by Ruth Sutton
‘I’m sorry, Matthew,’ she said. ‘You’ve been so kind. I know you want to care for me, but I’d feel like a caged bird.’
‘You can’t marry me, ever?’
‘I can’t. I’m sure now.’
‘But why are you crying?’ he said.
She brushed the tears from her cheek.
‘I’m not crying,’ she told him ‘It’s just the wind.’ He stretched out his hand towards her, but she stepped away.
Above their heads a seagull wheeled on the wind, its scream lost in the rushing air. Jessie looked up, watching the bird, before she turned and walked back alone towards the shore, dwarfed by the sweep of water, sand and sky.
JESSIE WHELAN has always been a good liar, trying to protect her independence and her career as a teacher. But she risks everything when, after years of discreet loneliness, she embarks on a love affair. In the meantime, her secret past draws ever closer.
Ruth Sutton’s powerful novel is the first part of her trilogy – Between the Mountains and the Sea. It is set in Cumbria, the north-west corner of England.
If you’ve enjoyed Forgiven, you may want to…
• Order another copy of Forgiven to pass to a friend
• Order a copy of Part 1 entitled A Good Liar
• Learn more about Part 3 of the trilogy Between the Mountains and the Sea
• Find out more about Ruth Sutton, the author, and read her blog
For all of these, check out the publisher and author’s website www.ruthsutton.co.uk
Table of Contents
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
