Heart of The Tree

Chapter 5

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Nice to hear from you, too, Vince. I’m very well; thanks for asking.”

“I’m not in the mood for games, Mia. Where are you? I need to see you.”

Mia frowned, thinking that something must have happened. Vince wasn’t normally abrupt.

“I’m in the shop. What’s this about?”

“I’ll see you in about ten minutes.”

The connection went dead. Slowly placing her phone into her pocket, Mia tried to work out what was going on. Vince had sounded angry, rather than upset or concerned. It wasn’t often that Vince got mad about something, but it had happened before. Shrugging, she dismissed it from her mind. Vince was usually pretty good with being on time, so it wouldn’t be long before she learnt what it was all about. She returned to doing the various chores required to get The Treasure Chest open for business. The tourist season was starting, which meant that the store would be open seven days a week, instead of being closed on Sundays as was the case during the low season.

Mia was gently dusting the porcelain figurines in the corner of the shop when the door was flung open.

“Mia!”

One figurine toppled over when the feather duster hit it too hard. The sound of breaking china echoed through the shop in the wake of Vince’s shout.

“Now look what you’ve made me do!” Mia’s glare at Vince was wasted because his eyes hadn’t adapted to the dim light. He was already moving cautiously through the shop in her direction.

“I don’t bloody care! You need to do something, and do it quick!”

Mia moved to the door at the back of the shop.

“Just wait here until I get something to sweep up that mess. Otherwise, someone might step on it and cut their feet.”

“Well, hurry! Matt’s getting ready to leave town.”

Mia stumbled. All thoughts of cleaning up disappeared as she spun around.

“What do you mean?”

Moving more confidently, Vince headed over to his friend. Mia could see that his fists were clenched, but she sensed that was due to a general anger, not something directed at her.

“You saw the way the girls were all over Matt last night?”

Mia nodded, not sure if it would be a good idea to say anything. She’d stayed back at the party, letting the other local girls have a chance to meet Matt. Any one of them could be the new Heart and she didn’t want to interfere. She’d already noticed that Matt had a preference for being with her and her friends, rather than mingling. She suspected he was shy around strangers and just wanted the comfort of being with people he’d already met.

“Well, this morning I took Matt back to his tent, and we found that slut Susie Young inside, stark naked. Matt decided that the girls in town are too aggressive for him, and he told me he’s going back home.”

“You have to stop him!”

Vince took the few steps required to reach his favourite place in the store. Dropping into the tractor seat, he sighed, letting his anger dissipate. He slumped forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

“I think I have. I’ve dropped him off at church, and left him in Aunt Cynthia’s hands. I then came straight here. I was too angry to talk on the phone; I had to see someone to vent my frustration on.”

“He’s going to stay?”

Vince nodded. “I suggested he stay at our place — Mum and Dad would love to have him there — but he said he didn’t want to impose. He’s leaving the caravan park and setting up camp in a spot out of town that I’ve told him about. And before you ask, no, I’m not telling you where. If we want him to stick around, we have to make sure he’s not driven away.”

Mia let that one slide. She knew Vince didn’t mean to insinuate she couldn’t be trusted.

“How did Susie know which tent was his?”

Vince looked at her like she was stupid. “Katie Hennsley probably told her.”

Mia was glad that the dim lighting prevented her blush from being obvious. Katie’s father ran the park, so naturally she’d have access to the records of which spot Matt had been allocated. Katie was a good friend of Susie.

Mia sat down on the edge of the desk. “What is it you want me to do?”

“Today, at least, I can keep Matt busy. Dad’s told me I can take the day off and show him the sights. While I’m doing that, you need to make sure everyone knows that if the girls start throwing themselves at Matt again, he’s out of here.”

Mia tapped a finger to her lips as she thought.

