Matilda's Wish Read online

  I pulled to a stop in front of an old timber house and some of the happiness the inheritance had given me evaporated.

  Concerned I may have lost complete blood supply to my white knuckles, I loosened my grip on the steering wheel and leaned my body weight forward, giving myself a better view of the traditional Queenslander with the wide verandas. Its high-pitched roof was more rusty than not. I could see that once upon a time the house had been painted white, but it had peeled away, revealing aged timber beneath it. The five steps leading to the front door were old and rickety, the grass surrounding the building was brown, and the one-eyed dog looking in my direction from the top of the steps looked plain sad.

  This was Dun Roamin? My shoulders sank along with my hopes as a weight settled heavily in my stomach. I’d imagined a sprawling farmhouse, lush gardens, and a dog contentedly sleeping on the airy verandah enjoying the afternoon breeze. I mean it was worth three point six million dollars! For that kind of money in my home town of Westport, you could get a mansion overlooking the ocean.

  I indulged my anxieties for a moment by hyperventilating, before dropping my forehead to the steering wheel and attempting to control my breathing as any confidence I’d had disappeared into thin air. I was a city girl through and through. I loved buildings, and shops, and…and…bitumen roads.

  I lifted my head once again, and the dog made its way down the steps toward my car. I pressed my nose to the inside of the glass window and looked down as it lifted its back leg and peed all over my front wheel. Argh!

  I sat back, rested my head against the car seat, and closed my eyes. A three point six-million-dollar property, plus nearly a hundred thousand in cash. With that kind of money, I’d be able to pay back all my debts, return to Westport and reopen my cupcake shop. I’d loved that shop with all my heart, and I’d cried for weeks when Mum, Dad and the bank had all asked for their investment money back.

  This inheritance had come at a fantastic time. I mean, obviously it wasn’t a fantastic time for Great Aunt Matilda. No, I was sure she would have much rather been here enjoying the money herself.

  The questions I still had about the inheritance zipped through my mind. Why did my great aunt have the exact same name as me—Matilda Mary Lockhart? Why was it that when I spoke to Dad about it, he professed to not knowing anything about her, yet Mum insisted that it was his idea I be given my name? Why did the will state I had to live here for a year before the transfer? And why was it left to me instead of my dad or his cousin, Tony? After all, Matilda was their aunt before she was mine.

  I opened my eyes and looked back at the house. I needed to do this. Not just for the money. I needed not to fail at something. Especially before I’d even tried. And yes, I didn’t know my Great Aunt Matilda, but she obviously wanted me to have this farm for a reason, didn’t she? Who the hell knew what the reason was, but I guessed in time I would figure it out. So, I just needed to stay positive. Sure, the house looked old and dirty from the outside, but it could all be fixed, right?

  I killed the car motor. With a determined enthusiasm, I grabbed my handbag off the seat, plucked up all my courage and opened the car door, stepping my (albeit fake) Louboutin clad foot out into the hot afternoon air, and almost breaking my ankle as my heel twisted on the gravel.

  Immediately a thousand flies swarmed at me, some landing on my shirt, some trying to get into my mouth. I learned pretty quickly that I needed to keep my mouth shut. That wouldn’t be easy for me, but looking around at the farm, I figured nothing about my new life was going to be easy.

  The sound of the wind whistling through the trees brought with it the scent of fresh country air, and I filled my lungs before the dog sniffed at my feet. I had a moment of fear it would cock its leg once again, but instead it wagged its tail and jumped up against me.

  “Good doggy,” I said, tentatively patting its head as it placed its snout on my hip.

  Its short brown hair and skinny body reminded me of a Dingo, while its black snout and deep brown eyes were more like those of a German Shepherd. Its scent was like musk mixed with dirt.

  “What’s your name?” I asked

  He gave a friendly woof and sauntered off toward the shade.

  I was considering following him when a white and brown goat sprang through the nearby garden bed, a green shirt clamped in its jaws. It quickly disappeared along the side of the house. The dog turned a disinterested eye after it, before making three anticlockwise turns and settling into a divot in the dirt.

