📎A/N. Thanks for all your support to date. It has been wonderful. Don't forget to vote if you like this chapter, and all feedback welcome :)

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Ethan had just tossed another stone onto the sand when he heard Mason calling out to him from somewhere in the distance. He twisted around from his position on the ground to watch his friends approach.

"We were wondering where you had gotten to," Mason said, as he sat down beside him. Mason rested his arms on his knees in a similar position and nodded to the small pile of stones a short distance away. "Can't be good."

Ethan's hand ready to throw the next pebble, halted his movement and turned to his friend with a raised eyebrow.

Mason smiled and pointed at his hand which was still mid throw. "When you're working a problem through, you tend to do something repetitive," he said.

Ethan turned back to study the stones and cocked his head, a wry expression as he realised he had amassed a considerable volume of them. He shrugged his shoulders and tossed the pebble. It landed on the top of the pile and quickly rolled unevenly down the little hill.

From the corner of his eye he could see Mason lean back, his body held up by his arms, his hands resting on the sand behind him. "This is such a peaceful spot," he said as he gazed out on Lake Tashmoo. "In fact, the whole island is amazing. It's hard to believe that a place like this can exist so close to concrete jungles."

Ethan had to agree, in the few days since his arrival his appreciation of the simple things had grown in leaps and bounds. He had initially thought he would go stir crazy as he wasn't used to not working. There was always a meeting to attend, fires to put out and decisions to make. His first reaction had been - How was he going to survive two weeks in this godforsaken place?

"You are still coming to Grace's aren't you?" Mason asked, his voice tinged with concern, "Her parents arrive tomorrow, and the others will descend on us this weekend, it's bound to get chaotic."

He threw Mason a weak smile, "Of course I'm coming," he said, "Grace will never forgive me if I mess up her dinner party."

Mason laughed, "You think from the fuss she's making we'll be dining with the Royals."

Ethan had to agree. "I understand that she's invited a sixth for dinner?"

"Yes, she said it was someone she knows from one of her charities. Apparently, his family is one of the major contributors. They bumped into each other at the market yesterday."

There was an edge to Mason's tone that Ethan couldn't miss. "You're not jealous are you?" he smiled.

"Jealous?" scoffed Mason, "Why would I be jealous?"

"So you're not concerned about having to compete for her attention this evening with another man?" Ethan teased.

Instead of answering Mason became deathly quiet. His expression reflected his uncertainty.

"You're really serious about this one," Ethan stated, noticing his friends mood change.

Mason picked up a small stone and tossed it towards Ethan's pile. He frowned as the object hurtled past the mound and landed on the sand near enough for the water to gently lap it up and pull it back into the ocean. "There's just something about her," he began quietly, "I can't explain it but... I'm afraid that I might screw things up."

"Don't then," was Ethan's only reply.

They sat in silence, each deep in their own thoughts.

Mason cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably on the sand. "Tell me to mind my own business," he began, "but I know how you feel about Sydney's family. And I can't help but wonder your sudden change of heart in agreeing to come up here." He turned to face Ethan directly, "You can't tell me that the David Hutton sighting has nothing to do with you announcing you were coming with us."

"You're right," Ethan snapped, "it's none of your business."

Mason, still not done with the conversation, pushed the discussion further. "You've been spending a lot of time with her over the past few days. I would hate to see her being hurt deliberately just so you can get justice for what happened. Despite what you think, I believe she's a genuinely honest person and I don't think she deserves whatever plan you're hatching."

The contracting of the muscles in his jaw and the scraping of his teeth was the only sign that Ethan was listening. Mason stood and brushed the sand off of his pants. He looked down at his friend and shook his head sadly, "Your issue is with her father and mother. Not her. From a few details Grace has shared with me, Sydney's as much a victim in this as anyone else."

For a long while after Mason had headed back to the house, Ethan continued to stare out at the water, watching the small waves as they lapped onto the shore. His thoughts were in turmoil. More so now than they had been when he had arrived. His plan had been so easy. Get close to her and find out what she knew about her father's whereabouts.

Had he been so transparent, that his friend had worked out his ultimate goal?

So why do I feel so lousy? He asked himself.

Masons parting words, echoed in his mind, bouncing around until he could no longer think straight. He had spent the better part of the last few days with Sydney. While his ego had been slightly damaged during the Kayaking trip, he had enjoyed the experience as well as spending the day with her. She had been so easy to talk to, that once they had put the swan incident behind them, it had been difficult to keep her at arm's length. There was something about her that had him naturally gravitating towards her. There was some unknown magnetic force that breathed easier each time she laughed - each time she smiled at him.

It was becoming harder and harder to keep his resolve in place. He had found himself actively seeking her out each day, hoping to spend more time with her.

He didn't understand how he had agreed to it, but the previous day, she had convinced him to catch a bus to travel to Aquinnah rather than drive to the far side of the island. It had been years since he had been anywhere near public transport.

In the end he was pleased he had agreed to it. The small town only had car parking spaces for fifty cars. By the time they had reached their destination, every space was occupied and there were dozens of cars circling.

Ethan shouldn't have been surprised at her knowledge of the area when she promptly introduced him to the wonders of the Aquinnah Cliffs, which up until that point, he was not aware was a national historic landmark. Her ability to bring alive the smallest of information had him entranced and captivated the entire day.

However, underneath her slowly softening stance towards him, he knew she didn't trust him. For some reason beyond him, this didn't sit well. It was unsettling to think that she was ready to bolt from him at any given moment. He had to admire her astuteness while, at the same time, he was feeling the odd prickling of shame that she had him pegged correctly.

