Blake's Reach

by Catherine Gaskin

  For one thing, she had learned that the tradition and pride of a family like the Blakes did not lie in such things as building and endowing a church, or presenting it with a rose window, but in loving, and giving one’s life in proof of love. She would remember Charles as a self-centred man, proud and cold, indifferent to the feelings of those about him, and sacrificing everything, even to his life, for Louise. He had given his life carelessly to serve his own sense of honour, and it was in such gestures that the greatness of a family, as well as an individual, lay. Perhaps he had tried to tell her this when he had clothed Blake’s Reach with the trappings of position and importance, when he had hung silk curtains and bidden his neighbours to eat with him in the chill splendour of the dining-room. He had shown her a cold house, without love.

  Now she looked at Paul, looked at his profile against the sky, the short blond ends of hair blowing in the wind. His strong hands were at ease on the wheel, and his feet planted on a familiar deck. Here was a man in his own element, a man she loved. And Charles had warned her not to lose him.

  Suddenly she knew that it did not matter now that she owned the deck he stood on, that she owned the Dolphin, she owned the Pearl, and she owned Blake’s Reach. She could not fully possess these things without the wisdom to use them in the right way, and the right way was not in fashioning them into a chain to bind Paul. He would always have more energy than discretion, more will to make money than skill in keeping it. But he had a dream, a vision, and his eyes were happily blinded by it. He wanted no fetters, and no burden of convention or tradition. She did not know if his dream of a kingdom to be won in the West Indies was something he would always keep, merely to carry before him as an eternal, unrealized hope, or whether he would attempt to turn it into a reality. Whatever he chose ‒ to stay on the Marsh where he had been born, and to live out his life with her at Blake’s Reach, or to seek the source of the dream in the West Indies ‒ she would be with him. She had glimpsed the dream and the vision in Charles when he had elected to stay with Louise; it was this same shining thing she could never permit herself to destroy in Paul. If Blake’s Reach had to be sacrificed to it, then it would be, and she would hold her peace.

  And now she had to try to tell him this.

  She called softly, ‘Paul …’

  He looked back at her, wearing the slight, familiar smile that warmed her.

  Epilogue

  In the grass-grown graveyard of St. Saviour’s-by-the-Marsh are the headstones that mark the graves of Jane and Paul Fletcher; the tall grey slabs, weathering in the rains that sweep across the Marsh from the Channel, record no more than the bare facts of their names and ages. Beside them are the graves of those of their children who, being born on the Marsh, chose to live out their lives there. In the church itself a plain tablet, not a rose window, records the name of Charles Blake.

  For Charles there is no marked grave. His headless body lies in quicklime, along with the others who perished during The Terror, in the cemetery of the Madelaine in Paris.

  Nor is William’s grave marked. He was lost when the Raven, largest vessel of the merchant fleet he had gathered together for trade between London and the West Indies, was wrecked off the island of Jamaica.

  The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin

  The Property of a Gentleman … a poignant and thrilling tale of intrigue, mystery and romance, set in the dramatic landscape of England’s Lake District. From the internationally bestselling author Catherine Gaskin.

  Shortly after her mother’s death in a Swiss plane crash, Jo Roswell is sent from the London auction house where she works to the remote and mysterious Thirlbeck – stately home of the Earl of Askew. Jo’s task is to evaluate the house’s contents for a sale, but she soon finds herself drawn into the complex lives of Thirlbeck’s past and present inhabitants, each with their own secrets and desires.

  Robert Birkett, the Earl of Askew, has returned to Thirlbeck after many years abroad. A decorated war hero, he has also spent time in prison after a fatal car accident for which he was blamed. Carlota, the Spanish Condesa, is the Earl’s sophisticated yet possessive companion.

  Meanwhile, Nat Birkett, a distant cousin of the earl, is the reluctant heir to Thirlbeck. A local farmer, his passion is for the land rather than titles and possessions. Following his wife’s mysterious demise at Thirlbeck, he is also the single father of two young boys.

  George Tolson is Thirlbeck’s brooding keeper, who jealously guards the property from unwelcome strangers. By Tolson’s side is Jessica, his intelligent but fragile granddaughter, who must be protected from herself.

  During her stay, Jo is absorbed by the tragic story of The Spanish Lady, whose young life was cut short at Thirlbeck many centuries before. She also encounters La Española, the brilliant diamond which, according to legend, brings disaster to all who try to possess it. And she is shocked to learn of her own mother’s connection to Thirlbeck.

  Jo will struggle with difficult discoveries as she unlocks the puzzles which link Thirlbeck’s past and present residents.

