Thanks to Joan Sattler I have corrected a really major blunder in geography.I’ve also corrected some of the Australian idioms in the story.

There are a couple of Welsh words used in this story.Cariad translates as dear or darling.Bach and fach are endearments.Adding bach after a man’s name or fach after a woman’s is like adding dear so Adam bach is Adam dear.Tad is Welsh for father and mam is Welsh for mother.

“My True-Love Hath My Heart”
Part 1

By Deborah Grant

February 2003

Adam Cartwright stood on the deck of the ship gazing at the vast expanse of ocean before him, letting the mild breeze ruffle his curly black hair and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. It was hard to remember that right now his family was in the midst of the bitter cold Nevada winter wearing their warmest clothing and keeping the fires blazing to heat the ranch house. He’d spent the past three years in a self-imposed exile—traveling first to Europe, where he visited London, Paris, Florence, Venice, Rome and Athens, and then to Egypt and the Holy Land. Now he was on his way to Australia and then perhaps to Japan and China .He missed his father and two younger brothers, but he had no regrets about his decision to travel.He had seen marvels of engineering—Stonehenge, Roman aqueducts and the pyramids—and some of the most beautiful buildings ever created—the cathedrals of St. Paul , Chartres , and St. Peter, and the Parthenon. He’d had the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people from all walks of life, more than he could ever have met living on the Ponderosa.

Australia had no wonders of engineering or architecture but he was curious about a land that had so many animals found no where else on earth and whose seasons were so different from those to which he was accustomed. He was also drawn to it because it was a frontier like his home—a land made up of native people and immigrants, a land of sheep and cattle ranches and mining. He didn’t plan to stay long but thought he’d visit Sydney and perhaps Melbourne and venture into what was known as “the outback.”
After the ship docked in Sydney and he booked a room in a good but not overly expensive hotel, he decided that before he unpacked, he would do some sightseeing. As he walked along, he wasn’t really watching where he was going and the next thing he knew he walked into a woman.He managed to grab her arm and prevent her from falling, but the books she had been carrying were scattered over the sidewalk.

“Are you all right?” he asked worriedly. He noted the woman wore thick spectacles, but they couldn’t totally hide the beauty of her large, wide-set eyes.She was a tiny little thing—slender, fine-boned and stood no higher than his shoulders. Her face reminded him of a kitten’s with its wide brow, enormous eyes and pointed chin.Not a classically beautiful face, he decided, but definitely a piquant one.

“I’m fine,” she replied quickly. The man, dressed in a black reefer and black trousers, was obviously a Yank by his accent. He was also very handsome, she noted. He was tall and lean with broad shoulders and a deep chest that tapered to a trim waist and long, slim legs. His large, deep-set hazel eyes fringed by long, ebony lashes under thick black brows were striking. His black Stetson was pushed back showing that his curly black hair was beginning to thin on top but he had grown a thick black moustache in compensation. “It was my fault really.I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she added nervously.

“Neither was I,” he replied quietly in a mellifluous baritone. “Here, let me help you with these books.”

“Thank you,” she said, thinking how polite he was, and what a lovely voice he had.“You’re visiting Sydney ?”When he nodded she asked, “And what do you think of it?”

“It’s a beautiful setting,” he replied with just a hint of a smile.“It’s a pity more thought wasn’t given to laying out the streets.They remind me a little of Boston, which is also noted for its narrow winding ones.”

She smiled at that.“Yes, you are not the first foreigner to make that observation although you are the first I know of to make the comparison with Boston ,” she remarked in a dulcet soprano and he found her voice quite as pleasing as she found his.

He looked at the title of one of the books as he handed it to her. “The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I haven’t read this one yet.The last Dickens I read was Our Mutual Friend.”

“This was his last work and he died before he completed it. Do you like Dickens?” the woman asked. “He’s one of my favorite authors.”

“Mine as well.And I was fortunate enough to meet him. He was our houseguest when he visited Virginia City , Nevada .”

“You’ve met Charles Dickens!” she said excitedly, her face lighting up, but it fell just as suddenly.“Oh, I’m sorry. Forgive me for being so forward.”

“Not forward,” he said with a little smile that just quirked the corners of his mouth, “enthusiastic.Please, allow me to introduce myself.My name is Adam Cartwright.”

“I’m Bronwen Davies,” she said shyly.

“You know, Miss Davies,” he said, noting the absence of a wedding ring, “these books are pretty heavy. Perhaps I could carry them for you.That way we could continue our discussion about Mr. Dickens.” She blushed but nodded her assent.

She listened raptly as he described Dickens’ adventures in Virginia City.When they arrived at her home, which he noted was a good mile and a half distant and wondered how she would have managed the heavy books as delicate as she appeared, she shyly asked him if he’d like to come in and have a cup of tea.

“I’d be delighted,” he replied. He observed the house was unostentatious in its design and furnishings but had a pleasant, homey ambiance.He was pleased to see it lacked the clutter he had observed in so many homes he’d visited in London , Paris , Boston , or even Virginia City .

Mrs. Davies joined them in the large comfortable parlor as the housemaid brought in the tea.Like her daughter, she was small and slender and she had the same raven hair, although hers was streaked with white.Mrs. Davies listened mostly as her daughter and the tall American talked about literature. They both loved Jane Austen but didn’t care much for the Bronte sisters. He enjoyed Robert Browning’s poetry but she felt it was too obscure and preferred Tennyson’s. Since it was clear how much her daughter and Mr. Cartwright were enjoying their literary discussion, Mrs. Davies invited him to supper the following evening. (It also gave her husband and Bronwen’s brother, Rhys, an opportunity to meet him.) Adam enjoyed Bronwen’s conversation so much that he decided he would ask her to act as his guide as he explored Sydney provided her parents approved.

He appeared promptly the following evening, dressed in black frock coat and trousers and carrying a bouquet of fuchsia and geraniums for his hostess. His knock was answered by a short, bespectacled man who smiled in welcome.

“Mr. Cartwright?” he asked and Adam nodded. “I’m Dr. Davies.Come in, come in. I’ve been eager to meet the man who almost swept Bronwen off her feet, literally, and then helped her carry her library books home.”

“It was the least I could do,” Adam said with a slight smile. “I don’t see how she would have managed on her own.”

“Don’t let Bronwen’s size fool you,” Dr. Davies laughed. “She’s as strong as a Welsh cob.”

“If you say so,” Adam replied dubiously. “Oh, I brought these for Mrs. Davies,” he added holding out the bouquet.

“Very thoughtful,” Dr. Davies said warmly. “Let’s join the others in the parlor and we’ll get these in water.”

Mrs. Davies and Bronwen were waiting in the parlor along with a young man who looked to be about the same age as Adam’s brother, Joe, or maybe a bit older.He had the same raven hair as Miss Davies and her mother, but bore a marked resemblance to Dr. Davies, so Adam surmised he was most likely Miss Davies’ brother. Dr. Davies confirmed this when he introduced the young man as his son, Rhys.

“What brings you to Australia , Mr. Cartwright?Did you come to look for gold?”

Adam smiled faintly.“No, I came out of curiosity. I’ve read about the unusual mammals found here and nowhere else in the world. That’s not to say I might not be interested in investing in a promising enterprise.”

“You came all the way from the States just to see kangaroos and platypus?” Rhys said skeptically.

This time Adam grinned.“No, Mr. Davies. I had been traveling through Europe and the Holy Land and decided to travel to Australia next. I may go on to Japan and China or I may decide to return home.I’ve been gone three years and I’d like to see my family and our ranch again. I could always sail east from San Francisco .”

“I take it you are from the Western United States then?” Dr. Davies inquired.

“Yes.My family owns a ranch in Nevada.We raise cattle and horses; we also sell timber to most of the mines on the Comstock.” He saw the younger Davies’ face light up at the mention of the Comstock.

“Rhys here is a mining engineer. He lives in Adelong and is just paying us a brief visit.”

“I work at the Great Victoria,” Rhys stated and Adam nodded in recognition of the name.“Is your ranch near the Comstock Lode then?”When Adam nodded, he asked hesitantly, “Did you perhaps ever meet Philip Deidesheimer?”

