The Heart of Deception

Chapter 9

Kurt didn’t make it home that night, although he did phone, as he had every other night of the week. With a sigh of relief, Lauren made herself comfortable in the rumpus room, in front of the television. She normally enjoyed watching ‘The Block’, but tonight, she had the attention span of a newt. She paged blindly through a magazine Helen had brought home the day before, before tossing it aside too.

After checking on Jessica, Lauren slipped out onto the veranda. Looking up at the clear night sky, her eyes automatically sought out the familiar constellation of the Southern Cross. The stars dazzled like diamonds out in the country, and the moon, although not quite half, illuminated the pale crushed gravel driveway.

Lauren gave a sigh of resignation, as she headed back indoors. Any chance of rain was out of the question. Even the weather report on TV had predicted a perfect day tomorrow. Kurt would be back early in the morning, in time for a ride through the rainforest just as he’d promised.

Apprehension welled up inside her. Would it be glaringly obvious she wasn’t as good a rider as her sister?

She was still awake when she heard Helen return home from work, just before midnight. Finally after tossing and turning for another hour or two, she drifted into a restless sleep, only to wake up again before the first rooster started to crow.

Lauren felt like death warmed up. Too uneasy to doze off again, she dragged herself out of bed, and donned her swimmers. Maybe some exercise would alleviate some of the tension. One hundred laps of the pool left her physically tired and cold, but her brain, was still in second gear and accelerating, when she plonked herself down on the back steps.

The hot Milo scalded her mouth when she unthinkingly took a huge gulp, and a reflex jerk, sloshed the burning liquid over her hand. Lauren cursed as she almost dropped her mug.

“You’ll have to watch your language Rusty,” said a soft voice from behind her.

Lauren almost jumped out of her skin, and managed to douse the other hand with the milky drink. Flinging the mug down the steps, she swore again, then swung on Helen.

“For all her faults, Diane has an amazing vocabulary. I’ve never heard her resort to that kind of language.”

Lauren glared at the older woman in silence. Helen’s warm, friendly smile did little to soothe her fraying temper.

“You’re right,” she acknowledged unwillingly, dragging her fingers through the unruly mass on her head. “Diane once told me swearing was due to ‘poor breeding’.”

Helen grinned. “Well, considering you both come from the same source, I’m amazed she’d think to accuse you of that.”

Their laughter alleviated her irritable disposition a little. With a sigh, she marched down the stairs to pick up the undamaged mug from the lawn.

“How come you’re up so early today? Don’t you need to sleep in this morning?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” Helen shuffled her feet uncomfortably. “Lauren, my mother’s going to be here this morning.”

Lauren’s eyes widened with horror, as her panic levels soared. A visit from Diane’s mother-in-law, as well as the dreaded ride with Kurt, all in one morning was more than she could handle.

“Her new husband, Paul is taking her to the USA to meet the rest of his family. They leave this evening. They’ll be away for eight weeks, so, they decided to come over to say good-bye. Mum also wants to pick up some last minute souvenirs to take with them.”

“How long have you known, Helen?”

Her friend blushed. “About a fortnight,” she admitted quietly. “I wasn’t going to say anything originally, because I wanted her to catch you in the act too. It won’t take her long to realise you aren’t Diane. Then, after yesterday, I just didn’t have the courage to tell you.”