David spent many weeks worrying about water storage. He had never seen the stream dry-up, but he wondered what would happen to the dam they had constructed at the upper end of the property when the occasional deluge engulfed the area.
'We are not talking about heavy rain for only a few days,' he told Joe and Fred. 'There have been occasions in the past twenty years when something like five hundred millilitres have fallen in a week. Will the dam hold up? How much water should we release from the dam in advance of the rain? Will the rising water threaten our houses? What should we do with the livestock? And when we blow up the mountain to isolate this place, how big will the pipe have to be to carry the stream when the place floods? It's not much use saving ourselves from the flood caused by the collapse of the Ice Shelf only to be drowned by a flood in The Settlement caused by our own ineptitude.'
When heavy rains were forecast, David galvanised the community in moving all the livestock to higher ground and all their equipment under cover. So far, every threat had been minimal.
It caused grumbling in the community. 'Another overreaction. Next time, I won't participate. The houses are far away from the stream and water has come nowhere near the built up area,' was one reaction.
'It is better to be cautious,' advised David. 'We are still trying to understand the environment we live in. One day there will be a big storm and we will be glad of the preparations we have made.'
Weeks later, forecasters warned of "a major cyclonic event" approaching the Sydney region and Blue Mountains. Such events were infrequent, but often managed to restore levels in Sydney's major water storage facilities.
David circulated his usual warnings to the community. 'I suggest you stay in Sydney until this is over,' he told Mark.
'We should release all the water from the dam,' Joe advised. 'I'll see to it.'
The rain started slowly. David had made certain that all livestock were well out of reach and was doing his final rounds when Joe ran up. 'I can't open the sluices to release water from the dam. A connection is broken. I will only be able to repair it once the storm is over.'
'It'll have to be done manually,' said David. 'Come on.'
Driving the one conventionally-fuelled vehicle in The Settlement, Joe raced towards the dam. As they drove through the increasingly heavy rain they saw two teenage boys in swimming trunks running towards the stream, carrying a surfboard.
Joe stopped the truck and David ran over to them. 'Go back home. Surfing in the stream now would be very dangerous. The flood from the dam will be huge and you'd both drown. Go home now and I mean now.'
'Dad said it would be okay,' said one of the boys.
'It won't be, please go home,' David entreated.
The boys reluctantly turned around and started off in the direction of their home. Joe drove on.
'Damn,' said David, turning around and peering through the storm. 'Those stupid little fools. They just waited until they thought we were out of sight and now they're on their way back to the stream.'
'We can't wait,' said Joe. 'If I had been able to release the sluices automatically the dam would be almost half empty by now. If we wait any longer the water may start going over the top of the wall. It might even cause it to collapse.'
David briefly considered making sure the boys were safe. He decided he could get the sluices open and then make sure of the safety of the boys.
They parked above the nearly full dam. After an hour, five sluices had been opened using two large wrenches. 'We'll wait to see if that is enough, we may have to open all ten of them,' said Joe.
'I am concerned about those kids. The stupid little shits will drown if we open them all. We will have to rescue them before we open any others.'
'The wall may collapse … '
'So? We can rebuild the bloody wall. You can't replace a drowned child. We know what the silly buggers are up to, it's our responsibility to rescue them. Then we can come back and open more sluices.'
Joe drove carefully towards where he thought the boys might be. 'I must keep the truck well away from the stream … My God, look!'
The stream, usually only two or three metres across, was already almost fifty metres wide and broadening every minute. 'If those boys are in this, they will be in real trouble.'
'Look,' David pointed. 'There, in the middle. Holding onto a sapling. Quick.'
David tied a long length of rope around his middle, making certain it was secure. Joe tied the other end to the tow-hitch in the vehicle. David waded in, oblivious to the danger, losing his footing and then regaining it several times. He was completely out of his depth by the time he reached the boys clinging to their tree. The stream rose ever more quickly and he made a forlorn grab for a branch. Joe saw what was happening and drove the truck dangerously close to the edge of the boiling mass of water, once their peaceful, benign stream.