  I let out a loud sigh. Was it normal farm behavior for a goat to eat clothing?

  An elderly gentleman came walking hurriedly across the dead grass, swearing loudly, “Get back here, ya mangy bugger!” He stopped abruptly once he saw me. “Oh! G’day!” he said in a wheezy voice, placing his hands on his waist and sucking in some much-needed oxygen.

  “Hello. Um...are you okay?” I squinted at him, my eyes stinging from the hot dry air hitting my contact lenses.

  He straightened up and raised his palm to me. “Yep, yep. I’m fine. You must be Matilda. We were expecting you a bit earlier today.”

  “Yes. That’s me.” I wiped the dog slobber on my tailored shorts and extended my hand toward him, smiling. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be late. I got caught up with packing my car.” I didn’t add that I’d spent hours deliberating over my outfit because I wanted to impress these people.

  He took my hand in a large, almost bear like grip and gave it a hearty shake. “Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Matilda. I’m Wallace. Wallace McKenzie, but you can call me Wally.”

  Mr. Blackburn had explained to me that it was the McKenzie family—Wallace, his son Randall, and his grandson Noah, that had purchased the other half of Dun Roamin’ a few years before. The configuration of the break-up of the land was a strange one, but I was relieved that I wasn’t solely responsible for keeping a farm running.

  “Lovely to meet you, Wally. And please call me Tilly.”

  Wally McKenzie was quite possibly the cutest man I had ever met. Now, I didn’t mean cute as in a I have a thing for old men kind of way. No, I mean he was cute in an adorable kind of way. His false teeth looked slightly too big for his mouth, his ears were long with large, flappy lobes, his skin was wrinkled, and his head was bald. But when he smiled, sunshine and mischief shone from his eyes giving me a glimpse of the man beneath. I liked him already.

  “Sorry about that.” He jabbed his thumb in the direction the goat had disappeared. “Goatie got into the washing again.”

  “Oh! Does that happen often?” The last thing I wanted was for my underwear to be eaten by a goat. Or worse still, left lying around the farm for the McKenzie men to find.

  “More often than I care to think about,” he muttered narrowing his eyes in the direction the goat had ran. He then nodded toward the house. “You found it okay, then?”

  I followed his gaze toward my new home. “Yes. I found it.”

  “She doesn’t look much, but she’s got heart.”

  “It’s not what I was expecting,” I replied quietly, biting my lip with my understatement.

  Both Wally and I stood looking at the house, simultaneously waving our hands in front of our faces, shooing the flies away.

  “Matilda was a stubborn one,” he broke the silence. “Never would accept help keeping up the place. But I’m sure it’s not as bad as it looks.”

  I liked his optimism, but seriously doubted his assumptions. “You really think so?”

  “Nope, but you got to have hope, right?” he laughed, happily slapping me on the shoulder. “Did Matilda ever explain the layout of the land to you?”

  “I’m sorry but I didn’t know her. The solicitor explained it though.”

  “Gregory Blackburn the Third?” Wally’s nose scrunched as if he was saying a dirty word.

  I nodded. “He told me I own two thousand acres of agricultural farm land, the house, some outbuildings, and an assortment of animals.”

  “Good, good. But did he explain how it’s all broken up?”

  “Yes, he even drew me a map.” I opened my handbag and retrieved a piece of paper Greg had used to draw a rough outline of the property. He’d given me the official plans as well, but his hand drawn map was the one I truly understood. I spread it open and showed it to Wally. “He said the farm’s been divided into four one thousand acre lots, with three houses occupying the area in the middle.” I ran my finger around the circle which was drawn around the houses. “You own the two plots on the opposite diagonal, which amounts to two thousand acres exactly,” I pointed to two different areas of land. “This is your house here, and these two are mine.” I looked at Wally to make sure I’d understood everything correctly.

  “That’s right.” He rubbed his stubbly chin. “Matilda never did explain to us why she broke the land up the way she did, but we’ve been renting these two thousand acres ever since we’ve been here, and it hasn’t caused us any problems. We were hoping you’d be happy to continue the rent arrangement.”

