The 4th Lady McKenzie

SET in New Zealand's South Island.

CHAPTER 1

Iona was not quite a year old when brought to New Zealand fifty years ago by her Scottish parents Ross and Jennie MacDonald.

Ross, a keen fisherman, spent his first two years labouring on a farm on coastal Otago and working late into the night rebuilding an abandoned wrecked fishing boat, buying tools and materials as money allowed, the family surviving near the breadline. Men from his football team had helped haul the hulk off the reef and on to the beach above high water mark, a quarter of a mile from where the family was housed. Some of those friends helped on the project and donated materials.

At the end of that second year Ross put to sea with a crew of two and began to build the most successful fishing company in the southern half of the South Island. People and building suppliers who'd helped him put to sea were paid back handsomely.

Almost every year for twenty-four years the company acquired another vessel and then Ross drowned, dragged under when caught in a snagged fishing net.

Iona and her husband Gavin Phelps took over the business on behalf of her ailing mother. They reduced the enterprise to a 15-boat fleet. MacDonald Fisheries prospered and just four months ago Gavin died suddenly from a clot. Iona, two months short of turning fifty, sold the business. She gave substantial cheques to her two children and retired to a huge house she'd purchased.

Two days ago Iona's son visited, anxious for Iona to take back her life.

"Mum, if you don't budge from this dilapidated dwelling I'll attempt to have the authorities order it demolished."

"Don't you dare talk to me like that Grant. Now get out of here."

Grant, a medical student, left angrily but came back sheepishly when his mother yelled, "Shut the door Grant."

Senior law student Fiona visited her mother next day and used quite a different approach. "Mum, I don't like you being shut up in this dark and dank house. If you could live somewhere else near here what would be your choice?"

"MacDonald Farm. But that's a problem because it's now part of Kincaid Station."

"I'll see what I can do."

"I'm not spending money on any purchase of land."

Fiona smiled confidently and said she understood. After making afternoon tea for her mother and clearing away she left wondering had that been a waste of time.

But no. She waited a week to get an appointment with Sir Alec McKenzie, a prominent businessman and owner of six cattle stations collectively running 163,000 head of stock.

"You're well dressed and too pretty to be a university student," Sir Alec smiled. "So you're here to solicit money for a damn university research project?"

"I've dressed to impress and I'm here to ask you to house my mother."

Taken aback he scowled, "Are you out of your mind?"

"My mother is Iona Phelps now reverted to Iona MacDonald. You and she had an affair when I was at high school."

"Get up and close the door."

"Yes sir."

"And don't be so bloody subservient."

"And up yours."

Fiona caught the grin on the florid craggy face and heard him say, "That's the caper. You are awfully like your mother, the Mark 2 version of course. Of all the affairs I've had your mother was the best."

"What were the other instances with men or sheep?"

"Now look here young lady..."

"You'll do what?" the auburn Fiona said, rising and her cheeks flaming.

"God you are like your mother. Sit down and behave. Um, please sit Fiona. Good. I hear she's become a recluse since your father's unfortunate death."

"You knew my father?"

"Dunedin and its shores are not all that large. One of my companies did all the maintenance of the MacDonald Fisheries fleet."

Looking around the spartan office, Fiona asked, "Did you lose the business when mum sold?"

"Do I look stupid?"

"You are tempting me Sir Alec."

He grinned. "Craig is coming home soon. He's had two years working on his grandparent's estate in the north of Scotland and is buying bulls in Scotland and England and bringing them home to supplement our breeding lines. I must introduce him to you."

"If he's anything like you, no thanks."

Sir Alec grinned. "He's like his mother."

Fiona burbled, "Ohmigod, couth, good looking and educated. Make sure you introduce him."

"Yes," smiled the three-times widowed businessman, a little sadly. "Off you go Fiona. I have other people waiting. I shall call you."

* * *

Iona MacDonald stood at the front door of the house she grown up in, on the property her father had settled on and later had purchased and then sold years later to McKenzie Farmlands Corporation to finance the building of a deep sea trawler. It had grazed sheep but now ran cattle. Fiona handed over the key and Iona opened the door while her daughter warned, "Farm hands have been living in this house and the rear bedrooms were destroyed by fire."

"I'll have it upgraded to my satisfaction. Just look at that sea will you? Your grandfather threw me into that water repeatedly and so I learned to swim about the same time I learned to walk."

