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The boys accompanied Frances round the stock, in the morning, and what with dogs and ponies, it was quite a trek. Rupe had left instructions to shift a mob and they worked together in the freshness of the day. Fay made a wide cast to round up the stragglers, gathering them into a neat mob. Scamp joined in, his bark sounding eagerly as he ran back and forth, making up in noise what he lacked in sense. However, he obeyed her whistles and with Fay on the spot they had no difficulty. Thad and Greg rode to the gate and opened it, standing guard to make a quick count. Frances went to stand beside them and she angled the gate further. Thad might be able to count six or seven sheep at a time, but she certainly couldn’t. She signalled Ivan to send the mob through and concentrated very hard on her count. Ivan did his job steadily, moving the mob evenly through the gap. At the finish. Frances checked numbers with Thad and was delighted they had the same. It tallied with the numbers there were meant to be, so she knew no others had escaped through the gap yesterday.

She looked at the fence. It stood taut and even, so Ian had done a good job. Somehow the knowledge irked her, and she urged Greytor into a quick gallop. The children wheeled their mounts, thinking it was a race, and they set off in hot pursuit. Their laughter on reaching the water race at the next paddock diverted her thoughts.

In two days’ time the boys would be leaving for their holidays, so when they returned to the house Frances was not surprised to see Jenny busy packing their clothes. The tiny shorts and shirts, socks and underwear had been checked earlier. The boys were taking one game each in case of wet days. Frances made them some cakes that afternoon. The boys’ appetites were prodigious and the cake tins were always emptied quickly. No doubt Gam had done some baking too, but it wouldn’t be wasted, thought Frances. Thad and Ivan were full of excitement, discussing aspects of the trip, so that Greg listened slightly wide-eyed. He was uncertain, obviously, yet delighted at being considered a ‘big’ boy, able to go on holiday. Frances heard Jenny reassure him that Uncle Ian would drive up one day.

‘I’ll ask him to stay, Mum. Do you think he will?’

‘Well, he might, Greg, if you ask him nicely.’

Overhearing this comment made Frances smile. Ian was greatly loved by his small nephews and he would no doubt stay if they needed him. He had such a natural way with children, she reflected. Desperately she wished she wasn’t in love with him. She knew from his words and his immediate withdrawal from those kisses that there was no future in their relationship. For a few moments she dared to dream what would happen if Ian loved her. However, reality intruded abruptly with Ivan swearing he hadn’t pinched Thad’s socks and Thad’s angry reply. Frances smiled as Greg timidly proffered her the missing garments and she put an end to the fight.

The
boys had their last ride before the holidays and cleaned and shone their gear. Much to their disgust, they had to tidy their rooms, and for a short time there were quite a lot of ‘That’s yours!’ and ‘Look what I’ve found’ type comments.

Frances and Jenny had morning tea together, wisely letting the boys sort their treasures alone. By lunchtime the rooms looked presentable and their suitcases stood ready.

Looking down the hall, Frances smiled as a suitcase showed from every door except hers! Jenny laughed too; her bag had been packed much earlier just in case she had to go to the maternity hospital. The boys had given her strict instructions to bring home a girl, Thad being the only one to contemplate another boy with any degree of complacency. Although little had been said on the topic Frances knew well just how much Jenny and Rupe were hoping for a girl too.

Gam arrived on the dot of eight in the morning, the boys waiting eagerly. This morning Rupe had waited to say goodbye and breakfast had been a particularly busy time. Thad and Ivan were seething with excitement and they clambered eagerly into the car, stopping only to kiss their parents in a brief flurry. Greg parted from them somewhat reluctantly, then joined the others, and finally managed a smile, much to his mother’s relief. They waved as the car moved down the drive and out on to the road. Rupe put his arm around his wife and Frances, not. wishing to intrude, sped back to the kitchen and put the kettle on.

Rupe pulled down cups too and Jenny soon cheered up. Rupe started telling Frances about the work for that day and she listened attentively as usual, as Rupe told them how he could be contacted if necessary.

