First, I want to
thank Joan Sattler for reading Part 2 to ensure I don’t have any horrendous
blunders in Australian history, geography or slang.
I also want to thank her for telling me about damper and suggesting
Hoss’s initial reaction to it.
As in Part 1, there
are a few 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. Tad-cu is grandfather
and mam-gu is grandmother.
Merch is daughter,
wyres is granddaughter,
brawd is brother and chwaer
is sister.
“My True-Love
Hath My Heart”
Part 2
By Deborah Grant
February 2003
Adam Cartwright moved groggily from deep slumber to consciousness. It took him a moment to orient himself and become aware of a high-pitched cry coming from the cradle on the other side of the bed. “Bronwen,” he said with a yawn shaking her shoulder. “Sweetheart, the baby’s crying.”
“Mmm,” she muttered sleepily until she, too, became aware of the persistent crying. She reached over, found her spectacles, and putting them on, she got up and picked up the screaming infant. “It’s all right, precious. Mama is here now,” she said gently as she sat in the rocking chair to nurse her. Beth quieted immediately and began sucking vigorously. “ Ow,” Bronwen moaned softly. “Beth, you’re hurting mama,” Adam muttered something incomprehensible before turning over and going back to sleep.
A persistent knocking at the door caused him to sit bolt upright in bed. Bronwen was sleeping so soundly she didn’t even stir. He got out of bed carefully, found his robe and slippers and opened the door. “Nell,” he said in surprise.
She took in his bleary eyes, heavy stubble and tousled hair, and had to bite back a smile. “I’m sorry to wake you, sir, but your family is downstairs waiting to have breakfast with you.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he said stifling a yawn. “Tell them I’ll be down in a few minutes. Have you offered them coffee?” She nodded so he said, “You’re a gem, Nell,” and closed the door.
He rubbed his face. He knew he ought to shave but it would just have to wait until after breakfast. He dressed quietly in one of his old black shirts and a pair of black pants. Before he left he took a peek at the cradle. He marveled at Beth’s little rosebud mouth and her tiny fingers with their tiny nails. He wanted to touch her flower-petal soft skin, but was afraid he’d awaken her and poor Bronwen needed her sleep.
His family was waiting in the dining room, drinking coffee in their blue and white Wedgwood china. “Good morning,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.
“Looks like you didn’t sleep too well,” Joe grinned.
“I didn’t. Beth was hungry when I got home and she needed to be changed. Then she was hungry again about the time the sun came up. Poor Bronwen is sleeping right now.”
“I guess that means we can’t see the baby,” Hoss said dejectedly.
“You can see her once she wakes up,” Adam said with a smile, squeezing his brother’s shoulder. “You can even hold her.”
“You’re calling her Beth?” Ben asked.
“
“I felt the same way with each of you,” Ben said warmly.
“Aw, come on, Pa. You aren’t tellin’ us Hoss here was ever as tiny Beth!” Joe interjected with an infectious giggle and Hoss reached over and punched him on the arm, almost causing him to slosh his coffee on the white linen tablecloth.
“He may not have been as tiny, but he was as perfect,” Ben replied, deciding to ignore the horseplay. He turned to his eldest son and said with a touch of asperity, “Are you planning on growing a beard, son/”
“Maybe,” Adam replied scratching his stubble. “It would be nice not having to shave twice a day. Thanks for the suggestion, Pa,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes while Ben shook his head.
Jus then Nell entered the dining room with a large tray. “Scrambled eggs as you requested,” she said to Hoss sitting a serving dish on the table. “Fried potatoes the way you like them,” she said to Adam and sat that dish on the table. “I have bacon and I mixed up a batch of cream scones,” she added setting two platters on the table before leaving.
“Scones?” Hoss asked and Adam replied, “They’re like biscuits; you’ll like them.”
There wasn’t too much conversation as the men concentrated on eating. When they finished, Hoss asked hopefully, “Think Beth might be awake?’
Adam grinned and said, “I’ll go see.” Just then they heard someone knocking on the door and Joe said, “I wonder who that could be this early?”
“It’s probably Mam ,” Adam said, standing up to go answer the door. “Mrs. Davies,” he added seeing the puzzled looks on his family’s faces. “She’s going to stay with Bronwen during the day to help out for the next couple of weeks.”
Just then Nell walked into the dining room carrying a tray with a small teapot made of earthenware and a matching mug, an eggcup, a plate with several slices of buttered toast and a little pot of orange marmalade. “Could you take this up to Mrs. Cartwright, please, and I’ll answer the door,”’ she said to Adam. “Dr. Davies said to make sure she ate the egg for breakfast and not just toast.”
“I’ll make sure she follows orders,” Adam said with a devilish grin, for he was planning to be just as strict as she had been with him when he was recovering from malaria a couple of months earlier. He turned to Hoss as he started to head upstairs. “If Beth is awake, then I’ll bring her down.”
“Sweetheart,” he said gently, shaking Bronwen’s shoulder. “I’ve got your breakfast here.”
“Morning,” she replied stretching before she reached for her spectacles. “Nell knows I only eat tea and toast,” she said as Adam put the tray on her lap.
“But Tad has left strict orders that you are to eat an egg with your toast. And you know his orders must be obeyed. At least that’s what a very lovely young woman told me a few months back when I was the patient.”
“You are really enjoying this, aren’t you,” she replied with a frown as she accepted the tray.
“You bet,” he replied with another evil grin. Just then Beth began to cry and he heard Bronwen say, “On no!” He turned to look back at her and saw two wet patches begin form on her nightgown. He raised his eyebrows and she snapped back, “I’m leaking. Mam warned me it could happen. Could you hold her until I eat this egg you insist I must have?”
“I’ll take care of Beth; you just eat your breakfast,” he replied calmly. He walked over to the crib and carefully lifted the baby. “Oh, I don’t think she’s hungry,” he said to Bronwen. “She’s wet.” He laid her back in the cradle to change her and then a worried expression crossed his face. Just then Mrs. Davies came in the room.
“Here, Adam bach , I’ll take care of the baby. You go visit with your family.”
“I’ll go in a minute,” he said in a neutral tone. “Could I speak with you for a moment, please?”
“Surely,” Mrs. Davies said walking over to him.
“Is Beth all right?” he asked in a quiet voice full of anxiety. “Look,” he added pulling back the diaper.
“That’s perfectly normal during a baby’s first day or so,” Mrs. Davies said reassuringly and he didn’t note the twinkle in her eyes.
Adam gave an enormous sigh of relief. “I’d like to take her downstairs if she’s not really hungry.”
“Let’s just get her cleaned up and then you can take her.”
“Adam, could you get me a fresh nightgown, please? And ask Nell to bring me some water to wash with,” Bronwen requested.
He got a clean nightgown from their chest of drawers and after he laid it on the bed beside Bronwen, he watched Mrs. Davies fasten booties on Beth’s feet and then a little bonnet on her head.
