Family Feud at Black Creek

"But how will we fuck?" Bart complained.

Claire giggled and said she would have thought with Bart signing a restraining agreement not to touching her in any manner meant he had to stand aside. Her father was merely moving to ensure that Bart didn't resume having sex with his daughter.

"That's not fair."

"Oh, poor boy."

"Um, I have an idea. On set, I could begin fucking your mother and then persuade her to invite you to join us for a threesome every night."

"Omigod, Bart. Does your devious brain never sleep? Anyway, it's not going to happen (a) because of the legally binding agreement preventing your from touching me and will involve penalties for breaching the agreement and (b) as you are Public Enemy No. 1 with my father right now, my mother out of loyalty will feel obliged to regard you also as a villain."

"Then I'll never get to fuck you again?"

"Not unless you can influence my father."

"Claire, no way will I agree to having sex with your father."

She giggled uncontrollably.

"No way would I ever suggest that. I was meaning you'd have to demonstrate to his satisfaction that you regard him as being very okay and that you are a friend of the Knight's clan."

"Oh, wow. Do you think I could gain his respect at that almost impossible level?"

"Yes, Bart. You know I regard you as being intelligence and capable of sliming your way into anywhere. I mean look at me. I believed like all Knights that the Hinton's were scum, and yet you had my pants off without me protesting at all and in fact I pulled a condom out of my shirt pocket and handed it to you, while drooling heavily. You are indeed a supreme slime ball."

Bart looked at Claire carefully and finally decided that slime ball comment had been said with sincerely and she probably regarded it as one of his strengths, err possibly.

"Then we can fuck tonight before the signing of the restraining order tomorrow?"

"No, definitely not. I'm loyal to my family's wishes."

Bart winced and thought Claire needed to learn some of the more enlightening tactics of her being a potential slime ball.

"Claire, phone your father immediately. Tell him to have his legal representative out in the departure lounge at Bankstown Airport waiting for us at 11.30 am tomorrow if he wishes me to sign that restraining agreement."

She said that could be impossible to arrange at such short notice.

"I repeat, have the legal beaver at Bankstown Airport tomorrow at 11.30 if he wishes his daughter to have a chance of ultimately becoming a film star. Tell him it's 11.30 tomorrow or he'll close your window of opportunity for ever and that I respect him sufficiently to know he'll recognize a good deal when presented to him."

Claire said, "But why are you pushing him like this, using me as a pawn."

"To earn his respect, dear one. That's all but don't tell him that."

The restraining agreement was signed at Bankstown Airport next day and the trio went to Melbourne, flown by Bart's mother, with Claire sitting beside her in the small cockpit his mum was talking as if Claire was to become her daughter-in-law before not too long.

Claire loved the attention while in the rear seat Bart cringed.

The team at the independent film-makers and consultants whipped Claire off for what they called 'processing' while Bart was taken on a comprehensive tour of facilities which ended in the executive office of the company's head of production, Eliza Goodfellow, who took Bart's empty coffee cup from him and replaced it, without asking, with a bottle of Crown Lager.

"Sit here next to me," ordered the 60-plus woman, and Bart obliged.

The wall panelling in front of them parted and he saw the previously hidden video screen flicker into life.

"This is the first clip of Claire's test. I'd like to know what you think."

It was a reading before the camera, filmed close up, for a little over two minutes.

"Well?"

"She has camera compatibility, reads well, enunciating crisply and clearly and she looks good."

"Right, Bart. That's the positive. Anything toward the negative?"

"It's only the initial film clip but I noticed a tendency to falter briefly and to tail off at times."

"Excellent. That's probably as close to a professional appraisal that you'll ever give. Drama coaching will improve her speech rhythm and over-all smoothness. I was aghast to learn that she'd had no drama training."

Bart said, "And yet she indicates that she's a natural before the camera."

"Yes, and we agree. Everyone we've contacted at Black Creek in production and financial backing who need to approve of being included into the cast with a developing role -- oh, and the two script-writers -- have all indicated they will accept our call."

"Which is?"

"You'll be among those who are advised of our recommendation sometime this evening Bart. If she is added to the cast, be careful if you decide to attempt to screw her."