“The main ringleaders last night were Susie, Patricia and Angela. There are a couple of others I can think of who weren’t there last night. I’ll ring around and talk to them, and try to get them all here tonight so we can meet and agree what we’re going to do. You’re right: we can’t afford to scare Matt off.”

“Thanks, Mia,” Vince said, standing up. “I knew I could count on you. Now, where’s the phone book?”

“It’s in the drawer of the desk,” Mia replied, pointing behind her. “Why?”

“I want to look up Patricia’s number. I thought I’d take Matt out there later today.”

Mia watched as Vince pulled out the phone book and then transferred a number into his mobile phone. She waited until he was finished.

“Don’t you want to keep Matt away from anyone who might get too aggressive?” she asked. “Pat was pretty bold last night.”

Vince nodded. “Yeah, she was, but I think she’ll be better if she’s not part of a pack.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for him not to meet with any of the girls again until after we’ve talked to them?”

Vince stood and contemplated Mia for a few seconds.

“I’ve got a hunch that Patricia’s the one. Aunt Cynthia said to find someone who’s despairing of finding love. Well, Pat’s almost an outcast in town at the moment. I didn’t even recognise her until Rhys mentioned her name. She lost that baby and her boyfriend’s gone. She’s got more reason to think she won’t fall in love again than anyone else I know. Yeah, it’s a risk, but I think it’s worth it. Of course, if she’s not available today, it’s all academic.”

Straightening up, he grinned. “My grandmother was the one who introduced Aunt Cynthia to her husband. Maybe it’s my turn now. A family tradition, so to speak.”

Mia felt that was too simple, but admitted to herself it was possible. She hadn’t thought of anyone else who was a likely candidate for Heart of The Tree, and Vince did have that family history. Time would tell if he was right.

After Vince left, and after she’d cleaned up the broken china, Mia sat behind the desk to think.

Aunt Cynthia had distributed a few keys to the shop, and the young friends had started to clear a space in the storeroom. Finishing that job so they could have a meeting that night would take only a couple of hours, less with help. Mia was disturbed, though, by what Vince had said. She wondered who was a potential Heart of The Tree. Patricia Bryson was one, but were they missing others?

“Earth to Mia. Earth to Mia. Come in, Mia!”

Startled, Mia looked up to see Mark grinning at her across the desk.

“Where were you?” he asked, dropping into one of Aunt Cynthia’s special chairs. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk.

“Just thinking. Vince dropped in and told me that Matt was threatening to go back to Dubbo.”

“Good riddance! He’s trouble and we're better off without him hanging around.”

Mia glared at Mark. “He’s the one The Heart is supposed to fall in love with. I’d say anyone who tries to stop that is the one who’s trouble!”

A look of panic crossed Mark’s face. He glanced wildly around the shop, trying to avoid eye contact with Mia.

“I didn’t mean it that way. All I meant is I’m sure he’s keeping secrets. He’s not being open about what he knows. Have you noticed he’s not saying much about Gary Ross? Why’s that, if he’s such a good friend?”

“Do you blame him? He’s only just arrived in town and doesn’t know anyone here. He’s not going to tell his life story to complete strangers.”

“Sorry. Can we just drop the subject? I didn’t come in here to talk about Matt Sterling.”

“Then why did you come in here?”

Mark dropped his eyes. One hand started to idly draw patterns on the desk. “I came in to apologise for Friday night. I wanted to do it in person and when you’re alone, and this is my first chance since then,” he muttered.

Mia let the silence stretch out. She didn’t know what to think. Mark had developed a dislike for Matt soon after meeting him and she couldn’t work out why. She was hoping that if she didn’t say anything, Mark would say something more about why he was being so antagonistic.

When the silence became unbearable, Mark looked up. “I had too much to drink that night and I said some things I shouldn’t’ve said. I hope I haven’t messed things up too badly.”

“Shall we just drop the subject? I’ll forget what you said that night and you’ll stop treating Matt as if he’s the devil incarnate. Okay?”

Mark grimaced and then nodded his head.

