"Da! Da! There's going to be a party. Miss Rowles says there is."

Lucan laughed at Covey's excited announcement. "Yes, lad there is."

"Is it her birthday, Da?"

"No." Lucan chuckled again. He frowned for a moment. "Well, it could be her birthday, son, but that's not what the party's about." He rubbed Covey's head. "You remember last week when we all worked on fixing the dam."

Covey nodded.

"Mista Moffat wants to say thank you to everyone so he's putting on a cricket match down at the school paddock."

"Is a cricket match a party, Da? Is that what a party is?"

"Yeah. I guess it is in a way. There'll be food and other games. Music too. Everyone will be there and that's what a party is. It's lots of people having a good time."

Covey jumped up and down and clapped his hands. "I can't wait, Da! I can't wait!"

A Barber's Quartet sang under the shade of the trees. Women were seated nearby so they could listen and dance. Many were serving food and helping with the children.

Men mulled around the bar. It wasn't often John Moffat encouraged drink but this was a special occasion so everyone took advantage of it. Other men were getting ready to take the field. Lucan had never played cricket before but had been selected to play in the outfield.

"No," said Thaiter when he was asked to play. "Lucan's playing and someone has to watch out for the geats."

The game seemed to drag on. Lucan was bored with it and found his attention wandering. Lillian Rowles was sitting with a group of young women. He heard a shout and quickly turned to see the ball coming his way. Lucan focused on it. As it came down, he dived forward catching it in the palm of his hand and slid across the grass. Cheers erupted from the crowd. Lucan got to his feet, a grin on his face.

Jacko slapped him on the back. "Good on ya, Lucan. Now it's our turn to bat."

They sat with Thaiter under the shade of the trees. Riley climbed onto Lucan's lap while Thaiter handed him a drink. "Not a bad catch, lad."

Lucan swallowed a mouthful of the water and grinned. "But you would have done better?"

Thaiter chuckled. "You got dat right."

"Lucan!" He turned at the sound of his name. "You're up to bat."

He nodded, stood up and put Riley on Thaiter's lap.

"In case ya not sure, Luc, ya gotta hit the ball with the bat." Thaiter smirked as Lucan scowled at him.

The first ball went wide so Lucan didn't bother to try to hit it but the second came straight at him so he swung the bat hard, connected with the ball making a loud crack. Lucan watched the ball go, and then heard his partner yell to run. By the time he had made it to the other end the cricket pitch, the ball had landed over the boundary.

"Six," cried John Moffat as he swept his hand through the air.

"Lucan, you have to come back to this end," Hugh Munro called.

Lucan frowned. "Was it out?"

"You hit a six, mate. Means you made six runs without having to run them so you have to go back to where you hit it from," Will Paton said grinning.

"So that's a good thing?"

"Yeah...Irish. That's a good thing." Will laughed and shook his head in dismay.

By the end of the game Lucan had hit two more sixes and three fours plus numerous single runs. He decided he didn't mind cricket after all. On his final swing he struck the ball solid. It went up, and then dropped suddenly. The fielder on the boundary caught him out. The crowd moaned in disappointment but Lucan happily left the field.

Covey came running towards him covered in dirt. Lucan ruffled his hair. Riley grabbed his leg and wanted to be picked up. Lucan swung him high and stood looking down at Thaiter.

"Well old man what ya think? Reckon you could bat better too I suppose."

Thaiter laughed. "No... I'll give you dat. Go and get us a beer from the keg over there."

"Lazy bastard." Lucan beamed and headed to the bar.

He turned with the beer in one hand and Riley on his hip to find Lillian Rowles standing behind him with a dark-haired woman about her own age.

"You play very well, Mister Hayes."

He smiled down at her and glanced at the other girl. "Thanks."

"This is my friend Sarah Brown."

Lucan nodded at Sarah. "Hello." He noticed Lillian's cheeks colour as she pushed her hair from her face. She always seemed to be having trouble with her hair. He liked it.