David managed to grab the tree. He wrapped the rope around both boys as well as himself, signalling to Joe to pull them out of the frigid, rushing water. Joe could see that David was on the verge of collapse. Using low ratio and first gear he managed to get the truck going on its own, very slowly. Leaping out of the cab, he grabbed the rope and pulled himself towards the struggling trio. Reaching them within a few minutes, he pulled David to his feet. With the help of the still, slow-moving truck it took them fifteen minutes to reach safety. Joe pulled the boys into the cab and then helped David.
'Hospital,' said Joe.
'No, no, we must open the rest of the sluices,' insisted David in a weak voice. 'The boys can help.'
Joe drove furiously back to the dam. They all watched helplessly as water started to flow over the top. 'There is nothing we can do now,' said Joe. 'Just wait and see if the dam holds.'
It didn't.
At first they noticed a few lumps of concrete flying off the top of the dam. Suddenly, there was a great crash and an enormous, ever-widening hole appeared, the water gushing down the valley. The dam emptied quickly. All that was left of the wall were two huge jagged edges.
They raced back to the village. By now the stream was nearly one hundred metres across. People were beginning to gather in consternation to see if the water would flood the village.
'We need to get them away from there,' said David.
Joe managed to persuade people there was nothing to be done and that the village would not be flooded. They noticed that some of the stock, despite David's precautions, had wandered too close to the flood and been swept away. Some of the vegetable area had been flooded as well.
David and the boys were all admitted to The Settlement hospital and spent a few days there. 'You all have mild hypothermia and we don't want that to develop into pneumonia,' the resident doctor told them.
A furious row erupted over the incident, with some blaming David and Joe for not opening the sluice gates in time and others blaming the two boys and their family. From his hospital bed, David realised emotions would get in the way of facts so he engaged one of the resident lawyers to conduct an enquiry. It was published as David left hospital, concluding that Joe and David would have been able to open the sluices if it hadn't been for the boys.
Insurance paid for part of the rebuilding of the dam, but all settlers were slugged with a large, very unpopular levy payable over two years. One or two families immediately thought of leaving The Settlement and there was a great deal of grumbling.
David had no inkling what was about to hit him. A week after the flood had struck, he had visits from a half dozen of the people he had considered his most promising settlers.
The first came in, saying, 'Look David, we were having severe doubts about the wisdom of moving here. All our friends think we are stark raving bonkers. The Government is doing nothing about this theory of yours and this flood has frightened all of us. I just don't think we are cut out for this life. It's all work as we don't have the resources to dash off to Sydney every five minutes. When we see the lives of our friends are leading, this place seems ridiculous. We want out. I have been offered my old job back and I am inclined to accept it.'
'What will you do when the Ice Shelf collapses?' asked David.
'Fuck the bloody Ice Shelf! I just don't want to believe that claptrap any more. Your smooth talking conned us into selling up and coming here. It's all bullshit!'
'What do you want to do?' David was quite taken aback by the man's vehemence.
'I just want out. You got us into this mess, you find a solution.'
David phoned Tanya. 'This is a real threat. Three people have come forward with much the same story; one was very aggressive and one admitted he made a mistake. I don't know if there will be others, but even three is a blow. We only have twenty-five families.'
'I will work something out,' she said.
David had always spent time with each settler family to deal with any concerns but, at her request, he left the difficult discussions to Tanya. Over two weekends, Tanya saw the now six disenchanted settlers separately. She always started with a detailed review of the science and the projected consequences. 'This is why you originally decided to join The Settlement. You seemed so enthusiastic. Can I understand why you have changed your mind?'
After lengthy discussions, two of the families changed their minds again and agreed to stay. 'We were genuinely frightened by the ferocity of the flood, but the science is still compelling. We will tough it out and make certain we can cope mentally with any future emergencies.'
'My wife is seriously ill, so we have decided to move back to Sydney and the best treatment. Settling here requires high-energy pioneering types, which is not us at present,' one man said.
'Will you return when she has recovered?' asked Tanya.
'The priority is her recovery. We'll worry about ice shelves collapsing after that.'
'What do you want to do with your investment here?'
