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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

But that had been before Nicholas had done his mucking out of his Aunt Evelyn. Evelyn rolled her eyes and sighed. The boy had meant well, but really, he could have no idea of the potential damage he had done. And of course, sod’s law dictated it had to be that diary he sent to the shop. If it had been any of the others . . . Well, the 1979 one might have caused some eyes to stretch, but the dangers of the casting couch were hardly shocking news. Hers was just another story in a very long chapter. Reading about what had befallen her might have prompted a few lines in the local paper, nothing more. But the 1983 diary? That was a horse of a different colour altogether.

Maybe Evelyn would be better leaving well alone. She had the diary back now. She could destroy it and there would be no evidence against her, assuming that Philippa Rose hadn’t made a copy. She might have done, given her legal background, but Evelyn doubted it. She hadn’t come to dig the dirt; Evelyn was sure of it. She was just curious, as Evelyn was about her.

Still, she told herself that she would do well to proceed with caution. She’d focus on whatever it was that had brought Philippa Rose back to Southwold and leave her own story out of it for the time being. And once she had heard the bones of the other woman’s history, then she would be in a better position to judge whether she was at risk.

And she would call her Pip, Evelyn decided. She felt far more like a Pip than a Rose.

35

35

When Pip got back to the farm, she found Jez sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. Her mother was standing over him, her hand not quite on his back but hovering just above it. There was an awkwardness to the gesture. Even though her mother had known Jez since he was a boy, she seemed uncomfortable with their close proximity now that he was a man.

As Pip entered the room Jez didn’t move, but her mother looked up and, seeing her, seemed to sag a little with relief.

‘Oh look, here’s Pip,’ she said over-brightly. ‘Jez has had a bit of bad news so he’s just taking a few minutes.’ She pulled a face over the top of Jez’s crumpled form and shook her head. Pip frowned, and her mother pointed first to the ring finger of her left hand and then made a slashing gesture across her throat. It was so unlike her that it was all Pip could do not to giggle, but she restrained herself. If she had this right, then Jez’s engagement to the confident Teresa was off.