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Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. About Alison Stuart
  3. Also by Alison Stuart
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. Prologue
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. Six
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-One
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Twenty-Six
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. Thirty-Nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-One
  48. Forty-Two
  49. Forty-Three
  50. Forty-Four
  51. Author’s Note
  52. Acknowledgements
  53. Preview of The Goldminer's Sister

Caleb whipped the hat from his head as he looked down at the remains of a man who only a few hours before had been living. A horrible way to die and a fate which could so easily have befallen himself and his companions. He clapped his hat back on his head. Barnwell would have to wait. Caleb’s concern was with the living, not the dead.

He found a vantage point further on, still too far away to see Maiden’s Creek, but he could see the fire front moving relentlessly in the direction of the town, driven on by the strong northerly wind, dashing any hope of getting through to the town.

He turned and looked back in the direction of the river and wondered if they may be better served by going north to Aberfeldy … if Aberfeldy still existed.

Thirty-Five

Thirty-Five

Despite the blasting heat borne on the northerly wind, Adelaide shivered. The cold from the mountain water had begun to seep into her bones. In her arms, Danny alternately sweated and shivered, crying out in pain or struggling to get up. The cold fear that gripped her heart had nothing to do with the water. There could be no life without Danny. Tears dripped off the end of her nose as she stroked her son’s clammy forehead and prayed. But here, trapped in this unrecognisable landscape, God seemed to have entirely forsaken them.

The red, angry sun, previously visible behind scudding black clouds, had sunk beneath the ridge line, casting the valley in shadow before Caleb returned.

‘Sorry,’ he said as he splashed through the water towards them, ‘I had to go further than I intended.’ He crouched down, checking Danny’s pulse and lifting the boy’s eyelids.

Adelaide’s hand tightened on her son’s. ‘He may be in the water, but he’s sweating,’ she said.

‘That’s good. He needs to sweat the venom out.’

Adelaide shivered. ‘I’ve lost the feeling in my toes.’

Caleb scooped a handful of water, dousing his face and head. He slicked back his hair and looked up at the sky. ‘It’ll be dark in an hour or two and the fire’s still between us and town.’ He glanced up the northerly track. ‘How far to Aberfeldy?’

Adelaide shook her head. ‘At least twenty miles.’

Caleb grimaced. ‘Too far to carry the boy. We’ll have to wait here until we can get through to the town.’ He stood up. ‘I’ll see to clearing out that mine adit so at least we’ll have some shelter for the night.’

‘Watch out for snakes,’ Adelaide said.

He gave her a sharp, half-amused smile and sloshed through the water to the far bank.

Adelaide’s stomach rumbled and she realised it had been close to twelve hours since she had eaten. ‘I am trying not to think about the food Netty packed for us,’ she said.