eyes.
“Are you Mary Fraser?” I asked her gently. “I am Kirsty.”
She didn’t want to smile at me, but I imagine she was naturally charming and found it hard to be anything else, even when her loyalty to her mother drove her.
“Kirsty MacTaggart?” she said with amusement.
“Kirsty Fraser,” Andrew put in, his temper still hot in his eyes.
“Ay, Kirsty MacTaggart,” I agreed calmly. “That’s the name I was born with and it suits me well.”
Mary laughed. “Yes, it does,” she said positively. “It’s funny, coming from the same place as my mother. You’re not at all alike!”
I raised my eyebrows. “Nor are you and Mr. Fraser, come to that!” I retorted.
Mary was intrigued. “ Mr. Fraser,” she repeated, “I like that! It suits you, Andy. It suits your autocratic manner. Perhaps that’s what I shall call you?”
He glared at us both, “Don’t you dare! One foolish female is enough to bear with at a time!”
Mary grinned at him. “Who’d have thought you’d find a wife cute enough to beat you at your own game!” she teased him.
“She has decent manners,” he reproved her.
“Too right,” she drawled. She turned her laughing eyes on me. “Though my mother doesn’t think so,” she added.
I blushed painfully. “I can’t think why I said w h at I did,” I confessed wretchedly. “I shall apologise to your mother, of course, when she comes—”
“When she comes?” Mary said on a note of enquiry.
“Did you not know? She said she was coming on a visit quite soon,” I told her.
She looked at me in blank astonishment. “And you’ll allow it?” she said.
“But of course she must come,” I said with dignity “Whatever made you think otherwise?”
The girl shrugged, “She’s not the most popular character on the Murchison,” she said bluntly, “She always thinks everyone wants to keep her away.”
“Nonsense!” I said flatly. “She’s your mother. Isn’t that reason enough for her to visit whenever she cares to?”
The Frasers exchanged glances, “You might bite off more than you can chew,” Andrew warned me, but he didn’t seem displeased by my attitude.
Mary was more specific. “It’s fatal to be humble with my mother!” she insisted.
I thought of the Camerons I had known back home, folk who must have been her close relations. Margaret Cameron held no terrors for me.
“Your mother will always be welcome here while I’m mistress of this house,” I said with finality. Andrew started and I was hard put to it not to blush and give the game away. I could boast all I liked, we both knew that while he was the master of Mirrabooka, I would never be mistress there.
Mary decided herself to show me the house. She took me first to Andrew’s bedroom which his parents had once shared.
“I expect you’ll be sleeping in here,” she said easily. “I’ ll tell them to bring your luggage in just as soon as you’ve seen the whole house.”
I winced away from my own thoughts. “Andrew and I prefer not to share a room,” I said tautly.
Her green eyes glittered. “I don’t know what Andy will say to that!”
I fell into the trap, daft as I am, because I was curious to know everything I could about Andrew Fraser. “Why not?” I said.
She laughed out loud . “Don’t you know anything about Andy? He’s the greatest catch in Western Australia. Oh my, Kirsty, you’ve got a lot to answer to to all the girls round here !”
“You mean—you mean Andrew is popular?” I suggested with difficulty.
“Popular!” she echoed. “The girls all tie themselves in knots merely to dance with him. And he knows it!”
“Are there so few men on the Murchison?” I asked her.
“Good gracious!” she said slowly. “Where have you been ? Don’t you know what mining towns are like? They’re full of men! And we have more to do with them than most of the Cockies, because Andy has mining interests apart from everything else. But leaving them out of it, there
“Are you Mary Fraser?” I asked her gently. “I am Kirsty.”
She didn’t want to smile at me, but I imagine she was naturally charming and found it hard to be anything else, even when her loyalty to her mother drove her.
“Kirsty MacTaggart?” she said with amusement.
“Kirsty Fraser,” Andrew put in, his temper still hot in his eyes.
“Ay, Kirsty MacTaggart,” I agreed calmly. “That’s the name I was born with and it suits me well.”
Mary laughed. “Yes, it does,” she said positively. “It’s funny, coming from the same place as my mother. You’re not at all alike!”
I raised my eyebrows. “Nor are you and Mr. Fraser, come to that!” I retorted.
Mary was intrigued. “ Mr. Fraser,” she repeated, “I like that! It suits you, Andy. It suits your autocratic manner. Perhaps that’s what I shall call you?”
He glared at us both, “Don’t you dare! One foolish female is enough to bear with at a time!”
Mary grinned at him. “Who’d have thought you’d find a wife cute enough to beat you at your own game!” she teased him.
“She has decent manners,” he reproved her.
“Too right,” she drawled. She turned her laughing eyes on me. “Though my mother doesn’t think so,” she added.
I blushed painfully. “I can’t think why I said w h at I did,” I confessed wretchedly. “I shall apologise to your mother, of course, when she comes—”
“When she comes?” Mary said on a note of enquiry.
“Did you not know? She said she was coming on a visit quite soon,” I told her.
She looked at me in blank astonishment. “And you’ll allow it?” she said.
“But of course she must come,” I said with dignity “Whatever made you think otherwise?”
The girl shrugged, “She’s not the most popular character on the Murchison,” she said bluntly, “She always thinks everyone wants to keep her away.”
“Nonsense!” I said flatly. “She’s your mother. Isn’t that reason enough for her to visit whenever she cares to?”
The Frasers exchanged glances, “You might bite off more than you can chew,” Andrew warned me, but he didn’t seem displeased by my attitude.
Mary was more specific. “It’s fatal to be humble with my mother!” she insisted.
I thought of the Camerons I had known back home, folk who must have been her close relations. Margaret Cameron held no terrors for me.
“Your mother will always be welcome here while I’m mistress of this house,” I said with finality. Andrew started and I was hard put to it not to blush and give the game away. I could boast all I liked, we both knew that while he was the master of Mirrabooka, I would never be mistress there.
Mary decided herself to show me the house. She took me first to Andrew’s bedroom which his parents had once shared.
“I expect you’ll be sleeping in here,” she said easily. “I’ ll tell them to bring your luggage in just as soon as you’ve seen the whole house.”
I winced away from my own thoughts. “Andrew and I prefer not to share a room,” I said tautly.
Her green eyes glittered. “I don’t know what Andy will say to that!”
I fell into the trap, daft as I am, because I was curious to know everything I could about Andrew Fraser. “Why not?” I said.
She laughed out loud . “Don’t you know anything about Andy? He’s the greatest catch in Western Australia. Oh my, Kirsty, you’ve got a lot to answer to to all the girls round here !”
“You mean—you mean Andrew is popular?” I suggested with difficulty.
“Popular!” she echoed. “The girls all tie themselves in knots merely to dance with him. And he knows it!”
“Are there so few men on the Murchison?” I asked her.
“Good gracious!” she said slowly. “Where have you been ? Don’t you know what mining towns are like? They’re full of men! And we have more to do with them than most of the Cockies, because Andy has mining interests apart from everything else. But leaving them out of it, there
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