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‘These guys are going to talk non-stop about the weather and the condition of the cattle,’ Celia told Amy with a friendly wink. ‘Why don’t we go inside?’
Amy sniffed with delight as she caught delicious smells coming from the kitchen. ‘You’ve been baking.’
‘Scones.’ Celia laughed. ‘I knew Seth was coming.’ She glanced at the stove. ‘They won’t be ready for a few more minutes. I left it a bit late, because I’ve been busy in the studio. Would you like to see my paintings while we wait?’
For a moment, Amy thought Celia was joking. Uncertain what to expect, she followed her onto a side veranda facing north, enclosed with glass louvres to let in the light. The area was filled with easels and paint pots, and it smelled of turps. Stacked against the inner walls were Celia’s paintings.
And. They. Were. Amazing.
Bold, arresting, they completely captured every nuance of the wild beauty of the northern landscape. Amy saw scenes of the open country with straggly pandanus palms, red earth and anthills, scenes of the stockyards, of the main homestead and the gardens, glimpses of the tangled vines, the massive trees and the dark, secret magnificence of the rainforest. And views of the sea.
‘These are stunning,’ Amy murmured, full of genuine admiration. ‘I’m sure they’d fetch a fortune in Melbourne.’
Celia smiled. ‘They do.’
‘So you’ve already sold your work?’
‘Yes. I’ve sold several pieces through the Flinders Lane Gallery.’
‘Goodness.’ Amy laughed. ‘Sorry for making assumptions. You’re way ahead of me, aren’t you?’ And then she remembered. ‘My friend Rachel brought back fabulous paintings from her trip up this way.’
‘Rachel Tyler?’
‘Yes.’ Amy wondered how much Seth had revealed about her links to Rachel. Celia had shown no curiosity about the sudden arrival of a woman and small child on Serenity. Was she simply being polite?
‘Rachel was a terrific help,’ Celia said. ‘She gave me my best contact down there, and, thanks to her efforts, I made enough money through sales to take the whole family to Italy last wet season.’ She grinned. ‘Can you believe I did an art course in Florence?’
‘How fabulous.’
‘I painted to my heart’s content, while Barney and the kids ate pizza and gelato and explored the sights. They had a ball.’ Abruptly, Celia’s smile faded. ‘I was so shocked to hear that Rachel died. I couldn’t believe it.’
Amy nodded sadly.
‘She seemed so happy when she was here,’ Celia said. ‘She should have stayed.’ She shot Amy a rueful smile. ‘A car accident. Just goes to show, those cities are dangerous places.’
‘They certainly can be.’
Amy almost asked Celia if she was happy living here in a place that had apparently frightened Rachel and would terrify most city women. But she’d already seen the way the other woman’s eyes had glowed when she’d exchanged smiles with her husband, and she was sure she knew the answer without asking.
Morning tea was served on the veranda—strongly brewed and accompanied by Celia’s scones with blackberry jam and cream.
‘Ah.’ Seth beamed a blissful smile as he swallowed the last mouthful of his second scone. ‘Ming’s a genius with a wok, but when it comes to scones he can’t hold a candle to Celia.’
Amy bit her tongue before she made a hopeless fool of herself by announcing that she baked quite decent scones, too.
When it was time to say goodbye, Bella cried because she didn’t want to be parted from her new friends and Seth took her for a ride on his shoulders to calm her down.
Celia hugged Amy and said how much she’d enjoyed her company. Amy was equally enthusiastic, but when she glanced Seth’s way she saw the flare of dismay in his eyes and the sudden tight set of his mouth—and her spirits sank.
It was clear she’d done something to displease him, and she was terribly afraid he was upset because he’d kissed her. Again.
Big fat drops of rain began to fall as they drove back to the homestead. Amy caught the cindery smell of dampening earth, and wound up her window as the heavy drops splattered the dusty vehicle.
In no time the rain was torrential. Amy had never seen such heavy rain and she had to shout to be heard—and she also had to accept that it was not a good time to tackle Seth about his brooding tension and grimness.
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