Lauren's Dilemma Read online

  “Thanks.” He squeezed her hand. “Remember, you’ll always be my best girl.”

  “Good luck, Danny.” Matthew Cunningham strolled up to them.

  “Thanks, Mr. Cunningham. Look after yourself, Laurie, and don’t forget what I said.” He gave her a quick kiss on the mouth.

  The whistle blew several times in quick succession. There was a hiss of steam, black smoke belched from the engine, and then with a loud groan the train started to move. Laurie ran along beside the carriage for a short way clinging to Danny’s hand until the engine picked up speed, forcing her to let go. “Write to me.”

  The draft from the train blew away his reply, but he waved enthusiastically until the train took a bend in the line. He was gone.

  It was quiet on the platform now. She started trembling, and her father put a comforting arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry, he’ll be all right. A bit of discipline could be the making of him.”

  They drove home slowly, neither of them speaking, each engrossed in their own thoughts. The only sound was the clip-clop of hooves and the crunching noise of the wheels on the gravel road. Heavy cloud had swallowed up the stars, and the night was as black as a witch’s cauldron. Laurie shivered from cold and fear. A pall of dread hung over her like a funeral shroud.

  “We should have brought a rug to put over your knees.”

  “I’m frightened for him, Daddy.” She hadn’t called him that in years. “He’s so reckless sometimes and doesn’t know the meaning of fear. He won’t even try to be careful, because he wants to prove himself to everyone.”

  “The war might be over before he even gets there. The English will soon deal with those Huns, so don’t worry. The troops might not even leave Australia.”

  “I hope not.”

  Her father’s sensible approach sounded reassuring. Europe was thousands of miles across the ocean, so it would take weeks for the ships to get there. The army had to train the recruits first, which would take even more time. All the papers predicted that the fighting would only last a few weeks.

  They pulled up in the back yard, and she moved to climb down.

  “No, I’ll help you. You’re not a tomboy any more. It’s a sign of good breeding, when a man is courteous towards a woman.”

  She took his proffered hand. This outward show of respect and courtesy pleased her, even if the man in question was her father.

  Chapter Two

  Weeks dragged by. Laurie couldn’t help thinking Danny must have forgotten her existence or he didn’t like her any more. When a letter finally arrived, she ripped the envelope open to find a single sheet of paper with his untidy scrawl all over it.

  Dear Laurie,

  This is just a short note because you know how much I hate writing. Everything is going well, the feeling around camp is that we could be going overseas soon. I can’t wait. The training is tough, but I suppose they’re trying to teach us as much as possible in a short time.

  You would laugh if you saw us at mealtimes. We have to sit at long wooden tables in large groups, and eat off tin plates. The food is not very good, always half cold by the time we get it. The weather has been wet and miserable.

  The day we embark for overseas, we are going to march through the streets of Melbourne. I wish I could come up and see you before I leave, but they won’t give us more than a day off at a time. Do you think your father would let you come to Melbourne for a few days? You could stay with those posh relatives of yours.

  Please come, Laurie. I miss you, and I love you so much. If it weren’t for the war, I never would have left.

  There was a line of X’s across the bottom.

  Visit Melbourne, what a good idea. She felt suddenly cheered. Uncle Richard kept issuing invitations for them to come down and stay. He was a successful businessman and Aunt Jane came from one of Sydney’s society families. They had a large home, which they shared with their daughter Helen. Laurie had only seen the house once, a number of years ago, but it was a mansion, even if her recollection was rather hazy.

  After dinner that evening, she broached the matter. “Dad, I got a letter from Danny. He wants me to meet him in Melbourne. I could stay with Uncle Richard.”

  “No, absolutely not.”

  “But, the army won’t let him come home before he sails.”

  “I’m too busy at the moment to leave the shop, and I don’t want you traveling to Melbourne on your own.”

  “How can you be so cruel? I love Danny. I want to see him.”

  “This rot with young Williamson has got to stop. He’s a bad influence on you.”

