'Mind if I come in with you?' he said. 'I want to hear a report from Jenny, and creep in to have a look at Ellie before I head off.' 'Of course you must come in,' Lucy told him. 'I'd even offer you more coffee, except that we're already swimming in it, aren't we?' 'No, no coffee,' he agreed. 'A glass of water, maybe. My throat is very dry. You can really smell the smoke in the air, can't you?' 'Yes, there's always something ominous about it in summer, so different from the smell of bonfires on the Queen's Birthday weekend in June,' she answered. 'The wind has dropped for now, which must be helping the bushfire brigades, but I expect it will pick up again in the morning. I'll ring the hospital when I get home and see if they've had any casualties brought in.' Jenny commented on the smoke in the air as well. 'The girls were a little anxious. I explained that it was the wind blowing the smoke over, and the fires weren't as close to us as they seemed.' 'Thanks, Jenny,' Malcolm said.
