Valley of Sinners Ch. 04

The body language indicated to Hope that he was in a mood.

"How many rabbits did you get this morning -- Lisa tells me you've bought your own shotgun?"

"Yes, same as yours. Twelve rabbits and a hare."

"Twelve?" Hope queried.

"Yes, twelve," he scowled.

"My goodness, I must go and tell Lisa."

When Hope returned to the kitchen, Nash and his breakfast had disappeared. She went to the kitchen window and looked down. Nash was sitting in the orchard with his best mate, feeding Monty bacon rinds and a half-eaten sausage.

A few minutes later Hope and Lisa arrived ready to leave. Nash had backed the Rover out for them. He was leaning on the back of the car and as they walked over straightened and took the two carry bags from Lisa.

"Have a good flight, Lisa."

"Thank you, Nash. It was lovely meeting you. Try to look after mother for me, will you? I know she can be such a handful."

Lisa leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Nash didn't return the kiss but gave her three short pats on the back. She then said something to him that Hope couldn't catch but she heard the reply -- "It's not you fault; these things happen."

Hope was puzzled by this strange, low-key farewell by two people who the previous evening appeared ready to rip the clothes off each other. She'd been looking forward to having Lisa to herself on her final evening home and that tom cat had almost spoiled it for her.

They climbed into the car and Hope called, "I'll bring back something for lunch" but Nash already had disappeared back into the orchard with Monty.

"A nice chap, don't you think?" Hope said, hoping to start a conversation around him, but her daughter thwarted her by answering, "You could say that."

Well, Hope mused, what kind of answer is that?

"Mum, I know this is unfair on Nash, but I think you should drop this book project. It will only cause you grief and further eruptions within the family."

"What family -- I only have you, and you are big enough to withstand presume and possible humiliation but you will be safely distanced in Australia to experience actual fallout."

"You have two other daughters."

"Well, you and I know that, but they seem unable to accept that as fact. The links between has have become mere strands -- two or sometimes three letters a year from Christchurch and one a year from Dunedin if I'm lucky."

"Your daughters have names, mother."

"Oh, do they? I have difficulty remembering."

"Is Nash a substitute son?"

"Whatever are you talking about?"

"That diversion won't work with me, mother."

"I see. So I must say no, definitely no. Nor is he one of my decreasing numbers of occasional lovers. Does that satisfy you?"

"Yes, it did more than adequately answer my question. You realize of course that should you invite him upstairs to sleep in my room when the weather turns colder it will be only a matter of time before he receives the next invitation."

"What, into my bed?"

"Yes."

"You're priceless, Lisa. You've been seeing too many soppy films. He's a working man, not a stud. But come on, Lisa; let's talk about him more seriously. You've been around him for a week now, what is your assessment about him being virtually unemployable? I've never heard so much nonsense in my entire life."

"I haven't interviewed him formerly in an effort to arrive at a conclusion but first, tell me this: have you noticed he tends to only do things he wants to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"He goes out rabbiting at dawn because he likes the thrill of the hunt, the clarity of the early morning air and apparently, so far has not come home empty handed. He does things to impress like jumping up from the table and beginning washing the dishes, yet during the day he'll walk passed the sink and leaves the few dirty dishes sitting there untouched. The pretty and very busty Alayna, did you noticed he never phoned her or said he was going out to drop in on her? Yet she phoned have at least three times to my knowledge and came around three times. He loves Monty making a fuss of him but does he ever feed Monty without being asked or brush him or give him the weekly bath?"

Hope remained thoughtful and then said, "I get your drift, but these are really rather small things and are not his responsibilities."

"I know, but rack that up into the workplace where an employer is expecting him to display initiative and to be working as a team player?"

"Well, that would be rather different, so do you think it has occurred?"

"I wouldn't have a clue, but have wondered about it. I'll tell you this for what it's worth mother, if you really wish to pry into it, go talk to his mother. My guess is that he grew up having everything done for him and perhaps there is something else. If it is she's bound to know but may not wish to reveal private family business. This sounds like a mission right up your ally, mother, and I would like my curiosity satisfied."

"Would you like me to do it?"

"Yes."

"Why? Have you gone soft on him?"

