Free Beyond Innocence by Joanna Lloyd

duchess,” said a startled Mary Buckley, as she jumped from the window seat. “Don’ tell me we’s gonna be workin’ togevver.”
    Electra’s step faltered. “Well, not exactly, Mary er … ”
    “Mary, this is my wife, Mrs. Radcliffe,” interrupted William.
    “Gawd, yer’ll be givin’ me orders an’ all? It’s not bad enough I gots to take orders from that Chinee devil … ”
    Before Mary could continue, William had stormed across the room and spun her to face him, his voice low but clear. “I will say this only once, Mary. Mrs. Radcliffe is now mistress of this house and as far as you are concerned, her word is law. As for Shi Liang, after Mrs. Radcliffe and myself, he is the next person you will answer to and respect. If you are not prepared to do so then I’m quite happy to return you to the factory.”
    “No sir, don’ send me back there. I’ll do like yer says,” she said, scowling at Electra over her shoulder as she left.
    Good heavens, so this was where Mary was sent. And her hostility toward Electra had not changed one jot. She began to foresee that marriage might bring as many problems as she hoped it would solve. As a convict marrying a man of William’s standing, there would be innumerable obstacles from all levels of society in the colony. For the first time since she retrieved William Radcliffe’s scarf, she wondered just how high a price she would pay for her new station.
    William’s voice brought her attention back from her musings as he indicated numbers of books lining the shelves around the room. He ran his hands across the spines of plays by William Shakespeare and numerous works by Fielding, Pope, and Defoe. There were volumes on animal husbandry, especially sheep, the law, and other books with which she was unfamiliar. She stole a furtive look at William. These were the writings of great and learned men, not something she expected to find in the library of an ordinary settler, albeit a rich one. The books seemed out of place in this hard, remote outpost.
    “Do you like to read?” he asked.
    “Very much. In fact I think it’s one of the things I have missed most.” She halted her words, and moved to leave. It was easier to keep the past safely locked away. Easier to pretend she had never been anything other than what she now was.
    He waited for her to continue but she had reached the door, indicating she was ready to continue the tour.
    The house consisted of four large bedrooms and the library upstairs. Downstairs the rooms were spacious and airy, with high ceilings and wide French doors opening from every room onto the verandas. There was a large drawing room, the sitting room she had seen earlier, and a formal dining room. She caught a glimpse of silver and crystal as they passed and decided his books of account would make interesting reading. The rooms were tastefully furnished with many items appearing to have come from the East. Electra could not fault William’s taste, but was not prepared to share her opinion. She was not even sure why. Perhaps after months of every aspect of her life being open for public scrutiny, she needed to reclaim her privacy, if only in her thoughts.
    As they entered the drawing room, she gasped at the gleaming, square pianoforte dominating the corner. She hurried across the room and lifted the lid. The familiar smell of dusty cedar, mixed with the strange, animal smell of ivory, assailed her, stimulating childhood memories. Her fingers began to tinkle softly on the keys, teasing out a tune she had often played for her father.
    “Oh, do you play?” he asked.
    “Yes, I was taught as a child,” she hastily wiped away a tear. “And that upsets you?” asked William.
    She was suddenly filled with a bitter sense of injustice at his question. All these pleasures had once been part of her life. But that seemed like a lifetime ago. Did he think everything was so simple? That he could just open his doors and she would slip, unmoved, from a world of