Crimson Dawn by Fleur McDonald

Author:Fleur McDonald [McDonald, Fleur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781743315316
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2014-03-31T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

1940

Thomas stood by the front gate. Nambina. After so long away, it felt strange to be back. Memories came crowding in. Phantom voices screamed at him and he felt the crack of Ernest’s fist against his cheek. It was all so real, he recoiled and held up his arm to ward off the blow. His heart beat faster and he had to reach out to the fence to steady himself.

The moon cast just enough light for him to see the two-wheeled track leading to the house. At first, it seemed as though nothing had changed—he wouldn’t have expected it to. But then he noticed the freshly painted gate and next to it a sign announcing ‘Nambina’, the home of ‘Ernest and Howard Murphy’.

There was no mention of Thomas, and certainly no mention of Jessie. His fury surged to the surface and he wanted to hit something, but instead he shut his eyes tightly and balled his hands into fists. Breathe, he encouraged himself. Just breathe.

He opened the gate, went through it, then refastened the chain. Thomas now stood inside Nambina’s boundary for the first time in three years. Soon he could see the outhouses and sheds. They looked tidier and more cared for than when he’d lived here.

Maybe Howard was doing all the work now, as Thomas once had. It was hard to imagine ‘little Howard’ as the mainstay behind Nambina. One thing Ernest did know how to do was work. But not on the farm. He enjoyed being away from it and socialising with all the well-to-do farmers in the district. That’s why he’d spent so much time on committees. Ernest was the one people relied on when there was a fundraiser or event coming up. He’d be the first one there and the last to leave. He was known for pulling more than his fair share of the weight. But not at home.

‘Must be Howard’s doing,’ Thomas muttered. ‘My brother was always tidy and proud.’ In which case, Howard probably hadn’t enlisted in the army. With all the propaganda encouraging young men to sign up, surely it had crossed his mind, as it had Thomas’s, if only fleetingly.

There was no chance of Ernest enlisting—he wouldn’t be fit enough.

Thomas tried to take another step forward but found he couldn’t move. His heart beat faster and he wasn’t sure if he was petrified as well as angry.

He stared out into the darkened countryside. He could hear the murmur of sheep in the paddock, and the familiar sound comforted him. It had been a long, hot summer, and the fact that the ewes were out grazing, even though it was dark, suggested feed was getting scarce, he surmised.

He made a quick decision. He wanted to create an element of surprise, and to know what was going on before he walked into the house. He’d spend the night in the shearing shed and watch them tomorrow.

Skirting along the edge of the fence, he made his way through the compound of sheds.

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