Many will have surmised I find Martin O'Brien a pompous person so I hope his wife is the opposite.

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Martha looked at the small photograph of her daughter and granddaughter and smiled. Surely Martin would relent. Her husband, Mattie's father was due back today and she had to admit she had gone against his wishes. But she had missed her daughter and, although Martin had been unhappy about her marrying a lowly (in his eyes) constable, surely that man had the chance to gradually move up the ranks. And now she was sure Mattie had fallen for another police officer.

Martin entered the house, he'd had some good meetings and it was looking like he would be recommended to run for congress. He was looking forward to sharing this news with his wife. She was the perfect wife for a senator. And, indeed, as Martin entered the house he saw an elegant, well-groomed woman move to greet him with a chaste kiss. Martha noted they did not have the easy, tactile relationship Jean and Lucien had. It was not something she had thought of before, but it was something that she had noticed Mattie had picked up and she in turn was more tactile with Charlie. She began to feel she was missing something.

'Hello, Martin, you look pleased with yourself.' Martha smiled.

'Yes, everything is looking good, I may be recommended to run.' Martin replied, 'how would you like to be a Senator's wife?'

'Endless rounds of dinner parties, conferences and shaking strangers hands, sounds like a dream.' She replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice that was going to leave her precious little time to meet up with Mattie or her new friend, Jean.

'Good, I knew you'd be pleased,' Martin completely missed the tone of Martha's voice and moved to the drawing room to pour himself a pre-dinner drink.

Over dinner Martin gave her all the details of his meetings, the people he had had to impress, the people he would be introducing her to in the near future, if everything went to plan. Martha had nodded and had said 'how nice,' in the right places but secretly she was tired of Martin's political dealings, especially the ones he'd had to keep Mattie's name out of. She trailed round after Martin all their married life, even having to leave Mattie with a nanny at times. Seeing what Mattie had, who she had, she began to feel somewhat envious of her daughter and granddaughter. The upper echelons of the social scale were not always all they were made out to be!

'You're quiet, dear,' Martin had suddenly realised that his wife had not said much at all since he'd got home.

'Why didn't you tell me Mattie was back in Ballarat?' She snapped.

'Mattie has made her own bed, and she must lie on it, and I didn't know she was in Ballarat.' He knew Jean Blake had phoned to say Mattie had given birth but he had no interest in, what he saw as, his daughter's mistakes. He was a self made man, and she would have to sort herself out, just as he had said, in his ever so brief note to her ,the day she landed back in Australia.

'Maybe not, but you knew she was in Australia, and that she wrote to you for help after her husband died. Just because you saw her choice of a husband as beneath her you decided to cut her off; well thank goodness for Lucien and Jean!' Martha was angry now, she's always been a good, obedient wife. Wasn't that in her vows, 'to love, honour and obey?' Well she'd done that and now she was going to stand up for the only things that mattered to her, Mattie and Grace.

Martin sat looking at his wife with his mouth open, he'd never known her defy him, or even contradict him, that's why he was sure she would be a perfect politician's wife.

'The subject is not up for discussion, Martha.' Martin stood up, 'I take it that you've been to see her.'

'Yes. I spent the time you were away with our daughter and granddaughter.' She waved the photograph at him but he didn't even glance at it. 'You really would rather lose her than even try to understand her.'

'She consorted with communists, got arrested for heaven's sake!'

'Martin she was a child, exploring the world, they were her friends. It didn't mean she agreed with their politics or their methods. They were people finding out what the world was about, and you spied on our daughter!' Martha had never raised her voice to her husband or her child, many had said, behind her back, she was a bit of a doormat. She did however know how to organise superb dinner parties which everyone was more than happy to attend.

Martin couldn't believe she was so angry, she'd always done exactly what he expected her to, and now she was showing she wasn't as pliable as he thought. It was all Mattie's fault, he decided. If she had come home when he wanted her to and married the young man from a prominent family he had found none of this would be happening.

'I'm going to bed,' Martha stormed out of the dining room. Martin watched her leave and sat down in his chair.

