Seven

"How was work? I hope you brought some more tea. The girls were quite a handful today – it seems the storm's stirred up more than the river and the ocean this week. I'm afraid I've had a whole pot since I came home." Merry sat at the kitchen table, behind her empty teacup, looking as exhausted as I felt.

I grinned. "We have a treat tonight. A big dhufish and a wahoo – compliments of the Basile boys." I laid my bounty on the table and unwrapped them.

Merry eyed the striped fish, its tail twitching over the side of the table even as its pointed snout lay on the other edge of the timber surface. "Are you sure you can eat this? It looks like one of those Tasmanian tiger things, but a fish."

"Aunt Merry, this is the tastiest fish in the sea and it's been three years since I've seen one, let alone eaten one. I'll pop the dhuie in the ice box for tomorrow or Friday, but I'll cook this one for dinner myself if I have to."

Heavy boots sounded on the boards as Tony entered the kitchen, burdened by both tea chests. "Where do you want these, Maria?"

I pointed to an empty corner of the kitchen that Tony quickly filled with my tea.

"Where did you get so much from? We can't drink all that – it'll take us months!" Merry exclaimed, squinting at the chests. "At least you got the right kind, but what's this one? I don't recognise the writing."

Tony leaned against the wall, grinning. "Your niece went for a swim in the harbour today, which caught her a bumper catch of Fremantle sardines. They just happened to be the tea merchant's wife's favourite, too, so she traded them for enough tea to last you until next year. At least tea keeps better than fish!"

I reached for the empty tea tin. "Would you like a cup, Tony? Seeing as we have so much to spare and you carried it in."

"I'd love one," he replied, watching me as I bent to fill the tin from the chest. "That does look good."

Blushing, I straightened, recognising the hint of lust in his expression. Whether it was my still-damp skirt and bloomers clinging to my bum or my naked enthusiasm for the smell of tea leaves, I didn't know, but it certainly put Tony's comments about other men's fish in context. I busied myself with the kettle, teapot and other tea-making paraphernalia in an effort to avoid meeting his eyes.

"You should stay for dinner, Tony," Merry suggested. "After all, we can't eat all of this huge fish by ourselves."

"Speak for yourself," I said, pouring steaming water over the leaves. "If it takes me every meal for the next three days, I'm not letting a bite of this beast go to waste." The awkward silence behind me forced me to turn and add, "But Tony helped catch this monster and he was kind enough to let me have it. You should stay and have a taste, though it'll ruin you for any other fish."

Tony's relief manifested in a smile. "When you have the best, why would you want anything less?" His eyes burned into mine. "I can't stay because I have some deliveries to make, but I can come back afterwards, if that's all right?"

I nodded. "That'll give me some time to fillet this fish and peel the potatoes. Best be here by five."

He promised he would be, then left, whistling. I heard his truck start up and motor down the road.

I grabbed the wahoo. "I'd better do this outside. This is going to be messy."

"When are you going to let your heart love again?" Merry asked.

My mouth didn't seem to want to close, but my voice had died in my throat.

"Tony Basile is a good man and I've seen the looks you get from him and plenty of others – both good and bad. It's been three years, Maria. Don't you think you've waited long enough for your shipwrecked sweetheart? If he hasn't come to find you in three years, especially after you sent him a telegram, don't you think he might have forgotten about you?"

I almost confessed to my subterfuge with the pearls, which I'd had to keep hidden for months before I returned them to her. The fish markets paid well in fish, but even now, monetary reward was minimal. The fishing industry never had been and never would be a source of great wealth. And I'd never sent the telegram.

"Maybe," I managed to say.

"Don't you owe it to your heart and your own happiness to let another man into your life? One who will cherish you the way you deserve?" she pressed.

I sighed. Yes, I'd love to share my life with a partner who was my equal, but the only man who came close was William. I had savings enough to take ship for any port in the Indian Ocean, but I had no idea where to start looking. Besides, my life here was far too comfortable for me to want to leave. I knew people and I had a place here, with all the fish I could eat, tea and, occasionally, chocolate. What more did a girl like me deserve?