Sentence of Marriage (32 page)

‘We’ll see them on their way,’ Bob said. He and Matt, with several of the other men, walked out after the trouble-makers.

Amy saw a small trail of blood forming at the corner of Jimmy’s mouth. ‘Oh, you’re hurt.’ She brushed his mouth with her fingers.

‘You should see the other fellow,’ Jimmy said with a wry grin. ‘That’s one thing they teach you at a good grammar school, anyway—how to fight.’ He wriggled his lower jaw experimentally, and Amy saw him wince. ‘Don’t worry, it’s nothing much—it’s my own fault, I should have seen that punch coming. I thought he was too drunk to move that fast. What about you? Are you all right?’

‘Yes, I’m fine. I was frightened for you, that’s all.’

‘You look pale. Come on, let’s sit down.’ He led her over to one of the benches and Amy sank onto it. She realised she was shivering despite the warmth of the room.

‘You got a bad shock, didn’t you? You sit there quietly, I’ll get you a cool drink.’ Jimmy brought her a glass of lemonade, and she drank it gratefully. Her hand shook as she held the glass.

Jimmy looked at her in concern. ‘You really are very pale. I think I’d better take you home.’

‘No! I’ll be all right, and I don’t want to spoil your evening.’

‘Well, I’m not sure I feel much like dancing any more tonight—this would slow me down a bit, anyway.’ He showed her his right hand, and Amy saw that the knuckles were grazed. ‘I did that on his bony jaw. It was worth it, though.’ He gave a grim smile, then rose to his feet. ‘Come on, no arguing. I’m taking you home.’

‘All right. I do feel a little bit sick.’

*

Lizzie watched Amy and Jimmy walk towards the door. ‘What’s he doing with her?’ she murmured to Frank.

‘Taking her outside for a talk, maybe,’ Frank replied with a grin, but Lizzie frowned in thought.

As Amy was putting on her boots in the porch, John came back with the other men who had seen off the Feenans. ‘John, I’m taking Amy home, she’s a bit upset after all that,’ Jimmy said, lifting Amy’s cloak from its hook as he spoke.

‘Good idea,’ said John. He walked with them as far as the school gate.

When Lizzie saw John going out through the porch with Amy and Jimmy she relaxed. ‘It’s all right, John must be going home with them. Amy got a fright from that trouble.’ She allowed herself to forget about Amy and Jimmy, and instead concentrated on Frank. ‘I hope you can come around to my place again sometime soon.’

‘So do I. I like it at your place, it’s a real family. Ben gives me a hard time over it, though. I keep telling him it’s nothing to do with you… I might have to stop saying that now.’ He smiled.

‘Take no notice of him.’

‘Well, he is my brother, Lizzie.’

‘No reason to let him boss you around.’ Lizzie glanced across the room, and it took her a moment to register the significance of John’s presence at the beer barrel. Then she rushed over to him. ‘John, where’s Amy? I thought you were with her.’

‘Jimmy’s taken her home.’

‘By themselves?’

‘Yes—what’s wrong with that?’

Lizzie was quiet for a moment. ‘Nothing… I hope.’

*

Amy walked along the road at Jimmy’s side, savouring the night’s coolness after the noise and heat of the schoolroom. The moon had risen, giving them enough light to see their way clearly. The silence was broken only by their footsteps and the occasional mournful hooting of a morepork.

‘It’s so quiet here,’ Jimmy said. ‘It never seems to get really quiet in town. Even in the middle of the night there’re always a few people rushing about.’

‘It’s a beautiful night.’

‘And a beautiful girl beside me.’ Jimmy glanced over his shoulder to check that they were out of sight of the school, then put his arm around Amy’s waist. ‘Your dress is lovely—it’s the first time I’ve seen you in anything that does you justice.’

She snuggled against him. ‘I had such a nice time tonight until all that trouble. I didn’t want it to end.’

‘Neither did I.’ He bent and placed a kiss on the top of her head. ‘Let’s make it last a bit longer.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘We don’t need to go straight home, do we? Let’s have a bit more time together first. You’re always so busy in the daytime, I hardly get a chance to see you.’

