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Ebonny is the most beautiful little girl, inside and out. You’re a princess, aren’t you darling?”
    “No, I’m a fairy,” the little girl said.
    “Ah, a fairy today. That means — yes, Sia’s given us your fairy colouring book. Why don’t you do a pretty picture for me.” Mary put the open colouring book down in front of Ebonny, then pulled pencils and pens out of the bag.
    “Okay.” Ebonny’s small mouth pursed as she looked over the pencils and carefully chose a pink one.
    “The only four-year-old I know who will happily sit for a good hour or so and colour,” Mary said, picking up her tea. “If only I could be sure that mine would be the same.” She pointed to Amber, who was now scrambling on Charles’s lap, trying to reach Ebonny’s pencils.
    With Mary busy with the children, Todd and Charles took their leave. Todd didn’t mind — he was pretty sure Charles would tell him the information that Mary wouldn’t.
    “Sia’s children look just like her,” he said breezily as they walked next door.
    “They’re not Sia’s kids. They’re her father’s. The whole town is hoping and praying that the alcohol has finally killed his sperm, cause Sia don’t need any more pressure.”
    With every statement made about her, Sia’s life became more mysterious. “What do you mean?”
    “You know that Frank Collins is the town drunk, right?”
    “No, I didn’t.”
    “Has been for years now. Since they moved in from Black Springs four years ago, maybe even before that. Unfortunately, his last two lady friends were also just as fond of the bottle. Luckily for the kids, they didn’t want the responsibility of motherhood and cleared out after first Brock, then Ebonny was born.
    “Frank, to give him his due, still has fatherly instincts enough not to abandon them but the bringing up of them has fallen to Sia. Sienna’s eighteen and does what she can to help, but Sia’s determined that her sister is going to have opportunities and makes her put her university study first. By now, Sia should be in the city, making it big but instead, she’s here in Oberon, working at the club to earn money and raising her brother and sister.”
    “Sia should be making it big?” They’d reached Charles’ front door.
    “Yeah. Painting. Here.” Charles went inside and returned moments later with a strip of cardboard in his hand. Todd saw it was the invitation to a launch of an exhibition in Sydney in two weeks time, and the artist’s name? Sia Collins.
    “She managed a big sale of a piece about five years ago,” Charles said. “If she’d been able to go to Sydney and focus on painting then, she’d probably be a big wheel in the art world by now. As it is, this is the first solo exhibition she’s been able to pull together. Whole town is hoping that this might be it for her.”
    Todd looked at the three images used to decorate the invitation. He wasn’t an art expert, but there was no doubt that Sia’s work was beautiful, searing. She had talent.
    “Very impressive,” he said.
    “Personally, I don’t think it will change Sia’s life much at all,” Charles said. “The creative life is such a fickle income stream that she’ll probably always have to work part-time, since she needs to support the kids. And she won’t leave Oberon until either her father sobers up so he can look after his children, or they’re old enough to look after themselves. I think life has dealt cards that will never suit Sia.”
    Clutching the flyer in his hand, Todd thanked Charles and drove home.
    He sat in the drivers seat and stared at the invitation. So Sia Collins’ life hadn’t turned out nicely for her. Karma did work from time to time. But that didn’t mean it didn’t deserve a helping hand and it could be this exhibition was where he could hit Sia where it really hurt.
    He was tapping the invitation thoughtfully against his chin as he went inside.

Chapter 4
    Sienna didn’t call until eight o’clock, apologetic