The look of pure delight on her face made all the effort of planning this worth every minute. ‘And the final surprise is’ – he fished in his pocket and withdrew some travel brochures – ‘that while all this work is being done you and I are going off on a long, very well-deserved holiday starting next week in London, just the two of us. You can spend some time with Gil and our little mother-to-be and then we’re finally going to go on the honeymoon we never got around to having. Better late than never, I suppose. So how does that sound, Mrs Parkin?’

‘It sounds absolutely wonderful, Dr Parkin,’ she breathed as she nestled against him, her eyes shining. ‘But how did you manage to arrange all this on your own without me finding out?’

‘Well, I did have a little help from Ivy,’ he admitted. ‘She’d told me that you’d been feeling rather at a loose end and I thought it was time I did something about it. I know it’s not been easy for you with me working all the hours God sends but we’ll be spending a lot more time together now our children have gone. Are you happy?’

The kiss she planted on his lips was his answer.

‘I’m very happy,’ she breathed and suddenly the future that lay ahead of them was shining bright again …

Acknowledgements

Once again, many thanks to my lovely team at Bonnier for yet another success in our Days of the Week collection. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful team behind me and feel blessed. Thanks to my editor Sarah, Katie, Kate, Nico and all of you there who work so tirelessly to help me make my books the best they can be. Not forgetting of course my lovely agent Sheila Crowley and my brilliant copyeditor Gillian Holmes and proofreader Jane Howard. And of course thanks to my long suffering husband, who supplies me with support and endless tea breaks, and my wonderful family. I couldn’t do it without all your love and support.

Thank you all xxxxx

Also by Rosie Goodwin

The Bad Apple

No One’s Girl

Dancing Till Midnight

Tilly Trotter’s Legacy

Moonlight and Ashes

The Mallen Secret

Forsaken

The Sand Dancer

Yesterday’s Shadows

The Boy from Nowhere

A Rose Among Thorns

The Lost Soul

The Ribbon Weaver

A Band of Steel

Whispers

The Misfit

The Empty Cradle

Home Front Girls

A Mother’s Shame

The Soldier’s Daughter

The Mill Girl

The Maid’s Courage

The Claire McMullen Series

Our Little Secret

Crying Shame

Dilly’s Story Series

Dilly’s Sacrifice

Dilly’s Lass

Dilly’s Hope

The Days of the Week Collection

Mothering Sunday

The Little Angel

A Mother’s Grace

The Blessed Child

A Maiden’s Voyage

A Precious Gift

Time to Say Goodbye

The Precious Stones Series

The Winter Promise

An Orphan’s Journey

A Simple Wish

About Rosie Goodwin

Rosie Goodwin is the million copy bestselling author of more than thirty-five novels. She is the first author in the world to be allowed to follow three of Catherine Cookson’s trilogies with her own sequels. Having worked in the social services sector for many years, then fostered a number of children, she is now a full-time novelist. She is one of the top 50 most borrowed authors from UK libraries. Rosie lives in Nuneaton, the setting for many of her books, with her husband and their beloved dogs.