"What, make sure I have a box of condoms on hand?"

"Bart, I'm highly aware of the tension between the Hinton and the Knight families and that Claire in the youngest daughter of head of the Knight family. You alone could ignite sufficient hostilities between the two families if you mishandled any advance you make on developing any relationship with Claire."

"I know and be assured, I'll tread carefully."

"That's good to hear. We learned from Claire that you and she have already had a sexual relationship and it didn't last and now you are not flavour of the month with her father."

"Correct, and that stems back to the festering feud."

"Which could end if Claire makes it into the cast, our screenwriters do a wonderful job in inserting her into her story-line to soon became a co-female lead and she acts her pants off."

"Yeah Eliza, tall order eh? If it becomes reality, I'll do my best to meet all objectives. This is Australia film drama at its best, so why should I carelessly stuff it up?"

"Again, that's good to hear Bart. My advice is you decide to make any move on her, do it softly, softly and keep your thoughts on your main mission that is to participate successfully in helping to make The Settlers, Series 2, a brilliant success."

Eliza looked at her watch and handed Bart a pass.

"The director in charge of screen-tests, as one of her roles, is lunching right now in the executive's dining room with Claire. You are invited to join them for lunch. My PA will take you to them. And thanks for your useful comments."

"Thanks, Eliza. My fingers are crossed that Claire will make it work for you."

Chapter 3

A huge wave of publicity engulfed Claire when it was announced that a fiery redhead had been chosen to join the cast of The Settlers with the hope that would impress the script-writers sufficiently to see her before too long promote her into becoming the co-female lead to increase conflict in the production.

A few days after the announcement, with rehearsal for the final two parts of the 12-part Series 2 only just underway, a Sydney Sunday newspaper set the cat among the pigeons in an 'Exclusive' quoting a confidential source, that the new female addition to the cast, Claire Knight, a year earlier had commenced a short-lived torrid affair with The Settlers male lead Bart Hinton, who plays the main character Caesar Bolton. Claire's father Russ Knight had made her dump Mr Hinton.

The Black Creek families of the Knights and the Hinton's, where The Settlers was set and largely filmed, were locked in a long-running simmering feud that erupted at times.

The newspaper stated, "Bart Hinton denied ever having dated Claire Knight whereas Miss Knight had burst into tears and told our reporter she was unable to comment."

The reporter who interviewed her was quoted in the article, that was headed by a large separate photo of each actor, as having tracked down two female friends of Miss Knight who had known of the relationship.

"One lawyer friend said he was aware of the tight-lipped relationship by Miss Knight's exhausted looking appearance and with her occasionally saying she was floating on the clouds but no, she hadn't been on drugs, she was referring to being repeatedly bedded by a prominent TV series male actor."

"Another female friend, who'd swore the reporter to secrecy over her identity, said twice she'd seen Miss Knight and Bart Hinton locked in a hot-hot embrace in the early hours in a night club and had observed he had a hand where the hand of any gentleman would never do such a thing in a public place."

* * *

Bart arrived back in Black Creek that same Sunday of the page one story of his alleged relationship with Claire. He'd been out in semi-arid country with a film crew and several male members of the cast hunting dingoes (wild native marauding dogs).

Claire heard that he was back but couldn't find him and then was told by a cameraman who'd read the newspaper article after Bart had read it, that Bart had rushed off to talk to Claire's father.

"Omigod," Claire cried and decided to keep out of the limelight by locking herself in her motel room after being told that media journalists and photographers from several parts of Australia where due to arrive in Black Rock later that day."

* * *

Bart pressed the door chimes button on the front door of the Knight's grand home, expecting a maid to come and invited him in. But Mrs Knight appeared.

"Oh, Bart darling, how lovely to see you again. You're looking great. How's filming..."

"Omigod, I'm not supposed to talk to you after the much published in today's Sunday paper and I guess the feuding is now really back on the table."

"I understand, Mrs Knight. Please take me to your husband."

"Yes, of course. I suggest you watch your back as Russ is furious and in one of his kick arse moods."

They walked into the living room and Mary said, "Russ, Bart Hinton is here to see you. I guess you remember him?"

Not saying a word, Russ left the sofa and took a shotgun from its wall mounting.

