Before the Storm (3 page)

‘Just get along and wash them, Martha!'

Emily picked up the things wrapped in the handkerchief and made her way to the bathroom. Reaching the door, she hesitated for a moment as something nagged at the back of her mind. She examined the coins again. There were ten shillings in florins, all from the 1890s. An 1897 sixpence looked familiar enough, as did the pennies and halfpennies. She picked out another silver coin, stared at the writing, then very nearly dropped it in surprise. The writing on it declared the monarch to be Charles III. Was Charles the king of Norway? Emily wondered. At that moment there was a clack from the latch of the bathroom door. She dropped the coin back into the handkerchief as Fox emerged. Emily blinked in surprise to see someone else wearing her brother's clothes.

‘Um, Master Fox, I emptied your pockets before giving your things to the maid to wash!' she stammered as Fox stopped before her.

‘Thanks, to you, Miss,' Fox replied softly, as he accepted the little bundle.

Over dinner, it was Mr Lang's turn to question Fox about his background.

‘And how did you survive the shipping accident that claimed your family?' he asked.

‘Can swim,' Fox reiterated.

‘Ah, quite so, quite so. And now you are alone in the world, as my dear wife and I would have been were it not for you. How do you cope with the sadness?'

‘Training,' replied Fox simply. ‘Was distraction.'

‘Quite so, sensible attitude. Bit of a jog around the football field does wonders to clear the mind and lift the gloom, what? Do it myself. Now, what about work? I could have a word to old Aitkinson, the grocer. He needs a smart boy to do deliveries. Can you ride a bike?'

‘Norton 750CC, cadet standard, liaison class, all-terrain …' began Fox, before he suddenly caught himself and forced his face into a blank expression.

‘A bike, lad, a bicycle. Two wheels, you pedal, it moves.'

‘Cycle!' exclaimed Fox in relief. ‘Yes, cycle, for use, am trained.'

‘Ah, good, good. Now look here, Fox, I think that the best course is for you to work for old Aitkinson for a few weeks, delivering groceries. It will earn you some shillings to get by while you look around for a proper apprenticeship, so that you can better yourself. Where are you staying?'

‘Room, in hostelry.'

‘Ah, splendid, but there is a spare room here, bear that in mind. What profession takes your fancy?'

‘Electricity, is future.'

‘Electricity, eh? Smart lad, smart lad. Good prospects in electricity. But you know, I've been thinking. You could do better.'

‘Better?'

Mr Lang got up and walked over to the mantelpiece, above which several guns were mounted. He selected a stubby pistol.

‘David!' exclaimed his wife. ‘Keep that horrible thing away from the dinner table.'

‘Please dear, there is no need for formality,' Mr Lang said as he held the pistol out to Fox. ‘What can you tell me about this, young man?'

Fox took the weapon and examined it briefly.

‘Lancaster, 1882, thirty-eight calibre, four barrels, brake action striker, unjammable, effective usage, close quarters.'

There was a short silence.

‘Astounding,' breathed Mr Lang. ‘All perfectly correct. And tell me, Fox, what is its use?'

‘Circumstances, extreme danger, when needed quickly, fire with certainty, close range.'

‘Yes, yes, all quite correct. I knew it! You have an interest in weapons. You are as brave as a lion, as fit as a bull, and you have a natural military bearing about you. Young man, you should consider a career in the army. Once you are a British citizen why, you could become a captain in no time at all.'

‘Army, Sir?' responded Fox suspiciously.

‘Oh yes! You have an education, in spite of your halting English. That's a big plus next to your name. Mind you, people need connections to get ahead in today's military, but I have those connections. It would be the British army, mind, no future in our stupid little colonial militias. You would have to go to England, but I know people who know people.'

‘Am grateful,' replied Fox with deference. ‘Your offer, shall consider.'

After dinner Mr Lang retired to his study, and Mrs Lang sat with Fox and her children in the living room, before the fire.

‘Fox, would you really go to England and join the army?' asked Emily as she stared into the hot coals.

‘If ordered, Miss.'

‘But you are not on your ship now, there is nobody to order you to do anything.'

Fox looked as if he were about to say something, then frowned. ‘Correct,' he conceded. ‘Habit, discipline, persisting.'

‘Your speech really is very precise and, well, military sounding,' observed Mrs Lang.

‘At sea, years,' replied Fox slowly. ‘Ship discipline, like military.'

‘You are wonderfully well spoken for a foreigner, even if you do sound a little formal,' said Emily. ‘What are you interested in?'

Fox froze for a moment. ‘History. Natural philosophy.'

Suddenly Emily realised that Fox never said 'um', 'ah', or 'er'. He thought about what he had been asked, his face blank, then he replied.

‘Oh I know all about natural philosophy,' said Daniel, pleased to discover something in common with his rescuer. ‘Can you name the planets?'

‘Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, the double planet Charon and Cerebus, and Terminus.'

‘Gosh!' exclaimed the youth.

