Claire Johns met Alan and Lydia at the door, the noise of a large gathering chatting over alcoholic drinks coming from the reception room to the right signalled a rousing evening was underway.
Smacking her lips in the direction of Alan, Still Water Lodge co-owner Claire Johns reached out her arms to envelope Lydia and cried, "Omigod and I thought your sister was beautiful."
"It's the lights Mrs Johns, they make women look good. My grandmother says we girls are good looking and that falls short of being beautiful."
"Does your gran have a problem with indigestion?" Claire cooed as the hug deepened and the two women rested momentarily cheek-to-cheek in greeting.
"You are presenting yourself like a princess this evening," Claire whispered.
Claire whispered, "You may wish call in tomorrow for a touch of reality to see me dressed in an old cap with probably paint steaks on my face and my body stuffed in horrible but protective dungarees over a grubby t-shirt."
"Oh darling make the slave-driver promote you to repelling insects, making coffee and changing the music."
Claire turned and in front of the princess gave Alan a kiss that could best be described as way short of a motherly greeting.
Jamie appeared and was introduced and went to shake hands but was hauled in by Claire who had been launched into a kissing mood.
He led them into the huge lounge overlooking the waterfront, now displaying the colours of twilight with the breeze having died.
The hostess called loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen; please welcome our latest semi-permanent resident on this stretch of Arundel Sound, Miss Lydia Kennedy, formerly of America, who's arrived from the north to work mornings assisting Alan Meadows fit out Miranda."
"In afternoons Lydia will be setting up her pottery workshop in an old shed that will be barged in on Thursday winched up to just above high water level."
"In days to come a barge fitted with a tractor with back-hoe will dredge part of the shoreline to load into the barge that will carry the excavated spoil for dumping in an approved area at sea. Another specialist barge will arrive after that and spend several days driving sheet piling to retain the foreshore and running parallel to that a permanent berth will be constructed for Miranda."
All of that was news to Lydia who looked at Alan gaping. He just squeezed her hand and winked.
Locals then lined up for introductions and many of the women carried gifts for the newcomer that included a life-vest, hand woven clothing, hand-made hats, embroidered pillow cases, collections of jams and sauces, a bread-maker, goat's cheese, free range eggs, clotted cream, a pre-paid library card and gift cards from Briscoe's General Store down at the landing.
Almost overwhelmed by the depth of the warm welcome, Lydia said when being handing the variety of goat's cheeses, "But how could these be locally-made as we are surrounded by steep afforested hills?"
The cheese-maker Mrs Peach said, "Four miles up from here begins an extensive plateau fifty feet above the western bank than extends out for eight to ten miles as well as all the way up to the Clarence River at the head of the sound. You must understand dear the original native people in this region regarded these sounds as the resting place of human spirits and they warned the original European explorers not to venture up the sounds or they would never being seen again."
"Some years later a retiring French naval officer Gilles Moreau decided to explore the so-called Wailing Waterways. Of course during his exploration he deduced the wailing was the noise of wind at times accelerating down gullies."
Warming to her historical knowledge, Mrs Peach said Gilles's expedition was financed by his father Maximillian Moreau, his father-in-law from Belgium Jules Martens and his wife's uncle Lord Arundel from England.
Lydia said, "Omigod and when they explored this sound they explored they named it after Lord Arudel."
"Yes dear and you're more than a pretty face, aren't you."
"The land where we and others farm is called the Martens Plains and the highest peak for miles around here was called Maximillian Mountain but the Geographical Board renamed it last century Maximillian Peak because it's part of a mountain range that originating from a group of three mountains that are ancient volcanoes."
"Oh that's fascinating information Mrs Peach. We must meet sometime as I'd like to learn more about this region. It's so foreign to me and I need to bury my ignorance."
"Darling yes of course. We have a son and daughter roughly your age and you need to meet younger people. I'll invite you and your man to Sunday lunch soon."
