it was in the family.” She sighs. “No one should have to

suffer like that, especially your own child.”

No think, my hand reaching automatically for my

belly. No, they shouldn’t

“Still, she made the best of it. Typical Trudie. No

point moaning, she’d say, always turning her signs and

symptoms into little jokes.” Laura smiles. “She said it was

the best weight-loss regime ever—she just loved stuffing

her face with chocolate and cakes, flaunting the fact that

she had to eat high-calorie foods to make up for the

weight loss. Rosie and were just relieved that she was

officially banned from the kitchen!” She laughs. “She

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finally had an excuse for being such terrible cook—and

for being so untidy! ‘Don’t blame me!’ she’d sing merrily.

‘It’s the Huntington’s!’ Laura chuckles. “Always making

the best of things

as far as she could, anyway.” Her face

clouds again.

“But the real curse was that the disease didn’t only

affect her. Trudie was so worried she could have passed it

on to her own child. If she’d only known …” She sighs and

hold my breath.

“But you can’t change the past any more than you

can change the future.” She smiles suddenly. “And

knowing Trudie, she would’ve gone ahead anyway—she

was so desperate for

child. And

have to admit she

would probably have been right. don’t think you can live

your life like that, fencing yourself in to be on the safe

side. Worry is like rocking chair—it keeps you busy but

gets you nowhere. wouldn’t have swapped her for the

world, even if I’d known. She was my Trudie, and even if

I’d only had her for

few years, I’d still thank my lucky

stars.”

stare at her, soaking her words up like sponge.

“She felt that way too—was always saying how

lucky she was, even when she was diagnosed. That was

typical Trudie—anyone else would have been cursing the

fates that now she’d finally got child her time was going

to be cut short. But not her. She might only have

few

years left, she said, but how blessed she was to have been

given child, to share them with.”

She gazes wistfully at the photograph.

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“Children are the most important thing in the

world,” she says softly. “Don’t you think?”

bite my lip.

She turns to me, her eyes sparkling. “When’s it

due?”

stare at her, my hand flying to my middle.

“Oh, don’t worry, you’re not showing,” she laughs.

“Just female intuition.”

She smiles, and find myself smiling too.

“When he or she enters this world, when you hold

him or her in your arms for the first time, you’ll

understand. You’ll know. This tiny being waiting to meet

you will turn your life upside down and inside out, and

you won’t remember what it was ever like beforehand.

You’ll never want to.” She beams. “You’ll love them and

take care of them as best you can, and that’s all you can

do. Que sera, sera.”

smile. “Doris Day?”

“Yes!” She laughs. “Oh, love her films!”

“Me too.” smile.

“Really?” she says, surprised. “I didn’t think young

people liked films without gallons of blood and gore in

them these days. Rosie watches Cary Grant with me, bless

her, but don’t think he’s really her thing. Can’t quite see

him out ‘clubbing,’ can you?”

laugh. “No, not really.”

“And your young man?” she asks, her eyes

twinkling. “Is he Cary Grant?”

522

“He’s …” My cheeks burn, my heart twisting as

think of Josh—our uncertain future—our baby

She takes my hand, squeezes gently.

“My dear, men come and go.” She smiles. “But you

seem like wonderful young woman.” look up at her as

she strokes my hair behind my ear, her eyes bright. “And

I’m sure you’re going to be

wonderful mother. My

Trudie did just fine on her own.”

look up at the photo again, the love in her eyes.

“True love is marvelous thing.” Laura beams. “But

the love between

parent and

child—that’s the most

magical thing in the world.”

look at her. My nana. So loving, so wise.

squeeze her hand, warm in mine.

Suddenly the sharp ring of the telephone pierces

the silence, making us both jump.

“Oh, goodness—that scared me to death!” she

laughs, moving to pick up the receiver. “Hello? Laura

Fisher’s residence?” She glances at me. “Of course.” She

covers the mouthpiece and hands it to me. “It’s for you.”

523

Rosie

“I still can’t believe it!” Jack paces up and down the

car park as Sarah nervously hugs her coat. “You’re Sarah?”

Jack stares at her, his eyes popping from their sockets.

“You’re—You did this?”

She stares at her feet. She looks wrecked, like she

hasn’t slept in days.

“I can’t believe it.” Jack shakes his head

incredulously, hands in his hair. “How can you still work

in a—How can you still be trusted with babies after …” He glares at her, his eyes wild. “How many times? How many

babies have you stolen? How many lives have you

destroyed?”

“I—I’m so sorry.” Sarah crumples before him. “It

was only once—only Rosie …” She glances at me.

“Well, aren’t we the lucky ones!” Jack explodes.

“And how dare you come near my daughter again? How

dare you!”

“I—I didn’t know it was her,” Sarah says helplessly.

“I didn’t know—”

“What have you done to her this time? Given her

MRSA? Taken kidney?”

“Jack!” protest.

524

“Holly’s fine,” Sarah assures him. “She’s completely

recovered.”

“No thanks to you—you left her for dead!”

Sarah flinches. Then she takes

deep breath, her

voice shaking.

“Mr. Woods, you have every right to be angry—”

“Damn right!”

“But you have to understand—I didn’t …” She

falters. “I thought was doing the right thing—I had no

idea Holly was going to survive—”

“That’s even worse!”

“Or that anyone was going to come back for her,”

Sarah insists. “I was told she was being put up for

adoption—her mother had abandoned her—I didn’t think

it would hurt anyone.”

“Well, it has— you have—have you any idea what you’ve done to my family? To my daughter?

“Yes.” She nods wretchedly. “Yes, have—it’s all I’ve

thought about since got Holly’s email.” She presses her

eyes closed, her face tortured. “And she’s got every right

to sue me, to tell the police—whatever she wants to do—

whatever you want to do …” She trails off, looking at Jack miserably. “I am so, so sorry.”

“Yes, well!” Jack looks at her, then looks away

agitatedly. He rubs his forehead.

“Look,” she sighs sadly. “We can stand here all day

agreeing that what did was wrong—it was terrible—and

deserve

multitude of punishments for the pain I’ve

caused you all …” She looks from me to Jack, who stares at

525

her, his jaw tensing and untensing. “Or we can do that

later—and go and find Holly, make sure she’s okay now.”

Jack looks away, glaring at parking meter. glance

at Sarah, so worried, so drained, then watch as Jack rubs

his hands over and over his face. Finally he looks up.

“You got car?”

526

Holly

look at her in surprise. “For me?”