by Fay Keenan
Charlie looked down at Holly, and she was breathtaken by the love and intensity in his eyes. ‘When I first met you, Holly Renton, you were a sensible, quiet, shy student who jumped at her own shadow and had far too old a head on your shoulders.’ He grinned as Holly felt herself shaking her head, but smiling; she allowed him to continue. ‘Fifteen years passed between our first and our second meeting, and although it took us both a while to realise we’d met before, once we had, to me it felt as though I’d known you always.’ Charlie squeezed the hand that was bound with Holly’s. ‘And that’s how I want us to be, always. I know we might not always agree politically—’ he paused again as laughter rippled its way around the assembled guests, ‘but I know that we will manage, because if there’s one thing you’ve taught me, it’s that love, and passion, will win over everything else in the end.’
A ripple of applause went round the guests, and Holly waited a moment for it to subside.
‘Charlie Thorpe,’ she began, staring up into his happy, open face. ‘When I first met you, you were a geeky, earnest, slightly pompous teenager with ambitions. Fifteen years passed before we met again, and…’ she paused mischievously, ‘when we did, I still thought you were pompous and ambitious.’
Charlie laughed. ‘Fair enough,’ he murmured.
‘But then I realised that, underneath all of that burning ideology, was a heart that also burned for love, and for justice, and with a genuine desire to be good, and do good. And that I loved you for it. And I will love you, for always.’ She paused again, and smiled mischievously. ‘And you’re great in bed,’ she murmured, so that only he could hear.
Mariad, who, thankfully, hadn’t heard the last part, or at least if she had, she didn’t appear in the least shocked, lifted their hands as they turned to the guests. ‘I bless this union, and join with you, their friends and loved ones, to wish them happy, healthy and long lives. Blessed be!’
A cheer went up from the guests as Charlie and Holly turned back to one another and kissed. As their lips met, a shaft of sunlight bathed them warmly, and the ley lines seemed to quiver under their feet.
‘Welcome home to Willowbury, Mr Thorpe,’ Holly smiled as they parted.
‘Thank you, Mrs Thorpe,’ Charlie replied. ‘I wouldn’t want to ever be anywhere else.’
Author’s Note
This novel was, in part, inspired by real-life events. At the time of writing, National Health England is still in stalemate with a major drug company over the provision of next generation drugs for cystic fibrosis patients. Because the issue is far more complicated than can be covered in a work of fiction like this, I have intentionally simplified the processes by which these drugs become available through the NHS, suggesting that Parliament is the body to make these decisions, and I have not covered the complex and involved job of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and NHS England in real-life decisions of this nature, and the important role of the pharmaceutical companies themselves. I have mentioned, fleetingly, the role of the Health and Social Care Committee, as testimony by various witnesses to this committee on the CF treatment issue was both incredibly moving and very informative. These decisions were made purely for reasons of narrative and drama.
In no way are my creative choices intended to diminish the importance of the issue, or the processes involved in coming to a decision of this nature. Having read the Hansard reports of the debates about CF drug funding, I owe a debt of gratitude to the real-life politicians who have been debating the issue both before and after the public petition to move the discussion on towards a satisfactory resolution. The ‘Orkambi and Cystic Fibrosis’ debate of 19 March 2018 made fascinating reading, as did the Adjournment Debate of the same name of 4 February 2019, and I am grateful to all of those who took part in that for the insight it gave me into the language and form of a parliamentary debate, and the complexity of the specific issues involved here. I hope that, in doing a small amount to raise awareness of this issue, I can be forgiven for playing a little fast and loose with parliamentary procedure in the name of a good story.
I have also drawn on the real-life campaigning of the families and friends of CF patients and learned a great deal from the accounts of patients and relatives about the day-to-day implications and complications of this condition, as well as the learning processes and rewards. Although I have, again for reasons of narrative and drama, adapted these, the events in the story are based broadly on the truth of this condition and the experiences of the patients and their families. I am so grateful to those who gave up their time, and gave me such an insight. These campaigners continue to fight for the very lives of CF patients in the UK and worldwide.
Fay Keenan, July 2019
Acknowledgments
There are so many people, as always, to thank for their invaluable help with this book. Firstly, huge thanks, as ever, to the professionals who believe in me and my stories. Sara Keane, agent extraordinaire, for help, support and an incredible eye for detail. In addition, Sarah Ritherdon, my brilliant editor, whose guiding hand curbs my more florid turns of phrase and so much more, and all the team at the brilliant Boldwood Publishing for allowing me to bring this story to readers.
To Claire Wilson I give heartfelt thanks for being such a knowledgeable CF adviser and supermum. I’m in awe, constantly, of what you do and how you do it, the fights you fight to give Rufus the best chances for a long life. I’m still crossing my fingers for you and the other CF families, that things will change. I couldn’t have written a lot of this book without you and your help – thanks so much for fact checking the draft and answering a lot of questions.
I made quite a few jokes about having politicians in the chair for this novel, but in all seriousness, I owe huge thanks to Liam Fox, John Penrose and James Heappey, all Members of Parliament for the West Country, who were so generous with their time and candid in their answers to my wide ranging and slightly odd questions. Your insights into the pleasure and pain of your job, and your openness in talking about them have been so incredibly useful – thank you so much. Additional thanks to James for being such a brilliant and informative tour guide for my day at Westminster. In a similar vein, huge thanks to Ione Douglas, Marc Aplin, Zainab Hussain and Melissa French for facilitating these meetings, and extra thanks to Melissa for talking me through the role of an MP’s caseworker, being a mine of useful information and showing me the office setup of a constituency MP. Final thanks on the political side to Sarah Axton, who again gave such a good insight into the role of the constituency office in an MP’s life and work.
As ever, I have a great network of people who support me during the writing of my novels, and friends and family have been patient, tolerant and brilliant listeners throughout. I genuinely couldn’t do all this without you, and I’m so glad to have each and every one of you in my life. Thank you for reading, listening, providing wine and coffee and getting me away from the desk from time to time.
Finally, thanks to you, the readers, for embarking on this new adventure with me.
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About the Author
Fay Keenan is the author of the bestselling Little Somerby series of novels. She has led writing workshops with Bristol University and has been a visiting speaker in schools. She is a full-time teacher and lives in Somerset.
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First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
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Copyright © Fay Keenan, 2019
Cover Design: Alice Moore Design
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
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The moral right of Fay Keenan to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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Paperback ISBN 978-1-83889-207-4
Ebook ISBN 978-1-83889-209-8
Kindle ISBN 978-1-83889-208-1
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-83889-223-4
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-83889-420-7
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-83889-206-7
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