‘Daniel!' his mother exclaimed. ‘Language, please! Fox, I can tell the maid to prepare the bed in the garret for you. Would you like to stay here for the night? You must be exhausted.'

‘My thanks, no.'

‘Daniel, kindly show Fox to his room … oh! Sorry, did you say no?'

‘Tonight, expected, at lodgings. Friends, worried, will be.'

‘Oh. I see. Well, ah, would you come here for lunch tomorrow? We have a roast on Sundays, you would love it. We might even be able to give you introductions to people, you know, help you become established in Melbourne.'

Fox considered this carefully before answering. It was not yet late in the evening, but the last train was due soon.

‘Shall return, tomorrow, if clothing wet.'

Half an hour later Fox went to the laundry with Mrs Lang, to check on the progress with drying his clothes. Daniel had already been out of the room for some time. Emily and Daniel had spent their lives reading about heroes in the classics that they studied at school, and in adventure novels. Now they had actually met one, and he had rescued them. Fox was everything that a hero should be, as far as Emily was concerned: brave, strong, well-mannered, modest, yet … there was something very strange about him. His manner was distant and withdrawn, like that of a dog that had been beaten too often, and had learned to avoid trouble. He was highly intelligent, yet he took a lot of care to disguise the fact. He said nothing funny, and even missed jokes made by others. Fox did laugh, but only when others were laughing. Emily felt sure that the mistakes he made were not really those of a foreigner. Try as she might, however, she could not think of anyone that he resembled.

As Emily sat staring into the fire, she found herself daydreaming about BC. Annoyed with herself, she switched her thoughts to Fox. Moments later her thoughts drifted back to BC. He was shooting at dark shapes in the smoke, his skin pale, and his hair dark and wavy. Again Emily tried to think about Fox. It was he who had rescued her, after all. Moments later she found herself dreaming about nursing the wounded BC back to health. Slowly the day began to catch up with Emily, and she caught herself starting to doze. Daniel came back into the room with a book.

‘I was just checking what Fox said about the names of the planets,' her brother announced. ‘He got them right, except that he put in three make-believe names at the end.'

Once again something unsettling began batting about like a moth at the back of Emily's mind. She shivered.

‘Can I see?' she asked as casually as she could.

‘Yes, but be quick about it. You know how Mother and Father feel about girls learning science.'

Emily quickly turned to the book's chapter on astronomy. She was surprised to learn that some planets had not always been known. Uranus had been discovered in 1781, and Neptune in 1846. There were many asteroids, but the first had only been discovered in 1801. Charon, Cerebus and Terminus were definitely not mentioned.

‘Tomorrow's Sunday,' said Daniel. ‘You know what we do on Sunday?'

‘We go to church, have a roast for lunch, then spend the rest of the day being bored.'

‘Well, I think that if Fox's clothes are not dry, he might have to come back for them. If he returns early, he could come to church with us before lunch. Mother did invite him … well, sort of.'

‘Why not ask him, silly?'

‘It … it sounds, er, sissy, a boy asking another boy to go to church. I thought you might ask him instead.'

‘No!' exclaimed Emily. ‘He might think that I had, ah, an
interest
in him. Danny, just make the suggestion yourself.'

‘But only girls make those sorts of suggestions.'

‘Oh, nonsense.'

‘I still think a girl should ask that sort of thing.'

‘No!'

‘Look, why don't we both ask him? That way I don't look like a sissy, and you don't look like you're courting him.'

Emily considered this. Push Daniel too far, and he would drop the subject. Daniel clearly wanted to be more of a friend to Fox, while Emily was intrigued by him. Now Daniel was offering a compromise. With careful, casual questioning, Fox might talk about BC, and the very thought of that quickened Emily's pulse.

‘I'll go with you, but only if you actually speak to him,' she conceded.

‘Can I say that it was your idea?' asked Daniel eagerly.

‘You can say it was
our
idea,' Emily said firmly.

‘I suppose that will have to do … but I still say boys are not supposed to ask other boys to church. Girls do that sort of thing.'

‘Fox was brave enough to rescue us, so you must be brave enough to ask him to church.'

The mention of bravery changed everything as far as Daniel was concerned.

‘All right, all right, I'll do it.'

Just then they heard Fox returning from the laundry with Mrs Lang.

‘I cannot think why the clothes were still so wet,' Mrs Lang was saying as they entered. ‘It's almost as if they had been rinsed again.'

Emily shot a suspicious glance at Daniel, who looked sheepish.

‘No matter, shall return, for lunch,' responded Fox.

‘Fox will be returning tomorrow, his clothes are not dry yet,' Mrs Lang announced as she and Fox entered the room.

Emily tried hard not to smile. ‘Oh Fox, seeing that you will have to return, Daniel had something to ask you,' she said.

‘Yes, yes, of course,' said Daniel at once. ‘Ah, Emily wanted to ask you to church with us. But she didn't want to embarrass you, in case you, um, don't go to church. I thought I'd ask, er, in case you did. I mean, if you don't go, then just forget I asked.'