yours?’
‘Thirty.’
‘How tall?’
Hinetitama thinks a moment. ‘Six feet and a little bit, I think.’
‘Healthy? No coughs in his chest?’
‘Yes, he’s healthy, no coughs.’
‘You sure?’
‘I’m a nurse, I ought to know.’
‘Got all his teeth?’
Hinetitama laughs despite herself. ‘Last time I saw him, yes.’
‘When was that?’
‘When Uncle Hawk found us.’
‘He didn’t tell me about no Dutchman?’
‘That’s ’cause he kicked his arse and sent him packin’,’ Hinetitama says, her grammar reverting to type.
Mary can be seen to think for a moment, then she draws a breath and says, ‘Well, never mind, Hawk never were a good judge o’ character.’ She pauses. ‘Do you still love him?’
‘Who? Uncle Hawk? Of course!’
‘No, not him, the Dutchman.’
Hinetitama nods her head and Mary sees a sudden tear run down her cheek.
‘Does he love you?’
‘I dunno, he never said.’
‘Men never do,’ Mary sniffs. She looks wan and lowers her eyes as she thinks of Mr Emmett, the man she loved since the first day she set eyes on him when she’d been in the Female Factory. How, after all the years of knowing him, she had been too shy even to attend his funeral. ‘You spend your whole life loving them and never know what they thinks of you,’ Mary says at last
Hinetitama looks up surprised. ‘You were in love, Grandmother?’ She breaks into a smile. ‘You were! I knew it!’ she cries, clapping her hands. ‘You were, weren’t you, c’mon own up, tell the truth?’
Mary pulls her lips into a small grimace as she tries to conceal her smile. ‘Never mind that, my girl, what you don’t know can’t hurt you. Tell me, do you want to have this man’s children?’
Hinetitama is momentarily taken aback by the question and she thinks for a moment, then nods her head. ‘I suppose? I never thought about it before.’
Mary’s manner is suddenly all business. ‘Where is he to be found?’
Hinetitama shrugs. ‘Wellington, I suppose. Somewhere in New Zealand, who knows. Wellington’s where we left hum. What are you going to do, Grandmother?’
‘Why find him, of course.’
‘Find hum? Go to Wellington?’ Hinetitama says incredulously. ‘What for?’
‘Him, not hum,’ Mary now corrects. ‘To bring hum over. Why else would I bother to find hum, my dear?’ she teases smilingly.
‘Here? To Hobart?’ Hinetitama says excitedly and then, as suddenly, looks forlorn, her eyes cast downwards. ‘What if he won’t come?’
‘He’ll come,’ Mary snorts. ‘Don’t fret your little heart about that. In my experience there is seldom a man money can’t buy, and he don’t sound the sort to be too hesitant.’
‘But it’s been over a year? What if he’s forgot me or took up with someone else, he’s very handsome?’
‘Forgotten me, and taken up,’ Mary corrects without thinking. She gives a cynical little snort. ‘My dear girl, he’ll be suitably reminded then, won’t he? In my experience, wallets, in particular, are a splendid way to jog the memory, provided they are allowed to grow a little in size. If he has married someone else then it may be difficult, but if he merely enjoys different company, then a considerable thickening of his wallet will soon cause him a remarkable loss of enthusiasm for the pleasure his new partner brings him.’
‘You mean you’re going to bribe him, buy him for me? I don’t think I’d like that, Grandmother. That’s what you’ve been doing with all the others.’
‘Ah, yes, but you didn’t love the others, my precious.’
‘But what if he truly doesn’t love me!’
‘Don’t you bother your little mind about that right now. We’ll bring him over and you can decide for yourself. If he doesn’t love you there isn’t much I can do about it, is there? Besides you’re not the sort to be easily forgot, my precious little lark.’
Hinetitama looks doubtfully at her grandmother, she knows enough to suspect Mary’s
‘Thirty.’
‘How tall?’
Hinetitama thinks a moment. ‘Six feet and a little bit, I think.’
‘Healthy? No coughs in his chest?’
‘Yes, he’s healthy, no coughs.’
‘You sure?’
‘I’m a nurse, I ought to know.’
‘Got all his teeth?’
Hinetitama laughs despite herself. ‘Last time I saw him, yes.’
‘When was that?’
‘When Uncle Hawk found us.’
‘He didn’t tell me about no Dutchman?’
‘That’s ’cause he kicked his arse and sent him packin’,’ Hinetitama says, her grammar reverting to type.
Mary can be seen to think for a moment, then she draws a breath and says, ‘Well, never mind, Hawk never were a good judge o’ character.’ She pauses. ‘Do you still love him?’
‘Who? Uncle Hawk? Of course!’
‘No, not him, the Dutchman.’
Hinetitama nods her head and Mary sees a sudden tear run down her cheek.
‘Does he love you?’
‘I dunno, he never said.’
‘Men never do,’ Mary sniffs. She looks wan and lowers her eyes as she thinks of Mr Emmett, the man she loved since the first day she set eyes on him when she’d been in the Female Factory. How, after all the years of knowing him, she had been too shy even to attend his funeral. ‘You spend your whole life loving them and never know what they thinks of you,’ Mary says at last
Hinetitama looks up surprised. ‘You were in love, Grandmother?’ She breaks into a smile. ‘You were! I knew it!’ she cries, clapping her hands. ‘You were, weren’t you, c’mon own up, tell the truth?’
Mary pulls her lips into a small grimace as she tries to conceal her smile. ‘Never mind that, my girl, what you don’t know can’t hurt you. Tell me, do you want to have this man’s children?’
Hinetitama is momentarily taken aback by the question and she thinks for a moment, then nods her head. ‘I suppose? I never thought about it before.’
Mary’s manner is suddenly all business. ‘Where is he to be found?’
Hinetitama shrugs. ‘Wellington, I suppose. Somewhere in New Zealand, who knows. Wellington’s where we left hum. What are you going to do, Grandmother?’
‘Why find him, of course.’
‘Find hum? Go to Wellington?’ Hinetitama says incredulously. ‘What for?’
‘Him, not hum,’ Mary now corrects. ‘To bring hum over. Why else would I bother to find hum, my dear?’ she teases smilingly.
‘Here? To Hobart?’ Hinetitama says excitedly and then, as suddenly, looks forlorn, her eyes cast downwards. ‘What if he won’t come?’
‘He’ll come,’ Mary snorts. ‘Don’t fret your little heart about that. In my experience there is seldom a man money can’t buy, and he don’t sound the sort to be too hesitant.’
‘But it’s been over a year? What if he’s forgot me or took up with someone else, he’s very handsome?’
‘Forgotten me, and taken up,’ Mary corrects without thinking. She gives a cynical little snort. ‘My dear girl, he’ll be suitably reminded then, won’t he? In my experience, wallets, in particular, are a splendid way to jog the memory, provided they are allowed to grow a little in size. If he has married someone else then it may be difficult, but if he merely enjoys different company, then a considerable thickening of his wallet will soon cause him a remarkable loss of enthusiasm for the pleasure his new partner brings him.’
‘You mean you’re going to bribe him, buy him for me? I don’t think I’d like that, Grandmother. That’s what you’ve been doing with all the others.’
‘Ah, yes, but you didn’t love the others, my precious.’
‘But what if he truly doesn’t love me!’
‘Don’t you bother your little mind about that right now. We’ll bring him over and you can decide for yourself. If he doesn’t love you there isn’t much I can do about it, is there? Besides you’re not the sort to be easily forgot, my precious little lark.’
Hinetitama looks doubtfully at her grandmother, she knows enough to suspect Mary’s
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