'I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?'
'You could keep it and rent it out to new settlers while their property is being built. You could leave it unoccupied for the time being or you could sell it to a new settler. We can help with the first and last option.'
'You wouldn't consider buying it from us?'
'No, we can't afford that, it merely takes money from funds allocated for general development,' said Tanya firmly. 'Besides, what we need is commitment. Buying your place creates a precedent, so in future people may think they will always have an easy way out if things don't work out.'
'The best is to try to sell it to a new settler and rent it out in the meanwhile.'
The other three leavers collectively tried to intimidate Tanya with excessive demands. They visited her in her small office next to David's, on the upper floor of the community centre. She seated them in comfortable upright chairs. 'Would you like tea or coffee?'
There was an impatient gesture from the spokesman, a large, well-built man named Harold. He ignored her, aggressively waving his arms about. 'We've all had about as much buggering around as we can stand, so let's get on with it. The science is all bullshit. You and your pseudo-sophisticated father-in-law conned us into coming here, giving up our jobs, and our well-ordered lives. We all sold perfectly good properties in Sydney which have since increased in value.'
Tanya said nothing.
'Don't you have anything to say to all that, you tight-arsed bitch?'
To the utter amazement of Harold and his two companions, Tanya laughed. 'Come on Harold, you can do better than that. Why don't you try again?'
Harold stood up, brought his fist down on the desk making his two companions jump, and yelled, 'If you don't sort this out, now, I'll burn the whole fucking place down.'
Tanya coolly picked up the phone, 'Hello, emergency. Police please, urgently.' She gave them the address.
Harold and his friends looked shocked.
Tanya stood up, 'This discussion is over. The police will be here in a couple of hours, you'll have to explain your actions to them. Threatening to burn the whole place down is a serious criminal offence.'
Harold's companions shuffled to the door and waited, but Harold stood his ground. Eventually one of them gently took him by the arm and he left the office. 'You won't get away with ...' he yelled as he was jerked away.
The police arrived and took statements from Tanya, David, and two others who had overheard the conversation as well as the three protagonists. Tanya gave the police a recording of the conversation. Harold was arrested, charged, and released on his own recognisance.
'Round one to us,' said David anxiously.
'It is possible the whole issue will go to court, but I would be surprised if they have the wherewithal to mount a substantial challenge. The bullying tactic was trying to force us into a quick deal,' advised Tanya,
'Do you think calling the police was smart? We have certainly made enemies of all of them.'
'They were enemies already. They can't go around threatening to burn the place down and expect no consequences. I expect the next communication will be more civilised.'
'How long will all this take? If we have to suspend settler recruitment it will put a strain on our finances.'
Tanya, sitting across the desk from David in his meticulously tidy office, looked relaxed with her arms resting on the chair. 'I see no need to suspend recruitment. I'll give you a new agreement that all prospective settlers will have to sign. I've strengthened the clause stating that the settler understands the science and challenging it does not give them reason to sue us.'
The next communication came from a lawyer in Sydney claiming misrepresentation and demanding on behalf of the three protagonists -
After Tanya told David of the development, she said to him, 'They are spending more on legal advice than the issue is worth. There is something else going on here.' There was an edge to her voice. She did not feel quite as in control as she normally would.
The following day an article in one of the major Sydney dailies informed readers that the Blue Mountains development initiated by The Settlement Pty Ltd was based on fraudulent claims of disaster based on climate change.
Tanya immediately issued a writ in the high court for damages of thirty million dollars against the paper. The panic phone call that followed from the paper said the authenticity of the article had been checked with a person who claimed to represent the company.
'Who did you check the article with?' demanded Tanya.
'We don't actually have a name, just a phone number.' The caller gave her the number. Harold answered the phone and Tanya replaced the handset without saying anything.
'That is someone purporting to be a representative of the company. He isn't and never has. I will be issuing a writ claiming damages from him as well,' she told the caller from the newspaper.
All the owners of the three properties wanting out of the scheme received a writ the following day to their individual residences in The Settlement claiming damages for willful misrepresentation.