  “Dad, please.”

  “Enough. The answer is no, and that’s final.”

  She got up from the table and hurried out of the room before she said something they would both regret. I’m going. He’ll have to chain me up to stop me.

  All next day she worked on a plan. No one would stop her from seeing Danny. I’ll see him or die in the attempt. She would write to Uncle Richard, telling him her father had agreed to let her stay in Melbourne for a few days. She always collected the mail, so when the reply came she could intercept it.

  Feeling despicable, she searched through her father’s private papers for the address. I’m doing it for Danny. She pushed aside the feelings of guilt.

  If her father thought her behavior strange over the next few days he made no mention of it, but she caught him giving her puzzled glances every now and again. Did he suspect something?

  It was eight days before she finally left. Uncle Richard’s letter was cheerful.

  Glad you’re coming down my dear. Try and persuade your father to come along too.

  She threw some clothes into a small case and hid it under her bed. No one ever entered her bedroom, not even the housekeeper, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

  “I’m going to pick up a load of supplies in Benalla later on. Want to come with me, Laurie?” Normally she would have accepted this peace offering.

  “No, thanks, Dad. I’ll potter around here for a while. I haven’t been sleeping well these last few days, so I might have a lie-down later.”

  As soon as he left, she scribbled a short note, picked up her case and started the mild long walk to the station. Luck seemed to be with her, less than a hundred yards from home she met up with a neighbor who offered her a lift.

  The train steamed into the station. There was still time to return home. She swallowed down her fear and guilt and entered a carriage containing two elderly people. The woman sat knitting as if her life depended on it. Laurie had just enough time to put her case in the overhead rack and sit down before the train started moving. Slowly, at first, it steamed out of the station but quickly picked up speed. Clickity-click—the woman’s knitting needles took up the rhythm of the rotating wheels.

  An elderly man sat at a window seat reading a book. He had a round, cheerful face and happy eyes. She returned his smile before rummaging around in her bag for a book.

  It was hard concentrating on reading when her behavior had been nothing short of disgraceful. Deceit had never been part of her nature. She had always prided herself on being honest, yet over the last few days one lie had piled up on another. Stop thinking like this .You’re doing it for Danny. It would be their last chance to be together for weeks, at best. At worst. No, she couldn’t think about the worst scenario, it was too distressing. Too terrible to even contemplate. Her stomach lurched fearfully and her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.

  The train rushed past green, impregnable bush. She forced herself to concentrate on this. There were farms where cattle and sheep grazed on lush pastures, and the distant mountains formed an attractive backdrop.

  It would take hours to reach Melbourne. Every now and again they stopped at a railway siding or station to pick up passengers or take on freight. Not many people traveled on the train, so she had plenty of room to make herself comfortable.

  There was a chill in the air, so she rested her cold feet against a foot warmer in th
e carriage. Uncle Richard had promised someone would be at the station to meet the train, but what if no one came to meet her. She had his address written down on a slip of paper, but she had no idea how to get to the Melbourne suburb of Elwood, where he lived.

  This was the first time she had ever traveled on a train by herself. Several years ago she and her father had stayed with Uncle Richard for a few days. Her memories were rather hazy. Except for her cousin being quite fair, she could remember little about her. Helen was only twenty-three, so they should have a few things in common, at least.

  In a dark green velvet jacket with matching skirt and a white lace blouse, Laurie felt quite grown up. Maybe I should have put my hair up? It would make me look years older.

  What if Danny had changed his mind and decided to spend his leave with his army friends? Worse still, what if he had met up with another girl? Would he still want to contact her? What if she couldn’t find him? She worried and fretted. Uncle Richard would help, surely. Apart from being wealthy, he moved in influential circles and would know the right people to approach.

  She closed her eyes in an endeavor to rest. Guilt about deceiving her father and anxiety over Danny had made sound sleep impossible for the last few nights. If she greeted her relatives looking pale and drawn, they might become suspicious and pack her off home straight away. The motion of the train lulled her as the wheels whispered, “I’m taking you to Danny. I’m taking you to Danny.”