  “You have no idea how happy I am to continue with it.” I beamed.

  I turned to look at the house. “I should probably go inside for a look. The solicitor didn’t have any keys, but he mentioned they may be here.” I looked at Wally expectantly.

  He shrugged. “You don’t need to worry about keys. This is the country. We don’t lock things out here.”

  “You don’t lock your house?” My mouth hung open and I choked on a fly that flew straight in.

  Wally laughed, a deep wheezy sound coming straight from his chest. “Got to remember to keep your mouth closed.”

  “Yes, well…” I couldn’t finish what I wanted to say. I was struggling to control the gagging. The fly was stuck in my throat and tears stung my eyes.

  Was the year up yet?

  “I’ll leave you to have a look around,” Wally said, once I’d gotten control of myself. “Let you get acquainted with the place. Don’t worry about unpacking your car though. As soon as Noah gets home, I’ll send him over to help with the lifting.”

  “No, it’s okay. I can manage,” I croaked.

  “Alright, well I’ll be off then.”

  As he turned to walk away, I looked at the house, and a chill ran over my skin. “Wally?” I called, swiping at the moisture escaping my lashes. “Um…what’s it like in there?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been past the refrigerator in the kitchen.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. Matilda wasn’t one for visitors.”

  “But she hasn’t been here for months. Didn’t you have a look around?” I knew I would have done.

  “Nope. It’s not my place.”

  “Well…would you like to have a look now?”

  Wally studied me for a moment. “That’d be great. And how about I chase away that ghost you’re afraid of?” He indicated with an outstretched hand that I walk ahead of him.

  The hinges squeaked as I held back the flyscreen door and pushed the solid entry door open. It creaked backward and the smell of moth balls drifted up the hallway toward me, making me sneeze. I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the darkened interior.

  My heels clicked on the timber boards and echoed down the hallway as Wally walked in behind me. Moving slowly and taking everything in, I felt as if I were here to visit a long lost relative. In a way, I guess I was.

  The floor plan was pretty simple. The hallway was central with bedrooms to the left and right, their entrances close to the front door. Walking deeper into the house I came across a room containing a baby grand piano covered with framed photos, and there was a bathroom across the hall. The kitchen and living area were toward the back. The walls were vertical tongue and groove boards painted in a dirty cream color, and the windows were covered with closed floral curtains. I stopped in the kitchen, my breath catching in my throat.

  The will had stated I had to be living here within the seven days of it being read out to me. I’d used the seven days well, using the online search engines until the wee hours of the morning. I’d learned a lot about the surrounding area of Littlebrook. I didn’t read every one of the five hundred and seventy-one million results the search engines had given me on how to run a farm, but I felt as if I now had a basic understanding at least of the nine rules of farming. But mostly I used those hours imagining the large farmhouse kitchen I’d inherited and the time I was going to enjoy baking over the hob.

  In my daydreams, the cabinets were white and made in the shaker style, the oven was large and stainless-steel, and the bench tops were stone. To think I was delusional was an understatement. The only thing in here remotely like I had imagined was the timber floor. Only in reality, it was scarred and worn.

  A row of cupboards ran under the window, holding a dull porcelain sink. The cupboards had no doors, only floral fabric bunched on a wire concealing the contents from me. Above them was a battered wooden shelf holding a radio, several white and blue tins, and a smattering of cobwebs. A small table was pushed against a wall, a lone chair tucked under it. I scanned for the oven only to find it was an old fire heated stove where the floor seemed wonky. I stifled my disappointment and opened the back door to look at the verandah.

  Wally silently followed me.

  “What’s in that building?” I pointed to a small hut only meters from the rear steps.

  “The dunny. A thunderbox to be more precise.”

  My head snapped around to him so fast I kinked my neck. “But…but I saw a bathroom. Back down the hallway,” I stammered.

  “Yep. It was a bathroom alright. Just not a toilet. I know for a fact it’s over there. Noah always tried to convince Matilda to get one put inside, but she wouldn’t. Told him it had been like that all her life, so why change it?” Wally shrugged.

