mixed up the days.”
Helen turned the vehicle around and we drove away again.
“How silly of me,” she repeated.
She seemed upset and I tried to reassure her. “Never mind. We all make mistakes.”
“I wonder … I wonder if this is the wrong way …”
What was she talking about? “No, Helen. We passed this way before.”
“Perhaps … perhaps we should turn back …”
We rounded a bend and I glimpsed something moving in the bush beside the track. Seconds later a man on horseback emerged from among the trees. A shiver ran down my spine. Why did he have a scarf hiding the lower part of his face? Then everything seemed to happen all at once.
“Now! Go, go!” he shouted. Two more men joined him. In a flash one of them was down off his horse and holding Beauty by her bridle. The other dismounted too, and was beside the phaeton with one foot on the step. With a scarf tied over his face, all I could see were his eyes. They were a strange light brown.
“Bail up!” he cried.
Even I, new to the colony, knew what “Bail up” meant. Bushrangers. The notorious Kelly Gang had been terrorising the remote north-east of the state, but I’d thought that here, so close to Melbourne, we’d be safe from bandits.
I clutched Drucilla’s arm. I like to think I’m a brave person but there and then I felt utterly helpless.
“Stay calm,” said Drucilla under her breath. She herself was trembling from head to foot but her voice didn’t waver. “How dare you!” She sounded furious. “What do you mean by stopping us like this?”
Instead of answering her, the man holding Beauty just stared.
Drucilla put her arm around me. “You’ve picked the wrong mark. We haven’t any money,” she said. “You’d better be on your way.”
“There’s two of ’em,” he muttered. Which was strange because there were three of us. “What’ll I do?”
The man on horseback answered him. “Get the girl out. Hurry. We don’t have much time.”
The girl. My heart plummeted like a shot bird. The girl was me.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” shouted Drucilla.
The brown-eyed man grabbed me by the shoulders. At the same time, Drucilla wrapped her arms around my waist. Helen had been shocked speechless but now, abruptly, she screamed. The man must have been as startled as I was. He let me go and I fell back against Drucilla.
“No, no! Don’t!” cried Helen, and fell down in a dead faint.
“Get her, damn you!” said the man on the horse.
My attacker swore and then reached for me again. For a few seconds I was frozen with fear, but the sound of Drucilla’s voice, using words a governess shouldn’t rightly know, roused me and I struggled, hanging on to the side rail of the phaeton. It was a tug o’ war we couldn’t win, even though Drucilla fought like a tiger. The man was stronger. And he had no qualms about hitting a woman. Especially after Drucilla bit his hand. Hard.
The last thing I saw was Drucilla’s look of surprise as a fist connected with her jaw. A pair of hands yanked me savagely backwards. Something dark was pulled over my head and shoulders, my arms were jerked behind my back and my wrists were bound together with rope. I kicked and thrashed around, but it was no use. My ankles were tied as well and I was tossed like a bag of spuds to the ground.
“Stay still,” said a rough voice. Even without his foot pressed heavily on my back, I would have obeyed. What choice did I have? I was trussed up like a Christmas goose. Feverish thoughts raced through my head. Papa was rich and I was an heiress – these men were kidnappers, not bushrangers. Then it struck me like a blow. Della Parker had an uncanny knowledge of my movements. She’d known I was at Shantigar. Somehow she must have learned that I was out driving on this country road. All that talk with SP was just so much acting. And as for “urgent business” – it was this. My kidnapping. Papa, SP and I – we’d been so gullible. Della Parker was
Helen turned the vehicle around and we drove away again.
“How silly of me,” she repeated.
She seemed upset and I tried to reassure her. “Never mind. We all make mistakes.”
“I wonder … I wonder if this is the wrong way …”
What was she talking about? “No, Helen. We passed this way before.”
“Perhaps … perhaps we should turn back …”
We rounded a bend and I glimpsed something moving in the bush beside the track. Seconds later a man on horseback emerged from among the trees. A shiver ran down my spine. Why did he have a scarf hiding the lower part of his face? Then everything seemed to happen all at once.
“Now! Go, go!” he shouted. Two more men joined him. In a flash one of them was down off his horse and holding Beauty by her bridle. The other dismounted too, and was beside the phaeton with one foot on the step. With a scarf tied over his face, all I could see were his eyes. They were a strange light brown.
“Bail up!” he cried.
Even I, new to the colony, knew what “Bail up” meant. Bushrangers. The notorious Kelly Gang had been terrorising the remote north-east of the state, but I’d thought that here, so close to Melbourne, we’d be safe from bandits.
I clutched Drucilla’s arm. I like to think I’m a brave person but there and then I felt utterly helpless.
“Stay calm,” said Drucilla under her breath. She herself was trembling from head to foot but her voice didn’t waver. “How dare you!” She sounded furious. “What do you mean by stopping us like this?”
Instead of answering her, the man holding Beauty just stared.
Drucilla put her arm around me. “You’ve picked the wrong mark. We haven’t any money,” she said. “You’d better be on your way.”
“There’s two of ’em,” he muttered. Which was strange because there were three of us. “What’ll I do?”
The man on horseback answered him. “Get the girl out. Hurry. We don’t have much time.”
The girl. My heart plummeted like a shot bird. The girl was me.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” shouted Drucilla.
The brown-eyed man grabbed me by the shoulders. At the same time, Drucilla wrapped her arms around my waist. Helen had been shocked speechless but now, abruptly, she screamed. The man must have been as startled as I was. He let me go and I fell back against Drucilla.
“No, no! Don’t!” cried Helen, and fell down in a dead faint.
“Get her, damn you!” said the man on the horse.
My attacker swore and then reached for me again. For a few seconds I was frozen with fear, but the sound of Drucilla’s voice, using words a governess shouldn’t rightly know, roused me and I struggled, hanging on to the side rail of the phaeton. It was a tug o’ war we couldn’t win, even though Drucilla fought like a tiger. The man was stronger. And he had no qualms about hitting a woman. Especially after Drucilla bit his hand. Hard.
The last thing I saw was Drucilla’s look of surprise as a fist connected with her jaw. A pair of hands yanked me savagely backwards. Something dark was pulled over my head and shoulders, my arms were jerked behind my back and my wrists were bound together with rope. I kicked and thrashed around, but it was no use. My ankles were tied as well and I was tossed like a bag of spuds to the ground.
“Stay still,” said a rough voice. Even without his foot pressed heavily on my back, I would have obeyed. What choice did I have? I was trussed up like a Christmas goose. Feverish thoughts raced through my head. Papa was rich and I was an heiress – these men were kidnappers, not bushrangers. Then it struck me like a blow. Della Parker had an uncanny knowledge of my movements. She’d known I was at Shantigar. Somehow she must have learned that I was out driving on this country road. All that talk with SP was just so much acting. And as for “urgent business” – it was this. My kidnapping. Papa, SP and I – we’d been so gullible. Della Parker was
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