Amy hesitated for a moment. ‘I suppose it would be all right, as long as we don’t stay too long. There’s a nice place up the road a bit, I’ll show you.’

Just before the track that turned off to Amy’s house, she led Jimmy away from the road into a small patch of bush. ‘They haven’t cleared this yet, even though it’s quite flat, but there’s an open bit just through here.’

They walked a little further until they came into a small clearing. Some large puriri had been chopped down there, and the second growth had not yet taken over, so that among the ferns there were patches of grass. The bush surrounded them on all sides, and the silence of the night seemed even deeper here.

‘Mmm, this is nice,’ Jimmy said. ‘Put those down for a minute.’ Amy placed her dancing shoes carefully on the ground. Jimmy held out his arms; she nestled into them and tilted her face up for a kiss. He kissed her very gently, then harder, but just as she was starting to enjoy herself he pulled away from her.

‘Ow, that hurts a bit,’ Jimmy said, touching his mouth gingerly. ‘I would’ve hit that ass harder if I’d known he was going to spoil my time alone with you.’

‘You poor thing,’ said Amy. ‘You were so brave, the way you faced them all. I was really frightened for you.’

‘When I saw him touch you I was so angry I almost wanted to kill him. Amy, I can’t stand the thought of anyone else touching you.’ He kissed her again, more carefully this time, but then to Amy’s surprise he turned away and began pacing around the clearing.

‘You’re being fidgety again, like you are when you’re stuck inside,’ she scolded gently. ‘What have you got to be restless about now?’

Jimmy looked startled. ‘Am I? Yes, I suppose I am. I get like this when I’m trying to make up my mind to do something, too. Amy, what happened tonight with that fellow—it made me think about how I’d feel if I lost you.’

‘You won’t lose me,’ Amy said. ‘I love you.’

He crossed to her and took her in his arms. ‘Let’s do something about it. I want you to belong to me.’

‘What do you mean?’

He was still restless. He pulled away and paced back and forth for a few more moments, then stopped and turned to face her. ‘Amy, let’s… no, I want to do this properly.’ He put his arms around her waist and picked her up, making Amy squeal in surprise, then he sat her on a large stump.

‘What are you doing?’ she said through her giggles.

Jimmy went down on one knee and took her hand between both of his. ‘Miss Leith,’ he said very solemnly, ‘will you do me the honour of giving me your hand in marriage?’

For a moment Amy’s heart was too full for her to make a sound. Jimmy looked at her with apprehension growing in his eyes. ‘Amy, please don’t turn me down. Please say yes.’

‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ Amy said, half-laughing in delight while at the same time she felt tears of happiness fill her eyes.

‘Thank you!’ He snatched her up from the stump and kissed her again. This time his sore mouth did not seem to trouble him. ‘Oh, Amy, I love you so much.’ He planted kisses all over her face, finally coming back to her mouth. ‘Let’s sit down,’ he murmured. ‘We’ve got a few minutes.’

‘All right.’ Amy slipped off her cloak and spread it out for them both. She sat down beside Jimmy in a rustle of silk, and snuggled against his side.

Jimmy gently pushed her back to lie on the cloak with her arms around his neck. He stroked her shoulder, then slid his hand down to the space between her breasts till he found the hard lump of her brooch. ‘I’ve found my present,’ he said, smiling.

‘I told you I’d wear it every day.’

‘Now I know you were telling me the truth. You’ll be able to wear it on the outside soon, when we’ve announced our engagement.’ His hand slipped across to fondle her breasts. This time Amy did not struggle.
He’s asked me to marry him. It must be all right now, just a little touch like this
.

‘You are so beautiful, and you’re going to belong to me.’ Jimmy gave a moan as he lowered his mouth to hers. His embraces became more urgent, and Amy felt herself responding, pushing her own body against his. His hand stroked her leg softly over and over through the silk, then he seemed to be fiddling with something on his trousers. Amy raised her head to look, but he pushed her down with another kiss.

