‘You fooled Lucy,’ Dan went on. ‘You fooled Mum. Said one thing, did another. What makes you think you can treat them like that and then turn up on the doorstep?’
‘Because I found something I think might matter to you,’ Oliver said quietly. ‘To all of you.’
Dan snorted. ‘Doubt it.’
‘I found some old hotel records which I thought Kate might be interested in.’
At that moment Liam came pelting around the side of the house. ‘Hey, Dan —’ He stopped dead when he saw Oliver.
Dan’s stance shifted, softening. ‘Hey, mate.’
Liam’s gaze flicked between them. ‘That’s Aunty Lucy’s friend,’ he said matter-of-factly.
Oliver’s throat tightened.
‘That’s right,’ Dan said.
‘Lucy isn’t here,’ Liam added.
‘That’s OK,’ Oliver said. ‘I didn’t expect her to be.’ He lifted the box a little. ‘I brought something for your grandmother. Is she at home?’
Liam shook his head. ‘There’s just me and Liam, mate,’ Dan said, the warmth gone again. ‘You can say whatever you were going to say to Mum, to me.’
‘Sure.’ Oliver adjusted his grip on the box. ‘Does the initial “N MacLeod” mean anything to you?’
Dan’s eyes sharpened. ‘Maybe. Why?’
‘I found references to some old correspondence between her and someone else.’ He tapped the lid.
‘To my great-grandmother?’ Dan blinked. ‘Yeah, that means something. What are you doing with her stuff?’
‘Look, Dan —’
‘Don’t “look, Dan” me.’
Oliver set the box on a verandah ledge. He might need both hands if this escalated.
‘Daniel!’ Kate’s voice cut across the tension. They both turned. She was striding up the path, face set.
‘What on earth is going on here?’ she demanded. ‘Dan, take Liam inside and put the kettle on. Liam, milo for you. We’ll have tea, won’t we, Oliver?’
Oliver let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. ‘Tea would be great,’ he said.
Dan shot him one last murderous look, then shepherded Liam inside.
Kate watched them go, then turned back to Oliver. ‘As you can tell, we don’t like how you’ve treated Lucy,’ she said calmly. ‘But that doesn’t excuse rudeness.’
‘Completely fair,’ he said. ‘If I were Dan, I’d feel the same.’
‘So why are you here?’
‘Two reasons.’ He met her gaze. ‘First, to apologise. I’m sorry for what’s happened. For the way I behaved. I was out of line. What I did was wrong.’
She inclined her head, accepting the words without softening.
‘Second,’ he went on, lifting the box back into his arms, ‘I’ve been going through the papers in the Old Colonial’s basement.’
She took a half-step back. ‘What did you find?’
