‘And that’s another thing, speaking of water.’ Sophie made a note. ‘We can’t just plunk a pump and engine on the main hole. We’ll have to run the tailpipe back into the scrub, have a discreet little shelter shed. And some way of shifting it at need. Maybe a hoist? We can’t go cutting a track into it for vehicular access.’

‘Getting it in will be the hard part,’ Luke said. ‘The weight of it, I mean, given you could bog a D4 in that ground . . .’

Tilly shook her head at Elaine. ‘Television in the lounge? Or Take Two? It’ll make more sense to you than all this.’

Friday saw Luke and Sophie back at the springs for the day, knee-deep in sketches and rough maps of the site. They needed to get something on paper for head office in order to have proper plans drawn up for the builders to follow, Sophie said. Tilly volunteered for camp duties, delegating Elaine to feed Harry while she loaded the day’s supply of wood.

Her mother eyed the eager bird with some trepidation. ‘He’s awfully big. Why’s he opening his wings like that? He’s not going to attack me, is he?’

‘Of course not! He’s just impatient for his breakfast. Chuck him some meat and he’ll settle down. He couldn’t attack a beetle with that beak, and that’s the trouble. It’s why we have to feed him.’

‘If you say so.’ Elaine, sounding unconvinced, obeyed and then gasped in admiration as the brolga adroitly caught and swallowed the double offering. ‘He’s so quick!’

‘Well, he has to get it from the air because he can’t pick it up. Throw it one bit at a time.’

‘Oh.’ Pity captured Elaine, instantly changing her caution into partisanship. ‘You poor thing,’ she cried. ‘Here, have another. You’re really quite a handsome fellow, aren’t you?’

Grinning to herself, for she’d banked on the change, Tilly called, ‘Right, I’m running way late, Mum, so I’m off. Nobody’s likely to come, but if they do, just get them to sign in and pay – you know the rate. I’ll be back in an hour or so.’

The camp was astir by the time she arrived, and she’d barely started unloading before Connor was there, heaving the firewood off for her.

‘Thanks. How are things? Any developments?’

‘You look happy,’ he commented. ‘Did your mum get here?’

‘Yes, on Wednesday. She’s got eight days all up so if you’re around, you’ll get to meet her. So, no news of villainy?’

‘Not from my end. My man at the station said there’s been vehicles using the coastal road lately. Would they be yours?’

She was surprised. ‘They shouldn’t be. Matt was going to check it today.’

‘Yes? I wonder if he’s meeting somebody.’