"A little later you learned to swim I should think."

"Who's telling this story Fiona?"

The house passed inspection, Iona saying she'd lived in worse.

"I gave you my shopping list. Did you get everything?"

"Yes, apart from the shotgun. Why do you want a shotgun?"

"To shoot rabbits and pheasants to eat, perhaps water fowl, and warn off undesirables like Alec McKenzie."

"It's his land."

"You negotiated my lease of this house and the five-acre paddock behind it. Where's the horse and my yearling Hereford bull?"

"No way was I going to choose for you. You can do that. Go to the corporation's show case Highlands Estate for your pick."

"No, I want them from off this land. I believe like people they feel part of the land."

"That's bollocks."

"And that's filthy language. And I'll ask again. Where's my shotgun?"

"Go to a gun shop in the city after you've secured a police permit for a gun licence. If you show you are unstable as I think you will, you'll not get a licence."

"God you are a cheeky young bitch Fiona. You must have Grant's balls."

"Stop putting him down. Grant has the perfect sensitivity to be a great doctor. Woman patients will flock to register with him."

"I bet. Have you seen what he packs?"

"Mom, that's foul."

Fiona helped her mom carry in things from the Land Rover and the boot and back seat of Fiona's car. Fiona then came in with her hunting rifle. "Here, keep this till you get your shotgun. It's rather remote out here."

"Not having your gun in your possession is a breach of your licence. You could be fined in court."

"So? The safety of my mother is of more concerned to me than a court fine."

"That charge if proven could prevent you from being admitted as a barrister of the High Court next year."

"Don't worry. I'd get my law school heads to get of their backsides and take my case to appeal on the grounds that the safety of my mother was paramount."

"Oh darling you do care for me. Take your gun back home. I'll defend myself with my axe."

"Take the gun mother and shut up. Now you follow orders. You are to eat good healthy food and go for walks each day to the beach, twice a day I should think. Continue to remember dad but also come out of mourning. I want you fit and healthy ready to become Lady McKenzie the 4th. I quite like the old bastard. He has something that substitutes for charm and it certainly worked on me."

"Darling, you are demented. Please hurry home and take a good laxative. And don't forget to visit me occasionally. You might tell Grant he's welcome. If he calls on this damn cell phone you gave me I'll know to cook dinner for him but he can bring his own wine. I'll establish a cellar when all the renovations are done."

"Renovations? The lease you signed authorizes you to make good with repairs and maintenance. Renovations will be a breach of your lease."

"Spoken like a demented lawyer darling. While driving home try to define the difference between repairs and maintenance and renovations. Please give mummy a kiss and go. You worry too much. Don't forget that laxative."

Iona waved Fiona off and sat outside on a near-collapsing bench. She looked around and held back the memories. Time for them later. She smiled and thought good girl Fiona getting her out of that crappy house and out here where she felt free. God the salt in the air was improving her already. Actually she was more isolated than in the old house. Well she had a vehicle. She could drive to the city and go to the village to occasionally buy a newspaper and read it over coffee. She might find some people who knew from childhood.

Deciding she didn't mind her parent's former farm being part of Kincaid Station, Iona wondered where the cattle were. According to the lawyer who transacted the lease there were almost 8,000 breeding cattle on the station plus bulls and younger cattle. God she'd love a whisky. Perhaps she should call Alec and tell him to come with a bottle and she'd cook him a decent meal. Oh yeah?

Iona went inside, opened more windows and began storing provisions. She took out a pack of rat bait and looked around for droppings but saw none. And then, "Ah good girl Fiona." From another box she'd pulled out a bottle of single malt.

"Fiona, I love you." She would have just the one small glass at sunset. That's when she'd think about living here and when her father threw her into the sea when she was about three. Yes Fiona, she would have been running by then.

* * *

Next morning an hour after dawn three farm hands [cowboys] were moving 110 bulls up from the far end of the station bordered by the sea on three sides. They were downwind of the old house when Bert Brown said, "I smell coffee."

"Yeah?" Clancy said. "You need a couple of nights in town buddy. Next you'll be saying you smell pussy."

Young Jim came roaring over on his farm bike, taking a wide arc behind the bulls to avoid spooking them, his dog Chum sitting on the fuel tank front feet on the handlebars. He drew up alongside Clancy. "There's someone in the house. I saw smoke from the kitchen chimney."