Frances delayed her farm work until the boys’ bedrooms were tidied. The house seemed so empty. However, Jenny waved her off happily enough later and Frances enjoyed her ride round the farm. As she rode she remembered Ian would be coming to the house more often in the time Gam was away. He was accustomed to baching on his own as Gam was often away, but Jenny had been insistent; she knew how tired the men were during harvesting. Wearily Frances sighed. If only she hadn’t complicated things by falling in love with Ian, how much more simple life would be.

She watched as the men came up to the house that night. The light from outside lit the angles of their faces, Rupe’s quiet and sturdy, a faint grin on his face as he passed some comment to the smiling man at his side. Ian moved with an easy grace, his laugh sounding natural. Bitterly Frances turned away. He seemed happy enough, she thought ruefully. The men had a quick shower and joined them for dinner. Their efforts had given them healthy appetites and owing to their late start they were remarkably fresh. Frances had become accustomed to having her main meal with the boys and now she had got past her initial hunger. Her appetite had deserted her, but she made a play at eating when she caught Ian’s gaze on her. Deliberately no one mentioned the boys after Rupe’s earlier enquiry. Earlier Jenny had been full of speculation as to the time of their arrival and when this had long passed Frances knew she was becoming anxious. Gam had promised to ring on arrival at the beach and the delay was unusual. They had almost finished dessert when the phone finally rang and Rupe leapt at it, his well disguised concern showing at last.

It was with a smile he reported that all was well. Gam had suffered the indignity of a flat tyre and had chosen to get it repaired in Motueka before carrying on.

Rupert produced a liqueur with their coffee, Jenny put her feet up on the couch and her husband, after waiting on her, took the rocking chair. Ian prowled the room uneasily and Frances knew he felt the tension between them. Finally he said he had paperwork to do at home and set off with a casual farewell.

Frances stacked the dishes and set the machine whirring, washing the fine crystal liqueur glasses by hand. She felt strung up herself and wished she could go for a run, but knew it was out of the question.

The morning came at last with clouds and scattered showers. Rupert worked on the farm, so Frances felt free to help Jenny. She roared around the house with the vacuum cleaner, then started on the windows, knowing Jenny usually kept them sparkling. In the afternoon she decided to swim. She had deliberately not gone swimming in the pool until her leg was healed. It was wonderful to feel the water lapping around her and the rain spattering down seemed warm on her skin. Ian was not coming over for a meal that night. He had rung earlier and Frances had heard Jenny talking to him. She wished she had answered the phone, then thrust the thought from her angrily. She swam up and down the pool as quickly as she could and felt easier after the exercise. The clouds had disappeared as the wind had changed and as evening fell it became warm again. During the night the wind kept up and the next morning no evidence of any damp remained. In the afternoon Rupert went over to the harvesting again. Frances was glad to remain with Jenny. Ian came over for a meal, but as they were very late the dinner was eaten quickly and he left immediately afterwards.

The days fell into their pattern, of constant tiring effort. Jenny was feeling fractious as she was overdue and Rupert and Ian were most solicitous for her welfare. Frances split her runs round the stock so that she came back to the house twice. It took more effort, but it was worth it for everyone’s peace of mind. The boys sent a regular stream of postcards, of beaches featuring golden white sand. Jenny pinned them on to the wall notice board where normally their school work featured and they formed a bright splash of colour.

Jenny and Rupert’s bedroom had the wicker bassinet already set up in one comer, and Jenny’s suitcase was standing beside it.

‘I’m beginning to feel this baby might be a girl,’ laughed Jenny one morning. ‘All the boys were punctual to the day, so keep your fingers crossed!’

It was a relief to find Jenny in such a pleasant mood. The last week had been decidedly trying. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been such a bear, but I’ve been feeling so down in the dumps; this heat has been bugging me. Thank goodness I feel more myself this morning. For the first time I feel as though I’ve got some energy to do things.’

‘Well, just take it quietly, Jenny,’ urged Frances. ‘I’m off to fix up the irrigation, but I’ll be back in an hour.’

