The Death of Her
Page 27
There was hope in her voice, he noticed. Over weeks, months, it would get easier, he knew that, but she had to find her own way. ‘Come on.’ He nodded towards Angel, still hanging on to Beamer. ‘Let’s catch her up before she completely wears him out.’
Evie nodded, slipping her hands into her pockets, her arm brushing against his as they walked together towards her daughter.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
A couple of years ago, I read about a little girl who fed the birds in her garden. In return, they brought her gifts – coloured glass, buttons, even beads. There are other accounts of birds, usually crows, bringing similar gifts to people they often interact with.
Who knows why some birds do this, whether they reward the person who feeds them, or are rewarded with food for bringing gifts. Either way, the story of the little girl stayed with me, eventually finding a home in this book.
There is much online about Satanism, its practice and rituals. If you believe what’s there, it’s more commonplace than most people think. There are images and descriptions, and there’s also a calendar.
The Satanic calendar lists the dates of holidays throughout the year when a sacrifice is required to take place. One of those is the September equinox; it’s closely followed by the days of preparation in the run-up to Halloween.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As always, I owe a huge thanks to the wonderful team behind my books. To my brilliant, insightful editors – Trisha Jackson at Pan Macmillan and Alicia Condon at Kensington – I’m blessed to work with you both. To everyone in the editorial, art, sales and marketing teams, for all your work getting my books out there, and to Alice Dewing, my fabulous publicist. To my superstar of agents, Juliet Mushens, who has, quite simply, changed my life – a heartfelt thank you, for everything you do. Thank you also to everyone who buys my books. I wouldn’t be doing what I love without you.
One of the themes of this book is loss and how life changes forever when you lose someone too soon: in particular, if you’re a parent who loses a child. While writing this, I’ve been somewhere in my head I’m grateful never to have visited in real life, but to those who’ve shared your stories with me, much love. They will stay with me always.
Again, thank you and huge love to my sisters, Sarah, Anna and Freddie, and also to my friends, for your support, this last year more than ever, especially Clare, Lindsay, Katie, Heather . . . You know why. XXXX. Fred and Callum, thank you isn’t enough – I owe you both so much, for your generosity and for being my port in a storm. Much of this book was written on your beautiful island.
So, lastly, Georgie and Tom. You are my world. This one’s for you, with love.
DEBBIE HOWELLS lives with her family and assorted animals in Sussex. The Death of Her is her third novel following The Beauty of the End and Richard and Judy Book Club bestseller The Bones of You.
www.debbiehowells.co.uk
Also by Debbie Howells
The Bones of You
The Beauty of the End
First published 2017 by Macmillan
This electronic edition published 2017 by Macmillan
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
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ISBN 978-1-5098-3468-6
Copyright © Debbie Howells 2017
Cover image © Nick Veasey / Getty Images
Author photograph © Alicia Clarke
The right of Debbie Howells to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Excerpt from Preface of Vijali Hamilton’s Of Earth and Fire, Poems and Artwork, is used with permission from the author and AuthorHouse, 2006
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