“Come on, Princess,” he said scooping her up carefully. “Your uncles and your grandpa are eager to see you.” He gently stroked the soft skin on her hands and felt blissfully happy when Beth’s little fingers closed around his forefinger. “Here she is,” he announced walking into the dining room where the others were lingering over another cup of coffee.
“She’s jest so sweet,” Hoss said looking at the tiny face. “Can I hold her now?”
“I think Pa should be the first to hold her,” Adam said quietly and Hoss nodded with a smile. They both turned toward Ben, who held out his arms with tears in his eyes.
It had been such a long time since he’d held a baby in his arms and he’d begun to wonder if he would ever hold a child of Adam’s. Oh Liz, he thought, you’d be so proud of your beautiful namesake. “Aren’t you a beautiful little girl,” he cooed to the infant. “You’re the first baby girl in our family, precious.” He rubbed his finger lightly against her cheek, seeing if she would turn her mouth toward it. “You’re a lucky man, son,” he said softly.
“I know,” Adam replied quietly.
“She looks prettier today,” Joe observed. “Her skin’s not so mottled.”
“Joseph!” Ben barked and Beth whimpered at the louder voice and abashed Ben soothed her with a rocking motion.
“He’s right, Pa,” Adam said with a smile. “I remember Hoss and Joe didn’t look their best right after they were born either, and I suspect it was the same with me.”
“Can I hold her now?” Hoss asked eagerly and reluctantly Ben handed her over. “Hey, Sweet Pea,” Hoss crooned. “I’m your Uncle Hoss. I’ve come all the way across the ocean jest to see you. And I think you’re the prettiest little thing. You just pay no mind to Uncle Joe.”
“I didn’t say she wasn’t pretty yesterday,” Joe complained. “Only that she’s prettier today.”
“And you’re gonna get prettier every day, ain’t ya, Sweet Pea?” Hoss said to her and he, too, had to touch her delicate soft skin while Adam stood by with an enormous grin on his face.
After a few minutes Joe announced, “Now it’s my turn.”
“Put your hand under her head to support it,” Adam instructed him.
“Adam, I have held a baby before,” Joe said with a scowl to which Adam replied, “But not my baby!”
“She is awful tiny,” Joe said softly as he gazed down at his niece and gently stroked her cheek. “And I’ve never felt skin so soft.” Just then Beth began to screw up her face and flap her arms before giving a loud wail. “Sure got a set of lungs on her though,” he said with a pained expression, offering her to her father.
“I imagine she’s hungry,” Ben suggested.
“But she just ate a few hours ago,” Adam protested.
“Son, take it from someone who’s raised three babies, she’s hungry.”
“She’s not wet, so I guess you’re right,” Adam replied skeptically. “I’ll take her up to Bronwen.”
“You and Bronwen and Beth need more time together so your brothers and I will do some sightseeing on our own today.”
“Maybe we’ll visit that beach you wrote about,” Joe added with a grin.
“It’s a beautiful day for it. I think Nell would make you a picnic lunch to take and Mam could tell you how to get there.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Ben said with a smile “We’ll go back to the hotel for our bathing costumes and then come by here for directions and lunch.”
Adam found Bronwen dressed in the clean gown and her negligee brushing her long black hair. Unfortunately, the sound of Beth’s crying caused the same reaction as before.
“She’s hungry,” Adam said handing her the baby and trying not to notice the damp spots on her negligee. “May I watch you feed her?”
“If you like,” Bronwen replied with a smile, going to sit in the rocker. Adam noticed she grimaced a few times and asked if Beth was hurting her.
“A little. Mam says in a day or two my breasts will be used to it.”
“Where is Mam ?” Adam asked.
“She’s talking with Nell about what I should have for dinner. Apparently I have to eat like a horse to produce milk for Beth. And I wanted to start getting my figure back,” she lamented. Adam wanted the same thing but wasn’t sure what to say, so wisely kept his mouth shut. Mrs. Davies had returned in time to hear Bronwen’s last remark.
“In a couple of weeks you’ll be fit to take the baby on walks. The more you walk, the quicker you’ll get your figure back. And no one is asking you to overeat; that would be bad for the baby and you. No, you just need to eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, soup, rice and bread. You also need to drink plenty of milk. I’ve told Nell you may have tea at breakfast but milk at every other meal. You shouldn’t eat meat more than once a day, and you mustn’t eat any highly seasoned foods. Oh, you also need to drink plenty of water.” She turned to Adam then. “Actually, it wouldn’t hurt you to follow that diet either, and it would make things easier for Nell and me.”
Adam had a hard time imagining eating meat only once a day, but said quietly, “If you think it best, Mam.”
“Then that’s settled. Well, I’m going to do some laundry. Babies dirty a lot of diapers and apparently you’re going to be going through a lot of nightgowns so we don’t want to get behind.”
Adam watched Bronwen nurse Beth until he felt someone shake his shoulder. “You fell asleep, cariad,” Bronwen said with a smile. “I think you’re as tired as I am so why don’t we both take a nap.’
“I should write to Rhys,” he began but she put her fingers over his mouth.
“After we take a nap. Besides, I sleep better when I’m curled up next to you.”
That afternoon he sat at his desk and began to write Rhys.
Dear Rhys,
Your niece, Elizabeth Sian, arrived around six p.m. on January 12. She and Bronwen are both well. Naturally we are all besotted with Beth, for that is what we’ve decided to call her. My youngest brother, Joe, was quite surprised that she was bald; apparently he thought girl babies came with hair. She doesn’t seem to favor either Bronwen or me particularly. Her eyes are the same shape as Bronwen’s are and she seems to have inherited my chin. Oh, and she definitely has her mother’s ears.
My father and my brother, Hoss, are going to remain in Australia long enough to visit Cloncurry. When they return home, they are going to invest some of Cartwright Enterprises’ money into Cartwright & Davies, Inc. It should help us buy some of the more modern equipment we’ve discussed without needing to ask the bank for an additional loan.
We should be arriving about a week after you receive this letter. It will be summer when my family and I arrive so I’ll get to experience firsthand just how hot it can be there.
I hope you and Matilda are both doing well, and I’ll look forward to seeing you both.
Affectionately yours,
Adam
When the afternoon mail arrived, it contained a letter to Bronwen from Matilda. He took it up to their room where he found Bronwen sitting in one of the window seats holding Beth while tears streamed down her face. He covered the distance in a few long strides and dropped to his knees beside his wife and daughter.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong. Tell me.”
“I don’t know,” Bronwen sobbed. “I’m happy Beth is born, but I just feel so empty now and so sad.”
Adam sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders comfortingly, resting his chin on her head as she turned and cried on his broad chest. When she finally stopped, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her face up to his. “Are you all right now?” has asked as he handed her his handkerchief.
