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Laughing at his joy, she hushed him. ‘I think we need to keep it a secret for a while. Only John’s family knows. Promise me.’
‘I promise. So can we still . . . you know . . .?’
‘Yes, you dolt! Our baby’s only about an inch in size. It won’t know what you’re up to.’
And now their laughter sounded against the red desert.
33
They agreed to remain at Witchelina for a week. Conveniently, everyone was away, so the house was theirs but they left no traces other than a track between a back bedroom, the bathroom and the kitchen. The week had passed in a tumult of lovemaking, grazing on whatever stores they had carried with them, and watching the stars each night from the wide verandah of the first floor, sipping tea as they sat close on an old armchair that had been dragged out there.
Fleur listened, enraptured as Tom guided her through the Milky Way, pointing out celestial bodies she’d never heard of and others that were simply fun to listen to.
‘That’s Venus, pretty close to the teapot of Sagittarius,’ he said as she squinted. ‘And the waxing moon is near Saturn, do you see?’
She nodded, just enjoying the sound of his enthralled voice. ‘I want you to teach our child all of this,’ she said.
‘Then you’ll have to agree to make regular visits into the outback, because you can’t see much of this from the city, Fleur. It’s only in the desert you get to commune with the firmament.’
She smiled. ‘Then each year we shall come and spend early spring here.’
He leaned down and she kissed him slow and tenderly.
‘Now I have a couple of pieces of information to share,’ he said.
‘You do?’ She sounded intrigued. ‘Good information, I hope. I can’t take any more bad news.’
‘It’s not bad, but it’s only good depending on how you view it.’
‘Do you mean you, as in generally, or do you mean me in particular?’
‘Everything for me is about you in particular, Fleur. You and our child.’
She felt her heart give. How could she have ever lost this? The Flinders Ranges, those oldest of gods, had been very generous to her with their gift. After all her sorrows of this year, the happiness she felt in this moment couldn’t be overstated or overwhelmed. ‘All right. Tell me,’ she said, shifting her position so she could look at him squarely.
‘Do you remember the family that you and your father had to visit when you picked up my mother and my sister for burial?’
‘They’re hard to forget, Tom.’
He gave a soft snort of agreement. ‘I met them again recently.’
‘You did?’
‘They’re as repugnant as we both recall.’
‘That’s disappointing,’ she said, unsure of where this was leading.
‘By they, I mean Mr and Mrs Darnell. Knowing your memory, you’d remember my aunt, Elizabeth Darnell.’
‘She accused me of being precocious when I was just displaying good manners.’
He nodded. ‘Do you remember the girl at the window? We saw her when we were in the garden.’
‘Yes, a pale creature.’
‘Well, she’s still pale but she’s also great and she’s my cousin, I’ve discovered. Her name is Emily and she’s everything her parents are not. She’s normal, for a start. And she takes no prisoners, Fleur. She reminded me of you, and I’ve promised I’ll introduce you both.’
‘If you like her, then I know I shall.’