Tanya explained the developments to David. The Sydney newspapers had now picked up on the story, publishing several sensational stories.
David said anxiously, 'This publicity is doing us no good at all. All prospective settlers have withdrawn. If this issue is not resolved soon we will run out of cash and the whole project will be threatened. Can't you settle with Harold and his accomplices and we can then get on with building this place up?'
'We will win all our court cases, I'm sure. We need patience.'
'And in the meanwhile we declare bankruptcy? For Christ's sake! The cash position is getting very tight. With all this publicity, borrowing is out of the question,' said David, a touch of anger in his voice.
Tanya called George, her ex-Cabramatta friend in the police. He had access to a great deal of information on individuals within the community and had often helped her with issues relating to her legal practice. Her access to the information he provided her with had materially helped in some of the cases she handled. Up till now, she had never used this facility on Settlement matters, knowing she would have to fully brief him on The Settlement before he would divulge anything useful.
She phoned George with her heart in her mouth. It was a private number, answered immediately.
'George.'
'It's Tanya here.'
The voice softened, 'So nice to hear from you. What can I do for you?'
'I need some very sensitive information.'
'Why else would you phone me?' he laughed.
Tanya gave him a detailed account of The Settlement and the reasons for its existence. George listened intently.
I have been given some information involving some sort of development in the Blue Mountains. I had no idea you were involved. Most interesting. Anyway, how can I help? Everything you are doing seems above board.'
'Yes, it is,' responded Tanya quickly. 'I need some information on a Harold Monckton.' She explained the reasons. 'Their legal costs are already higher than any gains they might make. And they seem to have effortlessly got the attention of the Sydney press. It doesn't add up.'
'As it happens, I have had some dealings involving Harold Monckton, within the last few months actually. The Government uses him to prosecute, in his own name, certain cases which they do not want to take on publicly. Some of those cases relate to climate change issues. It seems he has been quite successful in previous actions.'
'Why would the Government want to take action against us? We are completely legit.'
'I don't really know, but your theory and its apocalyptic forecasts will scare the shit out of Government. I expect they are afraid your theories might create an unwarranted panic in parts of the population. Whereas a small development in the Blue Mountains unobtrusively going bankrupt would probably attract no attention at all. They can then safely continue to ignore the issue.'
'How the hell do I deal with that?' wondered Tanya.
'I can't help you there. I merely provide information. There is a man, called Nicholson, previously with ASIO. Now in charge of dirty tricks in the Attorney General's department in Canberra. I will post details of three similar cases he has been involved in.'
'Thanks, that is most helpful,' said Tanya.
'No problem.'
Tanya always asked this question. 'Is there anything I can do for you, George?'
'No, I've told you before, I've pledged to fight the low life, not to join them. Although, I appreciate the donations you make to the home.' His brother, a victim of a vicious bank robbery lived in a vegetative state in a home for invalids; George had sworn he would look after him for as long as he lived. 'There is one other question though … '
Tanya knew what was coming, George often asked this.
'Is that bed of yours still occupied by that money-making machine?'
Tanya laughed. 'Yes, thankfully and he is not getting any smaller.'
'Oh well, I live in hope.'
She knew he was happily married with several children, but it helped them end the conversation on a lighter note.
Despite the commitments he had made, Mark had continued to have genuine doubts about his involvement in The Settlement. No one he knew even mentioned climate change and here he was pouring his life into the project. He worked tirelessly at his job and he was doing the same thing in the Blue Mountains over weekends. Meanwhile, his work colleagues had overseas trips with their families and enjoyed their lifestyle in Sydney.
He knew further discussion with Tanya would be fruitless. She was totally committed to the project and spent all her spare time helping to build it up. While he had accepted she would be taking the lead with regard to developments in the Blue Mountains, he found it galling to always appear to be trailing in her wake. From the time she had acquired the property, he had begun to feel inadequate. Neither of them ever said much about their careers, partly because of the confidential nature of the content. But Mark found Tanya's success and competence at work and at The Settlement intimidating. He was one of the brightest and most dynamic of the younger people at the bank, but Tanya's evident ability made him wonder if she would overshadow him in the bank environment as well.
