Falsely Accused, page 17
O’Rourke and Libby, little more than a week’s ride away. What the hell were they doing out here? Jake waited, but when they started talking about something else he moved away. No beef, but he’d be damned if he would return empty handed to Maryanne.
He crept towards the back of the wagon, and lifted the canvas flap. It was piled high with supplies, he saw by moonlight. He checked to make sure all the men still sat by the fire. How careless, not even posting a guard. He grinned at his easy access.
Carefully and stealthily he removed bags of sugar, flour and salt, all neatly labeled for him. He would hide them in the bush for a few days then come back for them. Opening a wooden tea box he scooped some of the contents into a dilly bag he always wore around his waist. The temptation to search for tobacco was almost beyond endurance, but he dared not risk it. He stacked everything back neatly so unless someone actually counted the number of bags, they would never notice the missing ones.
***
It took two days for him to finally make it home. It had taken him a couple of trips, but he moved the stores closer, so it wouldn’t take so long for him and Johnny to retrieve them. Maryanne rushed out to greet him.
“Oh, Jake, I’m glad you’re back.” She burst into tears, as his arms engulfed her and dragged her close.
“What is it, sweetling?” One hand automatically went to her breast; the other grasped her bottom and pressed her into his hardening maleness. “I’ve missed you like hell.”
She pushed at his chest, turning her head away from his questing mouth.
“Georgina’s sick again.”
“What!”
“The cough came back; she’s wheezing badly, too.”
“All right.” He released her and strode towards their hut. Georgina, the wild wee thing was the light of his life. She had inherited his hot temper, but her mother’s sweet nature.
He pushed aside the hide covering their doorway and bent his head. The roof was too low for him to stand upright, but most of the time he only slept here anyway. He heard Georgina wheezing and whimpering.
“Don’t cry, papa’s here now.” He squatted down beside her and rested the back of his hand against her hot cheek. She raised her arms and he picked her up. Keeping the fur rug wrapped around her, he rocked her gently.
“Go to sleep, my pretty one,” he crooned, resting his chin against her auburn curls. “Papa will make you better.”
Maryanne stood watching near the doorway. It always amazed her how gentle Jake was with Georgina. When she had been born just over two years ago, he cursed in disappointment because he wanted another boy. She quickly had her father wrapped around her little finger, though. There was nothing he would not do for her.
“Where’s Johnny?” he raised his head to ask.
“He is fishing in the lagoon.”
“Did you rub Georgina’s chest with the eucalyptus oil?”
“Yes, but I’ve used it all up now.”
“I’ll make up some more. Listen, my love, how would you like to see Libby and O’Rourke?”
“Really!”
“Keep your voice down, Georgina’s asleep now.” He gently laid the child down. When they got outside he told her what he had overheard.
“Oh, please, can we go?” She promptly burst into tears.
“For God’s sake,” he growled, pulling her into his arms. “What’s wrong with you? Weeping all over the place.”
He didn’t wait for an answer but covered her mouth with his and she locked her arms around his waist. His tongue caressed and explored, she tasted so good he could never get enough of her.
He had made love to her practically every night they had been together. It was never enough. He felt as desperate for her now as he did on that first occasion, when he watched her shuffling aboard the convict ship. When he was forced to abstain it nearly killed him, but he had never been tempted to seek relief from the many aboriginal women he came in contact with on his hunting expeditions.
“Jake.” Maryanne tried to push his hand away as his fingers feathered up her bare thigh. “Tonight.”
“No,” he groaned. “It’s too long to wait, I need you now.”
“We’ll wake Georgina.” She gasped with pleasure as his fingers gently probed the soft folds at the entrance of her moist womanhood. He started caressing the sensitive bud until it flowered into passionate life. She cried out her need as he lowered them to the ground.
