‘Morning, Peggy.’ India wandered into the kitchen and poured a cup of tea from the teapot standing next to the range.
‘Mornin’, my sweet. And how are you this fine morning?’
‘Well, but I have a list as long as my arm of things to do. I’ll have to chase up Fred. The stables are a mess. I want everything spic and span. I suspect Jim Mawgan will arrive today and I don’t want him thinking we don’t run a decent show.’
‘You might just have left it a bit late.’ Peggy’s face broke into a knowing grin and she winked. ‘He arrived last night.’
‘Last night! Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘It was getting late and you and Violet were going hell for leather in the dining room. I didn’t want to interrupt.’
‘Oh dear.’ India sighed. Despite her best attempts to be congenial and agreeable, nothing went according to plan. Last night Violet’s behaviour had almost driven her to distraction. Her sister couldn’t get it through her pretty head that living alone and unchaperoned in Sydney wasn’t feasible. They could hope for a suitable marriage offer but as Violet pointed out, stuck in the Hunter it was an outside chance. Helligen wasn’t the back of beyond yet it was a good ride to Morpeth and then six hours on the steamer to Sydney. Newcastle was closer, but the company Violet sought wouldn’t dwell in the coal mining port.
Some days the responsibility was all too much and Violet’s tantrums only added to her difficulties. ‘I wish you’d told me last night.’
‘Well.’ Peggy stuck her hands on her hips, her chin jutting. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing.’
‘I’m sorry.’ India curled her arm around Peggy’s shoulder. ‘You’re right. It’s far better if I meet him this morning. The last thing we want is for him to become embroiled in family problems. He’s here to manage the horses. I need to be businesslike. And anyway, it’s probably better to give the poor man a chance to settle in before I bombard him with my plans.’
Her new-found independence was both a blessing and a curse. There were days when she could do with a hand in running the place and a different viewpoint would be a godsend. Maybe Mr Jim Mawgan would provide that—not that she intended to hand over her hard-won right to make decisions, just as a second opinion.
‘Here.’ Peggy pushed the round breadboard across the table. ‘You’d better have something to eat. Can’t work on an empty stomach. The loaf’s just out of the oven and there’s some of that strawberry jam you like.’
India hacked off the crust. More than anything else in the world she wanted Helligen to flourish. Make it the vibrant family home it had once been. Bring it back to the time when any horse carrying the HK brand commanded the highest of prices.
When she’d stood at the rail at Flemington with four thousand others and watched Archer thunder down the two-mile track she’d made up her mind. Her heart skipped every time she relived the excitement, the clamour, and the thundering hooves. She would breed Helligen’s first champion racehorse and win the coveted prize. To present Papa with the winner’s purse would compensate for all their suffering, and prove she was capable. When Archer won for the second year running she’d nearly died of jealousy. The prize belonged to Helligen but for the string of misfortunes over the past years.
That single fact had firmed her resolve and after months of cajoling and pleading Papa had agreed—to give her a year once she turned twenty-one. One year to prove her capabilities. Before long the first Thursday of November would be a day in the history of the Kilhamptons, not just Flemington.
‘People say when Archer won the Melbourne Cup they walked him all the way from New South Wales to Melbourne. And he went on to win by eight lengths. That’s stamina, but our bloodlines are just as good.’
‘Are you still harbouring that little fantasy of yours?’
‘I might be. It takes time and hard work for dreams to become reality.’
Before Mama’s accident the stables had been full of mares awaiting service and the property supported an energetic and vibrant community. Papa had tried but he’d sunk into such despair he retreated to his shipping business in Sydney. When he decided to drag her and her sister off to a school for young ladies in Sydney, Helligen and their mother had withered and become mere shadows.
In the time they’d been away so much had changed. Mama’s health had declined further and Papa, out of his depth and unable to cope, rarely set foot on the property.
‘This is just the beginning.’
To achieve her dreams she needed help, and a stud master would provide it. Jim Mawgan’s arrival marked the first step on the long journey to Flemington and the prize she coveted more than any jewel. Today was an auspicious day on more than one count. Employing a stud master marked her first independent act in restoring the Kilhampton family fortunes.
The bread, dry as the sawdust spread on the stable floors, churned in her mouth. She chewed fast. Peggy wouldn’t let her out of the kitchen until she swallowed it and there was so much to do. The stable doors dangled and the water barrels were a disgrace. They leaked liked Peggy’s kitchen sieves and smelt almost as bad as the boiled cabbage she crushed in them. India tossed back the last drop of scalding tea, swallowed, picked up her hat and made for the door.
‘Oh, before you go—just a word of warning.’ Peggy’s tone stopped her in her tracks. ‘Jim, Mr Mawgan, said he saw a woman on a horse over by the lagoon last evening when he arrived.’
A bruised silence descended on the warm kitchen. India replaced her hat on the dresser and sighed. ‘Have you spoken to Anya?’
‘I haven’t seen her this morning. I’ll have a word when she comes down to get the trays. Your mother must have got back safe last night otherwise Anya would have raised the alarm.’
India’s puff of exasperation echoed. ‘I really don’t want to deal with it right now. I want to get everything started in a businesslike fashion—no echoes of the past.’
‘If you didn’t want “echoes of the past”, why try and get the horse breeding back on track?’
‘Because we’re the best in the business and …’ At the light rap on the half-closed door she clamped her lips together and crossed the floor. ‘Mr Mawgan.’