Initially, he had put his considerable earnings into financing the project. Now he privately put some of his earnings into other investments. He bought a small cottage in Tuscany and soon had a reasonable nest egg of his own outside The Settlement.
The court cases dragged on with David taking more and more desperate measures; stopping all building and delaying as many payments as he dared. As a result, the inevitable happened; he received a notice of foreclosure unless a debt to an external builder was paid within two weeks. He phoned Tanya and Mark together in desperation. 'This means the end of everything we've built up, unless we can do something very quickly.'
Tanya was still surprised it had gone on so long and told them so. No notice was taken of her observations.
David phoned Mark, 'Look, you and I are going to have to deal with this ourselves. I'm going to keep Tanya out of it wherever possible. Frankly, she has really screwed up this time. Her aggressive behaviour has put the future of the project at risk.' David still believed Mark was fully committed; he had no idea Mark was quietly casting a bet both ways.
Mark had known the seriousness of the situation, but had not registered that the end of their dream was as close as two weeks away. This is where I can make a real contribution. Whatever my doubts, I am not ready to walk away from my investment.
Mark took a day off and drove to The Settlement. He thought he had left Tanya behind in Sydney, so was irritated to see their recently acquired helicopter. The helicopter was another source of frustration; before they acquired the machine Tanya had been quietly taking flying lessons, so was already licensed to fly it. Mark had done nothing.
Mark, now fully acquainted with The Settlement's position, offered David a solution. 'I have a deal at the bank, coming up in a few weeks. I will put all the funds from that into the project, but we do need to take a different approach with the court cases. The publicity is killing us. We need to stop it. Dad, I suggest you give the creditor a cheque, post-dated by six weeks, on the understanding that he withdraws his action. I will go and see Harold and his mates and cut a deal. If we come out ahead on those two issues, I'll handle the newspapers.'
Tanya was hurt. She knew she was being excluded from dealings with Harold. She tried to ask David the reason, but uncharacteristically he waved her away. 'Leave it all to Mark; he has a deal at the bank allowing him to give us more funds. That will help.'
But Tanya had noticed Mark's financial contributions reducing significantly in recent months. She thought, This is bullshit. Mark has no deal, but he may have funds. And we need his money wherever it comes from. So she said nothing. My only interest is making sure the bloody project survives.
With Mark and David now engaged, without her, in trying to rescue The Settlement, Tanya knew it was time to play her most valuable card—information she had gleaned from George.
From their cottage, Tanya phoned the Attorney General's department in Canberra, asking for Mr. Nicholson.
'There is no Mr. Nicholson in this department.'
'Oh yes there is. I spoke to him the other day.' She quoted an extension number given by George. He had warned her that Nicholson's existence might be denied. There was silence for a few seconds, followed by a few clicks.
A woman answered, 'Hello.'
By this time Tanya was becoming suspicious and furious. 'I would like to speak to Mr. Nicholson, please. It's about a man calling himself Harold Monckton.'
'We don't … '
'I know Mr. Nicholson works there. Please don't insult me by denying his existence.'
There was a brief silence. 'He is busy at the moment. Can he call you back?'
'In view of the difficulty I have had in trying to reach him, it seems this is just another ploy on your part to deny me access to Mr. Nicholson. You had better understand that unless I can speak to him, I have arranged for a series of articles to be published in various newspapers that give chapter and verse on what you people have been up to in recent times.' She gave the woman three names.
There was a deep intake of breath at the other end.
'I have considerable detail on your nefarious activities. If they come to light, I have no doubt anyone involved will spend many years in court and then in jail, including you, probably.'
Tanya was suddenly put through.
'Nicholson,' a curt voice answered.
Tanya explained who she was. 'It's about your agent, a man called Harold Monckton, who, funded by you, is trying to bankrupt our small … '
'I know nobody of that name.'
Tanya became angry, 'I suggest you listen to me very carefully, Mr. Nicholson.' She reiterated her threat.
'Where did you get that information?'
'I have no intention of discussing that with you. I know the information is one hundred percent accurate and so do you.'
