‘SEE?’ Nicolas said some considerable time later. ‘Nobody came in.’
‘Just as well,’ she muttered.
‘I’d like to get up and get dressed now,’ she said, her willpower having returned.
‘Are you sure you want to?’
‘Nicolas! Get off me, please.’
‘Oh, very well.’ And he levered himself up off her body. ‘Fancy a shower together?’
Serina winced. ‘Haven’t you had enough?’
‘Of you? Never.’
‘I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s unrealistic.’ She scrambled to her feet and reached for her clothes. ‘I need to go to the bathroom,’ she snapped. ‘Alone, if you don’t mind.’
Nicolas frowned as he watched her go. She still didn’t trust him, he realised, didn’t trust his love for her, or his commitment to her.
What could he do to reassure her? Ask her to marry him?
It seemed a premature move to Nicolas. But women saw things differently to men. An offer of marriage conjured up all sorts of romantic connotations for women. It spelt out love in ways that mere words couldn’t.
Nicolas decided then and there to do just that. Tonight, over a candlelit dinner. He’d have to buy her an engagement ring first, of course, a really nice one. Port Macquarie was sure to have some decent jewellery shops. Tourist towns catered to people who had money and time on their hands to shop. It meant he would have to make some excuse to have a couple of hours alone this afternoon. He would say that he was tired and needed a nap before their night out. Sounded a bit lame but he couldn’t think of anything else.
Meanwhile, he would have to get dressed, quick smart, so as not to annoy Serina further when she emerged from the bathroom. She hadn’t been too pleased with his having his way with her a little while ago. But she only had herself to blame, kissing him the way she had when she arrived, then flirting with him so outrageously. Still, he would make sure that in future he kept their lovemaking to places where there was no possibility of their being disturbed.
He’d just pulled on his shirt when she opened the bathroom door, looking just a little wary. Till she saw he was properly dressed.
‘I was thinking we might go for a drive around the beaches for the rest of this morning,’ he said straight away. ‘Then have a spot of lunch somewhere cool, overlooking the water.’
‘Sounds good,’ Serina said, feeling somewhat guilty for her attitude earlier. It wasn’t as though he’d forced her to have sex. She’d been more than willing in the end.
‘Great! But before we go, come and take a look at the view from the terrace. It goes for miles.’
It certainly did, from the horizon out to sea to the mountains in the west. The only minus at that moment was the heat and the westerly wind that whipped Serina’s hair across her eyes as she tried to take in the full, 360-degree panorama.
‘This would be superb on a warm winter’s day,’ she said as she struggled to hold her hair back. ‘Or a balmy summer evening.’
‘But not today,’ Nicolas said. ‘I agree. I just wanted you to see it. Let’s get going.’
As Serina turned away from the glass security fence that surrounded the terrace, a whiff of smoke suddenly teased her nostrils. Frowning, she anchored her hair back from her face more securely and stared in the direction the wind was coming from.
West.
‘Nicolas!’ she said sharply. ‘Come over here.’
He hurried to her side. ‘What is it?’
‘Over there,’ she said, pointing towards the mountain range in the distance. ‘Can you see it?’
‘See what?’
‘Smoke.’
Nicolas narrowed his eyes against the glare of the sunshine and peered hard in the direction of Serina’s finger.
‘Yes. I can see it,’ he confirmed.
‘Oh, my God! It’s a bushfire, isn’t it? Over Rocky Creek way.’
‘There’s no need to panic. From what I can see it’s only small and probably in the state forest. The one beyond Rocky Creek. They used to have fires in there practically every summer, but they never reached the town.’
She turned to him, her eyes full of worry. ‘But you don’t understand. The town has spread. And the people Felicity’s staying with this weekend, they live right on the edge of that state forest. With this wind, the fire won’t be small for long and it could be upon them before you can say boo.’
‘Surely the rural fire service would evacuate them, if there was any danger.’
