Educating Harry Ch 14

Chapter 14 is quite different to any other in this series, and whilst best read after the earlier chapters, can also be read as a stand alone story. Harry has learned a lot and thinks he has gained a lot of knowledge about, and from the women in his life. He thinks he is in command of the situation, but perhaps readers will conclude he has more to learn than he realizes.

Australianisms:

RSL = Returned Servicemans League. RSL clubs, Bowling (not tenpin!) clubs and Sports clubs can be found in every Australian town and suburb. Funded by gambling they are a major focus of community and charity efforts and offer social l services of all sorts particularly to veterans and the elderly. Some in Sydney are enormous with revenue in hundreds of millions, most are more modest but they are tremendously influential and are largely unknown to overseas visitors to our country.

Take away = Take out, even when delivered and not 'taken out.'

Armidale is a small town of some 30,000 people in northern New South Wales. It is an important centre of the (Australian) New England region, and the home of perhaps the States most important University to be located outside of Sydney and the major metropolitan areas on the coast.

*

Aunt Diane pressed the message replay button on the telephone in her hallway, as Harry struggled through the door with her shopping.

"Hi Harry, this is Bella Mason, I have made a booking at The Chestnut's in Armidale, and will pick you up at one thirty pm on Friday from your home. Please send me a copy of your presentation, as I would like to review it beforehand. I will Email further details. Bye for now."

Harry put all the shopping down on the kitchen table, "Perhaps," his aunt suggested with silky sweetness, "You ought to ask Mrs Mason if there are any other little tasks she has for you."

"Well I could," acknowledged Harry amiably, "But I'm not going to tell you one way or the other, because you'll tease whatever I do."

His aunt nodded in agreement, "I most certainly would," she smiled.

Harry had organised a free day for himself so that he could catch up with a few things, he had emailed the two universities where he thought he might study for a doctorate, asking if he could visit them in mid February, and was pleased that both had replied, and both had agreed. Apart from that, there were just a few personal emails to catch up with, and that done, he found himself thinking about Bella Mason's message. First he sent her a brief message, "I would prefer to meet you at the school on Friday, and I haven't included a copy of my presentation because Professor Neumann has it, and may want to suggest alterations, he will include a final copy with the conference papers."

Absent-mindedly, Harry then googled motels and hotels in Armidale, but he couldn't find "The Chestnut's." Harry knew from past visits that most of the accommodation in Armidale was located in a small area of the centre around Dumaresque and Barney Streets and it wasn't there. He switched his search to "The Chestnuts," and it came up straight away.

"That's odd," murmured Harry to himself "It's six kilometres out of the centre... why choose a place so far from the venue in a small town?" Then Harry looked more closely at the description, "Four small luxury cottages available, each in a secluded private situation on the main property well back from the highway."

Harry never asked himself why he took the next step, he just did it, he rang the number of "The Chestnuts."

"Good morning, Chestnuts here"

"Ah good morning," replied Harry, "I wonder if I might ask about Mrs Mason's booking for the weekend."

"Oh didn't you get our email, we were asked to confirm a couple of particular points?" responded the receptionist, "Shall I send a copy."

"I haven't seen it," replied Harry, truthfully, but economically.

"I could send it again if you like," offered the helpful receptionist.

"That would be useful," agreed Harry, "But perhaps it might be better if you faxed a copy... the number is," and Harry gave his aunts fax number.

"Right, I'll get onto that straight away, bye for now"

Harry strolled downstairs, just in time to hear the fax printing out; he picked it up, and read it through carefully, twice. Harry smiled, at first uncertainly, and then as he understood, he grinned hugely. "Bella Mason," he said to himself, "Oh what a tangled web we weave."

"When first we practice to deceive," his aunt completed the doggerel, as she walked in from the lounge room, "And who is deceiving whom."

"Nobody is deceiving anyone any more," laughed Harry unhelpfully, "I just got a fax about the arrangements for the weekend, which are a little different to what I thought."

His aunt decided not to observe that if they were so little different, why was he so delighted? she merely asked, "Would you like coffee or tea perhaps?"

