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Back The Darkest Shore
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Karen Brooks
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. EXPLANATORY NOTE
  7. PART ONE
  8. One
  9. Two
  10. Three
  11. Four
  12. Five
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Fifteen
  23. Sixteen
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. PART TWO
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. PART THREE
  45. Thirty-Six
  46. Thirty-Seven
  47. Thirty-Eight
  48. Thirty-Nine
  49. Forty
  50. Forty-One
  51. Forty-Two
  52. Forty-Three
  53. Forty-Four
  54. Forty-Five
  55. Forty-Six
  56. Forty-Seven
  57. Forty-Eight
  58. Forty-Nine
  59. Fifty
  60. Fifty-One
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. PART FOUR
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Epilogue: Autumn 1706
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. GLOSSARY
  75. LIST OF CHARACTERS
  76. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Even before she’d reached the braes of Pittenweem, she’d made a pact with herself that it was time to put all her dead behind her, including the bitter memories her mor and her marriage to Andy conjured. It was time to live once more. She’d known that being back in the house would stir memories of them and her da and brothers as well, but what she hadn’t anticipated was that they would still have the capacity to hurt her so much. Though not enough to do what young Anna Warren up in South Loan had done when her husband Hamish drowned, filling her pockets with bullets and chuckie-stanes and walking into the Forth in the dark. Then there was Agnes Black; after her three sons died on a voyage to Stornaway, she threw herself off the braes. Her broken body was found washed up on the shore. Sorcha would never cause her friends that kind of pain. Not if she could help it. That wasn’t to say she hadn’t been tempted, especially after Davan died. Her throat caught and her hand covered her stomach.

Before he’d taken a breath, the Lord took him away. And now not even her sister wanted to be with her.

It was just Sorcha. Alone. Again.

And Robbie. She hadn’t given up on her older brother even if Dagny had. The last she’d heard he was a prisoner of war and, until she was informed otherwise, as far as she was concerned he was alive. No matter how long his absence, she’d care for their house, make it a home for him to return to as well.

There was a loud cackle followed by a joyous shriek from the outer room.

A smile spread across her face and into her heart. As long as she was a fishwife, she wasn’t really alone.

Sorcha threw the cloth that had covered the mirror on the bed and went back to the others. Grateful for their blatter, as well as the care Nettie had taken of the house while she’d been gone, she slowly began to relax as they ate, talked and drank.

Settled into her da’s chair, Sorcha watched the women as she sipped whisky, relishing the taste, enjoying the slow build of warmth from the fireplace.

‘How’d you know I was back?’ she asked finally to no one in particular.

Nicolas sank into the chair opposite. ‘Nettie said she saw you up on the braes. We didn’t believe her at first, but she was all doolally and insisted we come and see for ourselves.’