‘Like they did in Victoria?’ she countered despairingly. ‘Even if we had the resources, which we don’t, things can go very wrong very quickly. In extreme weather conditions like this, sometimes there’s not enough time to evacuate everyone. There are lots more people living out in the bush now than when you lived in Rocky Creek. Kirsty’s parents live farther away than most. And there’s only one access road. What kind of stupid mother am I to let Felicity stay there this weekend? I knew the weather forecast. And I know the dangers. Greg drummed them into me. If anything happens to Felicity…’ she cried, her face going ashen at the thought.
Nicolas had faced several crises in his life but none had ever affected him the way this had. Serina claimed he had no real bond with Felicity. That clearly wasn’t true. The rush of love and protectiveness he felt for his daughter was very real indeed. As was his fear for her safety. But he had to keep a cool head. Nothing was to be gained by panicking.
‘We can’t be sure yet where the fire is, Serina. Or how close it might be to Felicity. But let’s not dillydally. Let’s go get your daughter.’
Serina lifted her big brown eyes to his.
‘Our daughter,’ she choked out.
Keeping a cool head suddenly became more difficult. Action came to Nicolas’s rescue.
‘We’ll take the four-wheel drive,’ he asserted. ‘You can phone the people that Felicity’s staying with on the way. Do you have their number?’
‘It’s in my menu. Yes.’
‘Good.’
Her mobile didn’t work till they were out of the basement car park and on the road.
‘There’s no answer,’ she said, alarm in her voice.
‘That might be good news, Serina. They might have made the sensible decision to get out early.’
‘Then why didn’t they put a message on their answering machine? And why didn’t they call me? No, this doesn’t feel right. Something’s wrong. I’ll try Felicity’s mobile.’
It rang but there was no answer.
‘I feel sick,’ Serina said.
‘That makes two of us,’ Nicolas said. ‘But we have to try to stay calm, Serina.’
‘Yes, that’s what Greg used to say.’
‘Sounds like a sensible man. Now what else would he have advised in this situation?’
‘He’d say to ring the local bushfire brigade. Find out exactly where the fire is. Now why didn’t I think of that earlier?’
‘Do you have their number?’
‘Yes. Greg used to be president, remember?’
‘Then hop to it.’
The fire was in the state forest, she was advised, but not near any dwellings at this time. The wind was changeable, however, and people were advised to keep a sharp watch, and to keep in contact with the authorities for advice.
‘We’ll still go and get Felicity,’ Nicolas said.
‘We certainly will,’ Serina agreed.
‘Try ringing Kirsty’s mother again,’ Nicolas advised.
This time Janine answered.
‘Oh, Janine! I’m so relieved. I tried ringing earlier but there wasn’t any answer.’
‘I was outside, looking for the girls.’
That sick feeling came rushing back into Serina’s stomach.
‘And did you find them?’
‘No, I didn’t. I made them promise not to go into the forest today but you know those two. They have minds of their own.’
‘But isn’t there a bushfire out your way?’
‘Yes. That’s why I went to find them. Ken’s just phoned me to tell me to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. He’s been out helping fight the fire all morning. He said there wasn’t any imminent danger, but in this weather he didn’t want us to take any chances. I was just about to call you when you rang me.’
‘I’m on my way to your place now.’
‘Look, I’m sure the girls will be back any minute. They wouldn’t want to stay out long in this heat.’
‘You don’t think they could be lost?’
‘Heavens, no. They know that place like the back of their hands. Besides, all the walking tracks are well marked.’
‘I tried to ring Felicity on her mobile but there was no answer. Does Kirsty have her mobile with her?’
‘I’m afraid not. I found it lying on her bed.’
‘Darn. We’ll be another fifteen minutes getting to your place, Janine. We’re coming from Port Macquarie.’
‘Who’s we?’
‘Me and Nicolas Dupre.’
‘Oh…I see.’
Serina doubted it.
‘You have my mobile number, don’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘I won’t ring anyone. Call me the moment they get back.’
Serina hung up on a deep shuddering sigh.
‘Where have the little devils gone?’ Nicolas demanded to know straight away.
‘Into the forest.’
He swore. Then swore again, banging the steering wheel at the same time. ‘I’m going to strangle that girl.’
‘You’ll have to get in line,’ Serina quipped.