"Then it was coffee I smelt," Bert said. "Let's cadge some when we get up there."

A woman came out and waved to the guys.

The bulls were in a long line two to four abreast. A young bull near the front saw the woman and trotted over to her aggressively.

Clancy groaned, "Oh shit, we're too far away to get to her in time. Ever Chum can't run that fast."

The men didn't want to spook the herd but accelerated up the side of them to provide whatever assistance to the woman they could.

She remained calm as the 2-year old got near and then suddenly threw her hands above her head and screamed something. The startled 1000lb Aberdeen Angus bull took fright and veered away.

"I'll handle this," said Bert. "You two hurry on stragglers."

"Good morning ma'am."

"Oh hi, I'm Iona MacDonald. I grew up in this house."

"You mean Iona Phelps?" Bert said, taking off his Acubra [Stetson].

"You are well informed."

"Well I haven't been informed you'd shifted in."

"Well kindly inform everyone. I have leased this property from Sir Alec an old friend of mine, if you can call it friendship. You and the boys come in for coffee. I've not long taken scones from the oven. Wood is scarce as hen's teeth around here."

"There's driftwood on the beach."

"Oh yes, of course."

When the men were sitting down to coffee and hot buttered scones Young Jim asked, "What on earth did you shout at that bull. It scared him."

"What anyone would do. I yelled "Get the fuck out of here?"

The table shook as the guys laughed.

"Take a look at this Bert. My agreement says I get my choice of a horse and a young Hereford bull as part of my lease plus a borrowed saddle and bridle until I buy my own. Where do I start?"

"The Herefords are eleven miles up thataway and the horses are nine miles at the manager's house thataway. We only use horses when it rains heavily and persistently. Take a black beast walking by now."

"Hmmm. I'll take a tail ender and feed it up."

"Okay, I'll get Young Jim to cut one out for you Mrs Phelps."

"Everyone calls me Iona, understand? And I've reverted to my maiden name MacDonald."

"Yes Mrs Phelps."

"Bert!"

"I mean yes Iona. I feel obliged to show deference. You are a multi-millionaire."

"Not out here Bert. You can't spend money out here. We're all the same. May I ride behind you Jim?"

"I rather not."

"What's the dog's name?"

"Chum. But she won't go with you."

"A young Border Collie. God she has bright eyes. You're a lucky man."

Jim was won over. Hop up behind me and don't fall off when we cut out your pick. The bulls will walk straight over you."

"Not when I have you and Chum protecting me."

Clancy and Bert were outside with their coffee waiting to see if this would become a circus.

Clancy finished his coffee. That woman won't be able to make her mind up which straggler to take. We'll be here all day.

Bert scratched his backside. "She's Iona MacDonald. She'll know which beast she wants before they reach the tail end."

"Bullshit, she's not wearing glasses and she'll have the wind-up riding that close to cattle."

Clancy was told Iona looked barely fifty and would only wear glasses to read

They watched Jim send Chum in to cut out a big-boned skinny bull.

Jim dismounted with his stock whip and Iona started off on the bike.

"Christ, she can actually ride it. She's pretty good."

Bert commented, "She would have ridden converted road bikes in the old days, not these fancy purpose-built machines we ride."

Iona roared up to them and said, "It needs worming. Do you have drench?"

"Yeah I have," said Bert "But no way we can dose it here. There's no pen and we have no ropes to bring it down."

Iona called, "Back the Land Rover out of the garage please Clancy," She rode back and helped Chum steer the bull towards the garage.

"Get it into the garage," she yelled. "Then drive the vehicle in holding the doors open and pin the steer to the wall with the bumper bars. Take care."

It was good thinking. The alarmed bull had no way out with the vehicle doors out almost to the walls of the garage. Gradually it was pinned sideways against the wall. The boys grabbed its head and Bert injected the combo drench down its throat to kill a wide range of parasites.

Tipping back his hat he said, "Well I'll be jiggered. Who else but a woman could have figured out that manoeuvre?"

"Thanks Bert. You boys better get on your way to avoid getting the manager's boot up your ass. Back out quietly Clancy. I want the bull through this gate beside the garage. My horse needs to go there as well."

"That's a five acre paddock. You'll never catch a horse in there until you tame it."

"True, I need a dog as well," Iona said looking at Chum.

"No, not Chum Mrs Phelps."

