FOLLOW THE MORNING STAR (61 page)

Despite this excitement and the feelings of good will and laughter the wedding had generated, Queenie couldn’t look forward to the celebrations as much as she wished. She was anxious about seeing TR again, in her heart she felt coming back to Tingulla was some
kind of turning point for him. Somehow they would have to go forward as best they could; not for a moment did she give up hope that TR would recover and be restored to her.

Queenie rode back to the house and found Millie. ‘The church won’t need much fixing up. Now what about the catering side, the food? Any special requests?’ she asked Millie.

‘Well, Queenie luv, we might want to rethink this party,’ began Millie.

‘Oh no, I don’t like the sound of that. Don’t tell me Ruthie and Ernie have had a spat and called things off!’

Millie laughed. ‘No, nothing of the kind. But she says she and Snowy have worked out the date for it and I have just realised it’s the same day as Saskia’s birthday. Ruthie says it’s bad luck to change her date and we can’t ask Sas to move her birthday . . .’

‘What’s the problem, Millie? We’ll make it a combined party. I bet Sas and Ruthie would love that.’

‘Well if you say so, and they agree. Yeah, it would be nice, eh?’ decided Millie with a big smile. ‘An’ everyone will be here. Yeah, it’s a perfect idea.’

‘I’ll call Saskia and tell her that the birthday party celebrations are starting with a wedding.’

However, before making any phone calls, Queenie opened her mail and came out holding a letter and grinning. ‘Amend the guest list, there’ll be more. There’s a note from Auntie Maud, she and the kids plan to arrive that same weekend!’

Millie threw up her hands. ‘The more the merrier. I’m kinda lookin’ forward to chattin’ again with Maudie. We get on real well on the phone, prob’ly got a lot in common.’

‘I think they’ll be going bush,’ said Queenie. These camps she takes her street kids to aren’t social events but traditional learning experiences.’

‘Socialism’ is a learnin’ experience. I coulda done with some help in that direction when I first went out t’work myself,’ sniffed Millie. ‘The nuns showed me how to set a table and cook, but they didn’t pass on any social graces stuff. Course, we weren’t expected to mix with the white folk so they didn’t think we needed it.’

‘Maybe you should suggest it to Auntie Maud. Anyway, she says that “my” kids are going great guns. Raylene is working full-time with Magda and she’s also hired Zero and Ado as what she calls “foot soldiers”. And Lois has a job in a nursing home. Isn’t that excellent? Well, I’ll go tell Ruthie and Saskia the celebrations have expanded.’

It had become a gathering of the Tingulla clan with friends old and new reuniting for the double celebration. Millie spread the word that Ruthie and Ernie would welcome any practical gifts for setting up house and Saskia let it be known she wanted unusual presents for her twenty-first.

Saskia was working at Harmony Hill until the week before the party, so Queenie and Millie took charge of the presents as they b
egan to arrive. The first were from Dingo and TR. TR sent Saskia one of Dingo’s paintings of Tingulla and its landscape — which several galleries had been wanting to buy — which arrived courtesy of a truckie friend of Dingo’s. Also on board was her present from Dingo.

‘I’ll need a hand,’ said the driver with a wink. When he dropped the back gate of the truck a young camel stood blinking its large doleful eyes at Queenie.

‘Millie!’ called Queenie. ‘I need a hand here!’

‘Oh my gawd!’ exclaimed Millie. ‘That Dingo, he’s a card. What are we gonna do with it?’

‘Stick him — her? — in the paddock near the stables I suppose,’ said Queenie, taking the lead rope from the amused truckie.

‘It’s a quiet little thing. I took it out for a stroll in Texas and tied it up to the pub verandah, was as happy as a lamb. And she’s not averse to a beer,’ he informed them blithely.

‘I ain’t givin’ her any beer. Just what we need round here — a dipso camel.’

The little camel trotted obediently between Millie and Queenie, who was trying not to look cross about this new arrival. Millie gave it a pat. ‘It’s a pretty little thing really.’ She glanced at Queenie and they both began to laugh.

‘You know, Saskia is just going to adore this,’ laughed Queenie. ‘Oh well, at least it won’t mind the droughts.’

