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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

‘I’m on my way,’ Anne said. ‘It’ll take me about ten minutes. Try to calm down and remember your breathing. It’s possible it’s a false start. But to be safe, I want you to go upstairs and lie on your bed. Put some towels down first to protect the covers. I’ll be there.’

‘Should I call an ambulance?’ Jan wept.

‘No, absolutely not.’

And for the first time since Jan had known Anne, she heard anxiety in her voice.

SEVENTY-TWO

Chris was driving as fast as the country roads would allow and fearing the worst. He’d been up a ladder at the house he was working in when his phone had rung. He’d finished what he was doing before coming down, never dreaming it could be Jan in labour. When he’d listened to her message, he’d immediately phoned her. She hadn’t answered and then, when he’d called Anne straight after, neither had she. He now tried them again as he drove, but voicemail cut in on both their phones. God, he was worried, and blamed himself for not checking his phone sooner. He knew that these babies were born earlier than others, but there’d been no sign of labour beginning that morning. Nor when he’d called Jan at 9 a.m. when he’d just arrived at work. Anne was supposed to be visiting her for a check-up and had said she’d phone him straight after, but that hadn’t happened. He was sure something had gone badly wrong or Anne would have been in touch.

He accelerated and then had to break hard as a car rounded the bend. The driver sounded his horn angrily as he passed. Calm down, Chris told himself. Only another two miles to go.

Usually the birth of these babies was straightforward, Anne had reassured him. But not always, he thought, as he and Camile had found out. Supposing Jan needed to go to hospital, possibly for a caesarean? It was the only procedure Anne couldn’t carry out at home. It had never happened before when Anne had been the midwife, but there was a first time for everything. What if Owen – as they’d named him – couldn’t be born naturally? He was larger than most of these babies.

Chris’s heart clenched as he remembered the look of horror on the faces of the nurses when Camile had given birth. And now it was happening again, only much later in the pregnancy, which made it a whole lot worse. Questions were sure to be asked at the hospital and their secret exposed. Anne would be struck off and Owen, and the others like him, would be taken away to a life of hell. The very thing they’d strived and managed to avoid for so long was about to happen. Chris was devastated.