Colder Than Ice (32 page)

Allison
brushed her hair and smiled. “Good morning, sleepy head. Feel like some
breakfast?”

Michela
sat up. “Thanks. What have you got planned for the morning?”

“Oh,
more of the same I suppose. I really do want to finish this diary before I have
to hand it over. Are you continuing with your research?”

Michela
nodded. “Yep. But if I’m to get anywhere I better get up.”

Allison
carefully placed her brush on her already overloaded makeshift bookshelf. After
ensuring it was stable, she walked toward the stove to make breakfast.

ALLISON
CHECKED HER watch, surprised to find it was mid-morning. She closed the book
and rubbed her tired eyes. “Ugh, this is murder. Elizabeth was a
prodigious writer and this cursive text is bloody hard to read.”

Michela
put down her pen and watched as Allison rubbed the base of her neck.
I
could
do that for you if you like.
She mentally slapped herself. “I know
what you mean. It’s been years since I’ve had to write freehand. I’m sure
recording my research would have been a lot easier if my digital tablet hadn’t
died when it did. It’s amazing what we get used to, isn’t it?” Allison
nodded. “Hey, have you found any reference to whether Elizabeth told the
rest of the crew that they were being led by a woman?”

“Not
really. From what I can see, she traveled as a male and that makes a little
sense. Who’s likely to follow a woman to the bottom of the world?” Allison
rose and turned to the small gas stove. “Would you like a cup of hot
chocolate?”

“If
you’re offering. Thanks very much.” Michela watched as Allison pulled her
own mug from the makeshift shelf at the end of her bed. “You know if you
put anything else on that it’s likely to break.”

Allison
looked at the shelf and then shook her head. “Nah, I’m sure there’s a
little more space on it.”

Michela
laughed and then watched Allison’s back as she prepared the beverage. The
relative warmth of the hut allowed them to dress in only one layer. Her eyes
traced a path from Allison’s warm trousers to a long sleeved skivvy that clung
to her curves.
Not too skinny, that’s nice. Certainly nicely built for her
outdoor work. Wonder what it would be like to run my hands over the delicately
muscled planes of her back.

“Earth
to Michela, are you there?”

Michela
looked up. Allison was on the other side of the table, the skivvy offering a
relatively unimpeded view of her shapely figure. Michela forced her eyes away
from where they desperately wanted to look and stared at the steaming mug
Allison had placed in front of her. “Thanks.” She picked up the mug,
blew on the liquid, and took a sip.

Allison
sat down. “Can I ask you a question?”

Michela
took another drink of hot chocolate. “Ask away.”

“You
remember the night at the coffee house?” Michela nodded. “You said
you’d been in a long relationship, four-and-a-half years, I think. Why did you
break up? I mean, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“It’s
okay. It’s a little easier to talk about now,” Michela said. “My
partner, or should I say ex-partner’s name is Natalie. We were together for a
long time, but most of that time I was away on one field trip or another. I
suppose I can’t blame her really, breaking up that is. When I think about it
now I can’t help but wonder whether I was running away from commitment, trying
my best to not develop any lasting emotional ties. I’d been hurt before and now
I’m wondering whether I was ever true with her in the relationship. Maybe she’s
better off with someone else.”

Allison
pondered Michela’s response. “Did you love her?”

Michela
ran her fingers through her hair and gazed around the cabin as if looking for
an answer. She returned her attention to Allison. “I used to think I did
but now, well, I’m not so sure. What about you and Rick? That is, if you’re
okay to talk about it.”

Allison
dismissively waved her hand. “No, I’m over it. I don’t really know what I
saw in him in the first place. I suppose there was a time when I thought I
loved him and believed he was the only one for me. But recently we’d grown
apart. Strangely enough while I’m none too happy with his new choice of
partners, it’s not that which bothered me the most. I think it was his
deceit.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate. “I mean, if he’d had
enough why didn’t he say so?”

