Aila put a hand on her arm and gave a reassuring squeeze, and Elle was grateful the moment seemed to have gone unnoticed by everyone else. Later, despite the protests of others not to worry about helping, Elle escaped to the kitchen, carrying a stack of plates and putting them on the counter near the sink next to Alice.

‘Oh, I’m sorry about all that. It must be a wee bit overwhelming for you, but once my sister Eunice heard you were coming for dinner, there was no stopping her. She had an appointment earlier when you arrived, so she’s a bit annoyed that I got to meet you first,’ Alice chuckled.

‘That’s all right. I’m used to big family dinners.’ Only, they weren’t usually quite that noisy. Things were more reserved around the Kinnaird table, with more discussion about current news topics and politics, and less simple jovial conversation.

‘We’re just so excited to have you here,’ Alice said, wrapping an arm around Elle’s shoulder as she walked past.

Something warm and fuzzy unfolded inside Elle’s chest at the spontaneous words, and she cleared her throat again. ‘I’m excited to be here too.’

Aila came into the kitchen carrying more plates and together they started to pack the dishwasher, working in an amiable silence.

‘You and your gran were close, I take it?’ Alice asked after a while.

Elle nodded. ‘I lived with her when I came back from Sydney.’ ‘You were flatmates? With your gran?’ Aila said with a surprised chuckle.

Elle grinned. ‘We had a great time.’

‘I can’t imagine living with Granny,’ Aila said, eyeing Elle doubtfully.

‘Elspeth’s gran was a bit younger than yours.’ Alice shrugged.

‘What did you do if you wanted to bring a fella home or something?’ Aila asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

‘Aila!’ her mother scolded.

‘What? I’m only asking.’

Elle laughed and shook her head. ‘Sadly that never really came up. Let’s just say there’s a bit of an eligible-bachelor drought in Jessup’s Creek.’

‘Oh, I hear you. We’ve got the same problem around here.’

‘Go on with you,’ Alice tutted. ‘There’re plenty of nice boys in town.’

‘What good’s a nice boy, Ma?’ Aila said drolly and winked at Elle.

‘Aila Fitzgibbon, you are not too old to get a skelp, young lady.’

‘How long are you staying, then?’ Aila asked, wisely changing the subject.

‘I’m not sure. I thought I’d play it by ear for a while and see how I go. I can always find a job if I decide to stay longer than I was expecting and run out of money.’ She grinned.

‘That’s smart.’ Aila nodded.

‘I didn’t mention that to my mum, though. She thinks sixteen days is plenty of time here.’

Aila smiled. ‘That’s smart too, I’d say.’