"Mum, I promised myself I would not mention this to you. I'll tell you the outline if you promise me that you'll not tell another living soul and not even hint to Nash that you know our secret."

Hope saw that Lisa was a little stressed.

"Goodness for a moment I thought you would be telling me he tried to rape you, but it's bigger than sex, isn't it?"

"Yes; well?"

"I promise not to tell anyone or even hint that I know about it."

"Good, well last Friday when I was driving from the airport by sheer chance I came across Nash and Alayna in the city in the Chevy. I'd made a small diversion to look at the flat where I lived when taking up that job in employment consultancy. His mother happens to live in the next street which I passed through and Nash and Alayna had been out to lunch with her and were just heading home, for some after lunch bedroom games I shouldn't wonder. I could see it was a male driving the Chevy and didn't recognize Alayna, so assumed they had stolen your vehicle and honked at them to stop, which they did. While I was remonstrating with them some thickheads came cruising by in a really hot Holden and the driver slapped my ass as he drove passed exceedingly slowly. Naturally I called him names and the car stopped with the guys who were drunk or on drugs judging by their excessive behavior had turned, and were staring at us."

Hope's comment, "You shouldn't have done that Lisa" was ignored.

"Nash said that they were going to come back, so quick as a flash got out of the Chevy and asked Alayna to drive off to the restaurant car park where they had lunch. Nash thought that after dealing with us they would steal the Chevy."

"Why didn't he get you to drive it off?"

"Because I had the rental; he thought if we all tried to flee they'd run us down and deal with us anyway. Besides, he wanted me for bait."

"Oh my God, why?"

"To scare the shit out of them so they wouldn't come after us. Fortunately he'd just picked up his new shotgun and had taken it from the Chevy.

"But it wouldn't be loaded and he wouldn't have had time to take cartridges out of a sealed box."

"Mum, who's telling you the story?"

"Sorry, dear, go on, but I can't understand why you didn't tell me on Sunday at lunchtime."

Lisa shrugged and continued.

"The Holden had turned and was coming back to us so Nash told me exactly what he wanted me to do, to stand in the middle of the road, looking sexy like Marilyn Monroe, luring the louts to us. I was almost wetting myself, I was so scared. He told me to pull my dress up higher so they would be looking at me, rather than him as he got the shotgun out of the bag. They were only ten feet away when he called me to jump behind the rental car while he went out into the middle of the road, slammed the barrels shut and began lining up with the Holden's windscreen. This time it was the turn of the hoods to wet themselves, and the Holden went roaring off backwards, never to be seen again. Later when I learned that the shotgun had not been loaded. I didn't know whether to head butt my hero or to faint. Earlier he had me in his arms, having just caught me as I started to pass out in post-fright trauma."

"Oh, you poor darling. But why didn't you tell me, I'm your mother, dammit!"

"Because I promised him I would not tell anyone. He said he'd worked hard to protect me from possible gang rape so didn't want an aftermath that would besmirch my character."

"Besmirch your character? That sounds like something out of a cheap novel."

Lisa laughed, saying that Nash is addicted to movies.

Hope worried they might have taken the wrong option, that perhaps they should have ran for it but Lisa disagreed, saying that the Holden was supercharged and very much more powerful than the Chevy.

"It doesn't matter, mum. The bluff worked and I found out that your Mr Carson has a ton of guts."

"So you now fancy him?"

"What sort of question is that, mother?"

"Look who's now trying to put the hound off the scent."

"There's nothing between us, mother; absolutely nothing in terms of romantic attachment. I rather think neither of us has a heart."

"I'm please to hear that, darling. I don't think he's the right sort of man for you."

* * *

The next day after breakfast Hope and Nash set themselves up comfortably in the orchard and Hope begin to relate her life story. "Yes, warts and all," she sighed, responding to his urgings.

Three days later with breaks between two-hour sessions Hope finished her story.

"That's it, more or less. I'll do what you say and carry around a notebook with me and record anything else useful that comes to mind." By now they had bonded like never before.

Drinking iced water spiked with a lime at the end of a very hot day, Hope glanced at Nash and said he looked tired.

"Yeah, listening to you takes a lot out of a man. I think I'll have an hour's kip before dinner if you don't mind."

