Ann looked around the little cottage and gave a sigh of satisfaction. It had been a big decision to move to here, but after her recent illness she needed to get away to someplace where no one knew her. This little house on the edge of Ballarat with a bush block at the back was a perfect retreat. The cottage was not modern but it was livable and nothing a lick of paint couldn't fix. The back room was sunlit and large enough to set up her studio. Now that she was feeling better she knew she could start painting again.
The garden was in a sorry state though and would need a bit of work. She really wasn't much of a gardener, but she was fit enough now that she could do some pruning and digging. Maybe set up a bit of a veggie garden in the overgrown corner garden bed by the water tank. That nice Dr Blake had given her a check-up and assured her she could do a bit of gardening as long as she didn't overdo the lifting.
My but that Dr Blake was a gentle and compassionate man. He had made no judgement about her miscarriage, no snide comments about her being a 37 year old desperate spinster. Not like that awful GP in North Balwyn who had treated her like the Whore of Babylon. It was really sweet the way Blake kept looking at his housekeeper, Mrs. Beasley. He obviously worshiped the ground that woman walked on. And even though she tried to hide it, from the little touch on the arm Mrs. Beasley had given the doctor at the door, Ann knew the feelings were reciprocated.
They were a lovely couple and it would be nice to be friends with Mrs. Beasley. Heavens knows, she could use a friend in this new town. Maybe she could ask Mrs Beasley over for a cup of tea? Yes, and some advice on the garden. From the look of Dr Blake's garden his housekeeper knew a thing or two about plants. Ann would need help with that and it would be the perfect way to become better acquainted.
But before that could happen Ann needed to clear out that corner and turn the soil. Grabbing her gloves, hat and a spade she marched over to the garden area and set to work pulling out the overgrown weeds and herbs. This had once been someone's garden and Ann was determined to make it thrive again. She wondered why a garden that had once been so loved had become so neglected? After most of the overgrown weeds had been cleared she began to dig with the spade and turn over the soil. A good black, rich soil too. Ann knew enough about gardens at least to tell that. Dig, turn, dig, turn. Ann was starting to get tired, but one more dig and she would take a break … and there it was, a snap and a crunch. What on earth was that?
She turned the soil over and looked. With a gasping sob she sank to the ground and began to weep. There, in the furrow she had just dug, were the tiny bones and skull of a newborn baby.