‘It’s all right for them. They live in leafy Ligar Street. She’s got gold taps in the bathrooms, plural.
‘Truth is, Stawell exists cos gold exists. Tens of thousands of gold diggers rushed here in the hope of striking it rich, and some did too, back in the day when you could pan the rivers. These days mining is not for the battlers. It’s about as big as business gets.’
Beryl grips Megan’s head between her hands and tilts it up to the right.
‘The only gold Carmel saw came in the tube she dolloped on Veronica’s hair.’
A woman comes in and sits down on a sofa by the window. She’s pale, gaunt, with a beanie pulled down hard on her head. Beryl lowers her voice and goes on.
‘It didn’t take long for Carmel to lose her Scottish accent. Although Gwyn didn’t think so. She still calls her a pom.