She blew her nose before answering in an unsteady voice. “I’m fine. I don’t know what came over me. At least Beth slept through it all. I wouldn’t want her to see her mama this way.” As if responding to her name, Beth yawned and then opened her eyes and fastened them on her parents’ faces, causing them to smile.
“Hello, Princess,” Adam said quietly, offering her his finger, which she immediately grasped.
Bronwen looked at him and smiled, but then the smile changed to a little frown. “Adam, you haven’t shaved.” She ran her fingertips along the stubble on his cheeks and chin unsure how she felt about its texture.
“I’ve decided to grow a beard,” he replied with a smile. “Pa suggested it.” He saw both her eyebrows shoot up at that and added with a grin, “Well, he unintentionally put the idea in my head. If I don’t like it, I can always shave it off.”
“Please don’t grown a big bushy one. I’d feel like I was kissing a mouthful of hair,” and she wrinkled up her nose in distaste.
“Neatly trimmed, I promise,” he chuckled before capturing her mouth for a long, intimate kiss.
“Your face is certainly scratchy right now,” she said tartly when they broke apart. “I hope the beard grows in soon.” Beth made a cooing sound that seemed to indicate her agreement, which made both of her parents laugh.
“I almost forgot. You got a letter from Matilda. Let me hold Beth while you read it.” He took the baby and went to sit in the rocking chair while Bronwen tore open the letter. Before she could begin reading Adam said, “Look at this. She’s trying to nurse!”
She smiled saying, “Don’t hold her in the same way I do when I nurse her. Try laying her on your lap; that way she can see your face.” With a smile she turned to her letter.
December— 1874
Dear Bronwen,
By the time you receive this letter, Rhys and I should have a new niece or nephew. We are both looking forward to seeing him or her very much. And I am looking forward to the day you and Adam and the baby become our neighbors. I try not to let Rhys see, but I am so lonely here, Bronwen. There aren’t that many other women in town and most are older women with children. If it weren’t for Pip, I’d die of loneliness during the day when Rhys is at the mine. Pip is the little terrier puppy Rhys got. He is just adorable. He’s a little thing, but so energetic. He is blue and tan with the sweetest little topknot and a ruff around his neck. Rhys says the ruff will help protect him from snakes. I know one of the reasons Rhys got Pip was to kill snakes and other vermin, but I can’t bear the thought of my little darling tangling with a snake and being poisoned.
I feel I must prepare you for the fact that the heat here can be quite excessive. Sally, the girl we hired to come in three days a week, and I try to do the housework in the morning when it’s still cool. The hotter it gets, the more time we spend on the verandah. We’re getting some wicker furniture so we can dine there. I recommend that you speak with Adam about doing the same. You may tell him that I love the house he designed for us.
Please write and let me know all about the baby. I am waiting impatiently for your arrival here in Cloncurry.
With love,
Matilda
“Matilda says to tell you that she loves their house. She also loves their little puppy. You know, Adam, I was thinking that we shouldn’t get a little puppy. I’m afraid it would be too much work to take care of and train.”
“When I see Mr. Greene, I’ll tell him we’d like an older puppy that’s been housebroken.” He paused for a minute gazing at Beth before adding, “You know Pa and Hoss would like to see Cloncurry and I need to meet with Rhys so we’ll be leaving next week. Joe will be here for another week and I’d like to ask him to stay here with you while I’m gone. I know your mother will also be here, but I’d just feel better if Joe were here as well.”
“Is he going to be looking after me, or do you really want me to keep him out of mischief?” she asked with a saucy grin.
“A bit of both. Besides it will give you a chance to get to know each other better.” He added in a more serious tone, “Pa and Hoss both told me that Joe had a bit of a problem with my decision to settle here. I think if he gets to know you better, he’ll understand why I made the decision.”
She nodded her agreement and then asked curiously, “Where is your family?”
“They went to Bondi Beach,” he replied with a grin. “I had written them about how beautiful it is and so they packed their bathing costumes.” He grinned more broadly as he said, “I’m having difficulty imaging Hoss in a bathing costume.” She saw his face screw up then and he said, “Uh-oh. I’m afraid Beth needs to be changed, and now I need a change of trousers.”
Bronwen giggled and got up saying, “Here, I’ll change her.”
Adam shook his head saying, “I never realized that we would be changing our clothes as often as Beth’s diapers.”
He was just buttoning his clean trousers when Mrs. Davies stuck her head in the room. “Dr. Browne is here to see Bronwen and Beth.”
“Send him up please,” Bronwen said. “Could you stay, cariad ?” and Adam replied, “Yes, I’d like to be here. Mam,” he added. “I am going to be taking my family out to supper so you and Nell don’t have to worry about feeding us.”
“Coward!” Bronwen said with an impudent grin after her mother left. “You just don’t want soup and vegetables for supper.”
“Untrue,” he retorted with a smirk. “I don’t want to see poor Hoss waste away before my eyes.”
A few minutes later Dr. Browne, a genial man who looked to be in his late fifties, entered. “Mrs. Cartwright, Mr. Cartwright,” he said with a smile and a nod. “I’ve come to see how you and Miss Elizabeth are doing. May I take her?”
He examined the baby thoroughly, paying particular attention to the stump of the umbilical cord. “She looks to be in perfect health. Has she been nursing well?”
“She has a good appetite,” Bronwen said proudly.
“Good, good. Has she moved her bowels?”
Bronwen started to say no, but Adam spoke up quickly. “Yes, she has.”
“Fine. No colic?” and Bronwen shook her head. “That’s excellent. Now Mrs. Cartwright, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
“No excessive bleeding?” When she answered in the negative, he smiled at her. “Now, I should warn you if your mother hasn’t already done so, that you may find that your emotions veer back and forth between joy and sorrow. It’s perfectly normal for the first few weeks after childbirth.” He turned to Adam then. “I’m glad you’re here, Mr. Cartwright, because my next bit of medical advice concerns you as well. You and Mrs. Cartwright will need to abstain from marital relations for the next six weeks.”
“Six weeks!” Adam repeated, his eyebrows shooting up.
“Well, isn’t it providential that you’re taking Pa and Hoss to Cloncurry and you’ll be gone for at least six weeks,” Bronwen said demurely, but Adam saw the naughty glint in her eyes.
Dr. Browne cleared his throat. “Yes, I’d say it’s providential. Your wife needs time to recover from childbirth, Mr. Cartwright,” he added sternly. “Of course, doctor,” Adam said with a sigh. Dr. Browne then turned his attention back to Bronwen. “You are nursing the baby yourself?”
“That’ right.”
“Well, that should prevent you from becoming pregnant again too soon. Your mother said she already told you about the importance of fresh air and exercise. It’s good for the baby as well. In two weeks, I want you to begin going on daily walks with the baby. Don’t exhaust yourself. You may not feel up to going very far the first few days, but your strength will return. I’ll plan on coming to check on you both in two weeks. Don’t worry,” he added with a friendly smile, “I can see myself out.”
