‘Visitors?’ Lettie stepped up to the French doors and her heart sank. An apparition swathed in a voluminous dustcoat with a huge hat anchored by a vast expanse of gauzy material sat in the front seat of a large black motor car.
Miriam!
A icy rash slicked her skin. Not now. Not today.
Connors helped Miriam from the car. She unbuttoned the dustcoat to reveal her prized ankle-length mink coat. She meant business. With one hand resting on Connors’ arm she swanned up the path to the front door. Oxley lifted his head and eased to his feet, hackles rising.
‘I don’t want to talk to Mother.’ Lettie clapped her hand over her mouth, trapping her childish whine. What was the matter with her? She had nothing to hide. She’d written to Miriam and told her she would be staying. Miriam knew nothing of her fruitless jaunt to Dartbrook or the accident.
Like a wraith Peg appeared in the hallway.
‘Why is she here?’ Lettie hissed.
‘Very good question and one I haven’t got a decent answer to. She hasn’t set foot on the property for nigh on twenty years. Why did she send you here?’
‘Ah!’ Lettie blushed to the roots of her hair, closed her eyes for a moment. ‘I was supposed to discuss Thorne’s inheritance. Well, I didn’t … I couldn’t … not once Olivia had told me about Evie. I wanted to help her find out what happened. That’s all.’ She let her hands fall, kept her eyes downcast. Most of her fingernails were chipped and broken. Miriam would jump on that the moment she saw her. And her clothes. Oh, God! She couldn’t face her.
Peg raised her fingers to her lips and gestured to the sitting room. ‘Olivia’s in the stables. I’ll go down and tell her Miriam’s here. You entertain your mother.’ She quirked an apologetic grin and vanished.
Drawing in a fortifying breath Lettie opened the door. ‘Mother. What a surprise.’ The familiar waft of lily of the valley prickled her nose.
‘That will be all, Connors.’ Miriam waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the motor and marched through the door.
Lettie closed the study door and ran her hands over her hair. There was little point in worrying about what she looked like; Miriam’s face said it all.
With Oxley grumbling at her heels Lettie made her way into the sitting room where Miriam sat, hands in her lap, feet crossed neatly at the ankles. Only the tapping of her index finger against her leather gloves gave any indication of possible discomfort, or was it impatience?
‘Mother.’ Lettie leant forward, intending to drop a kiss on Miriam’s cheek. Before she had the opportunity, Oxley barged between them, lowered his muzzle until it was whisper-close to Miriam’s face and growled softly, his intent clear.
Miriam reared back. ‘Call him off.’
‘Oxley! Down!’ Lettie hauled him back by the scruff of his neck.
‘Revolting hound. He smells possibly worse than his predecessors and has no sense of place.’
Lettie pointed to the corner of the room and Oxley threw himself down, his ears still cocked and the corner of his lip caught on his teeth.
‘For goodness sake, child, I hardly recognise you.’
Lettie pulled at the frayed cuffs of the homespun jumper. ‘We weren’t expecting company. I was on my way to help Aunt Olivia in the stables,’ she lied.
‘Family is hardly company. I’d like some refreshment. We broke the journey at Wiseman’s Ferry and have been travelling since first light. Something for Connors too. He’s out at the car. I presume you can manage to arrange that.’
Acid rose in Lettie’s throat. This was all her fault. She should have known she’d left it too long, should have sent Miriam another letter. Miriam’s curiosity would have got the better of her—that and her impatience to know whether Lettie had convinced Olivia that she should inherit in Thorne’s stead. Unless Miriam had simply come to take matters into her own hands.
The thought horrified her. It would mean she would have to leave. She didn’t want to go back to Sydney. Had no intention. The continual round of engagements and fawning suitors held even less appeal now she’d had a taste of freedom.
And then the slow realisation dawned. She didn’t have to return to Sydney. It would be Olivia’s decision to ask her to leave. She didn’t have to acquiesce to Miriam’s demands.
The surge of defiance took her by surprise and she squarely met Miriam’s gaze. ‘What are you doing here, Mother? The whole idea was that I should come and save you the trip. I wrote to you and told you I would be staying.’ She’d hardly given Miriam the opportunity to even speak. The past few weeks had made her realise exactly how Miriam dictated her life, choosing her friends, determining her schedule. Not anymore.
Miriam lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and leant forward. ‘You don’t understand Olivia.’
Lettie reared back. ‘I like her and I trust her.’
‘Whereas you don’t trust your own mother.’ It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact. ‘Do I need to remind you that I have known Olivia all of my life. Can’t you see the danger you’re in?’
Danger? Lettie gave a feeble laugh. No danger other than that of her own making, a foolhardy accident in the motor. ‘I’m staying, Mother!’ It wasn’t until the words left her lips she realised the truth. Yellow Rock had truly seeped into her blood. Yellow Rock was part of her. She wasn’t ready to leave. Not yet.
