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
‘I’m so sorry, Daniel,’ he said, ‘but I have to go on alone.’
He flung the pistol he held into the bush and let go his grip on Danny. The boy slithered out of his grasp, hitting the ground in a crouch. As Danny ran into his mother’s outstretched arms, Richard kicked his horse. The animal went down on its haunches before springing forward. The sudden movement startled Adelaide’s mare and she jerked the reins from her hands, and turned, following Richard’s horse back in the direction of Maiden’s Creek.
Caleb swore and set off at a run after Richard, Adelaide and Danny following.
As they rounded the bend, the place where Caleb had left the pony and his horse was now empty, the branch to which Caleb had tied their reins broken on the ground.
Caleb swore and grabbed Adelaide’s hand. ‘Got to get down to the river.’
Behind them, the fire roared as it reached the ridge.
Caleb led them down the track to the river, through the thickening smoke. Every breath had become an effort and his eyes watered. If they could reach the watercourse before the fire, they stood a chance.
But the fire had already outflanked them, leaping the water and surging up the slope ahead of them, cutting off their escape route to Maiden’s’ Creek.
‘Caleb.’ Adelaide sounded hoarse. ‘There are mine workings upstream.’
Desperate wallabies and other wildlife shot from the bush, also looking for respite along the river as Caleb, Adelaide and Danny splashed through the shallow water, making their way upstream to the place where an irregular pile of rocks formed a rough dam. Below the dam, the river course had cut a deeper hole and they tumbled into the cold water. Caleb wrapped Adelaide and Danny in his arms, pulling them down as the fire roared and ranted above them, denied the precious prize of three human lives.
Caleb raised his head, lungs bursting, gasping in the putrid air. Above him the great mountain ash tossed their fiery crowns, but the worst of the firestorm had passed and was racing up the hill in the direction of Maiden’s Creek. He stumbled out of the waterhole and held out a hand to Adelaide and Danny. The three of them stood dripping in the riverbed, as trees and bush on either bank smouldered.
Caleb shook his hair, sending a shower of water into Adelaide’s face. She wiped her eyes and, despite the situation, laughed.
‘I don’t know what you have to laugh about,’ Caleb said. ‘We’re ten miles from Maiden’s Creek with a raging bushfire between us and the town and no horses.’
‘We’re alive,’ Adelaide said.
‘I hope the horses are all right,’ Danny said.