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‘I won’t.’

‘You also didn’t answer my question.’

‘About?’ she queried^

‘About what you know or don’t know.’

‘I know what every girl should know,’ she replied. ‘Satisfied?’

‘My question really was leading up to whether you had participated in a birth.’

‘I’m childless,’ she answered him with maddening misunderstanding. As he looked annoyed, she added hastily: ‘No, I haven’t. We were supposed to in the course, but we never actually got round to it.’

Then you, too, must come.’

‘Come where?’

To the accouchement.’

‘Why? I have no need to be separated between the boys and the men.’

‘But you have between the girls and the women. You’re not a woman yet, you’re a damn cantankerous child.’

‘I want to be co-operative,’ said Paddy, ‘but I can’t see how watching Little Lulu will help.’

‘You’ll come, though. That’s an order. You can send in one of the boys with a portion of the Brandy Flambe at dinner. I’ve work to do now.’

‘Then don’t let me keep you.’

He walked to the door, then turned.

‘Do you think you could?’ he asked.

Over the meal that night, Magnus’s slice having been duly dispatched, the boys were more excited over the imminent birth than they were over their sweet. In fact they ate it up without noticing any difference. All they could think of was Little Lulu.

‘Horses take a long time,' announced Richard. ‘They take eleven months. As Magnus told us, horses take longer even than you.’

‘Me?’ came in Paddy indignantly. Really, he was going too far!

‘He actually said female humans,' came in Mark. ‘You’re that.’

‘Elephants take longer still,' observed Paul.

‘Are you all agreed you want to watch?’ Paddy inquired.

‘Oh, yes. Magnus said Little Lulu will like our concern. He’s hoping she’s quicker than last time. That was eight nights altogether.’

‘But that was her first,' John reminded him.

‘Seconds are shorter. It might be over quick-smart.'

They kept chattering on, curious, eager, all hopeful they could play a helpful part except Richard,
who knew, of course, he could.
Richard was like that.

‘I'm a natural,' he boasted. ‘I think I could even manage it all on my own.'

‘No, Little Lulu,' said Paddy feelingly, ‘will be doing that.'

Lulu was fooling in the western paddock, a favourite paddock with her; John told Paddy that Magnus had said she must favour its grass.

They had barely finished dinner when the summons came. They all trooped out ... Richard first, eager to prove that he was the man for the job. As they came up to the western paddock, now bright with lanterns, Magnus detached himself from a group of men and walked across.

‘She’s going fine, she won’t take long this time. Our only worry is her impatient child, the brat is already fighting to enter the world, but Little Lulu is a more refined type of girl, not used to being pushed about like that. Look, boys, she’s getting restless, and that’s a sign. Contractions come next, and very soon the baby’s two forelegs will appear.’

Even as Magnus said it, it was all happening. After the little forelegs came the head, a sweet, wet, very surprised head. Then all of Little Lulu’s foal was born.

‘A lovely boy,' triumphed Magnus. ‘Now you four are five.' He grinned at them, then raised his brows. ‘No, still four, I see, one of our party is missing.’

‘Richard,' the three present chorused, ‘he scrammed.’

‘But Richard is the mastermind, isn’t he?’ Again Magnus grinned. ‘Well, I told you’ ... to Paddy now ... ‘it sorted out the boys.—What about the women and the girls?’

But Paddy could not answer him. She was on her knees beside the little newborn fellow, she was helping the attendant to tie the navel string.

She finished and looked up, looked up at Magnus, and in her eyes was all the tenderness in the world, all the love and warmth. Magnus David looked back, then he smiled deeply at her.

‘You’ve been sorted, Paddy Travis,’ he told her, then he turned quickly away and tried to get something out of his eye.

Richard joined them, angry with himself but still of the same opinion.

‘I’m never going to be a mother,’ he declared.

‘You couldn’t be if you wanted to, that’s for girls.’

‘I wouldn’t anyway, and neither will my wife.’

‘By that time,’ cheered Magnus, ‘they’ll probably be issued gift-wrapped.’

Paddy listened to the chatter but did not really hear it. She felt deeply satisfied. She felt like Mother Earth. When they got back to the house and Magnus asked her to come to his flat to toast the newborn with him, she went, still in her wonderful daze.

