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question.
    ‘That’s not what I mean, and you know it.’
    She paused, thinking furiously, then said, ‘During the voyage out, on the Isla , one of the convict women, a really nasty piece of work by the name of Liz Parker, was murdered. Friday hated Liz’s guts and Liz hated Friday’s. Liz was found suffocated in her bunk in the middle of a terrific storm when everything on board was utterly chaotic. It was never proved who killed her but the finger was unofficially pointed at Friday.’
    ‘Did she do it?’
    ‘No, she was above deck at the time watching what everyone thought was the Flying Dutchman . The captain didn’t bother to pursue the matter. Liz was a troublemaker and I think he was glad to be rid of her. Everyone else was. But after we arrived Bella demanded money in exchange for her not informing the governor that Friday had murdered Liz.’
    ‘But can she prove it? She can’t, can she?’
    ‘After Liz Parker died, two of her crew, Becky Hoddle and Louisa Coutts, went to work for Bella. Apparently they’ll swear they saw Friday murder Liz.’
    ‘But why would Governor Darling listen to Bella Shand? She’s just a convict.’
    ‘No, she isn’t. Be sensible, Adam. She’s Clarence Shand’s wife, and Clarence Shand is a wealthy and influential man. We can’t risk not meeting her demands. We could go to the gallows.’
    ‘But not all of you, surely?’
    Christ, she’d nearly made a mistake. ‘Bella’s said she’ll tell the governor Harrie and I concealed the fact we knew Friday committed the murder. I told you, she’s really taken against us.’
    Adam rubbed his chin while he pondered her predicament.
    Sarah hardly dared to breathe, hoping he would believe her. Aspects of her story were true, but she’d concocted the tale from several different episodes. Horrible Liz Parker had indeed been murdered on the Isla , but it was likely Bella Jackson, as she’d been before she’d married Clarence Shand, had done that herself, throttling Parker to death with her bare hands. Friday, however, was in fact guilty of murder. So were she and Harrie. They’d kicked Gabriel Keegan to death in revenge for him assaulting their beloved friend Rachel Winter, who’d died giving birth to his child, Charlotte. Bella had discovered what they’d done, and had been blackmailing them ever since.
    ‘I can see why you’re so worried,’ he said at last. ‘I can. But I really doubt the governor’d pay much attention to a bonded convict. And she is still a bonded convict, you know, even if she is married to Clarence Shand. And I doubt the evidence of her cronies would carry much weight, either.’
    ‘Don’t forget she has the money now to pay the right people to listen to her, if she really wants them to.’
    Adam made a face. ‘Yes, I suppose she does.’ He knew as well as anyone else in Sydney Town that the way to get anything done, legal or illegal, was to hand over money. ‘Why does she dislike you so much? Do you know?’
    Sarah shook her head. The less she said now about the strange relationship she, Friday and Harrie had with Bella Shand, the better.
    ‘Well, Christ, you can’t keep paying her forever,’ Adam said.
    ‘No, we can’t. We thought we’d done a deal with her when we told her it was Jared Gellar who’d stolen her Maori heads. She agreed then to stop blackmailing us. But then she double-crossed us and sent another demand, which is what Friday was doing in the old burial ground on Sunday night — giving the money to Furniss.’
    ‘How much money?’
    ‘Two hundred pounds.’
    Adam’s dark eyebrows shot up. ‘Bloody hell, Sarah!’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘How much has she demanded to date?’
    ‘Three hundred and fifty.’
    ‘And you’ve paid it?’
    Sarah nodded.
    ‘Good God. That’s a bloody fortune! No wonder you’ve been desperate for money. And the three of you have raised all that yourselves?’
    ‘Friday puts in a lot,’ Sarah said. ‘She’s sitting on a gold mine,