"I'm here to talk, Russ, not to fight. Anyway, that gun is not loaded."

"I could use it as a club."

"That would disappoint me as I'd always thought we would be friends for life after that day when I was eighteen and returned your runway top stud mare when you guys still lived on the farm."

"I'd spent three days and two nights out in the wilds searching for her in likely areas whereas your guys and those two aircraft and a chopper were systematically searching the lower-lands, not figuring the runaway would head for the hills where she probably sensed she would find better feed and natural reservoirs of water. Only some of us try to think like horses, dogs and cattle."

Russ put the gun back on the rack and sighed.

"Yeah, right. You probably saved that horse's life and eighteen months later I sold it for $16,800 more than I paid for it and I only gave you two dozen cans for beer for your hard graft on my behalf."

"That's okay, Russ. It's called an uneven-handed transaction. I'd loved the opportunity to camp out in the wilds again and another thing, that mare was even less grateful than you were for being found."

"Okay Bart. You've said your piece. What do you really wish to say to me?"

"I arrived from filming out in the near-desert mid-morning today in a bus that travelled for most the night. Arriving back in town, I picked up our two Sunday papers and read in one of them all that shit about Claire and me."

"Did you tip off the newspaper?"

"No," Bart lied.

"Listen, I lied when a reporter contacted us about it earlier in the week, to avoid flaring the simmering feud, and out of respect for Claire, you and your family. Unfortunately, the severity of the shock of then facing a newspaper interview over the affair about to be published, obviously made Claire burst into tears. Although she declined to comment, her tears would have given the impression of supressed guilt, and nothing can be done about that."

"I'm sorry about this Russ, as it must feel like a kick in the arse for you and the fallout will include some humiliation for you and your family. But Russ, I have no regrets about involving Claire in a short burst of romance. Your daughter is a lovely person and I'm hoping that one day... well, let's move on."

"Why not, Bart? You are doing surprisingly well so far although I'm still highly pissed off."

"Russ, when I was consulted about the idea of bringing in another female as a co-female lead and was told about the conflict that could develop, I became all ears, as we senior members of the cast were aware we'd have to struggle to keep the second series up to the same standard as the first series."

"A punchy female added to the cast could provide the necessary increased tension. Then, when I learned that the idea had been approved and the search was on for a female who was even more beautiful that her co-lead, and fiery to boot, I suddenly thought of Claire. Then zap, I visualized two of the established families in the story line beginning to feud over an unwelcomed romance beginning to develop between a male and female from the two feuding farming families who were already at each other's throats at over their disputed claims over water rights."

"Claire, she's a sitter for the part, I thought. She would know as much as I do in experiencing family feuding. I rushed home and got mum to fly me to Sydney and I tracked down Claire's whereabouts, talking to a couple of her closest friends and I found her. The shock of seeing me again fired her contempt for me again. I got her calmed, she listened to my spiel and low, she's now in the cast and rehearsal for the final two parts ending Series 2."

"And?" Russ growled.

"The female co-leads will be fighting over me and romance, err on film, will develop."

"Russ, I have not touched Claire, as required by you, since I signed that document."

"Think about it. The development of true romance between Claire and me has the potential to end the feuding between the Knight family and the Hinton family."

"It what?"

"A wedding between Claire and me, if that's what we both heavily desire, could..."

Russ cut in and said he'd heard enough.

Bart gritted, "No you haven't, there are two more steps to take."

"First, get Mary in here and allow me to repeat what I told you and then listen to her opinion and then, we all wait to see was transgresses and that could take well into next year with the screening of Series 3."

Russ scowled, "You grease-ball, talking like this to me and since when have you been calling my wife Mary?"

"Since one minute ago when talking to you and when I arriving having caught the flash of sadness in her eyes when I mentioned the cat being let out of the bag by that shit-stirring newspaper story about Claire and me."

Unwilling to wait any longer, Russ called, "Mary, in here with whisky and three glasses, pronto."

"Omigod, you've decided not to maim him for life," Mary called, sounding unperturbed.

Mary came in with the tray and Russ poured three whiskies and said, "Cheers everyone."

