The Secret Letter

by Debbie Rix

  If you enjoyed The Secret Letter, you’ll fall in love with The Photograph by Debbie Rix – an utterly beautiful and compelling story of love, loss and a family secret spanning generations. Get it here.

  The Photograph

  If you loved The Letter by Kathryn Hughes and The Hourglass by Tracy Rees you’ll be swept away by this stunning summer read.

  Get it here!

  Italy, 1958: Rachael is a young widow with a small child. After a lifetime of running for survival, of not knowing who to trust and where to call home, she finds herself in a place of safety. On a sun-drenched Italian island for one carefree summer the troubles of her past fade away and she falls in love. But will Rachael’s new-found happiness bring her further heartache?

  England, 2017: Sophie has a handsome husband, a gorgeous house in the English countryside and a successful career as an anthropologist. But the one thing she longs for is a baby of her own. As she struggles to conceive, cracks begin to appear in her marriage. So Sophie throws herself into her work and tries to seek comfort in childhood memories of her beloved grandmother Rachael.

  One afternoon, Sophie finds a forgotten letter and an exquisite silk bracelet hidden in Rachael’s old writing desk. Intrigued, she begins to unravel the extraordinary story of her grandmother’s past - and a secret that has the power to change everything…

  The Photograph is an utterly beautiful and compelling story of love, loss and a family secret spanning generations.

  Available here.

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  Books by Debbie Rix

  The Girl with Emerald Eyes

  Daughters of the Silk Road

  The Silk Weaver’s Wife

  The Photograph

  The Secret Letter

  A Letter from Debbie

  Thank you for choosing to read The Secret Letter. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you’d like to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up here. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  Like my other novels, this story is historical fiction based on fact. But it is more closely linked to true events than my previous novels, as it’s based on some of the real wartime experiences of my parents; my father was an RAF pilot shot down over Germany, and my mother was first an evacuee and then a Wren. I used their letters, diaries and my father’s RAF log books to develop the story, and to flesh out the characters of Imogen and Freddie. I wanted more than anything else to explore the humanity that exists in wartime – the acts of selflessness and nobility, as well as the love and loss that affected ordinary people during the Second World War. I knew a certain amount of the bravery of British and Allied troops and citizens from my mother and father, but as I began to research I also discovered acts of great courage performed by those who chose to rebel against the Nazi regime. At the heart of that story is Magda – my German heroine.

  If you did love The Secret Letter I would be very grateful if you could write a review. Firstly, because I’d love to hear what you think, but also because it could be useful for people who are new to my books.

  I’m always delighted to hear from my readers; you can get in touch via my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.

  Thanks,

  Debbie Rix

  www.debbierix.com

  Historical Note

  As a child of the late 1950s, the Second World War was a part of my DNA. Most of the adults I grew up with had fought in the war in some way or other. My mother had been in the Wrens, my father was a pilot in the RAF. He would regale us with stories of his daring adventures over Sunday lunch. His plane was shot down in the last few months of the war. He and his crew escaped just as the plane exploded above his head. His parachute got caught in a tree and he hung thirty feet above the snow-covered ground, wondering how to get down. He eventually pressed the parachute release button and fell unscathed into five feet of snow.

  Eventually captured, he was imprisoned and then route-marched, along with a thousand or so other Allied prisoners eastwards for several hundred kilometres. He had many adventures, and suffered some terrible hardships – dropping to seven stone by the time he returned to England – but through it all retained his sense of humour. His stories of that time were full of the pranks the Allied prisoners played on their German captors and were always told with much laughter.

  My father kept a diary while he was in Germany – a tiny leather journal he hid in his boot – and this, along with his flying log books and the notes he made later in life have been invaluable source material for me. What shines through is the dignity and respect with which he treated everyone he encountered while he was on the run in Germany.

  I am also indebted to Renata Beck-Egninger, a German woman who wrote a book called The Plaque, in which she describes a tragedy that took place in a small German town towards the end of the war involving British airmen. That tragedy, and my father’s part in it, is one of the real-life events I wished to explore in this novel.

  As well as telling his story, most of this novel is told through the eyes of two young girls – one English, the other German. The English character, Imogen, was inspired by my mother’s experience of being evacuated to the Lake District from her school in Newcastle. Over the years she has told me much of her story, but I also have the thirty or so letters she wrote to her mother during the war. These gave me a fascinating insight into the stoicism of young people at that time. As the novel began to take shape, I used several of the letters in the manuscript verbatim, only deleting the odd sentence about small irrelevances. What amused me was the juxtaposition of political comment about the war, intermingled with demands for money for food or new shoes!

  The other central character in the novel is a young German girl, Magda. Her character was inspired by the real life heroines of the White Rose movement, a group of young Munich University students who attempted to fight back against the cruelty and evil of Hitler’s National Socialists.

  As these two girls grow up – going from school children at the start of the war, to young women by the end – I have tried to reveal the wider conflicts and complexities of the war and all its horror, through the intimate lives of two families on opposite sides, who both try to retain a sense of morality. As the daughter of two people who went through the war and came out of it relatively unscathed, what I have learned is that my parents’ generation had an incredible ability to retain a sense of morality and humanity in the midst of appalling brutality. I hope I have honoured that in this story.

