Twelve

Kate was barely aware of the horse that plunged under a hard, cruel spur and then took off wildly. She vaguely heard Jackie and Wirrang yelling furiously. She did not see the aboriginals reluctantly lower their spears and then scatter before the plunging horse.

Racing across the clearing, her whole attention was focused on the man on the ground. The man she loved.

John and Will had already rolled him over by the time she reached them.

“Adam,” she panted. “Oh, Adam! Is he. . . ?”

“Hit in the right shoulder,” Will said briefly. “Must have clipped the bone to send him down like that. Bullet’s gone right through, but he’s bleedin’ bad.”

John had already stripped off his own shirt and was forming a thick pad with it. “Here, Miss. . .Miss. . .” He looked directly at her for the first time and said in a strangled voice, “Miss Farnley. . .Kate?”

“Give me that.” Will impatiently snatched the shirt from him. “Time for greetings later when we’ve stopped this bleeding. Here, Kate, hold this tightly to Adam’s wound while we get him into the hut and out of this hot sun.”

Kate looked up through tear-glazed eyes at John. She had seen him at Fleetwood from a distance many times, but only once or twice close up, and that had been when all her energy and attention had been on Beth and on her mother’s illness.

This was her brother.

Now she understood what Adam had seen in the family portraits. Despite his dark olive complexion and that mop of black curls, his eyes were the Farnley eyes, making her own and Percival’s look pale blue in comparison to the brilliance of his.

Just like their father.

“Hello. Hello, John.” Her voice was trembling. She bit hard on her lip. “I. . .I’ve come a long way to find you.”

Their eyes clung for a long moment, and then she looked away, all her attention again on the man she loved.

When Adam was at last lying on a crude stretcher in the shack’s only room, John said a little breathlessly, “I’ll have a look, but I doubt there’s anything to use as bandages here.”

He was right, but without a word, Kate turned her back and began tearing the bottom of her own shirt. When she turned around, John was bent over Adam, his bare, tanned back exposed to her startled gaze.

She caught her breath. His back was crisscrossed with raised scars from the flogging on board the ship ordered by that friend of Percival.

This reminder of all he had suffered was too much. A sob caught in her throat. He spun around, saw she had been looking at his back, and stared in dismay at the tears running down her face.

“Oh, John, I am sorry, so very, very sorry,” she managed to say.

“No time for tears, now, lassie,” Will’s urgent voice said sharply. “Adam’s still bleeding.”

John had colored up a little. He smiled gently at her, and then turned to help Will roll Adam over and pad the exit wound before tying both pressure wads in place with the makeshift bandage.

When at last they had done all they could, they watched anxiously to see if the red stain would start to seep through the thick wads of material.

After a few moments, Will sighed with relief and said slowly, “Looks as though it has missed the lungs as well as any major blood vessel.”

“The bloke who has been shot has a bullet in his leg so won’t be making a nuisance of himself, but what do you want us to do with that other bad man?”

They all looked toward the doorway. Jackie stood there. As they stared, the aboriginal, still dressed simply in a loincloth, said slowly in his precise English, “Sorry to interrupt, but the fancy man got away on his horse, and the other one’s still scared witless by the savages, who are gleefully prodding him with their spears.” He allowed himself a faint smile.

John was staring at him in astonishment, and then another aboriginal appeared beside him. “You want us catchem udder plurry man on horse, boss?” he asked urgently.

John stopped staring at Jackie and said swiftly, “Yes, Wirrang, I think you had better find the man on the horse, but make sure you do not harm him. And if he’s still got his gun, be very careful. There’s been enough injuries for one day,” he added grimly and looked back down at his friend.

“We’ll have to take both of the other men to Bathurst once we get Adam to Waverley and let the police look after them. Just make sure you tie them up well,” Will said abruptly. A faint grin twitched his lips. “And you’d better not frighten him to death anymore, either. Do you have our horses safe?”

Jackie grinned, nodded, and silently disappeared after Wirrang.

John was staring in amazement after the aboriginal who had spoken such polished English.

Will smiled grimly at him. “Don’t ask.” Then he stood up, and as he moved toward the door, he growled, “I’d better go take a look at what those men are up to.”

Adam stirred as he disappeared, and then gave a faint groan. Kate had slipped her hand around his, and his fingers flexed and then tightened on hers.

As Adam slowly opened his eyes, John crouched down beside Kate. Under his breath he said, “I was hoping he would stay unconscious until we got him to Waverley.” As Adam looked at him and then at Kate, John added in a voice rough with emotion, “Welcome back, mate, even if you are a prize madman for jumping in front of me like that.”