‘To Lulu’s boy,’ Magnus said after he had filled two glasses.

‘To Lulu’s boy.’

They drank, and when they had finished Paddy said goodnight to him,
still
in her Mother Earth aura.

It was not until she reached her room that she realised that before he had opened the door for her, he had kissed her, that she had kissed him back.

That it had not been that taunting kiss as at the club.

That it had been... fulfilment. As deep as life itself.

Mrs Dermott,
back to health, started fetching her dinner dishes ready to be heated for the evening meal again. She was a good cook, and the boys appreciated that, but they still made Paddy promise to slip in her own exciting Flambe now and then.

A letter had come from Closer Families with a guardian questionnaire to be filled in. It was a routine inquiry, and Paddy told Magnus David this as she stood beside him, pen waiting, while he scowled over her interrogation.

‘They always want to know how the wards are faring,’ she said.

‘Can’t you answer it yourself? You have eyes.’

‘But I have to ask
you.
You are the sponsor, I’m only the house-mother.’

‘Then yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.’

‘Some questions might need No,’ Paddy pointed out.

‘I leave it to you.’

‘Mr David, it is necessary that I ’

‘But not necessary for me. You see, they’re not going to be my wards ... oh, I know they are at present ... but well, they won’t be.’

‘You’re relinquishing them?’ Paddy’s voice was shocked.

‘They’re becoming my sons.’

'The whole four?’ she gasped.

‘I don’t intend picking and choosing, if that’s what you mean.’

‘It’s a large family.’

‘It will be larger when I have my own,’ Magnus assured him.

‘So you’re getting married?’

‘Yes.’

‘Congratulations,’ she said in a quiet voice.

'Thank you. Now where were you up to?’

‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes But, Mr David '

He raised his brows.

‘Are you sure about these boys?’

‘Applying to adopt them?’

‘Applying for them with an image in view ... which you are. Richard, for instance, you thought you had a stud man in him, and he took one look at Little Lulu and raced off. But perhaps you’ve gained on the banana side. Yes, that would be it.’

'That would be what?’

'The cause for your satisfied expression.’

‘Please tell me, Miss Travis,’ said Magnus, ‘what actually is a satisfied expression?’

'The expression you’re wearing now, everything going your way.’

‘Frankly, it is, but not as you think. Richard did have a change of mind about that side of the business, but has now embraced the commercial angle. He wants to be the accountant of Yoothamurra, not just the bookkeeper, and believe me, every stud needs a skilled money man. I think you’ll find him
very
attentive at lessons.’

‘Good for him, good for the stud, but not so good for your banana farm.’

‘I’m not worried, I have a strong feeling my own children will be interested in that.’

‘I thought you said these were to be your children.'

‘They will.’

‘But not “my own”? ‘Sharp, as always,’ he drawled. ‘Yes, they will be. I should have said my children and my wife’s.’

‘You first, of course.’

‘Of course,’ he agreed.

Paddy turned back to the form, wrote what was required and got Magnus to sign it.

Thank you,’ she said, and left him. She was a little piqued when he made no attempt to delay her.

Life resumed its old pattern. Paddy ate with the boys at morning and night, superintended their lessons, tidied the bathroom when they had left, left the rec room strictly as it was as such rooms with children working in them should be left... did little else.

She seldom saw Magnus. There was a lot of activity going on in the stables, and the boss had to be there constantly, so Richard informed her. He added in confidence that they were beginning to put Into the Light through his paces. He spoke it in a voice of thrall.

Paddy would dearly have loved to have gone across, but not being asked she stayed at home. She did, anyway, until one exceptionally lovely morning, when she walked the track again and met Kip.

He emerged as he had before, almost as though he had been waiting for her.

‘I haven’t seen you since the club,’ he complained, ‘have you been avoiding me?’

‘Of course not.’

Then has he forbidden you? It’s the sort of thing he’d do, for no doubt he soon found out who arranged that false message.’

‘Mr David knows better than to forbid me,’ said Paddy ... though not so sure herself.

‘Good for you ... but not so good for me. I get so fed up not seeing you, Padua, when
can
I see you? What do you do during the day?’