They both laughed but they were just fear-covering laughs. They quickly fell silent, Nicolas putting his foot down every chance he got. Soon Wauchope was behind them, then Rocky Creek. Serina kept staring at her mobile, which she was gripping tightly in her lap, but it didn’t ring. With each passing minute, her fear increased, horrible thoughts entering her head. She could not bear it if she lost Felicity. It would be the end of her.
‘This is one hell of a road,’ Nicolas said as the SUV hit another pothole.
‘It’s not the best.’
‘Much farther?’
‘A couple more corners. Slow down. Their driveway is coming up on the left. There! Between those two gum trees.’
‘Hell on earth,’ Nicolas grumbled as he drove up the gravel road to the house that, though perched on a cleared rise, was virtually surrounded by trees. ‘These places are disasters waiting to happen. Why haven’t they cleared the trees farther back from the house?’
‘They’re not allowed to cut down any natives without permission from the local council. And getting permission is a minefield of red tape.’
‘Insanity!’
‘I agree. But Janine’s place is safer than most. Ken’s cleared out all the immediate scrub and undergrowth, which is where bushfires get their fuel. They also have sprinklers built into the roof and a fireproof cellar. Oh, look, there’s Janine on the verandah. She doesn’t look too happy. The girls can’t have come back yet.’
Nicolas pulled the vehicle to a rather ragged halt in front of the steps and they both jumped out. The heat and wind by then was atrocious, and the thick smell of smoke on the air very worrying. So was the big black cloud on the horizon above the treetops.
‘No sign of the girls yet?’ a worried Serina said as she hurried towards Janine.
‘Not yet. I…’
‘Mum—Mum!’
Both women turned in the direction of the girl’s voice. It was Kirsty, running like mad across the wide front lawn.
‘Where’s Felicity?’ Serina demanded to know immediately.
‘She’s still in there,’ Kirsty said, pointing back towards the forest. ‘We were on our way back when we heard this crying sound not far from the track. It was a fox who’d fallen down a rabbit hole and broken its leg. We tried to get it out but it was in a right panic and slipped farther down into the hole. I told Fliss to leave it. I could tell that the fire was getting closer. But she wouldn’t. You know what she’s like, Mrs Harmon.’
‘Yes,’ Serina said with a groan.
‘I didn’t know what to do, Mum,’ Kirsty said, a sob catching in her throat. ‘I…I couldn’t make her leave so I thought I’d come and get help.’
Nicolas looked at the way the fire was leaping from treetop to treetop on a nearby hilltop and realised there was no time to lose. ‘Can you show me where she is, Kirsty?’
‘My daughter’s not going back in there!’ Janine said, and hugged her child to her side.
‘We don’t expect her to,’ Nicolas said. ‘We just need to know which way to go.’
‘Please, Kirsty,’ Serina begged.
‘It’s all right, Mum,’ Kirsty said, getting control of herself. ‘I’ll show them. She’s not all that far in.’
‘In that case, I’m coming, too,’ Janine said.
They all ran towards the forest and the fire.
‘Along here,’ Kirsty said, and dived into the forest, with everyone in hot pursuit.
Despite following a well-trodden walking track, Nicolas was astonished at how quickly the forest seemed to close in around them, blocking out the light. Of course it didn’t help that the sky above was filling with black smoke. Get off this trail, however, and you’d be lost in seconds.
Lost and cooked.
Nicolas had not forgotten how it had felt, being burned. Yet he didn’t feel afraid for himself. His fear was all for his daughter.
‘She’s just in there,’ Kirsty said, stopping and pointing through some thick bush on her left. ‘Fliss, are you there?’ she yelled out.
‘Yeah,’ Felicity yelled back. ‘This bloody fox is stuck. Come and help me, will you?’
‘I’m going to kill her,’ Serina said, and was about to launch towards her daughter’s voice, when Nicolas grabbed her arm.
‘You go back to the house. I’ll get her.’
Serina set rebellious eyes upon him.
‘Take her back, Janine,’ Nicolas snapped before she could say a word. ‘Now!’
They all heard it then. The sound of the flames, roaring towards them.