Ethan stood up and brushed himself off, ready to return to the house. He needed to fortify his resolve.

She had to know something.

Didn't she?

His phone went off, distracting him from his train of thought.

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"Where did you want this?" Sydney asked as she walked into the dining room, her hands were laden with a large dessert, still warm from the oven.

Grace came over and leaned down to breath in the fruity aroma of the large peach cobbler which Sydney was holding. "Smells divine," she said before taking it from Sydney and heading back to the kitchen.

"Get much done today?" Grace asked as Sydney trailed behind her.

Sydney nodded, "A bit, hopefully enough to satisfy Stephen."

"Did he managed to change his flight in the end?"

"He'll be here in the morning. I actually think it's on the same flight as your parents," Sydney said as she picked out a slither of carrot from the half made salad and bit into it.

Grace handed Sydney a knife. "Here, make yourself useful and finish the salad before you eat it all." Grace then picked up a wooden spoon and began to stir one of the sauces that was simmering on the hobs. "Mom mentioned you spoke to dad today."

"Yes," Sydney sighed, "he was giving me an update on the latest with my absent father." The conversation had been playing on her mind the entire afternoon. It was a miracle she still had nails left to bite.

Grace halted stirring and spun her head around to glance at her, "Oh?"

"It looks like he's now been spotted in Samoa."

"Samoa?"

"Yep. It looks like he's fled there, as it was the closest place to Australia without an extradition treaty with the US."

"Oh hon, I'm so sorry," Grace said as she reached for two stemmed glasses and picked up a chilled bottle of wine. "I had hoped it was a false alarm," she lamented as she handed a glass to Sydney.

Sydney gratefully accepted the offered fortifying alcohol. "You and me both. Uncle Victor thinks that the state department will put pressure on the local government to find a way to get him back to the states. It won't be long before the press gets wind and it once again takes centre stage. David never did things by half," she laughed bitterly.

Grace gave Sydney a hug. "You are not to go through this alone," she said as she pulled away. "You know we love you and we are here for you."

Whatever Sydney was going to reply was cut off by the gentle chiming of the doorbell.

Grace headed out of the kitchen throwing a, "Remember what I said," over her shoulder as she disappeared into the other room.

Tears prickled at the back of Sydney's eyes as she turned her attention back to finishing the salad. The conversation with Victor had thrown her. Until that point, she had convinced herself that the sighting in Australia was a hoax. Now - not so much.

She had spent the better part of the afternoon dredging up old memories. It still left a bitter taste in her mouth after all these years. And to have her mother visiting her Aunt and Uncle for the weekend, was another emotional roller-coaster she didn't think she could cope with.

It would just serve to reinforce Ethan's opinion on her and her family.

The knife halted in mid-air, and the bell pepper she was ready to slice had been given a slight reprieve. Where the hell did that come from? Why should I worry about his opinion?

She slammed the knife down with more force than necessary. The man was occupying too much of her thoughts lately. After spending the last few days in his company, she was very quickly falling under the spell that he seemed to weave over her. It was becoming harder to remember she didn't trust him - not to mention that she was having very peculiar dreams about him. Dreams that brought a flush to her cheeks each time she recalled them.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Sydney was thankful for the distraction when Grace returned and headed towards the wine fridge. "Henry's here, come out and meet him before the others arrive," she said as she pulled out a bottle and headed back to the other room.

After ensuring nothing would burn, Sydney followed her cousin. She was curious to see who this Henry was, not having met him before. Grace had insisted that she had invited him for political reasons. His family was a major contributor to one of her charities and she wanted to make sure they stayed that way. Something in Grace's tone didn't ring true. Sydney couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew Grace was up to something. And if she were a betting person, that something was Pauline.

She knew that Grace, who had the patience of a saint, had reached the end of her tether with Mason's sister. Pauline was more than a handful and reinforced the privileged prima-donna stereotype of wealthy young women. She had yet to come out with anything other than a complaint or a snide comment. Everything seemed beneath her.

Mason's younger sister put Sydney's teeth on edge and she was thankful for the limited time she had to spend in her company. Even that was almost more than she could bare.

Sydney took a deep breath, plastered a fake smile on her face and made her way to Grace and their newly arrived guest.

Good lord! Now I know why he's here, thought Sydney a few minutes later, even miss la-di-da would have a hard time finding anything amiss with Nob Hill here.

Henry Barrett-Brown, from the Barrett-Browns who came across on the Mayflower, was old money from Boston. And, to Sydney's surprise was a male version of Pauline. This was proven within moments when her teeth began to ache when she listened to him recount the Polo incident that had him recuperating at the vineyard for the season.

As the minutes ticked by, Sydney nervously glanced towards the clock. She had agonised more than once since the conversation with her uncle on whether the information on her father had reached Ethan yet. She knew the tenuous truce they had would be demolished the moment the news broke.

Despite expecting it, her heart nearly stopped beating the moment the doorbell rang. She was sure a small sheen of perspiration had suddenly erupted across her brow and once her chest had let her heart beat again, it started to thump uncontrollably.

She watched with bated breath as Grace glided across the room towards the door.

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📎A/N. Wonder who the phone call was from?

...And it looks like both Ethan and Sydney are becoming a little confused about the resolutions towards each other... what do you think?

...Wonder how the dinner party is going to turn out ;-)

Till next time, take care and don't forget to vote if you enjoyed this chapter. :-)

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