‘Nothing really after the boys go until evening. That’ ... a little laugh... ‘is why I’m here now.’

‘Then what’s to stop us having a day together? I’m off duty at that time, too. Padua, let’s go down to the valley. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it, but these valleys are full of gems, semi-precious stuff admittedly, but very pretty, and simply waiting to be washed out of the streams and creeks. There’s grass stones, beryls, even sapphires of a sort.’

‘Yes, I had heard, but ’ Paddy was thinking of Magnus and how he would take it.

‘But what?’

‘But should I go?’

‘On your own time off?’

‘That’s right, on my own time off,’ agreed Paddy a little indignantly. After all, Magnus David did not rule her. ‘Yes, I’d like to go with you, Kip. When?’

‘Tomorrow. Same time.’

‘Lovely. Do I ride or what?’

‘You just come here as you did today, then we go down as far as we can in the four-wheel drive, then walk the rest. You’ll love it.’

‘I’m sure I will,’ Paddy said.

She left at the same time the next morning. It had rained through the night, it rained often at nights up here, banana country had to' have rain, and Paddy supposed that studs did not mind it. It made the air crystal clear the next day, the sky sapphire. Would that be a lucky omen now, she asked Kip when she met him, would she find a sapphire?

‘I can’t promise you anything, really, gems never jump out at you, they have to be tracked down.’ He showed her a pan he had brought. ‘We’ll fill it with silt, then grub,’ he grinned.

They had a perfect morning, no sapphire, but certainly some gold specks, some rhodinite and blue agate. Paddy was entranced.

Pausing for a break for their aching backs, she found, without silting and grubbing, a lovely gem which Kip told her was the grass stone, properly called rutilated quartz, and of no commercial value. ‘The only thing you can say,’ he shrugged, ‘is that it’s found only in Australia and Chile.’

‘It’s beautiful,’ she smiled.

‘It is if you say so, Padua.’

‘I do say so.’

'Then give it to me,’ he said.

‘Why?’

‘Because I’m going to slip it on your finger ... don’t worry, I’ll hold it there, not drop it ... and then we’re engaged.’

‘Oh, Kip, you fool! ’

‘I’m serious,’ he said. ‘I’ve fallen for you, Padua.’

‘Going by the number of girls around you the other night you often fall,’ she said dryly.

‘Yes, but this time, as the old musical comedy goes, I’ve got my foot caught in the door. I love you, Padua.’

The sun through the trees turned his fair hair to gold, he looked very handsome, very much the Greek god. Paddy was flattered.

‘I’m taking this grass stone,’ he said, ‘and having it polished then set. Inside I will have inscribed: “Padua, A toi.” ’

‘With Padua, it should be in Italian,’ she commented.

‘Whatever it’s in, it comes down to the same. I do love you, my dear.’

They sat in the sweet cool bush. The creek where they had been panning accelerated its pace further down the valley and started a thousand waterbells. Kip had put the stone away in his pocket and was now playing with another object.

‘What’s that?’ Paddy asked.

‘A stopwatch. Surely you’ve seen a stopwatch before?’

‘I guess so, but I’ve never looked at one properly.’

‘Look at this one now.’ He handed it over, then proceeded to tell her how to work with it.

‘Take that bit of floating bark up there,’ he indicated when he thought she had grasped the idea.

There?’ She pointed.

‘Yes. Now time it to that clump of ferns.’

Paddy did so and triumphantly gave her result. ‘You’re a wizard. Right, first go.—Keep it, Padua.’

‘Keep it? But ’

‘I have as many stopwatches as I have socks,’ he shrugged. Trainers do.’

‘It’s nice of you, Kip, but what do I want with it?’

'You could find it handy. You could time those kids of yours as to how long they take to the school bus ... Or’—the slightest of pauses—‘you could time some of the horses. Into the Light, for instance, when he’s being tried out. That should be very interesting.’

‘Yes,’ said Paddy, feeling oddly uneasy for some reason. ‘Only I wouldn’t advise you to do it with him about, he’s an odd cuss.’

‘Magnus?’ she asked.

‘Who else? But what can you expect with a name like that?’

‘You have an unusual name yourself, Kip. Is it a nickname?’