Page 16 of A Chance to Believe

Dawn raised her eyebrows and Cassie saw a resemblance to Kimberley for a brief moment. ‘Babies? More than one?’ She made it sound like poor planning.

‘I’m afraid so, Mrs Smith. Twin’s run in my family, so I’m happy to take the blame.’

Shayne tightened his grip on her hand. ‘I failed to mention they run in our family as well.’

She looked at him curiously, wondering why he hadn’t mentioned it. So far, she hadn’t learned enough about his family to know about any twins.

It shut Dawn up. Her lips compressed, and she shifted closer to her husband. ‘Why are we standing around in the hall? Aren’t you going to offer us a drink before lunch?’

It seemed that there were definite rituals involved with dining at Maidens Hill. Cassie had no time to ponder as she was placed in a Sheraton style chair with green and cream striped upholstery beside a marble fireplace at one end of the formal dining room and given a cool drink by Ben. Cassie had a strange feeling she’d been swept into a Regency fantasy. The long table was set much as the other table had been, but with more bling with a damask cloth and serviettes in silver rings matching ornate cutlery and Georgian candelabra. Parker must have been in his element.

The other women were seated as well, the men standing around with bottles of boutique beer talking sheep. Dawn had sherry, but Cassie was pretty sure Dot was sipping at a highball. Her own drink was something fruity with soda water and ice. Delicious on such a warm day, though the house was pleasantly cool.

The sherry must have reinvigorated Dawn because she leaned forward, placing her half empty glass on a piecrust side table.

‘What do you do for a living, Cassie? Is that short for Cassandra, by the way?’

‘It’s short for Cassia, like the tree. I’m a music teacher.’ She was conscious of Shayne unobtrusively listening.

‘Oh.’ Dawn shifted forward in her seat, creating an atmosphere of intimacy between them. ‘How did you meet Shayne?’

Cassie was tempted to laugh. She could almost hear the sub-question that linked her with Courtney as a vile seducer of innocent men for the sake of filthy lucre. ‘At a fashion show at the Ekka last year.’

The woman’s gaze lingered on Cassie’s stomach. ‘That’s when you …’

‘Yes. Not planned, but I’m thrilled about it.’

‘I suppose you are.’ The sneer was clear in both tone and expression.

Cassie wasn’t prepared to take the innuendo. ‘I’m wealthy in my own right, Mrs Smith. I don’t need your son’s money. I only came because I thought Shayne had a right to know he was going to be a father.’

A large hand came to rest on her shoulder. ‘I’m glad she did, Mum, so you can back off.’

The woman gave a little huff, but subsided, picking up her sherry and taking a sip. ‘I was only enquiring.’ She smiled then, a genuine smile. ‘I’m sorry, Cassie. Mothers can be overprotective, as you’ll find out soon, I’m sure.’

Cassie hid her surprise at the sudden backdown. ‘It was a shock for you, I imagine.’

Dawn shot a glance up at her son and her face softened. ‘I did feel twice in one lifetime was a little farfetched, but I can see I was making assumptions.’

What she said didn’t really make sense, unless she’d cleared Cassie of fortune hunting in her mind, but Cassie was prepared to take the olive branch. ‘I think we all have adjustments to make.’

‘You’re from the city, I take it. How do you like the country?’

‘It’s full of sheep, but Maidens Hill is lovely. I understand you did the renovations. They’re magnificent.’

The conversation shifted from the personal to Cassie’s relief. Dawn really had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of the house, and she expounded happily throughout dinner, seated opposite Cassie at the long table.

Kimberley had ducked into the room as they were all being seated and was fully involved with her grandmother, who shared her interest in horseflesh from the snippets of conversation coming along the table. Shayne spent most of the meal in intense conversation with his father and Ben.

Parker and another man, who must be Jim, brought out the cold soup and then lamb and roast vegetables for the main course.

‘We always have mutton for Sunday luncheon,’ Dawn explained. ‘Jim keeps a few hoggets in the home paddock for killing. Does that offend you, being used to buying your meat at the supermarket?’

‘Not at all. I’m not totally ignorant about country living.’ She was tempted to say more, but Shayne deserved her confidences, rather than learning about her history second hand or casually at the dinner table.

Dessert was the famous cheesecake. Cassie was glad she’d eaten frugally in the previous courses. She didn’t have the room to overindulge with two babies displacing her organs, but the cheesecake was too good to miss.

She said so when Parker and his companion came to clear the plates and he beamed at her. ‘It’s good to know, miss.’

---