The family had a hill farm in the border lands between England and Scotland made little money but her father loved it dearly.He was happy getting up before the sun broke through, looking after stock, mending dry stone walls, injecting sheep against the dozen or so diseases they were prone to, doing all the kinds of job that needed doing on the farm at any time of the year.Her father was a big man but though he was still tall, he now stooped. He had lived a hard life but it was the life he had chosen for himself and he never regretted it nor complained.Sharon's mother never complained either nor gave any sign of resentment for toughness of her daily life. She worked as hard as her husband, indoors and out. She made the bread they ate, fed the hens and collected their eggs, killed them too and cooked them.She washed the clothes and linen, ironed and baked and scrubbed and cleaned.There was never any money and this had spurred Sharon on to achieve all she possibly could. She soon un

She was still trying to make up her mind what to do when she and David flew to Frankfurt in November to have a series of meetings with Gerhard and other top German bank officials.When the business of the day was over, Gerhard showed them Frankfurt's night life.They were staying in a grand hotel of the type David most enjoyed. Each evening,Gerhard arrived in a chauffeur driven Limousine to take them out to dinner and dance. David tired early and would suggest that Sharon should stay on till later but she wouldn't hear of it. 'I have to get up early too', she would protest and go back to the hotel when he went.For David, the best night was the one when Gerhard took them to the City Opera at the arts complex. David managed to stay awake for that but in their last night in Frankfurt, he went to bed early and didn't come out at all.Gerhard took Sharon to the latest disco to open in Frankfurt. They shouted at each other and danced in a darkness split every second by a revolving flash of

David stroked her rich auburn hair with a gentle hand. 'I asked myself those same questions when I had that crash and killed Elizabeth. I would have given my life to save hers, yet I was the one who killed her. It was such cruel irony. I never got an answer and still don't have one. These things happen out of the blue to anyone without rhythm or reason and it's no use complaining that they're not fair'.She was silent for a moment,then asked huskily, 'Ate you absolutely sure that there is no chance of an operation? Wouldn't it be worth taken a risk?'David shrugged, 'They've told me that there was almost no chance of them removing the tumour without killing me and I have been rushing to put my affairs in order. If I had died a few months back when they first suspected the tumour, I'd have left chaos behind me. I hadn't made proper provision about anything. My wife's death invalidated my only will and I had serious decisions to make and now I have tidied things up. One of my decision

'So are you going to have the baby and keep it?' Charles repeated when Sharon kept silent.She sighed. 'I don't know.At first when I was in shock, I did think of an abortion, but I can't quite bring myself to do it'.David listened without comment, she gave him a wry smile.'You can't escape your upbringing, can you?My father brought me up to face my own responsibility for what I have done, not just get rid of the evidence and try to walk away as if nothing happened. Abortion would be ducking out, wouldn't it?'It's your body- you are the one who has to decide. Women have abortion everyday', David said dispassionately.'Yes, I know', she said slowly. 'And I respect their reasons for coming to that decision, they have other circumstances to cope with, other backgrounds. I only know how I feel. I am the one who has to live with the consequences, whichever way I take, all because I was stupid and reckless for just one night and went to bed with Bryan'.'You see the baby as a punishment y

Bryan was breathing heavily. He could not take what he had just heard. It would seem that the girl had gone ahead and done what he had asked her not to do before he left for Australia.He remembered he had told her not to marry David before he got back else he was going to make sure that she regretted it.'You are going away with David for Christmas', he said in what still seemed like a calm cool voice.'Yes', she almost yelled, then closed her mouth on the rage mounting inside her. Who was he to judge her this way? She was not going to allow him get to her. Not again. But she could not sit still, she was too restless. She got up, gathered some folders and walked to the filing cabinet in the other side of the room to put them in it but it was a mistake because his black eyes followed her and observed her every step, lingering on her freshly brushes auburn hair, the silt white shirt which clung to her breasts, the straight white jersey skirt which was a little too tight and emphasized