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  Sara Dane by Catherine Gaskin

  The international bestseller available as an ebook for the first time

  Sara Dane is the story of an eighteenth-century young Englishwoman who is sentenced for a crime she did not commit and transported to Australia. The novel follows Sara’s struggle to raise herself from the status of a convict to a position of wealth and power. She faces many challenges, from the savage voyage aboard a convict ship to the corruption and prejudice rife in New South Wales. Life in the Colony is harsh, and Sara has to contend with natural disasters and convict outbreaks, as well as the snobbery of the high society she wishes to enter.

  Sara’s life is also influenced in often surprising ways by the men who love her, childhood sweetheart Richard Barwell, ship’s officer-turned-landowner Andrew Maclay, Frenchman Louis de Bourget and the Irish political prisoner Jeremy Hogan. Sara Dane is a sweeping historical novel full of adventure, romance, rivalries, double-dealing and murder.

  During her lifetime Catherine Gaskin’s books sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and she was known as ‘The Queen of Storytellers’. Sara Dane is arguably her best known work, an international bestseller, it was also made into a popular TV mini-series. This is the first digital edition of Sara Dane, published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the novel’s début.

  ‘A fine sweep of urgent vitality.’ The Times

  ‘Most readable. A big book with a sustained dramatic power.’ London Evening Standard

  ‘A grand story.’ Yorkshire Evening Post

  ‘A magnificent piece of evocative writing.’ Glasgow Herald

  ‘Rarely a story of the lands down under has this quality.’ Kirkus Reviews

  ‘An extremely readable novel.’ Argus (Melbourne)

  Now available as an ebook on Amazon (all territories excluding USA).

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  The Lynmara Legacy by Catherine Gaskin

  The sweeping saga of two remarkable women, their courage, ambitions, and the men they love ‒ from New York in the Great Depression to England during the Second World War. By the bestselling author of The Property of a Gentleman and Sara Dane.

  ANNA ‒ the proud, determined Russian nightclub pianist. She was humiliated and rejected by the English aristocracy, and the man she loved. Anna must make a terrible sacrifice so that her daughter can have the life she herself was denied.

  NICOLE ‒ the talented young American who seems destined only to fulfil other people’s ambitions. She plays a celebrated, but reluctant, role in London
’s high society. Yet Nicole must keep her family secrets from the one she loves most.

  LYNMARA ‒ the ancestral home of Lord Manstone and his dashing son, David. They form the link between past and present, mother and daughter.

  A compelling tale of passion and ambition, war and death, and the legacy of a mother’s love.

  Praise for The Lynmara Legacy:

  ‘She tells her story remarkably well.’ Daily Telegraph

  ‘A compulsive heroine and family saga.’ She

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  The Summer of the Spanish Woman by Catherine Gaskin

  The dramatic blockbuster that takes you from the windy shores of Ireland to the sun-baked earth of Spain; this is a gripping story of family pride, forbidden love, secrets and lies. Beginning at the turn of the last century and spanning the First World War and the Spanish Civil War, The Summer of the Spanish Woman is another spellbinding page-turner from the pen of the bestselling author of The Property of a Gentleman and Sara Dane.

  When her grandfather dies without leaving a male heir, Charlotte Drummond and her mother are forced to leave their family home, Clonmara. A distant cousin, Richard Selwin, inherits her grandfather’s estate and the title of Lord Blodmore. He also claims Charlotte’s heart, but a cruel twist of fate prevents them from being together.

  Charlotte and her mother begin a new life in the Spanish town of Jerez among the families and vineyards of the great Spanish sherry dynasties. There she discovers the surprising secrets of her grandfather’s younger life, and the mystery surrounding ‘the Summer of the Spanish Woman’ many decades before. As Charlotte learns more about the events of that long-ago summer she realises that its far-reaching consequences stretch into the present. Drawn into a web of deceit and vengeance, her destiny is shaped by both her enemies and her allies in this foreign land. And she must confront Isabel, Marquesa de Pontevedra, whose presence casts light or shadow over those whose lives she seeks to control.

  A brilliant family saga which paints a vivid picture of life among the sherry makers of early twentieth century Spain and the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War.

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  A Falcon for a Queen by Catherine Gaskin

  A gripping story of romance and mystery set in Victorian Scotland.

  After the death of her father, Kirsty Howard leaves their home in China and travels to be with her mother’s family in the Scottish Highlands. It is here that her brother William has also recently died ‒ after a hunting accident. With her Kirsty carries a scroll sent by William from his deathbed, with a cryptic message ‘She has killed …’

  Arriving at Cluain, the old house and whisky distillery owned by her grandfather, Kirsty is drawn to the mysterious and moody Callum Sinclair, who roams the moors with his majestic falcon. She also meets the other people who had known William ‒ the forbidding housekeeper, Mairi Sinclair; the friendly young maid, Morag; and Sir Gavin Campbell and his beautiful wife, Margaret. Over time, Kirsty learns the parts these strangers played in her brother’s life, and how her own fate is bound up by the places and people of this remote land. But nothing can prepare her for the truth that must be revealed.