“Oh cariad, if you could have seen the look on your face,” Bronwen giggled.
“Very funny. I suppose you don’t mind?” he said sarcastically, a scowl marring his handsome features.
“Perhaps in another week or two, I’ll mind, but I really don’t feel amorous at the moment. I’m sorry,” she said candidly. “I still want your hugs and kisses and I’d love a backrub,” she added softly.
“I’m not some brute, you know, who can’t control himself,” he said sharply.
“Of course you’re not,” she said soothingly. “Beth is asleep. Would you put her in her cradle for me?”
Picking up his daughter in his arms soothed his temper as she’d known it would. After he put the baby down he turned to Bronwen with a rather sheepish grin. “So you’d like a backrub?”
“Yes, please. Yours are so relaxing,” she said smiling at him.
He felt the tension in her muscles relax as he gently kneaded them, trying to focus on that rather than how stimulating he found the touch of her soft skin under his fingertips. His massage was so successful that he discovered she had fallen asleep. “It is providential that I’m going to be away,” he whispered to her sleeping form, “because I don’t think I could abstain for six long weeks if I were here sharing a bed with you.” He dropped a light kiss on her cheek and then went downstairs.
He was reading the newspaper when his family returned tanned, or in Hoss’s case sunburned, from their day at the beach. He took them to a little restaurant where they told him all about their day. He told them the doctor had come to visit and said Bronwen and Beth were both in good health.
“Pa, Hoss and I will be leaving for Cloncurry at the beginning of the week, Joe, and I was hoping that for the last week you’re here you would come stay at the house. I’d feel better knowing you were there, keeping Bronwen company.”
“You aren’t worried that she’ll succumb to my charm?” Joe asked teasingly, certain he would get a rise from his oldest brother.
Adam smiled smugly. “Nope.” Immediately his expression grew serious. “The doctor wants her to rest for two weeks and I know you’ll be entertaining company for her. I’m hoping you’ll make sure that she follows doctor’s orders.”
“Don’t worry, Adam, you can count on me,” Joe replied and they smiled warmly at each other.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
There are times, Adam thought as Beth’s piercing wail broke through his consciousness and he felt Bronwen move out of his arms, when I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. He listened to the sound of Bronwen’s soft footsteps as she walked to the baby’s cradle and his daughter’s screams became soft sucking sounds. Although the room was dark, he could see his wife and daughter in his mind’s eye: Bronwen’s expression dreamy and serene while only Beth’s bald head was visible as she sucked greedily. He dozed off listening to the sound of Beth’s nursing and only partially woke when Bronwen curled next to him. He woke again at daybreak. He got out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Bronwen. The minute he left her side she stirred and said in a sleepy voice, “Is it morning already?’
“Go back to sleep, sweetheart,” he said bending down to drop a kiss on her hair. He smiled as he watched her drift back to sleep, and then he dressed quickly in the nearly dark room. He headed for the kitchen. He could smell the coffee percolating before he reached the kitchen and heard Nell’s quiet movements. He was always surprised that a woman as large as Nell could move so quietly.
“Mornin’, Mr. Cartwright,’ she greeted him with a broad smile. “How many times did the baby wake you up?”
He smiled ruefully. “Three. Maybe by the time I get back she’ll be sleeping through the night”
“Maybe,” Nell said noncommittally. “Well, have a cup of coffee and I’ll fix your bacon and eggs.”
He had just poured himself a second cup when Bronwen joined him. “I thought you were sleeping,” he said after kissing her.
“I was but I woke up and remembered this is the day you leave for Cloncurry so I wanted to see you off. I’ll go back to bed after you leave,” she said with a yawn.
Nell smiled when she came in with Adam’s breakfast and saw Bronwen. “I thought you might be gettin’ up to see Mr. Cartwright off. “I’ll start your egg and your toast.”
“And my tea,” Bronwen called to her. In a few minutes Nell returned with Bronwen’s breakfast and the two of them ate in a companionable silence. They had just finished when the doorbell rang announcing the arrival of the other three Cartwrights.
“Here we are,” Ben said jovially. “You’ve come to see us off, Bronwen?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile. “If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll bring Beth down so she can see you off as well.” She returned a few minutes later with a sleeping Beth in her arms.
“Aw, Sweet Pea,” said Hoss softly “you get prettier every day jest like I said you would.” Ben held out his arms and Bronwen gently put Beth in them. She made a funny little face and whimpered, but she stayed asleep.
“Good-bye, Precious. Grandpa is going to miss you,” and he leaned over and dropped a butterfly kiss on Beth’s head before starting to hand her back to Bronwen.
She shook her head saying, “Give her to Adam. I’d like to speak with you and Hoss for a moment before you go. In private,” she added. Adam and Ben each lifted an eyebrow at her request and she almost giggled to see them do it simultaneously. Hoss and Joe just look puzzled. “It will give you a chance to say a proper good bye to Joe,” she said firmly to Adam. “We’ll just go in the library.”
“Yes, my dear?” Ben asked after she closed the library doors behind them.
“Adam hasn’t said anything to you about having malaria, has he?”
“No, he shore ain’t!” Hoss said emphatically while Ben’s brow furrowed with concern.
“He and my brother Rhys both contracted it back in October.”
“He looks healthy now,” Ben said slowly.
“Oh, he is. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m so sorry. The only reason I bring it up is that my father told us that he could have a recurrence. He told me I must always have quinine on hand and showed me how much to give Adam.”
“I see,” Ben said thoughtfully. “And you want to tell us and give us quinine to take with us?”
“That’s right. He must have the quinine to bring down his fever or it could kill him,” and she couldn’t stop her voice from catching in a sob.
“We’ll look after him for ya , Bronwen. Don’t you worry none,” Hoss said gently. “You jest tell us how much and how often to dose him.”
“And tell us the symptoms,” Ben added.
She nodded and said, “The attacks always start with a headache, nausea and chills. Then comes the fever and that’s when you dose him with quinine. After the fever breaks, he’ll be very weak and need to sleep. He’ll feel all right for the next two days, but on the third day, it all starts up again.”
“How long the disease take to run its course?” Ben asked trying not to let Bronwen see how worried he was.
“The first time it lasted for four weeks,” and she saw the worry on both their faces at her words. “Tad seemed to think the recurrences probably wouldn’t be that severe.” She smiled faintly. “Nothing may happen; I just needed to make sure someone would be there to care for him.”
“And we’re very grateful. I may have a talk with my eldest about keeping his family in the dark,” Ben said with a frown.
“I’m sure he just didn’t want to worry you. He was almost recovered when we got the letter saying you were coming here, so there was no way to reach you.” She looked at Ben anxiously, not wanting to cause any discord between her husband and his father.
“Come on, Pa,” Hoss added, putting his arm around his father’s shoulders. “You know how Adam is; he wouldn’t want to worry us and he was fine by the time we got here. I expect Bronwen took real good care of him.”
