“Oh, no,” she cut in. “I don’t mind you looking at them but I didn’t sketch them for an audience…to sell, I mean.” She realised in that moment she wanted him to look at her sketches and enjoy them. There had never been anyone else’s approval she’d craved as much as she did his.

“Not these perhaps, but there is money to be made. Look at how many labels there are just in the Margaret River region alone. Someone has to design them.”

“But I didn’t design your label.” She passed him his tea. “You saw a sketch and it matched an idea you had.”

“Maybe…shall we sit outside?”

She followed him through the door.

“If I had come to you with my idea for a label with a rustic farmhand image, you probably would have created something I liked.”

They settled in the old wicker chairs. The river stretched away from them, glinting in the moonlight.

“Perhaps,” she murmured. “I’m pleased your wine sold so well today. Everyone liked it.”

“It was fortunate in many ways.”

She glanced over at him but he was staring ahead towards the river and his face was in shadow from the kitchen light behind.

“Last week, I’d nearly made up my mind to leave Levallier Dell.”

He spoke so softly she had to strain to hear him.

“Why?”

He turned to look at her with a wry smile. “You may have noticed Euan and I don’t always agree.”

“You’re both dedicated to Levallier Dell.”

“We are and most of the time it works. Euan’s a traditionalist and while I like to use more modern ideas, I wouldn’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Euan is an exceptional winemaker and our wine has won many awards.”

“You’re a part of all that, aren’t you?”

“I guess so. I’m just not sure how much of a part. When we bought the Haystack Block it was to give me a chance to experiment a bit more but…I don’t know…these last couple of years, since I returned from overseas, Euan has become restless and yet more possessive of Levallier Dell. It’s almost as if he’s shutting me out. I might as well be a paid hand for all the say I get. Then, when I discovered he was planting more sauv blanc at the Haystack Block to make more traditional Levallier Dell wine I was devastated, but now…” He shrugged.

She waited for him to go on.

“I think Euan actually enjoyed himself today and he was pleased to see the Scarecrow Dry White selling so well. Maybe it was because his face was on the label.” He looked back towards the river. “Perhaps things will work out here.”

“Where would you have gone?”

“Maybe to South Australia. There’s an opportunity there I’m interested in.”