‘Fine, I might make some scones. Haven’t made any since the boys left and I just feel like it this morning.’ Frances went off smiling. Greytor, Scamp and Fay were waiting for her and it was the work of a few minutes to saddle up and speed out in the fresh air, the dogs chasing each other as she cantered along. She knew the pattern of work well now, so she was quite surprised to find a mob of sheep in a paddock Rupert had kept shut for late feed. She looked at the sheep and eyed the gate. It was half open. If Rupert had wanted the stock in this paddock surely he would have put the sheep through the gate and closed off the first paddock. The paddock where the sheep had been grazing still had plenty of sweet young grass. Rupert had mentioned having trouble one other day from picnickers who left gates open, allowing stock to become mixed. Because the farm was off the main road they rarely had trouble, but sometimes a group would cut down to the river across the farm. Frances decided to shift the sheep back into the first paddock. Rupert would have told her if he wanted the late feed opened up. It would be easy enough to come down later and open it again if she had been wrong. The dogs made a wide cast round the paddock, Scamp following Fay’s lead. The sheep moved out, reluctantly, and Frances was aware of Scamp hurrying them up, his pink tongue flapping and his eyes sparkling. Already his puppy unruliness was disappearing, but Frances made a special point of always teaming him with one of the older dogs. When the mob were back in the paddock she fastened the gate carefully and then sped on with the rest of her work. She glanced at her watch, surprised to see how much time had elapsed. She was almost at the river flats and to have to return would mean a much longer journey later on. Fortunately, everything else was as it was meant to be, so she made up some time galloping Greytor home again.

As she walked into the house the aroma of freshly made scones greeted her. To her surprise they were still on the oven tray on top of the stove. Jenny normally placed them on a clean linen teatowel and wrapped them in an ovencloth to keep hot. Frances went to the bathroom and washed herself thoroughly, then went back to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

There was no sign of Jenny; so perhaps she had walked up to get the mail from the box at the road. Frances called and called her name, but still no reply. Still not concerned but thinking it was unlike Jenny, she went through the house, but no sign or sound disturbed the stillness. She glanced round the front garden and then by the pool, then she began running up to the main gate. The mail was still in the box and she felt cold. Something was definitely wrong. The mail would have been there almost half an hour before and Jenny always watched for it eagerly. Telling herself not to panic as there could easily be some simple explanation, Frances sped back to the house. She decided to ring the farm where Rupe was working to get him to come home. To her great relief the phone was answered immediately and the farmer’s wife said she would run to tell Rupert straight away.

She heard Scamp barking and wondered what he had found, his excited woofs being joined by the other dogs. Remembering how fond Jenny was of Scamp, Frances ran to investigate, and was greatly relieved to see Jenny sitting with a great bunch of gladioli at the side of the garage.

‘Oh, I am so glad to see you—I think I must have fainted. Oh, help!’ gasped Jenny as a spasm of pain flooded her. ‘Get Rupert quick, Frances!’

She doubled over as she attempted to stand, and gripped Frances very tightly. Then the pain rolled away and she was able to walk towards the house. She had only gone past the garage when she doubled over again. ‘I’ll never make it. The baby seems to be making up for lost time!’

Frances eased her on to the ground and sped back to the house. She grabbed the car keys and a pile of towels and Jenny’s suitcases and ran back and put them in the car. She pulled the car up beside Jenny and was helping her into the back seat when Rupert and Ian arrived. They ran over and quickly Frances told them what she knew. Jenny was again doubled with pain and it was immediately obvious she was in labour.

‘Ian, ring the doctor, notify the ambulance to meet us en route and then ring the hospital. Frances, hop in and we’ll motor.’

Gently Rupert drove down the metal road, but once on the tarseal he put his foot down. For Frances it was a nightmare; she was vividly aware of her lack of nursing experience.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Rupert, seeing her white, anxious face. ‘If I have to I’ll be able to help.’

Jenny laughed weakly, then gasped in pain. Rupert slowed as they approached an intersection, then they roared away again. By timing the contractions, Frances doubted if they would make it to the hospital. At least by now the ambulance would be on its way. Ian would have seen to that.

Jenny smiled, a touch of her old self again. ‘Look at me—hardly the smartest outfit, but I’ve bought my flowers! I was picking them for the lounge and I went to the back of the garage to get some of that variegated flax. I remember bending to get some and the baby moved suddenly and I went out like a light.’