  Laurie woke up with a start. She blinked several times in quick succession before suddenly remembering she was on a train heading for Melbourne. Yawning behind her hand, she stood up to stretch her cramped limbs just as the train gave a sudden fierce jolt. She saved herself from falling into an ungraceful heap by grabbing hold of a seat.

  When the other occupants opened up their lunches, she did likewise. What she wouldn’t give for a nice hot cup of tea to wash the food down. If she had been traveling in first class she could have gone to the dining car, but that was a luxury she couldn’t afford. Watching the passing countryside through the window, conversing with the lady opposite and dozing passed the time.

  “Melbourne in ten minutes,” the conductor announced as he passed from carriage to carriage. Ten minutes and they would be there. Excitement surged though her, tinged with apprehension.

  “Could I get your case down for you, miss?”

  “Yes, thank you.” The elderly man lifted it from the luggage rack and deposited it on the floor.

  Laurie gazed out of the window in amazement. So this was the city. Hundreds of houses stuck together, and smoke belching from numerous factory chimneys. How lucky she was living in the country with fresh clean air and plenty of open space to move around in.

  They steamed into the station. She picked up her case, following the lady with the knitting onto the platform. People milled around everywhere, chattering excitedly, calling out greetings to friends and relatives. She smiled at the elderly man who had shared her carriage, watching enviously as a group of people surged towards him.

  Anxiously she glanced around, searching for someone who might be waiting for her. No one. How quickly the platform cleared. Within a few minutes she stood alone.

  What should she do? She bit her lip, trying not to panic. What if there had been a mix-up in times? Worse still, perhaps her father had somehow contacted Uncle Richard, on the assumption that if no one met her she would return home. I won’t. I’ll find Danny on my own if I have to.

  “Are you Lauren Cunningham?” Oh, the relief on hearing the young woman’s voice!

  “Yes, I’m Lauren. Are you Helen?” She looked at the beautiful blonde young woman in sophisticated city clothes and felt young, insignificant.

  “Here she is, Blair.”

  The man standing a step or two behind Helen wore the uniform of an officer in the Light Horse.

  “Blair, this is my cousin, Lauren Cunningham. Lauren, meet Captain Blair Sinclair, my fiancé.”

  “How are you, Miss Cunningham?”

  “Call her Lauren, you’re almost family now.” Helen made a moue with her lips.

  “I’m well, thank you, Captain.”

  He smiled and his white teeth flashed ever so briefly against his tanned, cleanly shaven face. Inexplicably, her heart skipped a beat. He was a tall, slim, perfect specimen of manhood from the top of his slouch hat to the shiny leggings he wore over his khaki breeches. You’re not as handsome as Danny. His eyes were blue-gray, the kind that changed color with the weather, and fringed with thick, dark lashes. He picked up her case in a slim, suntanned hand.

  “I didn’t know you were engaged.” She walked beside Helen, who linked arms with the Captain.

  “It hasn’t been announced officially yet. Mother feels we should wait until this wretched war business is over.”

  “I do wish you would reconsider, darling. The war might go on for months. I won’t have a moment’s peace until my ring is on your finger for everyone to see.” There was authority in Blair’s cultured voice. He had private school written all over him.

  “Are you leaving for the war soon, Captain?”

  “Yes, some of the infantry troops are embarking within a few days.”

  “Danny,” she uttered his name in a scared whisper.

  “Lauren came down to see her beau off to the war.” Helen gave a tinkling laugh. “Rather sweet, don’t you think?”

  “You appear rather young to have a beau.” His brief appraisal caused her cheeks to burn.

  “I’m seventeen.” She swallowed nervously. “Do you think he’ll be among the troops sailing in a few days?” Pain lanced her heart when she thought of Danny sailing thousands of miles across the sea.

  “I don’t know.” He frowned, as if something troubled him.