‘As much as Olivia might be family she is not your friend. Come back to Sydney and we will let the solicitors deal with the legalities. It was a mistake, my mistake in allowing you to come.’
An apology? An admission of failure? The like of which had never passed Miriam’s lips before. Lettie tried to reply but the words wouldn’t come, she couldn’t form a simple sentence. It was ridiculous. Her heart was pounding nineteen to the dozen and she felt as though she’d committed some outrageous atrocity. She drew in a breath. ‘What are you doing here?’ she repeated.
‘What do you think? You have obviously failed in your task. I’m here to take you home. I can only presume Olivia has spun some yarn and entrapped you.’
Lettie took a deep breath and swallowed her desire to ask Miriam why she hadn’t told the truth about Evie, why she’d said she’d died in childhood, but what was the point? She’d simply say she didn’t want to discuss it, repeat some platitude about opening old wounds …
‘Why do you think your grandfather made me leave Yellow Rock?’
Lettie’s head came up with a snap. ‘Because you and Pater were to be married.’
‘Letitia, didn’t you listen to a word I said?’
Miriam had told her to be careful, that Olivia couldn’t lie straight in bed, was loose with the truth, every other cliché she could summon, but nothing else. Nothing about her sister, Evie, who hadn’t died in childhood as she’d always maintained. ‘What about Evie? You didn’t tell me the truth.’
‘For goodness sake. What are you talking about?’
How much longer was she going to keep this up? ‘Evie didn’t die in childhood. She vanished. No one knows what happened to her. I intend to find the truth.’
Miriam let out a dismissive huff. ‘Another of Olivia’s fantasies.’
‘If she died where is she buried? There’s no headstone in the family plot.’
The moment’s silence that followed allowed Lettie to compose herself, not be swayed as she once would have been. ‘I am an adult. I make my own decisions. Choose my own truths. I’m staying here until I decide otherwise.’
In a second Miriam was on her feet, her face close to Lettie’s. ‘You must not be swayed by Olivia’s yarns. You will do what I—’
Before Miriam could finish her sentence, Oxley leapt between them, hackles raised, teeth bared.
‘If you can’t control that dog I shall call Connors.’
‘I’ve always found Oxley to be an excellent judge of character.’ Olivia’s voice held a tinge of amusement as she clicked her fingers and Oxley subsided to the floor. ‘To what do we owe the pleasure, Miriam?’
How had Olivia arrived so quickly? She couldn’t have been in the stables as Peg suggested because she was dressed in her dark skirt and blouse, looking every inch the lady of the house.
‘This is most unexpected.’ Olivia settled in the chair opposite Miriam, arranging her skirt, her back as straight as a die. ‘Now which specific yarn would you like to discuss?’
Unable to stay still for a moment longer, Lettie made for the door.
Olivia glared at her. ‘Sit down. I’d like you to hear what your mother has to say.’
Lettie subsided onto the edge of a chair, her gaze darting between the two women. The beginnings of a dowager’s hump showed beneath Miriam’s coat whereas years of outdoor work with the horses had served Olivia well, straighter, taller even when seated despite the generation that separated them.
Miriam moistened her lips and swallowed. ‘Thorne was to inherit Ludgrove on his thirtieth birthday.’
‘A birthday which he sadly didn’t see.’ Olivia’s tone reminded Lettie of the fact she was Miriam’s aunt, the matriarch of the family, no matter what Miriam might like to imagine. ‘I think you’ve forgotten the intricacies of William’s will. In the event of Thorne’s demise before he inherited Ludgrove I remain trustee of the property.’
‘Lettie is Thorne’s heir and therefore next in line.’ Miriam drew herself up. ‘Pa’s dying wish was that the properties should remain united, therefore Lettie should inherit both the Maynard and Ludgrove properties.’
‘That is my decision.’ Not a flicker of emotion showed on Olivia’s face.
‘Both properties must pass to Letitia, if the future is to be secured. The law has changed. Women can own property in their own right. It will not pass to her husband. Letitia is therefore the rightful owner of both the Ludgrove land, and when you pass—’
‘—which won’t be any time soon. You can wipe that avaricious look off your face. It may have been William’s wish for the properties to be united, however the decision as to who inherits is mine, and mine alone.’
Lettie kept her hands firmly in her lap, fingers interlaced as the two women tossed the conversation between them. Lettie was certain Thorne never entertained the thought that she would inherit in his place. He’d always said the car would be hers if anything happened to him. She doubted he’d ever thought any further. He’d lived for the moment, and died before he could inherit. Just that one idea to come and visit Olivia and introduce himself, the only pointer to the future, a future he’d never see.