"Now you incredibly slippery and perhaps I should say smart Arsehole, tell Mary what you told me about the part you played in getting Claire a huge part in The Settlers, how you caught the flash of sadness in her eyes when she greeted you at the door just now and how you think you may have, within your grasp, the way of ending the feud between our two families."

"I'll say in again, this time with heavier emphasis, Omigod! Bart you are brilliant and a very smooth talker. Mary, Bart is urging me to end this embargo immediately to allow him to make another play for Claire's affection. If I fail to act, he's threatened to beat me with the butt of that fucking shotgun hanging on the wall, just as I've threatened to do to him several times over the years."

"However, his threat is unnecessary. I'd already decided," Russ said, and left the room.

He returned and handed Bart a document.

"It's a copy of embargo that you and I signed, Bart. The original is with my lawyer. But that doesn't matter. I have written 'Rescinded' in red pen over it and signed and dated it with our housekeeper signing and dating it as my witness. The agreement is now null and void.

Bart stood and the men shook hands and as Bart said thanks, Russ pulled the young man to him and thumped him on the back.

"Go get her Bart, if that's what you really want, but I suggest let her settle into her new role first and then just let it happen."

Mary, who had been wiping her eyes, put her reading glasses back on and called Bart over and hugged him,

"You're my preferred pick for Claire and have been for a long time, Bart. Please call me Mary."

Chapter 4

With the magic associated with skilled film editing, done in production on the instructions of Sal Leggett, secret mistress of the senior screenwriter who came up with the idea, Viola Lovelock was introduced to The Settlers' viewers late in episode nine of the 12-episode Series 2 which was already filmed and was in production when Claire was still into her intense drama acting coaching, far from being competed.

TV drama critics generally referred to long-anticipated introduction of the beauty, in real life being Claire Knight, daughter of the patriarch of one of the two long feuding Black Creek families, as 'adequate' or 'scarcely breath-taking', although a 58-year-old Sydney female critic, widely known as The Bitch wrote, "Perhaps it would have been better for viewers had Claire Knight taking on the role of Viola Lovelock been unanimously rejected after her first screen test. My 88-year-old aunt afflicted with memory loss and lumbago could seriously act better than the insipid and unmotivated newcomer."

The show, that many TV stations screened at 8.30 on Sundays, was a great disappointed to the Knight and Hinton extended families who had gathered to be with their family heads to watch the debut of Claire in that 10th episode of Series 2.

Russ Knight called Rupert Hinton and said, "Ruby, we feel disappointed, in fact hugely."

Rupert said, "Same here, but I advise restraint. Bart is at a pub with other main members of the cast and I'll grill him when he gets home. It's probably a cunning move by the director to initially have your daughter make a low-key entry, knowing that those disappointed with the debut will be watching the next episode to see whether there will be any improvement. My guess is Claire will come practically jumping from the screen. What did Claire indicate to you?"

"Nothing and she's not here. Bart picked her up at 6.30 and she said they were going to have dinner with the cast at a pub."

"What, you allowed your daughter to go out with my son. Aren't our families supposed to be virtually on the brink of war?"

"Um, Ruby. I guess there's been a bit of cooling off after Bart came over here and stood up to me. He pulled my wife into the conversation, a hell of a smart move, and as a result I cancelled the restraining agreement I had him sign so that he and Claire could work together more comfortably. And I guess Mary and I felt it was about time we dropped this senseless sparring between our families, or more accurately, between you and me just as our fathers were practically slugging it out between themselves in their days."

"Really?"

"Um, it appears so."

"Good one, mate. Come over for a beer or a whisky tomorrow and bring Mary."

"Yeah, right."

Three TV news crews from competing networks interviewed the executive producer and the series director of The Settlers who made it clear next day at a media conference they'd achieved the result they'd hoped for with the introduction of Viola Lovelock.

When those interviews were screened on the three networks that evening, the executive produce Murray Evans was filmed saying adamantly, "The approved script was aimed as stimulating our huge audience of regulars, with the intention of having Claire Knight as Viola Lovelock making her initial appearance as a meek mouse. But, in our next episode, expect to see her explode like a rampant lioness and from there on she will grow from strength to strength to earn her intended place as the co-female lead with claws."