Michela
nodded. “I know what you mean. Imagine my surprise when I came home from
visiting Charlotte Finlayson, to find my work second-in-command with his hands
all over Natalie.”

“Did
you say his?” Allison asked. “That had to be painful. What did you
do?”

“I
walked out but not before saying that when I told him to keep abreast of the
situation it didn’t mean fondling my partner’s breasts as well.” She paused
at Allison’s reddening cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be that
explicit.”

Allison
rose and turned to the small makeshift sink. “No, that’s okay. After all,
you were only telling the truth.”
And besides, Alli, your reaction has
more to do with you thinking what it would feel like to have Michela’s hands on
parts other than those not covered by clothes.
“I really don’t want to
go back to the diary just yet. How about a game of cards?”

Michela
laughed, happy to break the tension that had been building between them.
“Are you a glutton for punishment? Last time we played I beat the socks
off you. Are you sure you want to try again?”

Allison
curled a finger at Michela. “Bring it on, woman, bring it on.”

Oh,
Alli, if you only knew.
Michela
retrieved the cards and dealt the first hand of their card-playing war—one that
lasted the stormy afternoon.

MICHELA
TRIED HARD not to laugh. “You said nothing of the sort.”

Allison
pulled on a flannel shirt over her skivvy as a tinge of cold seeped through the
warmth of the hut. “I did, too. The deal was whoever lost at the cards not
only had to cook tea, but wash up as well. I can’t help it if you couldn’t
focus on the cards.”

It
was entirely your fault. If I wasn’t preoccupied in trying not to look at you,
I’d have whopped your rather pleasant ass.
Michela kicked herself for the fortieth time that day, reminding
herself to keep her mind above her belt buckle. “Don’t worry, we’ll try
again after tea and I’ll leave you for dead.”

Allison
shook her head. “Maybe tomorrow. I really do have to get some more of the
diary read. I know once we get back to Sydney, it’ll become the centrepiece of
old Peterson’s collection.”

Michela
frowned. “Peterson, Flinders Museum patron? Isn’t that Di’s last
name?”

Allison
nodded.
“Daddy’s
the museum’s patron.”

“So
that’s where Di fits into all of this. That explains a lot.”

“I’ve
no doubt in the near future she’ll be the head of at least one of the Museum’s
departments. But for the moment, the diary’s under my charge and so I’m going
to make the most of it.”

MICHELA
WAS STRETCHED out on her bed studying her notes when she thought she heard a
sniffle. She looked to where Allison was seated reading the diary and frowned
at seeing her silently weeping. She quietly put down her notes, went to Allison’s
side, and put a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

Allison’s
distraught tear-stained face nearly broke Michela’s heart. Michela pulled
around a chair, sat beside Allison, and took her hands in her own. “Honey,
what’s the matter?”

“I’ve
just read the diary entry where Elizabeth reconciles she’s not only lost most
of her crew, but their ship hasn’t turned up. They’re stranded, with no
possible hope of rescue. The pain in her words is too much to bear. I can’t
help but wonder what must have gone through her mind, knowing she’d never see
her wife again. That must have been heartbreaking.” She sobbed. “How
could she stand such a separation?”

Without
thought, Michela took Allison into her arms, allowing her to weep. She could
only offer murmured words of encouragement.

Finally
Allison looked up and searched Michela’s face.

“Why
are you so kind to me?”

Michela
brushed away a stray tear from Allison’s cheek. “Why shouldn’t I be? As I
said before, no matter how much we disagree, I’m still your friend and friends
do this for one another. They’re there when the other needs support.”

Allison
took a tissue and wiped her eyes. “I don’t know what came over me. I was
okay until I started thinking of Elizabeth here, dying all alone and away from
Charlotte, who’d never really know what happened to her. The more I thought
about it the worse things got.” She blew her nose. “Do you think they
were really lovers in the true sense of the word? Or was it merely a Boston
marriage?”

