So many things happen in this part, and some of them are terrible. I didn't expect Carol and Mara to suffer such suffering. The girls decide to try to reach Ida and Karl as a group of soldiers are transporting some Maori prisoners. Bill proposes to Carol, but she tells him that she can't think about another man yet after all she has gone through. Bill tries to persuade her to stay put as the journey through the North Island is dangerous but Carol is adamant. Later Bill tries to persuade his superior to let him accompany her and Mara, but he is not allowed.
The Maori attack and kill the soldiers viciously, and Carol and Mara are raped. The two young women are taken to the Maori fort. One Maori, Te Ari, demands to be given Mara and Carol as slaves. Mara is shaken by everything. At night men use Carol and Te Ari rapes Mara. This goes against what the chiefstain as he wants Te Ari to use love to win the woman. After the attack, Bill has gone to his superior to go and save Mara and Carol, but the officer refuses, claiming that there is no way to know whether the woman are alive. That is why Bill decides to resign.
The Maori that have Carol and Mara captive move to another fort, and things are easier for them there as Te Ari is sent on an expedition which lasts weeks. When Te Ari reappears, Mara becomes sick with agony. As the man is attacking him, Eru appears, confronting the man, who claims Mara is his. Mara does not recognise Eru as his face is totally tattooed and even though he keeps saying that he is Eru, her mind is incapable to react. The chieftain talks to Te Ari and Eru, scolding them. One of the women tells Carol and Mara that as the English army is closby, the chieftain plans to kill them. Yet, Eru is going to help them escape. That night, though, when a man appears, Carol and Mara follow, but it is too late when they realise that it is Te Ari, who kidnaps them and plans to take them to his village. So when the army gets there, they won't find them..
After Bill resigns, he ends up in the town where he, Carol and Linda were taken after their rescue from the sea. A se captain, Rawley, recognises him, and he tells him that he has finally got funds to explore the Aukland Islands to see if he can find any castaways. He was a castaway himself once, and he was rescued. Bill decides to join his crew, and for months they explore the islands. It is when they are circumnavigating Rose Island that they see smoke. The men land there, and they find four men from the Captain Lee wreckage, and they tell them that there were more people but some died, and some left on the boat months ago, and there is a couple living on the other side. The couple are Cat and Chris, and Bill can't be happier. This group of people are rescued, and when they reach the town, there is a lot of interest from the newspapers. Bill has told Cat and Chris about everything that has happened since the ship wreckage. Chris is incensed to learn about Jane kicking out the girls from their home, and both Cat and Chris are worried about Mara, Carol and Linda, who is married to a man they consider a charlatan. What they do next was to travel to the Canterbury Plains. They'll stop at the Deans' and then they'll surprise Jane.
After Linda and Fitz leave Ottawo, they end up in Christchurch, and as they have no money, they have to spend months in their wagon in an area that is insalubrious. Fitz spends a lot of time in the pubs and gambling. Then he comes one day, saying that he is going to join the army as they want volunteers and in this plan he will get land where they can build a farm. Linda has doubts as he has learnt during this time that Fitz's plans are not so straightforward. Linda goes to the meeting, and she realises that this is a sensible plan.
They travel on the ship to the North Island, and Linda, who has not been on a boat since the wreckage, is nervous and afraid. They reach the island, and they stay in the military fort. Here Fitz also uses his charm and cheek to get the accommodation that was supposed to be for the doctor. His tricks do not work with his superior who from the first realises that Fitz is not realiable and a sham. The day that they have to travel to the area where their acquired land is. Linda is surprised when Fitz appears with a young woman, Vera, who she has heard has a bad reputation, and he tells her that she will work for her as a maid. Linda then feels sick, and Vera says that she didn't know Linda was pregnant.
Linda is pregnant, and life becomes very difficult for her living with Vera and Fitz. She has not seen any loving demonstrations between them, but she can see that Vera has Fitz wrapped around her little finger. The land packages are raffled, and Fitz is not happy with his because it is on the farthest extreme, and he tries to gamble it with another private, which gets him into trouble as that is not allowed. Linda rides to her future farm, which she thinks is beautiful. There she finds a Maori priestess, Omaka Te Pura, who tells her how sad and upset she is that her people are losing everything. Linda promises that as long as she is there, she will be allowed to stay.
While most of the other soldiers are busy, building their homes in the land, Fitz has always an excuse, and they keep living in a tent. Vera's presence is a thorn, and Linda finds herself losing to her. Omaka warns her that Fitz and Vera are both wicked. Fitz finally starts to build a hut, claiming that Linda can't have their baby in the tent, but when he builds an annexe, she realises she is doing it for Vera.
There is no midwife nearby, so Linda tells him that he will have to help her give birth, following her instructions. Yet, when she goes into labour, Fitz is nowhere to be found, and Vera tells him that he has gone to the cattle market to buy her a horse, and Linda realises that Vera planned it. When the younger woman volunteers to help, Linda refuses and flees to the hut. Vera, though, enters and closes the door to Amy, her dog. As Linda writhes in pain, she sees Vera grab Fitz's shotgun, she is afraid she will kill her. Amy is yapping and bellowing, and Omaka appears and helps Linda give birth and Vera flees. Vera has a baby girl who she names Aroha, after Omaka. Fitz appears and is happy to meet his daughter, but Linda is very angry, saying that Vera needs to leave.
Some days later the Maori turn up. Vera runs to the hut, saying that they are after her. Fitz and Vera hide in her annexe, while they leave Linda and Omaka to face the music. Linda uses Fitz's gun and kills a couple of Maori and then the army appears. After that, Fitz is arrested and stands trial for cowardice, and as a consequence, he is dismissed from the army, and Linda has to go. She has decided to leave Fitz and Vera behind, and she travels with Omaka and her baby. Their intention is to get to Ida and Karl, but on their way there they stop at the orphanage where Franz is. Franz is looking after Maori orphans, and he has changed a lot since Linda first met him. Now he is not so strict in his religious ideas, and he says that he find it difficult to help the children for real because he cna't speak the language. Linda then decides to stay there for a while. Franz has been in love with Linda since he met her, but he has kept his feelings in check thinking that she is his niece. Yet, in reality Linda is Cat's daughter, so they are not biologically linked. I wonder if they will end up together.
One of the points I am looking forward to reading is the moment Chris and Cat confront Jane.
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