Adam smiled warmly at this. “Certainly. I count Philip as a friend. In fact, my family supplied the lumber for the first square sets built for the Ophir.”

Mrs. Davies spoke up then saying a with a slight smile, “Now you have impressed Rhys as much as you have impressed Bronwen and Dr. Davies by your acquaintance with Mr. Dickens.”

“Philip is as remarkable a man as Dickens,” Adam replied. “He could have made a fortune if he had patented his square sets, but he refused to do so.His concern was the safety of the miners.” He expression changed to one of melancholy as he added, “I only wish the result of the square sets hadn’t been the destruction of so much timber on the Sierras.My family won’t allow clear cutting, but not every one is a far-sighted as my father. He won’t clear cut and he always plants new trees to take the place of those we do cut so the trees will be there for future generations.”

“Your father sounds like a very wise man,” Dr. Davies said. Just then Lily, the Davies’ maid of all work, came to tell them that supper was ready so they adjourned to the dining room

“I deduce, Dr. Davies, that you and Mrs. Davies were not born in New South Wales, but Wales , ” Adam commented as they ate.

“That’s correct,” Dr. Davies said. “I suppose it was our accent that betrayed us?”

Adam nodded.“There are plenty of Welsh miners on the Comstock, as well as Cornish, and I recognized your accent.”

“Mrs. Davies and I moved here just a few weeks after our marriage. Sometimes we miss our families back home, but we’re tied to this land now.” He changed the subject then saying, “If you’ve had the opportunity to travel to Europe and the Holy Land , I know we would all enjoy hearing about some of the sights you’ve seen.”

Adam spent a very enjoyable evening and when he asked Dr. and Mrs. Davies if their daughter could serve as his guide, they were most agreeable.

“You’re welcome to come with us, Mr. Davies,” he said to Rhys.

Rhys glanced at his sister and saw the pleading look in her eyes and shook his head.“I’ve only a few more days until I must return to Adelong.However, if you are serious about investing in some enterprises here in Australia , then I would like a chance to speak with you.”They decided to meet at Adam’s hotel for supper the next day and Mrs. Davies invited him to supper again the following evening.


“So what is our itinerary for today?” Adam asked with a smile the next morning. Being an observant man he noted that she was wearing a gown that wasn’t very flattering. The fashion was for great many flounces on dresses but they didn’t suit her petite figure.The bright lemon yellow of her gown he couldn’t think would look good on anyone.

“Oh,” Bronwen replied, blushing just a little, “I don’t have a formal itinerary. I thought we’d go to The Rocks and I could point out places of interest.”

Adam suppressed a groan of disappointment, for he preferred to follow a carefully planned itinerary, but he told himself with a mental shrug, Joe is always telling me to be more spontaneous. “That sounds fine,” he replied smiling warmly at her and noticed her relief.

“We’ll take a hansom cab to The Rocks and explore it on foot,” she added hurriedly.“I really think you’ll enjoy The Rocks. It’s the site of the first European settlement in Australia .”

“I’m sure I’ll find it fascinating,” he said, dimpling, and causing her heart to beat more quickly. He is the handsomest man I’veever seen she thought. “Mariners Church is located on The Rocks, isn’t it?”

“Yes.You’ve heard of it?”

“I have.It’s neoclassical in style and made of sandstone.”

“If you are interested in architecture, there are some cottages that were built in the 1820s on Harrington Street .I believe they are some of the oldest buildings in The Rocks.Oh, and you’ll want to see Cadman's Cottage; I understand that it’s one of the oldest surviving buildings in Australia .”

“Yes, it sounds as though we’ll have plenty to see,” he replied with another friendly smile.

“I was thinking,” he commented as they rode in the hansom cab, “that yesterday we spoke of literature and the Comstock Lode , but very little about ourselves. I know your father is a physician, your brother is a mining engineer and your mother an excellent cook, but that’s all.I’d like to know more about you.”

“My life hasn’t been as exciting as yours,” she answered quietly. “I was born here in Sydney and I have lived here my entire life in the same house with my parents and two brothers.”

“So you have another brother,” he stated.

“Bryn,’ she replied.“He’s the oldest. He raises sheep on a station just outside Broken Hill in the western part of New South Wales. He’s married and he and his wife, Victoria, have three little boys.” She smiled at him then.“What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Two brothers, Hoss and Joe,” he replied and she heard the warmth in his voice.

“Hoss?” she asked arching her eyebrows.

He chuckled—a warm deep sound that made her laugh with him. “It’s really Eric.Hoss is just a nickname.”

“He’s a big man,” she guessed, smiling into those warm hazel eyes.

“A big man with a big heart,” he replied and this time she heard a wistful tone in his voice.

“Is he the oldest?”

“No, I’m the oldest.There’s six years between me and Hoss and almost thirteen between me and Joe.”

“That’s quite a span,” she stated. “Are you closer to Hoss?”

“In some ways,” he replied thoughtfully. “Joe and I are like oil and water and when I first returned home after college we had some problems.Now that we’re both older, and I hope wiser, things have been better between us.But you would definitely say that Hoss is the peacemaker in the family.”

“Are either of your brothers married?” she asked and saw a bitter smile form on his lips.

“No, we’re none of us lucky in love,” and she knew not to pursue that subject.

“You said your family owns a cattle ranch—what we call a cattle station.”

“That’s right.My father and I are New Englanders, but we traveled west when I was very young. Pa was poor then so it took us a long time because he’d have to stop and work when the money ran out.Hoss was born while we were crossing the prairie.Our wagon train was headed for Oregon Territory but we decided to settle on the eastern side of the Sierras, near Lake Tahoe.I helped Pa build our first cabin.”

“How old were you?” she interrupted.

“Almost seven.” He stopped and looked a little abashed.“I suppose I wasn’t that much help except that I did watch Hoss.” She smiled at him and he thought, How her face lights up when she smiles—so full of life.“We started out running a little trading post providing supplies to other immigrants and then Pa decided to raise some cattle since some immigrants could only pay with oxen and there was a market for them across the Sierras in Placerville.We were doing pretty well.Before Joe was born we added some rooms to our cabin: a kitchen, and two bedrooms.We continued to prosper and I was able to travel east and attend Harvard. I was separated from my family for almost five years. I even considered settling back east, but I missed the wide-open spaces and the informality of life back in Nevada .Most of all, I missed my family.

“Joe had just turned five when I left, and that played a part in the difficult time we had adjusting to each other when I returned. The first thing I did was to persuade my father to let me design and build a new house. Then I had opportunities to use what I studied about engineering, but basically I settled back into the life of a ranch hand,” he said with a slow smile but she thought she heard a whisper of regret in his voice.

“But you decided you wanted to travel,” she interjected.

“Yes, I’d been home for several years and growing restless, and I suppose, feeling confined.I realized that if I wanted to see all the places I’d dreamt of, then I needed to seize the day.”

“Carpe diem,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he replied with a smile at her knowledge of Latin. “I knew the Ponderosa could survive without me.”He stopped and arched one thick black eyebrow at her, surprised at his own openness. “That was very adroit, Miss Davies.Now you know a great deal about me and I still know next to nothing about you.”

“There really isn’t much more to know,” she replied as her cheeks grew pink. He was charmed by her blushes and enjoyed seeing her milky white complexion flushed with color. “I haven’t led a particularly interesting life.I envy you attending college, but women aren’t allowed.My father always encouraged my love of learning although I think my mother fears that it has made me unfeminine. I am afraid I am rather lacking in some of the traditional feminine skills. I hate housework and sewing, but I am a good cook. I love to sing and I’ve taken lessons for years.There, that is my life in a nutshell.”

He smiled at her and she thought to herself how charming his dimple was; it changed his visage from dour to engaging. “And now we know each other a little better. It is a disgrace that women are denied a higher education, but perhaps in the future that will change.Back in America there are a number of women working to give women more rights, including the right to vote.”

“Such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony,” she replied and he nodded.

“I’d like a chance to hear you sing,” he suggested quietly.

“Perhaps you’ll have one,” she replied noncommittally and he frowned a little. “Well, I’m not going to burst into song in the middle of a public street,” she said barely suppressing a giggle and he had to smile at the ridiculous notion.


