Master Of Marshlands

chapter 2

'Then I presume you're Miss Walker?'
'No. I'm Lynnette Nichols. My mother is his daughter.
Most people call me Lynn,' she added, then wondered why she had offered this last snippet of information.

'My friends call me Blair,' he told her casually.

'How nice for them. Naturally, you mean the people who refrain from trespassing on your property'.

'Do you always prickle so easily?' Then, before she could snap a reply, he went on, 'How is old Max? I heard he'd been I'll.

'He had a bad chill which turned to pleurisy. The doctor put him in the hospital, but he wasn't kept there for long. Mother and I though he should have someone with him when he came home, so I decided to come to him for a period'. There was no need to expound upon her other reasons for wishing to visit her grandfather, she though.

'That sounds as if you are out of a job, or have one that can be dropped at a moment's notice'.

'The latter, fortunately', she said with a smile. 'My father is a doctor. I'm his receptionist, but we have a friend who stands in for me whenever necessary'.

'You're own private locum, in fact'.

'That's right. It means I can stay with Grandy for as long as I wish'. Or for as long as it takes to learn what I wist to know, she added silently to herself.

'Is Grandy your name for old Max?

She nodded. 'Ever since I was a child'. She turned to look down at her grandfather's cottage. White timbered and red roofed, it stood on a rise beside an extensive swamp which lack of drainage had turned into small lake inhabited by swans, ducks, swamp hens and frogs.
The weed covering part of its surface lay like a green velvet blanket, while the clear water reflected the sky.

Blair's eyes followed her gaze. 'How long does he intend to live alone?'he asked.

She sighed. 'For as long as he has the health to do so, I suppose. My parents have tried to persuade him to live with us, but he just  laughs at the idea'.

'Which is something you couldn't possibly understand', he said, his tone decidedly mocking.

She felt irritated. 'Couldn't I? What makes you so sure about that assumption'?

'Naturally because you're a city girl', he snapped.

Anger made her flare at him. 'Mr Marshall, you do repeat yourself. Is it possible you've been hurt by someone who comes from place larger than this small township of Waipawa'? Her voice rang with sarcasm.

'Definitely not but I know someone who has', he snapped abruptly, his jaw tightening.
He's thinking of Stan, hurt by Delphine, she decided, sensing coldness that had crept into his manner.

'Then no doubt you understand all the circumstances behind that.......that person's hurt'? The question came casually.

He hesitated momentarily before he said, 'I think so'.

'But you're not sure'?

'I'm sure enough to understand that women who have lived their lives in a city find difficulty in adjusting to country life. They miss the proximity shops, theater and every other activity to which they've become accustomed'.

'Unless they find substitute interests in their new environment', she pointed out. 'Wouldn't that make a difference'?

'Well it might'. He reverted to the subject of her grandfather by saying, 'Old Max has reached the age of seventy and shouldn't be living alone. He'll probably tell you I've offered to buy his property. However, he refuses to part with it'.

'Are you saying you want him off Frog Hollow? Has be been trespassing'?she queried sweetly.

'Of course not,'he scoffed impatiently. 'Old Max can come and go as he wishes. His sheep are shorn or crutched in our woolshed. He enjoys pottering about during the shearing of our main flock and he gives a hand at docking time when the lambs lose their tails'.

'Then why do you want him to leave'?

He drew a deep breath as if still controlling his patience. 'Get this straight: I do not want him to leave. I merely wish to purchase Frog Hollow'.

Again her tone become sweet. 'Is this because you happen to be a trifle land hungry? Shame on you, Mr Marshall'.

His jaw tightened as he gritted, 'You don't understand. It is simply that Frog Hollow was once part of Marshalls. It was sold by a previous owner of Marshlands who was in financial difficulties. That person later sold the remaining property to my great grandfather'.

'And you would like to see Frog Hollow incorporated back into the main property'?

'Exactly besides, there's the lake. Its formed not only from seepage off the hills, but also from natural springs. It never dries up, therefore its an excellent watering hole during the summer of drought. And that's where Max could come on. He could live on the cottage ad keeper of the lake. His job would to see that animals did not become bogged. I'd pay him to do so'.

'You've suggested this to him'?

'Of course but he still refuses to sell. He declares he has no intention of parting with his own roof over his head'.