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“I should tell you, Dad…” Jim turned to his father just before they entered the room, stopping David in his footsteps. “There have been… developments, if you were to call it that, between Norah and Wally.”
His father stared at him for a moment uncomprehendingly, then his eyes lit up with understanding. “Do you mean to say that they’ve resolved their feelings?”
Jim nodded. “It turns out Norah cares for him too - and I know he wants to marry her.”
“I don’t mind, because it’s Wally,” David said. “I would trust no one else with Norah. I suppose she is in the same frame of mind?”
“Of course,” Jim answered delightedly. “Well, from what I’ve gathered, they have an agreement, although he never actually asked her. She doesn’t mind a bit!” Smiling, the two men turned to walk into Wally’s hospital-room.
“... and she just about turned up her nose at me when I went to breakfast in riding-kit!” Wally broke off as David Linton entered the room, Jim close behind. The older man shook his hand, and Wally said, “You don’t know how good it is to see you, sir!”
“You look in better form than Jim told me you were in,” David said, laughing, seating himself in a chair near Wally’s bed. He glanced over at Norah, who was curled up in another chair on the other side of the bed, a book lying forgotten in her lap. “Has Norah been taking care of you?”
“She’s been fussing about my temperatures,” Wally returned, “and I don’t think I could make one move which suggests getting out of bed without Norah giving me the evil eye!”
There was laughter throughout the room, and when it had subsided, Norah said, “I don’t recall ever giving you the evil eye; and even if I had, it would only be because you went off to Queensland and got yourself injured without us!”
“Getting injured wasn’t in my plan,” Wally defended himself. “Was it, Jimmy?”
Jim gave his friend a look. “If it was, I didn’t know about it.” Thus Norah collapsed once again in laughter near Wally’s bedside, while the latter attempted to direct a stern look toward her, but failed.
“Jimmy,” Norah said, once she had regained control of herself, “I think I need some fresh air to cool down, and Dad would like to interrogate Wally over the incident. How about you and I go for a walk?”
“I do not interrogate,” said her father very calmly, “rather, I pose questions in a quiet and meaningful way!”
“Meaningful enough that no one would dare not to answer,” Wally said, as Jim and Norah left the room, laughing together at something Jim had said. After they had closed the door, David turned to Wally, who said at once, “I meant to send for Jim once I knew things would get bad, but I just didn’t have the time.”
David nodded. “I’m not blaming you, son - you thought everything through. You weren’t to know Hunt would turn on you. Do you know how your sister-in-law feels about the whole affair?”
“She’s fairly shaken, sir - Mr Grenville told me she attempted to defend Dobson and Verrin until she found out the full story.”
At this David leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Your sister-in-law, I imagine, would have wanted to keep further trouble from her doorstep, following Edward’s death. Poor woman.”
“Sir, Mr McGuffie, who helped me, has known me since my boyhood. He served my father. I would like it known that he had no hand in the cattle duffing.”
“Of course,” David said. “I’ll make sure of that, don’t you worry, my boy.” He seemed to remember something and his face changed, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “I hear from Jim that your affections are turned to my daughter.”
“Sir,” Wally pushed himself up so he was seated against the pillows on his bed, “I wouldn’t admit this to everyone, but I love her. I want to make her happy.”
David put out a hand to quiet the boy. “I’m not fussed, Wally. I would release her to no one else. I just want to know she’ll be safe for the rest of her days - I know you make her happy. Does she make you happy? You are as my son, I care about your feelings too.”
“I’ll look after her all my life, sir,” Wally said. “She makes me happy as I’ve never been before.”
“Well, I think it is settled,” David said. “I suppose we shall have a wedding on Billabong sometime, when we can get over stock-riding for a day or two.”