“Good. Now, I need your help. I’m organising a meeting for tonight but we haven’t finished cleaning out the back room. Can you start on that while I make a few phone calls?”

“Sure. What’s the meeting about?” Mark asked, as he straightened and started towards the door to the back room.

“Vince told me that the girls throwing themselves at Matt last night is scaring him off. We need to make sure we handle things carefully. If we want The Tree to survive, we have to make sure we don’t run Matt out of town.”

Mark paused at the door and looked back over his shoulder. Mia could see him gnawing at his lower lip. Guessing he wanted to make a comment, she stared back, daring him to say something. She felt a small glow of victory when he turned away without speaking.

Returning to what she had been thinking about before Mark’s interruption, Mia realised whose help she needed. She picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory.

“Karen Christian.”

“Hi, Karen. It’s Mia.”

“G’day, Mia. What are you doing today?”

“I’m working at the shop. It’s the start of the tourist season, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll be glad when I’m no longer around for this time of year. Too many people around who seem to have nothing better to do but to stick their noses in where they aren’t wanted.”

Mia carefully refrained from commenting that there’d be a lot more people in Sydney, where Karen was expecting to go to university.

“Anyway, something’s come up that I need your help on.”

“What is it?”

“You know about the legend of The Heart of The Tree…”

“That crap! I told you the other night, Mia, that it’s rubbish. Trees have nothing to do with love. They can’t control or create emotions. They certainly aren’t made better by two people getting married!”

“I know, but I need your help with it, anyway. Your objection has been duly noted. Will you help me?”

Mia heard a long sigh, and smiled, as she imagined Karen’s exasperated expression.

“What is it?”

Mia almost laughed at the tone of resignation. Karen could be infuriating at times, but she didn’t have a lot of friends and she knew she couldn’t afford to alienate the ones she had. It wasn’t often that Mia asked her for help.

“I’ve been trying to work out who could be the new Heart, but I’m having trouble keeping it all straight in my mind. You’re better at this sort of thing than I am. Can you come up with a list, or something?”

“Hmm. I suppose I could work something out.”

The distant tone told Mia that Karen was already sorting through some options.

“What we’re talking about is getting a short list of candidates based on certain selection criteria. By progressively eliminating people based on failure to meet those criteria, we should be able to work it out. Of course, the basic premise is totally bogus, but I think I can help. I’ll need you to work out the parameters, though.”

“Parameters?”

“Like the ages, etc. I’m going to assume you’ll want everyone who’s married to be eliminated, for example. Is it going to be only Mourton residents, or could it be others?”

“Of course. Let’s see… I’d say she’ll be someone between sixteen and maybe twenty-eight, though probably in the eighteen to twenty-three range. She won’t have a boyfriend. I think anyone from Mourton or the surrounding district, say within less than an hour’s travel. I’ll have to think about anything else.”

“That’s enough for me to start with. I’m going to have to set up a database of people, first, which I’ll have to download from somewhere. That’s probably the hardest part. Leave it with me.”

“Thanks, Karen. When do you think you’ll have something for me?”

“Probably a day or two. It’ll take that long to set it all up. Once I’ve got the database in place, the rest will be easy.”

“That’s great! Let me know if you need anything else from me.”

Mia smiled as she hung up, feeling confident that Karen would come through and then hopefully they’d be able to work out who the new Heart was.

* * *

“Hello, Mia. I can see you’ve been busy.”

Mia looked up from the desk to see her grandmother, Vince and Matt entering the shop. All three seemed to be in a happy mood.

“Hi, Aunt Cynthia. Hi, guys. Yeah, it’s been hectic at times. A lot of people have been in, though most were just window shopping.”

“Why don’t you take the afternoon off and go out with Vince and Matt? I’ll look after things for the rest of the day.”

“Are you sure?”

Aunt Cynthia looked down her nose at her granddaughter.

