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Back The Cottage Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. THREE
  6. FOUR
  7. FIVE
  8. SIX
  9. SEVEN
  10. EIGHT
  11. NINE
  12. TEN
  13. ELEVEN
  14. TWELVE
  15. THIRTEEN
  16. FOURTEEN
  17. FIFTEEN
  18. SIXTEEN
  19. SEVENTEEN
  20. EIGHTEEN
  21. NINETEEN
  22. TWENTY
  23. TWENTY-ONE
  24. TWENTY-TWO
  25. TWENTY-THREE
  26. TWENTY-FOUR
  27. TWENTY-FIVE
  28. TWENTY-SIX
  29. TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. TWENTY-NINE
  32. THIRTY
  33. THIRTY-ONE
  34. THIRTY-TWO
  35. THIRTY-THREE
  36. THIRTY-FOUR
  37. THIRTY-FIVE
  38. THIRTY-SIX
  39. THIRTY-SEVEN
  40. THIRTY-EIGHT
  41. THIRTY-NINE
  42. FORTY
  43. FORTY-ONE
  44. FORTY-TWO
  45. FORTY-THREE
  46. FORTY-FOUR
  47. FORTY-FIVE
  48. FORTY-SIX
  49. FORTY-SEVEN
  50. FORTY-EIGHT
  51. FORTY-NINE
  52. FIFTY
  53. FIFTY-ONE
  54. FIFTY-TWO
  55. FIFTY-THREE
  56. FIFTY-FOUR
  57. FIFTY-FIVE
  58. FIFTY-SIX
  59. FIFTY-SEVEN
  60. FIFTY-EIGHT
  61. FIFTY-NINE
  62. SIXTY
  63. SIXTY-ONE
  64. SIXTY-TWO
  65. SIXTY-THREE
  66. SIXTY-FOUR
  67. SIXTY-FIVE
  68. SIXTY-SIX
  69. SIXTY-SEVEN
  70. SIXTY-EIGHT
  71. SIXTY-NINE
  72. SEVENTY
  73. SEVENTY-ONE
  74. SEVENTY-TWO
  75. SEVENTY-THREE
  76. SEVENTY-FOUR
  77. Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
  78. Keep Reading …
  79. Lisa Stone also writes under the name of Cathy Glass.Don’t miss her latest book …
  80. About the Author
  81. Books by Lisa Stone
  82. About the Publisher

‘So you keep telling me, and I’ve got nothing against Anne. But what will happen if the birth isn’t straightforward and I need to go to hospital?’

‘I am sure that won’t be necessary, but Anne can advise you. She’ll be with you every step of the way until you give birth. I’ll be there too, of course,’ he added.

‘You’d better be!’ Jan laughed, lightly tapping his arm. ‘I’m not doing this alone.’

‘You won’t have to. Whatever happens in the future, I’ll be there for you.’

‘And for our baby,’ Jan added. ‘You’ll be there for our son.’

‘Yes, of course.’

SEVENTY-ONE

Three months later, Jan was at home with the back door open, gazing out on another beautiful sunny morning. The chickens Chris kept were in their coop at the very bottom of the garden, clucking. Anne had just left, having given her another routine check-up. She was being very well looked after and Jan felt guilty for ever having thought badly of Anne. She was a fantastic midwife – just as Chris had said. Patient, kind, caring, and with a very reassuring manner. She dispelled any fears Jan had about having the baby at home. She was also a lovely person, who Jan now regarded as a friend.

If she thought Anne was slightly evasive about the ‘problem’ with the baby’s feet, she put it down to her not wanting to worry her. ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’ she said in her quiet, confident way, so that Jan found herself reassured.

Anne had taken care of all the arrangements that needed to be made for Jan to have a home birth and had updated the hospital records accordingly. Her manner was always pleasant and empathetic, instilling confidence and a sense of wellbeing. Just what a first-time mother needed. Anne never spoke about her other work – looking after the outsiders, although she knew Jan had been told. Once Jan had asked about them and Anne had replied that she probably wouldn’t be needed for much longer as the numbers were falling now the clinic had been exposed. But that was all she’d said and Jan didn’t ask again.

Chris didn’t speak of the outsiders either, although Jan knew he visited Anne at Ivy Cottage sometimes if she needed help. Jan trusted Chris just as she trusted Anne, now she understood what had created and cemented their friendship. Jan sometimes walked along Wood Lane if the weather was good, but she’d never seen the children again. Their secret remained safe with her, as she’d promised Camile and Chris it would. The Moller Clinic had been closed down and Carstan Moller was in prison. She’d seen it on the news.