“We actually had a nurse to help care for him as well,” she added. “Adam is not a good patient,” she said emphatically.
“No, he shore ain’t and that’s a fact,” Hoss guffawed and even Ben smiled.
“I’m looking forward to meeting Hop Sing because Adam says he can manage all of you.”
“That he can. I’m sure he’ll be willing to give you advice on how to manage Adam when he’s sick. He isn’t very often, but when he is, it’s bad.”
Just then they heard a knock on the door and Adam’s voice asking if they were ready.
“In just a moment, cariad,” she called. She gave the bottle of quinine to Ben and hurriedly instructed him and Hoss on the dosage. Even so Adam was frowning a little in annoyance when they emerged. She ignored his frown and stood on tiptoe so he didn’t have to bend over as far to kiss her. It was a long, intimate kiss and the other three men felt uncomfortable witnessing it. “Take care of yourself, cariad,” she whispered when they broke apart.
“And you take care of yourself and Beth,” he said softly, brushing his fingertips over her cheeks in a caress. “We should be back in about six weeks, and when I come home, we’ll celebrate,” He grinned at her blush. (He wasn’t sure if he could still make her blush, and enjoyed the sight.)
After they left, Bronwen turned to Joe, who was holding Beth. “Joe, I don’t want to seem like a bad hostess, but I’m really tired. Would you mind if I took a nap and left you to your own devices?”
He smiled at her disarmingly. “Not at all. Adam told me the doctor said you needed plenty of rest. Beth is asleep, too. Maybe this afternoon we could play checkers, or cribbage?”
“That sounds like fun,” she replied with a smile, taking the sleeping baby from him.
Joe decided he would go for a walk and explore the neighborhood. Paddington was an attractive suburb and the weather was just perfect. He strolled along, tipping his hat to matrons and young ladies feeling very dapper in his lounge suit of charcoal-gray broadcloth and black bowler. Australian women, he decided, were very attractive. He returned in time for dinner, which was lamb chops with a green salad and several vegetables. He wasn’t fond of lamb but remembered Adam had written that New South Wales was sheep country so he imagined he’d be eating a lot of it this week.
After dinner he and Bronwen played cribbage. Joe discovered she was an expert player. “Do you beat Adam?” he asked curiously after she trounced him.
“Sometimes,” she answered with a smug smile. “He usually beats me at chess though. He’s been teaching me to play the guitar since we don’t have a piano. Would you like to do some singing after supper?”
“Sure,” he replied with a slow grin. “I guess I’d better warn you that Adam is the singer in our family, so don’t be expectin’ me to be as good as him.”
“We’ll have fun,” she said with a smile and he noted how expressive her features were. Maybe she wasn’t beautiful, but as he spent more time with her, he began to understand why his brother found her so appealing “You know, Joe,” she continued, “I was hoping you could tell me about Adam when he was a boy?”
“He was pretty much grown up by the time I really knew him,” Joe said. “I guess he told you he went away to college when I was five and I didn’t see him again until I was nine.”
She nodded. “But he wrote you, didn’t he?”
“Sure, but even though I got the letters, in some ways he just didn’t seem real to me. Do ya understand?” he queried, his face puckered in a frown, but to his relief she nodded slowly. “I’m kinda embarrassed to admit it, but I guess I was mad at him for goin’ away and even madder that he was enjoyin ’ himself.”
“I think that’s perfectly natural,” she told him with a little smile. “After all, you were very young, too young to understand why he went.”
“Oh, age didn’t have that much to do with it,” he said with a wry grin. “I still don’t understand how he could rather be thousands of miles away in a school instead of workin’ on the ranch with his family. I know Adam doesn’t like hunting strays but he’s a good horsebreaker, good with horses in general. I prefer them to cattle myself. But even huntin’ strays is better than readin’ schoolbooks and listenin’ to some teacher droning on and on about poetry.” He shook his head at the enigma of his oldest brother.
Bronwen tried to stifle her grin but he saw the twinkle in her eyes. “Adam hasn’t really talked to me about his college days, but I know he still corresponds with at least one of his old college mates,” she said.
“Yeah, his friend Thomas. He also kept in touch with his roommate, Aaron, and Aaron even came to visit us once, but he was killed in the war; Adam took that real hard. He thought about goin’ back east and fightin’ himself. Took a lot of persuading on Pa’s part to talk him out of it.”
Joe’s handsome face twisted into a grimace. “Adam and me almost had our own civil war.” He saw the surprise on her face and paused before continuing. “Did Adam tell you that we’re half brothers?” Bronwen nodded slowly so he continued. “His mother was from New England—Boston—but my mother was from New Orleans. It seemed to me that the South had a right to fight to protect the sovereign rights of each state. States’ rights are guaranteed in our constitution. Adam tried to tell me the war was more about human rights than States’ rights, but I refused to see it. Course, part of the reason I refused was that I was in love with a girl whose father was the Confederacy’s staunchest supporter in Virginia City. I guess I can be about as hardheaded as Adam so it wasn’t until we learned that the father of the girl I loved was willing to use any means to bring Nevada into the Confederacy that I was finally willing to listen to Adam.” He paused and then said earnestly, “I don’t want you to think I supported slavery. Adam knew I didn’t; I just wouldn’t let myself see that the South was fighting to protect its right to maintain a way of life based on the enslavement of an entire race.”
“I understand, Joe,” she replied very seriously. “Slavery is a terrible thing, but so is war. I’m sorry it took one to end the other and that so many young men had to lose their lives.”
Wanting to lighten the mood, he said, “When Adam first came back from college, we butted heads a lot. I was jealous of all the attention he got from Pa and Hoss. It seemed to me everything revolved around this stranger who’d come to live with us.” He smiled as he remembered. “First thing, Pa decided to buy him a new horse. And I’d been pesterin’ him for months to let me exchange my pony for a horse! I was so mad I could’ve spit tacks.” She raised her eyebrows at this Americanism but nodded for Joe to continue. “And Pa didn’t want to get Adam just any old horse. No, we went across the Sierras to a ranch outside Placerville where a man had blooded breeding stock. Pa bought Adam a mount that was seven-eighths Thoroughbred—a beautiful animal. And there I was still ridin’ a little mustang pony.”
“Oh dear,” Bronwen said, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile.
“Then, the next thing he does is talk Pa into buildin’ a new house. I’d spent the first nine years of my life in our cabin; I was born there and my mother had lived there. I didn’t want to move, except Adam bribed me by tellin’ me I’d have a room of my own.” He grinned broadly. “’Course, I enjoyed it when he and Pa were at loggerheads. See, Adam came back from college with all these newfangled ideas he wanted to try, but Pa was satisfied with doin’ things the way he always had. Adam would get so frustrated tryin’ to persuade Pa to his way of thinking. They had some real shouting matches. Then he’d drive Pa crazy by goin’ off for moonlight rides or takin’ a book with him and readin’ while he was ridin’.” Bronwen giggled at that and Joe joined her.