“Are you questioning my ability to look after this place? I’ll have you know, young lady, that I’ve been running this place by myself for several years, now. I’m not so doddery that I need my hand held at all times.”

Mia accepted the mild rebuke and smiled. She’d spoken to, or left messages for, everyone she wanted at the meeting that night, and she’d have her mobile with her if anyone rang back. An afternoon with Vince and Matt sounded like a wonderful idea.

“Boys, will you please help this helpless old lady to her desk? I don’t think a person of my advanced age is capable of walking that far.”

Vince and Matt both laughed.

“Sure, Aunt Cynthia,” Vince said.

Matt and Vince gently took one proffered arm each and walked Cynthia to her desk, which Mia quickly vacated.

“Thank you, young sirs,” Aunt Cynthia said, giving an exaggerated sigh.

“Now, Aunt Cynthia, I thought we agreed you’ll call me Matt. Aren’t we on first name terms anymore?”

“Why, Matt, are you flirting with me?”

Mia and Vince didn’t bother trying hiding grins as the other two played their games. Mia was glad that Matt was so relaxed with her grandmother. It was an extra tie to keep him in town for as long as possible.

Matt appeared downcast, his shoulders slumping as he gave a huge sigh.

“Alas, I don’t think I have the stamina to keep up with you. I’m afraid I’m going to have to search elsewhere for my special one. You need someone with more energy than a poor, young student like me.”

Aunt Cynthia laughed. “I’m afraid those days are gone for me. I’ve had my special one, and we shared many long years together. Now, before you go off on your own search, I’ve got one last job for you to do.”

Matt swirled his right arm and gave an expansive, courtly bow. “Your wish is my command, M’Lady.”

Aunt Cynthia took the long-stemmed rose out of the vase on the desk. Mia raised her eyebrows in surprise as she guessed what Matt was going to be asked to do. That had been her job since the funeral.

“Could you please take this up and put it on Gary’s resting place?”

Matt sobered instantly. “I’d be honoured to do that for you.”

When he reached forward to take the rose, she patted him on the hand. “Thank you, Matt. Now, go and have some fun. These two will show you some of the things this town of ours has to offer.”

As the three headed to the door, another voice called out from behind them.

“Do you mind if I tag along?”

Mia looked back to see Mark standing in the doorway to the back room. He was showing a neutral expression, but she could tell he was tense. She wasn’t sure he’d keep to his promise and thought it would be better if he wasn’t around Matt, but while she was trying to work out how to say that, the issue was taken out of her hands.

“Don’t mind at all! Mark, isn’t it?” Matt said.

“That’s right. Sorry I didn’t say a lot the other night when we were introduced, but the others were sort of monopolising your attention.”

“That’s okay. To be honest, I’m happier with people like you. A guy can feel overwhelmed, sometimes. A quiet friend is good company.”

Mark gave him a hesitant smile, not sure if he was being made fun of or not.

Mia wasn’t happy. While her main grievance against Mark — his special right to call Aunt Cynthia “grandma” — was being left behind, his attitude to Matt hadn’t endeared him to her. She thought that having him along was a recipe for potential disaster.

“Matt, why don’t you go up to the cemetery by yourself? Take your time, and we’ll meet you at the coffee shop when you’ve finished. How does that sound?” Mia suggested.

Matt gave her an appreciative, if melancholy, smile. “I’ll be back soon.”

As soon as Matt left, Mia turned to Mark and placed her fists on her hips.

“I didn’t think you liked Matt. Why do you want to hang around him?”

“You told me I should be treating him better. How can I do that if I don’t see him?”

“What’s going on?” Aunt Cynthia asked as she examined the bickering pair with a stern eye.

“Look, if you don’t want me to help, then just say so. I’m trying to do my bit to keep him around,” Mark told Mia, ignoring the rest.

“Just watch what you say, mister. This is too important to play petty games.”

Mark nodded his head. “That’s for sure.”