Adam had been staring into Kate’s eyes and turned his head slowly toward John. “You had not had a chance to talk to your sister yet, John,” he whispered.

Kate looked swiftly at John. He was staring at her, and slowly a wave of dark red touched his high, darkly tanned cheekbones.

“My sister?” he murmured. “You know for sure?” He swallowed and whispered, “Are you truly my sister?”

Emotion squeezed her throat. Kate nodded, her eyes clinging to the blue eyes so like their father’s. She pulled her hand from Adam’s and held it out toward him. As John’s hand slowly closed around hers, she opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly her mouth was dry. No words would come. Her other hand reached out, and she held his between both of hers.

She swallowed, tried to clear her throat, and at last managed to say in a shaking voice, “I am so very pleased to meet you, my dear brother John.”

John’s grip on her tightened. Emotion filled his face, his eyes. He opened his voice to say something, but there was a sudden commotion outside and his head snapped up.

He was on his feet and heading for the door as a woman’s voice called out frantically, “John? Where are you, John? Oh, John, my darling, are you safe?”

As he disappeared, Kate stared after him. Then she looked down at Adam. His eyes were once again closed and his lips tightened as a spasm of pain shot through him.

“Adam,” she faltered softly, “thank you, Adam.”

He opened his eyes, raised his head slightly, and stared up at her. “I love you, Kate,” he said clearly, and then his head fell back again.

“Adam!”

He loved her. This man did love her.

He did not respond to her whisper, and she called his name once more. But he had fainted again. She checked his wound swiftly, saw that blood had seeped through the pad, and raced to the door.

“John, Will!” she called frantically. “Adam’s wound is still bleeding, and he’s unconscious again.”

John let go of the woman who was clinging to him and strode toward Kate. The woman followed, staring curiously. Dimly Kate knew she must be Elizabeth, John’s wife, and that there were several men dismounting from their horses and talking rapidly with Will. She ignored them all and rushed back to Adam, her heart rising up in a desperate prayer that he would get well.

She never ceased praying during the long, difficult hours that followed, getting Adam back to the Waverley homestead. He had regained consciousness again, and although he was in a great deal of pain, he insisted on riding his horse all the way to the homestead. John did not argue with him. Instead, he climbed up behind Adam on Rowan’s broad back and held his back against him all the way.

Kate was thoroughly exhausted by the time they stopped outside a large, beautiful sandstone house set among tall gum trees and rolling hills. It was Elizabeth who helped her inside, her gentle hands that helped wash off the dirt and grime in a luxurious hot bath and then bundled her into a comfortable nightgown. It was her soft, soothing voice that constantly assured Kate that others were attending to Adam, that he would be fine, and all Kate had to worry about was eating a few mouthfuls of the thick hot soup and then sleeping.

And sleep Kate did. When at last she woke, the sun was low in the western sky. For a moment she lay without moving, enjoying the feeling of the soft pillow and mattress, the clean, fresh linen after so many months of the ship’s narrow bunk, the wooden floor of the dray, and the last two nights on hard ground. Then the last traces of sleep vanished as she remembered Adam.

She flung the bedclothes back and sprang up, only to immediately feel so dizzy she had to plonk down again on the side of the bed. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes tightly for several moments. When she opened them, the room had stopped swaying, and she tried standing once again.

The room tilted, and she clutched the bedpost. After a moment the dizziness disappeared, and she looked cautiously around the large room. It was luxuriously decorated, the furnishings expensive and stylish. The bed she had been sleeping in was a four-poster with beautiful, fine white lace draped around it. On a nearby chair, an elegant dressing gown had been left for her.

Thankfully, she moved cautiously over to it and put it on. She looked down at her bare feet, and then shrugged before slowly walking barefoot from the room and starting down the long corridor outside.

She heard voices coming from a room and paused. Before she could investigate, the door was flung open, and John appeared.

A delighted smile softened his face when he saw her. “Hello, Kate, my dear.” Over his shoulder he called, “Elizabeth, Kate’s awake at last.”

He reached out and took her hand as his wife appeared beside him. In response to the desperate entreaty Kate knew he must see in her eyes, he said quickly, “Adam is fine. He’s been awake for some time now and more anxious about you than himself,” he added with a low chuckle.

Kate relaxed and smiled shyly at him with relief. Then she looked at Elizabeth. “You. . .you have been so kind,” she faltered.

