* * *
The next thing Jim knew was that someone was shaking his shoulder, rather vigorously. He pried open his sleep-laden eyes, it was Billy.
“Mr Hawkins, you must come. Bring horse.”
The urgency in Billy’s voice brought him up into a sitting position on the bed as he tried to drag his body away from the sleep it so desired. “What’s going on, Billy?”
“Friends have found lady.”
“Miss Langley, you mean?”
“Yes, Mr Hawkins.”
“Have you told Constable Harrison?”
“Lady no want police.”
“All right,” said Jim, he was wide awake now. He slipped his still damp clothes on and his half-dry boots. The only consolation was that his boots were nice and warm from the fire when he slipped his feet into them. “What’s happened, Billy?”
“Friends find her and take her to camp further down river.”
“Let’s get going then.”
The rain had stopped and Jim could see the first faint tinge of light on the horizon as the tumbling clouds dispersed. It was going to be a fine day, thought Jim, as the grey gave way to a bright-red sunrise. He urged Blackie along the trail down to the river below them. Jim could see that the river had risen, and was now a swirling-brown mass. Billy was able to find a place to cross. They came to a small sheltered hollow amid a ring of very large grey-mottled boulders, several bark lean-tos were built up against the rocks. A tall aboriginal, who looked like one of the tribal elders, met Billy and pointed to the largest of the bark huts. Smoke was pouring out from a ragged hole in the roof.
Jim tethered his horse to a sapling near the hut and followed Billy to the entrance. Billy waved him inside. Jim had to lower his head to fit under the bark roof. He crouched in the confines of the hut, and as his eyes refocused in the dimness, he saw a figure wrapped in kangaroo skins, lying to one side. It was Lillian Langley. But it wasn’t the same woman who had been on his coach.
Her beautiful hair was matted and dirty and her face was severely cut open in a couple of places. One eye was completely closed and her face was swollen like a balloon. He reached out and carefully drew back the skins that covered her body. There wasn’t much left of her dress. He could see that her leg was twisted, bruised, and obviously broken. As he covered her battered and bruised body, she stirred, and opened the one good eye to stare at him. He saw the fear in that eye.
“I’ll not go back,” she whispered. “I’ll not go back.”
Jim felt the lump in his throat as he heard those strong defiant words; they hadn’t broken her spirit. “You’ll nay go back my lady. That I promise.”
He left the hut and called Billy over to him. “I want you to go back into town and get the doctor. Under no circumstances are you to tell anyone about Lillian Langley. If the doctor asks who the patient is, just tell him I’ve had a fall from my horse.
“Yes, Mr Hawkins.”
Jim returned and sat down beside Lillian, her breathing was steady. He recalled the moment when he had first seen her at the depot. He had been stunned by her beauty. A woman any man would have been proud to know, the type of woman men like him only dreamt about, but rarely met. She was now but a mere shadow of her former self.
One of the native women came into the hut with a small piece of bark with some food on it. She passed it to Jim, and said something that he didn’t understand, but he knew what she meant. He nodded to her, and took hold of the bark plate. Then she left the hut. He peered into the rough bowl and saw some meat and vegetable matter mixed together. It was a good thing that he couldn’t speak the language of aborigines, because it meant that he didn’t have to know what this was. But it was food. Lillian would need some of it to sustain her as she wouldn’t have eaten for three days. He reached out and touched her gently on the shoulder, she looked up at him.
“I have some food here. I know it is going to be difficult but you must try and eat something. Can you sit up and use your hands?”
She shook her head.
“All right then; I’m just going to have to feed you like a baby.”
“Like a baby,” she repeated with a tiny pain filled smile.
There were no utensils visible in the hut so Jim picked up some of the food in his finger tips and pressed it to Lillian’s bruised lips, she opened her mouth slightly and began to choke as the food was forced back out her mouth.
“I can’t do it,” she cried as tears trickled down from her eyes.
“You mean you can’t do something as simple as eating, after all you have been through?”
“I feel so tired.”
“If you give up now, all the pain you went through to reach here will be for absolutely nothing. You do have the will and the strength to go on.”
“You are the coachman?” she stuttered.
“Yes miss, Jim Hawkins at your service.”
“It wasn’t for me that I drove myself, Mr Hawkins, it was for my baby.”
“Then drive yourself some more, Miss Lillian, for the baby,” said Jim as he pressed some more food to her lips and this time she swallowed.
