Chapters (48)
- Cover
- Praise
- About the Author
- Also by Tricia Stringer
- Title Page
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgements
- Excerpt
- One
Laura did the morning tea shift on her own. She’d been surprised her mother hadn’t made another appearance but perhaps she’d gone back to bed. She’d looked tired and Laura had decided to leave her alone but when she got back from the shed with the empty baskets there had been no sign that her mother had even been in the kitchen.
Laura set herself to cleaning up and, knowing how particular her mum was, she even mopped the floor. She plucked the fading gerberas from the vase on the table and replaced them with some sprigs of lavender. When she finally stopped the house felt empty around her, as if no-one else was home. She jiggled her shoulders to disperse the ominous prickle that nagged her and went in search of her mother.
She trod softly along the passage, pulling her own bedroom door closed to hide the mess as she passed. There’d been no time to deal with any of her things since she’d arrived home. Outside her parents’ bedroom she hesitated. The door was slightly ajar. She pushed it slowly inwards, peered around then stepped straight in. Everything was neat and tidy, the bed made, not a thing out of place. The window sash was open just enough to let in some air and the lace curtain wobbled in the soft breeze.
“Mum?” It was stupid to say it, as if her mother was suddenly going to materialise when it was obvious she wasn’t in the room.
Laura retraced her steps. She called louder and checked each room. Kate’s bed was unmade like hers and the rest of the house was empty with no sign of her mother. She yanked the band from the ponytail she’d made while she was cleaning, dragged her fingers through her hair and tied it up again then stood in the middle of the passage, hands on hips, frowning at the back door. Her mum must have gone to the sheds. It was pretty mean of her to leave all the food prep to Laura.
Kate came back to the house just before lunch break. She was going to grab a quick bite then head into town. The receptionist at the surgery had been able to fit her in with Dr Strauss later that afternoon. She’d made up an excuse for her dad about needing a script, but as she removed her boots at the back door she braced herself for her mum’s response. It wasn’t easy to get things past her. In some ways Kate didn’t want to. It would be a relief to talk through her concerns with her mum; maybe she’d even go with her to town.