The two stared silently at each other for a couple of seconds. Mia wasn’t convinced that Mark was on the level, but his last statement seemed to imply that he was taking things seriously.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s going on?” Aunt Cynthia asked sarcastically. “Vince has already told me about last night and this morning, but I get the impression that more’s been going on than he knows about.”

Mark stuck his hands in his jeans pockets and stared down at the floor. Mia waited a moment to see if he’d say anything. When it was obvious he wasn’t going to, she turned to her grandmother.

“Mark and I have been having a private argument about Matt. That’s all.”

Aunt Cynthia nodded her head slowly as she looked between the two of them. “I see.”

“I don’t see a problem with Mark joining us,” Vince said. “I’ve rung Pat and she’s happy to see us for an hour or two this afternoon. She also said she’ll be at the meeting you’ve organised for tonight. I was thinking of taking Matt out to the wineries after we’ve seen Pat, and then coming back for the meeting after I’ve dropped him at his tent. Does that sound fine to you guys?”

“Pat?” Mark asked.

“Vince thinks Patricia Bryson is the new Heart. He wants to take Matt out to see their place.”

Mark nodded. “He could be right. She certainly deserves to have something go her way, for a change. When do we go?”

“As soon as Matt’s back and we’ve had something to eat.”

Mark rubbed his hands together. “Sounds good to me. I’m starving!”

Mia stared at Mark, believing that he was up to something, but not knowing what. She thought he was showing too big a change of heart, too quickly. She kept her thoughts to herself, though, realising it was possible that Mark was on the level, and wanting to give him a chance.

* * *

“Hi, guys! I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.”

“Take your time, Pat. No need to rush on our behalf,” Vince called down to where Pat was grooming a horse.

“Nice looking Arab,” Matt said as he stared towards their hostess.

“Do you ride?” Mark asked him.

“Since I was a little kid, though I prefer motorbikes.”

“Same here,” Vince said. “I stopped riding horses when I turned twelve and dad got me my first real bike.”

“I’ve kept up my riding. There’s nothing like a lazy ride around the back paddocks on a warm summer’s evening. Motorbikes are fun, but horses are relaxing,” Matt said.

Vince laughed. “I couldn’t stand the flies. I was happy to give horses away.”

“Motorbikes are fun, but horse riding has its place,” Mark said. “I don’t ride often, but I always enjoy it.”

Mia was surprised. She hadn’t known that Mark could ride a horse. She’d been out enough times with Vince, Rhys, Bobby and Mark to know that all four were competent bike riders, but horse riding was something she’d never seen or heard of any of them doing.

“What about you, Mia? Do you ride?” Matt asked.

She snorted while smiling. “Who, me? On the back of an animal fifty times my size with a mind of its own? You’ve got to be joking!”

A few minutes later, Patricia came up, wiping her hands on a towel that had seen better days.

“Sorry about that. Belinda’s founded and I like to make sure she gets some attention each day.”

“No problems, Patricia,” Matt said. “Would you mind if I have a look at her? She’s a good looking mare.”

“The name’s Pat, and go ahead. She’s my favourite, and I’m afraid I’ve spoilt her a bit too much. She’s had to go on short rations, and she’s not happy about it.”

Mia and her friends let Matt and Patricia head down to the horse by themselves. Vince was smiling slightly as he watched them. Mia could tell that Vince really wanted those two to get together, and would be pleased with anything that helped the chances of that happening.

“I’m probably generalising too much, but I’d say that the way to Matt’s heart is through an animal,” Mark said, grinning.

Vince laughed. “I think you’re right. He loves animals, and he’ll need someone who loves animals just as much. If Matt goes for a rural practise like Doc Broadford’s, he’s going to be called out at all hours of the day and night. If she didn’t love animals, his wife would get jealous, real fast.”