The Quinns from the neighbouring property came to lend a hand with setting up the
big marquee and while Millie and Ruthie cleaned the little church, Jim organised a work party to get the old woolshed in order for Saskia’s dance. Tables and chairs were hired and the massive old barbecue and spit were cleaned for the sides of beef and lamb.

Alf flew in from Neptune Island with crates of fresh tropical fruit and flowers. ‘These flowers — the white ginger and the moonflowers as well as the lilies — will all be in full bloom by Saturday and the perfume will blow your heads off,’ he promised. ‘Now lead me to the kitchen, as chief cook I need to check on things.’

‘You’re in charge of the meat and Saskia wants potatoes done in the coals and I don’t know what you can do with all that fruit,’ said Millie, ‘but the kitchen is my territory!’

The following morning Millie came bustling along the verandah to find a group standing at the front door, smiling patiently. ‘Door was open, but we figured someone would come along soon enough. I’m Auntie Maud, you must be Millie.’

The two Aboriginal women shook hands and Millie took in the gear and bags by the front steps. ‘You lot walk in?’

‘Yep, we got a lift along the road, so we hiked up the drive. Pretty amazing place. Sorta what I expected though,’ said Auntie Maud. ‘This lot have had their eyes out on sticks a’ course.’ She grinned at the four silent youngsters who were regarding Millie with expressions of wonder, surprise, and shyness.

‘Righto, pick up your stuff and follow me. I’ll
find Queenie, she said if you turned up to put you in the shearers’ quarters till you go out bush. There are a couple of buildings, I’ll put you in the one furthest from Saskia’s mates — the boys’ll be noisy. We gotta wedding and a twenty-first on,’ said Millie leading them around the house.

‘By crikey, we didn’t know that, we’ll head out first thing in the morning. We don’t want t’git in the way,’ apologised Auntie Maud.

‘Listen, please yourselves, but it’s my bet Queenie will want you to stay,’ said Millie. ‘P’raps it might be a different sorta learning time for these kids if you spent the weekend,’ said Millie, noticing the two girls were nudging Auntie Maud to agree.

‘I’ll have t’talk to Queenie ‘bout that. We’ll see, we’ll see,’ Maud told the eager young people.

Jenni had asked Bruce and Ria for a week off before Saskia’s birthday and when they had agreed she flew down to see Tango. Mum Ryan welcomed her to Guneda with warmth and more than a dash of curiosity. She showed her to the guest wing with its own sitting room where bay windows overlooked the picture postcard grounds. Behind the manicured lawns, flowerbeds and shady oak trees, white fences crisscrossed the lush pasture where thoroughbreds and their foals rested and played together. Jenni gazed around the blue and white rooms with Regency wallpaper hung with antique equine watercolour prints.

‘This is lovely. Who did the decor?’ Jenni asked.

‘Queenie and Saskia redecorated a couple of years ago. TR and Tango designed the viewing room, you’ll see that later,’ she smiled. ‘You freshen up and there’ll be coffee or whatever you want on the side verandah. Tango said he’ll see you there when you’re ready.’

Tango had changed from the casual clothes he’d worn to meet her at Scone airport into moleskin pants and his old riding boots. ‘We’ll do the tour after we’ve had morning coffee, okay?’

‘Whatever you say. I can see already Guneda lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful studs in the country.’

Tango agreed. ‘I like the way TR designed this to look as though it’s been here for generations, when actually it was built from scratch by him for Clayton Hindmarsh. A lot of people would probably have done it in mock Kentucky style, but TR has kept to Aussie traditions and taste.’

They set out on foot for the stables and the foaling boxes where a mare had recently given birth. Jenni was fascinated with the streamlined and high-tech facilities and found the beautiful horses quite breathtaking.

‘There must be a lot of money tied up in these animals,’ she remarked.

Tango nodded. ‘You bet. Another reason we don’t take any chances with hygiene, safety or comfort for them. Let’s get in the truck and I’ll take you down to the racetrack and round the back of the property. Tomorrow well go riding.’

‘Not on a racehorse I hope,’ laughed Jenni. ‘But Tango, I don’t want to take you away from your work. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to look after with TR back in the west.’