'This is blackmail,' yelled Nicholson.
'No, all I have told you is what information will appear in newspapers starting tomorrow. You know exactly what I want. I will give you one telephone number of a person who will read you exactly what they are going to publish regarding your activities. I will wait on the line, while you make the call.' She gave him the number.
'I will call you back,' said a desperate Nicholson.
'No, I will wait on the line.'
Tanya was able to catch a few words of the call. Five minutes later, a very nervous-sounding Nicholson came back on the line. 'Okay, what do you want?'
'You know,' answered Tanya. 'Again, I will wait on the line while you make your call. This time I want to hear both sides of the conversation.'
Nicholson called Harold Monckton at The Settlement.
To start with Harold was full of bonhomie, 'We've got the bastards running, in a couple … '
'No,' said Nicholson harshly. 'You've really fucked up this time Harold. You are to pull the plug, now, today. Those legal bills you sent me, none of them will be paid. Just get out of there as soon as you can.'
'But, but, at last I have that fucking bitch on the run … I'm dealing with Mark now. He knows much less than the bitch Tanya. I will have that bloody place shut down in a couple of months, no more peddling that climate change bullshit … '
'No buts, just pull the plug,' yelled Nicholson. 'Tell me when you have done it. I don't want to hear another word on this subject, not today, not ever. Do you understand?'
There was a brief silence. 'Yes, yes I will pull the plug,' muttered Harold, 'Can you tell me what has changed?'
'No, I can't, just do it and get out!'
'Satisfied?' Nicholson asked Tanya angrily.
'Only when Harold has finally stopped all his nonsense and left The Settlement. I will ask the papers to hold those articles for the time being. And one other thing, Mr. Nicholson. Stay away from us. Don't ever come near The Settlement again.'
David was surprised to see Mark back from a visit to Harold so soon, 'They will be back over here in an hour,' said Mark, looking less comfortable than when he left for the meeting. 'While I was there Harold took a call. There seemed to be a lot of shouting. I don't know what he's up to.'
'I phoned the builder. He wants a part payment and will accept a post-dated cheque for the balance. If the cheque is honoured he will cancel his action,' said David uncomfortably.
Tanya appeared in the office. Mark and David looked up like two naughty schoolboys. She was on tenterhooks hoping her phone call to Nicholson had resolved the issue. 'I need two minutes of your time,' she said.
'Can't it wait?' said David irritably. 'We're trying to sort out the mess you've left us in.'
'I have highly pertinent information that will help resolve the issue,' she said evenly, knowing she had to remain calm. Any kind of heated discussion would result in disaster. 'Only a couple of minutes.'
David looked at her impatiently, 'Okay, what now?'
'I am now one hundred percent sure that a third party is funding Harold's case. I am also certain that the third party is from the Government. Their only objective is to close us down. They don't care what it costs. Do whatever you like, their objective is to bankrupt us.'
David looked at her with distrust, 'How the hell do you know that? You are just trying to justify your actions.'
Tanya wondered why their brilliant working relationship had suddenly gone so sour. She could see his panic. David was clutching at straws and somehow Mark had convinced him he could sort the situation out. She said quietly, 'The information is correct. I have a source in the police. I take full responsibility, maybe I was too harsh, but whatever we did would have made no difference. I have a strategy now I know will work.'
Mark wondered whether Tanya had yet again pre-empted him.
Tanya said to him, 'The funds you mentioned are critical.'
'I have a deal … ' he said unconvincingly.
Tanya thought they could now probably manage without Mark's additional funds, but she wanted him to further commit to The Settlement.
David relented slightly, 'Okay, they will be back here shortly.'
An hour later, Harold and his accomplices knocked on David's door. 'We would like to talk. We want you in the meeting as well.'
The visitors were made comfortable and were served with tea and biscuits.
Mark began, 'You all want out, you are in trouble with the police, and you have a large claim against you for willful misrepresentation. We can do something about all of that under certain circumstances.'
'You misrepre … ' Harold started.
'We are aware of the content of your claims,' said Tanya quietly.
