 Banner by Carmen Off To The RacesAnna had given me the
box a few days before. “Someone left this
earlier for you,” she had said, her face full of curiosity. I
still hadn’t told her about Joe; she had teased me about an
admirer and the arrival of the box must have confirmed her belief that
there was a mystery man in my life. “He’s sending you
presents now, that’s a good sign!” She had looked at me
expectantly, waiting for me to say something but I had just smiled at
her excitement. “Oh, I think
it’ll be some old clothes from my Ma.” In the privacy of my
own room I had opened the box and discovered the dress and the hat,
with a note on top. My dear Kate, I hope you will do me the honour of accompanying me to the Whorouly races on Sunday. I will wait for you in the street behind The Commercial just after Mass. And just in case you were wondering what to wear... JoeI have to confess I got
a bit teary. The thought of Joe getting me a dress and wanting to take
me to the races overwhelmed me. It wasn’t like we were a normal
courting couple who could go for a walk along Ford Street on a Sunday
afternoon - “Oh hello there Mrs O’Brien, have you met my
sweetheart Joe Byrne, the famous outlaw?” - so a day when we
could be like anybody else was something truly special. Sunday couldn’t
come fast enough and when it finally did, I was up even earlier than
usual, getting dressed with extra care. I tried to see my reflection in
the narrow mirror on the wardrobe door, craning over my shoulder to see
how I looked from the back. I knew for certain that it was the most
beautiful dress I had ever worn, let alone owned. The dark green colour
brought out my eyes and the material felt soft against my skin, almost
like a caress. I was momentarily distracted, thinking about Joe’s
hands, his beautiful long fingers circling my waist and I closed my
eyes. I was startled back into reality by the sound of the church bell
and I threw my reflection another quick glance before hurrying out. My
face was glowing and I thought with surprise that I looked almost
beautiful. Mass seemed twice as
long as usual and I did notice the curious stares, but I just smiled
and nodded my way through the crowds outside the church and hurried to
where Joe had said he’d be waiting. My heart did a little leap
when I saw him there, sitting in a buggy. “Kate,” his
eyes were all over me and it was as if he was touching me and I was
suddenly breathless, “you look beautiful.” He got down and
took my hand and touched his lips to it and the look he gave me nearly
undid me there and then. I let my eyes sweep all over him, the
beautiful dark tweed jacket with matching waistcoat and a crisp white
shirt, the curls spilling almost onto his collar from underneath his
hat. He was beautiful too though I suppose you don’t really say
that about a man. “Well, do I meet with your approval then
lass?” There was a smile playing around his mouth as he helped me
up on the buggy. “That you do, in
fact you might be the most handsome outlaw I have ever been to the
races with, but don’t let that go to your head,” I said,
running my fingers along his thigh as he sat down next to me. He
laughed and caught my hand in his. “Time for us to
dazzle the crowds then,” he said and we were off. The racecourse was full
of people and horses and I understood why Joe had chosen it as the
place for our outing; we were just a couple out to have a good time
like countless others. Joe pointed out the coppers in the crowd to me
but they weren’t paying us any attention and I let myself relax
and enjoy the day. Joe had someone riding for him in one of the events
and we placed bets and cheered till we were quite hoarse, the
excitement of the day taking hold of us too. Joe’s horse won and
after he collected his winnings he took me to dinner at the hotel near
the racecourse. It was the fanciest place I had ever been to; thick
carpets, chandeliers and grand staircases, white linen tablecloths laid
with crystal glasses and gleaming silverware. “Thank you for
bringing me here Joe, and for this dress. I will never forget this
day.” We were sitting in a quiet corner of the dining room,
enjoying a glass of after dinner brandy. Joe smiled. “I’m happy
that you’re happy Kate. How would you like to be spending the
night here?” I had to laugh at the
thought. “Sure that would be grand and all but they might not be
so quick to welcome a barmaid, no matter how fancily dressed.” Joe leant across the
table and whispered conspiratorially: “I have booked us a room.
Mr and Mrs White, newly married, visiting from Benalla.” He ran
his fingers up along my arm from the wrist and I could feel the heat
spreading into my whole body. “We can even have breakfast
together. That is, if you’re willing.” He winked at me and
I raised an eyebrow. “Well Mr. White,
when you put it that way, how can I say no?” And so we became Mr and
Mrs White for the night and I was surprised how easy it was. No one
seemed to doubt that we were who we said we were and by the time we
were shown upstairs, I had almost started believing the whole thing
myself. The room was beautiful; dainty furniture, heavy velvet drapes
in front of the window and the biggest bed I had ever seen. When I went
to take off my hat Joe stopped me. “Let me
lass.” He sat me down on the bed and removed the hat and then he
started pulling out the pins from my hair. I watched his face, the
little furrow of concentration between his eyebrows, the eyelashes
casting a shadow onto his cheekbones and I thought again that he was
beautiful. His hands were working gently to let my hair loose and he
combed through every strand with his fingers when he was done.
“There.” Joe smiled and knelt in front of me.
“There’s no hurry this time Kate, we have all night,”
he said softly. I raked my fingers through his curls and pulled his
head closer. “That we do but if
you don’t kiss me soon I’m…” That’s as
far as I got. It was a long, slow kiss
and when it ended Joe undressed me, taking his time, his mouth moving
along my skin as he exposed it. “Will you let
me?” murmured against my breast and then he took me to heaven and
back with just his mouth and his fingers. It was like we were together
for the first time, he had never loved me quite like that before and
when he showed me how I could give him more pleasure too, I
wasn’t sure anymore where his body ended and mine began. What
little time we spent sleeping that night, we lay with our arms around
each other, never quite letting go, fingers intertwined. In the morning Joe got
them to bring us breakfast to the room on a tray and we ate sitting up
in bed. I thought not even the Queen herself would have been so spoiled
as Joe fed me toast and we drank tea from gold-rimmed cups. With a
tinge of regret, I got dressed and bade the luxurious life of Mrs.
White goodbye to become a barmaid again. In the buggy on the way
back to Beechworth Joe said: “You should write a thank-you note
to the Victoria Police, Kate.” I looked at him,
confused. “Have you taken
complete leave of your senses? Whatever have they done for me?” Joe flashed me a smile. “They have
just paid for our dinner and night of passion – did I neglect to
mention that Detective White was on a secret mission from
Benalla, very hush-hush, authorized by Superintendent Hare himself, so
naturally the bill will be sent to him?” They didn’t call Joe Byrne a larrikin for nothing. |