  An atmospheric story of secrets, passion and family duty.

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  Edge of Glass by Catherine Gaskin

  A haunting story of passion, greed and family secrets from the No.1 bestselling author of The Property of a Gentleman. Over 40 million Catherine Gaskin books sold worldwide.

  1967, London Fashion model Maura D’Arcy is on the verge of fame and success. But when a handsome stranger enters her late mother’s antiques shop, his revelations change the course of Maura’s life.

  Cloncath, Ireland Maura journeys to the home of her estranged family, the Sheridans, where she finds herself in the middle of a bitter feud over the decaying glassworks which once made the family’s fortune. The rivalry between her formidable grandmother, Lady Maude, and distant cousin, Connor Sheridan, will have far reaching consequences.

  As Maura is drawn into a dangerous atmosphere of guilty secrets and suspicion, is there anyone she can really trust? What are her grandmother’s true motives? Who was responsible for the death of Connor’s headstrong wife, Lotti? And what lengths will Connor go to, in order to gain what he believes is his rightful inheritance?

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  The Wine Widow by Tessa Barclay

  A gripping family saga – the first in the captivating Wine Widow trilogy. A compelling tale of one woman’s triumphs and tragedies which you will not be able to put down.

  Young peasant girl Nicole Berthois works hard to support her family in a wine-making village in Champagne. Her life changes forever when she falls in love with handsome aristocrat Philippe de Tramont. The young lovers marry despite his mother’s objections, and Nicole’s strength and determination help her husband to follow his dreams. But then tragedy strikes; Philippe is killed and Nicole must struggle to raise their two small children as a young widow. She faces many challenges as she tries to win her mother-in-law’s approval, and build her husband’s legacy into a great champagne dynasty. But will illicit passions, war and a shocking family secret destroy all she has worked to achieve?

  ‘Tessa Barclay always spins a fine yarn. Her novels are gripping and entertaining.’ Wendy Craig

  ‘Filled with fascinating historical detail and teeming with human passions.’ Marie Joseph

  ‘A red hot contender for the Romantic Novelist of the Year Award.’ Daily Mirror

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  Lily’s Daughter by Diana Raymond

  A poignant coming of age story set in 1930s England, told with warmth and wit.

  ‘Diana Raymond is an observant, sensitive writer whose characters come alive.’ The Daily Telegraph

  Seventeen year old Jessica Mayne suddenly finds herself alone and unable to pay her rent, when a chance discovery leads to help from unexpected quarters. A new life beckons, while Jessica learns about past family secrets, and falls in love for the first time, all under the shadow of the advancing war in Europe.

  Being Lily’s daughter has never been easy. Jessica has long had to cope with her mother’s fragile mental state, and a hand to mouth existence. When she finally makes the decision to have her mother committed, Jessica must face an uncertain future alone.

  But there is the promise of a different kind of life when Jessica arrives at Huntersmeade, the home of her estranged Aunt Imogen. It is here that she meets her dashing cousin, Guy, and Deirdre, the wealthy young woman he is expected to marry. Meanwhile, Imogen’s house-guest Aaron, a Polish Jew, has a deeper understanding than the English youngsters of how the world they know will soon change forever.

  For Jessica, there will be difficult lessons to learn about her family’s secrets, and how falling in love for the first time can be a bitter-sweet experience with far-reaching consequences.

  Diana Raymond was the author of 24 novels, theatre criticism and poems. She was married to the celebrated novelist Ernest Raymond. Her most popular novel Lily’s Daughter is now reprinted
in an ebook edition for the first time.

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  Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom

  Your perfect summer holiday read – Ann Clements dares to dream of a more adventurous life when she takes a Mediterranean cruise. But when it is over, can there be any going back?

  ‘A delightfully charming novel, which I adored!’ Rather Too Fond of Books

  ‘Gorgeous escapism … I absolutely loved this.’ Mrs K A Wheatley (Top 500 Amazon reviewer)

  This warm and witty story is a charming portrait of an unforgettable 1930s woman; Ann Clements will stay with you long after the last page.

  Ann Clements is thirty-five and single, and believes nothing exciting will ever happen to her. Then, she wins a large sum of money in a sweepstake and suddenly can dare to dream of a more adventurous life. She buys a ticket for a Mediterranean cruise, against the wishes of her stern brother, the Rev. Cuthbert, who has other ideas about how she should spend her windfall. Ann steps out of the shadows of her mundane life into the heat of the Mediterranean sun. Travelling to Gibraltar, Marseilles, Naples, Malta and Venice, Ann’s eyes are opened to people and experiences far removed from her sheltered existence in the offices at Henrietta Street, and Mrs. Puddock’s lodging house. As Ann blossoms, discovering love and passion for the very first time, the biggest question is, can there be any going back?