Lettie stood up. There was little point in her being in the room. Neither Olivia nor Miriam could settle the debate. It would require legal consultation, in that regard Miriam was correct.
A fine sheen covered Miriam’s face and she tugged at the collar of her coat. ‘I am entitled to benefit from the inheritance.’ Her voice quavered. ‘I am the only woman to produce an heir in the last generation. Both properties belong to the Rawlings family.’
And with a flash of blinding clarity Lettie understood. It had nothing to do with her. Everything to do with Miriam.
‘For goodness sake. Haven’t you come to terms with it yet? Evie is dead. Ludgrove belongs to the Rawlings family, as will Maynard once you pass.’
‘It is my decision. Thorne had no legal claim to Maynard. Why should he?’
‘Because he was my son, because it was Pa’s dying wish for the properties to be united.’
The silence hung long and low like the thunder clouds above Yellow Rock. Colour suffused Miriam’s cheeks and her eyes widened. She cleared her throat. ‘Because he is … was … This is ridiculous, we are going around and around in circles.’
For the first time in longer than she could remember Lettie agreed with Miriam.
‘There is little point in raking up old arguments, arguments that cannot be proven, that only go to your jealousy and petty—’
‘There is nothing petty about the truth nor about the reason your marriage was indecently hasty.’
Miriam’s cheeks flushed and her lips pinched. ‘That is none of your business. None of anyone’s business.’ She smoothed her hands down her skirt. ‘You’re nothing but a jealous old woman.’
‘I might be old, but there’s nothing wrong with my memory.’
Miriam struggled to her feet. ‘Keep your malicious thoughts to yourself. Letitia, go and pack your bag. We’re leaving.’
Lettie jumped. ‘Leaving?’
‘I came here to settle the matter amicably but I see that was a foolish mistake. I have taken rooms at the Family Hotel. We will spend the night there and return to Sydney on the morrow and seek legal consultation.’
No. It was not what she wanted. ‘I can’t return to Sydney. Thorne’s car needs repair.’
Miriam narrowed her gaze. ‘Repair? Why does it need repair?’
Lettie cleared her throat. ‘I had a slight accident.’
‘For goodness sake, girl, is there nothing you can successfully accomplish? Connors can see to the car and we will leave in the morning.’
Miriam had an answer for everything. ‘I have to take it to the blacksmith for repairs before I can make the return journey to Sydney.’ Lettie lifted her chin.
Olivia stood up, walked to the door and held it open. ‘I suggest that you leave, Miriam. Lettie will see you in the morning in Wollombi once she has made her decision.’ Leaving the door ajar Olivia swept from the room, only the tip-tapping of her heels offering any form of farewell.
Sometime later Lettie heard the motor start and the gravel crunch as Connors and hopefully Miriam left. She raised her head and pulled her feet up beneath her, not knowing what to do next. Should she go and speak to Olivia? She wasn’t ready to go back to her old life. She wanted to stay and finish what she’d started. Inheriting Ludgrove was of no consequence; until she knew what had happened to Evie, she couldn’t consider the matter.
Lettie scraped back her hair and followed the cloud of dust as Connors took the driveway at a ridiculous speed. Almost as much dust and clouds as Evie had drawn around the trail of cattle making their way up the stock route. Her resolve firmed as she slipped out of the sitting room. She would not be a pawn in the age-old chess game the two women insisted on playing.
Reaching down, she scratched Oxley’s head then made her way outside. Despite the chill in the air, the sky was bright and the sun warm. She’d promised Olivia she would attend to the study and there might well be something she’d missed in her madcap race to Maitland and Dartbrook. Settling into a chair on the corner of the verandah, she tipped her head and watched the eagles riding the currents way above the tension and familial disunity pervading the property.
Sometime later Oxley lifted his head, sniffed the air and took off. Peg came into view striding across the paddock between the two houses. Lettie walked down to meet her.
‘There seems to be some debate about whether you’re leaving with your mother. Are you?’
The thing Lettie liked most about Peg was her blunt approach. No words couched in double meanings. She dealt in facts. ‘No.’ The word was out of her mouth before she gave it a second thought. ‘I can’t leave the car. It needs some more work. And there are other things … William’s papers for example.’
‘Good girl.’ Peg gave her shoulder an absentminded pat, rather as she did Oxley, and turned. ‘Let her ladyship stew overnight then I’ll send Sam to let her know in the morning.’
‘Will Olivia mind if I stay?’
Peg raised one heavy eyebrow, pursed her lips and didn’t bother to answer.
Apart from the horrific thought of being trapped in a car with Miriam for the best part of a day she had no desire to return to Sydney. Not before she had done what she set out to do—make sure she’d missed nothing in the study that explained Evie’s fate.