Dinner was a more pleasant affair than Jean expected. The conversation centred on Amelia and how, now that Ruby had accepted the advice of Dr Blake, she would settle and thrive. Charlie had had a quiet day at the station so, for a change there was no blood and guts to discuss, Jean thought that would revolt Ruby.

Mattie and Charlie washed up to let the family chat and Lucien get to know his house guests a little better.

'Ruby didn't eat much.' Charlie muttered as the clattering of the dishes in the sink covered his voice.

'No, and only had half a glass of wine.' Mattie confirmed. 'No wonder she couldn't feed the baby.'

Charlie looked at her and she smiled. 'You have to put it in to put it out.'

'Oh right.' Charlie smiled, but he remembered making his mother endless cups of tea when she was feeding his brothers. 'But surely she's not doing herself any good.'

'None at all.' Mattie agreed, 'she's far too thin.'

'Perhaps Jean's cooking will help.' Charlie put the last of the dishes away, 'it's not easy to resist.'

Mattie smiled and batted his arm, 'Come on, I hear the call of a sherry.'

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'Just put the bottle in the kitchen, when she's finished, Ruby.' Jean left her daughter in law to feed the baby, which, for some strange reason she insisted on doing in private, 'I'll boil it later.'

There was no reply, but Jean was under no illusion that Ruby's nicer side was either reserved for Lucien or was just because it was easier to agree with the doctor than not. She was sure that when Christopher headed to Melbourne the next morning the girl would revert to her usually caustic self.

She went to finish her drink in the living room. Mattie looked at her, a knowing look. Jean nodded in the direction of the sun room, they could talk there, Mattie obviously wanted a word.

'Jean, are you ok?' Mattie watched her friend start to check her plants for water.

'Yes, thank you , Mattie.' She nipped a dying head off a begonia, 'I just worry about the baby. She's so tiny.'

'Now she's getting a bottle she should pick up.' Mattie went closer and touched her shoulder. 'At least you and Lucien can keep an eye on her. Ruby's too thin, though.'

'You noticed,' Jean looked at her, 'I think she's trying too hard to get her figure back and has overdone it.'

'Possibly, I have a patient like that.' Mattie sat in the chair where Jean liked to knit or read on sunny days.

'Really.'

'Yes, but she's getting better, slowly.' Mattie picked at an imaginary thread on her dress, 'Dr King threatened to have the baby taken off her unless she looked after herself better. If she can't look after herself she can't look after a baby.'

'True, but to threaten to take the baby away...'

'I know, I thought it was a bit harsh.' Mattie agreed. 'Did you have trouble, losing the baby weight. I mean you are so trim.'

'Thank you, Mattie,' Jean took the compliment for what it was, 'and no, but then I worked on a farm, no chance to get fat.'

'...and you're never still here.'

They both laughed and headed back inside.

'Oh, there you are, mum.' Christopher stood, 'I have an early start so I'm going to head off to bed.'

'Alright, dear.' Jean tipped her head for a kiss, 'I'll see you in the morning, anyway.'

'You don't have to get up,' Christopher muttered.

'You're not going off on an empty stomach,' she told him. 'No arguments.'

'Yes, mum.' He kissed her cheek and left, watched by all who were trying not to laugh.

'I think I'll head off too,' Charlie stood, 'early shift tomorrow.'

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With the younger members of the household making excuses to leave, Jean and Lucien found themselves alone in the living room. Lucien watched Jean sit down and visibly relax. He took her sherry over to her and sat next to her.

'Oh, thank you.' She seemed to realise he was there, and smiled.

'You alright?'

'Yes, I think so.' She sipped the drink, 'for now.'

'It will all work out, you know.' He put his arm round her shoulders and she put her head on his, hoping nobody would come down for a drink of water.

'Do you think so?' She sighed, not looking at him. 'Mattie noticed Ruby didn't eat or drink much.'

'Mm..that's a worry of mine too.' Lucien agreed, 'I think I'll see if I can get her notes from her GP, after all,' he kissed the top of her head, 'if she's going to stay for a while I could do with her medical history.'

'I'll ask Christopher for his name, in the morning.' She smiled up at him. 'Thank you, Lucien.'

'No worries.'