  “So…there’s no inside toilet?” I asked quietly.

  “Nope. Sorry love.”

  I nodded and blinked back the tears. It was all going to be okay. It was all going to be okay. I would call a plumber and have him install an inside toilet pronto. In fact, was now too late in the day to call him? I looked at my watch. Four thirty-five. Hmmm.

  “Wally, can you recommend a local plumber who can install a toilet before it gets dark tonight?”

  Wally laughed his deep wheezy laugh. “Oh my,” he said, holding onto his side. “It’s going to be fun having you around. You’ve got a good sense of humor. I like that in a girl.”

  “So…a plumber won’t be able to get here today?” I closed my eyes hoping I’d misheard him.

  “The closest plumber who can do a job like this is in Westport.”

  And Westport was a good hour’s drive away.

  A small squeak escaped my lips but I covered it with a cough.

  “I’ll leave you to get acquainted with the place,” Wally said. “Noah will feed the animals tonight, just like he’s been doing. You get yourself settled and tomorrow I’ll introduce you to the clan.”

  “The clan? How many are there?” I asked, the weight in my stomach growing substantially.

  “Well, let’s see. You already saw Goatie. That’s Clifford the dog over there. There’s Izzy the cat. You’ve got a chook pen with three chickens in it. There used to be more, but some have died of old age. You’ve got an ex-race horse, a miniature pony, and four cows. Oh, and I nearly forgot the cockatoo.”

  I’m not sure how he nearly forgot the cockatoo who was squawking so loud I almost had to cover my ears.

  I sighed. The chooks, the cows and the dog I expected to find on a farm. Even the cat. But the rest of them were definitely off my radar.

  “Like I said,” Wally continued, “I’ll introduce you to them tomorrow. It’s nearly time for Family Feud so I better get going.” With that he saluted me and made his way through the house and out into the hot afternoon air.

  It was only as he was leaving that I remembered the cupcakes I’d made for the McKenzie’s were on the front seat of my car.

  “Oh, before you go, I have something for you!” I scurried after him, down the front steps which creaked and groaned under my weight. I tiptoed to my car to stop my heels getting stuck in the gravel. I beeped my Fiat unlocked and grimaced as heat rushed out of the open door, hitting me. I said a quick prayer that my cupcakes had survived.

  “I baked these this morning. I hope you like them.” I opened the lid on the container and let out a contented sigh as I looked at my beautifully decorated creations. I’d spent ages on them, making little farm animals and machinery out of royal icing, and I was grateful the heat hadn’t destroyed them.

  Wally accepted the open container and inhaled deeply, his nostrils flared as he peeked inside.

  My stomach flipped. I really wanted him to like me. And my cupcakes of course.

  “Are these red velvet?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Keep this up, girl, and I may just ask you to marry me.” He beamed.

  I giggled. I just wasn’t sure if it was from happiness that he liked me, or hysteria at my lack of plumbing and menagerie of animals that I was about to become responsible for. Whatever it was I made a mental note to bake another batch as soon as I figured out how to use the stove. Or bought a new one—whichever came first. Oh, as if I was even going to try to work that stove out. Nope, tomorrow I’d call the electrical goods store right after I called the plumber. Thank goodness Aunt Matilda had left me some cash.

  As Wally walked away whistling, I grabbed my black polka dot suitcase from the car and tiptoed back to the house. I stood inside the front door and placed the case on the floor, wondering which bedroom to put it in.

  I glanced left to right. Two doors stared back at me, but neither called my name. Making a decision I opened the door to my right.

  Unlike the front door, these hinges didn’t creak. Instead the door slid silently open revealing a room I guessed to be about three meters square. The double sized iron bed with the floral bedspread told me this probably used to be Great Aunt Matilda’s room. I stood on the threshold unsure about whether I wanted to enter or not.

  It was strange. It looked as if she had gotten up that morning and left. From where I stood, I could see her slippers neatly under the bed, her dressing gown was hanging on a hook near the door, and a slight layer of dust covered the floor.