Julian gave Miss Mawko a good rub all over her furry body as soon as they got home. He was still counting down the days until he could bring his goofy Winston back to Australia, legally this time.
He knew he hit her 'sweet spot' as soon as her back right leg went straight back and her body went all stiff but the look of pure ecstasy on her face told it all.
"I gotta go help my sweetness," He told her. "Gotta be a gentleman and bring our luggage in!"
"How about you put the kettle on and find the Tim Tams in the fridge!" Emmaline beamed as she rolled their bags in.
"Oh, those Australian choccie biccies I like so much?? Yes please!" He said, heading straight for the kitchen.
By the time he had the tea made, and the Tim Tams on a silver tray they headed out into the balcony to watch the world go by.
"Don't give her any biscuits!" Emmaline warned as she poured their tea.
"I know! They're covered in chocolate!" He said.
"She'll test you though! Darling, believe me! I know you're a dog owner too!" She told him.
As soon as he had grabbed a Tim Tam, Mawko sprung into action by putting her front paws up on Julian's legs, her tongue out, eyes as big as saucers and her butt and tail were wagging excitedly.
"I told you!" Emmaline said, "and once you tell her no and to get down she'll be a sneaky little devil and do ANYTHING to get one from the plate! You may own darling Winston my Julian, but you have MUCH to learn with my Miss Mawko!"
"No!" He said firmly "this is not for you, now down, Mawko!" He said firmly.
The Husky got down and howled in annoyance at him.
"Mawko!" Emmaline warned. "Nice try!"
The dog barked at her then trotted over to her pillow next to the railing of the verandah and settled down soaking up the sun.
"Have you heard how Harvey and Wolf are doing in Hawaii?" He asked, sipping his tea.
"He did tell me he and Wolf flew in yesterday, I told them to come round this afternoon so we can show them the camera in your amulet"
"Darling, what if there's a camera in yours?" He asked, the idea coming to him.
She frowned "Julian, Till and Zosar gave me that bracelet for my fiftieth, why would they even notion the idea of spying on me?"
"I know, but it was just a suggestion, things have been so unclear and muddled since my attack that day, it seems as if I was meant to be attacked and in turn meet you! There was an old hermit that took me across the river that warned me that 'bad omens' were coming and that no one ever listens to the river people." He said.
"You never told me about this Julian," She said, looking worriedly at him. "Do you remember what the hermit looked like?"
He opened his mouth to answer when they heard Harvey knock on the door and straight after yell out. "KITTEN?? JULIAN??"
"Hold that thought, we'll tell Uncle Harvey and Wolf, and I'll get them to break open my amulet," she said, heading inside.
"I didn't mean to make you upset or worried Sweetness," he said, following.
"Julian, we have to get to the bottom of this!" She said, "Can you go and fetch my bracelet? It's on my vanity table in my jewellery box."
He headed to their bedroom as she headed to the front door.
"Hello, you two!" She said with a smile. "Fancy some tea?"
"Got something stronger?" Wolf asked.
"What do you fancy Wolf?" She asked with a smile.
"The strongest Whiskey you've got!"
"How about a glass of Glenfiddich?" She offered.
"How old, Doctor?" He queried.
"50-Year-Old," She said casually, pouring him a nip with ice.
"Well, fuck..." He breathed as she handed him the glass.
"It's a good thing you've given him the strongest drink you have Kitten, we've got Mark on our side, let's hope he stays on our side!" Harvey said as they all went out into the verandah. "Where's Julian?"
"Oh he's gone to get something from the bedroom, we want you to look at an amulet I have because we found whilst in Uganda, that Julian's amulet the same as mine had a camera in it," she told them.
"I brought both out Sweetness," Julian said holding the bracelets in his hand. "Hello, Harvey, Wolf! Ah, Glenfiddich, good choice Detective!"
"I have class, son!" Wolf said, sipping the expensive golden liquid.
"So, give us a look at these amulets!" Harvey said, rubbing Mawko's ears, the dog had come to get some attention and she knew she'd get it from Emmaline's uncle.
Wolf picked up the broken amulet and had a close look. "It looks like it's been damaged but I can't tell if it's still working, do you mind if I pull it apart completely Son?" He asked.
"Go right ahead, Wolf!" Julian said.
"Would you break mine apart too Wolf?" She asked.
"No, Sweetness, it was a present from your best friend, Tilly would NEVER do anything like this to you! It's Amelia that's the cause of this!" Julian said, closing his fingers over her open palm, in it was her bracelet.
"He's right Kitten, your Tilly would do anything for you, and you know it!" Harvey agreed.
"In fact, she might be able to help us, Sweetness," Julian suggested "after all her husband is a born Egyptian! We could ask him about the goddess Taweret, he could know something!"
Wolf had completely pulled the amulet apart to which a camera and microphone fell out, that was no longer working. "Uh, there was a microphone in here too Son, whoever gave this to you had not only seen everywhere you've been and everything you've done but heard every word you've spoken!"
For once the couple had no words.
"I can try and see where it was made, try and get a lead" Wolf broke the silence "but whoever is behind this, must have wanted you and Emmaline to meet..."
"We think it's Amelia Kitten," Harvey interjected, "She's out to destroy your relationship and in turn, you, Mark even suggested she's got her eyes set on you Son!"
"But why would she want us together if she only wants to break us up?" Julian asked.
"So she can pick up the pieces when it all ends, Darling," Emmaline told him what he didn't want to hear.
He shuddered in disgust. "I'd rather die alone than even entertain the notion of being with her! Does she honestly think I'd ever date her??"
"Obviously she does!" Emmaline said, "but over my dead body she's ever getting you!"
