Beyond the Sunset by Anna Jacobs

There weren’t long twilit evenings in Australia, but an almost instant darkness after the sun sank below the horizon, so they went to bed soon afterwards.
    She nestled against him, afraid now the moment had come to make love, but determined to overcome her fears. But Reece was so gentle, his love showing in every kiss and caress, that she needn’t have worried. She responded to his caresses instinctively, willingly and let him carry her into a tide of pleasure that swept her away and left her gasping in his arms.
    ‘It’s going to be a big baby,’ he said afterwards, lying with one hand on her belly.
    ‘Is it?’
    ‘Yes. There’s no doubt about your dates, so it’s well grown already.’
    Briefly, the doubts she’d felt before assailed her. ‘I hope we’ll love it.’
    ‘Of course we shall. It’ll be a baby, not a criminal. And I’ll be the only father it knows. That’s the only condition I make: it’s never to know it isn’t mine.’
    She fell asleep with a smile on her face, one hand still clasping his.
    Zachary suppressed a groan as Leo came rushing into the cabin, where he’d taken refuge to read in peace.
    ‘Those sailors aren’t treating the poor animals properly,’ Leo announced, tugging at his friend’s sleeve. ‘You have to stop them. They won’t listen to me. Come on!’
    Zachary put his book down carefully, knowing by now that once Leo had something fixed in his mind, he wouldn’t let go of it easily. ‘I told you before, there are men whose job it is to tend the ship’s animals and you have to leave it to them.’
    ‘But they’re not doing it properly . The animals might die . Come and tell them. The men laughed at me, but they’ll listen to you.’
    ‘I don’t know anything about animals. Anyway, most of these are going to be killed for meat. I don’t know why you’re getting upset.’
    ‘Lots of animals get killed for meat. I know how to kill them gently. We don’t have to be unkind to them.’ Leo’s face crumpled on those words. ‘It’s wrong to hurt creatures.’
    Zachary sighed. He knew people were unkind to Leo and that this upset the poor fellow. Strangely, he never used his strength or lashed out, was such a gentle soul. It upset Zachary to see this taunting and scorn. As a consequence, he’d found himself acting as unofficial protector. But who would protect Leo after he left the ship? It was the stuff of nightmares for anyone with an ounce of compassion: a fellow like that, little more than a child mentally, being turned loose in a strange country.
    ‘Come on !’ Leo tugged again and nearly yanked Zachary off the bunk.
    ‘We’ll go and look at them. I’m not doing anything else.’
    But when he got to the animals, even he could see they were in distress, the crates in which they were cruelly penned not cleaned out and their water buckets empty. ‘We’ll go and see the doctor,’ he said as a compromise.
    Dr Crawford, who was responsible for the welfare of the convicts as well as the paying passengers, was for once free and easily persuaded to come and look at the animals.
    ‘Can I fetch them some water?’ Leo asked, shifting from one foot to the other.
    ‘You can’t look after them on your own.’ The doctor frowned. ‘I’ll see if there’s a convict who’ll take over the duties. The crew member who’s supposed to be looking after them isn’t well, and everyone thought someone else had taken over the duties. Or so they say. In reality most sailors don’t like looking after animals.’
    ‘They’re thirsty now,’ Leo said. ‘It’s hot. They need water.’
    Once he got into this agitated frame of mind, he didn’t let go. Zachary gave in, knowing he’d get no peace if he didn’t help Leo. ‘I’ll keep an eye on him this time, doctor. But if you can find a convict who’s used to caring about animals, I daresay he’ll jump at the job and let Leo help him.’
    He moved to one side and said in a lower voice, ‘I think it’d help Leo to