On the sweet fresh grass, dotted with wild flowers, and with the blue sky their only roof, Jake took her to paradise as only he could. They lay joined together for a time until he became hard again, but the urgency was gone now. He moved slowly, almost leisurely, stopping every now and again to kiss and caress her. He built up the passion until her deepest recesses became tender and quivered with need, pulsating with desire. Then he unleashed one last desperate thrust, and exploded inside her.
“What are you doing?” Johnny asked in a piping voice.
“Nothing that concerns you.” Jake stood up tidying his clothes. “Did you catch some fish?” He blocked the boy’s view of a naked Maryanne who struggled to get back into her dress.
Her cheeks were flushed and she shot him an embarrassed glance. He grinned. He didn’t give a damn whether Johnny watched them or not. In deference to her, they normally made love out in the open at night when the children slept. During the day, it was always inside the hut, with the skin covering the door so Johnny knew not to enter.
***
The next morning, Johnny and Jake set off to retrieve the supplies he had taken from the stockmen. “We’ll be back before dark. You’ll be eating white man’s tucker tonight.”
“What about Georgina?”
“She’ll be all right now, that poultice I made will break up the congestion in her chest.”
“I’ll miss you.” Maryanne stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “Take good care of your papa, Johnny,” she instructed their small son whose chest puffed out at the responsibility she gave him.
She stood watching as the tall man and the small boy strode off. Oh, Libby, she thought, to see you after five long years in the wilderness would be a dream come true. She had grown to love the countryside, still loved Jake madly, and felt truly blessed to have two beautiful children, but oh, how she missed the company of another white woman. Need necessitated they have some contact with the local aboriginal tribe, but her grasp of their language was poor and their ways were alien.
Jake, on the other hand, fitted in well. He had an affinity with them. The tribe continually went walkabout, often for months at a time, whereas they never left the sanctity of their little valley.
***
They started off for Libby and O’Rourke’s a couple of days later. The white man’s stores would come in handy for their journey.
Maryanne rode Jake’s horse with Georgina perched up in front with her. They tied a bundle of their belongings, wrapped up in a skin, to the saddle. He led the horse and Johnny walked beside him.
She turned around for one last look at the valley that had been home for over five years, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Do you think we’ll ever come back?”
“I hope not. If I have my way we’ll get a ship to America and never set foot in this cursed place again.”
Jake had no idea where O’Rourke’s tavern might be, but he followed the route of the stockmen who left a clearly defined trail. It would not be long before others would follow. He once thought they might find safety with more people around. If the army, bastards that they were, started searching for escaped convicts, how much longer could they remain undetected?
They must get completely away, and soon. When her pregnancy became more advanced Maryanne would be unfit to travel. If the authorities could be trusted to leave her and the children alone, he would turn himself in and risk the gallows, but Fitzhugh was absolutely desperate to capture her. He certainly would not be prepared to negotiate. He shuddered on thinking about what that evil creature would have in store for her.
As the day wore on, Johnny’s steps faltered, yet he made no complaint.
“Up you go son, I’ll give you a ride.”
“He could come up here with us,” Maryanne suggested.
“No, the horse is old; he’s already carrying too much weight. I’ve got my doubts whether he’ll even make it the whole way.”
“I’ll walk.”
“No, you won’t, not unless you have to. I’ll not have you risking yourself or the child.”
***
They had been on the road for a week, when they heard the bawling of cattle and the sounds of stock whips in the distance.
“Jesus,” Jake swore. “It’s getting busier than Sydney Town out here. We can’t be seen dressed like this.”
They headed into the bush, hiding for two days until the herd disappeared on the horizon.
“We’ll have to keep a sharp lookout from now on.”
“How will we find O’Rourke’s tavern?” Maryanne asked anxiously. To come so far and not see Libby would be catastrophic.
“I’ll find it, don’t worry.” How much further, he wondered, feeling suddenly desperate. The horse wouldn’t last much longer; the poor brute was just about done in. Maryanne didn’t know, but they carried gold in the saddlebags.
