South of Capricorn

"That's what l mean, we can scarcely have a locked door between us, especially as we've just reconciled after a long separation."

Gail started to protest, but Kane stopped her. "My word is law in this house, Gail, and you, like everyone else, will respect it. do l make myself clear?"

Furious and unable to curb her tongue, Gail exploded with, "You're telling me that you have the right to give me orders—and that I must obey them! You seem to have forgotten what you did to Sandra! If you think I'm going to risk that, you’re wrong! ’’

"Sandra!" The word was snapped out.

"How dare you mention her! And as for risks—" disdainfully his glance swept her figure "—my girl, you have no appeal whatsoever for me!"

South of Capricorn

Anne Hampson

Harlequin Presents edition published June 1982

ISBN 0-373-10507-X

Original hardcover edition published in 1975

by Mills & Boon Limited

Copyright© 1975 by Harlequin Enterprises B.V. All rights reserved.

Philippine copyright 1982. Australian copyright 1982.

Cover illustration copyright © 1982 by Fred Oakley.

Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited,

225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

The Harlequin trademark, consisting of the words HARLEQUIN PRESENTS and the portrayal of a Harlequin, is registered in the United States Patent Office and in the Canada Trade Marks Office.

Printed in U.S.A.

THE two girls stared at one another in consternation, the doctor’s words having conveyed their fatal announcement that the mother of Leta was going to die.

‘But I can’t understand it,’ whispered Gail at last ‘She seemed to be recovering satisfactorily.’

The doctor looked at her, his deep-set blue eyes rather sad.

‘The will to live has gone, Miss Stafford. Your cousin has several times mentioned the father of her child; she is still in love with him.’

‘How can she be!’ cut in Dawn angrily, ‘He let her down, leaving her with a child—and a wretchedly wild and intractable child at that! Who on earth is going to take on Leta, that’s what I’d like to know?’

The doctor shrugged his shoulders.

‘The child will be cared for,’ was all he said as he picked up his hat from the hall table. ‘Good afternoon, Miss Stafford—Miss Atkinson,’ and with a slight bow he opened the front door before either girl could do so.

‘They watched him walk slowly to his car, get in, and drive away. Closing the door, Gail turned to Dawn. Both girls were very close to tears.

‘You’ve been such a good friend to her,’ Gail said when, having entered the sitting-room, they sat down, one on the couch, the other in a chair opposite. The room was shabby, with faded carpet and curtains. Sandra Stafford had had a dreadful struggle since the day she was left by the man from the Outback, the tall handsome Australian of whom she often spoke but who was unknown both to Gail and Dawn, both girls having been working abroad at the time of the affair which had such dire results for the girl who had fallen madly in love with the man who, having come over to England to visit relatives, was introduced by one of them to Sandra. Sandra always maintained that a marriage had taken place, but both her cousin and her friend very much doubted this. In fact, Gail was fully convinced that a marriage had not taken place. ‘You must be feeling just as shattered as I.’

‘I feel I could have helped even more,’ returned Dawn sadly, but Gail shook her head.

‘We all feel like that at a time like this. But in fairness to ourselves, Dawn, we must claim to have helped—financially, of course. We couldn’t help her mentally. She’s mentioned the name Kane Farrell several times lately, but I never gained the impression that she was still in love with him.’

‘No, she’s hidden her feelings very well indeed. I believed, in fact, that she had begun to hate the creature.’

Gail was thoughtful and a small silence reigned for a moment or two. Her grey-green eyes were glinting strangely, but Dawn failed to notice, her thoughts being with the girl in the bed upstairs, the young mother who had lost the will to live—and all because a man had let her down.

‘If Sandra only had parents ...’ It was a murmured phrase, for Gail was still absorbed in thought.

‘Well, she hasn’t—not a relative except you. Leta will have to go into the care of the local authority.’

Gail heaved a sigh, but it was not a sigh of resignation, rather was it an expression of anger, anger against the man from the cattle station who had wrecked her cousin’s life.

‘Do you know,’ she said slowly, looking straight into her friend’s eyes, ‘I don’t see why that cad should get away with it.’

‘What do you mean?’ frowned Dawn. ‘He’s already got away with it—as all men do !’ she added wrathfully. And, when Gail remained silent, ‘If only the kid wasn’t such a detestable little brat we might have found a home for her, Joan and Bill have been talking lately about adopting a little girl, but I wouldn’t foist that hooligan on my worst enemy.’

‘Nor would I,’ returned Gail, admitting that her own desire to have the child was nil. Had Leta been a nice child then Gail’s parents might have agreed to give her a home, but the child was bad-tempered and rude; she was totally immune to authority or to any sympathetic approach. It was as if she resented anyone telling her what to do or what not to do. ‘She obviously takes after her father, for I’m sure she didn’t inherit all those vices from her mother.’

‘She did not,’ with force from Dawn. ‘Sandra was the sweetest, most likeable girl in the world ...’ Dawn trailed off; both girls gave a small shudder even before she added, ‘Oh God, I’m talking as if she’s gone already!’

‘Let’s go up.’ Gail spoke rather shortly, but only because the thought was on her mind that soon they would not be able to go up and spend time with Leta’s mother. ‘She might not be awake, but we’ll see.’

