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Back The Cottage Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. THREE
  6. FOUR
  7. FIVE
  8. SIX
  9. SEVEN
  10. EIGHT
  11. NINE
  12. TEN
  13. ELEVEN
  14. TWELVE
  15. THIRTEEN
  16. FOURTEEN
  17. FIFTEEN
  18. SIXTEEN
  19. SEVENTEEN
  20. EIGHTEEN
  21. NINETEEN
  22. TWENTY
  23. TWENTY-ONE
  24. TWENTY-TWO
  25. TWENTY-THREE
  26. TWENTY-FOUR
  27. TWENTY-FIVE
  28. TWENTY-SIX
  29. TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. TWENTY-NINE
  32. THIRTY
  33. THIRTY-ONE
  34. THIRTY-TWO
  35. THIRTY-THREE
  36. THIRTY-FOUR
  37. THIRTY-FIVE
  38. THIRTY-SIX
  39. THIRTY-SEVEN
  40. THIRTY-EIGHT
  41. THIRTY-NINE
  42. FORTY
  43. FORTY-ONE
  44. FORTY-TWO
  45. FORTY-THREE
  46. FORTY-FOUR
  47. FORTY-FIVE
  48. FORTY-SIX
  49. FORTY-SEVEN
  50. FORTY-EIGHT
  51. FORTY-NINE
  52. FIFTY
  53. FIFTY-ONE
  54. FIFTY-TWO
  55. FIFTY-THREE
  56. FIFTY-FOUR
  57. FIFTY-FIVE
  58. FIFTY-SIX
  59. FIFTY-SEVEN
  60. FIFTY-EIGHT
  61. FIFTY-NINE
  62. SIXTY
  63. SIXTY-ONE
  64. SIXTY-TWO
  65. SIXTY-THREE
  66. SIXTY-FOUR
  67. SIXTY-FIVE
  68. SIXTY-SIX
  69. SIXTY-SEVEN
  70. SIXTY-EIGHT
  71. SIXTY-NINE
  72. SEVENTY
  73. SEVENTY-ONE
  74. SEVENTY-TWO
  75. SEVENTY-THREE
  76. SEVENTY-FOUR
  77. Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
  78. Keep Reading …
  79. Lisa Stone also writes under the name of Cathy Glass.Don’t miss her latest book …
  80. About the Author
  81. Books by Lisa Stone
  82. About the Publisher

Then she remembered. Of course this wasn’t her bedroom. It was the bedroom in the cottage she was renting. Relief flooded through her.

She rested her head back on the pillows and waited for her pulse to settle. Judging from the light outside, it was morning. But what time was it? She reached for her phone. It was 9.10, later than she normally woke, but she hadn’t gone to sleep until very late. And then she’d been plagued by nightmares in which someone or something had been chasing her through Coleshaw Woods. Even now she was awake she could remember the terror she’d felt as she’d run from the inescapable horror. She guessed it was hardly surprising she was sleeping badly after what had been happening all week. Tinder was downstairs, shut in the kitchen, now waiting for his breakfast. Camile didn’t allow him on her bed, but if Jan was honest, she would have found his company reassuring.

A loud knock sounded on the front door, making her start. Someone was here at this time? It could have been the sound of the door knocker that had woken her with a start in the first place.

Getting out of bed, Jan pushed her feet into her slippers – all the floors in the cottage were stripped wood, making going barefoot uncomfortable and cold. She put on her dressing gown and went to the small casement window that overlooked the front. Parting the curtains, she looked out. How much braver she felt now it was daylight.

The autumn sun flickered between the trees. Looking down, she could see her car parked to the right of the cottage, but not the person at the front door, which was immediately beneath the window. She opened the window a little and called down, ‘Hello! Who’s there?’

The visitor stepped back into her line of vision. ‘Oh Chris, it’s you. You gave me a shock. I was asleep.’

‘Sorry. I thought you’d be awake by now on a glorious day like this.’

‘I should be, but I had a bad night,’ Jan admitted.

‘Sorry to hear that. I brought you some eggs,’ Chris said, holding up a box of eggs. He lived in Merryless and kept chickens. ‘Shall I leave them on the doorstep?’

‘If you can wait while I put on some clothes, I’ll make you a coffee,’ Jan offered. Chris usually came in for a coffee when he visited.

‘Sounds good, thanks.’