And not too far away, coffee was also on the mind of Susan Tremaine, she offered a cup to Maria as they both stretched out on her terrace. "Mmmm just what I needed" said Maria.

"You seem a lot more relaxed today" observed Susan, "Last week you were pretty frazzled."

"I was" admitted Maria, "But that was the day that Harry and I broke it off."

"But now, do you feel you did the right thing?"

"Oh I always knew I was doing the right thing, but at the time it didn't

feel

the right thing if you see what I mean...I had to do it but I didn't really want to, but I'm getting over it... I might in fact be seeing him tomorrow."

"Is that a good idea?"

"Yes I think so, I still want us to be friends; in any case he will be coming over with Diane so I won't be jumping all over him."

"Do you think Diane ever worked it out that you and Harry were lovers?"

"I don't know, if it was anybody else I would say no, but Diane never seems to miss anything, but on the other hand she is never likely to say anything either."

"That's true, and I have known Diane much longer than you, if she decided that Harry would be ok, she would simply be the soul of discretion."

"You have a high opinion of her?"

"Yes, very high, Diane was an independent Director of both my Dad's and my late husband's companies, she is still a trustee of the pension fund with me. She is not just very smart, she has excellent judgement as well; the two don't always go together. Why do you ask?"

"Because I expect to be seeing quite a bit of her over the next month or two... in connection with this research she is doing."

Susan changed tack: "You won't be the only one with a visitor in the next day or two; I had a call from Joe yesterday evening."

"But I thought that he was in the USA."

"He was, but then he went on to London and now he has been called back to Sydney for something or other. He is going to fly with JAL via Tokyo; he can then get off in Brisbane and take a flight to Hawksworth before going on to Sydney. Imagine that, the silly man, he's going to all that trouble and he will only be in Hawksworth for about four hours."

"I don't know about silly, I'll bet he's up to something, I wonder what it is," pondered Maria.

"I don't suppose he's up to anything, anyway he will only be here for a short while; I have asked him to lunch... perhaps you would like to come too."

"Me, no way, I have already played gooseberry between you two once before... but I shall be straight round to see you on Monday morning for a full report."

"Just don't raise your expectations too much, you might be disappointed."

The following morning, Aunt Diane's Holden lurched into Maria's driveway just after ten o'clock. "Hi Diane, Harry" she said, pleased that she felt quite relaxed about having Harry in her home again. Harry too, she noted, didn't seem particularly tense or uptight. "Tea or coffee," she suggested, and when that was organised she added, "Bring them into the study I have something rather exciting to show you."

"Now look at these;" on a table Maria had laid out perhaps twenty five or thirty photographs.

"Who are they?' asked Harry.

"Most of them are of the Graham family I think," suggested his aunt looking to Maria for confirmation.

"Yes you are right, and if you look at the back of them someone has written who they are and their date. There are pictures here of Elizabeth Massie(nee Graham) her parents and even her grandfather."

"Elizabeth? But I only saw a picture of her father" queried Aunt Diane, "I recognised it from one I was shown in Sydney."

"I was saving it for last" replied Maria picking up a large envelope from her desk. From it she extracted four large photographs. Two depicted Charles and Elizabeth Massie individually, both full faced and rather formally posed. The third was similar and included both of them, but it was the fourth which caught their attention, it was a shot of Elizabeth in profile looking back over her shoulder slightly smiling, directly at the camera.

"That is superb," said Aunt Diane.

"She's beautiful," added a surprised Harry.

"Yes" agreed Diane, "At the time it was taken it was obviously posed, but somehow it has caught her sheer vitality, but," added Aunt Diane "Where did they come from?"

"They were packed very carefully between some linen sheets in one of the trunks; we overlooked them when we first opened it."

"They need to be scanned into a computer," suggested Harry, "Before there is any chance of the originals deteriorating."

"I'll do that, I ought to be doing something, perhaps Diane you could organise for the letters and diaries to be copied, then we could get the originals put away somewhere secure... Now who on earth is that?" exclaimed Maria. They had heard the sound of a large truck coming into the drive.

"That will be George and Pete," explained Harry, and he stood up, "Pete told me that they were going to start the old tractor this morning so if you don't mind I'll go down to see how they get on... you can come too if you like."

