Breaking free, p.1
Breaking Free, page 1
Breaking Free
Pauline Wilson
Boughyards Press
Copyright © 2023 by Pauline Wilson
All rights reserved.
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no portion of this book may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher.
First published by Boughyards Press in 2023
Contents
Prologue
1. Chapter One
2. Chapter Two
3. Chapter Three
4. Chapter Four
5. Chapter Five
6. Chapter Six
7. Chapter Seven
8. Chapter Eight
9. Chapter Nine
10. Chapter Ten
11. Chapter Eleven
12. Chapter Twelve
13. Chapter Thirteen
14. Chapter Fourteen
15. Chapter Fifteen
16. Chapter Sixteen
17. Chapter Seventeen
18. Chapter Eighteen
19. Chapter Nineteen
20. Chapter Twenty
21. Chapter Twenty-One
22. Chapter Twenty-Two
23. Chapter Twenty-Three
24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Authors Note
About the Author
Also By
Prologue
The dilapidated wooden bridge over the Yarra River rattled as the cart crossed. As Annie stared blankly, her eyes devoid of emotion, the wrought iron gates at the entrance to a grandiose building came into view. The midday Autumn sun beat down on them, unseasonably hot for this time of year. Huge gum trees lined the river banks, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. Although the scent of eucalyptus filled her nostrils, Annie seemed disconnected from her surroundings as she slowly raised her eyes to the tower at the top of the building. The horses’ hooves thudded rhythmically on the dirt track until the cart came to an abrupt stop.
“Come on miss, down you get.” The sound of the voice jolted through Annie. She found herself seated in a cart drawn by two enormous horses. A hand reached up to help her down. As her feet touched the ground she felt hands grasp both of her arms. She looked to her left and saw that one hand belonged to a tall, angry looking police officer in a full uniform of blue serge trousers and tunic with gold buttons and a high neck. His flat topped peaked cap, complete with the police emblem and chin strap, was pulled down firmly over his eyes. She glanced to her right and saw a similar image.
Suddenly, Annie had a moment of lucidity. Her eyes darted wildly as she tried to take in the surrounding scene. Annie stared at the gate in front of her. Ornate detail was etched into the cast iron structure. She noticed a large spider in the middle of an intricate web within the winding patterns of the gate. Annie felt trapped. She could not understand why she was being manhandled by the two police officers. Her heart beat loudly, her throat tightened and she broke out in a sweat. Her whole body felt like it was being crushed under an immense weight.
“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” said Annie and she started to struggle against the grip of the two officers.
“Now settle down, miss. You are not well. They will know how to deal with you here.”
Annie’s dark brown eyes widened as she looked up again at the menacing building with its tall towers at each end.
“Here? What is this place? What have I done?”
But the police officers did not answer because at that moment the gatekeeper emerged from the gatehouse to the right and unlocked the gate. He was a tall man, but bent over by age. His face was crisscrossed with wrinkles, his hair silver grey and thinning. Although his hands trembled as he took the lock from its hook and opened the latch on the gate, his eyes were alert.
He looked at Annie without emotion. “Bring her in.” It was obvious he had been through this procedure many times before.
The two police officers moved forward, dragging the helpless Annie between them. She dug her heels into the ground, but it was soon clear that it was useless to try to resist.
Chapter One
Annie sat under a huge gum tree by the creek, not far from the house her family currently occupied in the small mining town of Timor. Spring was finally here which usually would have brightened Annie’s spirits. Despite the drought that had gripped the land for many months, there had been some spring rain and daisies and tiny purple wildflowers blossomed in the grass around her.
It was late in the day and as the shadows lengthened, the birds began to sing in the trees. Magpies chortled and a vast flock of cockatoos flew over, squawking loudly as they made their way to their night-time habitats. Annie lay back in the sand and watched the light, swirling clouds passing lazily above.
The sound of a kookaburra laughing overhead brought her out of her reverie. She sat up, kicking the sandy soil with her feet. Her life felt empty. Ever since her father had remarried, they had expected her to look after her younger half-brothers and sisters. She cooked and cleaned and made sure that the children were well behaved. Not that she was not fond of them. She was. Especially her favorite half-sister, Rosa. If not for Rosa and the joy she brought, Annie would have given up long ago. But she wanted more. She was eighteen years of age, and she wanted her own family. She longed to have a husband and a home of her own with her own babies to care for. Her older brothers and sisters had left home long ago. They had been allowed to make their own way in the world. Two of her brothers had married but they had moved to Bendigo, so Annie did not see them and their families often. Her other brother Howard had not yet married but he had his own place back in Avoca. Her older sister Bertha was married to a wonderful man, and they had two babies who Annie adored. But Annie, being the youngest, seemed to have no choice other than to stay to help look after her siblings. She was left on her own to deal with Lillie, her stepmother. It seemed there was no escape. And of course, Cora, her favourite sister, who had been her hope and her strength, was no longer with them. She still missed her sister and confidante desperately.
