We arrive in Melbourne on a clear day, the city looking wonderful as a black limousine takes us in towards Chase’s mansion in Toorak.
‘If your parents are away, George,’ Isobel says. ‘Stay with us. We don’t have to leave our house for two weeks.’
‘Thank you, Isobel.’ My parents are still in Switzerland. ‘I’ll only stay for a night or two,’ I add. ‘Then I’ll go to my place.’
Chase gives me a companionable whack. ‘Tomorrow, old boy,’ he informs me, ‘we’ll go down to Tapley on the train to get our stuff. No more limos for the Landon-Bonds. It’s public transport all the way, every day.’
‘Oh, please, Chase,’ says Chase’s dad, who wears a slick grey suit and two large gold watches. ‘It’s only temporary. If we can go from riches to rags overnight, then I can’t see a problem heading back the other way in the same time-frame.’
‘From now on, Dad,’ Isobel puts in, ‘Chase and I are going to be involved in everything this family does. We’re old enough and smart enough to see some of the things we should do and not do in the future.’
Mrs Landon-Bond puts a slender hand loaded with diamonds and rubies on Isobel’s slender hand that has no jewellery at all.
‘You need to rest, Isobel, rather than think about things that don’t interest you.’
Isobel retracts her hand. ‘Oh, but they do interest me. And I should have been a lot more interested a lot earlier on, and we wouldn’t be in the situation we are now. I’m sick of resting. I’m ready to get to work, school, and study.’
Silence settles like mist until Chase claps.
‘Exactly, Isobel,’ he says. ‘From now on the Landon-Bonds are going to be thoughtful, responsible, helpful and . . . er . . . careful. Or a little more careful than we have been. We will earn our money honestly. Then no one can take it off us.’
‘Bravo, Chase.’ Mr Landon-Bond nods as we are taken up the driveway of their huge house, which isn’t theirs any more. ‘Meanwhile, anyone for tennis? I believe we have the coaching team for another week.’