"You've obviously played a lot of cricket before," Sarah said.

"To be honest this is me first time."

"Oh...you did a splendid job."

Lucan grinned and lifted Riley higher on his hip.

"Do you like beer, Mister Hayes," Lillian asked looking from his face to the mug of beer.

He focused on her eyes and noticed her blush again. "No, I'm not much of a drinker. This is for me uncle." He indicated to where Thaiter sat.

Lillian looked pleased and quickly said, "I appreciate you sending Covey regularly to school."

Lucan jerked his head finding the conversation awkward. "I best get this to me uncle before it goes flat." He gave them a nod, smiled and stepped around Lillian.

"He has glorious eyes," he heard Sarah whisper. Lucan strained to hear Lillian's reply but she didn't.

Thaiter scowled when Lucan brought the almost flat ale to him. "Too busy flirting with the ladies to care about a man's beer."

"To be honest I think they might have been flirting with me," Lucan said as he sat.

"Don't flatter yourself, lad." Thaiter laughed. "Too pretty for the likes of you."

"Wasn't it you who told me a week ago I needed a woman and Miss Rowles wouldn't be a bad start?"

"Changed me mind. Too stuck up. You know...cultured," Thaiter scoffed.

"You're most likely right," Lucan agreed but he couldn't get Lillian Rowles from his mind. He listened as Thaiter talked to Hugh, Will and Jacko.

"So, when ya think you'll head off?"

"Maybe in a week or two if the weather holds."

Hugh nodded. "Best to wait for the creeks to go down."

Lucan's thoughts drifted back to Lillian. He searched the crowd and found her surrounded by a group of children, including Covey and thought this might be the perfect opportunity to speak to her again. Riley was sitting on the ground beside Thaiter playing with a stick. Lucan snuck away.

"Covey lad," he called.

Lillian looked up at the sound of his voice.

Lucan glanced at her. He could hear Thaiter's words in the back of his head and thought yes he probably was aiming too high as far as Miss Rowles went.

"Yeah, Da."

"You want somethin' ta eat, lad?"

Covey beamed and nodded. Lucan took him by the hand and led him to the table where food was laid out. Covey picked up a piece of cake.

"What about something that's good for ya instead."

Covey frowned. "But it's a party, Da."

Lucan chuckled and ruffled his hair. He squatted down in front of him with an egg sandwich in his hand. "Eat this first, then the cake."

"But I'm not hungry," Covey scowled.

Lucan laughed again. "If ya not hungry then you mustn't really want the cake." Covey grinned as Lucan poked him in the ribs and said, "I was a lad once ya know and I remember all the tricks, now eat the sandwich."

Covey took the sandwich and bit into it.

"That's a good lad." Lucan smiled and stood up to see Sarah Brown standing nearby watching him.

"Is this your boy too?"

"Yeah. This is me eldest, Covey. Miss Rowles teaches him at school."

"Yes...Lillian did say." She looked down at Covey. "Oh my, he is a handsome boy and looks just like you."

Lucan rubbed his mouth, embarrassed by her back handed compliment.

"Would you dance with me, Mister Hayes?"

Lucan glanced at the dance floor and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Brown, but I'd be stamping on ya toes if I danced with you."

She smiled. "So, it's not that you wouldn't want to dance with me it's just you don't know how?"

"Never had a reason to learn," Lucan chuckled as he spoke.

"Would you walk with me instead?" Sarah pointed and added, "Around the field. I feel I need some exercise."

Lucan was surprised by her request and looked down at Covey to find he had gone back to where Lillian was entertaining the group of children.

Sarah smirked. "You're not going to tell me you never learnt to walk are you?"

Lucan couldn't help but laugh. "I was just checking on me lad."

Following his gaze, Sarah slipped her arm through his. "He's happily occupied," she said as she tugged on his arm. "So where are you from, Mister Hayes? Your accent isn't quite clear to me."

Looking down at her, Lucan wondered what she was up to. He thought if she was going to offer more than a walk, he wouldn't say no. "I was born in Ireland but lived the last six years in Scotland."