That night as Adam was alone in his hotel room he reflected back over the day.He really couldn’t remember when he had enjoyed himself so much, perhaps not since he’d left home. He felt so comfortable with Miss Davies and somehow he found himself opening up to her.She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but there was just something about her that he responded to. And he had enjoyed his supper with her brother.It had been pleasant to talk shop with another engineer and Rhys was an extremely intelligent and knowledgeable man. Talking with him made Adam realize that he hadn’t been keeping up with his mathematics or engineering theory since he’d been traveling.That was something he needed to rectify. And he was going to give some serious consideration to investing in some of the opportunities they had discussed.

He sat down at the desk in his room and began a letter to his family.

January — 1874

Dear Pa, Hoss, Joe and Hop Sing,

I’ve made some new friends here in Australia although you wouldn’t have thought our relationship got off to a very propitious start. I had just arrived in Sydney and was exploring the city on foot. I’m afraid I wasn’t watching where I was going because I barreled into a young woman who was carrying an armful of books.I was able to catch her but the books went flying.As I was picking them up, I noticed a novel by Dickens that I hadn’t read yet. I mentioned that I had met him and I could see she was very interested. There were so many books and she was such a little thing that I did the only gentlemanly thing and asked if I could carry them to her destination.

Joe will be disappointed to learn Miss Davies is not a great beauty. She does possess the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Not only are they large and very expressive, but their color is unique. They aren’t blue; they are deep violet just like the flowers. Unfortunately, she must be very nearsighted because she wears thick spectacles that mask some of their beauty.

I scarcely noticed how far we walked because I was enjoying our conversation so much. She invited me in for a cup of tea and I met her mother. I am ashamed to admit that we didn’t give her mother much opportunity to join in the conversation, but she didn’t seem to mind. I was invited to supper the next evening where I met Dr. Davies and her older brother, Rhys.(The oldest son is married and lives on a sheep ranch; the country in New South Wales is more suited to sheep than cattle Dr. Davies told me, but there are cattle ranches, or stations as they call them, to the northwest in Queensland .)

But I digress. Dr. Davies is an intelligent, well-educated man and shares his daughter’s interest in literature. Rhys has scant interest in literature, but when I happened to mention that I lived near Virginia City , his interest perked up.It turns out he is a mining engineer.He was as excited to learn that I knew Philip Deidesheimer as his sister had been to learn I’d met Charles Dickens.

I stayed later than I had intended because we were all having such a wonderful time. They made me feel so welcome and they are obviously a close, loving family. I hadn’t fully realized how much I missed the warmth and sense of belonging one only finds in one’s family.I have decided that when I’ve finished visiting Australia , it will be time for me to head home. 


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


“Hallelujah!” Hoss cheered when Ben read the letter aloud as the three Cartwrights and Hop Sing sat in the great room of the ranch house.“I was beginnin’ to wonder if he was ever gonna get tired of travelin’ and come home.”

“Amen to that,” Joe said.“It’ll sure be great to see Adam again.”

“It is good Mista Adam returning,” Hop Sing added, for he, too, had missed Number One son.

“May I finish the letter?” Ben inquired mildly, and they nodded, still grinning at the news Adam was coming home.

I asked Miss Davies if she would mind serving as my guide to Sydney . She blushed a little (very charmingly) and consented. (Naturally I also obtained permission from Dr. Davies.) We’ve visited one of the oldest parts of Sydney and discussed Dickens and Thackeray, Thoreau and Emerson, and Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. (She finds Robert Browning too obscure and prefers his wife’s poetry. I can’t deny Browning can be maddeningly incomprehensible at times, but I think he is one of the great English poets. She says time will show which of us is correct in our appraisal.) She hasn’t read any Walt Whitman.(Pa, would you mind buying a copy of “Leaves of Grass” and sending it to this address. 

“Sounds like Adam’s takin’ a shine to that gal,” Hoss said with a smile.

“He said she wasn’t a looker,” Joe argued. “He’s just happy he’s found someone as crazy about poetry as he is.” They both saw their father’s raised eyebrows and quieted immediately.

I have also met with Rhys because I’m considering making some investments here, and he is very knowledgeable about the local economy.The Davies have been gracious enough to invite me dine with them again. Mrs. and Miss Davies are both excellent cooks and it is much pleasanter dining with them than it is eating by myself at the hotel. They have invited me to attend church with them Sunday and I’ve accepted.
It’s late so I am going to close,
Affectionately yours ,
Adam


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Adam arrived promptly at the Davies’ house on Sunday morning and found Dr. Davies and Rhys ready.“The ladies will be along in a moment,” Dr. Davies said with a smile. “In thirty-five years of marriage Mrs. Davies has never been ready before me.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever known a woman to be ready on time, now that I think on it,” Adam replied with a smile of his own.

“Bronwen says if we had to put on all the different pieces of clothing they do, we’d be late as well,” Rhys added grinning. “I have to admit the first time I saw a corset, I thanked God I was born a man.”

Just then, Mrs. Davies and Bronwen came down the stairs. Adam noticed that Bronwen was again wearing a dress that didn’t suit her. It was a fawn -colored silk poplin trimmed with a great deal of pleating that he thought was too fussy plus the color was all wrong for her. She should wear blue or green or violet; they would all suit her better than any shade of brown. Her jaunty straw hat trimmed with white roses was much more fetching. “I hope we haven’t kept you waiting,” Mrs. Davies said a little anxiously.

“No more than usual, cariad ,” Dr. Davies replied with a wink. He offered her his arm and Adam offered Bronwen his. He tried to adjust his stride to match her much shorter one, and was rewarded by her grateful smile.He found it difficult to follow the sermon for even with great concentration the minister’s accent was almost unintelligible.However, the highlight of the entire service was sharing a hymnal with Bronwen and hearing her sing. She had the clearest, truest mezzo-soprano he’d ever had the pleasure of hearing.As they walked home together a little behind her parents and brother, he told her, “You have the most superb voice.”

“Thank you.I can return the compliment,” she said shyly.

“No, my voice is pleasant; yours is glorious.”

“You are too kind,” she replied blushing a little. “And I think your voice is glorious.”

“Then we shall just have to agree to disagree,” he said quirking his lips in a tiny smile.

“After Sunday dinner we usually sing,” she said shyly. “Perhaps you could teach us some American songs, Mr. Cartwright.”

“I’d like that very much and, please, call me Adam.”

“Then you must call me Bronwen.”

“All right. Bronwen, I can’t thank you and your family enough for your hospitality. It really means a great deal to me.”

“Nonsense,” she replied warmly. “We enjoy your company and it’s our first opportunity to visit with a world traveler. It must have been so exciting to see the Acropolis and the Coliseum.”

“Don’t forget the dome Michelangelo created for St. Peter’s or Christopher Wren’s St. Paul . I think humbling would be a better adjective though. Any illusions I might have cherished about my architectural talent were thoroughly squashed.”

“There are few geniuses,” she replied, “and they do not seem to have had happy lives.”

“There is some truth in what you say,” he agreed, “and yet, Shakespeare was one of the great geniuses and apart from marrying an older woman (whom he soon abandoned), I never heard his life was tragic. Ditto for Johan Sebastian Bach. On the other hand, I would rather hear Beethoven’s music performed than to have lived his unhappy life.Michelangelo doesn’t appear to have had a very happy existence either.What can’t be determined is whether their genius played any part in their unhappiness.”

“Indeed, I doubt it can be proved or disproved, so I do not intend to alter my belief,” she declared resolutely.

“The triumph of emotion over reason, eh?” he said. She stuck out her tongue at him, startling him into laughter.

She laughed with him, but then she added in a more serious tone , “Le Coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point.”

“The heart has its reasons, whereof reason knows nothing,” he translated. “ Touche, Bronwen.”

They walked in companionable silence and then Bronwen said shyly, “I was just wondering.Since you like to sing, perhaps we could learn a duet?”

“Sounds like fun.What did you have in mind?”

“Well, maybe I’m being too ambitious, but what about Là ci darem la mano, là mi dirai di si from Don Giovanni ?I think you’d be a perfect Don Giovanni.”

Adam raised one eyebrow and said dryly, “Since he ends the opera in Hell, I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

“You know what I mean,” she replied, obviously flustered, and he dimpled. “Yes, I suppose I do. If I were blond and blue-eyed, then you’d see me as heroic rather than villainous.”

