The Island Affair
Page 23
Little Anne Sofie is born at the Mariehamn Hospital at twenty minutes past midnight on September 1st. Alicia and Liam are in attendance. Liam had flown in from London the week before, while Alicia had been staying in Frida's flat for the previous two weeks. Several selfies are taken, and when the baby is asleep in the cot beside her mother, and Frida closes her eyes, Alicia and Liam tiptoe out of the room and hug each other for a long time in the hospital corridor.
As they walk arm in arm into the empty parking lot, the cold fall air hits Alicia. There's a harsh northerly wind and leaves are swirling beside the tarmac, where a line of birches dips down toward the sea.
'You're not going to work today, are you?' Liam asks as they reach Alicia's new car. She had bought a used Volvo a couple of weeks ago, so that she had transportation when the time came for the birth.
'No!' Alicia says and turns to Liam, smiling.
'Well, in that case, perhaps we should wet the baby's head?'
Alicia nods and they drive the short distance to the Hotel Arkipelag parking lot. 'You go on and order, I'm just going to let others know the good news,' she says.
Liam stays in the passenger seat for a moment, looking down at his hands. Alicia can guess Liam wonders if Patrick is one of the people she will contact, but she doesn't want to discuss him with Liam. Not today when her heart is filled with love for the wonderful new little person in her life. Alicia hasn't seen anything as beautiful as Anne Sofie. Her tiny fists tightly closed against her little body and the show of determination in her rosy little mouth. When Alicia first held her, tears began running down her cheeks and they all laughed. She cannot remember being so happy.
'Don't be long,' Liam says eventually, brushing his lips against her cheek.
As Alicia watches Liam walk toward the hotel entrance, shielding himself against the wind with his hand, she thinks how happy she was to see him when he stepped off the plane at Mariehamn airport. He'd decided to fly, to save time. He had to go via Helsinki, but he still arrived about half a day earlier than he would have done by sea.
Their relationship is in a good place now.
Alicia is still living in the sauna cottage and Liam in London, but they have plans for Liam to move to the islands. Alicia keeps in touch with Patrick too, but only as a friend. In the small town of Mariehamn, with the tourists gone, it would be impossible not to see each other. Besides, now Patrick's divorce is official, Alicia is happy to help him by simply listening. As she has got to know him better, her attraction toward him has begun to diminish. Perhaps because she has moved on with her life? Frida and the baby have been Alicia's priority for months now, and she guesses it will be the case for months, perhaps years, to come. And that is exactly how it should be.
The Nordic Heart Books 1-4
She has her life planned out. He lets the wind guide his sails. As the Cold War heats up, can they keep love alive on either side of the iron curtain?
* * *
Finland, 1980. Kaisa has never been a risk taker. After graduation, she plans to marry the dependable older man who helped to pay for her classes and kept a roof over her head. But when she accepts an invitation to a party at the British Embassy, a handsome naval officer makes her want to throw caution to the wind. She surprises herself when they share a passionate kiss under the stars and promise to see each other again. But how could she possibly give up her sure-thing relationship for a man she barely knows?
* * *
When Peter Williams pictured his future, he saw a rising in the ranks and an endless trip around the world. Though when he meets the strong-willed Kaisa in Helsinki, his passion for the sea takes a serious turn. Not even the excitement of hunting down Russian submarines can compare to the thrill of his lips on hers. But despite his growing feelings, his commanding officers won’t tolerate him pursuing a woman from a Soviet-friendly nation.
* * *
Both torn between impossible choices, Kaisa and Peter must search their souls for the right answer. With the Cold War heating up between them, can two star-crossed lovers find their courage or will their relationship sink on the high seas?
* * *
The Nordic Heart is a breathtaking contemporary women's fiction series with an undercurrent of romance. If you like vivid historical details, star-crossed chemistry, and complex characters, then you’ll love Helena Halme’s tale of a Cold War romance.
The Nordic Heart Series
Prequel The Young Heart
Book 1 The English Heart
Book 2 The Faithful Heart
Book 3 The Good Heart
Book 4 The True Heart
Book 5 The Christmas Heart
* * *
Buy The Nordic Heart Books 1-4 to experience a vibrant tale of courage and love in the face of war today!
About the Author
Helena Halme grew up in Tampere, central Finland, and moved to the UK via Stockholm and Helsinki at the age of 22. She is a former BBC journalist and has also worked as a magazine editor, a bookseller and, until recently, ran a Finnish/British cultural association in London.
Since gaining an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, Helena has published eight fiction titles, including five in The Nordic Heart Romance Series.
Helena lives in North London with her ex-Navy husband and an old stubborn terrier, called Jerry. She loves Nordic Noir and sings along to Abba songs when no one is around.
You can read Helena’s blog at www.helenahalme.com, where you can also sign up for her Readers’ Group and receive an exclusive, free short story, The Day We Met.
Find Helena Halme online
www.helenahalme.com
hello@helenahalme.com
A Note from the Author
I hope you enjoyed The Island Affair!
* * *
You may have heard authors talk about reviews and the effect they have on the success of the title.
* * *
Having a bunch of good reviews attached to your book has been likened to a scene in a new town when you’re looking for somewhere to eat. The restaurant you’ve read about has a queue outside. You notice another place opposite with the same kind of food on offer. But this restaurant is nearly empty, with only a couple of tables occupied, and no queue outside. Which place do you choose? Most people join the queue, because why wouldn’t you go for a restaurant that is so popular that people are willing to wait to eat there? The other place opposite must serve really bad food if only a handful of diners are inside, right? Perhaps it’s had a case of food poisoning or something.
* * *
So please form a virtual queue outside my book in your favourite online store and write a review.
* * *
Thank you.
Contents
A free story!
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
&
nbsp; Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Epilogue
The Nordic Heart Books 1-4
Also by Helena Halme
About the Author
A Note from the Author
Copyright
The Island Affair ©2019 Helena Halme
Published worldwide 2019 by Newhurst Press
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover © Jessica Bell
E-book ISBN: 978-0-9957495-2-8
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Did you love The Island Affair? Then you should read The Young Heart by Helena Halme!
'Wonderfully intimate and honest.' – Pauliina Ståhlberg, Director of The Finnish Institute in London.
She's just 14. He's 21 and a grown man. Is she too young to fall in love?
Finland 1974. Kaisa is the new girl in town – again. When a messy divorce forces Kaisa's mother to move to a small flat in an island suburb of Helsinki, Kaisa isn't looking forward to another new school. But soon she meets Vappu Noren, and begins to spend all her days in Vappu's large, chaotic house, filled with her three unruly siblings and their friends.
Matti loves Kaisa at first sight. She is just the kind of innocent girl he's been looking for. Infatuated by her pale blue eyes, he makes careful plans to seduce Kaisa on Midsummer's Eve.
But is Kaisa too young to fall in love?
If you like an honest and intimate true love story, you will adore this 'Nordic Lolita' by Helena Halme.
A standalone read, The Young Heart is a prequel to The Nordic Heart Romance Series, which follows the tumultuous 1980's love affair between the Finnish-born Kaisa and British Navy officer, Peter.
Read this stylish European love story now!
Read more at Helena Halme’s site.
Also by Helena Halme
Love on the Island
The Island Affair
The Nordic Heart Romance Series
The Young Heart
The English Heart
Standalone
Coffee and Vodka
The Red King of Helsinki: Lies, Spies and Gymnastics
Watch for more at Helena Halme’s site.