‘Damn! I can hear water dripping,’ Ben said suddenly.

‘You must have excellent hearing.’

‘Yes. I do. But I’ll have to get up and put a bucket under the leak.’

He had to get up twice more, as well.

‘Repairing that roof is going to be my first priority,’ he said when he came back to bed.

On the Monday morning she woke first, to lie staring at him, apprehension whispering inside her. It was time to return to Perth. Time for the businessman to re-emerge. Time to face Cynthia again. And she was, Megan admitted to herself, terrified of losing the fragile rapport she was building with her husband.

Ben woke and smiled at her sleepily. ‘Let’s stay here.’

‘I wish we could.’

‘So do I. But we’ll come back soon.’

He kept up a light banter as he drove them north towards Perth, but Megan could feel herself growing gradually quieter.

She was dreading meeting Cynthia again, even if this was just going to be a brief encounter as Ben and Nick finalised their mutual business arrangements.

Most of all, she was dreading losing this feeling of closeness to her husband.

Chapter 11

Returning to Perth was like returning to prison after the open freedom of the countryside. Megan could feel herself getting edgy within minutes of hitting the city traffic and she noticed that Ben had lost his relaxed air.

‘We could go and look at cars before we go back to the hotel,’ he said as they approached the city centre. ‘Not too tired, are you?’

‘No, of course not.’

They examined dozens of vehicles and eventually they, or rather Ben, chose two, a dark blue four-wheel drive vehicle for him and a white station wagon for her.

Just like that, she thought in amazement as they drove to the hotel. Buy two new cars as if they were grocery items. She could remember how hard she’d had to save for her first and only car.

I’ll never let myself get blasé about such things, she vowed. Never. Nor will I waste money, just because I can afford to.

An urgent message from Cynthia was waiting for them at the hotel. As Megan watched Ben read it, his expression grew grim and her instincts told her it would take him away from her. She was right.

‘Nick’s in hospital,’ he said curtly, in answer to her questioning look. ‘I’ll have to go and see him.’

‘Has he had another heart attack?’

‘Cynthia doesn’t say, exactly.’

‘Do you want me to come with you?’

‘No. I’d rather see how ill he is first. He’ll talk more freely if it’s just me.’ Almost as an afterthought, he added, ‘Will you be all right?’

‘Of course I will. Don’t worry about me. I’ll unpack and start on the shopping list for the house.’