“Don’t you think the villains in operas and plays are often more interesting than the heroes?Take Richard III for example. He is a complete villain but he takes such enjoyment in his villainy and he is so charming that I’ve never been able to hate him totally. And I find Mephistopheles more appealing than Faust.”

Adam couldn’t help but laugh.“Bronwen, you certainly are original.I think I’d enjoy singing with you, but I don’t know Italian.”

“Oh, I could help you with the pronunciation. My music teacher taught me to sing Italian.”

“Tell you what.I will happily learn Là ci darem la mano, là mi dirai di si if you will sing me some of the arias you’ve learned.”

“It’s a bargain,” she said and he enjoyed seeing how her face glowed with happiness.He thought she had the most animated features he’d ever seen although he was sure there were times it would be better if her every emotion were not so plainly written on her face. She probably had no idea how obvious her attraction to him was. He would have to be very careful because he did not want to hurt her. He refused to listen to the inner voice that told him the attraction was mutual, for they had no future since he would be sailing back home in a matter of weeks. Although, he told himself, there was no harm in prolonging his stay in Sydney for a week or two.After all, he had just committed himself to learning a duet.



He soon discovered that although she seemed very undisciplined most of the time, she was totally regimented in her approach to music.Even his old music teacher hadn’t insisted on as many warm-ups and scales.She was a perfectionist, practicing a section until it was flawless.

“Bronwen, you are a slave driver,” he said in exasperation after going over the same section six times because his phrasing wasn’t precisely what she wanted.

“No, I’m not.You are just lazy. I know you can do better.”

He frowned but then said with a grin, “And now you are trying flattery. All right, you tyrant, I’ll give it another go.”


The next evening Adam was having supper with the Davies as he often did and Dr. Davies asked, “When will we have an opportunity to hear the duet you’ve been rehearsing so diligently?’

“You’ll have to ask the maestra ,” Adam replied with a sly grin.

“We’ll be ready to perform this Sunday afternoon,” Bronwen replied firmly causing Adam to raise one eyebrow since she’d given him no indication that she was satisfied with his performance.

“Then I propose a celebration.Adam, how would you like to visit Bondi Beach with us Saturday afternoon?”

“I would love to.Do I need to buy a bathing costume?”

“Yes.You do know how to swim?” Dr. Davies asked and Adam nodded.“Good. Meet us here promptly at 10 o’clock if you would. We’ll take the public omnibus to Waverley and from there we’ll ride on one of Macnamara’s omnibuses to the beach. There are picnic grounds so we’ll be taking a picnic lunch with us.”

Saturday was sunny and warm—a perfect day for a trip to the beach. Adam arrived at the Davies’ home shortly before 10 o’clock dressed in a scarlet blazer and white flannel trousers, sporting a jaunty straw hat. Dr. Davies was dressed more soberly in a single-breasted university jacket of navy blue broadcloth and matching trousers, but he also wore a straw hat. The ladies were dressed in simple white cotton blouses and delaine skirts—Bronwen in dark blue and Mrs. Davies in charcoal gray—and Adam felt the simplicity of this attire suited Bronwen.

The four of them conversed pleasantly on the ride. When they arrived at Bondi Beach, the golden sand reminded Adam of summer his sophomore year at Harvard, which he’d spent with the Collingsworth family at their summer home on Martha’s Vineyard.The four separated by sex to change into their bathing costumes. He and Dr. Davies both wore bathing costumes of navy blue wool knit.However, Dr. Davies’s had short sleeves and was trimmed with red bands around the pants, shirt and sleeves while Adam’s costume was sleeveless and had white bands around the pants and shirt.He felt his breath catch when he saw Bronwen emerge from the changing room in a pretty costume of blue flannel.It was short-sleeved and worn with a sash that emphasized her tiny waist and the matching blue flannel pantaloons ended just below her knee, displaying her slender calves and slim ankles. Her raven tresses were hidden underneath a blue flannel hat trimmed with a rose-colored ribbon. He felt a sudden, unexpected surge of desire and quickly forced his mind on something else lest his body betray him.Bronwen had a similar reaction to him in his costume; she hadn’t realized just how muscular he was. She could feel the color in her cheeks and forcing her gaze from him, she took off her spectacles and sat them on the picnic hamper before running toward the waves calling, “I’ll race you to the water, Adam.”

They swam and dived in the clear aquamarine water. “You’re a Nereid,” he said with grin, his teeth gleaming white in his tanned face as they let themselves just float for a few minutes.

“When I was a little girl,” she said returning his smile, “I used to pretend I was a mermaid.I just love the sea. I think if I’d been a boy, I’d have run off to sea and worked as a cabin boy.”

“The sea is in my blood,” he replied in a more serious tone. “My father was first officer on a clipper ship before he decided to head west, and on my mother’s side the men followed the sea as far back as anyone can remember.”

“But not you?”

“I’ve enjoyed my travels, but I don’t want to be a sailor. No, I prefer engineering.Your brother and I have talked very seriously about his desire to form his own mining company. He’s convinced there are minerals to the west that can be profitably mined, and I’m considering backing him”

“Oh, but won’t it be expensive?” she asked anxiously. “I mean, I’m glad you want to help Rhys achieve his dream, but I wouldn’t want to you to risk too much.”

“Don’t worry,” he replied with a friendly grin. “I’m not that much of a gambler. I am just considering selling some of my railroad stock and using that money.I’m pretty diversified. I own stock in several railroads as well as some mines; I own some property in Boston and I own one-fifth of Cartwright Enterprises.”

“One fifth? But I thought you only had two brothers?”

“Pa owns two-fifths and my brothers and I each own one-fifth. I’ve not seen my father’s will, but I imagine his estate will be divided equally among the three of us.I can afford to do a little speculation without ending up destitute,” he added with just a hint of a smile quirking up his lips.

“Adam, do you realize that your eyes change color?” she asked unexpectedly. He’d noticed she’d been starting at him intently, but he’d assumed that was because she wasn’t wearing her spectacles so he was caught off guard.

“Change color?My eyes are dark hazel.”

“That’s the color they are inside a well-lit room. In the shadows, they are brown.Now, in the bright sunlight, they are golden, like a raptor’s.”

“And raptors swoop down on smaller birds,” he said with a devilish light in his eyes.

“They have to catch them first,” she replied with a laugh before diving and swimming away.

She was a strong swimmer and he had to exert himself to catch her. They came to the surface laughing and as their eyes met, he bent his head to kiss her mouth but just then they heard Mrs. Davies voice.

“Bronwen! Adam! We’re going to eat now!”

They broke apart self-consciously and swam to where the older Davies waited.

Bronwen Davies, you are a fool! she told herself as she let her salty tears mingle with the salty water. To fall in love with a man you know will be sailing out of your life in a matter of weeks, even days.Her heart answered, I could not help myself.When I dreamed of the man I could love, the man with whom I would share my life, I know now it was he.

Adam Cartwright, what were you thinking of? he scolded himself.You know she is already too fond of you and she is going to be hurt when you leave. Do you want to hurt her more?And that little inner voice insisted, And don’t forget your own hurt. You’ll be making it more painful for yourself as well.

“Best change so you don’t get a chill,” the doctor suggested as Adam and Bronwen approached so they hurriedly changed and joined the older couple. Adam decided his blazer was too warm and he laid it beside him on the blanket along with his tie and left his collar unbuttoned. Bronwen’s hair was damp so she let the long braid hang down her back just past her hips and Adam couldn’t stop himself from imagining what it would look like loose, what it would feel like to touch its silky softness. His thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Davies asking him if he’d care for a sandwich, and he knew he’d better focus on something other than Bronwen.

“Adam, Bronwen’s birthday is a fortnight away, and if you are still here, we’d love to have you join us.Rhys has promised to be here and although our oldest son doesn’t feel he can leave his sheep station, our daughter-in-law and our grandchildren will also be here. I know they would love to meet you,” Mrs. Davies said.

“I’m honored to be invited.I’ll make a point of being here although I’ll need to be leaving soon after that,” Adam replied, stealing a glance at Bronwen beneath his lashes. He saw her face light up with happiness and it awoke a reciprocal happiness in him although he tried to squash it.