‘No!’ Serina screamed, and wrenched out of Nicolas’s hold. ‘I won’t go back without Felicity. I won’t!’ And she plunged into the forest, calling out to her daughter.
‘You go back!’ Nicolas screamed to Janine and Kirsty as he raced after her. ‘I’ll get them. Don’t worry.’
And he would, he vowed. No way was his family going to die here today. No way!
He found them both quite quickly, Serina trying to pull her stubborn daughter away from the rabbit hole and the fox she was insanely intent on saving. Even in that short time, the intensity of the heat had grown. Nicolas couldn’t see the fire yet, but he could feel it coming.
‘Felicity,’ he said firmly. ‘You have to come with us now, or we’ll all die.’
Felicity lifted startled eyes at his voice. ‘Oh, it’s you, Nicolas. Look, maybe you can get the fox out. You have longer arms than me.’
‘Leave the damned fox, girl!’
Felicity speared him with a mutinous look. ‘I will not leave the damned fox!’
‘Felicity! For pity’s sake!’ Serina screamed at her daughter. ‘Just do what your father says!’
Nicolas gaped at Serina’s immediately stricken face, then at Felicity, who looked more than a little confused.
‘Silly woman,’ Nicolas said straight away. ‘Doesn’t know if she’s Arthur or Martha at the moment. It’s Nicolas here, Serina, not Greg. Still, it’s a shame Greg isn’t here, given his wealth of experience with bushfires. So tell me, Felicity, what would your dad have done at this moment?’
‘He’d have saved my fox if I’d asked him to,’ she replied, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. ‘But he’s not here, is he? He’s dead.’
‘That’s true,’ Nicolas agreed. ‘But I think he’d save his lovely daughter, too, wouldn’t he? So let’s get your fox out of that hole and get us all safely out of this forest.’
The fox wouldn’t cooperate. Pain and fear were making it panic. Nicolas lifted it out of the hole in the end, though not before the animal had bitten him on the hand.
Not that he cared. Nothing mattered but getting the people he loved to safety.
When Felicity hesitated to leave again, he glared at her. ‘What now?’ he demanded to know.
‘My mobile phone. It’s at the bottom of the rabbit hole.’
Nicolas almost swore. Instead, he gritted his teeth and prayed for patience. ‘I’ll buy you another phone,’ he said. ‘A better one. Now go, girl. And take your mother with you,’ he said, only then noticing that Serina was still standing there in a shocked silence.
This time Felicity did as she was told, grabbing her mother’s arm and pulling her towards the trail, Nicolas hot on their heels carrying the fox.
Not that they were out of the woods yet. The winds had whipped the fire into a fireball that was moving at tremendous speed towards them through the bush.
‘Run,’ he screamed at Felicity and Serina. ‘Run faster.’
They made it, just, bursting out onto clear ground with the flames licking at their heels. Even so, they didn’t stop running till they reached the house where Janine and Kirsty were waiting for them with anxiety on their faces.
‘I’m so glad you’re all right,’ Janine said, then shot Nicolas a rueful glance. ‘I see you brought the fox.’
Nicolas shrugged. ‘Felicity wouldn’t leave it behind.’
‘He was wonderful,’ Felicity said. ‘Here, Nicolas. I’ll take the fox now. I know what to do with it. Kirsty and I have a makeshift hospital in one of the sheds.’
‘Excuse me, missy,’ Janine said firmly, nodding towards where the fire had reached the grassy surrounds of the property. ‘But we’re all going down to the cellar till this fire is under control. Ken’s just rung. He said they’re on their way here and they’re bringing a couple of water-bombing helicopters, but he doesn’t want us taking any chances. My husband’s one of the volunteer firefighters,’ she explained to Nicolas.
‘Well, the fox comes, too,’ Felicity insisted. ‘Kirsty, we’ll need a beach towel to wrap her up in. And a dish of water for her to have a drink. She’ll be very thirsty.’
‘We’re all pretty thirsty,’ Nicolas said, and wrapped a tender arm around Serina. ‘Aren’t we, sweetheart?’
‘What?’ she asked, her voice somewhat vague.