Tango dropped his arm around Jenni’s shoulders and gave her a small hug. ‘Don’t you worry about that. You showed me Harmony Hill, now it’s my turn.’

In the late afternoon when she’d showered and changed into a skirt and jumper, Jenni joined Tango, Dennis, and several friends and neighbours in what was known as the viewing room. After introductions and drinks had been served, Jenni settled herself on one of the long couches that faced the floor to ceiling glass windows that ran almost the length of the room. An open fire blazed at one end, and at the other several of the men had gathered around the bar.

Jenni turned to one of the young wives seated next to her. ‘Why do they call this a viewing room? I mean, it is a lovely view out there . . . ’ She waved at the neat green lawn, shrubs and trees.

‘It’s an idea of TR’s for selling and showing his horses, look there,’ and she pointed through the glass wall.

Two strappers came into view leading two Arabians across the lawn where they paraded and stopped in the middle of the grassy ring as the group gathered inside admired and discussed the two horses.

‘Beats standing out in the cold,’ said Dennis to Jenni. ‘Though of course, clients still spend time at the stables and the track. But this makes a good first impression.’

‘It certainly does,’ said Jenni. ‘I’m impressed.’

‘Can I get you another drink?’ offered Dennis, turning his wheelchair towards the bar.

‘No thanks, not for the moment. I think I’ll just ogle the horseflesh and pretend I know more than I do,’ said Jenni.

Dennis grinned at her. ‘After the Sweetheart Syndicate’s success at the Gold Coast Cup, next time you’re here it’ll probably be to view and buy another winner.’

‘Wouldn’t that be something,’ laughed Jenni.

Tango came and joined them. ‘Thought you’d like this. At night we floodlight the grounds out there and it looks pretty spectacular. Queenie wants to put in a similar thing at Cricklewood to show off the bulls.’

The buffet dinner Mum Ryan laid out was a superb blend of old-fashioned shepherd’s pie and an exotic version of beef Wellington with truffles. Fresh key lime pie and passion fruit mousse followed for dessert and Jenni sighed to Tango, ‘Do you eat like this all the time? I’m surprised you and TR aren’t the size of a house.’

Tango spooned the last of the mousse from his plate. ‘It’s true. If we let Mum have her way she’d cook up a storm. We try to keep her to simple stuff during the week, but Sunday lunch is always something special. We generally have company, but even if it’s just us, her baked dinners are out of this world. I missed them heaps when I was over with Dingo and TR in the west.’

As they were sitting apart from the rest of
the group Jenni asked quietly, ‘Tell me about what happened with TR while you were over there.’

‘What makes you think something happened?’ asked Tango.

‘Because of the way he suddenly rushed over to Harmony Hill, as if he’d come to some decision then changed his mind.’

‘If something happened, I don’t know about it, but I guess he did a lot of thinking out there. So how do things stand between you two?’ asked Tango bluntly. ‘I was going to add, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but frankly, I do want to know.’

‘Why is that, Tango?’

‘I want to know if you’ve got my father into the right perspective in your life. Because I’m getting quite fond of you, Jenni.’

‘Tango, don’t rush me. TR is special to me. And I’m just coming to terms with where he fits into my life. I want to keep him as a friend. I realise we couldn’t have the sort of relationship we both might have wanted at one stage . . . it wouldn’t work and wouldn’t last.’

‘How does he feel?’

‘I think I know how he feels now, but we haven’t talked at length. Perhaps you should talk to him.’

Tango looked unsure. ‘I’ll see. Have to pick my time and see how he feels about you, about Mum, about his life. He’s still not a secure or happy man.’

‘Can you blame him?’ asked Jenni softly.

‘No. But until he straightens out his life one
way or another, the rest of us can’t get on with ours.’

‘Let’s give it a little time, Tango,’ said Jenni. ‘And I hope you and I stay friends, no matter what.’

Tango reached out and took her plate from her and kissed her swiftly on the forehead. ‘We will, Jen, we will.’

The next few days passed in a blur of excitement for Jenni. She couldn’t remember when she last spent such active days or laughed so much. Tango had her playing tennis before breakfast, riding and swimming, and following him around the stud as he checked on training sessions and monitored mares in foal.