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Back Reluctantly Home Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘Well, my parents weren’t that impressed with my decision,’ Pip continued. ‘My mum thought I’d changed my name because I was ashamed of them.’

‘But you were, weren’t you?’ asked Evelyn, her pale eyes focused so exactly on Pip’s that she had to look away for a moment. ‘Isn’t that precisely why you did it?’

Pip’s insides twisted, but then she wrinkled her nose and sighed. ‘Yes. I suppose so.’

‘And now you’ve gone back to Pip?’

Pip hesitated. Had she? Had she metamorphosed into a butterfly only to find herself slipping back to being a caterpillar once again?

She shrugged. ‘It’s easier to be Pip at home. Mum and Dad can’t get the hang of Rose and, well, Mum seems to think it means she’s got her daughter back.’

‘And when you go back to London?’ asked Evelyn. Pip noticed that she showed no doubt that would happen.

‘My professional name is Rose,’ she replied simply.

‘And what should I call you?’ Evelyn asked, her head cocked to one side.

Did this mean, Pip wondered, that there would be further conversations? She felt a giddy rush of excitement at the prospect.

‘You must choose,’ she replied, and Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

‘I asked for that, I suppose,’ she said with a smile, and Pip relaxed.

Now it was Evelyn’s turn to tell her a truth. Pip sat back, mentally if not physically, and waited for what was to come next.

‘I must get on now,’ Evelyn said, getting laboriously to her feet. ‘I have matters that I need to attend to.’

Pip’s heart sank. No, she wanted to say; we’ve only just begun, and you haven’t told me anything at all about you and your story! And on top of that, she had handed over the diary, so she had no bargaining chip left.

‘But I would like it very much if you would call on me again, Philippa Rose. I feel that we have still a lot of story to be told.’

Pip grinned, unable to keep her delight from her face. ‘I’d love that,’ she said. ‘I meant it when I said I was interested in your acting career.’

‘Shall we say Wednesday?’ Evelyn asked.

‘I could come in the afternoon,’ replied Pip, her mind already working out what she would tell Audrey. She was only a volunteer in the shop, but she didn’t want to let anyone down.

‘How about two o’clock?’ Evelyn suggested, and Pip nodded.

‘That would be perfect,’ she said.

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