The fire had burnt down to glowing embers as Jean stirred. She was draped over her husband and he had draped his robe over her. He'd done things to her in front of the fire she didn't think possible and she had given in to him. Maybe he was right, in front of the fire in the studio was rather nice, a bit daring if Charlie was around. She looked around for her clothes, they appeared to have been tossed over a chair as Lucien had almost ripped them off her. She giggled.

'Hmm..?' Lucien murmured, 'something funny, my love?'

Her answer was to wriggle against him, noting a predictable reaction, she giggled again and moved up his body to kiss him. He tightened his grip around her,

'So what happened to 'only in the bedroom'?' He managed to say before she covered his mouth with hers again.

'Complaining?' She whispered as she moved down to kiss his collarbone.

'No.' He rolled over, taking her with him and raised himself up on his hands to look down on her. 'My turn.'

She groaned, he certainly didn't take much persuading, and let him bring the universe to her.

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They lay facing each other, smiling and caressing.

'I love you, Lucien.' She whispered.

'Oh, Jean, my darling Jean.' He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head, how to tell her she was his world?

Suddenly he heard the phone ring.

'Now? Bloody hell!' He cursed, 'Excuse me, my angel.' He left her covered with the robe and went to the study phone, the nearest.

When he returned she was stoking the fire, wearing his robe, which was much too big for her and made her look dainty and fragile. He smiled.

'Sorry, sweetheart,' He crouched down next to her, 'Matthew says they have someone who may have hit you. He wants me to be in on the interview.'

'Please be sensible,' Jean worried that his anger over her being hurt and left at the side of the road would get the better of him. 'I'm alright, no lasting damage.'

'I'll do my best.' He kissed her cheek and went to wash and dress.

He called through, 'I'll try not to be too long, Jean.' and she heard the door close.

She curled up in his chair by the fire and smiled. 'My angel,' she giggled at the thought, they had been anything but angelic!

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The streets of Ballarat were quietening down, the pubs had closed and most people were heading home. He turned into the station and saw his car there, waiting to be released so he could get it repaired. Alice had lent him hers, Matthew collected her on his way past, or she walked.

He strode into the building and met Bill at the desk.

'Boss is in the interview room.' He was told and he headed there purposefully. He was still angry at the driver for not stopping, prepared to give them a piece of his mind. He looked through the window by the door and was surprised to see Susan Tyneman sitting there. Matthew turned and waved him in.

'Matthew,' he turned at looked at Susan, 'Susan.'

'Mrs Tyneman was just going to explain how Patrick's car has sustained damage to the nearside front wing and how the paint matches that left on your car, Dr Blake.' Matthew informed him.

'Patrick's car?' Lucien sat down, 'so why isn't Patrick here?'

'Patrick was in Melbourne that day, he'd gone by train so Mrs Tyneman could have use of the car.' Matthew said.

'So you were driving.' Lucien looked at Susan, who was in turn staring at a cigarette burn on the desk.

'Yes.' She admitted, quietly.

'Why were you in such a hurry?' Lucien asked.

'I was late, I had to collect Patrick from the station.' She wouldn't meet his eye. Ever since she found out that the car she had struck was his and Jean was in it she had known that at some time she would be found out. But she couldn't bring herself to go and tell the police she was to blame, and when she found out that Jean was going to be alright she had decided that she'd leave it. A coward's way out, she knew, and yet she knew Blake's reputations for solving crimes.

'Where had you been?' Matthew asked tapping his pen on the file.

'Don't tell Patrick.' She urged.

'Don't tell him what?' Lucien raised his voice a little, 'that you drove too fast, hit a car and didn't stop to see if the driver was alright, or where you'd been?'

'He knows about the car.' She said, 'I told him I'd hit a tree.'

'Again, Mrs Tyneman,' Matthew interrupted, 'where had you been?'

Susan studied the cigarette burn again, biting her bottom lip.

'Susan,' Lucien leant on the table and spoke low, 'all you had to do was go up to the farm and tell them to call an ambulance. So, what are you hiding?'

'If Patrick finds out...' She whispered.

'What, in heaven's name are you hiding!?' Lucien was getting angry now and his voice was getting louder. Matthew put his hand on the doctor's arm, warning him to tone it down. Lucien stood up and put his thumb and forefinger to his brow. This was so frustrating!

'Mrs Tyneman,' Matthew leant back on his seat, 'we can hold you overnight in the cells if you don't start to talk. I don't think your husband is going to be too pleased about that. And I've no idea what you would face if it became known that you refused to cooperate with the police.' Though he did have a pretty good idea, and it wouldn't be nice.

'I was on my way back from Creswick.' She muttered.

'What was your business in Creswick, Susan?' Lucien asked.

She coloured, a deep red flushed her cheeks. Neither Lucien or Matthew could ever remember Susan Tyneman being embarrassed that way.

'Susan?' Lucien questioned.

'I was meeting someone,' she whispered, 'a friend.'

Lucien raised his eyebrows, was Susan..? No, surely not, but then Patrick did, and he wasn't particularly subtle about it, either.

'Is this friend male, by any chance?' Matthew asked, to hell with being discreet.