On the tenth day, he knew they were close to civilization. He could tell by the marks on the dusty track that quite a lot of traffic had passed through. On several occasions, they spotted smoke, the country around here was obviously being settled, sparsely, but settled nonetheless.
When they stopped to eat and rest one afternoon, he decided to explore the area. He wanted to find somewhere safe for Maryanne and Georgina to hide until he could get some clothes from Libby. A woman and children dressed in skins would arouse too much attention.
After two or three hours of fruitless searching, he discovered a cave that would afford them good shelter; more importantly, it had a commanding view. He would leave his pistol with Maryanne in case she needed to protect herself.
“I’ve found a perfect place for you to hide out until I find O’Rourke.”
“Couldn’t we come, too? I’ll be frightened out here without you.”
“You’re quite safe as long as you stay hidden, I’ll leave Johnny with you.”
When he went to get the horse from where he left it grazing, he found the poor creature collapsed in distress on the ground. It kept trying to get up but did not have the strength. Its coat was flecked with foam and blood seeped from its nostrils.
He didn’t want the poor creature to suffer, but could not afford to attract attention by using his pistol. It had to be put out of its misery somehow, though. Taking out his knife, he rested the horse’s head on his knee and slit its throat, wielding the knife so efficiently, death was instantaneous.
“Where’s the horse?” Maryanne asked when he came back on his own.
“It died,” he lied, “heart must have given out.”
Jake lifted Georgina on to his shoulders and picked up the saddlebags. Johnny and Maryanne carried the rest of the things between them.
“How far is the cave?” she panted after what seemed like miles. “I’m tired, can’t we have a rest?”
“No. Stop whining and keep on walking.”
“I’m tired, Jake, really I am.”
“We’ll be there soon.” He clenched his teeth. Those bloody saddle bags weighed a ton. “Johnny, take that bundle off your mother.”
“I’m tired, too.”
“Do as I say.”
“No.” The child stopped dead.
“Do as I say,” Jake gritted, “or I’ll give you a backhander.”
“He’s only a baby, he’s exhausted, too. Throw away those stupid saddlebags. You haven’t got a horse to put them on.”
“They’ve got gold in them,” he hissed.
“Let’s rest for a little while, please, Jake.” Then, Georgina started to grizzle as well.
“Women.” He dropped a shocking oath. “All right, but just for ten minutes.”
Finally, they made it to the cave. He lit a fire and put some water on to boil. “A nice cup of real English tea, then you’ll feel better,” he said. Both Johnny and Georgina were already asleep inside the cave. “I’ll leave my pistol with you; use it only if you have to. I’ll get back as soon as I can, maybe even have O’Rourke with me. You could be sleeping on a soft mattress by tomorrow night, my sweet.” His kissed her trembling lips.
“Be careful.”
“I will. Stay here until I get back. Don’t let Johnny wander off, either. It’s safer to keep them both in the cave. You’ll have to make do with berries and cold damper.”
“What about a fire?”
“No, it could attract someone. Wrap yourself up, the temperature won’t drop too much tonight.”
When he loped away, she wearily made her way into the cave. Johnny and Georgina lay cuddled together and she sat down beside them. We’re so close to seeing Libby, please God, she prayed desperately. Don’t let anything happen to stop us from seeing each other. Not now. Not after all this time.
O’Rourke and Libby were in bed, when a loud knock came to the door.
“Who the hell is that?” O’Rourke snarled, lifting his mouth from Libby’s breast.
“Hush, me darlin’, you’ll wake the boys. See who it is, I’ll be waiting for you.”
He dragged on his pants and still muttering left the room. Libby grinned to herself, feeling almost sorry for whoever had dared to interrupt them.
“Jesus Christ, Jake, I thought you were dead.” O’Rourke’s shocked expletive caused Libby to dive out of bed and rush into the parlor. She came to a skidding halt in front of a tall, wild looking man dressed in animal skins. He was so dark he could have passed for a native, except for his startling green eyes.
