He flicked the envelope he held. ‘It wasn’t you, Adelaide.’ A muscle in his cheek twitched as he looked away. ‘I just need some time to think.’

‘And did you reach any conclusions?’

He nodded. ‘Yes, I concluded that I love this country. I love the smell of the eucalypts and the strange animals. There’s this big, hairy, pig-like animal that snuffles around my camp at night.’

Adelaide smiled. ‘A wombat. He won’t hurt you. He’s just after food.’

‘He is on a mission, for sure.’ Caleb glanced behind him, in the direction from which he had come. ‘And just down the creek, the water gets deeper. I’ve seen an animal in there. I thought it was a water rat but it has a bill, like a duck. I think it’s called a platypus. I remember seeing pictures of it at school.’

‘And when you start mining here, what will become of those animals?’

Caleb shrugged. ‘I’ve found a few grains of alluvial gold in the creek but not enough to make my fortune yet.’

Adelaide stood up and gestured at the letter. ‘I need to take an answer back.’

She knew what it said. Bowen had told her that now Geordie was out of danger, he wanted to send him down to the new hospital in Sale and he thought Caleb should go with him. Caleb could explain the situation and what had been done for Geordie better than anyone else in the town.

Adelaide watched as he read the short note, a dark lock of hair falling across his eyes. His shoulders tensed and he looked up.

‘You know what he’s asking me to do?’

‘Yes.’

‘If I’m going down to Sale, this might be a good opportunity to go looking for Hannigan. I can get the Sale coach straight through to Melbourne and there’s sure to be transport up to Creswick.’

‘You don’t know he’s in Creswick. What if he’s gone further west?’

‘I have to start somewhere.’

Adelaide’s heart sank. She had hoped Bowen’s missive might serve to bring Caleb back to Maiden’s Creek, not drive him further away. ‘What do you hope to achieve by tracking Hannigan down? He won’t have your money or your equipment.’

‘Personal satisfaction.’

‘Another excuse to run,’ Adelaide said. ‘That’s it, isn’t it, Caleb Hunt? Whenever anything or anyone gets too close to you, you run.’

He said nothing, his very silence his answer.

‘One day you will have to stop running and turn and face whatever demons are pursuing you.’

They stood looking at each other, the challenge in the silence stretching between them.

Caleb broke her gaze and looked around his encampment. ‘Tell Bowen, I need an hour or two to break camp,’ he said. ‘And it’s a good three-hour walk back into town. More with my leg.’