"My man?"
"Why Alan of course."
"Um he's my employer."
"Whatever you say dear."
The next woman in line smiled and said, "Relax dear whether Alan is benefactor, boss, lover, business partner... does it matter? It's what you are that counts around here and you are showing signs you have what to takes as Alan displayed when he arrived at The Landing for the first time at time of crisis."
"Alan yelled to be given a wrench and a truck driver handed him one. Alan darted into the area being evacuated and freed the stuck venting release valve of the boiler at the Arundel Hotel that had malfunctioned. Everyone was scattering believing the calls that the boiler was about to blow up."
"Yes sometimes it's handy to have a Mr Fix-it around."
"You can say that again dear, half the men around here are useless loafers who only want to fish, drink and occasionally have sex."
"Wouldn't most men think that was the perfect life?"
The woman, Mrs Menzies and others close enough to hear that philosophical retort almost fell about they were laughing so much.
"As I said dear," Mrs Peach who was standing nearby called, "You are more than a pretty face."
And that began a perfect evening for the new arrival and Lydia's immersion kept Alan beaming.
Late into the evening when people were leaving the dining room for coffee and liqueurs in the lounge, Claire bailed up Alan.
"Are you two having you-know-what already?"
"Yes."
"I didn't imagine you'd be content to stand by with your tongue hanging out. Does this mean the end to our occasional liaison?"
"It's difficult to predict Claire; it could be down to the way your relationship with Lydia develops."
"Hmmm, wise words and thanks for treating my question sensitively."
"I've always considered you a lovely women Claire and I expect nothing will change that. This has been a magnificent evening, well worth the price."
"What you paid? You were meant to be a guest along with Lydia."
"When Jamie hit me for the eighty bucks he made it clear Lydia was the only non-paying guest and I'd even been prepared to pay for her. Please don't say anything to Jamie about this Claire as there has to be one hard head in this type of business. I think everyone tonight got value for money and she shone like a star."
"I agree and I won't be surprised to find myself treating her like an adopted daughter. My heart almost broke when our baby followed that jerk from Canada to become part of his family,"
"He's not a jerk really is he?"
"I suppose not and Annie says he's proving to be a great dad. If we have a great summer in cash-flow Jamie and I intend to close mid-autumn to visit Annie and see our grandson for the first time."
"You'll close? Why don't you let Lydia and Alison Peach's daughter Megan run the place for you while you are away? Megan possesses a degree in business management and when at university Lydia worked four years part-time in hotel reception and in her final year as relief manager of the dining room and catering."
"Omigod that's something to think about."
"Yeah and I can tell you I'll give Lydia every reason to stay here for at least a couple of years. I need her push to assist me getting Miranda operating as a new business venture. The Morgan's have spoken to me about seasonable backup instead of them going into debt buying a second water taxi and employing another person to operate it. With two vessels they would need to maintain a standby skipper."
"Well keep talking to them; it sounds a good idea to me."
* * *
Lydia awoke to her first really fine day at Arundel Sound. The other days had been cloudy.
She heard the sound of a chugging boat motor slow and then a guy call, "Ahoy Miranda."
Alan was sleep on his back, mouth open and looking relaxed. Well who wouldn't after all those beers the previous night at the lodge and then coming home tired but doing his best to act like a raging stallion?
She grabbed a towel from the floor to wrap around her, put on her sun glasses and went out on to the deck.
"God what a vision," called a bearded elderly guy with a missing front tooth.
"I'm Arch Mills, from up the sound a bit and you're Alan's bit of imported fluff."
"Yes and you may call me Lydia. What time is it?"
"Six fifteen."
"Oh fuck."
"I thought Americans were too polite to swear."
"I'm attempting to talk like a local."
"You'll do me girl," he laughed.
Girl? Well perhaps relatively speaking because he appeared to be 70-plus.
"I'm going down to The Landing. Briscoe's open at 6.30."
