Series: Adam In The Outback (15 of 16)<\/p>\n
Summary: This is the fifteenth story in a sixteen part series: \u201cAdam in the Outback\u201d. A.C. is off to the Technical College in Sydney, leaving Adam and Bronwen alone for the first time in 31 years. A secret that has been hidden for many years is about to be revealed.<\/p>\n
Rating: T \u00a0wc \u00a049,000<\/p>\n
Adam In The Outback Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n My True Love Hath My Heart \u2013 Part 1<\/a> Not part of the Adam in the Outback Series, but set in the same realm:<\/p>\n The Adventure of the Gooseberry Pie Eating Bear<\/a> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First, I want to thank my beta reader, Larkspur.\u00a0 I also want to thank Lis for all her assistance.\u00a0 She was my compass.\u00a0 When I started to veer off course, she pointed me in the right direction.\u00a0 Finally, I want to thank JC for reminding me that skeletons have a habit of escaping from the closets where we try to hide them.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n As I do research for these stories, I keep learning new things.\u00a0 For example, at one web site I learned that what Americans call \u2018lemonade\u2019 Aussies call lemon squash.\u00a0 I made that correction in this story.\u00a0 In the States, the evening meal may be called supper or dinner.\u00a0 However, the Cloncurry Cartwrights would call it \u2018high tea\u2019 or \u2018meat tea\u2019 or even \u2018tea\u2019.\u00a0 (When Bronwen has tea in the afternoon and serves little sandwiches, scones and cake, it is low tea or afternoon tea.)\u00a0 I decided in this story to use \u2018high tea\u2019 in place of dinner\/supper and \u2018tea\u2019 to refer to afternoon tea.\u00a0 I trust Australian readers will forgive unintentional errors I make.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Grow Old Along with Me<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Chapter 1<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNow, are you sure you\u2019ve packed everything you\u2019ll need?\u201d Bronwen Cartwright asked anxiously, glancing up at her son.\u00a0 Today, Adam Stoddard Cartwright, Jr. (better known to family and friends as A.C.) was leaving for Sydney to attend the Technical College.\u00a0 Even though he was nearly eighteen, his mama couldn\u2019t help worrying about his being on his own so far away.\u00a0 Now, Bronwen<\/em>,<\/em> she scolded herself, Miranda was even younger when you had to leave her in Boston.<\/em>\u00a0That knowledge was cold comfort, however, since she\u2019d only been able to visit her second born twice in the last fifteen years and had only seen Miranda\u2019s son and daughter in photographs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, Mama, I\u2019m sure,\u201d A.C. answered, smiling down at his diminutive mother.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know you have the money you\u2019ve earned working at the station the last three summers and what you\u2019ve earned working for Mr. McDonald,\u201d his dad said, referring to the local veterinarian.\u00a0 \u201cBut you never know what sort of emergencies might come up, so I want you to have this,\u201d and he handed his son a bank draft.\u00a0 \u201cUse it to open an account with a bank in Sydney.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Dad,\u201d A.C. replied quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Don\u2019t fritter it away,\u201d Adam added.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A.C. frowned but catching his mama\u2019s eye, he only replied, \u201cI won\u2019t, Dad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sure you don\u2019t want us to come with you to meet the stage?\u201d Bronwen asked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019d rather we said our goodbyes here,\u201d he replied, smiling warmly at her.\u00a0 Just then they heard children\u2019s voices calling, \u201cG\u2019day!\u201d as A.C.\u2019s terrier, Duchess, barked a welcome.\u00a0 The young man\u2019s grin grew wider as he went to the front door and saw his sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins all coming up the walk.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe come to say goodbye, Uncle A.C,\u201d dark-haired, sloe-eyed Jory Pentreath called excitedly as he ran up the steps to the verandah.\u00a0 Then he ran past his uncle, trailed by his younger brother, Benny, and his cousin, Ifor Davies.\u00a0 \u201cG\u2019day, Grandpa!\u00a0 G\u2019day, Grandma!\u201d he said with a big grin.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019day!\u201d three-year-old Benny echoed while five-year-old Ifor, who shared a birthday with his cousin, Jory, added, \u201cG\u2019day, A.C.\u00a0 G\u2019day, Uncle Adam and Aunt Bronwen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019day,\u201d the three Cartwrights said, smiling at the little boys.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Jones children weren\u2019t far behind their Pentreath and Davies cousins and their mothers\u2014A.C.\u2019s older sisters, Beth and Gwyneth, and his cousin Llywelyn\u2019s wife, Emma\u2014came in after them.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUncle A.C., could we come with you to meet the stage?\u201d eight-year-old Huw asked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPlease?\u201d his eleven-year-old sister, Elen, added pleadingly, turning her big brown eyes on her uncle.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A.C. gazed at the eager young faces looking hopefully up at him.\u00a0 \u201cToo right,\u201d he replied with a wink<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wanna come,\u201d their younger brother Dylan said eagerly.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMe, too!\u00a0 Me, too!