After the picnic lunch, Dr.and Mrs. Davies went for a stroll while Adam and Bronwen constructed a sandcastle. “Yours are as elaborate as Rhys’s are,” Mrs. Davies said with a smile when she and the doctor returned.

“Naturally, we’re engineers,” he replied with an answering smile.


That evening in his hotel room he sat down to write to his family.


February—, 1874

Dear Pa, Hoss, Joe and Hop Sing,

I have decided to extend my visit to Sydney a few weeks. Bronwen and I —


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


“It’s Bronwen now,” Hoss said interrupting his father’s reading and aiming a wide grin at his younger brother.

“Them being on a first name basis don’t mean anything,” Joe retorted. Ben cleared his throat loudly and resumed reading.

…haven’t explored every inch of the city yet and it has several beautiful gardens.Today the Davies and I went for a picnic at Bondi Beach .Before we ate we all went for a swim since it’s summer here south of the equator and the temperature was between 70 ^o and 80 ^o.It is a beautiful beach, even more lovely than those on Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod.

Since I’ve been here I’ve been attending church with the Davies each Sunday. It was at church that I discovered that Bronwen has a magnificent mezzo-soprano voice. Actually, the entire family is musical. (Dr. Davies says it’s because they are Welsh.)We’ve spent several evenings together singing. I taught them some American songs like “Oh, Susanna,” and “Lily of the West,” and they’ve tried to teach me some Welsh songs. (I’m afraid speaking Welsh is beyond me; it’s difficult enough to comprehend the Australian accent and idioms.)I sing “Men of Harlech” in English and then Dr. Davies sings it in Welsh. Bronwen and I have been working on a duet from Mozart’s Don Giovanni. (She has been teaching me to sing Italian. She is quite a martinet, but she feels we are now ready and so this Sunday we will be performing it for her family.)

Her birthday is in two weeks and I have been invited to the celebration. The Davies have certainly made me feel a part of their family. I wish you could meet them because I know you would like them as much as I do.I still want to visit Melbourne and a little of the outback, but then I’ll be sailing home.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you in a few months.

Affectionately yours ,
Adam


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


The morning of her birthday Bronwen’s best friend, Emily, and her sister-in-law, Victoria, came to see her, and she invited them up to her bedroom to see the new dress she’d had made for her party.

“Here it is,” she said shyly, taking the dress from her wardrobe and holding it under her chin.“What do you think?”

“Oh, it’s lovely,” breathed Victoria.“It matches your eyes perfectly.”

“Yes, Mr. Cartwright should be impressed,” said Emily teasingly. Victoria saw her sister-in-law’s blush and said in surprise, ‘Bronwen, are you sweet on this Mr. Cartwright Tad has written about so often?”

“Yes,” Bronwen said simply while Emily added, “He’s very handsome and he’s well-educated and charming.”

“I wish I were more beautiful,” Bronwen said sadly.

“You are very pretty,” her friend retorted indignantly. “You just don’t know how to make the most of your looks. Victoria, don’t you think it would be a good idea if we cut her hair in a fringe?”

“Yes,” Victoria agreed readily.“And don’t pull your hair back so tightly. Leave it a little looser so it will have a softening effect. It’s too bad you have to wear your spectacles.’

“Well, I do if I want to see,” Bronwen stated firmly. “Do you really think a fringe will suit me?”

“Yes, we do,” Emily replied.“Now you just sit right here and Victoria will cut your hair in a fringe.I’m going to run home and get my curling iron and I’ll be right back.”


Bronwen looked in amazement at her reflection. The curly bangs did seem to suit her.She checked the clock sitting on her dresser and saw it was time to begin dressing. She carefully put on her white lace stockings and buttoned her shoes. Next she put on her hoops over her starched petticoats and over all the petticoats and hoops she placed the white silk poplin underskirt with its twelve-inch-wide flounce of violet poplin bound to the skirt by a band of plain violet silk. Finally, she put on the violet-and-white striped silk poplin polonaise with its smooth, close-fitting elbow-length sleeves trimmed in Brussels lace. The polonaise fitted tightly and buttoned all down the front with small round buttons covered in violet silk.She fastened the pearl choker she had received for her sixteenth birthday around her neck and put on the matching pearl drop earrings.Just then her mother came to see if she was ready.

“Do you think this dress really suits me?” Bronwen asked anxiously as she gazed at her reflection.

“Yes, I do.It flatters your figure and the color matches your eyes, which are your best feature.”

“But no one can see them behind my spectacles,” Bronwen said dejectedly.

“Of course they can,” her mother replied cheerfully. “I’m glad Emily and Victoria persuaded you to cut your hair into a fringe. I think it is very becoming.”

Bronwen smiled at her mother.She knew it was foolish to care so much.She should be content to have Adam’s friendship and not wish for the impossible. He was so handsome; she was surprised that he wasn’t married but perhaps he had never met the right woman or perhaps he had and there was some romantic tragedy in his past.He spoke often of his father and brothers, but he was obviously a very private man.She glanced at the clock on her vanity, and seeing how late it had grown, she carefully applied a little coralline salve to her lips to redden them and pinched some color into her cheeks before going downstairs to meet her guests.


Adam prided himself on his punctuality, but his cab had gotten snarled in traffic and now his watch said he was 10 minutes late. He quickly paid the cabby, dashed up the sidewalk and knocked on the door. Dr. Davies opened it, saying with a smile, “Here you are. We were afraid something had come up and you wouldn’t be able to join us.”

Adam’s eyes moved swiftly over the room until he saw Bronwen, and felt his heart begin to race and his breathing quicken. She had done something to her hair, and the new style softened her features. Her dress accentuated her tiny waist, and the violet was the exact shade of her extraordinary eyes.It was becoming harder and harder to convince himself that he felt nothing but friendship for her. However, admitting that he desired her only made the situation more dangerous for them both.He was leaving Sydney in a matter of days, and so there was no future for them. Better if he continued to treat her as nothing more than a friend.

She walked toward him smiling and he took her hands saying, “Happy birthday, Bronwen.This is for you.”

She opened the package quickly. “Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters.It’s one of my favorites.Thank you, Adam,” she said, blushing in the manner he always found endearing.“I think you’ve met most of the guests but let me introduce you to my sister-in-law, who is visiting us with my nephews.”Adam made polite conversation, aware that he was the object of intense scrutiny.When it was time for supper, Dr. Davies escorted Bronwen but Adam found he was seated at her right.The supper conversation was light and he was asked several questions about the famous Comstock Lode and well-known figures such as William Ralston, Leland Stanford, John McKay and Philip Deidesheimer.After the meal, the gentlemen joined the ladies immediately and several of the guests demonstrated their musical abilities.Dr. Davies persuaded Bronwen and Adam to sing Là ci darem la mano, là mi dirai di si to great applause.Adam waited patiently and finally when most of the others had decided to play cards, he asked Bronwen if they could step outside for a few minutes for some fresh air.

“I have waited all evening for a chance to tell you how lovely you look tonight,” he said quietly as they stood on the back porch in the moonlight. “And there is something I’ve wanted to do all evening, if you’ll allow me.”

“Of course,” she answered rather breathlessly while her heart was pounding in her chest so loudly that she was sure he must be able to hear it.

Very gently he reached out and removed her spectacles and sat them on the porch railing.“I knew you had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen,” he said so softly it was almost a whisper. Her face was turned up to his and as he watched her lips parted and she sighed very gently.Without thinking, he moved his mouth to hers, letting his tongue gently tease her lips until he could deepen the kiss.Her innocent response inflamed him and he found his hands cupping her buttocks, grateful that a Polonaise was worn without a bustle.She felt so right in his arms that he was losing himself in their embrace but he suddenly realized what he was doing and stepped away, painfully aware of his arousal.

“I am so sorry, Bronwen.My behavior was unforgivable,” he said quietly, not able to meet her eyes.

Her heart was racing and her breathing was uneven as she said unsteadily, “Let’s agree that it was a momentary aberration on both our parts.” She looked up at the full moon overhead and said, “Perhaps we could blame our madness on the moon.” She tried to steady her breathing and said quietly, “Could you hand me my spectacles?”

