CHAPTER THREE

      THE next day Jack had meetings in Armidale after the morning round and wouldn’t be back until late. The day was uneventful for Eliza and she felt unsettled after the shift had finished. So much so that she decided to go for a drive.

      Eliza glanced down at the directions Mary had pressed on her and judged she was nearly there. The powerful vehicle purred along the dirt road and hugged the uneven surface with ease.

      The Mustang was almost forty years old and a classic. With the top down she could blow all her worries into tomorrow. She loved this car. It had been her father’s pride and joy and she’d taken it to Sydney with her when she’d moved there.

      She refused to think about Jack Dancer because she’d spent the last hour beating herself up over wondering if he’d make it for the last round after all. He had.

      She wasn’t sure if visiting Mary was the most sensible thing to do if she wanted to stay immune to involvement in this town. Though Mary seemed to be one of the few people who wasn’t related to Dr Jack. And Eliza had promised an update of her first few days.

      The Mustang pulled up outside the McGuiness property and Mary was at the door before Eliza could walk halfway to the front steps.

      Mary’s smile was almost as big as her pregnant tummy. ‘How are you? Is everything going smoothly? How are you coping with Jack?’

      Eliza stood there, felt her face freeze and wished she hadn’t come. And the worst thing was, Mary picked it up immediately. Her grin faltered. ‘I’m sorry, Eliza. Come in and I promise I won’t ask about anything else. I was just so excited about getting a visitor.’

      Eliza had to smile. ‘So you’ve had thirty-six hours of maternity leave and already you’re feeling socially isolated?’

      ‘Pathetic isn’t it?’ Mary led them into a sunny room that faced west. There was a long purple mountain range in the distance and Mary’s house perched on a rise overlooking a huge dam. Most of the sprawling garden comprised hardy native plants and birds darted in and out of the low foliage.

      ‘It’s beautiful here.’

      ‘Yes, it is. But now that I’m having a baby I wish we were closer to town.’ Mary showed her to a rose-patterned lounge suite and they both sat down.

      Eliza sank into the cushions and sighed as she felt the tension from Jack’s latest hospital round ease away into the soft upholstery.

      She looked across at Mary perched on the adjacent chair, a little forlorn-looking. ‘Can’t your husband come home earlier?’

      ‘He could but then he’d have to travel sooner after our baby is born and we want as much time as a family in the early months as we can.’

      ‘That makes sense. I think. So what are you going to do with your bundle of joy when you go back to work?’

      Mary smiled. ‘That’s what’s so special about Bellbrook. I’ll take my baby with me. The hospital isn’t really much more than a large family home and there’re always plenty of hands ready to help if I need.’ They both laughed and Eliza began to enjoy herself.

      ‘Come for a walk in the garden,’ Mary said, ‘before the sun goes down. It’s a lovely time of the evening.’

      Eliza followed Mary out onto the patio and the scent of bush roses drifted up from the path. She’d often enjoyed long walks with her father around the farm.

      Three black cockatoos took off from a gum tree and their raucous cries almost drowned Mary out as they flew away.

      Eliza said ‘Three days’ rain’ at the same time as Mary, and then laughed. ‘So you’re superstitious, too?’

      ‘Aren’t we all?’ Mary sidestepped a ladder against the wall and they both had the giggles again.

      ‘I always thought country people seem more prone to superstitions than city folk,’ Eliza mused.

      Mary looked up with interest. ‘So are you really a country girl at heart?’

      ‘My dad loved the country. I didn’t mind it.’

      ‘And your mother?’

      Eliza shrugged. ‘She left because of it. And the gossip, my dad said.’

      Mary nodded. ‘This place thrives on gossip.’

      ‘Then I supposed you heard about Carla and I being hunted out of the river by Jack?’

      Mary’s eyes twinkled. ‘I was hoping you’d mention that!’

      Eliza held up both hands and shook her head. ‘I’m innocent, I swear.’ And then she started to laugh at the memory of herself cowering in the river. ‘People even said I was naked and Jack threw me a towel.’

      ‘You mean that didn’t happen?’ Mary looked crestfallen but couldn’t hold the expression long enough for Eliza to believe she was serious. They both laughed again.

      ‘Gossip comes because a lot of people are related in small towns—even if only by marriage.’

      Eliza remembered the speed of the informants. ‘So how many people are related to Jack Dancer?’

      The question seemed to come from nowhere but it was too late for Eliza to call it back. She hoped Mary wouldn’t assume she was becoming interested in Jack because she had the feeling matchmaking was a latent facet of Mary’s personality.

       Mary shrugged. ‘Most of us are related in some way.’

      Eliza nodded and rolled her eyes. ‘So I’ve noticed. Does that mean you’re a part of Jack’s enormous family circle?’

      Mary sighed.