Moonflower Bay

By Dawn Harding

The moonflower blooms only at night.

Moonflower Bay is under threat by foreign developers. Tamsen Greenwood teams up with lawyer Beech Hamilton to stop the development. They succeed and, in the process, fall in love.

Moonflower Bay is a topical environmental love story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dawn Harding
• Release date: Oct 10, 2010

Book preview

Moonflower Bay

Dawn Harding

Copyright 2010 Sage Tutorial Systems Pty Ltd

Smashwords Edition

Chapter 1

The building was dark and threatening. It was in a threatening neighbourhood, one where Tamsen Greenwood would not ordinarily go. Even the late afternoon Sydney sky was dark and threatening, the air heavy with the approaching thunderstorm.

Tamsen wished that she could go home, but instead she paid the taxi driver and turned to walk into the building. She took one look at the lift and decided it would be safer to use the stairs. The office that she was looking for was on the second floor at the back of the building. The hallways were dimly lit, but surprisingly clean, and she soon found the door marked Beech Hamilton, Solicitor.

The door had a sign saying please enter and so she did. There was no one in the room. It was a small reception area with a desk for a secretary, but no secretary in sight. There was a row of brown filing cabinets on her right and a floor-to-ceiling bookcase which was filled with law books and journals. The office was poorly lit. The overhead lights were not on, and the only light came through the translucent glass at the back of the room.

There was obviously another small office on the other side of that glass. Tamsen, noticing that the door to the inner office was ajar, called out nervously, ’Is anybody here?’

She heard the sound of a chair rolling back from a desk, the sound unusually harsh on the uncarpeted floor. ’Hello, hello. Just a moment and I will be with you.’ The voice that Tamsen heard was deep and rich, a voice that sounded confident but not unkind.

She stood uncertainly for what seemed to her to be several minutes, although it could not have been more than a few seconds. She saw a shadow of a man moving on the other side of the glass partition, approaching the half-open door. He opened the door and stood silhouetted by the light from the external window behind him. Tamsen could not make out any features of the man, but could see that he was tall, at least six feet she would guess.

The man switched on the reception room lights and reached out his hand to introduce himself.

’Hello. I am Beech Hamilton. I am sorry that the secretary is gone. We were just closing up. How can I help you?’

Mr Beech Hamilton was so different from what Tamsen had been expecting that she was struck speechless. Not the radical maverick look that Mr Blayne, her employer, had described. He was strikingly handsome with dark well-cut hair. He was wearing a white cotton business shirt, beautifully tailored, and a pair of summer slacks.

The effect on Tamsen left her with feelings that were strange and disconcerting. His brown eyes seemed to look into her innermost thoughts, and his mouth seemed to her the most sensuous that she had ever seen. She blushed deeply at the effect that his physical presence was having on her.

The man, noticing her confusion, said ’Please sit down.’ He pulled a chair from the secretary’s desk and offered it to Tamsen. Feeling foolish, she sat down and, trying to cover for her embarrassment, said ’Thank you. It must be the heat of the day.’ The amusement in his eyes showed that he did not entirely accept this explanation, but he said nothing to cause her further discomfort.

Tamsen recovered enough to focus on the reason for her being there, although she now felt regret at being the bearer of what must be unpleasant news for Beech Hamilton.

’I am Tamsen Greenwood, Hugh Tyler Blayne’s personal assistant. He asked that I hand deliver some papers to you.’

At the mention of Blayne’s name, Hamilton’s mouth tightened ever so slightly, and he seemed to withdraw from her. She could sense his negative feeling immediately and wanted to reach out to reassure him, not understanding what made her react in such a personal way.

As Hamilton looked at the papers, Tamsen thought back over the events of the day that had brought her to this office. The day had begun ordinarily enough. She had rushed from her Tamarama flat, glancing at her watch as she hurried out the door. With only four minutes to scurry up the hill to catch the 378 Bronte bus to the station, she didn’t even have time to gaze back at her beloved coastline.

