A Second Chance (50 page)

Frank returned home to find the house in an
uproar. Rosie and Kate, who had subsided into occasional sniffles,
broke into loud weeping at the sight of their father.

‘Maisie’s gone,’ they sobbed in unison.

‘Liam Feenan’s taken her,’ Lizzie told
Frank. ‘He did it right in front of Rosie and Kate.’

‘He grabbed her, and he
hit
her,’
wailed Rosie, who had never before seen a girl hit by a man. ‘I
tried to chase him, but Lumpy was too slow.’

‘And he hit Lumpy,’ Kate put in. ‘And I fell
off.’ She displayed her grazed knees.

‘And then Lumpy tried to jump over the
drain, and
I
fell off,’ said Rosie. ‘Then Lumpy went lame,
and we had to walk home, and Kate could only go really slow.’

‘Danny saw them coming up the track,’ Lizzie
said. ‘He piggybacked Kate the rest of the way.’

‘Danny and Mickey were meant to come and get
us,’ Rosie said, glaring at her brothers. ‘Maisie wasn’t even meant
to come.’

One look at the boys’ ashen faces told Frank
there was no need for him to admonish them. They were clearly aware
of their guilt. ‘How long’s she been gone?’ he asked Lizzie.

‘Nearly two hours now.’ Her face was drawn
with worry.

‘You’re going to get her back, aren’t you,
Papa?’ Kate asked, her lower lip quivering.

‘That man said to tell you he’s taken her
home with him, and you know what to do to get her back,’ said
Rosie. ‘You’re going to, aren’t you?’ She gazed trustingly at
him.

‘Frank, you’re not to go there on your own,’
Lizzie said in a low voice. ‘We don’t know how many fellows Liam’s
got with him.’

‘I’ll go with you,’ Joe put in eagerly.

‘And me,’ said Mickey.

‘Me too,’ Danny added. ‘Please, Pa.’

The younger boys looked at him with pleading
in their eyes, but Frank shook his head. ‘No, you two had better
stay here. You can look after your ma and the girls. Joe, you can
come with me.’ He saw Lizzie’s expression. ‘I’m not going on my
own, Lizzie. I’m not that dopey. I’ll go and see Bill and the
others, see if they’ll come with me. Dave’ll probably want to, as
well. I know Bob Forster’s fed up with Feenans thieving from his
place, I might as well ask him, too.’

‘Frank…’ Lizzie said, as if about to
protest, then gave a small shake of her head. ‘No, I know you’ve
got to go there. Just be careful, all right?’

‘I’ll do my best.’ He kissed her uptilted
face, and went outside with Joe.

*

Frank sent Joe on ahead to Arthur’s, while
he called in to David’s farm. He was pleased to see Richard’s gig
by the garden fence. Richard had called in to check on Daisy’s
progress, and Frank found both his sons-in-law in the house.

He quickly explained what was going on, and
David announced he would join him before Frank had the chance to
ask. ‘I’ll go and tell Uncle John and Uncle Harry, too,’ said
David. ‘The more the better, eh?’

Richard had said nothing in front of Beth
and Amy, but he followed Frank outside, where they watched David
jump over the nearest fence on his way next door. ‘Frank, do you
think this is wise?’ Richard asked.

‘Eh?’ Frank said. ‘What do you mean? I’m
going to get Maisie back.’

‘And what gives you the right to demand that
she’s returned to you? If her father—’

‘Her father?’ Frank broke in. ‘Her father
was happy enough to sell her to me for ten pounds. He didn’t care
what happened to her then.’

‘He… I beg your pardon?’ Richard frowned.
‘Whatever do you mean?’

‘Back when we decided to have Maisie live
with us instead of going back and forth to the Feenans. Just after
you and Maudie got married. I used to pay Maisie for helping
Lizzie, and her pa took every penny off her. She was under age
then, and I knew he wouldn’t let her come unless I made it worth
his while. I think he thought I’d try and beat him down over the
price, but I wasn’t going to haggle over Maisie. I just gave him
what he asked for. And now he wants more. Or at least that bastard
Liam does. And if I was fool enough to pay it, he’d do the same
thing again in a month or two.’

‘You
bought
Maisie?’ Richard said in
astonishment. ‘Frank, you can’t trade in human flesh! And I hardly
think whatever bargain you struck would stand up in a court of
law.’

