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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

By 9 p.m. Ian had read all the information on every page of the Moller Clinic’s website, including a whole page of testimonials, some with pictures of babies. The clinic, he’d learnt, specialized in intrauterine insemination (IUI). This involved placing donated sperm inside a woman’s uterus using a cannula, where it would hopefully fertilize one of her eggs. The clinic treated heterosexual couples, lesbians and single women. All donated sperm was screened for sexually transmitted and genetically inherited diseases – just as Emma’s mother had said.

The clinic’s mission statement was that treatment should be available to anyone who needed it. Because they were only a small clinic specializing in IUI, they could keep their costs down. Ian was surprised just how little they charged: £300, much less than most other clinics. There was a warning that often more than one treatment was required, but payments could be spread. The couple also offered counselling, with a note stating that clients should be aware that in the UK, children born as a result of donor sperm had the right to know the donor’s identity once they reached eighteen.

It was all very reassuring and efficient, Ian thought, and he was hopeful his questions would be answered satisfactorily. After all, Emma had a right to know about her donor. He entered the clinic’s number in his phone. He’d call first thing in the morning as soon as they opened. Even the contact page of their website was reassuring, with its pledge that Edie Moller personally answered all enquiries.

Having read all the pages on the Moller Clinic’s website, Ian began clicking on other links where the clinic was mentioned. There were reviews praising Carstan and Edie Moller for their wonderful treatment and thanking them for the gift of their child. Ian only found one negative review. Don’t go anywhere near this place! They are in it for their own selfish ends. Ms L.

Ian dismissed it. There were always one or two negative reviews. The Mollers certainly weren’t in it for the money, as they charged so little, so selfish ends didn’t really make sense. Perhaps the poor woman hadn’t been able to conceive using their treatment. In which case, it wasn’t the clinic’s fault; they warned the treatment didn’t always work.

Ian finally closed his laptop, sat back in the chair and stretched. It had been a productive evening. He would have liked to share what he’d found out with Emma, but she’d had an early night. He was sorry he’d upset her; he seemed to be doing that a lot recently, and then he struggled to find the words to put it right. They’d both been through a lot and he hoped that once he had the answers to his questions, it would make amends and put their lives back on track.

TWENTY-TWO