"It's Iona Jim."

"Please not Chum. She's young and is into advanced training."

Bert rubbed his chin. "You come up to the manager's house at 3:00 today Iona. He needs to know you are on the station. You can pick out a horse and I'll trailer it back for you. I have an older dog, semi-retired call Mace. You can have him. The old cuss will like nothing better than to round up a horse and follow as you ride to the beach. I'll bring a sack of dog biscuits."

"Oh that's lovely of you Bert. You are invited to stay for dinner in that case, but not to stay the night if you get what I mean."

The boys grinned and the other two looked at Bert enviously.

"Oh dammit, you other two deserve a good dinner as well. It was a team effort. I'll talk to the manager. Who is he?"

"Allan Cosgrove?"

"What Merv Cosgrove's son?"

Bert said yes.

"You'll be authorized to finish early boys and come here for dinner. Allan and I grew up to together. I believe I was his first... well that's a story to be left lost in the mists of time."

"Allan and his wife Midge..."

"Oh god, Midge Henderson?"

Bert nodded looking sad. Clancy said Allan and Midge would want Iona to stay there for dinner.\

"No way Clancy. Not tonight; tomorrow night maybe. You boys deserve good tucker. Perhaps you can throw some cut firewood into the back of the ute Bert?"

"It's already in my mind Iona. It's really great having you on the station."

Iona waved them off and then went over to look at her bull. It really did look unwell. She decided to drive into the village and pick up a small drum of molasses. Before leaving she called Midge who sounded very excited. "We knew you were coming but were given no date. Come for dinner tonight?"

"Sorry what about tomorrow? I have guests tonight... some guys handy to know."

"Our guys bringing the bulls back for weighing?"

"Yeah."

"Allan is at the other end of the property. Come for lunch and we can knock over a bottle of wine."

"Good thinking. I'm going into the village to open accounts at the general store and the veterinary clinic."

"Use our account at the vet's clinic. I'll phone though to authorize that now. Your bull and horse remain station property won't they?"

"Yes."

"Well then we pay."

"Thank you Midge. God it will be great seeing you and Allan again."

"Can't wait. I'll get the horses in for you to make your pick. Allan will be grumpy if you pick his favourites."

"Tough."

Midge laughed. "God you haven't been changed by all that money. Hurry over."

CHAPTER 2

A young university law lecturer Hammond Hay pulled out of Fiona and sighed. "That was good."

"Well after last night I didn't think you'd be ready to bang again this morning."

"It's what you wanted wasn't it?"

"Yes."

He grinned and said well what else could she expect. Guys were prepared to do a lot for their women and their country.

They cleaned up and he said, "My mom's off to Melbourne to shop today. Fancy going to Australia for two days to shop."

"She's probably bored."

"Does your mother love shopping?"

"No, she hates it except buying things she really needs. Last night she spent her first night alone on a remote farm, in the homestead or what's left of it where she grew up."

"Jesus. She must have been scared shitless knowing she was far from civilisation?"

"No she would have loved it, hearing the sound of the surf and listening for the tiny patter of rat's feet."

"Jesus!"

"Are you a divinity graduate Hammond?"

He turned to deny it and caught the smile. "Everyone calls you a tough bitch whose good looking apart from her fucking red hair and who is really great at teasing."

"Everyone?"

"Paul Frost actually."

"Oh yeah. His girlfriend found out he'd slept with me so would have booted his ass. Disgruntled lovers are unlikely to say good things about you."

"I reckon he's pretty accurate."

"Is that so. Well you can fuck off Hammond."

"Jesus Fiona, don't be so cruel. I'm sorry and I actually like your hair. I'd like to live with you for a while Fiona. You're a great fuck."

"Oh am I darling? Come here."

During a break between lectures Fiona called her mother.

"Oh hello darling. Am I using this phone correctly?"

"You must be. I can hear you. Are you living it up great?"

"Is that good grammar?"

"Kindly answer the question."

"I had a great night and have already met some farm hands."

"And are you back into you know what?"

The call was cut.

Fiona called her mother back who answered sharply, "What?"

"What are you doing?"

"I've been to the village to pick up some things and now am going to the home of the station manager to lunch with his wife Midge Cosgrove."

"You mean Miss Henderson. Oh great. She's lively and around your age. She taught me at primary school, my favourite teacher?"

"And you think I'd forgotten that?"