Susan bit her lip again, this time trying to stop tears of humiliation.

'Don't tell Patrick, please.' She practically begged.

'It's not for us to report your indiscretions to your husband, but, Susan,' Lucien said, 'if the new owner of the farm hadn't heard the crash it could have been a lot worse for Jean.'

'I'm sorry, Dr Blake,' she hadn't been able to hold back the tears any longer, 'I would never willingly hurt Jean, or anyone else.'

'Excuse us a moment, Mrs Tyneman,' Matthew stood and ushered Lucien out of the room, 'Blake, it's up to you as to whether we press charges or not.'

Lucien thought, 'She should have some sort of punishment, I suppose.' He mused. 'But does Patrick have to know she's doing the same as him, but being a heck of a lot more discreet about it?'

'Can't blame her, can you?' Matthew agreed.

'No, not really.' Lucien smoothed his hand over his head as he thought.

'How is Jean?' Matthew hadn't had chance to ask lately.

'Eh? Oh she's fine, now, thanks,' and a slow smile spread over his face.

'How about a driving ban and a fine?' Matthew suggested. 'Charged with speeding and dangerous driving, leaving the scene of an accident?'

'Isn't that what you'd normally do?' Lucien asked.

'Well, yes, but in the case of endangering life, which is what she did, I'd propose a ban of a year.' Matthew agreed, 'but it has to go before the Magistrate.'

'That way it's up to her what she tells Patrick about why she was on that road.' Lucien said, 'and he has no room to talk, anyway. But, I'm sorry Matthew, I want her to have some punishment. She can't get away with it just because of who she is, and I would want that even if it wasn't Jean she hurt.'

'Agreed, I'll sort out the court and we'll make it as discreet as possible.' Matthew went to go back into the room, 'by the way, who is the new owner of the farm? He may be called to give evidence, if he's willing.'

'It's Jack Beazley, Jean's youngest.' Lucien smiled, 'he wasn't going to tell her he was back until he got the farm up and running but when he heard the crash he went to help. He was quite shocked to see his mother in the car.'

'Really, I'd have thought coming back here was the last thing on his mind.' Matthew looked surprised.

'The farm came up, it was in his price range,' Lucien told him, 'he's planning on fruit farming, supplying locally. He's grown up Matthew.'

Matthew bade him good night and told him he'd let him know when the hearing was scheduled to be. It should be quite soon, he said, as it was Magistrate's Court.

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Lucien pulled onto the drive and sat for a moment. How would Jean feel about it being Susan Tyneman who ran into her on the way back from seeing her paramour?

He expected to find her in bed but the room was empty. He had a wicked notion she was in the studio still, waiting. He pushed open the door and was surprised to see her clothes where he'd tossed them earlier in the evening, he felt sure she would have tidied up while she waited. He tiptoed into the room and looked in his chair. What a beautiful sight! She was curled up, still wearing his robe and fast asleep, her curls falling over her sweet cheeks, covering one eye making her look even more desirable.

He tiptoed back to the bedroom and turned back the covers. He hung his jacket over the chair and took his tie off, then went to collect his love from where she slept. He gently lifted her into his arms and she murmured something but didn't wake. She didn't stir as he lay her in the bed and pulled the covers over her, not even removing the robe. He changed into his pyjama trousers and joined her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead softly.

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He woke as Jean brought their morning tea tray into the bedroom. It had become the norm for them to have tea together before starting the day; against all Jean's previous rules of not eating or drinking in the bedrooms, unless confined to bed through illness.

'Morning, gorgeous,' he smiled at her. She had her own robe on, but he could tell there was nothing underneath it, still.

'Morning, handsome.' She smiled back and sat next to him. 'How did it go, at the station?' She sipped her tea.

'Good,' he said, blowing over his cup to cool his drink.

'Come on, Lucien.' She chastised, 'it was me that got hurt, I've a right to know.'

'Indeed you have, my dearest,' he agreed, taking her cup off her.

'It was Susan Tyneman.' Well no point beating about the bush.

Jean's eyes nearly popped out of her head. 'Susan Tyneman!' She looked at him, 'no!'

'Afraid so.'

'Why didn't she stop?, she knows the car.' Jean was disappointed. While she couldn't call Susan a friend she would have expected her to stop.

'In a hurry to pick Patrick up from the station.' Lucien informed her, 'and she reckons she didn't realise it was our car.'

'Well, that's rot,' Jean snorted, 'she had a look over it one day when I was in town. Anyway, it doesn't matter whose car it is, the fact is she should have stopped to see if anyone was hurt, that's just common decency.'

Lucien had to admit she was quite right.

'Where had she been?' Jean asked.

'Creswick,' Lucien said, 'and before you ask, because I know you will, she'd been to see her lover.'

'What!?' Jean was incredulous, 'well!' She ran out of words for a few minutes.

'Hope he was worth it.' She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower.

Lucien sat in bed, watching her leave the room. He smiled, in fact he found Jean's reaction to the last titbit rather amusing.

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Looks like this story is going to be longer than originally planned, no surprises there. Perhaps if I cut out the 'shenanigans'...!