  I am indebted to those who have taken the trouble to write of their own experiences of life during the war. These are some of the books and articles I have consulted:

  I Only Joined for the Hat: Redoutable Wrens at War – Their Trials, Tribulations and Triumphs by Christian Lamb; Pub: Bene Factum Publishing

  At the Heart of the White Rose – letters and diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl edited by Inge Jens; Pub: Plough Publishing House

  Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumback & Jud Newborn; Pub: Oneworld

  The Second World War by Anthony Beevor; Pub W & N

  Articles:

  ‘Nazifying Christmas – Political culture & Popular celebration in the Third Reich’ by Joe Perry

  ‘Christmas in Germany – a cultural history’ by Joe Perry

  ‘Strange Bedfellows – an article on the OSS and the London “Free Germans’’’ by Jonathan S Gould

  The recollections of various wrens who worked on Operation Overlord and were sent to France

  I am grateful too for the fascinating insights I received during my various research trips to:

  Fort Southwick near Portsmouth – the underground tunnels which were the headquarters of Operation Overlord in 1944

  The W
hite Rose Museum, Munich

  Munich Documentation Centre, which tells the comprehensive history of the National Socialist Party

  Kathe Wohlfahrt’s Christmas shop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

  Daughters of the Silk Road

  A beautiful and epic novel of family, love and the secrets of a Ming Vase.

  She crossed over to the shelf where her father kept the dragon vase. He had placed it there when they first arrived in Venice. She took it down carefully, feeling it cool and comforting under her shaking fingers.’

  Venice 1441: Maria and her brother Daniele arrive in the birthplace of their father, Niccolo dei Conti. An Italian merchant who has travelled far and wide, Niccolo has brought spices from India, lengths of silk and damask from the lands east of India and porcelain; a vase of pure white, its surface decorated with a cobalt blue dragon, the Chinese symbol of good fortune.

  Maria settles in her new home, watching the magnificent and bustling city come to life each morning from her bedroom window. But while her father is away travelling, she soon finds herself and Daniele in terrible danger. She must protect her brother at whatever cost, and she must guard the delicate vase.

  London 2015: Single mother Miranda is struggling to make ends meet and build a new life for her and daughter Georgie. When Miranda meets the charming but mysterious Charles, she is intrigued. Could he be her second chance at love? And why is he so fascinated by the old vase sitting on her hall table…

  A stunning and richly evocative story following the journey of a precious family treasure passed down from one generation to another. Perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Kate Morton.

  Get it here.

  The Silk Weaver’s Wife

  An Italian daughter and an English journalist. Their unforgettable stories cross centuries as past and present weave together in this beautifully moving summer read.

  1704

  Anastasia is desperate to escape her controlling and volatile father and plans to marry in secret. But instead of the life she has dreamed of, she finds herself trapped in Venice, the unwilling wife of a silk weaver.

  Despite her circumstances, Anastasia is determined to change her fate…

  2017

  Millie wants more from her relationship and more from her life. So when her boss Max abruptly ends their affair, she takes the opportunity to write a feature in Italy.

  Staying in a gorgeous villa, Millie unexpectedly falls in love with the owner, Lorenzo. Together they begin to unravel an incredible story, threaded through generations of silk weavers.

  And Millie finds herself compelled to discover the identity of a mysterious woman in a portrait…

  A gorgeously written, richly evocative story, The Silk Weaver’s Wife is perfect for readers who love Kate Morton and Gill Paul. Get it here.

  The Girl With Emerald Eyes

  A richly drawn and absorbing novel of passion and power, love and redemption that will captivate fans of Victoria Hislop, Tracy Chevalier and Kate Furnivall.

  Two women, centuries apart, bound together by the secrets of one of the most iconic buildings ever created.

  Pisa, 1999: Sam Campbell sits by her husband’s hospital bed. Far from home and her children, she must care for Michael who is recovering from a stroke. A man she loves deeply. A man who has been unfaithful to her.

  Alone and in need of distraction, Sam decides to pick up Michael’s research into the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Immersing herself in the ancient city, she begins to piece together the mystery behind the creation of the tower, and discovers the woman that history forgot…

  Pisa, 1171: Berta di Bernardo, the wife of a rich merchant, sits in her chamber, dressing for a dinner party. A gathering that will change the course of her life and that of a young master mason, Gerardo, forever.

  A strong, intelligent woman, Berta’s passion for architecture draws her to Gerardo. As she embarks on a love affair, her maid Aurelia also becomes spellbound by the same man. Yet for Berta, her heart’s desire is to see the Tower built, and her determination knows no bounds…

  Get it here.

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to say a huge thank you to team Bookouture, especially to my editor, Natasha Harding, for her unwavering support and enthusiasm for this project. I feel blessed to have such an empathetic editor. Thanks too for the support of my fellow writers in the Bookouture Author’s Lounge.

  I’m extremely grateful to the wonderful media team at Bookouture – Kim Nash and Noelle Holten – who work tirelessly to promote our work.

  I’d also like to thank my family. My husband and children are a huge support to me as I research and then lock myself away in my ‘shed’ to write for months on end. My children have been more than usually interested in this story, as it involves their grandparents, and last summer we travelled around Bavaria following in the footsteps of my father’s ‘long march’ through Germany. As we enjoyed the charming villages and towns of that area, it was hard to imagine the devastation he would have seen in 1945. Finally, thanks to my parents – the inspiration for Freddie and Imogen. My darling Dad died many years ago, but I’ve long wanted to recount some of his remarkable wartime experiences, and this book has provided me with that opportunity. And lastly, my thanks to my wonderful mother who is now ninety-five and, sadly, quite frail. Her letters to her own mother, her recollections and delightful drawings from her time in the Lake District were the starting point for this novel, and her indomitable spirit shines through the pages in the character of Imogen.

  Published by Bookouture in 2019

  An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.

  Carmelite House , 50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  United Kingdom

  www.bookouture.com

  Copyright © Debbie Rix, 2019

  Debbie Rix has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-78681-700-6

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.