Maria grimaced, "I don't think we want to stop you boys playing with your new toy."

"Hope you don't mind me leaving this for you to sort out," and without waiting for an answer Harry was gone

Maria's smiling gaze followed him for a second or two and when she turned back to Diane she noticed straight away the older woman's appraising glance. Taking a sudden decision Maria asked, "You knew didn't you... about me and Harry?"

Aunt Diane thought for a moment then nodded, "Yes I knew."

"You're very perceptive."

"Mmm, not particularly, at least not on this occasion, moderately observant perhaps"

Maria frowned questioningly.

"Observant enough to recognise, that the panties left behind in the old house were quite new, and could only have fitted you my dear."

Maria looked up at Diane again and Aunt Diane returned her gaze. If Harry could have witnessed the next few minutes he would have been astonished as his former lover and elderly aunt dissolved in laughter. "I can't believe it," exclaimed Maria "So you knew all along...but you said nothing"

"Why should I," responded Diane "You have been nothing but good for Harry, and now it appears, you have finished it without too much angst."

"Nothing but good, I would hardly say that, in fact my initial motives were pretty selfish."

"Perhaps, but it turned out well and that is the important point. You know Maria, when Harry went away to University he was not even sixteen, some of his family, myself included were so taken with his ability that we forgot that University might not be much fun for a boy of that age. All of his contemporaries were at least three to five years older, at that age a big gap."

"But he came through alright."

"Oh yes, but I suspect it was not easy, particularly at first, and especially personally and socially."

After half an hour Maria helped Diane to load her car with the diaries and letters to be copied. Suddenly there was a loud roar and a plume of black smoke from the direction of the old house. Maria was startled "What on earth is that?"

"That," confirmed Diane confidently, "Is the sound a 3 cylinder "Detroit" diesel engine makes, when it's started for the first time in more than fifty years."

"Oh, of course, In that case I'll make myself scarce, I am not sure I want to hear all the fascinating technical details of how it was done."

"There's no hurry my dear," advised Diane, "As you said, George, Pete and Harry, they're all boys at heart, they'll be playing with their new toy for at least an hour before they think of telling you."

Diane, as usual was right, an hour later the 'boys' stopped by as they were leaving, "Never mind George," suggested Harry mischievously when Maria could not be found, "Mrs Bunce was asking me all sorts of questions I couldn't answer, so I reckon she would appreciate you ringing her and giving her all the details."

"Ya reckon," said George, rather pleased, "Then I'll phone her this evenin' and tell her everything we've done."

Pete grinned, "What's she done, poor woman, to deserve an ear bashing from this cranky old sod?"

George and Pete fell happily into their usual mode of good humoured abuse and recrimination, and Harry barely had time to ask Pete, "Just drop me off in town; I'll walk home from there."

Promptly at one thirty the following Friday, Harry parked his ute in the High School grounds opposite Bella Mason's office.

"G'day Miss Garrett" he greeted the elderly school secretary, "Is Mrs Mason in? She's expecting me." There was no time for an answer as Bella Mason walked in at that very moment. "Hello Harry I just need to pop into my office for a moment and then I will be with you."

Bella kept her word and returned in little more than two minutes having changed into more casual clothes for the journey.

"What shall I tell anyone who wishes to contact you?" asked Miss Garrett.

"To email, or if they are important you can give them my phone number."

"Nah," interrupted Harry, "Just tell them that Bella's gone off for the weekend with a disreputable young man."

"Oh Harry Salt," tittered Miss Garrett, "I couldn't possibly do that, whatever would your auntie say."

Harry picked up Bella's overnight bag and his own, "We had better be going."

In little more than ten minutes they were clear of the town and had settled down for the long haul to Armidale. "You know Harry" said Bella, who had been largely silent to that point, "Your Aunt has an amazing amount of influence in Hawksworth."

"She does," confirmed Harry, offering nothing further.

"And yet," continued Bella, "I have noticed that in the last eight or nine months that she has stood down from various committees and suchlike. Why do you think she is doing that?"

