Outback Angel

“Oh, it runs in the family,” Stacy sighed. “Thank the Lord, Jake is different. His father was from the school of biting sarcasm. It was easy to make him explode. No matter how much I tried to please him, I couldn’t. The irony is, it was my only ambition.”

Angelica shook her head in sympathy, nevertheless surprised by Stacy’s disclosures so early in their acquaintance. She tinked the rim of her crystal glass against her white teeth. What a life it must have been, to be constantly belittled. She believed her own mother, wife, earthmother, restauranteur, superstar, would have put Clive McCord right. Men seemed to pick their mark. On the face of it Stacy McCord seemed like a natural-born victim. There wasn’t going to be any small talk, either. Stacy had major traumas to unload with seemingly not a minute to lose.

“Of course in my youthful ignorance I thought loving him was enough,” Stacy continued in that soft reminiscent voice. It wasn’t often she found herself with a captive audience, consequently she found it difficult not to keep going. “Clive was everything I dreamed about. I thought I was in for a life of married bliss, a home of my own where I could be in charge for a change. And my parents were over the moon with such a splendid match. The McCords are an old pioneering family.”

“And rich?” That upped anyone’s eligibility, Angel thought.

“There’s always something about money,” Stacy agreed. “It made my mother so happy. She was proud of me for once. But the money didn’t mean anything to me. I loved him. He was such a striking-looking man and I was little more than a silly schoolgirl. I didn’t have a glimmer of an idea he’d bought me like he’d buy a pedigreed little heifer. I was young and pretty, if you can believe it. I was soft, and by the way I mean soft in the head, as well. I had no instinct for trouble. I didn’t even notice Clive wasn’t a bit of fun.”

By this time Angelica herself didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I doubt many people have it all together at eighteen,” she consoled. I mean, did she? The answer was a resounding no. “It takes time to understand human emotions and passions. If we ever do. Anyway there’s nothing like getting married to bring out the best and worst in people.”

Stacy, to her credit, gave vent to a surprisingly hearty laugh. “Why is it I think I’ve known you forever?”

“It happens like that.” Angelica smiled.

“But I am talking too much.” Stacy suddenly flushed, blotching her apple-blossom skin.

“I really appreciate the fact you trust me,” Angelica told her with sincerity. The fact of the matter was she often received unsolicited confidences the moment people laid eyes on her. She supposed she must look kind, or they thought they’d never see her again. She’d even received off-the-cuff marriage proposals.

“I used to think if the portrait of Roxanne came down, Clive would start to forget.” Stacy pushed at her wispy fringe, a mannerism Angelica had remarked. “But he never did. He was absolutely faithful to her to the end. I suspect when he was dying alone out there in the desert he cried out her name. Maybe they’re together again at last.”

“Maybe they are,” Angelica said, with a kind of fascinated sadness. If she were a romance writer instead of a caterer she could have turned the whole thing into a block-buster. “I believe in an afterlife, but you have to let go, Stacy.”

Stacy nodded. Nodded again with great vehemence. “Oh, it’s so good to talk. Very few would be interested.”

“You’re still young.” Angelica intuited Stacy had been thinking along these lines. “There’s no reason why you can’t re-marry. Happily this time. Life goes by so fast you have to grab it on the wing.”

“Oh, God!” Stacy exclaimed almost despairingly. “That’s all very well for you. You’re young and so vibrant. I don’t believe I ever was. I was Little Miss Helpless. Only child syndrome. Older parents. Anyway, who’d have me?”

“A lot,” Angelica answered dryly.

“Aha, the money.” Stacy saw the irony.

“Don’t put yourself down. You’re a pretty woman.”

“Am I?” Stacy sounded pleased and even took a very human little peek into a well-positioned gilded mirror. “But how could I meet anyone out here?”

“Dive right in,” Angelica advised. “We have all these wonderful Christmas functions coming up. I absolutely love Christmas. We must have a great big tree. I know you’ve got one.”

“No we haven’t got one,” Stacy announced surprisingly. “Clive only died three years ago. He didn’t want any Christmas trees.”

“Why didn’t you get one yourself? Even afterwards?” Angelica was so amazed, her voice cracked.

“I think I expected Clive might come back to haunt me. Anyway if I put up a big Christmas tree you can count on its falling over.”

“It won’t fall over on me,” Angelica said. “Have we agreed on a Christmas tree? I know exactly where it should go. The bigger the better.”

“We’ve no pines here, dear, only desert oaks.” Stacy smiled.

“We’ll find something,” Angelica said. “But getting back to our functions, you know who’s coming. Surely there’s an eligible man or two? There must be, I can see you smiling.”

“Really just a friend.” Stacy’s voice softened. A dead give-away. “He’s a lovely man, but I can’t think he’d be all that interested in me. There are others.”

“Look on the positive side,” Angelica advised. “You can have what you want if you go after it. I’ve found it really doesn’t pay to be tentative and hold back. Why don’t we try to sort things out this week? I’m going to have to press you into service, if that’s okay? No need to worry. You’re going to enjoy it. Have fun. Offering hospitality to friends should be fun. You don’t have to perform miracles. Gillian has to do her bit, too. Is there a guy in her life?”

Stacy glanced over her shoulder as though Gillian was about to return. “Gilly’s got a crush on one of our jackeroos,” she confided.

Angelica’s jaw dropped. She thought jackeroos were supposed to keep their distance. “Really?”

“He’s a fine young man, but he’s English.”

Angelica, disconcerted, just stopped herself from snorting. “Is that a problem?” She stared at Stacy, wondering if Stacy had been hoping for a local.

“It is in this way…” Stacy started to clarify. “Charlie could go back home at any time. He’s here for the adventure. He read all about the Outback as a boy and fancied himself living the frontier life. They must have made it sound very glamorous. Anyway he loves it but his family will want him back home. Who could blame them? He’s the Honourable Charles Middleton by the way.”

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