He handed them to her and she turned to go back inside. She hesitated when he didn’t join her and he said softly, “I’ll come inside in a few minutes.It might excite less comment if we don’t come in together.”He smiled a bitter smile thinking, It will surely excite plenty of comment if I come with you in an obvious state of arousal. How could I have treated her like that?She is a gently bred, virtuous woman.He’d been surprised by the depth of his desire, but that was no excuse.It was just as well that he would be leaving for Melbourne in a few days. In the meantime, she was right and they should just pretend it never happened.

That proved to be almost impossible. Whenever he was with her, he found himself remembering what it had felt like to kiss her and hold her in his arms.Although he didn’t know it, Bronwen was finding it equally difficult to stop reliving their kiss. She had been kissed before, but not with such intimacy. She shocked herself because she wished he hadn’t broken off the kiss so soon.She knew she loved him and couldn’t stop herself no matter how much pain and grief it cost. When they were together, he seemed remote and distracted, and at night she would pour out her pain and her love in her diary and would make no effort to stop her tears even though she would wake the next morning with a pounding headache and puffy eyes.Her parents suspected the cause of her unhappiness, but they were wise enough to understand that she would have to get through this herself.

The Davies had invited Adam to a farewell supper the evening before he was to leave for Melbourne.Bronwen was devastated by the knowledge that this would be the last time she ever saw him. Her red swollen eyes were a mute testimony to her anguish. In contrast, Adam assumed an air of false cheerfulness. He was saddened at the thought of parting from Bronwen and her family but told himself it was good that he was leaving now before he unintentionally caused her any more pain.

She said very little during the meal but her parents talked with Adam and by unspoken agreement, they made no mention of Bronwen’s unnatural silence. After supper Dr. Davies said with a smile, “I know you must be up early to catch your train, Adam bach , but I hope you have time to sing us one last American song.”

Adam returned the doctor’s smile, saying, “I’ve time for one song.”

“Good.Let’s go to the parlor.”

They gathered and Adam was saddened to note that Bronwen sat as far from him as possible.“This is one of my favorites, but I warn you it is a sad song.It’s called Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies.”

Bronwen listened to his mellow baritone and watched him, storing memories to last a lifetime.When he sang,
I wish I had known before I courted
That love had been so hard to gain
I'd ‘ve locked my heart in a box of golden
And fastened it down with a silver chain.
she couldn’t stop her tears and felt their warm wetness on her cheeks and tasted their saltiness. Adam saw her tears and they were like a knife stabbing and tearing his heart. When he finished singing, he said goodbye to Dr. and Mrs. Davies, thanking them for their generous hospitality, “making a stranger and foreigner feel so much at home.”He paused and then said quietly, “Dr. Davies, may I have your permission to say a private goodbye to Bronwen?”

“Of course.I have some work to do in my study.” Mrs. Davis also exited quickly, leaving him alone with Bronwen.

“Bronwen,” he began but she put her finger on his lips.

“Don’t say anything, Adam. I have one favor to ask of you since this is the last time I’ll ever see you.”

“Of course.”

“Kiss me again, please.”

He bent down and removed her spectacles before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.He discovered she was a quick learner for she initiated a more passionate kiss. He felt her hands slip around his neck and her fingers begin to entwine in his hair, and he spanned her tiny waist with his hands and drew her close. As he felt his body’s response, he gently broke off the kiss. She looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears, and whispered, “Thank you, Adam,” and then she ran out of the room. He waited a few minutes before leaving, closing the door softly behind him.



A fortnight later Bronwen returned from a trip to the library, her arms laden with books, only to have the door flung open as soon as she approached the house.

“Miss Bronwen!Miss Bronwen!” Lily, their maid, said excitedly.“You have a visitor. And you’ll never guess who it is!”

“I don’t feel in the mood to play guessing games, Lily. These books are heavy so please let me by,” she snapped.

“It’s Mr. Cartwright, that’s who’s waiting for you in the drawing room,” Lily said in a rush, taking the books from Bronwen.

“Mr. Cartwright’s in Melbourne, Lily,” Bronwen replied, feeling her heart begin to race.

“No, he’s not.He’s sitting in your drawing room. Mrs. Davies is out and he’s been waiting for you for almost an hour.” She saw Bronwen’s disbelief and gave her a little push. “Go on, Miss Bronwen. You mustn’t keep him waiting.”

Adam had been pacing around the drawing room but he stopped when he heard footsteps approach.He watched her face light up when she saw him and she held out her hands. “Adam, I am so pleased to see you.But I’m surprised. I thought you said you wouldn’t be returning to Sydney.”

“I didn’t plan to return.I told myself that we had no future, but all I could think about was how much I missed you—missed talking with you and sharing ideas, missed seeing your smile and hearing your beautiful voice.I just missed you,” he said quietly, keeping his eyes locked on hers.“My youngest brother used to call me a Yankee granite head and he was right. It took being separated to make me realize what you mean to me.”

“What do I mean to you,” she asked softly.

“I love you, Bronwen, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

“Oh, yes, Adam!” she replied and he bent down and kissed her.

When they finally broke apart, he said with a grin, “You have only one flaw, sweetheart.”He saw her raised eyebrows and said, “You’re too short,” before lifting her up in his arms. He sat down on the sofa, sitting her on his lap.They continued kissing and caressing until he was afraid he would lose control so he sat her beside him.

“You don’t want a long engagement, do you?” he asked in a husky voice and she shook her head.“What if we plan to marry a month from now?That should give us time to find a house and furnish it.”

“You mean we’ll live here?” she said wonderingly. “I know you miss your family so I thought you would want to live on the Ponderosa.”

“I do miss my family, but if I took you to the Ponderosa, then you would miss yours.More even, I think, than I miss mine. Besides, I like your family and your country. It’s full of opportunities. I told you that Rhys would like to start his own mining company and we’d discussed my investing in the venture. Now maybe we can discuss a partnership.” He paused then and she read a mixture of guilt and pain in his eyes. “There’s one other consideration if I’m honest with myself: If I settle here, then I can escape being ‘the oldest Cartwright boy’. I love my father, but he casts a very long shadow. He built his dream, and now I want to build one of my own.” He put his arm around her shoulders then and she snuggled close.

“Adam, if we marry in a month, that won’t give your family time to travel here,” she said after a moment.

“I know, and I regret that, but I’ll be thirty-eight this November and I think I’ve waited long enough to marry. Besides,” and he stopped to kiss her lips lightly, “now that I have admitted to myself that I love you having to wait months to consummate that love would be agony.” She blushed at those words and looked so adorable that he had to kiss her again.While they were kissing they heard a knock at the door and quickly broke apart. “We’ll be out in a moment,” Adam called, “and we have some wonderful news to share with you.”

Bronwen stood up and tugged at her dress. “Do I look all right?”

“You look thoroughly kissed, but I think your parents will forgive me. You need to re-button your polonaise though,” he said with a hint of a grin as she looked down and realized he had unbuttoned it almost to her waist. “I’m more worried about my appearance, but I think if you stand in front of me it will be all right.” She looked at him quizzically and he said with a smothered grin, “You’ll understand after we’re married, but your parents will understand now.”

The next afternoon just before dinner Lily walked into the dining room carrying a flower arrangement saying, “Miss Bronwen, these are for you.”

“Thank you, Lily,” Bronwen replied feeling her cheeks redden. “Please put them over there.”

“Ah,” Mrs. Davies said with a smile for her daughter. “Red roses for love, forget-me-nots for true love, yellow tulips meaning he is desperately in love and bluebells for fidelity.”

“There’s a note,” Bronwen said, her cheeks still flushed. She opened it and read in Adam’s neat handwriting:

My Mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
That in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Mrs. Davies saw the dreamy expression on her daughter’s face and shared a smile with the maid.

“Mr. Cartwright is ever so romantic,” Lily said softly.

Bronwen tore her gaze from the sonnet then and answered with a beatific smile, “Yes, he is.”



About three weeks after Adam proposed, they still hadn’t found a house to rent.“I am beginning to think there isn’t a decent house for rent in Sydney,” Adam said one morning as they began their daily house hunting.

“Surely we can find something,” Bronwen said apprehensively. “At least we have most of our furniture, our china and silver and pots and pans.”