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Jean lay in bed thinking about all she had discovered that day. That her daughter in law was starving herself and, up to now, the baby too. She decided she would leave the biscuit tin in evidence, and put biscuits out with tea. She felt her son was weak when it came to dealing with his wife, she only had to turn her baby blue eyes to him and he was putty in her hands. He'd always been easy to handle, much more so than Jack, but she liked the arguments she had with Jack. On the whole they were good natured and he had a ready smile that lit up his whole face, whereas Christopher rarely smiled, so it was difficult to tell if he was happy.

The other thing she had discovered that day was that she was in love with Lucien, and she was fairly sure he was in love with her. In spite of everything he would not intentionally hurt her and he would be her support through the coming weeks.

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Jean put a plate of bacon and egg out for Christopher and a packed lunch for the journey.

'You don't have to mum, but thanks.' He drank his tea, and looked at her. She obviously had something she wanted to say, he waited.

'Before you go, Christopher,' she set her own cup down, 'Lucien wondered who Ruby's doctor in Adelaide is, only of she is to be here then her medical history...'

'Oh right, yeah.' He had no reason to believe anything other than Blake was caring for his wife, who he had concerns about anyway. 'It's Dr Carr, I'll write his number down for you.'

'Thank you, dear.' Jean smiled and took his plate to the sink.

'She's lost a lot of weight.' Christopher passed the comment as if he were talking about an acquaintance, not his wife.

'Well, I didn't want to say,' Jean kept her back to him, maybe that way he'd open up a bit more, 'I noticed she didn't eat much last night.'

'No, she doesn't.' He sat back and watched his mother, 'she said she put on too much weight when she was expecting.'

'Well,' Jean finally turned round, 'I'm sure she'll be fine. We'll look after her for you.'

'Thanks, mum.' He stood up, 'I appreciate it.' He wrote down his doctor's number on the pad by the phone, 'he's a good bloke but I don't think he's particularly good with highly strung women.'

'I'll pass that to Dr Blake,' Jean smiled, 'now, much as I don't want to throw you out, you have a train to catch.'

Christopher picked up his lunch and kissed her cheek, 'Right, I'll be off then, just go and say goodbye to Ruby and Amelia.'

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Jean closed the door and mentally prepared herself for what was to come, now that Christopher was gone. She heard the baby start to cry and waited to hear Ruby get up and see to her. Instead the baby's cries got louder. Jean knocked on the door but received no reply, so pushed the door open. Ruby had her head under the pillow trying to block out the wailing.

'I'll see to her,' Jean said, with forced brightness, 'you have a lie in.'

Ruby just grunted.

Jean picked up her granddaughter, some clean clothes for her and left the room, her mouth set in a thin line. Then she looked at the scrawny little thing and her face softened,

'Come on, sweetheart,' she whispered, 'let's get you fed.'

While she warmed up the bottle she bathed Amelia in the kitchen sink, just as she had done so often with her boys. She didn't notice Lucien watch her from the doorway. He smiled at her swift, efficient dealing with the baby, at the same time, tender. She wrapped Amelia in a towel and turned.

'Lucien,' she gasped.

'Sorry, Jean.' He went to her, 'I didn't want to make you jump. Can I do anything?'

'Er...could you bring the bottles through to the living room,' she smiled, 'while I dress her.'

'Of course.'

He watched her dress and feed the child. She seemed completely at ease and the baby was content, taking the bottle easily. She put the baby up to her shoulder and patted her back smiling at the delicate noise she made. Jean offered her some water and she took a little then pushed the teat out.

'Well, I suppose that's told you.' Lucien laughed.

'Do you think she'll be alright?' Jean turned her worried face to him.

'Don't rush her,' Lucien sat next to her and put his hand gently on her back, 'she's already looking less dehydrated.'

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Ruby dragged herself out of bed just as Jean was washing up the breakfast pots.

'There's some bacon and eggs on the stove for you,' Jean remarked, pleasantly, 'I'll make some more tea.'

Ruby took the plate and put it in front of her. She looked at it and started to pick at the food. Jean put the tea in front of her and went to hang the laundry out, sure that the girl was not going to eat, but she could give her space to try.