"Well listen to you Kitten! Protective over your man huh?" Harvey grinned.
"You bet Uncle Harvey, you bet!" She said, that look of determination in her eyes.
"So, how will we go about this?" Julian asked.
"We'll use Mark, that way, we've got someone right in the action!" Harvey told them.
"That's if one, he doesn't blow his cover and two he's not still loyal to her, going back to her and telling her everything! We'll never put a stop to this if that happens!" Julian growled.
"Son. I've known that boy since the day Rob met his mother!" Harvey said, "if anyone can bring him back to the light, it's me and Wolf! Trust us son!"
Emmaline nodded and felt the tears welling up. "Why is God punishing me like this? I finally meet someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with and my sister in law goes all psycho me! Fuck it! If she wants all I have she can have it! Julian, darling why don't we move somewhere else and start afresh?"
"Kitten, she doesn't deserve the house you father wanted to grow old in with your mother! This house is YOURS, it's been in your family for over a hundred years, you remember the story your father told you?" Harvey said.
She smiled and remembered back when she was a little girl. "He used to sit me on his knee in his study when I came in and told him one of my stuffed toys were sick!"
"It was the dapple grey horse, wasn't it Kitten? Harvey grinned, "called Coco!"
"Coco had a weak heart, Julian" Emmaline smiled, explaining to him about her favourite stuffed toy. "He used to be a top racehorse but he always ran too fast and developed heart problems, and with Dad being a successful heart surgeon..."
"What goes on in that head of yours? How old were you, Sweetness?" He asked, smiling.
"Oh, she would have been in preschool, son. My Holly gave her Coco when she was born!" Harvey smiled.
"I still have Coco my Julian," She said, "he's as old as me!"
"Is that the grey horse on our bed?" He asked.
"That's Coco!"
"So, hang on, Coco has heart problems, ah I see because your father was a heart surgeon!" Julian clued on. "So what happened when you took Coco into him?"
"Well, he'd always get his trusty stethoscope out and listen to Coco's heart, then he'd prescribe him some medicine to make sure he didn't work his heart into an irregular heartbeat, and if he did, well then he'd check to see if Coco's aorta was blocked! Horse hearts are different to humans!" Emmaline took them back to when she was just a little girl.
Julian listened eagerly, smiling like an idiot as his Emmaline made him feel like a little boy again. Memories of him and sweet Cynthia came back to him.
"So after he made sure Coco was okay" Emmaline continued "He always loved telling me about how his great grandfather, Alfred..."
"Dad's dad was named Alfred, they called him Fred or Freddie!" Julian interrupted her.
"Freddie Lennon who married Julia Stanley," Emmaline said.
"Yes Sweetness, my paternal grandparents!" He said, smiling.
"So my great great grandfather Dr Alfred William Hatchford who immigrated with his family from London to Australia in 1888 settled in Brisbane, in Spring Hill. Two years later they built this house across the river, here in Highgate Hill."
Harvey had gone off, he returned with an old photo album. "Show him the photos Kitten, poor sod looks confused!"
"Right thanks Uncle Harvey, so this is Spring Hill between 1870 and 1890. The big house in the bottom of the photo was where Alfred lived with his parents and younger siblings." She explained to him.
"And what's that photo?" He pointed to a sepia photo underneath.
"So that's the Royal Brisbane Hospital where my great great grandfather began his work as a doctor, his father, my great great great grandfather Dr William Edward Hatchford actually used to serve the British Royal family before he immigrated, so he used to serve Queen Victoria as a doctor, so there's British blood in me too Mr Lennon!"
He looked surprised "Well I am impressed Dr Hatchford!"
"I was actually asked by Her Majesty to be a royal doctor you know? But I couldn't leave Brisbane!"
"So that photo? Looks like a church" Julian pointed to a black and white photo of a grand looking sandstone cathedral. "I can't believe your ancestor served Queen Victoria and you were asked to serve her Majesty!"
"I give her hell she hasn't been asked to one of the Queen's Garden Parties yet!" Harvey teased. "I still reckon you should have taken the job and worked for Queen Elizabeth Kitten!"
"She still sometimes sends a Royal telegram asking me you know?" Emmaline said.
"Really?" Julian laughed.
Emmaline got up and went into their bedroom to get the most recent.
"Is she serious?" Julian asked Harvey.
"Oh, she'd never joke about things like this Son!" Harvey said as she came back out and handed him the envelope with the British Royal coat of arms, "believe me now?" She asked.
He read the Queen's words "Yep! Totally, 100 per cent!"
"So that photo, of the old church is actually the Cathedral of St Stephen, my family on my father's side has always been Roman Catholic by denomination! He married my great great grandmother in St Stephens, my great grandfather married my great grandmother in St Stephens, my grandfather married my grandmother in St Stephens, and my mum and dad as well!"
"Is St Stephens still standing?" He asked.
"To this day, it's right in the middle of massive highrises, it's not far from Stamford Plaza where we had the High Tea!" She told him "I'm not sure about your views on religion and whether you believe in the Lord, but I would very much like to get married in St Stephens!"
He kissed her cheek "tomorrow, can we check St Stephens out?"
Harvey smiled at the couple, watching his niece kiss Julian softly and stroke his cheek.
"Of course we can!" She told him "you should get some photos of the city! Be great for a new exhibition!"
"I could host one here too Sweetness, I read you have two art galleries in Southbank!" He said, winking at her. "So what was the story your father used to tell you or was it with these photos that you just told me about?"
"Son, feel privileged you will one day, marry into the Hatchford family! They're one of the cities most respected!" Harvey smiled at him.