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A short excerpt from this book:
Faith fidgeted with her bonnet, then her hand went to the
pocket of her skirt where the brooch was safely tucked. Determined that her Ma
would not see her getting onto Walt’s cart, she had walked a distance up the
road, safe in the knowledge that Bertha would do her best to keep her Ma
occupied for an hour or two with doing a thorough survey of their rations in
the pantry.
When Bob came running to her as Walt’s cart appeared, the butterflies that had inhabited her stomach since early morning turned to full-blown nerves and her hand shook as she stroked the dog’s ear. As Walt pulled the horse to a stop, he saluted her before climbing down. “Well, here’s a nice surprise. I thought you would be waiting at home.”
“I was ready early and as it is such a nice sunny afternoon I thought I would stroll along to meet you,” she lied, sure that he would guess the real reason.
“It is a pleasant afternoon, isn’t it? Where would you like to go on this fine day?” He bent to lift Bob up to place him in the back of the cart and then offered a hand to assist Faith onto the bench seat. “Thought Bob would be safer up here with us as we might be going a bit faster than usual,” he explained as Faith straightened her bonnet and then her skirt.
“Good idea. I have no idea where to go, Walt, I will leave the choice to you as I seldom go further than the main street to be honest.” Faith thought a while as he clicked the horse into a slow trot, then added, “I would like to see the diggings, perhaps at Bowden that I have heard lodgers talking about. Oh, and could we go past the site of the stockade?”
“Your wish is my command, madam. Good choice.” He sent a grin her way.
Faith’s heart felt so light she thought it might fly from her chest. In all her years she had never shared a drive with a young man, and the thrill of sitting beside Walt made her want to shout for joy. It did not take long to reach the place where what was called the Eureka Stockade took place. Nobody would believe that a battle occurred there, as it now seemed a peaceful spot. “It is hard to believe that so many men died that awful night. I heard that one of your uncles was involved in the fight.”
“Yes, that’s a fact. He was severely injured.” Walt heaved a heavy sigh. “’Twas almost six years to the day and he has never recovered. Still mines in the hope of striking it rich. Was your Pa involved in the battle?”
“No. We came up here from Melbourne and I think he had ideas of finding gold, but then decided to open the lodging house.” Faith gazed at the trees waving in a slight breeze. “My Ma does not talk about him now, but I do have memories of their arguments because she considered him too lazy to try his hand at digging. Did you ever meet Peter Lalor, the man who organised it all?”
“No, but my uncle has spoken of his regard for the man. Shall we continue with our ride?”
“Of course.” Faith settled back after reaching behind her to pat Bob. “He has grown a little since you first got him. Do you think he will get much bigger?” she asked, simply for something to say to hide her foolish nervousness.
“Who knows? As I have no idea of his parentage, it is a waiting game.” Walt sent a grin her way. “I am so glad you agreed to this outing, Faith. What did your Ma say when you told her?”
Faith swallowed. Should she tell him the truth of the matter? “I told her I was visiting Florrie,” she blurted as her cheeks flamed. “My Ma has some funny ideas, and I was not sure how she would react if I told her I was spending time with you.”
Not sure if his chuckle meant that he thought her stupid or not she remained silent until he said, “That there is the quartz crushing battery.” He pointed to the collection of small structures that had been erected a few years earlier. “If we continue to the top of the hill, you can see the digs and the river below, and we will stop to stretch our legs.” Saying that, he continued upwards following the path. Once or twice, he sent a wave to a miner who was either working or sharing a drink with someone.
“It’s a hard life, is it not? Do many of them make a fortune?” she asked, holding onto her bonnet that threatened to blow away, for the wind grew stronger as they climbed higher.
“I don’t suppose they would let on if they did. We hear stories of the ones who make it and end up wealthy, but they keep it close to their chest. Whoa, Matilda,” he pulled the horse up for they had reached the peak of the hill. “Shall we rest here awhile? Bob would like a run.” Glancing about, he added, “and there’s a patch of grass for my girl to pick at.”
Faith was still smiling at the name he had given his mare, which she found endearing. “That would be nice.” She waited until he came around to hand her down. As he placed her on the ground, it seemed he held her around the waist for longer than he needed to. This brought their faces to within an inch or two of each other and Faith licked her lips as she stared up at him, wondering if she imagined the small groan that left his lips before he released her.
Going to the cart, he assisted Bob down and then brought a blanket, which he spread out on the ground near a spindly windswept tree. “Ma thoughtfully sent us some lemon cordial and biscuits. Would you like some?”
“Yes, thank you. That was very thoughtful of her indeed.” Faith swallowed at that for it sounded very formal. “Where did you pick the name for your horse?” she asked, as she stroked the mare’s smooth neck.
With a small chuckle he put a finger to his nose as he said in a hush, “’Twas the name of one of my Pa’s favourite customers. The old biddy would come into the shop and um and ah for half an hour over her choice of some silly thing. Pa jokingly said she had a thing for him. Sadly, she left this world when all alone one harsh winter’s night.”
“That is sad. It is not nice to be alone in the world, is it?”
