Pearls (36 page)

She rubbed her cheek against the hairs on his forearm. 'I mean what are you going to do about
her
.'

'Aye well, it's complicated, lass.'

He finished the cheroot and ground it out under his heel. 'You’ll be a woman soon, Elvie. You dinnae want to stay here. The town is dying. Any of the young men with ambition are leaving.'

'Are we leaving, pa?'

'I'm thinking of going down to Perth at the end of the year. There's always a job on a fishing boat down there. Mrs Niland is thinking of coming with me.'

There was a long silence. 'Mrs Niland?

'Aye.'

'Won't Mister Niland be cross?'

He stood up. 'There's something we need to talk about, Elvie. Come along.'

***

He walked down to the foreshore, past the pearler's camps, past the Governor's Residence and the Bishop's Palace, past Buccaneer Rock and the Ghost Light Beacon, slapping his broad-rimmed hat against his thigh.

He told the story of how he had met Kate Flynn, how he had loved her and how he had lost her. They walked up the hill to Rosie's grave. Five years since he had last been here. He had made a promise to himself that he would only come back when he had put the things to rights for her. He expected the grave to be overgrown with weeds, yet there it was, neatly tended, fresh flowers arranged in a lemonade bottle at the head of the grave.

He smiled. Elvie!

The headstone read:

Rosemary McKenzie

died in childbirth

1899-1926

The air was heavy with the scent of salt and mango and kerosene from the lamps now flickering to life along the foreshore.

She started to pull weeds from the red dirt. 'What if I did?

Cameron knelt down, traced the R in Rosemary with his finger. 'Elvie darling there's something else you should know. I've put off telling you this and perhaps you won't thank me for telling you now. But you'll be a woman soon, and it's time you had the truth and though it's painful one day it may serve you.'

'What is it, pa?'

He fumbled in his shirt pocket and pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to her.

'What is it?'

'It's your birth certificate.'

She stared at it. 'It had her name Elvira, and her mother's maiden name, Rosemary Janet Jones., Beside father's name was written
'Unknown.'

'Pa?'

'Aye it's true.'

She sat down on her haunches as if the bones in her legs had dissolved.

'I hope you don't think the worst of you ma or of me. She was a good woman, a fine woman, and always faithful to me. But before we were wed she ...'

He let the sentence hang. He was hoping she would not ask too much more, not now; perhaps later, perhaps never. The truth was never that clear, it seemed to him, even when you tried to explain it.

'Does the whole town know? Am I the last to know this, pa?'

'I dinnae know who knows. But you should know this. I loved you from the first day I saw you, Elvie, all wet and shiny in my arms. In my mind you were mine and always will be.'

Elvie sat with her head down, and he waited for her to ask him more, but she did not. He felt as if he had swallowed a stone.

She held out the birth certificate and he took it from her fingers, folded it neatly, and put it back in his shirt.

'Can we go home now, da’?'

'Do you not want me to tell you what happened?'

She shook her head.

'Maybe later, then.'

He pulled her to her feet. She put an arm around his waist and leaned against him. 'Goodnight ma,' she said, and together they walked home.

Chapter 63

George had gone to the office early. Jamie was on the veranda smoking a cigarette, a new affectation of his. He looked to be in a foul mood. Perhaps he had heard her and George screaming at each other in their bedroom last night. She took a deep breath and went out to join him.

'George tells me your going out fishing this season.'

'On the
Rose
. Ramatzu's skipper. I don't know enough about it. But I'll open all the shell and keep an eye on them. Someone has to. Father's been too trusting over the years.'

'Promise me you won't dive.'

'I've not a care to. It's a filthy job, I'll leave it for the Japs.'

'I still don't understand why you're doing this. It's hard work and it's filthy work. You should be at university.'

'Father needs me right now. I don't intend to let him down.'

Let him down.
She felt the barb was aimed at her. 'So what's wrong, Jamie? I thought you'd be happy about this.'

'Was this what you two were fighting about last night?'

'One of the things. I always begged him not to let you go pearling and he always swore he wouldn't. But he has never listened to me about anything.'

'He was rather upset this morning when he left for work.'

'Was he?'

'He said you're leaving us.'

'I'm leaving him, Jamie. Not you.'

'If you leave Broome it's the same thing.'

'Jamie, you're a man now.'

'I shall never forgive you for this.'

'My God, you're like your father.'

'My father's weak. I'm not.'

'You don't really know your father,' she murmured.

'McKenzie, you mean?'

Oh God, he knew. She sat down heavily on one of the chairs. She didn't know where to look.

'Did you think I didn't know? The whole
town
knows about it apparently. Did you think people would forget. Not here. They remember if you spilled a drink on someone's dress in 1922.'

'How long have you known?'

'Years. Father told me.'

'George? He told you?'

'He made me promise not to say anything.'

'What exactly did he say?'

'That you went behind his back with McKenzie. That he forgave you and took you back when even grandfather wanted to disown you.'

Unbelievable. Had he really said that about her? No wonder Jamie hated her.

'That wasn't the way it was,' she said.

'What's your version then?'