"Of course not, but look, use Lisa's bedroom. Open the French doors on to the balcony and the windows at the other end and you'll get a through draught. I'm just slipping into the village before the butcher closes to pick up some steaks. I think we'll have a barbecue out here tonight."

Nash said that sounded lovely and stifling a yawn offered to get the meat for her.

"No I'll do it but thank you, you have impressed me."

Hope immediately regretted saying that, thinking that Lisa had poisoned her mind, but Nash didn't appear concerned, and why would he? It was a pleasant rejoinder that appeared to be nothing but a compliment.

Returning home Hope went upstairs and looked in on him, having already checked his bedroom which was really hot, through the sun beating on its facing exterior wall of concrete blocks. Nash appeared to be sleeping peacefully, nude, but with his back to her. Fifteen minutes later he entered in the kitchen in shorts and unscrewed the caps off two bottles of larger from the fridge. On scorching days they liked to drink beer.

Cheers Nash said as they faced each other. He was wearing only a pair of shorts and Hope had changed into a thin tan colored dress and had dispensed with a bra, but was wearing panties. Leaning back on the sink bench she was aware her breasts were hanging lower than normal; but she thought so what wondering if she minded him staring at them like that. She looked down and was horrified -- there was a damp patch between her breasts.

"Oh, look at me, how embarrassing," she said, wondering why on earth she'd prefaced her obscure apology with the 'look at me' comment. I need to go and change -- could you please turn the roast vegetables when the timer goes."

"There's no need to change -- sweat is perfectly natural and practically unavoidable in this extreme weather. I don't think I've seen that dress before, I love the color but the cut is a bit dated."

The oven bell went and Hope began turning the vegetables.

"Yes, it's from the back of the wardrobe. I chose it because it's thin and cotton, well for heat wave wear, I thought, without thinking of body leak."

"Body leak?" Nash laughed. "I don't think that's term most people use to describe skin perspiration."

Hope colored but looked at him cheerfully and said, "You clown, get me another beer."

Nash put a fresh bottle in front of Hope who was now sitting at the table, head resting in her upturned palms. "Look, I've goofed. Who the hell wants super-heated roast vegetables on a hot evening like this? I should have done a salad instead."

"I wondered about that, but no worries. Tell me when it's time to barbecue the steaks -- I'll do them as we don't want you wet patch spreading." Eying her chest Nash said, "Actually it's dried off quite a bit, probably from the ambient heat from the oven."

"Room temperature would do it, I should think," Hope countered. "Come on, I have an idea. Let's take that bottle of sparkling wine in the fridge out to the orchard -- it will become cooler there sooner than in the house. I'll put another bottle in the freezer and in a little over fifteen minutes the vegetables will be done. I'll slice them into cubes and let them cool outside. We'll eat them cold with the steaks after we've cut that second bottle."

"Sounds good to me; mothers know best."

Sprawled out on their sun loafers, each with a glass of bubbly, Hope said casually, "Earlier you mentioned mother know best. You talk occasionally about your mother but we've never met. Would you like to go in on Sunday and bring her back here for lunch? This heat will be much more moderate by then as a change to a southerly flow is expected by late Saturday instead of this stuff coming in from the west straight out of heartland Australian. Sydney's temperature was expected to hit 38 degrees early this afternoon."

"Well, that's very nice of you. I'll phone in the morning and pass on your invitation. I know she's curious about you and wonders why you would want to hire a bloke like me. If she comes perhaps after lunch I'll wander off and you two can have a heart to heart."

"I'd like her to visit us -- please tell her that. I don't want your mother thinking that I'm doing some sort of duty."

"I will, and thanks again. Now let me fill you up with more chilled plonk; it's going down a treat, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes!"

Two hours later Hope announced she was going to bed. "I've downed too much wine and am ready to crash. Just throw a cover over everything and I'll clean up in the morning."

She came over and kissed Nash on the forehead, her hanging breasts loose under the thin dress draped over his right arm and chest but this contact seemed perfectly natural and he did not react.

"Good night, Hope. The drinks will keep you oblivious to the heat and it will be cooler when you wake up."

"I know and that's why I went over my limit tonight. You must sleep in Lisa's room tonight -- your room will be like a furnace. Shift all your things up there in the morning."