Still in shock, he realised.
‘I said we’re all thirsty.’
‘Oh. Yes, I suppose so.’
‘There are drinks down in the cellar,’ Janine informed him. ‘And a cupboard full of food. But no toilet. So anyone who wants to use the bathroom had better do so now. We might be down there for a while.’
No one did. Possibly because they were all dehydrated.
It was a large cellar, with a wine rack along one wall, an old sofa along another, boxes and bits and pieces stacked along another and several chairs around a table in the centre. Temperature wise, it was lovely and cool.
Nicolas pulled out a chair for Serina at the table whilst Janine got some cans of drink from an ancient bar fridge. Felicity sat next to Kirsty on the sofa with the towel-wrapped fox in her lap, stroking its ears and singing some kind of song. There was not a peep out of the mesmerised animal.
‘I’ve spawned Doctor Doolittle,’ Nicolas muttered under his breath when Janine moved away to give Kirsty and Felicity their cans of Coke.
‘Hush up,’ Serina said sharply.
Nicolas sighed. ‘Serina, you don’t have to worry. No one heard me and I covered your earlier blunder.’
‘But what if you hadn’t been able to? What if Felicity had guessed the truth?’
‘She didn’t.’
Serina just shook her head. ‘You just don’t understand, do you?’
Janine came back to sit at their table and Nicolas lifted his can of drink to his mouth.
Janine gasped. ‘Nicolas! Did you know your hand was bleeding?’
‘What? Show me!’ Serina said.
‘It’s nothing much. The fox bit me.’
‘There’s a first-aid kit here somewhere,’ Janine said, and went in search of it.
‘What kind of person am I?’ Serina said bleakly. ‘I didn’t notice that you were bleeding. And I haven’t even thanked you for what you did out there. I’m a terrible person.’ And she burst into tears.
‘What’s wrong with Mum?’ Felicity asked straight away, her voice worried.
‘She’s just in shock,’ Nicolas replied as he held a weeping Serina against him with his non-bleeding hand. ‘You must realise how worried she was, Felicity. She thought that you were going to die, too. Like your dad.’
‘Oh… Oh I see.’
‘I hope so, Felicity,’ Nicolas said firmly. ‘Next time, think before you risk your life. Your mother needs you just as much as that fox.’
‘Found the first-aid kit!’ Janine piped up.
‘What do you need the first-aid kit for?’ Felicity asked.
‘Nicolas’s hand is bleeding. Your fox bit him.’
‘Your good hand or your bad hand?’ she asked him.
‘My bad hand,’ he replied.
‘Oh, that’s all right then.’
He laughed whilst Serina wept on. If it hadn’t have been funny he might have cried, too.
Nicolas’s hand had been properly attended to and Serina had stopped crying when suddenly, there were sounds overhead and all eyes simultaneously went upwards. The cellar door was flung open and daylight flooded down the steps. Fortunately, there was no smell of smoke, and no other evidence of the fire having reached the house.
‘Everyone okay down here?’ called a deep male voice.
‘Yes, Ken,’ Janine said, jumping up onto her feet and racing over to the bottom of the cellar staircase. ‘How’s the house?’
‘Right as rain.’ Ken, a big brawny guy dressed in his yellow firefighting suit and holding a hard hat, came down the steps. ‘The wind changed again and sent the fire back in the direction it came from, which was a bonus. So!’ He smiled broadly as he gathered his wife into his arms then glanced over at Felicity and Kirsty. ‘I see our own little rescue team has been busy. What do you have this time, girls?’
‘A fox,’ Kirsty said as both girls struggled to their feet. ‘It has a broken leg.’
‘We’ll have to take it to the vet,’ Felicity said, and looked straight at Nicolas.
He was taken aback. Why look at him? Why not Ken, or her mother?
‘Dad always took all my sick and injured animals to the vet for me,’ she said, her voice just a little shaky.
Nicolas’s heart turned over.
‘You’ll have to give me directions,’ he said. ‘I have no idea where the nearest vet is.’
‘I’ll show you,’ Felicity exclaimed, her pretty face breaking into a smile….