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Mrs Blair chattered on, ‘Why, Robert will tell you, I was nearly distraught when I lost my engagement ring, when the boys were small. They had used it for a hunt the thimble game, and it was missing for years. I wouldn’t let Robert replace it. It’s not the same at all, you do understand. And where do you think it turned up? Wadded in tissue paper and thrust into a bedroom door lock. It had been so close to me all the time. One day at lunch, Cam, for no reason at all, walked over to the door and pried it loose. Oh, I can tell you we had a celebration that day.’

At last she was quiet and Robert Blair held out his hand, and enveloping Serenity’s small one in a bone- crushing grip, said warmly, ‘It’s a genuine pleasure to meet you, Miss Serenity James. I’ve been standing here watching you. You remind me of someone I knew years ago. The resemblance is uncanny. She was a beautiful girl and a very dear friend of mine. I couldn’t pay you a greater compliment than to compare you with her.’

'I’ve been wanting to meet you, too.’ Serenity’s eyes were soft and brilliant. ‘Because you’re Cam’s father and he has talked so much about you.’

He smiled with complete understanding. ‘Yes, he does go on a bit. If you’re staying in the district for a while Cam must bring you up for dinner one night.’

'I’d love that,’ Serenity said happily, but she knew that it would not happen. Straight after lunch she would talk to Hudson and then she would leave. This visit had filled in so many blanks in her life. She knew that she and Robert Blair would never discuss the past. She didn’t want to know the details. She never had, only to be assured that he had loved her mother and she had that assurance now.

‘Not just for a meal, come for the weekend,’ Mrs Blair had protested. ‘Cam, you bring her. In this all-male household I get so lonely for feminine company.’

Cam laughed, ‘I don’t think I’ll do that. While she’s at Hudson’s I do get a chance to talk to her. If I bring her home you’d monopolise the conversation.’

Everyone else had drifted off and as Serenity walked to the car her feet hardly touched the ground. Robert Blair could have come straight out and said Sarah Tarrant was her grandmother, but he hadn’t. She was so happy, so blissfully happy.

Hudson held the car door for her, ‘I must say you’ve revived remarkably well. You look as if you’ve won a million dollars.’ He strode around the car and took his seat. ‘Did you find your elusive patient?’

‘Yes, I did, that’s why I'm so happy,’ she informed him with a contented sigh.

He switched on the motor, then gave her smiling face a puzzled scrutiny. 'I listened to every word you said, and yet I must have missed something.’

‘Oh, you certainly did,’ Serenity’s laugh was full of delight. ‘And I’m not going to satisfy your curiosity. I told you it was very confidential.’

She snuggled back in her seat. Should she get him to stop on the way home and give it to him straight? He would be very angry. But at least she would have it off her conscience. And it would stop Madeline giving her the third degree over lunch. What were those words in the service which had reminded her of Madeline? ‘That they may truly and indifferently minister justice to the punishment of wickedness and vice.’ Yes, she could just see Madeline dishing out a load of indifferent justice to her if she had the opportunity.

‘Madeline is leaving for Christchurch straight after lunch, and we’ll go over the other side. Terry Goulder is coming with his scanner. Perhaps today you’ll have your ring back.’

‘I hope so.’ They were nearly home. She was glad she hadn’t talked to him. She would much rather wait until Madeline had gone. She could imagine Madeline’s delight at being proved right that Serenity may have told the truth but not the whole truth.

‘Good, there’s Tessa and Lee and the kids home. I’m glad they’re back. We’ll give them time to unpack, then call and see them. Would you like to drive round this afternoon or ride across?’

‘Oh, ride the river, any time.’ Her face lit with enthusiasm.

‘My sentiments exactly.’ He braked in front of the house. ‘Hop in and put some lunch on. Nothing fancy, lettuce salad and open a tin of meat.’

‘What would your previous housekeeper have served you for lunch?’ Serenity demanded.

‘Oh, Colonial goose, gravy, roast potatoes, and all the trimmings,’ Hudson said cheerfully.

‘She must have spoiled you terribly. You must miss her a lot.’

‘Not as much as I expected to.’ His hazel eyes sparkled with mischief.

As she unclipped her safety belt, he touched her shoulder. ‘As a favour to me, keep the peace in there, will you? I hate friction. And we’ll be on our own again in about an hour or so.’