“Yes, but they are useless unless we have a house to put them in,” he snapped. He stopped then and said quickly, “I’m sorry.I don’t mean to take my temper out on you. You’re right; we may find something today. After all, we are only looking for a house to rent until we know for certain where we’ll be living. I just never thought it would be this difficult.”

“Since we only want to rent, maybe we should lower our expectations just a little,” she suggested in a carefully neutral tone. Her fiancé, she was discovering, was a perfectionist. That was one of the reasons she had decided to hire a maid of all work: She hated housework and feared she would fall short of his exacting standards. She had chosen a friendly middle-aged woman named Nell Godwin, who had been recommended by Lily. Nell was a childless widow who’d been forced to seek employment after her husband’s death and had excellent references.

At her words he raised one eyebrow quizzically before saying mildly, “I won’t rent a house in such poor condition it is unsafe.”

She just nodded saying, “You are the expert, cariad.”

The fourth house they came to view was a two-story frame house in the suburb of Paddington that appeared to be freshly painted while its lawn was verdant and well cared for.“This is promising, don’t you think?” Bronwen asked as they walked up the neatly paved path to the front porch.

“Yes, this owner has taken good care of his property,” Adam replied quietly. “We could put a swing on the porch. It would be pleasant to sit on a porch swing on a hot summer evening.”

“You mean a hot winter evening,” she corrected with a giggle.

“I’m not sure I will ever get used to the seasons down here,” he replied with a grin.“I like the fact the house is set so far back from the street; it gives a little more privacy. And the gum tree provides nice shade.”

They were as pleased with the interior of the house. There was one small bedroom on the ground floor that could be used by Nell as well as an enormous master bedroom on the second floor whose walls had been recently papered in a design that appealed to both Adam and Bronwen.

“This room is beautiful,” Bronwen breathed. “We could put the bed here,” she gestured. (They had bought an enormous cherry wood four-poster bed.)“The chest of drawers could go there and your wardrobe and mine could be side by side against this wall.”He looked at the animation in her face, the way her beautiful eyes shone with happiness and felt his heart swell with love.

“Oh, look!” she exclaimed in delight. “Window seats. I love to curl up in a window seat with a book.”

He smiled and kissed her lightly before replying, “It is a lovely room, but let’s take a look at the rest of the house before we make up our minds.”

“You mean before you make yours up. I know this is the house I want to live in.I just feel it.”

There were two other bedrooms on that floor. He was pleased to find a room on the first floor that he could turn into a combination library and study while Bronwen loved the large dining room with its wonderful view of the lovely garden in the backyard.

“Well, my reason agrees with your feeling,” he said leaning over to kiss her after they finished inspecting the house. “Now, let’s see how soon we may rent it. Hopefully before the wedding.”


Their wedding day was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining and the temperature was warm for April but not too warm. Adam found he was missing his father and brothers terribly. He had asked Rhys to stand up with him, but fond as he was of his brother-in-law to-be, it wasn’t the same as having Hoss or Joe as his best man. He mentally chided himself for having maudlin thoughts on the happiest day of his life.He had no doubts that he and Bronwen would have a good marriage, and he was eager to begin their life together. Just three days earlier they had all their new furniture delivered to their house, and he had enjoyed their discussions about how it should be arranged. The bookshelves in the library cum study looked rather forlorn since Bronwen tended to borrow books from the public library rather than to buy them.He intended to write his father about shipping his books now that he had a definite address.

He found he liked the feminine touches throughout their house and decided he would eventually become accustomed to having a lady’s vanity with his wife’s hairbrush, combs, hairpins and perfume bottle in their dressing room. They had each taken all their clothes except their wedding attire to their new house yesterday and he was pleased to see she had done as he’d suggested and bought some new frocks in shades of violet, green and blue. He had even been successful in persuading her to use a minimum of pleating as a decoration. Her new dresses would suit her much better and he was looking forward to seeing her wear them.

He shaved carefully and trimmed his mustache before brushing his hair, noting his receding hairline with a sigh. He was nearly thirty-eight so it wasn’t unexpected. At least he hadn’t noticed any gray yet.He fumbled tying his black silk necktie four-in-hand but finally got it done to his satisfaction. He straightened his black dress coat and checked one last time to make sure he had Bronwen’s gold wedding band before picking up his valise and his top hat and exiting the room.

He found Rhys waiting in the lobby looking nervous and a little uncomfortable in his high starched collar. “Hello,” he greeted Adam with a grin.“I have a cab waiting to take us to the church.”

“Fine,” Adam replied with a smile. “I’ll just pay my bill.”

“You certainly are calm,” Rhys noted. “Poor Bronwen is a wreck.”

Adam smiled at this but only replied, “Brides are usually nervous I’ve been told.”

“But so are bridegrooms.”

“Not this one,” he said quietly.

Mrs. Davies was waiting for them at the church and pinned on their boutonnières. Adam stood at the front of the nearly empty church (for they had only invited Bronwen’s family and her closest friends), Rhys at his side, and waited for his bride. He heard the organ music that signaled her entrance and felt his entire being suffused by a rush of love and joy at the sight of Bronwen’s slight form on her father’s arm. His emotions were so strong that he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. They spoke their vows in sure, clear vices and both their faces were radiant when they turned to face their guests after their kiss.

Afterward neither Adam nor Bronwen remembered much about their wedding dinner. There was some good-natured teasing, but nothing really ribald. Finally the cab arrived to take the newlyweds to their home. Mrs. Davies kissed her daughter and tried not to cry while Dr. Davies’ eyes looked suspiciously bright as he kissed his daughter and hugged her warmly.

“You take good care of my daughter, Adam bach,” Dr. Davies said, smiling at his new son-in-law.

“I’ll take care of my wife,” Adam said with a wink, “and that will take care of your daughter.”

“I’ll write and tell you all about Melbourne,” Bronwen said, her own eyes beginning to swim with tears.

“Oh Bronwen fach , I think Adam will find other ways to occupy your time,” said her father with a wink and he and Adam shared a grin at Bronwen’s blush.


They had decided to spend their wedding night in their new house and leave for Melbourne the next morning. Adam allowed Bronwen the privacy of their dressing room while he quickly stripped and got into their bed.“Aren’t you ready, sweetheart,” he called after what seemed like an eternity had passed.

“Almost.Don’t be impatient with me, cariad,” her voice came from behind the closed door of the dressing room.

“I’ll try not to be,” he replied leaning against the headboard, his arms folded across his chest.He knew she was probably nervous and reminded himself that he must be a patient, gentle lover. He heard the door open then and saw his bride framed in the doorway in a white nightgown with her ebony hair falling unbound past her hips. He knew she had no idea that the lamp in the room behind her allowed him to see the outline of her slender curves clearly and he felt his own body’s immediate response.He held out one hand saying, “Come here,” in a voice roughened by desire.

Bronwen’s eyes widened and she felt her breathing quicken at the sight of Adam’s naked chest with its mat of black hair and the clearly defined muscles of his chest and arms.She swallowed convulsively before turning to put out the lamp in the dressing room. “May I put out the lamp in here?” she asked and heard the timidity in her tone.

“I’d rather you just turned it down,” he replied with a smile. “I understand your natural modesty but we don’t want to fumble in the dark.” He was silent for a moment, looking at her, before he said quietly, “I am longing to show you how much I love you.”

“And I love you,” she whispered walking toward the bed. He pulled back the bedclothes and she slid in beside him and found herself caught in his embrace while his mouth fastened on hers hungrily.

He exercised his considerable self-control so he could take all the time needed to introduce her to the joy of becoming one flesh. Afterward, he held her in his arms and whispered, “I didn’t hurt you?”

“Not really.Mam told me there would probably be some pain the first time.” She paused, and then turning to face him, said softly, “She never told me how wonderful it would be.”

“It was glorious,” he replied quietly. Then he winked at her.“Now that we’re married we can do it whenever we want.”

She grinned back at him.“Right now?”

“I think we’d better wait until morning since this was your first time. Something to look forward to,” he replied with a hint of a smirk. “Let me show you the best way to sleep,” and he turned on his side toward her. “Now, you just snuggle right next to me so we’re like two spoons.” Snuggled together he soon fell asleep while Bronwen lay awake drinking in the sensations of lying so close to him with one of his arms draped over her, holding her close. She was aware of each breath he took, the beating of his heart, and his own unique scent, which was now branded on her memory.Gradually, she, too, drifted to sleep.