“I’m thirsty,” said Lillian when she had finally eaten all the food.
Jim retrieved his water bottle from the saddlebags and returned to the hut. He unscrewed the cap on the bottle and then put one hand under Lillian’s head and gently lifted her until she could drink the water.
“Thank you, Mr Hawkins.”
“I have sent for the doctor.”
“No one must know I’m here.”
“I will speak with the doctor, everything will be all right. You must rest.”
Jim sat there quietly as Lillian dropped off to sleep. An hour or so later he heard the sound of horses approaching. He left the hut and met the doctor and Billy as they rode into the camp.
“Jim, what’s going on? Billy wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“I have a young woman in the bark hut over there, she needs attending to.”
Jim held the horse as Clyde Henderson climbed down and retrieved the black medical bag from his saddlebags. Clyde was about fifty years of age and was well known and respected in Gladstone. He stood about five-six in height and always wore a dark suit and bowler hat. He had a tiny black moustache and his hair was always cut short. He was a good doctor; they were lucky to have him in Gladstone.
“What ails the young woman?”
“She has taken a fall over a cliff, and I think she is with child.”
The sight of Lillian had shocked Jim, but not the doctor as he went about his work in a professional manner. He spoke to Lillian with comforting words. He took off his hat and jacket and then opened his medical bag. “I’ll be right here Jim, you can wait outside. Do you have some water handy?”
“In the water bottle there beside you.”
Jim sat down on a big flat rock in the middle of the camp. He was enjoying the warmth of the sunshine as he watched the native women. They were gathering their naked children around them as they headed off into the bush in search of food. The men-folk were out hunting, so there were only a few of the older aborigines of the tribe left in the camp. At the thought of food, Jim realized he hadn’t eaten since last night and his stomach was beginning to rumble. Billy came wandering over.
“Didn’t have any trouble in town?” asked Jim.
“Just that Perkins was looking for you.”
“I expected that. Have you any food on you?”
“No, but we can probably get something here,” said Billy as he walked over to an old woman who sat cross legged in the dirt in front of a smoldering fire. She gave Billy a bark plate with something in it.
“We’re in luck,” said Billy, holding the bowl out to Jim, there were about half a dozen large-white grubs in the bark.
“I think I’ll wait until I get back into town.” He watched Billy put one of the grubs in his mouth and bite down on it. He felt his stomach turn.
When the doctor finally came out of the hut he approached Jim.
/>
“Will she be all right, doc?”
“She is young and strong, she has that in her favor. It seems she doesn’t want anyone to know that she is here, Jim. What’s this all about?”
“The young woman has fled from her family.”
Clyde Henderson knew that a young woman with child could bring out the emotions in a family, especially if she wasn’t married.
“At this stage I would say that the baby is alive, she is probably about three months pregnant. Her leg will never be the same and she is badly disfigured, she will need a lot of care. What are you going to do with her, Jim?”
“I have no idea.”
“I have a small room attached to the back of the house. She could stay there until she is better, and besides, we can tend to her far better there than we can here.”
“Sounds all right to me,” replied Jim. The doctor’s house was on the edge of town, it would be easy to sneak her in and no one would be any the wiser.
“I would suggest that you leave her here for a couple of days until she is a bit stronger. Who is she, Jim?”
“One of the Langley’s from Cockle Creek.”
“For the moment, we will respect her wishes. She may change her mind when she is well enough to get around.”
“I doubt it, doctor.”
After the doctor left, Jim returned to the bark shelter and sat down beside Lillian. She was asleep and breathing easily. The doctor had stitched up the deep cuts on her face, straightened her leg and supported it with some wooden splints. Jim had made up his mind. He would take care of her. He would see to her recovery and guard her secret.
Jim sat astride his horse and stared back at the tiny bark hut with the smoke still spiraling through the roof. He would have liked to have stayed, but Perkins would be looking for him, and he didn’t want any awkward questions being asked, especially now. He reluctantly pulled on the reins of his horse, turned, and headed back across the river, followed closely by Billy.
Jim had to wait a full week, until the following Sunday before he could make his move. He didn’t dare take another day off as Perkins was furious about him being missing on the Saturday morning. He had even threatened to sack him. Jim had to do some fast talking to calm him down. Sunday was perfect, everyone was at church. He had arranged for Billy to borrow a cart with a canvas cover. He met him on the outskirts of town as the sun was rising above the trees.