Back in the kitchen Ruby looked round to see if she could locate the waste bin before her mother in law came back. The tea she would drink, it was almost all she lived on these days, she really couldn't face much else. She looked under the sink, but there didn't seem to be anything that resembled a bin. The previous day's paper was on the side. She took a couple of sheets and wrapped the food in it and put the empty plate in the sink. She took the parcel to her room, hoping to find a time when she could put it in the garbage outside, for now, under her side of the bed would do.

Jean returned and saw the empty plate in the sink. The tell tale scrape marks worried her, she would have to speak to Lucien, Ruby, it appeared to her, was deliberately starving herself. It would upset Lucien, after all he had gone through, trying to find enough to eat in the camp, and she would have to be sensitive when she spoke to him.

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'I'm going into town, Ruby.' Jean poked her head into the bedroom, 'would you like to walk with me?'

'I don't think I'm quite up to it,' Ruby was lying on the bed.

'Shall I take Amelia?' Jean smiled, 'the fresh air will do her good.'

'Yeah, if you want.' Ruby muttered.

'Help yourself to tea, and there's biscuits in the tin.' Jean told her, cheerfully, then went to let Lucien know where she was going, and also to keep his hands out of the biscuit tin.

'I know how many are there and I want to know if she will at least eat a biscuit.' Jean closed the study door behind her, 'she scraped her breakfast away.'

'I think we may have a problem on our hands.' He sighed. 'I'll talk to you later, and Mattie too. For now, act as if nothing is out of the ordinary.'

'Right.' Jean folded her arms. 'You've spoken to Dr Carr, haven't you?'

Lucien stood up and went to put his arms round her, 'Yes.' He kissed the top of her, 'now, go and enjoy your walk with your granddaughter.'

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Everybody who looked in the pram remarked how dainty she was. Jean smiled and said she was a small baby. She did the shopping she needed to do and then sat in the park to feed her. The day was warm, with a slight breeze and being away from the house, from Ruby calmed her. She was worried sick about the girl, not because she had any deep love for her, but she was a human being, her son's chosen partner, and if she was in trouble, mentally, then she needed to set her personal feelings aside and do all she could to help her, for Amelia's sake.

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Lucien sat thinking about Ruby, about what Dr Carr had told him. He was sending Ruby's notes to him, but, briefly; Ruby had had a bad time giving birth to Amelia, she was a mess, physically, after the birth and had spent a lot of time in theatre while they stopped the excessive bleeding. It was all in the notes.

He had also told him she seemed to resent the baby, for all the pain she had been through.

Christopher had told his mother none of this.

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Jean strolled back to the house, Amelia had taken the bottle well, again and the fresh air had put some colour in her cheeks. If she and Lucien could get Ruby to eat something she'd be happier.

'I'm back!' She called down the hall, 'some help here, please.'

Lucien appeared round the corner and went to help her lift the pram over the threshold. She looked, he thought, relaxed.

'Everything alright?' He reached down for the basket while she took her coat off. Amelia was sleeping so she left her in the pram.

'Yes, thank you.' She smiled, 'lots of admiring eyes. I fed her in the park, she took it all.'

'Good, good.' He smiled then bent round to kiss her lightly.

'Lucien.' Barely a whisper, 'careful.'

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'Ruby,' Jean knocked on the door, 'come and have some lunch. It's not much, just a light salad and cold meat.'

The dark circles under the girl's eyes were awful, but Jean managed not to show her concern. She thought that rather than put out a sandwich, or something solid, salad might appeal to her desperate need to keep her weight down.

'Ok.' She dragged herself off the bed, 'thanks. Amelia ok?'

'Yes she's fine.' Jean smiled, 'she's asleep so you don't need to worry about her. Fed and changed.'

'Thank you.' Ruby had had time to think about what was happening. Even though she found Jean daunting, a morning not having to think about feeding the baby or sorting out the laundry had, indeed, been a blessing. Perhaps Christopher had been right, that his mother only cared,

'Meet her half way, Rube, ' he'd said.

She barely looked in the pram as she went to the kitchen where Lucien was just putting out a pot of tea.

'There you are,' he smiled, his voice soft as he pulled out a chair, first for the guest then for Jean.

'Help yourself, dear.' Jean passed the salad bowl over. Everything was crisp and fresh. She took a small portion and a slice of Jean's boiled ham that the doctor offered her.