The first thing Adam was aware of the next morning was the soft roundness of his wife’s body pressed close to his. He brushed back her hair and kissed the nape of her neck. She turned around then so they were facing each other. “Good morning,” she said softly, her beautiful violet eyes unfocused.

“Good morning, Mrs. Cartwright,” he replied with a smile. “I like the sound of that.”

“So do I,” she whispered and he lightly caressed her slender curves, enjoying the silky feel of her skin and her tentative exploration of his body. They made love slowly, and afterward they lay together cuddling until she said reluctantly, “It’s getting late. I need to fix breakfast.What would you like?”

“Bacon, eggs, toast and coffee.”

“How do you like your eggs?”

“Fried with unbroken yolks.And I like my bacon fried crisp.”

“Such a demanding husband,” she teased, shaking her finger at him. Then she blushed a little and said timidly, “Adam, could you close your eyes?”

“Close my eyes?” he said quizzically, raising one eyebrow.

“I don’t seem to be wearing my nightgown,” she replied, her cheeks reddening.

“I don’t seem to be wearing a nightshirt,” he said with a grin. “Tell you what.What if we both get out of bed now? That would make us equal.”

She blushed more furiously but replied, “All right.” She threw off the bedclothes and ran for her negligee, which was draped across a chair by her wardrobe, so he only caught a fleeting glimpse of her slender white form.He smiled at her modesty and walked deliberately to his robe, which was hanging in his wardrobe, and put it on. He saw her staring at him, her pupils so large they nearly swallowed up the irises.“You’re beautiful,” she whispered.

“Thank you,” he replied with a smile, “but that’s what I’m supposed to tell you,” and he bent over and kissed her, entwining his fingers in her long black hair.“Let’s both go down to the kitchen. I will make our coffee, or do you prefer tea?”

“Tea.”

“Then I’ll put the kettle on for your tea and make my coffee.”

“Shouldn’t we get dressed first?”

“We’re all alone so let’s eat first and then we’ll get dressed.” He took her hand and they went downstairs to the kitchen. She and her mother had brought over all her china, silver, pots and pans and linens the previous week, so she got her frying pan and gave Adam the kettle and coffeepot.He finished and sat at the table so he could watch her.He smiled inwardly as he watched the curve of her buttocks and breasts, and the slender shape of her thighs and calves through the diaphanous négligée .After a few minutes he said, “I’ll set the table. Do you mind if we eat here?It seems an appropriate setting for our attire.”

“Yes.I don’t want to eat our first meal in our dining room in dishabille.Besides, it’s cozier in here.”

She watched him while he ate and when he finished asked, “Was it all right?” a little anxiously.

“It was delicious.You didn’t eat much though.”

“Oh, I never eat more than toast and tea for breakfast. I’m never very hungry when I first get up.”

“Well, you take your bath while I shave. By the time we both bathe and dress, it will be time to head for the train station.”


As they rode in the cab to the train station, Bronwen said happily, “You know, this will be the first time I’ve ever ridden on a train. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve left Sydney.”

“Really?” he commented with a raised eyebrow.

Her happy expression wilted a little and she said quietly, “I know I’m extremely provincial.”

“An extremely adorable provincial,” he replied, lifting her hands and kissing first one and then the other, and she smiled radiantly at him.

As they traveled, Bronwen gazed out the window at the lush green scenery while Adam watched her, thinking this was the longest train ride he’d ever taken.He enjoyed watching her enthusiasm and her delight at each new sight, but a large part of his brain was obsessed with making love to her again ¼ and again ¼ and again.

“Cariad,” she said reproachfully at one point, “you are a thousand miles away.”

“No, I’m not,” he smiled.“I’m simply in our hotel suite, imagining what we’ll be doing when we get there.”

Her face suffused with color, but then she said very demurely, “Why, won’t we do some sightseeing after we arrive?”

He saw the mischievous glint in her eye and said in a low voice, “The only exploring I intend for today is my wife’s body. You’ll enjoy it more than exploring the streets of Melbourne, I promise.” He took one of her hands, and undoing the buttons on her glove, he placed a kiss on her exposed wrist and saw her eyes darken and felt her pulse quicken under his lips.

“I am sure I shall,” she replied breathlessly and turned back to the scenery while he continued to hold her hand and stroke the inner wrist with his thumb.

His touch was making it impossible for her to concentrate on the scenery so she decided to try and distract them both. “Is this land like the Ponderosa?” she asked, trying to free her hand.

He smiled at her, but refused to relinquish her hand. “No.It’s quite different.Our climate is semi-arid and to the south it’s desert.But even if the Ponderosa is not as lush and green I think it is more spectacular. I am looking forward to showing you Lake Tahoe.It’s the most beautiful sight in the world—that cerulean water nestled among those tall ponderosa pines and the snow-covered mountains.”

“What I am really looking forward to is meeting my new family,” she said smiling, and he thought how animated her face was; she literally glowed with happiness.We certainly prove the adage that opposites attract he thought with a tiny grin. “It seems strange that they don’t know that we’re married,” she continued.

“Believe me, they’ll be just as eager to meet you,” he said with a broad grin.“My father is going to be thrilled to have a daughter-in-law, and he’ll be even more thrilled when he has grandchildren.”

“Adam,” she scolded, the color flooding her cheeks.

“Sweetheart, have I ever told you how much I love your blushes,” he murmured.

“Adam, behave yourself,” she whispered blushing even more furiously.

“All right, I’ll try,” he replied and dimpled, which had its usual affect on her.He still held her hand and continued to caress it.She decided to see if she could tease him, and she maneuvered her foot so that she could rub it slowly and sensually up and down his calf.

“You little wanton,” he whispered, “I’ll stop if you will.”

She grinned at him and whispered back, “How much longer before we arrive in Melbourne?”

“Too long,” he replied.“I think I’ll try reading. I brought Innocents Abroad by my old acquaintance Sam Clemens with me.It’ll be interesting to compare his travels with mine.” He got the book out of the carpetbag they’d brought on the train with them and tried to concentrate while she turned back to the scenery.


She was impressed by their hotel’s opulence (he had booked a large suite at Melbourne’s finest hotel), but she tried not to appear gauche in her husband’s eyes.She didn’t realize that her every emotion was visible on her face and he was pleased at her pleasure. When she got her first glimpse of their suite with its plush carpet, heavy velvet drapes and mahogany furniture upholstered in brocade and velvet, her face showed her wonder and delight.He quickly closed and locked the door before turning to take her in his arms. As he kissed her, he swept her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom. Her eyes opened very wide as she took in the enormous four-poster bed with its maroon satin coverlet embroidered in gold.They made love more than once that evening, for he discovered her newly awakened desire was as strong as his own.They were both totally sated when they fell asleep that night.The next morning, they dressed quickly and hurried to the hotel dining room for breakfast since they’d missed supper.


“Isn’t it ironic,” Adam stated as they walked arm in arm down Collins Street that morning, “that while Sydney has such a beautiful site with its harbor and its lovely gardens it also has narrow crooked streets that are poorly maintained and many of its houses are in deplorable condition. Now, while Melbourne’s site is not particularly appealing, the city is beautifully laid out with magnificent public buildings, churches, hotels and lovely parks.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Bronwen said with a sigh. “I can’t imagine why Sydney wasn’t better designed.”

“Don’t be too hard on your native city,” he replied with a smile. “Wait until you see Virginia City. It’s built on a mountain because that’s where the silver was discovered and you’ll see buildings balanced on 40-percent grades with foundations dug into the mountain on the upslope while extra stories are built on the downslope. The ground is so steep that just about every day there’s at least one runaway wagon.And the noise!The sound of the stamp mills, the mine whistles and the engines is almost deafening.”


They had a lovely time visiting Melbourne. The walked through the Royal Botanic Garden and also the Fitzroy Gardens, where Adam enjoyed visiting Captain Cook’s cottage. They went for long walks along the banks of the Yarra River holding hands. They dined in Melbourne’s finest restaurants.