Midsummer's Eve

"Oh I'll settle for that ... for the time being. It would be just right. You're the sort. Plenty of spirit. That's what I like. I reckon you and I were made for one another.”

"And I reckon you have a touch of the sun. They say it brings on hallucinations.”

"I'm just looking truth straight in the face. I want you, Annie. I think of you all the time. Now I've seen you, there's no one else who'll do for me. Think what we could make of this place. We'd expand. We'd have a house in Sydney. We'd have people ... entertain ... just so that you wouldn't miss the Old Country. You could play the gracious lady. It would be pretty good, I promise you. You don't say anything ...”

"I'm just stunned," I said.

"You'd only have to tell me what you want and it would be yours.”

"Very well. I want to go back to the house.”

"You're a hard woman, Annie," he said, sighing deeply with mock resignation; and just at that moment the house loomed up out of the mist.

I was greatly relieved.

He leaped down and turned to lift me. He looked up into my ace and we were very close to each other for a second or so. Clearly saw his thick dark hair curling about his temples and the mockery in his eyes; and twinges of alarm came to me in spite of the comfort of seeing the house so close by and knowing my family was (there.

He kept his hand on my shoulders and I said quickly: "Thank you jfor bringing me home.”

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you," he said. "Remember at.”

I turned and ran into the house.

My mother came into my room followed by my father. Gregory had come into the house and told them how he had rescued me.

They were very disturbed.

"I cannot understand you, Annora," said my mother. "The times you've been told about going out alone!”

"I didn't go far. I should have been all right if it hadn't been for the mist.”

"That's one of the hazards," said my father impatiently. "You should be ashamed of yourself.”

"I am," I said. "Do stop scolding. I promise I won't do it again. I want to go home ... soon.”

"Well thank Heaven for Greg," said my mother. "And thank goodness your horse came back. It was wonderful of Greg to go and look for you.”

"It was miraculous ... the way he came across you," added my father.

"Well, he gave the bush call and I answered.”

"There's not much he doesn't know about this country," said my father admiringly.

"But we'll go home as soon as we can. I begin to feel a bit homesick, too. Don't you, Jessica?”

My mother admitted that she did.

"As soon as this business of Helena's is settled we'll go. And I think I shall sell to Greg. He's made a jolly good thing of this place and I fancy he'd do even better if it were his own.”

"Promise me," said my mother to me, "that you will never do anything so silly again.”

I promised.

She hugged me for a moment and I felt so glad to be back with them; but I heartily wished Gregory had not been my rescuer.

I found sleep difficult that night. I kept going over what he had said. There was such purpose in his eyes and I think it was that which frightened me.

Maud had said once on some very trivial matter: "Oh, Greg wants it and Greg always gets what he wants.”

Ominous words. But I was my own mistress. No one was going to force me to do what I did not want to.

Sleep would not come.

It was midnight when I heard a movement near my window. There was someone out there ... close to the door.

I stood at the window and looked down. It was Gregory. My heart Was beating wildly.

How dared he! Was he coming in? What did it mean? But the door was locked. It was always locked at night. He himself had said that we must lock up carefully because of prowlers who might be looking for something they could pick up. Bushrangers were hardly a danger. They would not attack a household where there were so many men about.

Did he think he was coming to me? For what purpose? The answer was obvious. Did he think he could overpower me with his magnetic charm-or whatever he thought it was?

Did he think he was irresistible to me? To come to the house was a very bold thing to do. I only had to scream and I would wake my parents along the corridor. If my father caught him he would be dismissed. He would never have a chance of owning the place.

A movement along the corridor. Someone was there. I opened my door and peeped out.

I saw Polly Winters in a low-cut nightdress exposing her considerable bosom as she went silently to the door.

I shut my door and listened. The front door was opened ... just a whisper ...

almost imperceptible. They would both have had long practice of this sort of clandestine nocturnal event.

When I opened my door again, they had gone ... into Polly's room.

I thought: This is intolerable. And under my father's roof when only today he had asked me to marry him.

The man is a monster, I told myself.

I went back to bed, but not to sleep. I lay there thinking about riding on the horse with him. I was more angry with him than I had believed I could ever be with anyone.