by Clare Flynn
‘So, the poor girl finally found a way to redeem herself. There was always a well of goodness deep inside Veronica. I’m glad it found a way to reach the surface.’
He kissed her again, slowly, lovingly.
‘So, will you marry me, Arthur?’
‘You’re proposing to me?’ His face broke into a broad grin and he drew her close to him again. Then he grew serious. ‘You might want to change your mind when you see what they did to me. I’ll understand if you do.’
‘I promise you, Arthur Leighton. There is nothing that will ever make me change my mind where you’re concerned – well, unless you decided you don’t want my children too.’
‘My dearest darling, Jasmine and Hugh will be loved and cared for by me as if they were my own. Doug was my friend. And I’m Jasmine’s godfather.’ He frowned. ‘But that’s the other thing you need to know. After what I went through, it’s possible I may not be able to father a child of my own.’ As soon as he’d said it, he added, ‘I may be firing blanks. But as I can attest right now, I don’t think there’ll be any problems in getting the guns to fire.’ He grinned at her.
Evie needed no more encouragement. She jumped to her feet and took his hand. ‘Come on. We have a lot of time to make up, my darling.’
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Acknowledgments
My thanks as always to my editor, Debi Alper and my cover designer Jane Dixon-Smith. I am hugely grateful for your contributions to my books.
Also to my trusty fellow authors here in Eastbourne whose input at our Friday afternoon meetings is invaluable - Margaret Kaine, Merryn Allingham, Joanna Warrington and jay Dixon.
Thanks also to Sue Sewell and Debbie Marmor who read a late draft and gave me helpful feedback.
Special thanks to my fellow author and friend, Dr Carol Cooper who put me on the straight and narrow on sepsis (known at the time when the book is set as septicaemia). Any medical errors are my own.
I am indebted to the following works which provided essential background research on life in the Malayan peninsula and life on a rubber estate.
Out in the Midday Sun by Margaret Shennan - full of gems on ex-pat life in Malaya pre-Independence.
Malayan Spymaster by Boris Hembry - essential reading on rubber planters and the build-up to the Japanese invasion.
Castles in the Air by Alison Ripley-Cubitt and Molly Ripley for more insights into ex-pat life and sea voyages in the 30s and 40s.
About the Author
Clare Flynn is the author of ten historical novels and a collection of short stories.
A former Marketing Director and strategy consultant, she was born in Liverpool and has lived in London, Newcastle, Paris, Milan, Brussels and Sydney and is now enjoying being in Eastbourne on the Sussex coast where she can see the sea and the Downs from her windows.
When not writing, she loves to travel (often for research purposes) and enjoys painting in oils and watercolours as well as making patchwork quilts and learning to play the piano again.
Also by Clare Flynn
All available in print as well as digital
The Chalky Sea
Two troubled people in a turbulent world.
Gwen Collingwood is an English woman, and Jim Armstrong, a young Canadian soldier. Their stories entwine during World War Two in a small English seaside town.
“ Flynn’s novel is a vivid page-turner that depicts the destruction of war, but it is most notable for its portrayal of the effects it has on individual lives. (BookLife, Publishers Weekly)
ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO BOOK
The Alien Corn
They faced up to the challenges of war – but can they deal with the troubles of peace?
The follow up to The Chalky Sea, The Alien Corn is set in rural Canada in the aftermath of World War 2. Jim Armstrong has returned to his farm in Ontario where he is joined by his English war bride, Joan. Jim suffers from the after-effects of the horrors he witnessed in the Italian campaign, while Joan struggles to adapt to her new life and family.
“Flynn’s novel captures the obstacles faced both by soldiers returning from battle and by those close to them. Readers of the first book will relish the chance to spend more time with the characters, and new readers will find plenty to savor.” (BookLife, Publishers Weekly)
ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO BOOK
The Frozen River
Three strong women make their way in 1950s Canada
The Frozen River completes the trilogy.
English hairdresser, Ethel Underwood, is alone after the deaths of her family and her wartime fiancé. Widow and single mother, Alice Armstrong, bringing up two daughters, receives an unexpected inheritance that will transform her life. War bride, Joan Armstrong, is now mother to four small children. All are brought together in a rural Canadian town where they each try to build a future – often in spite of the men in their lives.
Each woman has a different idea of happiness. Will any or all of them achieve it?
The three Canadian novels are also available as a digital collection, The Canadians
A Greater World
Elizabeth Morton, born into a prosperous family, and Michael Winterbourne, a miner, come from different worlds but when they each suffer a life-changing tragedy they’re set on a path that intertwines on the deck of the SS Historic, bound for Sydney.
Falling in love should have been the end to all their troubles. But fate and the mysterious Jack Kidd make sure it's only the beginning.
ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO BOOK
Kurinji Flowers
Married to a man she barely knows. Exiled to a country she doesn’t know at all. Ginny Dunbar flees a turbulent past only to discover that her future, married to a tea planter, in a colonial hill station, is anything but secure.
An emotional love story set in the dying days of colonial India.
“A sweeping, lush story - the depiction of India in all its colours, smells and vibrancy is pitch-perfect in its depiction." (Historical Novel Society)
Letters from a Patchwork Quilt
In 1875, 18-year-old would-be poet, Jack Brennan, runs away from home to avoid being forced into the priesthood.
Jack’s world is shattered when Mary Ellen, his landlord's daughter, falsely accuses him of fathering the child she is expecting, setting his life on a collision course to disaster.
A touching story of love, loss and thwarted ambition.
“A heartbreaking and moving tale” Readers’ Favorite
ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO BOOK
The Green Ribbons
1900. Hephzibah Wildman loses her parents in a tragic accident and is forced to leave home to earn her living as a governess at Ingleton Hall.
&nb
sp; A gypsy tells her fortune – “Two men will love you – both will pay the price”. An impulsive decision by Hephzibah unleashes a chain of events that lead to dangerous consequences.
A classic Victorian love story, full of twists and turns.
Storms Gather Between Us
Life can change in the matter of a moment...
Since escaping his family’s notoriety in Australia Will Kidd has spent a decade sailing the seas, never looking back. Content to live the life of a wanderer, everything changes in a single moment when he comes face to face with a ghost from his past on a cloudy beach in Liverpool.
The daughter of an abusive zealot, every step of Hannah Dawson's life has been laid out for her...until she meets Will by chance and is set on a new path. Their love is forbidden and forces on all sides divide them, but their bond is undeniable. Now, they will have to fight against all the odds to escape the chains of their histories and find their way back to one another.