Elizabeth smiled understandingly and then whisked her back to her room to lend her one of her own cool, elegant frocks. During the time that followed, Kate felt she was moving in a dream. After partaking of a refreshing cup of hot tea in a delicate, bone china cup, she was helped to dress by a shy young maid who then brushed and artfully arranged her auburn hair.

As Elizabeth reentered the room after a soft knock, Kate was staring at herself in the mirror, a little dazed to once again be looking at the image of Miss Farnley, the woman who had in another time, a different world, been so elegantly dressed and groomed.

“Oh, Kate, you are so very beautiful,” sighed Elizabeth. “That blue dress never looked half as good when I wore it. Now, if you are ready, there is a very impatient young man threatening John with all kinds of things if he does not see you at once!”

After all they had faced together, Kate felt ridiculously shy when she entered the large bedroom where a scowling Adam was sitting up in bed, propped against a pile of pillows. He stared at her with a stunned look of admiration that seemed to have stricken him dumb.

John rose from a chair and said cheerfully, “See, here she is, Adam, all safe and well as promised. Now perhaps you will stop snarling at us all.”

Elizabeth gave a bright laugh. “And perhaps if Miss Farnley agrees to have some breakfast in here with you, you might at last eat something as well.” She pulled a cord and, when a neatly dressed servant arrived, gave rapid instructions.

All the time, Adam and Kate had not taken their eyes off each other, earnestly trying to make sure that after all they had been through, they were all right. He was very pale, his face drawn with pain. His shoulder had been dressed with clean linen, and a sling was supporting his arm.

Kate found her voice first and asked in faltering tones, “Is your wound very painful?”

Adam swallowed, and said in a dazed voice, “Only a very little if I move my arm around too much. You. . .you are so very beautiful, Kate. . .Miss Farnley.”

Kate stared at him, and then suddenly gritted her teeth. “If you dare. . .if you dare start that nonsense again I’ll. . .I’ll. . .”

She was lost for words, incredibly hurt that he should think of refusing to call her by her name after all they had been through together. It meant a lack of intimacy and placed a distance between them again she could not bear to think about.

John stirred, and she looked swiftly at him just in time to see him trying to hide a smile. His eyes twinkled at her.

“Boss, looks like you’ve met your match at last,” he drawled softly.

I hope so, oh, I do hope so. Startled at her wanton thought, Kate stared at John and then back at Adam. Sudden heat swept through her at the wondering look on his face. Confused, she looked hastily away, and then thankfully subsided in the chair Elizabeth had just set for her near the bed.

There was a tense silence until John cleared his throat and said hesitantly “Kate, Adam has just told us what has happened, about the Bible and letters, the way you found them and have given them to the lawyers, your courage in coming here to find me.”

Elizabeth moved to stand beside him. Their hands met, and they smiled at each other lovingly.

“I. . .we can hardly believe it all.” John took a deep, shaky breath. “And now, with so many witnesses to Percival Farnley’s confession, Adam thinks there should be no problem with the authorities in sorting my unjust conviction out.”

Kate’s heart was full. She looked from one face to another. Tears had filled Elizabeth’s eyes while she watched John speaking. “I told you God would work it all out for us, John, my darling,” she whispered, and then she went to him and they held each other tightly.

Kate turned away, deeply stirred by the obvious depth of the love they had for each other. And as she stared at Adam, she realized how envious she was of them both. Despite all the trauma and difficulties they had experienced, they were together, married, able to share life with all its ups and downs.

Adam was watching them also. Then he looked at her. In his eyes was a deep pain, a haunting sadness. He stared into her eyes for one breathless moment before he looked swiftly away, sinking his head back on the pillows wearily and then closing his eyes tightly.

Kate longed to have the right to reach out to him as Elizabeth just had to John, to nestle so confidently into his arms, to feel them wrap lovingly around her. She started to raise her hand to reach out to him, but then it dropped back into her lap.

Now was not the right time. He was obviously still in pain, no matter what he had said. There was a touch of feverish color on his cheeks. But one day. . .perhaps one day there could be a future for them together after all.

Perhaps.

Her lips firmed. She loved him too. Except for Beth and her mother, there had been little love in her life. There was no “perhaps” about it, she seethed. Somehow she just had to find a way to convince him they could have a future together. Somehow she had to be able to convince him that his being a convicted criminal was in his past. Whatever he had done deserving of such punishment had now been paid for. Besides, it had all happened before he had become a Christian, before he had started trying to let Christ control his life.

Somehow she had to convince him she belonged with him, that she loved him enough to share whatever their loving God had for them both in the future.