“Does
it really matter? I think loving someone has more to do with how they make you
feel and how you make them feel in return. Were they soul mates? Most likely. I
think being lovers has more to do with the emotion behind the act than the act
itself. Boston marriage or lovers in the sexual sense, does it make a
difference?” Michela closed the diary. “I think we’ve both done
enough work for today. At this rate, by the time the storm breaks we’ll be
blind. How about we both get some sleep?”

Allison
nodded. “I suppose you’re right, yet again.”

Michela
stood and headed for her bed when Allison grabbed her hand. Michela turned back
and was rewarded with a hug.

“Thank
you for being my friend,” Allison whispered before she broke contact and
went to her side of the room.

Michela
uttered a small “good night” and prepared for bed.
This storm’s
got to finish soon. Or I’m likely to implode.

ALLISON
AWOKE AS the relentless wind buffeted the small apple. Snuggled up against the
wall she swore she could feel the fiberglass structure flex with the wind. While
she knew she was safe, her thoughts were preoccupied with what had been her
sole focus for the last eight weeks.
What if the barrier Rob put up doesn’t
hold and snow gets into the hut? We could have done more harm than good in
creating a wind tunnel inside the structure. That wind tunnel has the potential
to blow the fragile building across the snow.

No
matter how hard she tried to rationalize Rob’s work, she couldn’t sleep. She
looked at Michela and was relieved to see she was still in a deep slumber.

Allison
dressed in her multiple layers, trying to make as little noise as possible. She
pulled on her snow boots and snatched at her goggles that sat on the
overcrowded small shelf at the end of her bed. Without warning the end of the
shelf tilted, and books, containers, and other personal items crashed to the
floor.

Allison
wheeled to Michela.

Michela
frowned and tried to force her sleep-filled eyes open. She rubbed her face, as
if to remove the effects of her sleep, and finally opened her eyes.
“What’s going on?” Michela looked at her watch. “Why are you
dressed like that at this time in the morning?”

Allison
pulled on her gloves. “I couldn’t sleep and I was worried about whether
Rob’s improvements to the hut have done more harm than good. I’m just going to
do a quick check on it and then I’ll be straight back.”

“What?
Don’t be stupid.”

Allison
glowered at Michela, shoved her beanie on her head, and reached for the door
handle.

Before
Allison got any further, Michela unzipped her sleeping bag, quickly rose, and
closed her hand over Allison’s, effectively halting her escape. “What the
hell do you think you’re doing? It’s at least minus thirty degrees Fahrenheit
out there. You could damn well get yourself killed.”

Allison
ripped her hand from the door handle and stood toe to toe with Michela.
“How dare you raise your voice to me!”

“Don’t
even go there, woman. What did I tell you, no, what did I tell all of you about
leaving the huts in this weather?”

“I
heard what you said, but—”

Michela
grabbed Allison’s upper arms. “If that’s the damned case then why did you
try to disobey me? In fact, what is it with you? You seem to take a perverse
pleasure in going out of your way to do exactly the opposite to what I ask you
to do.”

“I
don’t go out of the way to disobey you at all. I’m the only remaining
archaeologist here and that bloody hut’s my responsibility!”

“That
may be the case, but you’re my responsibility. As long as we’re out here,
that’s the way it has to be Allison. I don’t intend to lose anyone else,”
Michela yelled, stepping closer to Allison.

“Of
course, we couldn’t have that happen, could we?” Allison caught herself as
she saw her barb had struck home.

This
has nothing to do with the loss the camp’s already suffered. It’s you, Alli. It
has only ever been about you. Can’t you see that?
Closing her eyes, Michela hung her head in defeat. She
softened her grip on Allison’s arms.

“Have
you any idea what I feel for you? What would happen if I lost you? I told you
only yesterday that I thought I found love with Natalie, but when I met you,
you changed my whole focus. No matter how hard I try to hide my feelings and
force them to be otherwise, I can’t help but feel like I’m falling in love with
you.”