Chapter Eleven

That night, Ruby and Christopher were getting ready for bed in their room. She was carefully gauging his mood; he'd seemed so worried lately. Well, Christopher was always worried about something, but Ruby hadn't noticed it in a while, what with all the trouble she'd had with the baby. But now Amelia was a perfect angel, sleeping through the night and feeding just fine and growing into the most gorgeous little girl. Ruby had become herself again, and the Beazleys were finally happy again. Well, most of the Beazleys.

Ruby got into bed beside her husband as he read the last parts of the evening edition of the newspaper that he hadn't seen before dinner. "She needs to go," Ruby said simply.

"Pardon?" He put down his newspaper, confused.

"She needs to go. She's been a godsend, really, but we're past it now."

Christopher wasn't entirely sure he was following. "Are you talking about my mother?"

"Yes, of course I am," Ruby snipped. "And she's too proud and dutiful to ever do it on her own accord, so you've got to talk to her and tell her that she needs to go."

"I don't know if we can really manage on our own yet," he admitted. "But if it's getting to difficult for you two to be in the same house together all the time, perhaps it is time we help her find a place of her own here."

Ruby shook her head. "No, Christopher, you aren't understanding. I don't mean that she needs to leave our house. She needs to leave Adelaide. She has to go back to Ballarat. I'm glad she could be here to help us, but that's where she should be," Ruby said, full of conviction.

"Did you read the letter? Because I don't think that's anything to worry about."

"What letter?"

Christopher frowned. "The letter from Dr. Blake saying goodbye. Apparently he's been writing her once a week begging for her to go back but she hasn't replied. You really didn't see the letter? It arrived yesterday and she left it in the kitchen. That's how I saw it."

"That explains the phone call…" she muttered to herself. A light clicked in Ruby's head. She put her hand over her mouth, hoping it would keep some of the heartache inside. "Oh Christopher, we've made a right mess of things."

"Ruby, what are you talking about!?" He was getting properly frustrated now.

"Your mother has left the town she's lived in her whole life, with all her friends, and her home, so she could help us when you asked. She always does the right thing. She loves you so much and she'd do anything for you. But do you realize what she really gave up to come here? I overheard her on the phone this morning. She was asking about Dr. Blake, making sure he was alright, and it must be because he said goodbye in his letter. Christopher, you should have heard her voice. She isn't at all alright letting him go."

"She just wanted to make sure he was coping. She took care of him for all that time. Must just be a habit she hasn't broken yet," Christopher rationalized weakly. A wave of nausea swept over him.

"She loves him. I heard her say so."

"And he loves her. His letter said so."

Ruby smiled knowingly. "Then why is she in Adelaide when he's in Ballarat?" She put a hand on her husband's arm. "You know she won't go unless you tell her too. Jean Beazley has never put herself, so you'll have to make her do it. Don't you think she deserves happiness?"

Christopher didn't say anything. Ruby had somehow given truth to the suspicions and fears he'd had for months.

"You watch her for a day or so, and I'm sure you'll see. She's not happy here, no matter how much she loves you and Amelia," Ruby added.

For two days, Christopher did as Ruby suggested and watched his mother very closely. Everything he'd noticed before suddenly made so much more sense. He could see how right Ruby was, that his mother wasn't happy. He'd wanted so much to be able to give her more, but now he knew he would never be able to give her what she really needed. So Christopher decided to give her the one thing he could provide for her happiness.

Finally, he found a quiet moment while Ruby was busy with the baby. "Mum, can we talk?" he asked, offering her a seat at the kitchen table.

Jean sat down, suspicious as to her son's intentions. "Alright," she agreed dubiously.

"You know how grateful I am that you came, don't you? It's been wonderful having you here. And Ruby agrees. I mean, you saw her when you got here. And in a month, you've fixed everything. I can never thank you enough."

"You don't ever need to thank me," she insisted. "I'm your mother. It's my job."

Christopher smiled sadly. "I had a feeling you'd say that. You've always been a better mother than Jack or I ever deserved." He cut off her protests. "No, it's true. We've both taken advantage of your generosity over the years. Surely he more than me, but I'm not innocent. Asking you to move here…I see now that I overstepped."

"What do you mean?"

"You fixed everything in just one month. We're alright now. And as much as I want you around to see Amelia grow up and to cook wonderful meals for us and keep our house spick and span, we don't need you anymore. Ruby saw it before I did, but she's right, Mum. It's time for you to go," Christopher conceded.

Jean was taken aback. "I didn't realize I was getting in the way. I'll go stay in a hotel while I look for a flat of my own. That was the eventual plan anyway."

"I have a better idea." Christopher handed her an envelope.

She opened it to find a bus ticket for Ballarat. "What's this for?"

Christopher smiled, but in his eyes, his heartbreak and guilt shone through. "When I saw you for your birthday last year, I was worried that you were working too hard, that you were unnaturally devoted to your position and to Dr. Blake. I was worried about the way he looked at you and talked about you and how blatantly obvious it was that he cared for you. Jack had seen it when he visited you last Christmas. I thought that by bringing you here, you'd be glad to get away from what might be an inappropriate situation."

"There was never anything inappropriate in that house, I assure you. Honestly, Christopher, you think I'd allow anything like that?" Jean argued.

"Of course not. But like I said, I worried. And I thought you felt the same way when you agreed to come here."

"I came because you needed me. I wasn't running away from anything." Jean knew she was telling the truth, but it felt like a lie. She was running away. In a very small way, she was running away from Lucien and the fear she still held about his feelings for her. And, even more so, her feelings for him.

"You aren't happy here," Christopher said bluntly. "I thought it was just being busy with the baby, that things would get better after things calmed down. But they haven't. And it isn't just that you and Ruby don't get along very well. It's more than that. There was a light in your eyes I saw in Ballarat, and it's gone now."

"It's still an adjustment," Jean tried to defend weakly.

Christopher shook his head. "No, I think I've figured it out now. You were so much happier in Ballarat. And I know you're going to hate me for saying it, but I have to. You and Dr. Blake are a perfect pair, and you need each other. It scared me when I saw it in Ballarat, but seeing the total lack of it in you here, I understand now. Mum, I remember when we lived on the farm with Dad. I know what you're like when you're exhausted and stressed and adjusting to new challenges. And in all my life, I have never seen you so bright and calm and thoroughly content as you were with Dr. Blake. My god, we were trapped all night at a murder scene, and you were happier there than you are here with my family."

Jean knew that he was right, she did hate hearing what he was saying. All the things she'd try to talk herself out of all month had been perfectly evident to him. She didn't want him to be right, but of course, he was. She didn't know what to say.

"Go pack your things. The bus leaves early in the morning. I'll drive you to the station," he said softly. Christopher stood up and put his hand on his mother's shoulder. "I want you to be happy, Mum, and this is how. You've fixed our lives, so please let me try to fix yours."

Jean stared at the ticket in her hands. Ballarat. Just seeing the word gave her a feeling of home. Lucien's face flashed in her mind. Jean closed her eyes, trying to remain unemotional. "Thank you," she whispered to her son. Christopher had given her the push she didn't know she needed.

And now, she'd be going back. She wanted to go back. She wanted him back.