“He finally succeeded in winning me over. He told me a long time later that it was poetic justice because he’d treated my mother the same way when she and Pa were first married and she had used patience and love to win him over.” He paused and said thoughtfully, “Ya know, Adam and I always think of ourselves as opposites, but Hoss says we’re more alike than we realize.”
“I think Hoss is very wise,” Bronwen said quietly but he saw the laughter in her eyes.
“Maybe,” he conceded. “When I was growin’ up, I always seemed to be in one scrape or another, and it was usually Adam that pulled me out. Me and Hoss. Sometimes though he’d leave us to stew in our own juice and laugh at us. My oldest brother can be downright infuriating at times.”
“Yes, I’ve discovered that for myself,” she said with a smile. “Although in fairness, he’d probably say the same about me.”
“You mean, you and Adam have arguments? You just seem so happy.”
“We are, but that doesn’t mean we always agree about everything. The hardest thing for me to deal with is the way he holds everything inside when he’s upset.”
“Yeah,” Joe said reflectively. “That’s hard for all of us to deal with. Pa says that’s the way he’s always been though ever since he was a little boy. Pa’s pretty good at gettin’ Adam to open up, just keeps wearin’ away at him. You’ll get the hang of it, don’t worry.”
“I know I shall. Although I prefer more direct means.” Joe raised his eyebrows at that but she shook her head. “Sorry, Joe, my methods wouldn’t work for anyone else.”
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Adam explained to Ben and Hoss that they would be traveling inland through Bathurst and Dubbo and then veering north from there. As they were loading their supplies, Hoss paused and wrinkled his forehead in puzzlement. “What’s that, Adam?” he inquired, pointing to a large tin can Adam was putting in a bag attached to his saddle.
“It’s a billy. We’ll be using it to fix tea,” Adam replied with a sly grin.
“Tea,” Hoss said wrinkling his nose.
“Aussies aren’t coffee drinkers, Hoss. Once I move to Cloncurry, I’ll be drinking tea every day. You’ll get used to it, younger brother,” he said with a wide grin, slapping Hoss on the back. “Now that we’ve got our mounts and our tucker, I think it’s time to be on our way.”
“What in tarnation is tucker?” Hoss asked and Ben, too, looked at his firstborn in puzzlement.
“It’s what the Aussies call grub. This is a tucker-bag,” he said pointing. “A bedroll is called a swag.” He dimpled at their bemused expressions. “I’m just trying to learn some Aussie expressions since I’m living here.”
“That makes sense I reckon, but do ya have to use them with us?” Hoss asked plaintively.
“Everyone we meet is going to talk that way; I figure it will help you to understand them, and to be understood. Besides, I don’t know that many of their expressions yet.”
“Don’t know why they can’t talk like normal folks,” Hoss muttered as he mounted his horse.
“And by normal, I presume you mean Americans,” Adam stated, his lip curled in a sneer.
“Dadburnit, Adam! No, I guess we’re no more normal than anyone else,” Hoss said with a sigh and Adam reached over and patted him on the shoulder.
“I shouldn’t be that hard on you. It’s hard not to think the way you were brought up to talk or to act is superior to every other way. If the truth be told, I struggle with it myself sometimes. Bronwen is quick to let me know when I start acting superior.”
Hoss grinned broadly at that. “Yeah, I bet she does take you down a peg. I shore like her, Adam. She’s really nice, and well, I always sorta wanted a little sister and now I finally got me one.”
“Glad to hear it, buddy. Of course, providing you with a sister wasn’t my main reason for marrying Bronwen.”
“Shoot,” Hoss chuckled, “I could see that the way you kissed her good-bye,” and he grinned broadly when his normally unflappable brother actually blushed.
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“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you, Bronwen,” Joe said on their last evening together. “I have to admit when Adam first wrote that he was marrying you and settling in Australia, I wasn’t too happy. Oh, not that he was marrying you,” he added quickly, his cheeks turning a little pink, “but just that he wasn’t comin’ home.”
“I would have gone with him to Nevada, Joe,” she said quietly, “but he never asked me to.”
“I know,” he replied slowly. “That’s what he wrote. Pa, Hoss, even Hop Sing, all said it showed how much he loved you ‘cause he put your happiness first. I guess,” and she was surprised when he dropped his eyes and his cheeks grew redder, “I guess I was jealous because Adam loved you more. I didn’t understand that verse in Genesis; do you know the one I mean?”
“’Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh’,” she quoted softly.
“Yeah. I realize now that’s the way it’s meant to be,” he said with a shy smile.
“Yes, it is,” she agreed gravely. “Adam means more to me than my family, as much as I love them. And now we have Beth and I hope we’ll have other children. Someday, Joe, I pray you will find a woman you can love as much as Adam loves me, and she’ll love you as much as I love Adam.”
“I hope so, too. If I can find a woman half as nice as you, I’ll be a lucky man.” Impulsively, he bent down and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. “And I’m sure gonna miss this little lady,” he added, giving Beth his finger to grasp.
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The three Cartwrights made camp the first night in the bush. “Hoss, if you look up in the trees, you’ll see one of my favorite Australian animals,” Adam said quietly. “Look up there.”
Hoss and Ben both looked up and smiled at what they saw. “That’s the cutest little bear I ever saw,” Hoss said with a big smile.
“It’s a koala bear, isn’t it?” Ben asked.
“They’re not really bears though. They’re marsupials,” Adam replied.
“Mar what?” Hoss asked.
“Marsupials. We have some back home.”
“We do?”
“Sure. Opossums are marsupials. It means they carry their young in a pouch.”
“Well, these koalas are lots cuter than possums,” Hoss said firmly. “Wonder if I could catch a couple and take them back to the Ponderosa?”
“Sorry, buddy, but it wouldn’t work. Koalas live on the leaves of gum trees and there is a real shortage of those on the Ponderosa.”
“Well, you got plenty of gum trees here. Maybe we could get one as a pet for Beth,” Hoss said hopefully.
“They’re wild animals, Hoss. No matter how cute they look, they wouldn’t be suitable pets. Besides, when we move to Cloncurry, we’re going to have a dog. They’ve bred a terrier here that is great for killing vermin and snakes. They also make good pets. Now come on, let’s fix supper. I’ll make us some damper; Rhys showed me how.”
“Damper,” Hoss said suspiciously. “What’s that?”
“It’s bread that you cook in an open fire. It’s easy to make; all I need is flour, water and salt.” Hoss watched with interest as Adam kneaded the ingredients together; however, interest changed to alarm when he saw his older brother put the ball of dough into the fire and let it blacken.
“Gol dang, Adam! You don’t expect Pa an’ me to eat that charred mess!”
“Damper is delicious, Hoss. Give it a try,” but Hoss scowled and shook his head. “Well, you’ll try it won’t you , Pa?”
