Licence to Dream Read Online Free PDF

someone in Western Australia and was prepared to give her a very warm recommendation.
    ‘You’ve an eye for anomalies in business accounts,’ he said. ‘That’s why I spoke up for you, though really you should do more studying and qualify as a forensic accountant.’
    ‘I don’t want to go down that path.’
    He cocked his head on one side. ‘Still doing your painting?’
    ‘Yes, I am.’
    ‘Well, don’t let me down in Australia, now.’
    ‘I won’t, Mr Grimes.’
    She waited until everything was arranged before announcing her plans to her mother. ‘I’m going to live in Australia, Mum. I’ve got a job there.’
    ‘I don’t think much of that for a joke.’
    ‘It isn’t a joke.’
    ‘Mmm?’
    ‘Mum, listen to me, will you! I’m going to work in Australia.’
    Denise stared at her open-mouthed. ‘You can’t mean it!’
    ‘I do. I’ve always wanted to travel. You know that.’
    ‘But that’s not travelling; that’s emigrating!’
    ‘Yes. I like a sunny climate. You know how much I enjoyed Spain again last year. I applied to emigrate after Grandpop died.’
    Denise burst into loud, noisy tears. ‘You can’t do it! I won’t let you! I’ll never see you again.’
    Meriel sighed and tried not to get angry at the accusations that were soon flying across the table about ingratitude and selfishness.
    Not long, she told herself. Just a couple more weeks.
    * * * *
    The plane landed in Western Australia on a hot day in November after a twenty-hour flight, by which time Meriel was heartily sick of being shut up in a big tin box.
    She queued her way through Customs, smiling at the sniffer dog which checked everyone’s hand luggage. One woman was pulled out of the line and scolded for having an apple in her bag.
    At the airport entrance there was a queue for taxis. As Meriel waited in the line of tired people, she lifted her face to the warmth, entranced by the clear blue sky and the brilliance of the light.
    She was just as thrilled by the ride into the centre of Perth. For the last part of the journey they travelled along by the river and although she’d looked up the city on line when she applied to migrate and studied photos of it, the reality was far more impressive.
    A typical city cluster of multi-storey buildings was set back from the river behind a wide strip of grass which softened the whole scene. The river widened at this point and the water sparkled in the sunlight as a ferry chugged across and yachts tacked to and fro. To one side of the city was a small hill which she knew from her research to be King’s Park. Buildings clung precariously to one side of the hill and a motorway – no, people called them freeways here – hummed with traffic below it.
    The company which had offered her a job had booked her into a hotel, a modestly adequate place. Since she’d slept quite well on the journey, she only stayed there long enough to have a quick shower and put on a summer skirt and short-sleeved top. Then she spent two hours wandering round the city centre, feeling like a tourist, following the street map she’d picked up from reception.
    At one stage she found herself in the street where she’d be working, so went to stare up at the tall building where Lee-Line International was situated. She disliked multi-storey office towers with their stale, canned air, but you couldn’t have everything. At least accepting this job had allowed her to move to a warmer country.
    Now she was going to focus on her most important ambition of all, becoming an artist. Whatever it took, she’d do it.
     

Chapter 4
     
    Ben Elless went to work in Brisbane reluctantly. He preferred the days when he had to go out of the city to visit suppliers or to inspect gardens or developments for new clients.
    It was two years today since he’d buried his wife and he still found it hard to settle back into business mode. Sometimes he fantasized about buying a piece of land and becoming a recluse – he’d been very