The night air was suddenly cooler against her legs. When she glanced at her dress, she saw that it had somehow ridden up as Jimmy stroked her. She tried to reach down to straighten it, but his chest was pressed too closely against hers for her to slip her hand between them.

Then suddenly he had his leg between hers, then both legs. ‘What are you doing?’ she said in alarm. He silenced her with a kiss. She tried to twist her face away, but his mouth had hers firmly captured. ‘Please stop it.’ But her words were muffled by his mouth, so all that came out was an unintelligible mumble. His hand was pushing the two sides of her drawers apart. Then she felt a sharp, tearing pain, and she knew it was too late to struggle.

February 1884

Jimmy rolled away from her to lie on his back. Amy straightened her drawers and pulled her petticoats and dress down over her knees as well as she could with her hands trembling so violently, then she lay weeping silently, wondering what to do next. Jimmy was still for so long that Amy began to wonder if he had gone to sleep, but at last he stirred and rolled onto his side, raising himself on one elbow to look at her.

‘You have just made me a very happy man, Amy.’ He reached out to stroke her face, and pulled his fingers away wet with tears. ‘What’s wrong, little one? Why are you crying?’

‘We’ve d-done a t-terrible th-thing,’ Amy choked out through her sobs.

‘Terrible? I thought it was rather good myself.’ He gave a low chuckle. Amy was too stunned to cry for a moment, then she was racked with weeping.

‘Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry.’ Jimmy slipped an arm under her shoulders. ‘I’m so happy that I just didn’t think about how you might be feeling. Come on, sit up and tell me why you think it’s all so terrible.’ He raised her and sat with his arm around her, but when Amy tried to speak all that came out was more sobs.

Jimmy pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes, then held it over her nose. ‘Blow,’ he ordered, and she blew her nose noisily into the handkerchief. ‘There, do you feel a bit better now?’

Amy’s sobs slowly subsided. ‘A little bit. Can I keep the handkerchief?’

‘Only if you promise to give it back later—it’s the one you gave me for Christmas. Now, tell me what’s so bad.’

‘We’ve done
that
, and we’re not married. Isn’t that wrong?’

‘But we’re going to get married, so it doesn’t really matter.’

‘Doesn’t it?’ Amy asked doubtfully, desperately wanting to believe him.

‘Oh, I admit we’ve put the cart before the horse a bit, but what difference will that make once we’re married? You’re almost my wife already. Now, listen. First thing in the morning I’ll have a talk with your father—’

‘He’ll be really angry with you.’

‘Hey, I’m not going to tell him about
that!
There wouldn’t be much left for you to marry after he’d finished with me. No, I’m going to ask him for permission to marry his beautiful daughter. How do you think he’ll take it?’

Amy chewed her lip. ‘He won’t be very happy. I’m sure he’ll say I’m too young.’

‘Hmm. Well, I’ll have to talk him round somehow. I don’t think I can wait till he finally notices you’ve grown up.’

‘I’d like to get married soon,’ Amy said. ‘It’d make me feel better about what happened.’

‘Me too. All right then, I’ll ask him first thing tomorrow. Now up you get and I really will take you home.’ He helped her up and placed the cloak over her shoulders. ‘We’d better get moving—if I’m not in bed when John gets back I’ll have some explaining to do.’ He laughed, and Amy smiled with him, though she was still shaken. Jimmy sounded so confident about it all, and he didn’t think they’d done anything wrong.
If only Pa says yes, then everything will be all right
.

The house was in darkness when they crept up the passage and exchanged a last, brief kiss before going into their separate rooms. Amy undressed and put on her nightdress in the dark, leaving all her clothes piled on a chair rather than making any attempt to put them away. She slipped between the sheets and lay staring towards the invisible ceiling.
We’re going to get married
, was her thought one moment, and a warm glow crept over her. Then
Pa might say no
, came the thought, like a hand clutching at her heart.
What if he finds out what we did? He mustn’t—he just mustn’t
. She tossed and turned as the thoughts chased one another around in her head. She thought she would never get to sleep, but finally she was exhausted enough to drop off.