As usual, Tamsen stepped on the city train at Bondi Junction and, after finding a seat, began to make a mental list of the day ahead. She sometimes felt that she was the only person on the train who was looking forward to going to work on a lovely sunny Sydney morning. She was the personal executive assistant to the senior partner of Macmillan, Blayne and Duncan, one of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in Australia.

The morning air felt cool on her skin as she left the station at Martin Place. Her emerald green linen dress was still stylish even in its second year, and she was pleased that she had the good sense to buy quality clothing even at the expense of having fewer outfits. She was aware of the occasional appreciative glance from young men also hurrying to their offices in the financial district.

She stopped by her favourite shop for her regular fresh fruit salad. She loved the combination of colourful melons, pineapple and other fruits that was so popular in the summer season.

’Gidday, Tamsen. The usual?’ said Dominic, the owner of the shop.

’Yes, thanks Dominic, and maybe a cappuccino this morning for a special treat!’ replied Tamsen.

’You wanna fresh scone this morning? Gina, the wife she just baked them’

’No, no Dominic. Don’t tempt me! I have had breakfast and that should see me through until I enjoy your salad at midday. I’ll see you again tomorrow,’ said Tamsen as she gathered her salad and coffee and hurried on her way.

The offices of Macmillan, Blayne and Duncan were located in the heart of the financial district, but the building was not one of the newer glass and steel boxes that dominated the Sydney skyline. Tamsen loved the older style buildings that were dotted here and there, almost hidden by the towers that surrounded them.

The Blayne building, named after the grandfather of Tamsen’s employer, was solidly built of sandstone and brick. The windows and doors were outlined in cream-coloured paint, and the highly polished brass plaque showed that the building was one of the few of its age remaining in the Central Business District of Sydney. Tamsen knew that there were plans to redecorate the interior, but it was unthinkable that the outside of the building would yield to the modern designs that surrounded it.

She entered the building through the revolving door and pressed the button for the lift to the top floor. Waiting for the lift, she admired the polished granite floor and the old-fashioned overhead chandelier that graced the high ceilinged foyer. Pre-occupied, she was unaware that the lift door had opened until she heard a familiar voice call out.

’Tamsen, time to wake up!’

’Oh! Good morning Rex. How are you? I must have been daydreaming,’ she said as she entered the lift.

’You can daydream with me anytime.’

’Oh Rex. Don’t you ever give up?’

’No! Never! Not with you, Tamsen.’ said Rex.

Tamsen liked Rex Blayne, but not in the way that Rex would have liked. She knew that many girls would consider Rex to be quite a catch. He was the nephew and heir apparent of her boss, Hugh Tyler Blayne. He was already a partner in the firm, and although some people thought that it was because of his relationship with his uncle Hugh, Tamsen believed that he was talented and had achieved the position through his own efforts.

Rex was pleasant, and she enjoyed going out with him and his friends. She loved the sailing, the tennis and the occasional party, but she could never think of him as anything but a friend. She couldn’t quite say why. She thought that he was handsome enough with an athletic build and dark blond hair that seemed lighter because of his deep tan.

Although he did all of the right things, she found him to be superficial. For example, it always annoyed her that Rex drove his expensive convertible into the city and parked in the limited car park reserved for senior members of the firm. She acknowledged that her annoyance was unreasonable, but with his inner city bachelor apartment Rex could have just as easily walked to the office. There was enough traffic congestion in the city without Rex adding to it for no good reason. It seemed characteristic of the man, and Tamsen was always aware of it when she met Rex in the lift as it stopped at ground level on its way up from the lower parking lot..

The lift stopped at the 9th floor, and Rex got out. He said ’Thanks for the ride, Tamsen. See you later.’ Tamsen waited while the doors closed and the lift ascended to the 10th floor.

She hurried to her desk to sort out the major priorities of the day before Mr Blayne arrived and her day started in earnest. There were the usual documents that required the signature of the senior partner, but these were routine and would probably be signed by him without a careful reading. It was part of her job to see that these papers were in good order before they ever reached his desk.

