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.For perhaps the hundredth time that day, Sarah thought she might cry, but her training held her ingood stead."I warn you, this will amaze and shock you.""You were pregnant when Ruth McQueen raced you of all those years ago," Harriet suggested briskly."It would help if you waited until the end." Sarah gave her a wry glance."Sorry, my dear.I was just trying to get the ball rolling."file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20w.rossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txt (121 of 131)11/05/2010 14:33:35 file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20way/koomera%20crossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txt"It turns out you're right, anyway." Sarah shrugged."I was pregnant.I've never told you or anyone-I justcouldn't speak about it-but Ruth told me the morning after the delivery that my baby had died.""Oh, my dearest girl!" Harriet reached out and grasped Sarah's hand in a rare display of emotion."Forgive me.but I thought Ruth had probably forced you to have an abortion.""She tried." Sarah's voice thinned."She tried hard you know Ruth-but I wanted my baby.All these yearsI've been crippled by a sense of loss and grief.It seems to have impinged on everything I've done.It keptme alienated from Kyall when I love him with all my heart.""This is awful!" Harriet murmured."All these years you've had to live with the pain.And your poormother!""I think it was all too much for her," Sarah said."My mother was a stranger to deception, but it wasforced on her.Yesterday I was called out to a terrible accident on Ngarara Station.""Yes, Morris told me.'"When are you and Morris moving in together, by the way?" Sarah asked flippantly."Sarah, I'm surprised at you." Harriet's eyes widened."Actually, I'm holding out for marriage.Anyway,no more interruptions."Sarah nodded."There was a young girl staying at the homestead for the school holidays.She's a friendof Clemmie Hungerford, the daughter of the house.Fifteen, blond, brown-eyed, dimple in her chin.Meat fifteen."Harriet let out a cry, jumped up from the table, picked up what looked like a birthday card and beganfanning herself with great ferocity."You can't mean you think she's your child?""I'm sure of it, Harriet," Sarah said very quietly."The shock was profound.I'm not over it.I've beenfunctioning in a trance.As it was, 1 went into a dead faint.It was worse for Kyall, because he nevereven knew I was pregnant.Ruth persuaded Mum and me that we'd ruin his life.Even Mum seemed toacknowledge this.She was so frightened of Ruth.""With good reason." Harriet shuddered."Ruth's the scariest woman in the country.Are you trying to tellme Ruth had the baby adopted without your knowledge or permission? Of course she did," Harriet said,answering her own question."She told you your baby was dead.My God, how wicked!""Oh, yes, it was wicked," Sarah said."Enormously wicked.There was a woman in the room next to meat the maternity hospital.Probably about ten years older.Her name was Stella.I've always rememberedthat.Stella is the name of the woman my daughter calls Mother.It wasn't my baby who died." The tearsbegan to stream down her face."Sarah, you must be feeling unreal!" Harriet jumped up again to find a box of tissues, her own eyesglistening "Here.Blow your nose.I'll take a couple of tissues, well.I've often said I'd put nothing pastRuth McQuecu but this beats anything I could think of.What a responce from a grandmother! Kyallmust've been horrified."Sarah nodded, struggling for control."It's been such an emotional day.A day like no other.Life is neverstationary, is it?" She sighed."So much upset and suffering all he cause of one woman.Kyall told hisgrandmother to go, to pack up and leave.She's rich.At least she can go anywhere she pleases.""Oh, I love the sound of that!" Harriet gave a hard laugh of irony."And won't we miss her! You'reserious?""Kyall was deadly serious.He said he can't and won't live with what she'd done.""And the child?""She thinks I must be a relative.She's so beautiful, Harriet." Sarah's voice broke again."So beautiful andfile:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20w.rossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txt (122 of 131)11/05/2010 14:33:35 file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/margaret%20way/koomera%20crossing/1%20sarah's%20baby%20TXT/sarahs%20baby.txtso sweet.A tender, sensitive girl.""She would be if she's your daughter," Harriet sniffed."This is what I call a heart-wrenching story.Butit's not over, is it, Sarah? What are you going to do about the.other parents? It sounds as though yourdaughter's being loved and well cared for.""She is, and I'm deeply grateful for that.But she's our daughter, Harriet.We've lost fifteen years of herlife.We can't just say hello and goodbye.We want our child.We don't want to hurt the Hazeltons-that'stheir name-but it's inevitable.Because of the way Ruth manipulated things, they'll have a hard timebelieving the babies were switched.They may fight us, but I'm as certain as I can be of anything that thegirl I saw today is my daughter.We have to talk to the Hazeltons.Try to work out some sort ofarrangement.It would be too cruel to snatch Fiona away.But we want our child."A terrible apprehension gripped Stella Hazelton.She listened to her daughter's excited voice at the otherend of the phone."I'm the image of her, Mum! She's the image of me.It's absolutely incredible.Clemmie said she couldn'tbelieve her eyes.We must be cousins or something.You never told me."There was so much she had never told.Stella put down the phone blindly.Dr.Sarah Dempsey.Fionathought she was about twenty-seven or eight.Apparently Dr.Sarah was head of a bush hospital.AtKoomera Crossing.Stella was now so upset she was literally shaking.All these years later, wonderful, fulfilling years, andshe still remembered.A special young girl with flowing blond hair.She remembered it spread out on thepillow as golden as the sun's rays
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