"Good idea, thanks."

A few minutes after Hope had gone Nash cleared away and cleaned the barbeque and table until they were in near pristine condition. He surprised himself being so diligent and wondered if he were simply trying to impress Hope or was being with her slowly changing him? She did have exceedingly good tastes, good habits and worked and played hard. Yes, perhaps she is beginning to influence him -- for the better! He chuckled.

After finishing the dishes he took a cooled mug of coffee to Lisa's room and sat out on the balcony. The heat-laden air is oppressive, very still but the flying bugs were busy and usual night sounds presented the customary calm evening symphony. Just when it seemed the farm animal section had missed its cue this evening, one of the Taint's bulls bellowed and Monty on the deck below growled a response, probably in his sleep.

Nash sighed and slowly fell asleep in the chair.

Hope awoke in the morning to the sound of a shotgun blast almost right below her window. It will be Nash she sighed, in the Home Block that run between the house and the road -- the block that makes visitors aware that they are entering a vineyard. She turned to check the bedside clock and found a mug of coffee and piece of toast -- the toast was still warm.

"Oh shit," gasped Hope, aware of her naked top. She felt farther down and was relieved that while both legs are uncovered, the crumpled sheet ran up between her thighs to almost her navel. At least he hadn't helped himself to an eyeful of everything. Well, she was almost prepared to swap her dignity for a mug of dawn coffee anytime, with emphasis on almost.

They'd had a great session winding up her recollections yesterday, the words seemed to tumble from her mouth and she clearly pictured many of the scenes that seemed to bring some of those reminiscences vividly to mind, as if it were only yesterday. She was pleased, very pleased, that the three-day talk-fest hadn't been totally her doing the talking. Initially Nash questioned for clarification and then began to fancy himself as a journalist, asking questions to elicit deeper thoughts, such as, 'Why do you think your father never remarried' and 'Tell me more about your father's illegitimate child."

Hoped sighed. She hadn't meant to give the game away so early but it was past lunchtime on that second day so she was hungry and hot. "Which one, there are three? Just a minute while I pour myself another pre-lunch drink"

Nash had meant the Bronkovic infant who'd been at the centre of that stand-off between her father and herself and the Bronkovic Brothers. So she told him about Anton, now widely known as Ant, and then revealed the existence in the valley of her two half-sisters.

Hope had mixed strong gins before venturing down this path and Nash almost finished his in one gulp because he was so startled when youngest of the illegitimate children was identified as Alayna.

"Jesus," he said. "That's some family secret. Does she know?'

"No, nor Basil. Until this minute I believe the only persons who know are her mother Maggie and me. Alayna knows me only as her unofficial stepmother, not her real half sister. The intention was she would be told by Maggie and me when she turns twenty-five and takes possession of G-block which is between the blocks that Anton and Eloise will receive when they attain the age of twenty-five."

"My other half-sister is Eloise, daughter of Brigitte Moreau. Brigitte is a cousin of Mimi Bronkovic. Brigitte was visiting the valley with her husband from France shortly after their marriage and volunteered to take Mimi's sick cat to Cedric's surgery. I was away staying with a friend, my father was at a loose end and so the inevitable happened. The Moreau's immigrated to New Zealand two years later, Chaney working in Te Henui Winery until he left to become chief winemaker at the Hausman Winery. The mother, Brigitte, eventually revealed to me who was the true father of her child, swearing me to secrecy so we do have a problem over disclosure here -- you'll have to smooth-talk to her.

Nash sensed there was more to be revealed.

"These land endowments: they were your father's delayed bequests?"

"No," said Hope without emotion. "Daddy didn't feel he had any responsibility towards women who were incapable of controlling their ability to conceive during liaisons with him. I decided to make some kind of gesture using his land he'd bequeathed to me."

"You are attempting redemption?"

"They will simply get a solicitor's letter with a certificate of title with an explanation that the land has been bequeathed to them by the late Cedric Honeybun. Maggie has decided to make the disclosure to Alayna in the presence of Basil and myself -- of course even Basil doesn't know so it's going to be a rather dramatic disclosure. Both Ana Bronkovic and Brigitte Moreau have yet to decide they will reveal their long buried secret."