Up in the bedroom Martha sat on the bed and looked around her. The room was very much to her taste, pleasantly furnished in pastel colours, a room to take time to reflect on life in. Martin didn't often enter the room, he worked late, he had said, it wasn't fair to disturb her when he came to bed so much of the time she slept alone. And that was another thing that bothered her about her marriage; Jean Blake was the same age as her and was expecting. While she had been at the Blake's she had noticed that Lucien put his wife first above everything, Martin put his work first, Jean's condition meant that she and Lucien had a physical relationship, whereas she couldn't remember the last time Martin and she had made love. She admitted to herself she had felt lonely over the years since Mattie had left home. Charity work and following Martin about had filled in the daytimes but it was only now she realised she had missed cosy, loving evenings with her husband. She knew there was more to life even if you were old enough to be a grandparent. She sighed heavily and went to bed, sleep wasn't going to come easy.

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Martha awoke with a plan. She needed to be able to see Mattie more often than she had done. She needed Martin to understand this and to accept it. If she couldn't make him see the importance of her needs then, maybe she would have to leave him. It was a drastic step and not one she would take lightly. Money would be an issue. Martin was the breadwinner, she had never worked a day in her life, she had gone from school to marriage at eighteen years old, a marriage engineered by their respective parents, and motherhood when she was twenty one. She smiled, thinking even that was engineered. Martin had made sure he was becoming a successful businessman before they embarked on parenthood. It was awful to think she had allowed him to control when she had their one and only child. When she was pregnant he had always referred to the child she carried as his son, and was surprised to see he had fathered a daughter! They hadn't tried too hard after that, to have another baby. Martha wasn't too upset, maybe because that side of the marriage hadn't been terribly thrilling! But it would have been nice once in a while! Putting those thought behind her for now she went down to breakfast, hoping to be able to confront Martin. Typically he had risen early so she would have to wait until the evening, and she would wait, she felt she owed him that. Meanwhile she would spend the day working out a way to keep contact with her daughter if she stayed with Martin.

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Martin returned home for dinner. Martha greeted him politely, no more. During the day she had looked at her life with Martin, how they lived very separate lives, coming together only for political duty. Then she looked at what she had seen her daughter had, a loving home, people who loved her and the chance of happiness with another good man. She was glad that Mattie had this, she didn't want her to end up in a cold relationship like she had. She had to make sure she didn't fall into a pit of despair, wanting something entirely out of her reach.

'We need to talk, Martin,' she said, over dessert.

'About what?' Martin knew exactly what she wanted to talk about but he didn't. After last night's display he knew she had made decisions that he wouldn't like, that would take his control of his wife away.

'Us, to start with,' she put down her spoon, 'I want to see more of Mattie and Grace.'

'I need you to accompany me to social engagements,' he snapped, 'not go gadding about after her.'

'And if I refuse?' She stood up and leaned on the table.

'It is important that we are seen moving in the right circles.' Martin was confused about Martha's current behaviour. He had heard that women of a certain age could be 'difficult'.

'If I accompany you to some of these engagements, as you call them, will you give me the freedom to see my daughter, and live my life as I see fit?' It had been something she had thought about during the day. She would be seen as the dutiful wife if, and only if, he allowed her the freedom to see Mattie, and have some kind of life. 'I will be discreet.' She added.

'Do you intend to take a lover.' It sounded so Victorian but he had a suspicion she had begun to look for a 'diversion'.

'Well, it's not as if you ever come to me, is it?' Now she snapped.

'You know I work late and I don't want to disturb you.' He tried to sound reasonable.

'Perhaps I would like to be disturbed occasionally,' she parried.

Martin snorted and that told her all she needed to know, he did not see her as a woman, just decoration on his arm when he was wooing the voters. That decided her, if he wanted her to smile at strangers and host increasingly uninteresting dinner parties she would, but in turn she would not turn down a suitable lover. She knew she would not be the only political wife who did so, and she would be discreet. She was also certain that some of these politicians were sleeping with women other than their wives. If Martin thought she was unaware of the social and political cat and mouse games he was very wrong.

Martha left the room and went upstairs, it was now up to Martin to decide what he wanted. She lay on her bed reading when he came and knocked on the door.

'Come in,' she called, setting her book down on the bed.

He came and stood just inside the bedroom door, Martha was elegant, well dressed and attractive, but he was not attracted to her. In truth he didn't know if he ever was, theirs was a marriage of convenience.

'You can have what you want, all I require is your discretion and your availability for any engagements which will further my career.' He turned on his heels and left the room, he would not enter it again.

Martha picked up her book and carried on reading. She would make arrangements to visit Mattie soon, staying at the Soldier's Hill Hotel in Ballarat, she didn't want to make extra work for Jean in her condition. She would also explain to Mattie what was happening between her and her father, it was only fair.

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This story will continue in Ballarat, as all Dr Blake stories should.