Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [212]
Picking absently at some of the long stems of grass, she recalled Rosie’s words of the night before. Being Aboriginal isn’t a hat you can put on and take off, Lily. It’s a commitment, a spiritual thing. Without that, you don’t belong. If you’ve got the spirit, Lily, then you’ve got something. That mightn’t always be easy to carry, but believe me, it’s something really special, really worth hanging on to. And you won’t want to hide it from anyone.
Lily had a choice—to reveal this truth to the world or keep it to herself. It would not be easy to walk back into her own world in Sydney and proclaim her new identity. And it would not be easy to reject it, for the knowledge was now part of her and could not be erased. The facts of her links were indisputable; whether she was going to be fully accepted by her Aboriginal family was a very different issue and dependent on her own honesty. Was she really one of the family in spirit?
It had all seemed much clearer last night sitting on the moonlit verandah with Rosie. But now … ?
Lily dropped the stems of grass and reached out again to lightly touch the shell on the stone. ‘Do I have the spirit in me, Niah? Do I?’
Di Morrissey
The Last Mile Home
FROM ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S FINEST
STORYTELLERS COMES A CLASSIC LOVE STORY
THAT WILL REMAIN IN YOUR HEART FOREVER …
It is 1953 in a small country town in Australia, a time of postwar prosperity and hope.
The Holtens are wealthy austere graziers who have lived on the land for generations. The McBrides are a large and loving shearer’s family who are new arrivals in the district.
When the McBrides’ eldest daughter falls in love with the Holtens’ only son and heir, the barriers to their love seem overwhelming.
But in the end, their love triumphs even over tragedy … and hope and joy are their enduring legacy.
The Last Mile Home is an unforgettable story to touch the heart of every Australian.
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
SPECIAL THANKS TO . . .
PROLOGUE Broome 1905
CHAPTER ONE Sydney 1995
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR The north-west coast of Nickol Bay, 1893
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE