Page 86 of The Pearl Sister
‘About what? Please, Drummond,’ she entreated him, ‘no more riddles.’
‘Then I will tell you straight. You said a few moments ago that perhaps I secretly wanted everything my brother has. Well, you were right, because there was – andis– something I want very much. When I first met you that Christmas, I admired your spirit, and, yes, I found you attractive, but what man wouldn’t? You’re a beautiful woman. And then I watched my brother set his cap at you, and I admit now that the fact I could see how much he wanted you added to your allure. Brothers will be brothers, Kitty, and t’was ever thus, especially with identical twins.’ Drummond took another gulp of his brandy. ‘However, if it began as a game, I apologise, for over that Christmas, I watched how you adapted to our ways, how you were so patient with my mother and my aunt, never once complaining about missing your family, and throwing yourself wholeheartedly into all that was presented to you. I will never forget you clambering onto that elephant with no care for your appearance or modesty. It was at that moment everything changed. For I saw through to your soul; saw it was free like mine, unfettered by convention. I saw a woman I could love.’
Kitty concentrated hard on the contents of her water glass, not daring to raise her eyes to his.
‘When I asked you to wait for me, I was in deadly earnest, but it was too little, too late. I knew it when I walked away and, I admit, if I had been you, I would have made the same decision. Two brothers, identical looking, one a drunkard and a joker and the other . . . well . . .’ He shrugged. ‘You know who Andrew is. When the inevitable happened and I heard you were to marry my brother, I knew I had lost. Time passed and I lived my life, as we all do. Then I got the telegram from Andrew, asking me to call in to see you in Broome. I will shock you by confessing that I deliberated for many hours. Eventually, I decided it was best I came here to lay the ghost to rest and move on. I walked in here out of the rain, depleted and exhausted, took one look at you and immediately knew that nothing had changed. If anything, as I’ve witnessed your strength and determination to make a life for you and your child in a hostile environment which most men – let alone women – would find daunting, my admiration and respect for you has increased. Put simply, my darling Kat, you are by far the most courageous, stubborn, intelligent, irritating and gorgeous female I have ever had the misfortune to come across. And for some extraordinary reason that I cannot fathom, I love every bone in your beautiful goddamned body. So’ – he raised his glass to her – ‘there you have it.’
Kitty could hardly believe what she’d just heard, or dare to trust it. Every word he’d spoken mirrored her feelings exactly. Yet she knew she must reply pragmatically.
‘I am your brother’s wife and you have admitted you covet what he has. Are you sure that thisfeelingyou say you have for me is not to do with that?’
‘Good Lord! I have just put my heart on the plate in front of you, so I’d ask you to refrain from cutting it up into small pieces with your sharp tongue. However, it matters not whether you believe me, but whether I believe myself. You asked me why I was still here and I have told you the truth: I am yours for the taking. If you wish me to leave, then I will.’
‘Of course you may stay. Why, my husband himself invited you. Please, ignore my strange mood tonight. It’s probably something I ate.’
He searched her face to find the truth, but she pushed it down deep inside.
I willnotbe like my father . . .
‘I am tired, Drummond. If you’ll excuse me, I’m retiring to bed. Goodnight.’
She felt his eyes on her as she walked to the door.
‘Goodnight, Mrs Mercer,’ he said.
* * *
As the Big Wet took hold of Broome, the streets became flooded and impassable. The shops along Dampier Terrace were shored up with sandbags and Fred valiantly waded through the sludge to fetch provisions. Kitty looked out of a window and saw that her precious garden was now buried under a river of red mud. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of the love she had put into trying to recreate a small slice of home.
The fact they were housebound made the situation with Drummond even more tense. Even if he wished to leave, with the weather as it was, he had little choice but to stay put. After several long days, during which Kitty thought she might go mad with frustration and desire, the rains finally stopped, and all of them emerged like blinking moles into the bright sunlight. Within minutes, Charlie and Cat were knee-deep in the red soupy earth, shouting and screaming as they splattered it on each other’s faces and bodies.
The air felt fresher and cooler, but an unpleasant odour of sewage hung in it like an afterthought.
‘We’d better be careful, this is cholera season. Scrub the children thoroughly, won’t you, Camira?’ she said, hauling Charlie out of the mud.
‘Yessum, Missus Kitty. Bad time for big sick after rains stop.’
Sure enough, word soon came that five cases of cholera had been brought to Dr Suzuki’s hospital and, subsequently, many more were reported.
‘At least it’s confined to the shanty town for now,’ Drummond comforted her after he’d taken a stroll into town to stretch his legs. ‘No white cases reported so far.’
But soon there were, and having escaped from their homes, the residents’ doors were once again shut tight, this time against a deadly plague.
Fred was the first one down in the Mercer household, and lay delirious on his straw pallet in the stables. Kitty was surprised when Camira insisted on caring for him herself rather than allowing him to be taken to hospital.
‘He bin good to me an’ I dun trust those docta fellas,’ she said firmly.
‘Of course,’ Kitty said, knowing that Aboriginals were the last priority for hospital care. She clasped Camira’s hands. ‘You must let me know what I can do to help.’
Retreating to the house, Kitty’s heart pounded as she thought of the amount of contact Fred had with Charlie on a daily basis.
‘Try not to worry. The Aboriginals have a far lower resistance to cholera than we do. Our Western illnesses came to Australia with us and slayed the natives in their thousands,’ Drummond said.
‘As horrific as that is, it’s a comfort to me for Charlie’s sake.’ She gave him a weak smile. ‘I’m glad you’re here.’
‘Well now, that’s the first positive thing you’ve said to me in days. My pleasure, ma’am.’ Drummond gave a mock bow.
While Fred sweated his way through the following two nights, Camira reported that she ‘dun know if he make it’ and scurried back to the hut with noxious-smelling concoctions from the kitchen.