But was a family what she really wanted? For a long time now she had been troubled by the thoughts that plagued her mind. She did not understand them at all. Was God actually calling her to become a nun? On many a Sunday when she had attended Mass, Father Daly, the parish priest would preach about vocations. The church needed young people to become nuns and priests he had said. As a child Annie had wondered whether she would be one of the special ones who God called to become a nun. She had always prayed fervently and never missed her prayers before bed each night. Once when her mother had tucked her into bed after listening to a lengthy prayer session, she had smilingly suggested that as Annie was so concerned about her prayers, perhaps she should become a nun. Annie missed her mother dreadfully and wondered what she would say now. To this day, whenever Annie prayed thoughts of her mother would come flooding back. Had she really meant it all those years ago that Annie should become a nun? But as time passed and Annie approached her teenage years, she also had dreams of becoming a wife and mother. Why had God put these thoughts in her head? She was becoming obsessed with them. As she prayed each night, she asked him to guide her. And without exception, her mind always seemed to come to the conclusion that her becoming a nun was what God wanted. Could she give up on thoughts of having a family of her own? She felt so confused. Her head would spin with all her thoughts as she wavered between the two options. She longed to be part of a big happy family again. But could she disobey God’s calling?
She looked up at the sky. Perhaps it would rain soon. Maybe if rain came, the mine would be flooded and at least they could all go home to Avoca. Her father worked as a mining carpenter at the nearby Grand Duke Mine, which was why they had had to move to Timor. But the sky was stubbornly a bright clear blue, with just tiny wisps of feathery clouds. In any case, she knew it was a forlorn hope because even if it poured, the huge pump, which had been installed at the mine, would deal with any flooding. So no matter how much it rained, the miners could continue working underground to bring up the dirt that would yield the gold. Maybe the mine would be worked out soon. Her father had said that as the time went on, the ground was yielding less and less gold.
She looked at her red, swollen hands and felt sorry for herself. Her stepmother never let her be. Lillie Moore was a tiresome woman. Annie was not fond of her and although she worked hard, Annie never seemed to be able to please the demanding woman. Her emotions boiled to the surface, a fury of heart wrenching pain and desolation. A lump caught in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes.
Annie's toes curled into the sand, and her feet sank into the soft warmth. She didn’t think she had the strength to go back to the house and face her stepmother, but knew she had no choice. Her stepmother would be angry. The children would be wanting their tea. She dug her toes deeper into the sand and sighed, knowing she should go but not wanting to leave. She looked out over the creek bed to the paddocks beyond. The heat and the drought had ravaged the landscape. Her relationship with her stepmother was ravaging her soul. But she could not delay any longer so she dragged herself to her feet and trudged back to the house.
Even a year after leaving their comfortable home in Avoca and moving to Timor, Annie was still not accustomed to their new life. There was no catholic church and Annie missed going to mass each Sunday and seeking counsel from Father Daly. The only thing in her life that brought her any joy at all was her younger half-sister, Rosa.
By the time the family had moved to Timor, Rosa had grown into a placid and happy little girl. Now, one year later she had just turned 10 years old. Silky smooth blonde hair framed her face. Annie would curl it for her, winding it in rags to make pretty ringlets. Rosa's big brown eyes were surrounded by the longest lashes Annie had ever seen, and her rosy cheeks glowed when she laughed.
They were sitting outside under the spreading oak tree in the front yard of the tiny timber cottage, watching Rosa’s two younger brothers playing marbles, their cheeky faces alive with happiness. The boys drew circles in the dirt and took turns to flick each other’s marbles from the ring. They shouted encouragement to each other and laughed heartily when they managed to dislodge each other’s marbles from the circle. They were both getting grubby knees and hands from playing in the dirt. Annie was thinking that it was time she got them washed up for dinner when Rosa spoke.
“Why are you sad, Annie?”
Annie looked at Rosa’s upturned face and saw the concern written all over it. Annie knew that Rosa was an astute little girl, but still she was somewhat surprised that the young girl had noticed her sombre mood. She decided it would be sensible to be as honest as she could with Rosa.
“I don’t really know, Rosa,” she replied. “I just feel sad all the time. If only I could do something with my life. But instead, I am stuck here at home.”
“Don’t you like us?”
“Oh, of course I do. I love you Rosa, and your brothers and your baby sister. But I would like a family of my own one day.” Rosa gave a shy little grin.
“Do you have a beau? Who will you marry?”
“No, I don’t,” said Annie with a sad smile. “That is the problem. How can I find someone when I have to be here working all the time and can never go anywhere to meet anyone?”
“Then you must tell mother that,” Rosa said with a self-satisfied smile. She was young enough to believe that every problem could be so simply resolved.
“I have tried, but she needs my help.” Annie tried to keep the bitterness from her voice for the sake of the child. She shouldn’t be burdening Rosa with her problems. What if Rosa told her mother? Lillie would not be pleased and then there would be more trouble.
