"Hello, brother of mine! Welcome to our lovely home while I am Governor!" She greeted him as she came into the room and he stood up and instantly opened his arms for a hug
"Hello, Sister! Sorry for being so standoffish at Uncle Harvey's funeral" he said, giving her a hug and a kiss to her cheek.
"I miss that man Mark!" She said thinking of her beloved Harvey.
"I know Emmaline, I miss him too!" He said as they headed through The Drawing Room to the verandah.
*
Upstairs, Julian wasn't just writing a song for his Emmaline he had a treat to arrange for her, and now was a perfect time, to help give her a reason to smile again, and not just because she was Governor.
He had managed to get in touch with Sean Pertwee, who played Alfred Pennyworth in the hit series Gotham, one of Emmaline's favourite shows.
"Hello, is this Mr Sean Pertwee?" He asked his phone to his ear.
"Yes, it is, who is calling?"
"Hello Sean, it's Julian Lennon here, I sent you an email regarding a favour I need, not for me, for my Sweetness"
"Ah, a lovely lady in your life!" Sean said with a smile "what's her name?"
"Her name is Emmaline, and she loves Gotham!" He said, "I was hoping to get as many cast members to come for a breakfast, a surprise breakfast for her!"
"And is she British like you?"
"No, she's an Australian, we live in Brisbane and I will tell you now, she is the current Governor of Queensland"
"So address her properly, Your Excellency, then Ma'am," He said, "when were you thinking, count me in, Julian!"
"You know how to address a Governor?" He asked the actor.
"I'm British, your Emmaline is her Majesty's representative for Queensland, so when were you thinking so I can get in touch with some of the gang?"
"Well, when are you available?" He asked.
"Work around her schedule, Julian!" Sean advised.
"Can I just check? Sorry, Sean" He said.
"No worries Mate, the last thing you want to do is get us in when she's got something on!"
He had headed down the stairs and had found Clayton "Oh Clayton, can you get me the Governor's diary for the next month? I'm trying to arrange a surprise breakfast for her with some of the cast from Gotham"
"Yes sir," he said, going to get it from her study.
Julian followed his phone still to his ear. "Still there, Sean?"
"Yes Julian," he said as John's boy looked through the diary that Clayton had left opened on Emmaline's desk.
"So, in three weeks, Saturday the eighteenth of May, we only have a state dinner on that night," Julian said.
Sean chuckled "only a State Dinner, Mate?"
"Yeah" Julian chuckled "We've already had one, we had the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I just get nervous! It's just a whole new world for me and for her!"
"First State Dinner and you have British Royalty?" Sean said, "no wonder you're nervous! So the eighteenth of May? I'm free, and I will get onto Ben, and Donal and David, and Corey and Robin, and whoever else I can get to come!"
"Is that their real names? I watch it with Emmaline but don't know as much as her!"
"Yes Julian, Ben played Detective Jim Gordon, Donal played Detective Harvey Bullock..."
"There's a detective called Harvey in Gotham?" Julian paled, forgetting.
"Yes, is that a problem? Donal is a great guy and he'll love breakfast! He won't say no to free food, is what I'm trying to say!"
"The food isn't the problem Sean, Emmaline recently lost her Uncle, who was called Harvey and was a detective! Harvey Gordon was his name!"
"And she was close to her uncle?"
"Yes, very close, see her Mum died in childbirth and she and Harvey were brother and sister! She loves that man so much, even though he's gone!" Julian said, "but no, please invite Donal, she does like his character, one of her favourites actually!"
"If you think it's a good idea I will, can I reach you on this number without your lovely lady finding out?"
"Yes Sean, that would be the best I think!"
"Okay well, I will see what I can do and get back to you with who is coming, Julian!"
"Thank you, Sean, much appreciated!" Julian said, smiling as he hung up.
He found Clayton talking to one of the other staff.
"Clayton, I need to run by you a date, the eighteenth of May, in the morning I want to have some guests over for Emmaline for breakfast, but she doesn't know it yet. I know we have a state dinner that night"
"Of course Mr Lennon," he said getting out his phone, he had Emmaline's calendar and schedule day by day on an app on his phone.
"Clayton I really wish you'd call me Julian!" He said to the Commodore.
"Yes Sir, but you know I can't do that!" He said, "so as you were saying, the eighteenth of May? May I ask what guests are coming? It is for a private matter, not a foundation or any of the causes Her Excellency is Patron of?"
"Yes it's a private breakfast, the cast of the hit show Gotham, Emmaline is a massive fan!"
"She needs something like that to 'perk' her up a bit, Sir can I confide in you with something, please?"
"By all means, of course, Clayton," Julian said, "Shall we head somewhere private?"
They headed upstairs to the master suite.
"Is everything all right Clayton? You look stressed" Julian observed once he had closed the bedroom doors.
The staff were well and truly into the routine and living arrangements of he and Emmaline, if the doors were shut they were all to knock, there wasn't to be a repeat of Simone on their first night together.
"Am I just old fashioned in worrying about our Governor, Sir?" He asked. "She seems better or a little bit since Detective Gordon's passing, and on your birthday too, Sir!"
"Yes but you can't rush grief Clayton," Julian said, "I understand where you are coming from but you can't just ask Emmaline to turn her grief off and smile all the time!"