Serenity smiled at him, ‘Okay, Boss, whatever you say.’ She was too happy to quarrel with anyone, even Madeline.

‘That’s my girl,’ he winked at her and drove towards the garage.

She walked up the path with music all around her. His girl: So what if it was only an expression, casually used. It was a nice one. And he had said they would be on their own in a couple of hours, as if the idea pleased him as much as it did her.

When she walked in she stared at the dining-room table. What a surprise! It was set to perfection; an elegant embossed table cloth with matching napkins, handsome heavy silverware, glistening crystal glasses, and a fabulous dinner set, of fine imported china. An intricate arrangement of flowers sat in the centrepiece and carefully placed about were bowls of crisp salad, tomato flowers on beds of lettuce, cucumber rings with fluted edges, beetroot, and grated cheese, also fresh celery stalks.

'I
f you want to freshen up, Serenity, lunch is almost ready.’

Serenity swivelled around to find Madeline smiling at her. She really knew how to dress. Her outfit would have graced the cover of Vogue magazine without a blush.

‘Yes, I’ll do that. The table looks fantastic. You must have worked very hard while we’ve been away.’

'I
t’s no more trouble to do things correctly than it is just to throw things together. If you know
how
to do it, of course.’

Serenity’s eyes flashed. She had offered her a genuine compliment. But Hudson had said to keep the peace, so she quietly went to her room. Freshen up indeed! Madeline had made her feel like a country clodhopper, and she had meant to. And that gleam of barely concealed triumph behind her smile, was it because of the lunch table? If so, she was rightly entitled to it. She must have really thrown herself into it.

But Serenity thought that behind the smile there was more than ordinary pleasure at up-marketing her with a meal. Her ladyship had looked too smug for good health, Serenity’s health. But she, Serenity, had spent the morning with Hudson. It would take a lot to top that.

She tidied herself and went down to the lounge to wait for Hudson. When he came up the path he was whistling
her
tune, and her mouth curved in a delighted smile.

Madeline leaned up to kiss him. ‘You sound very cheerful, Hudson. Isn’t it a glorious day? The wine is ready, if you’ll do the honours, darling. Sorry, if I was a little beastly last night, I’d had a very tough week in court. I’d like your advice on one of the cases as we have lunch.’

‘Sure, where’s the wine?’ He surveyed the table. ‘You’ve done magnificently, Madeline.’

She handed him the wine. 'I'll get the garlic bread from the oven, you do enjoy it so much. It’s good that you can appreciate the little extra effort I’ve taken. Any meal is so much more enjoyable when presented properly.'

Serenity sat quiet and thoughtful. Full marks to her ladyship, with her charming apology. Hudson was obviously pleased by it, and the attention he was receiving. Any red-blooded male would be flattered by such a display of charm and affection. These two obviously understood each other. Cam was right—they were a perfect match.

‘Come along, Serenity. Do join us, don’t feel shy,’ Madeline purred.

Serenity took her place with some misgiving.

‘Shrimp cocktail, Hudson, your favourite, and I’ve made that very
special
sauce, darling. Serenity, my dear, I didn’t mean to confuse you with the array of cutlery. You use that one. And beware of the pate. You are used to good plain fare, and I wouldn’t like to upset your digestion.’

Serenity gritted her teeth. Something was upsetting her digestion, but it wasn’t the pate. She glared across at Hudson. If he wanted peace he had better tame that tigress sitting beside him.

He met her gaze with a conspiratorial wink. ‘We’ve been to church, learning about loving our neighbour, haven’t we, Serenity?’

Somewhat mollified, Serenity accepted the wine from him. Let Madeline have her fun, she would be gone soon. Anyway she was using the wrong tactics. Men always leaned towards the underdogs in a battle.

Madeline then effectively cut Serenity out of the conversation by relating at length to Hudson her problem with a certain case that was continuing next week in court. There was no doubt that she had a fine intelligent mind, and the topic had been chosen carefully as one that would hold Hudson’s attention.

By the coffee stage, Serenity wished she could leave them to get on with it, but good manners made her sit there patiently.

Suddenly Madeline turned her attention to Serenity. ‘Now, tell me all about your wedding. When exactly are you getting married?’

‘When John gets back.’

‘You mean you haven’t got a date set?’ Her eyes widened in disbelief. ‘I thought it took ages to arrange a wedding.’

‘Not always,’ Serenity said quietly. ‘When John gets back we’ll discuss it.’