Part of Annie’s melancholy could be attributed to her relationship with her father. She had long tried to do anything she could to attract his attention and make him love her the way he once had. She desperately wanted to regain the relationship they had when she was a small girl, before her mother had died. She decided that she needed to try harder to pierce her father’s indifference. She knew his grief and his efforts to support his family in hard times weighed heavily on him. Perhaps some small acts of kindness might make a difference. With this in mind, one sunny day in late spring, she walked to the mine to take him a special lunch that she had carefully prepared.
The mine was a hive of activity. The noise of the pump that removed gallons of groundwater from the mine shaft was loud and constant. It had to be kept running to stop the waterlogged ground from flooding the mine so that the men were able to work deep underground. It seemed strange to Annie that, although there had been very little rain over the winter months, there was still so much water underground. All around were piles of dirt that had been brought to the surface and then washed in the puddling machine to extract the gold. Men moved among the piles of dirt like so many ants working away at their business.
“Hello miss,” said a good-looking young man as Annie paused to look around for her father. She knew she would find him near the huge piles of sawn timber that were used to shore up the mine shafts, which were reaching ever increasing depths.
“Hello,” Annie lowered her gaze. She was not accustomed to talking to young men. “I am looking for my father.”
“Oh, he is over there,” replied the young man. His voice was deep and smooth. Annie had not failed to notice him as she approached the mine. His body was muscular from the hard labour of working in the mine. He had been shovelling dirt into a wheelbarrow, but now he had stopped his work and stood leaning on the shovel.
“How do you know who my father is?” she asked, a slight frown creasing her brow as her curiosity overcame her shyness.
“Sorry miss, I didn’t mean to offend. I have seen you here before, talking to your father. You do look very like him you know.”
“I see, so you have been spying on me then?” Annie began to feel at ease talking to the easygoing young man.
“Well, I could hardly miss a pretty girl like you,” he said with a roguish smile as he removed his wide-brimmed hat and made a sweeping bow to her.
Annie blushed, a little taken aback by such forward behaviour, but she couldn’t help but return his smile as she studied him more closely. His clothes were covered in mud and his face was smudged with dirt. Despite this, she could see he was very handsome, with brown hair parted at the side and his dashing moustache neatly trimmed. His dark brown eyes lit up when he smiled.
“My name is Edmund. What’s yours?”
“I am Annie,” she said with a smile. “I must get on. My father will be waiting for his lunch.”
“Wait, perhaps we could meet again sometime?”
“Perhaps.” She left him to his thoughts, but as she hurried off towards the pile of timber, she felt his eyes upon her.
Her father seemed pleased to see her and immediately stopped his work. She handed him the picnic basket filled with his favourite lunchtime foods. There were cold mutton sandwiches with pickles, a crunchy apple and a big slab of fruit cake.
“Thank you Annie,” he said. “What a lovely surprise.”
“Well, mother said that you had forgotten to take your lunch when you left this morning, so I thought I would add something special. I made a cake.” She sat the picnic basket down on a pile of timber.
“Will you stay to eat with me? There seems to be plenty for two.”
Annie had hoped her father would suggest this. There were very few moments when the two of them could have time to themselves. They sat and chatted as they munched their way through all the food in the basket. Annie felt a glow in her heart as she left the mine. It pleased her that her father had paid her some attention whilst they ate their lunch. But once they had eaten, she knew she must get back to the house. Lillie would be waiting with plenty of chores for her. She said goodbye to her father, packed up the remnants of their lunch, and got to her feet.
As Annie left the mine, she glanced over to where Edmund was working. He shot her a bright smile and a quick wave before he continued on with his work. Annie pondered the feeling of elation that was causing butterflies in her stomach. Could it just be that her father had been pleased to see her, or did it also have something to do with the handsome young man?
Annie took one last look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes sparkled and shone with joy, and her heart fluttered with excitement. The day had finally arrived. She was to go with Edmund to the sports day in Maryborough.
“I must ask my father,” she had said when Edmund had proposed the idea one day as she left the mine, having taken her father his lunch again. “I am not sure he will allow me to go.”
“Your father is a good man,” said Edmund. “Come, let’s go and ask him now whilst he is eating his lunch.”
“Are you sure? He might be angry with you.”
Edmund smiled bravely. “I am game if you are.”
As they approached Frederick, he looked at them quizzically. Annie smiled. Her father could hardly have failed to notice that she and Edmund had become friends.
Edmund took a deep breath and swallowed. “Hello sir, I am sorry to interrupt your lunch. But I was wondering if you would consent to allow Annie to accompany me to the Sports Day at Maryborough?”
Frederick tried to hide a smile. “Well young man, since you asked so politely, how can I object?”
Annie was amazed. She had not thought for a moment that her father would allow such a thing. Was she really going to be allowed to go all the way to Maryborough with Edmund? She thought her father would insist that she should not leave her stepmother without help, but it seemed she was going to be able to have a day away from the children. Her heart skipped a beat as she contemplated the outing.