'Is this your homemade dressing, Jean?' Lucien asked, peering into the little jug. 'The honey and mustard one.'

'Just for you, doctor.' Jean smiled. 'I know how much you like it.'

'You must try it Ruby.' Lucien offered her the jug, 'I don't know how she comes up with some of her ideas, but I'm very glad she does.'

Jean blushed, 'You're too kind, doctor.'

Ruby put a tiny bit of the dressing on the side of her plate, it sounded a strange combination but she felt that she would offend the doctor, rather than Jean, if she didn't.

Jean was pleased to see Ruby did eat a reasonable lunch and she even tried the dressing, which she found, actually, rather tasty.

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Ruby sat in the garden while surgery was on, it was a rare treat. Jean had pushed the pram round and set it under a tree and told Ruby that if she fancied a cup of tea and a biscuit she was to help herself.

She thought more about the situation she was in. She had expected Jean to be rather tight lipped and scathing about her parenting skills, instead she just seemed to accept that Ruby was not coping very well and, although one of her fears was that Jean would take over, it seemed she just did the granny thing. Ruby thought she could cope with that. The doctor too, was kind and gentle. He hadn't told her off for failing to provide enough milk for her daughter, or insisted she continue trying to breast feed, as her midwife had done. He had just suggested that perhaps Amelia might feel better if she were bottle fed, like his own daughter, and that not all women can feed their babies themselves.

Perhaps tomorrow she could offer to help, and perhaps she would try to eat a little more, especially if it was light, like the salad today.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her daughter's cry. She inhaled and decided she would have to give the bottle feeding a go, again. Perhaps, now that Amelia had been fed by her grandmother she wouldn't focus on trying to feed off her mother. She left the crying infant in the garden while she went to get the bottle. Maybe that wasn't her wisest move. As she waited for the kettle to boil Amelia really got into her stride. She left it and went out to pick up the child before the whole of the neighbourhood heard and passed mean comments about Jean, she had enough to contend with, that she did understand.

'Where did you get those lungs from?' She teased her daughter, 'has grandmother Jean been giving you lessons?' She smiled at Amelia, for the first time, properly. The cry wasn't thin and reedy like it had been.

'I'll settle for Grandma,' a soft voice behind her said, 'if that's acceptable.'

Ruby turned round, 'It is.' She almost smiled.

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Jean took tea into the doctor, a lull if the proceedings meant she could speak to him. She told him what she had just observed,

'...but, it could just be the once.'

'I don't know.' Lucien smiled, 'maybe she's had time to think. You've looked after Amelia for the morning, she's had time to think and she ate at lunch. Ok, it wasn't a lot, and it was very light, and delicious, may I add, but this might be what she needs. Not being chided for her failings.'

Jean sat back in the chair, 'Maybe,' she mused, 'so, you think if I just carry on like this, effectively taking no notice of, what to me are, her laziness and lack of love.'

'Mmm...' Lucien blew across his cup, as he did when in thought, 'because I think she's just been totally overwhelmed and the midwife and doctor really are rather tough.'

'Right.' Jean looked at him, 'and...'

'She had a hell of a time.' Lucien put his cup down and told her all the doctor in Adelaide had said. She paled and was embarrassed.

'Poor girl.' She hummed, 'if Christopher had told me the whole story I'd have gone to Adelaide. But he just said she couldn't cope and I assumed that she was...'

'...putting it on?' He finished for her.

She reddened. 'Well...'

He stood up and went round to her. 'Don't let her know that's what you thought, although...'

'She probably does.'

He bent over her and kissed her head. 'Well no need to speak of it, is there?'

Jean looked up and smiled, 'No.' But her voice was a breath, sexy and low. She stood up, ready to take the tray out but he caught her and held her, and kissed her passionately.

'Lucien!' She wanted to admonish him but instead found herself falling back into his arms and letting him kiss her again as deeply if not more. When they pulled apart, breathless and pink, she giggled. 'Really, what if we're caught?'

'Well, I shall have to declare my intentions, totally dishonourable of course.' He winked and she laughed, covering her mouth to quieten the sound.

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Well, what's going to happen now. I don't usually redeem Ruby, but for a change I might!