"Oh I know Sir, it's just what if her grief gets in the way of her duties as Governor? You know, if she pushes herself too far could it all blow up in her face?"
"Clayton, I know her better than anyone, and each day that passes she is coping, she has her moments, she has her days,"
"How about you and Her Excellency go away for a few days? I hear the Gold Coast is beautiful!" He suggested.
"Clayton we have a job here, both of us," Julian said, "are you really worried about her?"
"Well, yes I am" Clayton admitted.
"Sir?" Came the voice of a staff member and a knock on the doors.
"Come in Darcy, oh while you're both here, I was wondering if we could update the photos of the house and grounds on the website, I've taken a few shots" Julian pitched the idea to the two men.
"You any good Sir? At taking photos?" Clayton asked.
"My first exhibition was in 2010 and I have had several since, Clayton, I'm not just a musician and philanthropist!"
"And a children's book author!" Darcy piped up. "Sorry Sir, I'm a big fan!"
"I'm flattered, Darcy!" He said.
"We'll have to run the photos you've taken past Her Excellency," Clayton said, "do you have some to show me?"
"I did print some out Commodore," Darcy said, holding a photo portfolio.
"You have an eye for detail, Sir" Clayton complimented him. "Yes, I like these, they will give the website a fresh look! Once I run it past the Governor!"
*
"It really is lovely here Emmy!" Mark said, taking in the gorgeous views and the lifestyle his sister now lived.
"Yes, it is, and I must say, Mark, I am glad to have you back in Brisbane! I always missed you all the way over in Hawaii, especially when we stopped talking completely!"
"Oh I know Emmy, but that's all in the past, you and Jules have my complete and devoted support, I was the shittiest brother in the world, but I will make it up to you! You need me and I'll be there!"
She gently touched his knee with a smile, she was glad he was back. Now it seemed she had another ally in her corner.
She was lucky, she had her Mark back, and her Julian, his brother and Charlotte, his amazing friends, Justin, Timothy, Mark, and the one and only Max who she was yet to meet and Amanda from the foundation, and all the loyal staff at Government House.
"So about Tilly, she knows where you now live?" She made sure.
"Yes, unfortunately, not even in my own new home for a couple of days and she's on my doorstep!!"
"Don't let her weasel her way in Mark!" Emmaline warned, "I am no way ready to face her, I know it's been a few weeks since..."
"Emmy, I won't do that! Harvey was your world!" Mark reassured her, gently rubbing her arm.
"Julian is now my world, Mark!" She said proudly of her gorgeous man.
"Well good! And the name change? Emmaline Lennon, I love it! It's really you!!" He said, grinning. "Look at you just absolutely glowing, Sis! Will you two tie the knot?"
"Eventually yes, when the time is right and we even had his brother's girlfriend offer to be a surrogate for us!"
Mark's eyes had nothing but love and pride for his big sister, "you are an amazing woman Emmaline, you really are! I am so happy that we are talking again! I have missed you so much! And how you managed to land yourself the son of a Beatle! A Beatle!! He's never married, right? And obviously no children?"
"No he's been engaged though, but he even admitted he'd never date a fan"
"But you never really listened to his music did you? You never were 'one of those fans' following his every move online!" Mark said, finishing his drink, the chef had prepared a Spritz Veneziano for them.
"I knew who he was but when I became his doctor in Cairo, that was the last thing on my mind! I had to get him healed and better, and back on his feet!" She said.
Mark smiled "but did it ever come to you that, he was single and such a catch?"
"No Mark, it was professional, until he started flirting and it was so cute and adorable I will admit, Julian really is a gentleman, a true gentleman!"
"Fate really was yours that day he became your patient, Emmy!" He said, gently squeezing her hand.
"And what about you, brother? When the time is right, will you find love again?" She asked, turning it back on him.
"I don't want to grow old alone but it will take a while!" He said.
"So what will we do about Tilly and Amelia and Zosar if they still have plans to bring us down? And I'm not just talking about Julian and I?"
"Well now Zosar has been charged with a double murder, the Queensland Government want to send him back to Cairo to serve his sentence there, which is Capital punishment, death by hanging," Mark told her.
"What? Australia actually wants to not house him here in one of our prisons?" She asked, sceptical.
"You are quite an influential woman Emmaline! People that know you and people you have helped as well as people of higher positions don't want him in this beautiful country!" He said.
"But I find that hard to believe Mark, does Tilly know he's going to be hanged? If she does why is she so determined to get in your good books to get to me?" Emmaline challenged "And also, he's too powerful and he knows Middle Eastern royalty! He'll get back to Cairo and will walk free! Then he'll come back and God forbid he ever harms Julian! I won't be able to live with myself if I let him get hurt or worse killed!"
"Do you think he'd really try and hurt Jules?"
"Mark, he's out for blood! He'd kill Julian if he is even given the slightest opportunity!"
"Well, why don't you get in touch with The Grand Mufti of Egypt?" He suggested, "test the waters to see if he'll do his job or if he's in Zosar's inner circle!?"
"God, and this sounds so bloody and wrong coming from me, but the day they put that noose around his neck is the day I will be able to rest and Harvey will have justice!"
"Then do it for Uncle Harvey! He deserves justice, Emmaline!" Mark squeezed her hand "And you with your position can get him that justice he needs and deserves, Wolf, will back you one hundred per cent!"