“God, Jake, where’s Maryanne?”
“She’s waiting not far from here in a cave.” He stood with his arms crossed, and Libby would have fallen if O’Rourke didn’t grab hold of her.
“Whereabouts is this cave, for God’s sake.” Libby frantically waved her arms about.
“Perhaps you better stay the night, I’ll come out with you in the morning,” O’Rourke suggested.
“No, I have to get back to them. We’ve got a son Johnny and a daughter Georgina. Maryanne will be frightened on her own. She hasn’t been too well lately.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Libby almost jumped on him.
“She’s with child.”
“I might have known. Living out in the wilds obviously hasn’t diminished that bloody lust of yours.”
“Libby.”
“O’Rourke me darlin’, Jake knows I’m only joking. We’ve got three of our own, so I can’t really talk. Have a whisky before you go.”
Jake swallowed the whisky in a couple of gulps and held the glass out for a refill. “I need clothes for them. We don’t want to attract too much attention to ourselves.”
“I’ll see what I can find. How old are the children?”
“Johnny’s five, Georgina’s two.”
Libby went to get the clothes for the others while Jake changed into some pants and a shirt of O’Rourke’s. “I haven’t worn white man’s clothes for over five years.
“What about boots?”
“I’ve got my own, been saving them for a special occasion.” Jake gave a bark of laughter.
Libby came back with a pair of scissors. “You look like a wild man. I’ll trim your hair and beard.”
Within an hour Jake was ready to leave. O’Rourke loaned him a horse and promised to take a wagon out to meet them on the road at first light tomorrow.
“Be careful,” he warned. “There are soldiers passing by all the time now; we’re at the crossroads here. One direction is Sydney Town, another heads into the unknown where you were, the other leads to a new settlement.”
“There was hardly a soul between here and the Hawkesbury when I came through.”
“Yeah, well it’s not the case now. I’m warning you, be careful.”
Libby made up a parcel of food, fresh bread and apple pie. “Something for your supper,” she said with a grin.
“Thanks, Maryanne will enjoy this.”
Jake galloped off into the night. It only took him a couple of hours to get back as O’Rourke showed him a short cut through the bush. Silence greeted him on arrival at the cave. He unsaddled the horse and tethered it. Carrying the bulging saddle bags and swag Libby made up for them he strode towards the entrance.
“Who’s there? I’ve got a gun. I’ll shoot.”
“Maryanne, it’s me.”
“Jake.” She nearly collapsed with relief.
“You didn’t sound too convincing, my sweet.”
“I’m scared.”
“No need to be.” His mouth searched the darkness for hers and found it.
“Would you like a nice piece of apple pie?” he whispered into her throat.
“Apple pie!” she shrieked.
“Shush, you’ll wake the children. I don’t want to share you with anyone tonight.”
“Apple pie, then we’ll make love,” she promised.
“Agreed.” He laughed. “You better make it worth the wait,” he teased.
“I will, oh, Jake, of course I will.”
“I know, otherwise I’d take you here and now, and to hell with the food.”
They ate the apple pie, the first time they partook of such fare in years. “Real bread,” Maryanne squealed. “How’s Libby?”
“Same as always, bawdy as ever.”
“O’Rourke?” she queried with a full mouth.
“The same, they’ve got three sons, too.”
“Why did they move?”
“The government wants to open up this area, gave them a good price for their other place on condition they started a tavern here. They needed a change, so they accepted. I think business might have dropped off at the other place, too.”
***
Next morning, they rose early. Jake looked so different with his hair trimmed and the beard shaved off, Johnny shied away from him and Georgina started crying. It was only when he spoke that they recognized him and calmed down.
Libby provided a blue dress with lace around the collar and cuffs for Maryanne. It felt strange being dressed in proper clothes and feeling soft cotton against her bare skin after wearing kangaroo hide for so long. There were some tortoise shell combs, so she could put up her waist length hair.