‘She was ready to doze when the doctor was here.’ But Dawn rose from the chair all the same, and accompanied Gail up to Sandra’s bedroom. It was shabby like the room below, and the curtains were partly drawn together so that a dimness pervaded the small apartment, adding to the air of gloom which both girls had previously experienced, and commented upon, little knowing how much cause there was shortly going to be for that gloom.

‘She’s asleep ...’ Gail paused, her heart jerking, ‘Is she asleep ... or...?’

Dawn swallowed hard.

‘She must be. She can’t—I mean, it’s only ten minutes since the doctor left.’

Sandra opened her eyes and both girls gave a small sigh of relief.

‘You’re there.’ Her voice trailed weakly. ‘Come over to the bed. I want to talk to you both.’

‘Sandra dear, you must think of nothing else except getting better,’ began Gail, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking hold of her cousin’s hand. ‘Think of Leta—’

‘She’s caused me so much trouble. Is there such another in the whole world, do you think?’

‘She’s naughty, yes, but not wicked—’

‘Gail, you’re always so honest. You know very well that my daughter is not only wicked, but actually evil.’

‘Sandra!’ exclaimed Dawn, speaking too loudly altogether. ‘No child of four could be evil. It’s just that she hasn’t had a man to keep her in order. You’ve spoiled her, you must admit that?’

‘Yes, perhaps I have,’ owned Sandra in the same weak tone of voice. ‘But many children are spoiled, and they don’t turn out like my Leta.’

Neither Dawn nor Gail could say anything to this. For it was the truth that Leta was just about the most detestable child possible. No one liked her; she rarely received so much as a smile from the other people living in the small terrace in which Sandra’s rented cottage was situated. In fact, the neighbours had all forbidden their children to play with her, so appalling were her manners and so vicious her temper.

‘Are you wanting to sleep?’ asked Dawn, noting the drooping of Sandra’s eyelids. ‘Shall we leave you, darling?’

Sandra shook her head.

‘I want...’ She looked wide awake all at once and a firmness had entered her voice. ‘I want Leta to be taken to her father.’

‘Taken to her—?’ Dawn stared, then opened her mouth to say something which would surely reveal the fact of the doctor’s informing them that there was no hope of Sandra’s recovery, but she was stopped by a warning glance from Gail.

‘But, dear,’ Gail murmured soothingly, ‘you yourself are quite capable of taking care of Leta. And you dearly love her, despite her shortcomings.’

‘Gail—’ Sandra looked deeply into her eyes, ‘I’ve only just a moment ago remarked on your honesty. But you’re not being honest now. I am not going to live. I have no desire to do so. But I want my child to have a home. My husband is a wealthy grazier—a very wealthy grazier. I want Leta to go and live with him.’

Silence. Gail was thinking of the legacy which she and Sandra had shared, over a year ago. Her own share of the money was there, sufficient for her fare ... And why, she said again, should Kane Farrell get away with it?

Dawn was still staring, but looking rather helpless at the same time. She transferred her gaze to Gail, saw the glint in those grey-green eyes and wondered greatly at it.

Suddenly there was a deafening clamour coming from the room below and Dawn rose at once from the chair she was occupying.

‘I’ll go down to Leta,’ she offered, and Gail sensed the element of relief Dawn experienced at being able to escape from this conversation. ‘She’s just arrived home from play-school.’

The door soon closed behind Dawn and for a long moment there was silence in the room. Then Sandra spoke, telling Gail that her share of the legacy was intact. Staring in surprise, Gail said that she had expected it would all have been spent by now.

‘I’ve saved it, knowing that I would want it—for the purpose I mentioned. I did think at one time that I might, when the time came, have to employ someone to take her to her father. However, you mentioned yesterday that you have due to you a month’s leave, as you’ve not had one for so long.’ Sandra paused, frowning a little as if she were either in pain or feeling very tired. But her voice had been steady all the time and it was still steady as she went on to explain that the money from the legacy was just about enough for the fares of both Gail and Leta.

Gail listened without interruption, her mind on the fact that she herself had never believed in a marriage ever having taken place. The fact that Sandra was so confidently talking about sending Leta to her father produced in Gail some doubts about her own conviction, and for the first time she did begin to wonder if Sandra had spoken the truth when she maintained, right at the beginning, that she was married to Kane Farrell. But, thought Gail frowning in some puzzlement, if that were the case, why then had Sandra not tried to get some money from this wealthy grazier? And why had she never used his name? She had never used it for Leta either.

However, whether or not a marriage had taken place Gail was still of the opinion that the man in the case should not be allowed to get away with it, and this she strongly put forward later when her mother protested at her intention of carrying out Sandra’s wishes and taking Leta to her father.

‘He’s the father, and whether married or not to Leta’s mother he should be made to accept the responsibility now that the child has no one else willing to take her. I’m going to do as Sandra wished, Mother, and no amount of argument will prevent me. In any case, it’s a matter of honour, because I promised Sandra I would do as she asked.’

Her mother shook her head resignedly.

‘You’ve always had a strong will, dear,’ she said with a small sigh. ‘So I expect you’ll do what you think is right. However, you must let me warn you that this Kane Farrell will in all probability send you packing with Leta. After, all, as they never married he has no legal responsibility for the child.’

‘Sandra has always maintained that they were married.’ Gail spoke automatically, her mind on the fact that neither a marriage certificate nor Leta’s birth certificate had been found among her cousin’s belongings. They could have been destroyed, she supposed, but they were not the kind of documents a woman did destroy. On the contrary, they were usually safely guarded.