back and they brought two letters for you from Pandora.’

  She tore open the first one, scanning its single page quickly. ‘They had an accident with the cart, but she and Zachary weren’t hurt and went on to Albany the next day. She thought they’d be in time for the ship.’ She passed the letter to Reece and opened the second one, letting out an exclamation of shock.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ he asked.

  ‘Pandora and Zachary have got married!’

  They stared at one another for a moment open-mouthed, trying to take in the news.

  ‘She says she loves him. See.’ Cassandra passed the letter to Reece.

  ‘It happened very quickly. I hope he’s not after her money.’

  They both had a think, then shook their heads at almost the same time.

  ‘No, I can’t imagine him marrying her for money,’ she said. ‘He has such an honest face.’

  ‘I really liked him.’

  ‘And she wouldn’t lie to me. If she says she loves him, then she does. Oh, I’m so glad for her.’ Cassandra went to link her arm in Reece’s and lay her head against his shoulder. ‘It’s wonderful being married to the man you love.’

  ‘And to the woman you love.’ He kissed her very gently. ‘You look tired.’

  ‘I’m tired all the time now. I don’t think it’ll be long.’

  ‘I’d better go across to the shop and see if anyone else can help you. Mrs Moore will be at her other birthing. Maybe I should bring one of your sisters back. The girl I brought to help the Southerhams is too young to know anything about childbirth.’

  ‘I think we can wait a day or two yet. We’ll see how I go.’

  Eighteen days after leaving Point de Galle, Zachary and Pandora arrived in Suez. They’d had a pleasant voyage with a group of polite people, which included some of their former travelling companions. It seemed hotter here and even Zachary, who tolerated the warmer weather far better than his wife did, felt as if he could hardly breathe. Pandora wilted even before they arrived at t
he port, lying exhausted on her deckchair, eating little, tossing in her bunk at night in the slightly larger cabin they were occupying on this leg of the journey.

  He forgot his own discomfort in trying to help her, making sure she got plenty of water to drink, which Mr Plumley said was the most important thing.

  ‘Some people,’ the old man confided one night as they stood together by the ship’s rail, ‘just can’t cope with heat. Your wife is one. I should keep her in England and the cooler countries from now on, if I were you.’

  ‘I shall,’ Zachary said.

  ‘It does my heart good to see how much you two love one another. Brings back memories of me and my Mary. I miss her sadly.’ He shook out a large crumpled handkerchief and blew his nose vigorously.

  Zachary looked at him in surprise. Love one another? Why did Mr Plumley sound so certain of that?

  Of course the thought of Pandora loving him, wanting to stay with him, coloured his dreams that night and he slept badly, dreaming of her and waking in a tangle of sweaty sheets.

  She stared at him as they drank their early morning cups of tea, reaching out one hand to touch his cheek. ‘You didn’t sleep well, either.’

  ‘Like you, I’m finding the heat very trying.’

  She smiled sadly. ‘It’s not the heat that’s the problem so much as your conscience warring with . . . other needs.’

  He took her hand and kissed it but as she raised her face involuntarily towards his, he had to step back or he’d have pulled her into his arms and kissed her as he’d dreamed of. Going to the washstand, he stood with his back to her dabbing his face with a damp cloth. He heard her sigh. He was so tempted to turn back to her, knew she’d welcome his loving.

  But his conscience stood sentinel once again, his conscience and the thought of the trust Mr Featherworth had placed in him.

  The train journey to Alexandria was the next stage in what was beginning to seem like a never-ending journey. Other travellers talked of going sightseeing, some were staying longer in Alexandria in order to do so. Zachary and Pandora were in agreement that all they wanted was to get home – and he couldn’t decide which of them wanted it more, she out of homesickness, he out of frustration with their situation.