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Back After the War Save as PDF
Chapters (74)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. About the Author
  4. Also by Anita Frank
  5. Note to Readers
  6. Dedication
  7. Part One
  8. Chapter One
  9. Chapter Two
  10. Chapter Three
  11. Chapter Four
  12. Chapter Five
  13. Chapter Six
  14. Chapter Seven
  15. Chapter Eight
  16. Chapter Nine
  17. Chapter Ten
  18. Chapter Eleven
  19. Chapter Twelve
  20. Chapter Thirteen
  21. Chapter Fourteen
  22. Chapter Fifteen
  23. Chapter Sixteen
  24. Chapter Seventeen
  25. Chapter Eighteen
  26. Chapter Nineteen
  27. Chapter Twenty
  28. Chapter Twenty-One
  29. Chapter Twenty-Two
  30. Chapter Twenty-Three
  31. Chapter Twenty-Four
  32. Chapter Twenty-Five
  33. Chapter Twenty-Six
  34. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  35. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  36. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  37. Chapter Thirty
  38. Chapter Thirty-One
  39. Chapter Thirty-Two
  40. Chapter Thirty-Three
  41. Chapter Thirty-Four
  42. Chapter Thirty-Five
  43. Chapter Thirty-Six
  44. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  45. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Part Two
  49. Chapter Forty-One
  50. Chapter Forty-Two
  51. Chapter Forty-Three
  52. Chapter Forty-Four
  53. Chapter Forty-Five
  54. Chapter Forty-Six
  55. Chapter Forty-Seven
  56. Chapter Forty-Eight
  57. Chapter Forty-Nine
  58. Chapter Fifty
  59. Chapter Fifty-One
  60. Chapter Fifty-Two
  61. Chapter Fifty-Three
  62. Chapter Fifty-Four
  63. Chapter Fifty-Five
  64. Chapter Fifty-Six
  65. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  66. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  67. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  68. Chapter Sixty
  69. Acknowledgements
  70. Extract
  71. Chapter One
  72. Chapter Two
  73. Chapter Three
  74. About the Publisher

She sneaks a glance at him as he walks beside her taking in the landscape, a hint of a smile on his face and a softness to his expression that reminds her, disturbingly, of bliss. He tips his head back to watch the buzzard lazing in slow circles above them, and then cranes his neck to look over the hedgerow into the field beyond.

‘More grazing gone,’ he comments.

‘We ended up ploughing under most of the pasture. The WarAg demanded it. The herd has had to survive on the bare minimum to make way for more crops,’ Gwen explains. It is safer to talk of the farm than of anything else, especially with Nora earwigging behind.

‘It must have been hard. All that change.’

‘Yes, well … there have been a lot of changes around here. We’ve just had to get used to them.’

‘I was so sorry to hear about your dad.’

To her surprise, Gwen’s throat clogs at his quietly conveyed sympathy. She is grateful that they have reached the farm gate, for she finds she is unable to respond.

They have barely crossed into the yard when Kip comes haring towards them, barking wildly, his tail oscillating through the air at a rate of knots. Jack’s face explodes with joy. He drops to his knees as the ecstatic creature bowls into him, licking and climbing and nuzzling and whimpering with unadulterated affection. Jack laughs with delight, mussing the animal’s thick fur, pulling a face as it slathers him with its tongue. Even Gwen finds a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

‘At least someone’s pleased to see you,’ Nora laughs, pointedly catching Gwen’s eye above the ecstatic reunion.

‘All right, lad, all right,’ Jack chuckles. He gently pushes the cavorting dog away and gets to his feet. He gazes up at the house.

Gwen observes his rapt expression and thinks of his covetous inspection of the land and suddenly it hits her: he has returned to lay claim to the farm – her farm – just as Gordon has returned to lay claim to her son. She is under attack on all sides and though once she might have considered Jack an ally, he is clearly an ally no more. The realisation knocks the breath from her body and she no longer cares about Nora’s suspicions, because Nora’s suspicions are right.

She is not pleased to see him. She is not pleased to see him at all.

Chapter Forty-Two