The only other anomaly was also in his family line. He didn’t use the purple pen, just the plain black to mark in the name of the baby, Gregory, born after him, but who’d died.

Dressed in clothes James had never seen her wear before, and sporting a fresh hairdo, Mum sailed into Deloraine’s kitchen, late, for afternoon tea, arms full of so many presents that Aunty Doris wasn’t able to serve scones and tea at the same time as all the unwrapping.

The main source of interest was Leanne’s bridal gown, which Mum pulled through the tissue paper of its expensive-looking lidded box, just as Tony emerged wanting to see what all the noise was about.

‘Out!’ Mum told him, laughing. ‘I’ll tell you when it’s safe. Bad luck for you to see any of this.’

Tony grinned and backed off. Mum winked at Aunty Doris and checked to see James and Yvonne’s reaction to the books they’d unwrapped, before she realised Alan was nowhere to be seen.

But Aunty Doris was ready for her. ‘He’s over at The Mulgas, and he’s in one piece,’ she said. ‘Daniel wants me to drop Jamie home later.’

‘He’ll find some way to make that all my fault,’ Mum said.

His aunt ignored it. ‘All these things,’ she said, raising her hands because she simply didn’t know where to put the flowers and chocolates that filled the kitchen surfaces.

‘I’ll help,’ Mum said, cornering her sister-in-law into an awkward embrace by the chest freezer. ‘I love that colour on you, by the way.’

Aunty Doris patted down the front of her orange blouse and reached for her apron to cover it. James felt unexpectedly proud of his mother in that moment, sporting new pants, the type with the denim dart at the back of the waist, and a smart, white halter-neck top. She’d already ditched her bright sports shoes by the door, where they were a refreshing sight against all the work boots. Everything about her expressed what he wanted to say about how much they’d moved on since they’d left Kippen.

‘Come out and have a drink with us, Bill. You’re not still working, are you?’ Mum said at the gap of the office door, running a finger around one of her new earrings.

‘Father’s getting ready to burn off, over by The Mulgas,’ Aunty Doris said, as though that was a good excuse for his hiding. ‘Conditions need to be just right.’

‘Daniel still not doing anything with the land?’ Mum asked, dropping her voice.

‘I don’t know what his plans are,’ Aunty Doris said, then, in an even lower tone: ‘Apparently, she hasn’t stayed over there yet,’ before the women closed ranks closer to the hallway.