She sorted Mr Blayne’s personal mail for the day. It was the usual collection of invitations, credit card bills, and advertisements. There was also a letter from the country club reminding him of his annual dues and a personal letter from a large charitable organisation thanking him for his assistance in the recent fund raising campaign. She found an oversized envelope from MBD Ltd at the bottom of the pile that was marked personal and confidential. She set it aside for his personal attention. ’Probably a new client.’ she said to herself.

She had just finished the last of her cappuccino when Hugh Tyler Blayne arrived.

’Good morning, Tamsen. Lovely morning isn’t it? Almost too nice to be inside. Which reminds me, is it possible to cancel my last appointment this afternoon? We are entertaining overseas guests on the harbour this evening.’

’Yes, Mr Blayne. I will see to it and let you know if there is any problem. Here is the mail. I have marked the items that need your personal attention immediately and there is one item that I have not opened,’ said Tamsen.

’Thank you, you are a marvel of efficiency,’ He shuffled through the mail, frowning when he came to the envelope marked ’personal’. He thought for a moment, and then said, ’I would like to see you in my office at 10 please. I need to discuss several important matters with you.’

Tamsen watched Hugh Tyler Blayne walk gracefully into his inner office and thought again what a distinguished and attractive looking man he was. In spite of his 50 plus years, he would be serious competition for most of the younger men that Tamsen knew. His thick silver grey hair, piercing blue eyes and suntanned skin set off his athletic six feet. He and his beautiful wife, Sybil, to whom he had been married for more than 30 years, made a very attractive couple. They seemed to have led a charmed life except for the fact that they had never been blessed with any children, a sorrow for both of them. No wonder their only nephew, Rex, was treated as the longed-for child they never had.

For the next hour or so Tamsen dealt with the paper that seemed to be everywhere in a law office. There were faxes to send to their associates in other capital cities and papers that needed attention before filing in court later that morning. She rearranged Mr Blayne’s schedule so that he could be away early in the afternoon. She was surprised to find that 10 came around so quickly.

After a quick rap on the door, she entered the inner office. Tamsen loved this room with its air of old world charm. From the slightly worn Persian carpets to the beautiful old Hepplewhite desk that had been in the Blayne family for years, the room seemed to exude an air of confidence and security. Small wonder that so many favourable business deals had been closed in this room.

’Come in, Tamsen, and sit down over here where it’s comfortable,’ said Hugh Blayne, indicating the massive old leather couch along one side of the room. ’I want to fill you in on a development plan that we are involved with.’

’There is a small place known as Moonflower Bay, about four or five hours drive up the coast,’ he continued. ’At present the area is undeveloped and is used as a picnic spot by the local community.’

’It sounds like a beautiful place,’ said Tamsen. ’Why do we want to develop it? Won’t a development destroy the Bay and the use that the locals make of it’

Hugh Blayne thought for a moment before getting up from his desk and walking to the window. He looked out over the crowded Sydney streets before answering.

’The development that we have in mind will not spoil the natural beauty of the Bay,’ he said. ’We are thinking of making the Bay available to the general public at low costs. We hope to show that development and civic responsibility can go hand in hand.’

Tamsen nodded, but did not reply. Although she admired and trusted Hugh Blayne, she was wary of developments of natural coastal land. She could not think of any that had succeeded in maintaining the natural beauty, even less of improving upon it.

Hugh Blayne recognised her reservations. ’We think that it is possible to build a centre which will be attractive and affordable without seriously disrupting the environment. We have been planning this for some time.’

Tamsen was surprised to hear that the plans had been in operation ’for some time’ since she was usually informed about all of the business activities of the firm. However, this was not the time to question Mr Blayne about that. She resolved to consider that problem later.

’What is causing the delay?’ asked Tamsen.

’It is not really a delay, as delays go, but we have hit a snag. One of the local residents, a retired family doctor who lives adjacent to the proposed development,