She nodded. ‘Becky gave him a good talking-to and sent him to bed early without supper – for all the good it will do,’ she added. ‘Poor Becky, she doesn’t know which way to turn.’

Hugh was so tired he didn’t have much energy to think about anything but the lure of his bed. ‘He needs a firm hand, that’s for sure,’ he said on a sigh.

She didn’t look convinced, but said nothing as she continued to smoke her cigarette.

Hugh really wasn’t very hungry, but the pill he’d taken earlier had eased the tightness in his chest, so he ate what he could and then pushed away the plate. ‘That was lovely,’ he lied, ‘but it’s too hot to eat.’

‘I wish you’d at least think about retiring soon,’ she replied softly. ‘This is all getting too much for you.’

Hugh’s gaze slid away from her as he ran his fingers through his thinning brown hair that was now liberally sprinkled with grey. This subject had been broached before and he was in no fit state to reiterate all the old arguments. ‘This is our home, Jane,’ he said wearily. ‘We have Mum and Becky and Danny to consider. We can’t just walk away from Morgan’s Reach.’

Jane stubbed out her cigarette rather forcefully in the tin ashtray. ‘That’s all very well,’ she said flatly, ‘but your dad worked until he literally dropped dead at his desk – and I don’t want that happening to you.’

‘He was ninety years old, Jane – hardly a spring chicken.’

She shrugged this off. ‘Your mum will probably never leave this place, but Becky and Danny would have a better life away from here. And I want to retire to that house you promised me by the beach, and see a bit of the world before it’s too late.’

‘I know, I know,’ he murmured, once again regretting that rash promise he’d made all those years ago. ‘But until I can get someone willing to replace me, we aren’t going anywhere.’

‘The people out here are a special breed, Hugh. The youngsters don’t want to be tied to this sort of life – especially after coming through a war.’

Hugh thought about the conversation he’d just had with Sal about the pub. Giving advice was so much easier than taking it. ‘Ben and Jake came back, and they’ve settled down just fine,’ he said stubbornly.

‘They were born in the Outback – it’s what they know and understand,’ she retorted. Then she gave a deep sigh. ‘I don’t want to fight with you, Hugh, but you must see that you can’t go on for much longer. It’s wearing you out.’

‘It’s not as bad as it was,’ he protested wearily. ‘The Flying Doctor Service sees to the more remote stations and—’