‘Law’s no help with this,’ Frank said
bitterly. ‘I asked Sergeant Riley about it, and he said Maisie’s pa
can take her back if he wants. The law might do something about it
if I could prove she’s of age, but we haven’t got her birth
certificate. So it’s up to me to fetch her back with us, where she
belongs.’

‘So you’re going to march up to this Feenan
chap with a crowd of men and try to scare him into handing over
Maisie?’

‘That’s about it, yes. Are you coming or
not?’

Richard was looking at Frank as if he were a
stranger. ‘When I told people back in England that I was coming out
to the colony, many of them warned me the country was full of
savages, white as well as brown. They said this was a lawless
place. I laughed it off, and told them New Zealand was as civilised
as England. But I’ve never been as close to agreeing with them as I
am at this moment. And you of all people! Frank, what makes us
better than savages is something called the rule of law. If one
abandons that, one abandons—’

‘That’s a lot of fine words,’ Frank
interrupted. ‘And if I had some time to waste I’d stand here and
listen to a few more speeches from you. But I’d like to get there
before they start raping Maisie.’ He saw the shock on Richard’s
face. ‘Yes, I said rape. That’s what she was scared of, and that’s
what they’re likely to do. Your rule of law business might be
interested after Maisie’s family’s finished with her, but I’m not
going to wait for that. I’m fetching her home.’ He turned on his
heel and walked quickly over to mount his horse.

*

Frank looked around at the dozen men
assembled on the beach, close to where a rough track led off to the
Feenan farm. Bill had brought Alf and Ernie, John and Harry had
come, and Matt Aitken and Bob Forster had both readily agreed to
help. Matt and Bob had each brought their oldest sons; the Leith
men had managed to forbid their own much younger sons from joining
the party.

‘All right, no sense hanging around here,’
said Frank. ‘Stay in a bunch, we want them to see us all at once.
I’ll—’

He stopped speaking when he heard the rattle
of wheels. He looked over his shoulder, and was startled to see
Richard’s gig approaching.

‘I didn’t expect you to turn up,’ he said
when Richard had drawn closer. ‘You coming with us?’

‘If that’s all right with you?’

Frank shrugged. ‘I suppose so. Come on, you
fellows, let’s go.’

As the group moved off, Frank dropped back
until his horse was beside the gig. ‘What happened to that stuff
about the rule of law?’

‘I’m not saying I approve,’ said Richard.
‘But I thought there might be some broken heads that need patching
up after you’ve finished here.’

Frank grunted, and guided his horse back to
the front of the group.

They dismounted where the track degenerated
into a narrow, rutted path edged with gorse bushes, tethered their
horses to what passed for a fence, and approached the house on
foot.

When they were close to the rough building,
they halted, and Frank called out.

‘Liam Feenan? You there?’

It was not Liam who emerged onto the
verandah, but his younger brother, Des. He took one look at the
assembled men and swore loudly, then called over his shoulder.

‘Liam! There’s half the bloody town out
here!’ When there was no response, he disappeared back into the
house, calling Liam’s name as he went.

Liam emerged, clutching a bottle. He stared
at the assembled men, but his gaze soon settled on Frank.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing,
Kelly? What you got all this lot for? This business is between you
and me.’

‘Where’s Maisie?’ said Frank.

‘What’s it worth to you? I hope you brought
some dough.’

Frank shook his head. ‘You’re not getting a
penny. I want to see her.’

‘Well, you can just come back tomorrow. I
might let you see her then, if you ask nicely. And if you make it
worth my while. Go on, get out of here. I’ve got plans for
tonight.’ He glanced towards the house, smirking.

‘We’re not going until I’ve seen Maisie. I
want to see if she’s all right.’

‘Oh, she’s happy as a pig in mud, now she’s
back home with us. She gave me a big kiss just now.’

It was all Frank could do to stop himself
from leaping onto the verandah and taking Liam by the throat. But
that would not help Maisie, still in the house with at least two
other men who had probably been drinking all afternoon. ‘I want to
see her for myself. Bring her out here.’

Liam took a gulp from the bottle and wiped
his hand across his mouth. ‘I’ll see if she’s decent for visitors,’
he said as he went back inside.

Frank heard a door open somewhere within the
house. There was a thin, high-pitched wailing that turned his
stomach, but the wailing was cut short by the slamming of a door,
and a moment later Liam reappeared. With one hand he had hold of
Maisie’s wrist, which he had shoved high against her back. His
other arm was across her throat as he half-led, half dragged her
onto the verandah.