'Your grandfather thought he was a good catch. Instead I fell in love with Cam ... Mister McKenzie. When I fell pregnant with you ... he had a feud with your grandfather over a pearl. They fought in the street. Things were said. Public things. I felt humiliated. I broke it off with Mister McKenzie and George rather rescued me I suppose. He is your father in all other respects. He was the one who raised you and put a roof over your head.'

The rain burst over their heads. James' face looked greenish in the storm light.

'What must you think of me?' she said.

'Do you still love him?'

'Yes.'

'You've always loved him?'

'Yes.'

'Well, that's something,' he said. 'That's just ... just wonderful.'

'I love you, Jamie. I have done my best here but you're a man now, you don't need me anymore. I stayed for you. I have never loved your father the way I should, the way a woman should love her husband. I need to find some happiness for myself now. Please understand.'

'All I understand is that you're running out on us when we need you the most.'

'I will stay for one more season. Then I intend to leave.'

He stood with his back to her for a long time. Finally: 'I heard he murdered grandfather.'

'He was officially pardoned. A Manilaman did it over a snide pearl. He confessed and was hanged. Didn't George tell you that bit?'

'I know a snake when I step on one.'

'He's a good man, Jamie. You have no right to talk about him that way.'

'Well, I only have your word for that.' He tossed his cigarette into the garden and walked off into the rain.

'Where are you going?'

'I'm going to get drunk,' he said.

Chapter 64

And two hours later Jamie Niland was drunk, good and drunk. He propped himself against the long bar in the Bosun's Regret and dropped some coins into the barmaid's jar to get her attention. She hesitated, then turned to big John Hagen, the manager. He walked up the bar and said, in a gravelly whisper: 'You've had enough, son. Go home now.'

'Get me a beer.'

'Look, I shouldn't be serving you at all, at your age. I don't want no trouble with the coppers.'

'A beer.'

Hagen shrugged. He was George Niland's son, after all. 'Get him a drink, Bessie.'

Jamie downed the glass in one swallow. Damn his mother. How could she do something like this? How could she do it to her father, and how could she do it to him?

He slammed the glass on the counter. Two more pennies dropped in Bess's jar.

At that moment he heard a familiar voice and someone clapped him on the shoulder. 'Jamie! I've not seen you in here before. You sure you're old enough?' Cameron dropped some coins in Bessie's jar. 'One for me and one of whatever he's having,' he said.

'She told me. Everything.'

Cameron sighed, pushed his money across the bar. 'Better make it two double whiskies, Bessie.' He turned back to Jamie. 'What did she tell you?'

'You're not my father.'

'She told you that?'

'George is my father.'

'Fair enough then. Because I agree. No matter who's blood you have in you, it's George that raised you.'

He put a hand on his shoulder again and Jamie shrugged it off. 'Get your hands off me.'

'Okay. Easy. Settle down, son.'

'I'm not your son!'

'It was just an expression.' He raised his glass. 'Cheers.'

Jamie waited till he put his glass down. 'Cheers,' he said and swung his fist into Cameron's face. Cameron lurched backwards, tripped on the brass foot rail and fell.

A hush fell over the room. The crowd moved back and formed a circle. No one wanted to miss this for anything. Jamie brought his fists up in front of his face.

'Get up,' he said to Cameron.

Cameron slid a finger inside his mouth. 'Now, look! You've loosened a tooth.'

'Get up.'

Cameron was helped up and Jamie charged again, swinging wildly. A fist caught Cameron on the side of the head but this time he didn't go down. Another wild swing put Jamie off balance and Cameron had to catch him by the arm, to keep him from crashing headlong onto the floor.

Jamie jerked free and swung again. He caught Cameron another glancing blow on the chin. 'Fight me,' Jamie breathed.

'You're drunk. It would nae be fair.'

'Coward!' Jamie aimed another blow at Cameron's head that snapped his head back. 'You're a coward!'

Cameron put a hand to his face. 'Christ, you have me bleeding all over my new suit.'

Jamie swung again, missed, and fell over.

Cameron pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and held it to his nose to staunch the flow of blood. 'I dinnae have a quarrel with you, boy.'

'I'm not a boy!' Jamie got up and threw another punch but Cameron blocked it easily. He was laughing now.

'I cannae fight you.'

Another haymaker, but this one found its mark and Cameron went down. Jamie threw himself on top of him. Cameron pushed him away. A couple of the onlookers pulled Jamie back onto his feet. They didn't want this to end. It was just warming up.

'Get up,' Jamie said to Cameron

'What's the point, lad? You'll only try to knock me down again.'

'Get up!'

There was blood pouring from Cameron's nose down his shirtfront. 'You can box, lad, and no mistake, drunk or nae. If you were mine, I'd be proud of you!' And he laughed.

Jamie seemed about to say something else but then he turned and ran out of the bar. Cameron heard him vomiting into the street.

Aye, he could fight.

Just couldn't hold his beer.

Chapter 65

Cameron only carried Elvie as far as the gate, she was too heavy now to carry the whole way. Then he set her down and strode off down the dusty road, while she ran beside him trying to keep up. 'Take me with you,' she said.

'How many times? I cannae take you with me, Elvie. A pearl lugger is nae a place for a young lady.'