Mia stayed quiet, but raised her eyebrows in surprise at the insight Mark and Vince had put forward, and when she turned back to watch Matt and Patricia talking and laughing near the horse, she suspected they were right. That was another piece of the puzzle they could use to help work out who was the new Heart.

She grinned wryly to herself. That was always supposing that Patricia wasn’t the one. The early signs were that she was definitely a possibility.

* * *

The meeting went well. Mia suspected that the girls’ aggressive behaviour the night before had been fueled by the alcohol. There had been a certain degree of competitiveness at the party, but with everyone sober and Matt not around, things were a lot calmer.

Susie Young made snide comments the whole time. Mia made a note to herself to exclude her from future meetings, as she only seemed to cause problems. Because of the incident that morning, Susie no longer seemed interested in being the new Heart.

Vince’s arrival near the end had the added blessing of silencing Susie. She disappeared as soon as she could, after that. Vince whispered to Mia that Matt had been relaxed and happy when he’d dropped him off. An afternoon of wine tasting probably had a lot to do with that. Mia and Mark had left the other two late in the afternoon, with the excuse of going home for dinner.

While the last of the visitors were leaving the shop, Mia had to admit to herself that Mark had been good company. Without labouring the point, he’d made a few positive comments about Patricia to Matt, to which Matt had responded favourably. Patricia certainly seemed to have attracted Matt’s attention.

Mark, Vince, Rhys and Bobby started clearing up, moving the table back to its normal place and returning the chairs to theirs, while Mia, Padma and Karen quietly discussed what the next step might be. Aunt Cynthia was in the corner, making herself a cup of tea.

Heads snapped around in surprise when they heard Vince swear.

“Fuck!”

Vince was holding the back of one of Aunt Cynthia’s special chairs. The rest of the chair was in pieces at his feet.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Cynthia, but it just fell apart on me!”

Mia stepped forward to say something soothing. Vince had the look of a small boy for whom something had gone wrong, and who thought he was about to get into trouble.

Aunt Cynthia jumped in first.

“Who was sitting in that chair?”

The surprise question, and the insistence with which it was asked, startled everyone.

“Who was it?” Aunt Cynthia repeated.

“I don’t know,” Vince replied, looking around at the others. Everyone just shook their heads.

“I’m sure it was an accident, whatever it was they did,” Rhys said, only to have the old woman wave a hand dismissively.

“I’m not worried about that. I want to know who sat in that chair!”

“Why?” Mia asked.

Aunt Cynthia’s shoulders slumped as she dropped into the only chair that hadn’t been moved.

“Because I think she’s The Heart of The Tree.”

The others all exchanged puzzled glances before they returned their attention to Aunt Cynthia.

“That chair and the others were made by Andrew from wood pruned from The Lovers’ Tree. I’ve always felt that they were filled with Andrew’s love and that’s what made them strong. Whoever sat in that one killed that love and weakened the chair until it broke. Whoever sat in it has to be the new Heart of The Tree.”

She looked up and stared at those who surrounded her. “So, who was it?”

Everyone shook their head. They didn’t know. Mia knew the chairs were all slightly different but she’d never tried to remember those differences.

“Oh, for God’s sake, people. It’s not that hard to work out,” Karen said, rolling her eyes. “There were only six of them. Between us we should be able to work out who was sitting where. Mia and I sat on one each, so who were in the other four?”

Mia smiled as Karen took charge. It only took her friend a couple of minutes of aggressive questioning before they had their list.

“So, if you believe in all this rubbish, which I don’t, then this mystical Heart will be one of these people. We can cut the list by a third immediately, as it’s not Mia or me. It has to be one of the others.”

While she doubted it was Karen, Mia didn’t discount the possibility and made a mental note of the complete list.

Karen Christian
Mia Chou
Lilly Roundtree
Patricia Bryson
Leonie Smith
Jenny Anderson

Mia was sure it wouldn’t take them long to determine which one was the new Heart of The Tree. Things were looking up.

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