"I don't know," replied Harry, "The best way to find out would be to ask her yourself, ask her directly: if she wants to tell you she will, but if she does not, no amount of persuasion will work. She is a genius at saying what she wants, but only when she wants, and numerous people who try to convince her otherwise, find that they end up committed to do something for her, often when they had no intention of doing so."

"Well I must confess" laughed Bella, "I asked her only a few weeks ago why she had given up overseeing the church finances and the eventual result was that I ended up agreeing to be co-opted onto a committee to develop a new pre and play school."

"Yep, that's pretty much the way she operates. She knows her objective and goes for it, I try to do the same myself," added Harry blandly as he closely watched Bella's reaction. "I much prefer the direct approach, I don't like being manipulated."

Bella was silent for a moment and Harry reflected to himself, "That will give her something to think about."

Their conversation continued fitfully for the next few kilometres then Harry said "Wake me up when you have driven two hours and I'll do the next stage, I'm going to have a nap."

Bella did have a lot to think about, she was more unsettled than she cared to admit. "He has always been so easy going before, but then he was rather assertive in my office, he made that silly remark to Miss Garrett and now he is telling me when he will drive my car...and I feel he's almost laughing at me. God I hope I haven't made a mess of this... he can't possibly know, can he...?"

Bella glanced across at Harry for a moment, "Don't be so stupid Bella," she assured herself, "Everything is organised exactly as planned... don't be so jumpy, you're looking for problems that aren't there."

With Harry apparently snoozing, Bella was left to stew, arguing with herself as to whether or not she was still in control. She did not like it, she had expected Harry to just go along with what she wanted, but suddenly he wasn't being quite the person she had anticipated.

Some time later Harry woke up, "You look pretty in profile," he commented affably. Bella was pleased with the unexpected compliment, but only for a moment, "But," continued Harry, "You seem a bit anxious, is anything bothering you?"

"No of course not, whatever made you think that?" Bella replied, but bit her lip, almost in confirmation of his comment.

"Oh I dunno, you just didn't seem your usual self... usually you just seem so polished and self assured."

"Oh my God," thought Bella panicking slightly, "Surely I'm not giving myself away," but her only reply was a lame, "You must be imagining it."

"You're probably right," concluded Harry, then changing tack he said, "There's a parking bay about three hundred metres ahead at the end of this curve, just stop there and I'll take over the driving."

Bella had slowed down to a stop before she realised that once again, she was following his lead rather than the opposite. She knew it was of no consequence, but it irritated her, she liked to be in control, even of the small things.

Once Harry was in the driving seat the mood changed again, "Did you have any lunch before we left?" asked Harry.

"No I was rather pressed for time and didn't get round to it."

"I guessed you might not, so I made some sandwiches, just lean over and you'll find them in the top of my bag on the back seat."

Bella soon found them, "What are they?"

"Either chicken and mayo, or cheese and Branston's pickle, with a bit of salad thrown in to salve your conscience."

"Well I am a bit hungry, do you mind?"

"No go ahead, that's what they are there for, there is a buffet style meal scheduled, but not until seven thirty this evening, you would be starving by then."

Bella did feel better for something to eat and relaxed even more as Harry seemed to leave off the challenging, teasing attitude he had taken earlier. He started to ask her about herself and how things were going generally. She was happy to talk, even though she was smart enough to realise that Harry was now making a conscious effort to charm her a little. But by the time they approached the outskirts of Armidale her previous doubts and worries had almost evaporated. It only took a further ten minutes to locate "The Chestnuts," it was a few kilometres out of town on the road to Wollomombi, and had formerly been a big old country house. The current owners had built some small chalets in the grounds to accommodate paying guests.

"I'll book us in," volunteered Harry

"No no, I'll do it," cried Bella and almost leapt from the car in her haste.

She returned quite quickly. "Everything ok?" enquired Harry innocently.

"Um' oh, it's about two hundred metres up this track along the side of the big house" replied Bella avoiding his question for the moment. They proceeded slowly, eventually finding a timber cottage set amongst trees on three sides.

"There is a bit of a problem," said Bella carefully as they drew to a halt, her voice slightly tense, "The accommodation is not quite what I expected, I have asked the owners whether they can do anything about it, but that seems unlikely."