'Ah, the bitch is allowed to speak,' said Harold, smirking. 'I thought I was dealing with the first team, but I see the reserves are still included.'
Tanya was surprised by his apparent confidence. She expected his case to collapse immediately. Maybe Nicholson had uncovered her subterfuge and had instructed Harold to continue. She tried not to betray her anxiety.
Mark stood up, took Harold quietly by the arm, and went outside, returning ten minutes later with a shaken Harold. 'Tanya, I apologise, my remarks were unnecessary.'
'Right, where were we?' said Mark.
'Our belief is The Settlement is virtually broke,' blurted out one of the other claimants, to Harold's amazement.
'If we go broke, how does that help you? You may end up with nothing,' said Tanya.
'Other people have left without all this fuss. We can do the same for you,' said Mark
'What's the deal?' asked Harold thoughtfully.
Tanya admired his gall. She was hopeful that shortly he would have to capitulate, unless Nicholson had called again, reversing previous instructions.
'You own three houses between you. You can rent them out to prospective settlers and perhaps sell them to those settlers in time. We can help and won't charge anything,' said Tanya. Nobody had ever been charged for such a service, but Tanya didn't think Harold was aware of that.
'We don't want any more buggering around. We just want out,' said Harold.
Mark pushed three envelopes to the claimants, 'These are cash offers for your individual properties, payable on settlement, which could be any time in the next week or so provided you withdraw all your legal actions.'
In the few minutes prior to Harold appearing, Tanya had insisted, forcefully, that they make ridiculous offers for the properties. 'I am certain Harold will capitulate and accept a very low offer. Then we can deal with the others. Hopefully, they will agree to stay or, if they still wish to leave, will agree to rent their properties out.'
There were looks of horror on the three faces opposite on opening the envelopes. Harold's face went puce, but he was restrained from saying anything by his colleague, who said, 'Give us an hour.'
'What did you say to Harold when you went outside?' David asked.
'That I would knock the living shit out of him if he made one more rude remark to my wife. Apart from immediately stopping all negotiations and continuing with our suit for misrepresentation, I also reminded him he still had a court case coming up with a possible jail sentence. I suppose he has behaved like this all along?'
David said anxiously, 'We're pushing them to the edge again. Is this wise?'
'Just watch, I promise if this doesn't work I'll bale out altogether. I mean that.' Tanya glared at them both.
Mark and David were shocked. They both knew The Settlement would be much worse off without her.
The triumvirate returned within an hour. Harold said, in a more conciliatory way, 'These offers are very low, far less than the houses' cost to build. Is there any way they can be improved?'
'We are now short of funds. Due to the publicity generated by your actions, several promising new settlers have decided not to sign up. If we are to purchase those properties we may have to hang on to them for months before we are able to sell them … We can deal with each one of you separately,' Tanya said. She watched Harold speculatively, knowing what his instructions were.
Harold drew a sharp breath. He could see he was being manoeuvred into a corner. Tanya was now clearly in the ascendancy. Whatever happens here, bitch, I will get you one day, he thought.
'Any individual agreements would have to remain confidential,' added Mark. 'Before anything happens, you will all have to withdraw your court cases.'
They negotiated three separate deals. Harold accepted a cash offer, only slightly higher than the first and the Bowers withdrew all the evidence they had submitted to the police. The other two claimants accepted the arrangement to rent their properties with a view to selling them when possible. Both were angry and felt they had been let down by Harold.
'You never know,' said Tanya, to one, 'you might get a good price in a few months' time, when we get back on track.'
All the court cases between the parties were withdrawn. Tanya breathed a sigh of relief once the arrangements were finalised. She did not mention her conversation with Nicholson.
The newspaper was told that all legal action involving The Settlement had been dealt with out of court. The newspaper agreed to publish a series of articles relating to The Settlement on the understanding there would be no further legal action against them.
The editor hesitated when Tanya produced four articles written by her. 'We write our own,' he said.
'These have all the facts stated correctly,' insisted Tanya. 'Change them if you have to, but please send me the amended articles prior to publication. It also might be helpful if some of you came up to the Blue Mountains to see what we are all about. '
Over the next few weeks, a number of positive articles appeared in the Sydney press after two journalists spent time with David in the Blue Mountains.
