Chapters (82)
- Cover
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
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Not wholly at ease with her decision but determined to give her confidence another small boost, Jan tucked her phone and keys into her jacket pocket and with Tinder beside her, tail wagging, she left the cottage. She set off along Wood Lane in the direction of Merryless. It was midday and the wintry November sun was as high in the sky as it would get, flickering through the bare branches of the trees she passed.
A good walk should also clear her head, she thought, after all the wine she’d drunk the night before. The evening had held such promise but had turned into a disaster. Oh well, another one bites the dust, she thought stoically.
Pleased to be off the lead, Tinder ran on ahead, then stopped every so often to look behind him and wait for Jan to catch up. Partway down Wood Lane was the turning on the right that led into the deepest part of Coleshaw Woods that ran behind the cottage. Jan had never ventured down it before, although Tinder often glanced longingly towards it as they passed on their way to the village. Jan didn’t know if Camile ever walked him there, she hadn’t told her. Her instructions had said that Tinder should be let out in the garden three times a day, and to take him with her when she walked to Merryless, but not to take him in the car as he got travel sick. Jan had only used her car twice since arriving and it was parked on a concrete standing to the right of the cottage, now covered in leaves.
‘Come on, this way, Tinder!’ Jan called. He’d gone past the turning.
He stopped, looked back and, unable to believe his good luck, ran full tilt towards her.
‘Come on, you softie. We’re going to walk in the woods today.’
She ruffled his fur and they began along the track. Jan knew from reading about Coleshaw Woods that most visitors came in summer and entered through the road on the other side of the woods where there was a car park, picnic area and signposted walks. There was also a flooded quarry where anglers fished. The woods on this side were at their thickest, and although there were tracks like the one she was on, they were rarely used. But if she kept to it, she shouldn’t get lost, and even if she did, she had her phone with her so could call for help.
Despite the reassurances she’d given herself, it wasn’t long before Jan began to feel slightly anxious by the complete isolation. It was eerie to be so alone. She’d spent all her life in towns and cities where you were never alone, even at night or in parks. Now there was just her, Tinder and the occasional rustle of woodland life in the undergrowth.