“I’ll try it, son,” Ben said hesitantly for the bread looked far from appetizing.
When the damper was done, Adam removed it from the fire. It was sooty and Ben was beginning to regret his promise to try it. However, when he did try it, he found inside it was very soft and delicious. “Try it, Hoss,” he urged. “It really is delicious.”
Hoss had his face all scrunched up but it as he ate his first bite it changed to a huge grin. “Dadburnit, it is good! I don’t understand how somethin’ that looks that awful can taste so delicious.”
The three of them were awakened from a sound sleep by a loud raucous laugh that filled the air. “What in the Sam Hill was that?” Ben demanded jumping to his feet.
“Sounds like Joe done followed us,” Hoss chortled.
“It’s a Kookaburra,” Adam said chuckling at his father’s expression. “Rhys tells me that they are a type of kingfisher. Like the terriers I was telling you about Kookaburras help get rid of snakes. We might as well get up because I doubt we’re going to get any more sleep.”
Mid-afternoon the next day Hoss got his first glimpse of some kangaroos napping the shade. “They’re smaller than I thought they’d be,” he said a little disappointed.
“Those are actually wallabies; they’re the smallest type of kangaroo, I believe. Don’t worry. I expect we’ll see a mob of red kangaroos. Now, a male red kangaroo, called a boomer, is taller than Bronwen. Rhys says they can be up to 5’9” tall.”
“I wanna see me one of them,” Hoss said enthusiastically while Ben and Adam shared a smile.
“The first time Rhys and I traveled to Cloncurry, we saw a mob hopping along at a speed our horses couldn’t match. It was something to see,” Adam said reminiscently.
As they traveled northwest to Cloncurry the temperature continued to rise. “I see you weren’t exaggerating, son, when you said your problem was going to be keeping your house cool enough,” Ben commented, wiping his face with his neckerchief.
“This is midsummer; it wasn’t this hot the other two times I’ve been there,” Adam replied, taking a swig from his canteen.
“Gol dang, Adam, I shore hope not,” Hoss said reaching for his own canteen. “It feels like we’ll be barbecued before we get to Cloncurry.
They reached Cloncurry about an hour before sunset. Rhys was still at the mine, but Matilda saw them as they approached the house and came running to greet them with her little dog running at her heels.
“Matilda,” Adam said, removing his Stetson, “I’d like you to meet my father, Ben Cartwright, and my brother, Hoss. This is my sister-in-law, Matilda Davies.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you,” Ben said in his most courtly voice and Hoss said shyly, “Happy to make your acquaintance, Miz Davies.”
“Oh, please call me Matilda. After all we’re family.” She turned to the little dog, who was barking excitedly. “Quiet, Pip!” The dog paid her no mind and continued to bark. “Oh dear. He minds Rhys but he never minds me.” She scooped up the dog and then said, “Bronwen never wrote me that you’d grown a beard, Adam.”
“I only decided to grow it about a week before we left. She hasn’t actually seen yet.” He scratched his face. “I really need to trim it.”
“I’m sorry,” Matilda said quickly, “I know you must be anxious to wash up before supper.” She smiled happily at them. “I am so eager to hear to hear about little Beth.”
“And we’re eager to talk about her,” Ben said with a smile. “Beth is my first grandchild and I’d say she is the prettiest little girl I’ve ever seen.”
“You aren’t getting an argument from me,” Adam said with a grin and Hoss added, “Me neither.”
Well, let me show you to your rooms,” she said briskly. She turned to Ben and Hoss and said proudly, “Adam designed our house, and it’s lovely.”
She led them down a hallway and showed them three spacious rooms with large open windows. However, even with the windows wide open the rooms were stifling. She said apologetically, “It does cool off at night. I think we’ll be more comfortable if we sit on the verandah. Go ahead and wash up and then join me for some nice cold lemonade.”
When Rhys got home he found the four of them (and Pip) sitting on the verandah sipping lemonade and talking comfortably. “Good to see you, Adam,” he said extending his hand. “Quiet, Pip,” he said firmly to the little terrier, who promptly quieted.
“Good to see you, too, partner. Rhys, I’d like you to meet my father and my brother. Pa, Hoss, this is Bronwen’s brother, Rhys.”
“You bear a strong resemblance to your father,” Ben said with a warm smile as he shook Rhys’s hand. “I’m happy to meet you.”
“Thanks. If you hadn’t introduced Hoss as your brother, Adam, I would never have guessed you were related,” Rhys stated as he shook hands with Hoss, eyeing the big man with his bright blue eyes and sandy hair.
“Well, me and Adam are half brothers and we take after our mothers’ families,” Hoss said with a small self-deprecating smile.
“That explains it. So, Hoss, did you get to see some roos? Adam wrote that you were looking forward to seeing some.”
Hoss grinned widely. “Yeah. We saw a—mob did you call ‘em, Adam?—hoppin’ along. Strangest sight I ever seen. And yesterday I saw one of them emus. That was the biggest bird I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Hoss was stalking the emu, and then the emu started to chase Hoss,” Adam chuckled. “You should have seen the look on his face.”
“Well, dadburnit, Adam, that emu coulda pecked me to death,” Hoss protested. Then his countenance brightened again and he added, “We saw some of them dingoes, too.”
“And we’ve heard Kookaburras,” Ben added dryly.
“Yeah, they remind me a lot of our youngest brother’s laugh,” Hoss commented with his gap-toothed grin.
“That’s what Adam said. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet him.”
“They’ve been telling me about little Beth,” Matilda interjected happily.
“Tad and Mam are certainly besotted with her,” Rhys said with an answering smile. ‘I’m looking forward to making her acquaintance.” He spoke more seriously to Adam. “The work on your house is coming along and we’ve finished digging the well and the pipe to the kitchen and bathhouse is in the process of being installed.” He grinned at his wife. “And now Matilda wants water piped into our kitchen and bathhouse as well.”
They spent a pleasant evening and the next morning Ben and Hoss accompanied Adam and Rhys to the mine. Ben was impressed with what he saw and listened carefully to Adam and Rhys when they explained how they could use the money Cartwright Enterprises invested to buy more modern and efficient equipment. Hoss had little interest in mining but he trusted his older brother’s judgement and his father’s. Just as they were leaving, Rhys said, “By the way, Adam, Bert Greene’s bitch just had another litter a couple of weeks ago. You might want to take a look and pick one out.”
“Thanks, Rhys. I’ll do just that,” Adam replied.
“So you gettin a dog like Pip?” Hoss asked as they rode back to town.
“Yeah, but I don’t think I have to worry about Bronwen spoiling ours the way Matilda has spoiled Pip. Bronwen has Beth to spoil. I want to ask Bert Greene if he could housebreak the puppy for us because Bronwen’s right. Trying to housebreak a pup and take care of Beth is just too much.” They rode along in a comfortable silence until Adam spoke up. “I’m afraid Cloncurry isn’t much of a town yet, but the success of our mine and the Great Australian Mine guarantees that it will grow.”