David, Mark, and Tanya had time for a full review of the crisis, during one of the younger Bowers' weekend visits.
A contrite Tanya said, 'I went about things the wrong way and put our future at risk. It won't happen again. But I am certain whatever we did would have made no difference. In the end, it was the Government withdrawing support from Harold that forced him to capitulate.'
Both David and Mark were uncomfortable about Tanya's secret source of information. They wondered if they had been told the full story.
'Mark, we should have involved you in the detail sooner than we did,' said David, trying to move the discussion on. He was embarrassed by what he now saw as his betrayal of Tanya. 'The remarks Harold made to Tanya were unforgivable.'
Mark felt slightly inadequate for not coming in earlier to support Tanya. He admired Tanya's acceptance of the blame for the fiasco and wondered if he would have had the courage to do the same. Part of him felt he had now gained something in his undeclared competition with Tanya for ascendancy. Another part felt even more inadequate. If their roles were reversed, he thought Tanya would have supported him to the bitter end and not tried to gain the advantage.
The rest of the board were horrified. 'Why didn't you involve us sooner?' asked Patricia. 'We are all part of this too, working our backsides off. And what about all the settlers who have put their faith in us?'
'I agree. My fault,' said David.
'I am concerned about Harold,' Tanya told the meeting. 'He certainly bears a grudge.'
Chloe was furious, but decided to say nothing. She was glad of her flat in Manly and her charities.
David tried to calm things down. 'The newspaper articles have generated a number of new enquiries for settlement. However, we need to accelerate the process. The best settlers have always been people with personal introductions from the family. I will talk to each of you individually about this over the next few days.'
Mark's reputation in the village was substantially enhanced by his actions in saving the community, via the additional funding. Most people thought Tanya had overreached and should have asked for help sooner. She said and did nothing to change that view.
Tanya was now reasonably certain Mark had been salting some of his earnings away privately, but did not raise the issue. Who gives a fuck what he was doing, she thought, trying to justify her inaction. We've now got the money, where it belongs, back in Settlement bank accounts and Mark is more committed than ever to the project. In her heart of hearts she knew she should tackle him on the issue, but never did.
Weeks later, Tanya told David the details about George's information and the telephone calls with Nicholson. 'I was pretty certain Harold would pull the plug, but there was still some risk. But I also wanted Mark's full commitment and the extra money. He feels he played a leading role in rescuing us from bankruptcy and so has taken a bit more ownership in this place. I have not said a word to him about what I did and never will … There is one other thing. My information about Nicholson is completely kosher. The fellow was and is a bastard. But all that stuff I told him about newspaper articles was pure fabrication. I certainly wrote the articles, but the phone number was one I set up.'
David looked horrified, 'What would have happened if he'd checked?'
'Because of his position he was never going to take the risk of doing that. If he had and been found out, the consequences would have been disastrous. It was far easier to do what he did and so he lives on, somewhat to my regret. Anyway, that was the reason I couldn't tell you more at the time.'
David knew he would never have been able to bring himself to take such a risk.
Once the crisis had settled down, David turned his mind to the dam. He spent months working out how he should cope with floods in the future. As well as rebuilding the main dam, he decided to build two smaller dams further down the valley, one almost opposite the village. The dams were re-stocked with trout. It became a favourite picnic spot in the hot weather, once a lawn had been established.
'The pipe carrying the stream will have to be much bigger than I first thought,' David told Mark. 'It will need a grid on the front so children won't play in there and I will grow trees and bushes in front to hide the unsightly view.'
Two short years after the birth of Chas, Tanya gave birth to another boy. 'We'll call him Didier,' said Tanya, without consulting anyone. As before, she was back in the office a week after the birth. This time nobody questioned her. Her children thrived under the expert tutelage of their nanny, and looked forward with much excitement to the almost weekly trips back to The Settlement.
'Didier?' David questioned Mark.
Mark shrugged, and said, 'Tanya,' by way of explanation.