Chapters (53)
- Cover
- About Alison Stuart
- Also by Alison Stuart
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Prologue
- 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
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgements
- Preview of The Goldminer's Sister
Adelaide did exactly what was required and the child sat quiet and compliant in her arms. He tied off the bandage around the youngster’s head. Mae promptly tugged at the white cloth. Strictly speaking she didn’t need it, but it was a useful reminder that for the next few days, if not weeks, Mae was to be considered an invalid.
Adelaide lifted the child up and smiled into the serious little face. ‘Now you have to be a good girl and keep the bandage on,’ she said.
She turned to Lin, handing her the child. ‘She’s lovely. I would love to have a daughter.’
‘You have a fine son,’ Lin replied. ‘Mick, he point him out to me.’
Caleb put a hand on Mick’s shoulder. ‘She’ll be fine, Mick.’
Mick turned his hat in his hands. ‘Thanks, doc. It was just when we couldn’t wake her—’ he glanced at Lin, ‘—we thought the worst.’
‘Rest, good food and quiet,’ Caleb repeated and Mick nodded.
‘Come, Lin,’ he said. ‘The doc probably needs to get to his supper. How much do we owe you?’
Caleb shook his head. ‘Nothing. Just get her home and keep an eye on her. If she doesn’t start to improve, bring her back.’
Adelaide stood with arms crossed watching as the little family stepped off the verandah and rounded the corner out of sight.
‘I wondered why Mick hadn’t been dossing in the shed when he came to town,’ she said.
Caleb, busy with tidying up the ends of the bandage he had cut off, looked at her. ‘Does that change how you feel about him?’
She gave him a startled glance as if stung by his sharp tone. ‘No, of course not.’ She hefted her shoulders. ‘Can you check that telegram, please? Maidment needs a reply tonight and if it’s not time for your supper, it is past time for mine.’
Caleb pulled out the envelope he had stuffed in his pocket when Mick arrived. Maidment had written: BOWEN SET ON BY KNOWN GANG. WITNESS STATES HE SAW BOWEN FALL AND HIT HIS HEAD. PLEASE CONFIRM URGENTLY THAT DEATH IS FROM THE HEAD INJURY. MAIDMENT.
Caleb crossed to his desk and pulled out a piece of paper on which he wrote, CONFIRM BOWEN DEATH BY ANEURYSM CAUSED BY BLOW TO HEAD.
He handed it to Adelaide. ‘Get that off to him.’
Adelaide took the note but her hand lingered on one of Bowen’s notebooks, which lay open on the desk. ‘What are you doing?’