Page 30 of A Home Among the Snow Gums
And Marigold was there too, of course. The town matriarch was dominating the table from the far end, giving him a get-your-arse-here-stat stare. He clearly needed to mix up his routine more if the locals had known exactly where he was going to be.
‘Take a seat,’ said Marigold, with the confidence of a dictator planning a military coup. Only, most military dictators Tom had heard of hadn’t worn feathered, dangly earrings. ‘Graeme will be with us when there’s a lull in customers.’
‘This looks ominous.’ He decided to play dumb. ‘Don’t tell me: the town solicitor’s gone AWOL again, and you need my help tracing him down.’
‘Him,’ sniffed Marigold. ‘Benjamin Dorley is one ibuprofen away from retirement and—frankly—is the least of our concerns.’
‘Right. This must be about Ironbark not hosting a campdraft this year, then. As I told you the other day, I’ll speak to Bruno about it. When the time is right.’
‘Wrong again.’
Damn it. Of course they were all here about Hannah Cody losing her marbles at Dalgety. Maybe he should be making it clear that he and Hannah weren’t exactly friends.
‘Here’s the thing, Tom. Everybody here—correct me if I’m wrong, Josh—knows that Hannah has some sort of … what’s the word I want, Kevvy?’
‘Agoraphobia, my love. Literally, it means fear of the market place, but that’s an ancient Greek thing. Now it’s a fear of leaving a place that feels comfortable.’
Not quite everyone here. He looked at Josh, but his friend was too busy looking miserable to notice.
‘That’s the one,’ said Marigold. ‘Everybody here has also seen that girl work her tail off looking after every animal in town, with no time off and no holidays and no fun. Which is why we—’ Marigold looked around the table at her conscripts ‘—were all so thrilled when we heard she was trying to loosen up a bit. She’s been to yoga—’
‘Once,’ interrupted Kylie. ‘I had to drag her.’
‘Nonetheless. She and Kev have their horse training every week.’
‘She’s been driving to Cooma now and then by herself for groceries and what have you,’ said Josh. ‘I was hoping she’d gotten over it.’
‘Until yesterday,’ said Kylie grimly. ‘I only caught the back end of it, but you were there, Tom. Tell us what happened. I’m still trying to work out why some photographer copped a blow anyway. What’s that got to do with being afraid to leave your home?’
Tom didn’t want to say anything. He was trying to declutter drama from his life not add to it … but agoraphobia? Lashing out?Why?And for how long had this stuff been going on?
‘Don’t you think you should be having this conversation with Hannah?’ Tom looked at Josh again. ‘And by you, I meanyou, her brother.’
‘Mate, I’ve been doing nothing but for the last day and a half. She’s shut me out and I’m desperate. Hence … this gathering.’
‘Our concern,’ said Marigold, frowning at Tom and patting Josh on the arm, ‘is that Hannah will let this little setback—’
Graeme, who had shimmied into the spare chair and set a plate of macarons on the table, coughed. ‘Would we describe it as “little”? Damaging third party property, running off across a manure-rich paddock and knocking over a bridle and horse-feed display by the canteen?’
Graeme was hushed by Kev. ‘Hold your horses, mate.’
‘—get in the way of her progress,’ continued Marigold. ‘That’s where you come in, Tom.’
He frowned. He was in no shape to be offering advice or help to anyone. ‘How do you figure that?’
‘We’re all doing our bit looking after her already. I’m going to give her an ultimatum: yoga or craft once a week so I can keep my eye on her. Kev is going to suggest they up their training to twice a week, and Kylie will—what is it you will do, exactly, Kylie?’
‘I’m her confidante. It’s a difficult job, Marigold, involving a lot of calories, and I can’t take on more because I’ve got the workshop to worry about now, as well.’
‘Understood. Josh has work hours covered, Vera is going to suggest some drives out to the neighbouring farms to see what local produce she can include in her menu, and Graeme will be grilling Hannah about her life choices over coffee and cheesecake morsels. Which leaves you, Tom.’
‘She’s a grown woman, Marigold. Why would she want her every minute scrutinised by you lot?’
Marigold sighed and the scarf she’d tied around her neck billowed like a bird wing. ‘Because we care, Tom. You should try it some time.’
Well, that burned. Not that he could show it. ‘There is no way I’m sticking my nose into Hannah’s business.’
‘She could be facing charges. You’re a lawyer, you could help her.’
