plates of bacon and eggs at one of the tables and they looked up at this, so Rose dropped her voice. ‘Why do you ask?’
Maeve shrugged big shoulders clothed in flimsy green silk. ‘Then it’s too late, there’s nothing to be done at all. If you were living in sin with the lad, and many a good girl is too, you could give him up and find a better prospect. There’s plenty of good men out here that’s looking for wives, you must know that. But—’ She spread her hands ‘—if you’re legally wed, you’ll have to make the best of it. That’s all. I’m thinking of you.’ She looked Rose up and down.
‘I’m not complaining,’ Rose said frostily. ‘I just asked whether you know where he is.’
Maeve ignored the frost and went on, ‘You’re stuck, that is unless you go back home and say you couldn’t stand the climate. Some women do that. The truth is they find the men too rough and the life too hard in a bark shelter or a tent.’ Then she added, ‘Come and have some breakfast, girl dear, you look as though you could do with a feed.’
Rose felt sick, but she would not back down in front of this cynical woman. ‘No, thank you, I have no money with me.’ Why did she think so little of Luke?
‘I’m not asking you to pay, don’t be silly,’ Maeve interrupted. ‘Here, come through,’ and she led Rose through a door in the back of the bar. ‘This is my room – customers don’t come in here. Now you can cry, if you’re that way inclined. I didn’t mean to upset you, but what I said is the honest truth. Men are disappointing, most of them.’
Rose sank down into a comfortable cane chair and looked at the room, trying to calm herself. In contrast to the gloomy bar this room was light and pleasant, with curtains framing a window that looked out on to a garden. A bowl of roses stood on the table and there were books on a shelf. What luxury! Would she ever be able to coax roses to grow, or have a nice room to put them in? It seemed impossible.
Maeve went off for a few minutes and came back with a tray on which there was a china teapot and cups. ‘The cook’s making you breakfast. Now, drink this tea before you do anything else.’ There was kindness in her eyes as she looked at Rose. ‘Sure and I was too honest with you … but I thought you’d have known by now and be weighing up the choices.’ She poured two cups of tea. ‘How well do you know your husband? Maybe you’re not long married, still have stars in your eyes?’
Rose sipped her tea from the delicate china cup. This was why women wanted to bring china and silk to Australia, to give a feeling of civilization in a most uncivilized place. Would it make any difference , in the end? She looked over at her hostess, dressed like a lady in this bush shack of a public house. Maybe it was important to keep to your own standards, no matter what your surroundings were. ‘I knew Luke at school, we come from the same village, Mrs—’
‘Maeve Malone I am, but Maeve’ll do,’ the woman said. ‘And you must be Rose, English Rose.’ She laughed. ‘You seem so much more English than Luke.’
She knows my name, Rose thought. Luke must have told her. ‘We got married and then he came out straightaway afterwards. I probably don’t know him very well, really.’
‘You got married because you fell in love, I suppose, as folks do. He’s a nice enough young fella. Or maybe he needed a wife and you wanted a change of scene and a man of your own. That happens, too. Well, it’s your business, not mine at all.’ Maeve went to the door and took another tray from a large man in a cook’s apron. ‘Get this down you, it’ll do you good.’
Rose ate the scrambled egg on toast and she could feel her spirits rising a little. When she had finished she said, ‘So you do know Luke? Have you any idea where he may be?’
The woman gave her a pitying look. ‘Come with me.’ They went along a dark corridor lined with walls of pressed tin, decorated
Maeve shrugged big shoulders clothed in flimsy green silk. ‘Then it’s too late, there’s nothing to be done at all. If you were living in sin with the lad, and many a good girl is too, you could give him up and find a better prospect. There’s plenty of good men out here that’s looking for wives, you must know that. But—’ She spread her hands ‘—if you’re legally wed, you’ll have to make the best of it. That’s all. I’m thinking of you.’ She looked Rose up and down.
‘I’m not complaining,’ Rose said frostily. ‘I just asked whether you know where he is.’
Maeve ignored the frost and went on, ‘You’re stuck, that is unless you go back home and say you couldn’t stand the climate. Some women do that. The truth is they find the men too rough and the life too hard in a bark shelter or a tent.’ Then she added, ‘Come and have some breakfast, girl dear, you look as though you could do with a feed.’
Rose felt sick, but she would not back down in front of this cynical woman. ‘No, thank you, I have no money with me.’ Why did she think so little of Luke?
‘I’m not asking you to pay, don’t be silly,’ Maeve interrupted. ‘Here, come through,’ and she led Rose through a door in the back of the bar. ‘This is my room – customers don’t come in here. Now you can cry, if you’re that way inclined. I didn’t mean to upset you, but what I said is the honest truth. Men are disappointing, most of them.’
Rose sank down into a comfortable cane chair and looked at the room, trying to calm herself. In contrast to the gloomy bar this room was light and pleasant, with curtains framing a window that looked out on to a garden. A bowl of roses stood on the table and there were books on a shelf. What luxury! Would she ever be able to coax roses to grow, or have a nice room to put them in? It seemed impossible.
Maeve went off for a few minutes and came back with a tray on which there was a china teapot and cups. ‘The cook’s making you breakfast. Now, drink this tea before you do anything else.’ There was kindness in her eyes as she looked at Rose. ‘Sure and I was too honest with you … but I thought you’d have known by now and be weighing up the choices.’ She poured two cups of tea. ‘How well do you know your husband? Maybe you’re not long married, still have stars in your eyes?’
Rose sipped her tea from the delicate china cup. This was why women wanted to bring china and silk to Australia, to give a feeling of civilization in a most uncivilized place. Would it make any difference , in the end? She looked over at her hostess, dressed like a lady in this bush shack of a public house. Maybe it was important to keep to your own standards, no matter what your surroundings were. ‘I knew Luke at school, we come from the same village, Mrs—’
‘Maeve Malone I am, but Maeve’ll do,’ the woman said. ‘And you must be Rose, English Rose.’ She laughed. ‘You seem so much more English than Luke.’
She knows my name, Rose thought. Luke must have told her. ‘We got married and then he came out straightaway afterwards. I probably don’t know him very well, really.’
‘You got married because you fell in love, I suppose, as folks do. He’s a nice enough young fella. Or maybe he needed a wife and you wanted a change of scene and a man of your own. That happens, too. Well, it’s your business, not mine at all.’ Maeve went to the door and took another tray from a large man in a cook’s apron. ‘Get this down you, it’ll do you good.’
Rose ate the scrambled egg on toast and she could feel her spirits rising a little. When she had finished she said, ‘So you do know Luke? Have you any idea where he may be?’
The woman gave her a pitying look. ‘Come with me.’ They went along a dark corridor lined with walls of pressed tin, decorated
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