* * *
By the time the doctor and Constable Hopwood had left Hawkins Grove, it was very late. The doctor had tended to Jim’s wounds, while Constable Hopwood had seen to the removal of the bodies. He had taken brief statements from them all.
Jim sat quietly on the bed with his shoulder in a sling as Lillian bustled about. He liked it when she fussed over him.
“Are you comfortable?” asked Lillian, stuffing another pillow behind his head.
“Yes, very comfortable,” said Jim as he took hold of her hand. “When are you going to see your mother?”
Lillian sat down on the bed. “We will still go in the morning, Mother will need me now.”
“It’s all over,” said Jim, reaching out with his other arm and giving her a hug.
“Not quite,” said Lillian, taking a sheet of paper from the pocket of her apron. “This is for you.”
“What is it?” asked Jim as he took the sheet of paper. Eighteen years ago he couldn’t read or write, but thanks to Lillian he could now read and write. Not fluently, but enough to get by.
Dear Jim,
I was shocked to find that you were here in the colony. I never thought that I would ever see you again. I only wish that I could stay and that we could share our lives together. But I am happy to have seen you and your family, especially that lovely daughter of yours. She is a stunner, as well as being intelligent. I think I will take her advice and find myself a proper job. Maybe when things have settled down and I have made a new life for myself, I can visit under better circumstances.
Your brother
Jeb.
“Well I’ll be damned,” said Jim.
“When Constable Hopwood asked us if we could give him a description of the bushranger I told him that Matilda had fainted and seen nothing. As for me, the trauma of the event had caused my mind to go blank.
“I asked your brother to stay on but he feared that he would bring harm to us as he is wanted for the stage coach robbery. As he said in the letter Jim, maybe with time you can get back together. I gave him some food and all of our housekeeping money.”
“From the very first time I saw you at Cockle Creek, I loved you and I still do,” said Jim as he reached out and held her tightly. All those years of torment and secrecy were finally over.