“It will be a big adjustment for Bronwen, son. She’s a city girl,” Ben said pensively.
“So was Marie, but she adjusted,” Adam replied quietly. “I know Bronwen will as well,” and Ben slowly nodded his agreement.
The three of them took a look at the litter of puppies and with a little prompting from Hoss, Adam chose the runt of the litter, a little blue and tan female.
“What are you going to name her?” asked the Greene’s son, Ned, who’d shown them the puppies.
“Hmm, she’s a pretty little girl so I think I’ll name her Belle,” Adam replied. He paused and then said to Ned, “I have a proposition for you. I’ll be moving my wife and our baby girl here around the end of April or beginning of May. If you can housebreak Belle and train her to come when she’s called, then I’ll pay you ten pounds. Do we have a deal?”
“Too right,” Ned answered grinning from ear to ear. “Belle will be the best trained dog you ever saw, Mr. Cartwright.”
“Then we’ll shake on it,” Adam said smiling at the boy and holding out his hand.
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The second day of their journey back to Sydney, Adam had a blinding headache, but he put it down to the heat. Ben and Hoss both noticed him pinching the bridge of his nose and massaging his temples that evening but said nothing—only exchanged significant glances. A couple of hours after they turned in, Ben was awakened by the sound of Adam retching. He knelt beside him and supported him as he emptied the contents of his stomach and continued to retch until all he could bring up was a sour slime. Ben felt Adam shaking with cold and thanked God Bronwen had told them how to treat his illness.
“Bronwen told us about your malaria, son, and she sent the quinine with us,” he said quietly as he helped Adam back into his bedroll. “You’ll be fine.”
Adam’s teeth were chattering so badly that he couldn’t speak, so he nodded to show that he understood. Ben moved his bedroll so he could lay next to Adam and help to warm him with his body heat. In spite of his best efforts he dozed off, waking shortly before dawn because he could feel the heat radiating from Adam’s body like a furnace. He quickly prepared the dose of quinine as Bronwen had directed and gave it to Adam, who was tossing and turning in his delirium.
By the time Hoss woke, the quinine was working and Adam was sweating profusely as the fever broke. Midmorning he opened his eyes to see his father and brother sitting next to him, sipping tea.
“How are ya feelin’, Adam?” Hoss asked, his concern evident on his open countenance.
“Weak and soaking wet,” Adam answered with what they could both see was an effort.
“Yeah, I never seen ya sweat so much,” Hoss said with a smile “You can borrow my bedroll to wrap yourself in and we’ll hang your wet things to dry. Bronwen told us ya’d need to sleep once the fever broke.”
“Since you never saw fit to mention your malaria, I am thankful that your wife is more intelligent,” Ben added caustically.
Adam closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah, I guess as time passed without a recurrence I just decided it wasn’t going to happen. I’m lucky Bronwen didn’t take Tad’s advice so lightly.”
“Yeah, older brother, you sure are lucky to have a wife that loves you so much. And we promised her we’d take care of you and make sure you came home safe to her.”
They saw Adam’s cheeks redden as he asked weakly, “Could you help me undress?”
He slept for hours and Ben and Hoss took turns staying with him while the other did some exploring. Hoss was pleased to discover some koalas in the bush about a quarter of a mile from their camp, which also was the home of some Kookaburras. He smiled to himself as he thought how much the bird’s laugh reminded him of his younger brother’s. Ben, on the other hand, spotted a dingo feasting on a koala it had caught on the ground. He hadn’t heard dingoes would attack humans, but he decided he and Hoss would take turns standing watch that night.
He and Hoss were relieved to see Adam was stronger when he awoke late that afternoon. “I’ll be able to travel tomorrow,” he assured them.
“Now, son—” Ben began but Adam cut him off.
“Pa, I feel fine the days between attacks. I want to get home to Bronwen and Beth and I don’t want Bronwen worrying about why we’re delayed.”
Ben wanted to protest, but could see the logic in Adam’s reasoning and reluctantly acquiesced.
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After Joe had sailed back to the States, Bronwen was allowed to begin her daily walks. She would dress Beth in a little gown, booties and a pretty bonnet, then place her in her wicker baby carriage and off they would go. Bronwen found Dr. Browne was correct and the first few days she tired very easily. She tried to walk a little longer each day until by the fifth week Adam was gone she would walk for an hour or hour and a half each day. She was amazed at how fast Beth was growing and filling out. By this time her mother only came over twice a week to see how she and Beth were doing, but Bronwen and Nell were managing very well, even with the increase in laundry that had to be dealt with. When they were downstairs cooking or cleaning they simply moved Beth’s cradle into the room with them so they could keep an eye on her.
One day toward the end of the seventh week Adam and his family had been gone, Bronwen was in the middle of changing Beth when someone could be heard knocking on the door. Nell came back from answering the door with an anxious expression. “It’s a telegram for you, ma’am” she said worriedly.
“Let me see,” Bronwen said snatching it from her hand and reading it.
Will be in Sydney tomorrow night. Stop
Counting minutes until can celebrate end of six weeks. Stop.
Love you. Don’t Stop.
Adam
Her cheeks were pink as she turned to Nell with a smile. “Mr. Cartwright will be home tomorrow. I want to prepare a very special supper. He likes my shrimp with garlic butter and for dessert we’ll have Crème Brûlé. Oh, and I want to use my best lace tablecloth.” Nell nodded with a smile. Bronwen’s expression became businesslike. “Now, I’ll put Beth down for a nap and while she’s sleeping, we need to scrub and polish the floors and beat the rugs.”
“Just as you say, ma’am,” Nell replied, her face wreathed in a smile.
They worked hard all afternoon scrubbing and polishing. Luckily Beth slept most of the time so the two women could work together. That evening after a light supper, they polished the silver until they could see their reflections.
Bronwen woke at dawn to make the Crème Brûlé so it could be chilling in the icebox. When it was finished, Nell said sternly, “Ma’am, you go take a nap. You don’t want to be exhausted when Mr. Cartwright gets here. I’ll do the dusting downstairs, and then while you take a bath, I’ll dust in your bedroom and put clean sheets on the bed for you. And let me take care of supper. I have a feeling it will probably be a late one anyway.”
“Nell, you’re wonderful,” Bronwen said smiling warmly. “Let me check on Beth and then I’ll take your advice.”
After her nap, she changed Beth and then went to the bathhouse for a long soak, and she washed her hair. She left it loose so it would dry and dutifully ate the lamb and vegetable stew Nell had heated up from the previous day for her dinner. Then she went upstairs and fed Beth and made sure she was dry. When that was accomplished, she began to get ready for Adam’s arrival. Her hair was just a little damp so she brushed it and with Nell’s help braided it into several plaits, which were pinned up and then allowed to cascade to her shoulders.