"Ah...that explains the mix."

He grinned. "And what about you, Miss Brown?"

"I was born in Melbourne. I went to boarding school with Lillian."

"Are you a teacher too?" Lucan queried.

Sarah tittered. "Fortunately, I'm not. I have a wealthy father so don't need to work like Lillian has to."

Lucan's mind rang with alarm bells. This one was way out of his league. "So you don't live here in Irvinebank?"

Sarah gasped and clutched her throat. "Oh, my goodness no. I've come to visit Lillian. We're very good friends."

They were at the other end of the field and some distance from the crowd when Sarah stopped walking and turned to face him. She put her hand on his chest. "Lillian says your wife is dead."

Lucan frowned, not sure he liked where the conversation or her actions were going. He felt uncomfortable with the fact that these two women had been talking about him. "Yes," he said trying to hold back any emotion.

"You haven't remarried? You're a very handsome man, Mister Hayes," she swooned. "The single women in town must be lining up to get your attention."

Stepping back so her hand fell away, Lucan said, "I'm not interested in remarrying, Miss Brown."

"So just a bit of fun every now and then?" Sarah took hold of his hand and rubbed her fingers up his forearm. "You won't find that with Lillian I'm afraid but, you will find it with me," she said and looked up at him from under her eyelashes.

Lucan understood the offer. One he'd never had from a lady before. The sensation of her fingers running over his skin was doing what she intended but, something in the way she carried herself made him decline. He gently removed his arm from her hold. "I best be getting back to me lads, Miss Brown."

He threw himself down beside Thaiter and glanced in Lillian's direction. She was watching him and quickly looked towards Sarah walking back across the field alone.

Lucan searched for Covey thinking perhaps it was time he left. Covey was kicking a ball around with some other boys. He was having a lot of fun and Thaiter was in full swing with his mates. Riley climbed onto Lucan's lap, leaned against his chest, and then started to suck his thumb. Lucan sighed; going home was out of the question. He lay on the grass and rubbed Riley's back. He put one arm behind his head, closed his eyes and thought of Kat. She had been so easy to get along with. The idea of another wife didn't grab him. He thought it best to give women a wide berth. He'd never been much good at knowing what they wanted anyway.

"Mister Hayes."

Lucan opened his eyes to see Lillian standing twisting her hands in a ball.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but could we speak for a moment."

Sitting up, Lucan searched for Covey to make sure everything was well with him. He laid the now sleeping Riley gently on the grass and stood up. Lillian walked to a more private spot so Lucan followed, curious as to why she wanted to speak to him.

She blushed as she turned to look at him and pushed a piece of loose hair behind her ear.

"I want to apologise for whatever my friend Sarah said to you earlier."

Lucan frowned but didn't answer. He wondered if she knew exactly what her friend had offered.

"It's just you looked a bit disturbed when you came back from across the field. I thought she must have offended you in some way."

Lucan still didn't answer. The truth was he didn't know how to answer.

Lillian continued, "Well if she said something to offend you, I don't want you to think, because she's my friend, that we have similar ideas. Sarah sometimes speaks without thinking."

"She didn't offend me."

"Oh." Lillian blushed. "I thought because you didn't come back together something... I'm sorry it's really none of my business."

"She asked me to dance. I was embarrassed because I can't dance so I hope I didn't offend her."

Lillian smiled and looked relieved. "Perhaps I could teach you one day."

"I don't think I'll ever have the need to learn, Miss Rowles."

She tittered. "There will always be other cricket matches and you never know you may want to impress a woman one day."

"Yes, you never know," he said and looked up to see Sarah watching them. "I best get back to me lads, Miss Rowles." Lucan thought women were confusing. He wasn't looking for another wife and thought, perhaps, Thaiter's idea of one trip into Cairns to get a yearly supply of female company wasn't a bad one.

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Photo 2 - 1896-Aug-Young-Ladies-Journal-Historical sewing