  They were out in the street by now. Laurie gasped in surprise when Captain Sinclair strode up to a Ford four-seater motorcar and opened the passenger door.

  “Is this your motorcar?” Danny was forgotten in the excitement of being driven in a motorcar for the first time. Wait until he heard about this, he would be green with envy.

  “The car belongs to Father. He lets Blair borrow it,” Helen announced, as the Captain assisted her into the front seat. His hand lingered on her arm a little longer than necessary. When he turned to help Laurie, his touch seemed light, quite impersonal. He deposited her case in the back, and she snuggled into the comfortable seat. Uncle Richard must be wealthy to own a motorcar.

  Captain Sinclair drove with confidence. She forced herself not to keep staring at his tanned, well-kept hands as he steered the vehicle through an assortment of horse and motorized conveyances.

  Helen’s beauty was arresting. She wore her silver blonde hair up, drawn back from her face with a few wispy tendrils escaping. Enormous cornflower blue eyes were fringed with thick, fair lashes. Her skin looked creamy white, flawless. Such perfection seemed somehow off-putting.

  Laurie took no part in the conversation as the other two whispered together. Easy to see that Blair adored Helen’s fair beauty. What man wouldn’t? His eyes kept straying to her face as if he feared a puff of wind might blow her away.

  “Is this your first visit to Melbourne, Lauren?” The captain’s sudden question caused her to blush. Had she been staring at him?

  “I’ve been here once before, a few years ago with my father. It seems so crowded. What a noise! Even on sale day at home it isn’t like this.”

  “I can’t understand anyone wanting to live in the back of beyond. Give me the hustle and excitement of a big city anytime.” Helen sounded slightly petulant.

  “Darling, country life is grand. After our marriage, we must spend some time at my property. I can’t leave things in the hands of an overseer for too long.”

  “Well, you can go up on your own. I won’t be leaving Melbourne. I told you before.” She tossed her head. “Sell the place.”

  “Sell it? Impossible. There have been Sinclairs at Coolibah for more than sixty years.” His voice took on an edge, his
jaw thrust out. Maybe Helen didn’t have him completely twisted around her little finger, after all.

  “Do you run sheep or cattle, Captain Sinclair?” Laurie interrupted.

  “Both, but it’s referred to as a cattle station. We have about thirty thousand acres.”

  “Seems a lot.”

  “I suppose it is a good holding, although some of it is still heavily timbered.”

  “Have you many horses?” Laurie found her shyness fast disappearing when they discussed a topic close to her heart.

  “Plenty of work horses, but at the moment only a couple of thoroughbreds.”

  “Whereabouts is your station, Captain? I live at Sandy Ridge, just out of Benalla.”

  “It’s at Kilmore so, give or take eighty miles or so, we could call ourselves neighbors.” He laughed, causing the rather somber planes of his face to relax, and her heart fluttered like a caged sparrow.

  “Here we are.” Helen broke in on their discussion, giving the distinct impression of not being pleased that Captain Sinclair’s attention was diverted elsewhere, however fleetingly.

  Uncle Richard lived in a mansion. No other word could describe the two-story Georgian-style home where they stopped at the curb.

  Laurie had little time for looking around, as they had hardly stepped onto the verandah before a maid ushered them inside. As Laurie followed Helen into a large sitting room, she noticed the walls were lined with beaten copper.

  Aunt Jane rose from a burgundy velvet settee as the three of them entered. “Hello, Aunt Jane.” She kissed the cool, powdered cheek.

  “How are you, Lauren?” Aunt Jane smiled before turning her attention to the others. “Blair, will you and Helen be taking dinner with us?”

  “We were going to Fiona Everingham, Mother.” Helen pouted.

  “Oh, did you mention it before, darling?” The captain frowned. “I thought as this is your cousin’s first evening in Melbourne, you might want to stay and entertain her.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Captain Sinclair. If you and Helen have other arrangements, I don’t mind. I can give Aunt Jane and Uncle Richard all the news from home.”