The Madame of the house was in attendance."Carmel! Get Michele cleaned and dressed ready for the visit. Have her ready by three o'clock!" Steve ordere... and left the room.Carmel and I both glanced at the ornate wall-clock; it read 1:37pm."Come on Michele, we don't have much time and Steve has left me with strict instructions on how you are to be prepared," Carmel said and took my wrist and led me over to the gold trimmed door.Again I was being spoken about as if I was piece of property, which I. ‘I am delighted to meet you,’ he averred. ‘Arturo has always spoken so highly of you. He says you are the best supplier of, shall we say, creatively obtained luxury goods working the Meditterranean.’ ‘He speaks the truth,’ said the Captain immodestly, baring his teeth in his notably sharklike smile. ‘And your reputation speaks for itself, Signor Baldini.’ ‘Oh, please, call me Luigi. And this is your beautiful…companion?’ ‘Lady Catherine Tremayne,’ said the Captain with a flourish, causing Kitty. The little alarm bells had been quieted and his cautiousness was ebbing.Bill found the ring he was looking for in a local jewelry store. It was simple and elegant and, with a large diamond, quite expensive. However, a lifetime commitment meant the cost was not the issue. It was the statement that this was to bond both of them together for all time. He had talked to Dave Markham about his intentions and Dave was visibly happy for him. They had become very close friends and saw each other. They had hardship but it was in their fight against the land in some unfortunate natural conditions and in learning to farm. There had been very few people and they quickly learned to cooperate.Over the static, I heard Momma Janice's voice. "Bobbi, this is Momma Janice. Bobbi, come in from Australia. Over." Hello, Mom. This is Bobbi. Your signal is moderate strength but clearly readable. We're in Perth and have met friends here. I am talking to Matilda Brown who is listening to us."Momma Janice.