“What treasure?” Jordan’s very guilty expression made her turn to Arthur, her heart racing.
“Nothing, Mum. Don’t worry.”
Arthur had mentioned something about treasure when he’d been looking for Jordan, but she’d been too worried about Jordan’s safety to focus on it. And now she thought about it, Mischa had said something about treasure the other day as well. “Would this be the treasure you were looking for instead of heading home to safety?”
Jordan screwed up his face. “Maybe.”
She waited for either male to explain and when neither spoke, she said, “I’m waiting.”
Jordan looked at Arthur and, with a sigh, Arthur nodded.
“There’s treasure at the Ridge,” Jordan blurted. “Arthur’s been looking for it.”
Her eyebrows raised. She glanced at Arthur. Was this a game he was playing with the kids? “Really?”
He nodded. “We believe it might be what Stonefish is looking for.”
She waited for a smile, or a twitch of his eye to show he was kidding, but it didn’t come. Unease prickled her skin. “Would you like to explain?”
Arthur rubbed his hand over his face. “I don’t want to endanger you or Jordan. If—” he cast a look at Jordan. “—peoplethink you know about it, they may try to force you to tell.”
They were back to Kurt again. So that was what he was after. It made perfect sense why he didn’t give her details. He wasn’t sure whether the Stokes knew about it.
“Do you mean Dad?” Jordan asked, his voice so quiet she could barely hear it above the noise.
Arthur nodded.
“He really didn’t come to town for me, did he?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. No, he didn’t.” She hugged him close to her, wishing she could take away his pain. Was this a way they could get rid of Kurt? If she could get him arrested for breaking and entering… She’d ask Arthur about it later. Jordan shouldn’t hear her plotting to have Kurt arrested, no matter how much the bastard deserved it.
“I can tell you about the Retribution,” Arthur suggested.
“Everyone knows the story of how it was wrecked on the island and Lara’s family set up a sheep station there,” Jordan said.
“But do you know the part about the mutiny?”
Jordan shifted closer. “No.”
Gretchen held up a hand. “Is this likely to give Jordan nightmares?”
“No.”
Jordan left her side and curled up next to Arthur so he could hear better. Arthur patted the mattress on his other side and smiled at her, so she joined them. He slid his arm around them both and her heart ached. This was what family was supposed to be like.
“This is the Stokes’s family history, so you need to keep it a secret unless Lara says it’s OK to say something.”
Jordan and Gretchen nodded.
“Lara’s ancestors were Lilian and Reginald Stokes. Lilian married Reginald just before they sailed to Australia, and he wasn’t a very nice man.”
“Why did she marry him?” Jordan asked.
“In those days, women had to marry whomever their parents chose for them,” Gretchen explained. Her own parents had encouraged her to stay with Kurt.
“That’s stupid.”
Arthur continued. “When they arrived in Fremantle, Reginald bought the ship and planned to set up a shipping business between the Fremantle port and the Kimberley. They were on their first voyage when the cyclone hit.”