‘How romantic. What a shame you couldn't have travelled with him overseas. It would have been a great honeymoon under the tropical skies.’

‘Yes, it would have been,’ Serenity’s eyes narrowed. Madeline was pushing for some sort of victory.

‘That gorgeous dress hanging in the wardrobe. I was quite envious when I saw the designer’s name. Did you choose it yourself? It shows excellent taste, and I must congratulate you.’

Fancy her snooping through the room! At least her case was locked. She couldn’t have had much time, being fairly well occupied with this lunch. Still, keep the peace.

‘John’s mother chose the dress, I’ll pass your congratulations on.’

‘How very charming. She must be pleased to have you join the family if she helped you choose such a fabulous gown. Was she pleased with the engagement?’

Serenity scented danger. ‘Not exactly, but then John is an only child, so some allowances must be made.’

‘And your own parents. They would be pleased for you I’m sure.’

Serenity felt like a biological specimen under a microscope, and she knew now this wasn’t a casual chat. Madeline’s eyes telegraphed that she was closing in for the kill.

‘My mother is dead. Look I’d rather not talk about the wedding. It was postponed and I find it somewhat painful. . .’

Madeline rose gracefully, but her eyes glittered like an eagle about to swoop on its prey, 'I'm sure you must find it very painful. After all, there isn’t going to be a wedding, is there, Serenity? You and John are not going to be married. He has broken off his engagement to you and to get out of your reach was forced to travel overseas. And you’re not entitled to the ring that you’ve so carelessly lost. You kept it even after the family asked for it back. You're no better than a thief.’

‘That’s not true . . .’ Serenity was also on her feet, her face pale under the attack.

‘Nothing’s true, is it, Serenity? You aren’t an orphan. Your father is some drunkard who gatecrashed . . .’

‘Stop it, stop it. You’re twisting everything about.’

‘You wouldn’t know the truth if you fell over it. You have come here under false pretences. You have fed Hudson an orchestrated litany of lies, to coin Judge Mahon’s words, and he, more fool, believed you.’

‘I did not tell him one single lie,’ Serenity protested. ‘Where did you get all this garbage?’

'I'll tell you. The truth will out, Serenity. It just dropped into my lap, or ear rather. A jeweller from up North rang just after you’d left. Something about insurance on the ring. I took the call, and to do you a favour rang Mrs Bellamy to pass on the good news. When she heard the story you were telling she ridiculed it out of hand, a tissue of lies from start to finish. Ask her, Hudson, your so-honest, George Washington-style housekeeper. Is she going to marry John Bellamy?’ Hudson also stood up. ‘Yes, Serenity, I would like to hear you repeat the fact that you are still going to marry John.’

‘I will not repeat it, because I have never said it to you like that. I said John wanted to marry me, and that is . . .’

‘Be quiet! You’re a liar and a cheat, and I’m bitterly disappointed in you.’ Hudson cut her off.

She looked at his harsh, forbidding face. It was no use. That was the one question he had never asked her. If he had she would have told him the truth. Why hadn’t she talked to him on the way home? Dear God, help me, she prayed deep within herself. She really didn’t deserve this. How Mrs Bellamy must have gloated? And Madeline had lapped it up.

‘Go to your room and pack your bags, Miss James,’ Madeline ordered coldly, I'm leaving for Christchurch immediately. It will give me great pleasure to escort you off the premises.’ She turned to Hudson, 'It’s the least I can do for you, darling. I did warn you, but then you’re not as used to this type of girl as I am.’

Serenity felt sick. It would serve Madeline right if she was ill all over her elegant table setting. She wouldn’t cry. Dry-eyed, she faced Hudson across the table, waiting for his verdict.

‘No, Madeline. I’ll clean up my own mistakes. I’m grateful to you for sorting this thing out, but I’d like you to leave now. I’ll see you out to your car.’

'I’m not leaving while this girl is still here. I demand that you send her packing.’

‘You will leave, Madeline, and immediately. You’re not yet in the position to demand anything from me. I’ve already said I’m grateful, you’ll have to be satisfied with that. I don’t like to be on the receiving end of a confidence trick, and I have every intention of making Miss James regret the day she chose me for her mark. We’ll go over to the Homestead now, the chap with the scanner will be waiting. With luck we’ll have the ring back tonight, and it will be returned to the Bellamy family. That should take care of one problem.’