\u2019 Jory and Ifor shouted.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all right with me,\u201d A.C. said, \u201cif it\u2019s all right with your mamas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beth, Gwyneth and Emma exchanged looks and then Beth said, \u201cAll of you may go as long as you promise to obey Uncle A.C. on the way to the stage and obey Elen on the way back here.\u00a0 Do you promise?\u201d\u00a0 Each boy eagerly nodded.\u00a0 Beth then added with a teasing smile, \u201cI guess we should say our goodbyes here since something tells me that A.C. won\u2019t want his sisters kissing him goodbye at the stage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A.C. tugged on one ear then, unconsciously imitating his father, and grinned sheepishly.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beth hugged her brother tightly and then looked up into his dark brown eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI certainly can\u2019t call you my little brother anymore,\u201d she said after kissing his cheek.\u00a0 That summer A.C. had reached six feet, only an inch shorter than his dad, and was still growing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am definitely not the tallest anymore,\u201d Gwyneth added with a crooked grin.\u00a0 She gave four-month old Little Adam to his grandma and walked over to hug her brother.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to miss you,\u201d she added softly, and then kissed him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye, A.C.,\u201d Emma said next.\u00a0 \u201cLlywelyn told me to tell you that he expects you to do well in your classes,\u201d she added with a smile after hugging him.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo worries.\u00a0 I plan on doing at least as well as he and Mark did,\u201d A.C. replied with a wink.\u00a0 Then he turned to his mama and held out his arms.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to miss you so much, A.C. bach<\/em>,\u201d she whispered tearfully as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cRemember you\u2019ll be Dr. Phelps\u2019 guest.\u00a0 It\u2019s very kind of him to invite you to live with him while you attend the Technical College.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll remember my manners, Mama.\u00a0 I promise,\u201d he said with the big dimpled grin she\u2019d never been able to resist.\u00a0 He held out his hand to his dad, but to his surprise, his dad pulled him into a quick hug.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTake care of yourself, son,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 He pulled back, but left his hand resting on his son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re young to be on your own so far away from home, but your mama and I know we can trust you to behave responsibly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRight, Dad,\u201d A.C. said, while thinking, He acts as though I were Huw\u2019s age.\u00a0 I\u2019m nearly eighteen years old now, not an ankle biter. <\/em>\u00a0He turned to the two little girls standing by their mothers: Beth\u2019s youngest, Si\u00e2n, and Llywelyn and Emma\u2019s daughter, Cathy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWill you tell me goodbye?\u201d he asked, hunkering down to be at their level.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBye,\u201d two-year-old Cathy said, smiling shyly.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBye-bye,\u201d Si\u00e2n said, waving at her tall uncle.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll carry your valise,\u201d Huw offered.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, let me,\u201d Dylan begged.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty heavy,\u201d A.C. said.\u00a0 \u201cI think maybe I\u2019d better carry it myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The boys looked disappointed but the other adults shared a smile at the picture of Dylan struggling to carry a valise half his size.\u00a0 Even his older brother wouldn\u2019t be able to carry it very long.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou need to go now so your uncle doesn\u2019t miss the stage,\u201d Adam interjected and the little party set off down the street while the others waved goodbye from the verandah.\u00a0 Duchess started to trot after her master, but A.C. turned and said, \u201cStay, Duchess.\u201d She cocked her head, but stayed in the yard.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we go to the library and I\u2019ll have Mary fix us some tea,\u201d Bronwen suggested, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, when the others were out of sight.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019d better be off to the mine,\u201d Adam stated but then Gwyneth said, \u201cStay with us, Daddy.\u00a0 I know the mine can get along without you for a day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, I expect it can,\u201d Adam said slowly, for he\u2019d been thinking that the mine could get along without him for the last several months.\u00a0 He whistled for Duchess and she came running.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As they walked down the hall, Bronwen stopped in the kitchen to ask Mary to bring tea into the library along with some ginger biscuits for the children (and Duchess).\u00a0 The adults seated themselves on the comfortable leather arm chairs.\u00a0 Bronwen held her youngest grandchild while Si\u00e2n wanted to sit on her grandpa\u2019s lap.\u00a0 Benny and Cathy got their favorite picture books from one of the bottom bookshelves and each sat in a window seat. \u00a0The little blue and tan terrier curled up between Adam and Bronwen.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Adam gazed at his family, thinking what a fortunate man he was.