Jim climbed up onto the cart and sat down beside Billy. He threw the white bag that Mrs Henderson had given him into the back. It had some clean clothes in it for Lillian. “No one saw you, Billy?”
“No, Mr Hawkins, everyone in church.”
“How is Lillian doing?”
“She much stronger, Mr Hawkins, sitting up now.”
“With a little bit of luck we can be back before the service finishes,” said Jim as they moved off.
Billy was able to steer the cart through a shallow section of the river which enabled them to take the cart right up to the bark hut. Jim climbed down with the calico bag and went into the hut. Lillian was sitting up.
“We are going to move you to Doctor Henderson’s place.”
“Will I be safe there?”
“Yes. Clyde Henderson and his wife Teresa have agreed to keep your identity a secret. Teresa has sent you some clean clothes,” said Jim, passing her the bag.
“I will need some help.”
“Would you like me to get one of the women?”
“No, I want you to dress me.”
Jim helped her dress. He tried to be as discreet as he could as she took off her clothes beneath the kangaroo skins. It was slow work as her broken leg restricted her movements. Finally, she was dressed. Beads of perspiration had formed on her forehead from the pain she was suffering.
“Put your arm around my shoulder,” said Jim. Slowly he lifted her into a standing position. She cried out in agony but continued to cling to him. Eventually, with help from Billy they were able to lay her down in the back of the cart on some matted straw.
“We will have to cover you,” said Jim, rolling the canvas back.
The journey went without incident and Lillian was in her room when the Hendersons returned from church. Teresa Henderson was appalled at Lillian’s injuries and set about further bathing, cleansing and dressing her wounds.
It was an agonising time for Lillian as she hid herself in the back room. She was quite adamant that she would never go back to her former life.
“What are you going to do, Lillian?” asked Jim as he sat in the chair beside the bed.
“I don’t honestly know, Jim,” replied Lillian softly. “The society I once knew will never accept me looking like this.”
Jim stared at her scarred face and half closed eye. She was right, society would shun her, and then there was the baby to think about. “We will work something out,” said Jim, standing up to leave.
“I will see you tomorrow then, Jim.”
“You surely will, Miss Lillian.”
Jim was just about to step down off the verandah when Clyde Henderson called out to him. “Join me in a drink, Jim?”
He waved Jim to the other chair seated on the verandah next to him. A small table sat in front of him, on the table was a bottle of rum and two glasses. He poured out another tot of rum from the bottle. Jim sat down and took the tiny glass in his large hand and drank it down in one gulp. They both sat quietly enjoying the evening and the peace that it brought.
Jim didn’t know much about Clyde Henderson, except for what he had heard from the town gossip. The rumors said that he was from a well-to-do family back in England. Something had happened to bring discord in the family, a dispute of some sort between siblings. Hence, England’s loss was the colony’s gain. Most of the people didn’t care where he came from, or what his past was, they were just grateful to have a doctor in town. His wife was far younger than him by at least fifteen years, and they had two children, a boy and a girl.
“Lillian is doing rather well,” said Clyde, breaking the silence.
“Yes, she is.”
“Does she have any idea on what she wants to do?”
“No,” said Jim. “She won’t survive on her own, especially with a new born baby.”
“What would you propose we do?” said Clyde, pouring Jim another drink.
“She will need a place to live and raise her child, somewhere safe, and away from prying eyes.”
“She will also need a strong man of virtue to support her,” said Clyde as he stared directly into Jim’s eyes.
“I have nothing to give her,” said Jim, shaking his head.
“On the contrary, Jim, I think you have a lot to give. You are a good man, honest and hard working. She could do no better, everything considered. I have seen the way you look at her, you would protect her.” He paused as he took a sip from his glass. “Weren’t you looking at the Tanner land?”
“Yes, but they wanted too much for the lease.”
“What if I loaned you some money, you would have a place of your own. It would be perfect for Lillian out there.”
“I couldn’t take your money, it wouldn’t be right.”
“You wouldn’t be taking it. I will be buying a share in the lease. We could have a partnership.”
“It sounds too good to be true.”
“Then we have a deal,” said Clyde, lifting his glass in the air.
“A deal,” said Jim as he too raised his glass. “Let’s drink to the future.”
“May it be a happy one,” replied Clyde.