The Surplus Girls' Orphans

by Polly Heron

  ‘It’s perfect,’ Molly breathed. Her fingertip brushed the heart-outline. To anyone else, it might look like an empty heart, but to her it was as filled with meaning as the solid heart that was in memory of the son she had had to give up.

  ‘Let me fasten it,’ Aaron offered.

  She turned her back to him, bending her head and brushing her hair away from her neck. The necklace was light and cool against her skin.

  Aaron turned her round to face him. ‘Perfect,’ he said, but it was her face he was looking at. ‘Let’s go and tell our son about your new job, shall we?’

  With fingers warmly intertwined, they went to find Danny.

  Acknowledgements

  I am grateful to my agent, Laura Longrigg, and my editor, Susannah Hamilton, whose guidance helped make this a better book.

  Thanks to all at Corvus, including Poppy Mostyn-Owen and Karen Duffy; and to Nicky Lovick, the copy editor.

  Several chapters of this book was written during a wonderful week in Bath with fellow writers Jane Cable, Cass Grafton, Kirsten Hesketh and Kitty Wilson. Thanks, ladies, for all your support.

  I should also mention NaNoWriMo. Every November, writers all over the world join in with the annual madness of aiming to write 50,000 words in a month. The Surplus Girls’ Orphans was my NaNo project in 2018 and I managed to write 66,000 words that month, though, if I’m honest, I have to say that by the time December came round, I could barely scrape together enough brain cells to finish the book.

  Love and thanks to Jennie across the Pond and Gayle down under. Also to Beverley and Sandra, who were first off the mark with their reviews and helped get The Surplus Girls off to a flying start.