\u00a0 His first-born, Beth, was as beautiful today as she had been twelve years earlier when he\u2019d given her in marriage to Rev. Dafydd Jones.\u00a0 It was hard to believe looking at her that she was the mother of four children; however, the flirtatious and flighty girl had matured and found fulfillment in her roles of wife and mother.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Adam\u2019s gaze then moved to his third born\u2014shy, serious Gwyneth.\u00a0 She and her Mark had been married for six years now.\u00a0 Domesticity hadn\u2019t come quite as easily to her as it had to her oldest sister.\u00a0 He\u2019d overheard her once telling her mother how at times she yearned to walk away from the never-ending chores of cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and baking, and just curl up with a good book.\u00a0 He smiled as he remembered Bronwen telling her that she\u2019d often felt the same way when her children were young.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Next, his thoughts turned to his second born, Miranda.\u00a0 She was the daughter who\u2019d never had any interest in the traditional female pursuits.\u00a0 Luckily, she\u2019d married a man who could afford to hire a cook and a maid.\u00a0 However, Miranda had resisted all her mother-in-law\u2019s attempts to foist a nursemaid off on her and was raising her own children.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t leave her any time to pursue mathematics so she hadn\u2019t had any papers published since Jon was a baby.\u00a0 However, her letters home showed that she was as happy with her William as her sisters were with their spouses.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, Adam\u2019s thoughts turned to his youngest daughter.\u00a0 Penny would have been twenty-five, the image of her mama when they\u2019d first met.\u00a0 He and Bronwen would never cease to mourn their loss, but now thoughts of their little girl were more sweet than bitter.<\/span><\/p>\n Adam\u2019s reverie was broken then by the sound of his first-born\u2019s voice.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe my baby brother is off to Sydney,\u201d Beth said, shaking her head just a little.\u00a0 \u201cSeems just the other day I was changing his nappy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNow you\u2019re making me feel ancient,\u201d Emma said with a laugh. \u00a0\u201cAlthough I can certainly remember how proud he was when he got his first pair of knickerbockers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u00a0 He wanted to show everyone he was a big boy,\u201d Gwyneth said, chuckling.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I took him to get his first haircut, I could tell he was a little scared when he saw Mr. Puzo\u2019s scissors, but I remember how proud I was of him for sitting still and not crying,\u201d Adam said in a reminiscent tone.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI still have the lock of his hair you gave me from that first haircut,\u201d Bronwen said wistfully.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI still have the lock from Dylan\u2019s\u2019 first haircut,\u201d Beth said, sharing a smile with her mother, and Gwyneth and Emma added that they had keepsake locks as well.\u00a0 \u201cI would have one from Huw\u2019s first haircut if A.C. and Robby hadn\u2019t been the barbers,\u201d Beth said then.\u00a0 They all smiled, remembering how Huw had talked the older boys into cutting his hair short like theirs.\u00a0 To his mother\u2019s horror, they had chopped it off and made such a mess that Cloncurry\u2019s barber had been forced to cut it very short to make it look presentable.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHave you had a letter from Miranda?\u201d Emma asked.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m overdue for one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo are we,\u201d Bronwen said.\u00a0 \u201cI hope she and William and the children are all well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n *\u00a0 ~\u00a0 *\u00a0 ~\u00a0 *<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Miranda Cartwright Gordon, dressed in a shirtwaist blouse with a collar and tie and a narrow gored skirt, stepped back to survey her drawing room.\u00a0 There were vases of chrysanthemums, marigolds and asters placed strategically in the large, airy room.\u00a0 (Her husband, a professor of modern history at Dartmouth College, had discovered he enjoyed puttering in the garden and actually had a green thumb.\u00a0 Because of a late Indian summer, there were a few autumn flowers still blooming in their garden.)\u00a0 The silver tea service\u2014a gift from her in-laws\u2014had been polished to brilliance and there were plates heaped with triangular bread and butter sandwiches and the petits fours she\u2019d ordered from the bakery.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re ready, Nancy,\u201d she said to the maid. Then she saw her son reaching out to snag a sandwich.\u00a0 \u201cJon, don\u2019t touch Mama\u2019s sandwiches,\u201d she commanded.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMy True Love Hath My Heart \u2013 Part 2
\n<\/a>My True Love Hath My Heart \u2013 Part 3<\/a>
\nFamily Reunion<\/a>
\nCartwright is the Name<\/a>
\nA Son and Heir<\/a>
\nThe Country of the Heart<\/a>
\nTo Bloom in Another Man\u2019s Garden \u2013 Part 1<\/a>
\nTo Bloom in Another Man\u2019s Garden \u2013 Part 2<\/a>
\nIn Memoriam<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds \u2013 Part 1<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds \u2013 Part 2<\/a>
\nThe Marriage of True Minds \u2013 Part 3<\/a>
\nThe Joys of Parents<\/a>
\nGrow Old Along with Me<\/a>
\nThe Best is Yet to Be<\/a><\/p>\n
\nO’Tannenbaum<\/a><\/p>\n