‘Ready?’ she asked, picking up the first envelope and lifting the flap on the back.
Sam reached for her wine glass and took a long gulp of the ruby liquid. ‘Ready.’
Nessie unfolded the letter and held it so that her sister could see it. And together, they began to read.
Star and Sixpence
Sixpence Lane,
Little Monkham,
Shropshire,
SY6 2XY
12th June 1990
Dearest Vanessa and Samantha
How are you, my girls? I hope you haven’t grown up too much in the six months since I last saw you?
I am sorry to be so slow to write. It has taken me a long time to find a new home and I didn’t want to get in touch before I had, because I wanted to have somewhere you might be able to come and visit. You’ll see from the address that I have moved into a pub, which seems like a crazy choice but it actually suits me rather well. Little Monkham is the loveliest village – they play cricket on the green every Saturday and there are plenty of other children for you to make friends with. The village even has its own Post Office and the postmistress says she will let you stamp some letters if you are sensible and good. I think you’ll like it here. I hope that your mother will see that I am making an effort to sort things out and will allow you to come for a visit. Until then, I am sending some hugs with this letter. I hope they don’t leak out of the sides before it reaches you.
Missing you both,
Love, Dad x
Acknowledgements
Thanks and love as always to T and E, my darling children. Thank you to Jo Williamson, of Antony Harwood Ltd, for always having my back. Snuggly jumpers and creamy hot chocolates to Clare Hey, SJ Virtue and Emma Capron, plus everyone at Simon & Schuster, for making sure it’s always Happy Hour at The Star and Sixpence. Huge thanks to cocktail guru Kate Harrison, Miranda Dickinson, Rowan Coleman, Julie Cohen and Cally Taylor – you are amazing! And lastly, thanks to all the reviewers and readers – your continuing support and enthusiasm keeps me going. Cheers!
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2016
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Copyright © Tamsyn Murray, 2016
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Autumn at the Star and Sixpence Page 9