Her eyes widened when she saw Frank and the
other men, but she did not make a sound, even when Liam lessened
the pressure on her throat. Her dress was smeared with dirt; one of
the sleeves had been ripped off, and Frank could see the marks
where fingers had dug into her thin arm. There was a cut on her
lip, and a bruise was forming on one cheek.

‘All right, you’ve seen her,’ said Liam.
‘Come back tomorrow and you can have her. Just make sure you bring
your rent, or I might get a little bit annoyed with Maisie.’

Frank looked into Maisie’s terrified eyes,
then turned his gaze on Liam. ‘I’m taking her home with me now. Let
her go.’

Liam forced Maisie’s arm higher up her back.
Frank saw her face twist in pain, but still she did not utter a
word.

Frank stepped forward. ‘I said let her
go.’

Liam lowered his arm from Maisie’s throat,
and Frank felt the men around him relax slightly. But Liam’s hand
snaked down to his belt, and came up with an ugly-looking knife.
‘Don’t take another step, Kelly.’

Frank did not pause for thought. It was
crystal clear to him what he must do. He took another step forward,
then another.

‘Frank!’ he heard Richard hiss. He was
vaguely aware of Bill holding Joe back on one side, and John
restraining David on the other. He ignored them all, walked
forward, and climbed onto the verandah.

Liam stared wild-eyed at him. He waved the
knife in Frank’s direction, then held it to Maisie’s throat. Frank
was so close now he could hear the tiny whimper she gave. ‘You want
me to kill the little bitch? Eh?’

‘Put it down, Liam,’ Frank said quietly.

Liam waved the knife again. ‘I’ll slice the
pair of you, Kelly—you and your little whore both.’

Frank shook his head. ‘No, you won’t do
that. There’s a dozen witnesses here. You use that knife and you’ll
swing for it. Is it worth getting hung for?’

He held Liam’s gaze for what felt like an
age. Something close to madness was there, but with a spark of
cunning at its clouded core. Frank concentrated on that spark,
willing Liam to see what was to his own best advantage.

Liam’s hand dropped. He bared his teeth like
a snarling dog, gave Maisie’s arm one more savage wrench, and
shoved her at Frank. ‘Ah, you want the little bitch that much, you
might as well have her.’

Frank got an arm around Maisie’s waist just
in time to stop her collapsing to the floor. He helped her down the
steps and the few paces across to where the other men were
converging on them. He kept his arm firmly around her; beneath his
hand he felt her quick, light breaths like the fluttering of a tiny
bird.

Maisie took a great gulp of air. She seemed
about to speak, when once again Frank heard a wailing from the
house. Maisie’s eyes followed the sound, then caught Frank’s.

‘That’s Aunt Bridie. She’s really bad.’ She
clutched at Frank’s sleeve. ‘Can you help her?’

Frank looked at the plea in her eyes, and
resigned himself to making the attempt. ‘What’s wrong with your
ma?’ he called to the figure still standing on the verandah. ‘Does
she need the doctor?’

Liam gripped his knife more firmly and spat
on the floor. ‘You want my old mam as well? You can have her, then.
She’s no bloody use here.’

He went inside, and returned carrying what
looked like a bundle of dirty rags. ‘Go on, then,’ Liam snarled.
‘Help yourself.’ He dropped his burden onto the verandah, went back
into the house and slammed the door behind him.

Frank was still supporting Maisie, but some
of the other men quickly gathered up the bundle that he now saw
held a feebly moving body. Bridie was gently lowered to the ground,
and Richard crouched beside her.

‘I can’t do anything for her here,’ Richard
said after a quick examination. ‘I need to get her into town. Would
one of you mind fetching my bag? I’ll have to anæsthetize before I
try moving her.’

Bobby Forster went running towards the gig.
While he waited for his bag, Richard came up to Frank. ‘Maisie,’ he
said quietly, ‘I need you to tell me if there’s anything I should
do for you right now. No broken bones?’ He ran his hands quickly
down her arms; she flinched at the touch, but Richard seemed
satisfied. ‘What about wounds? Is there any bleeding? Anything that
needs to be bandaged straight away?’

Maisie shook her head. Richard held her gaze
for a moment, then turned to Frank. ‘All right. It’ll be easier on
Maisie if Lizzie sees to whatever else needs doing. I’ll come out
and see her tomorrow. Now, get her home, Frank. That’s what she
needs most.’