HARRY TAKES THE trowel back from her earth-ingrained hand. When she had sat there, on his grave, he had remembered Francis at Will’s graveside, the creases of his palms picked out in brick dust, and how he had ached with pity for them both at that moment. When Edie had looked back up at him, her face was wet with tears, but there was also a smile there as she took his hand.

“Are you all right?”

She nods.

“Shall we go home?”

“Yes. I’m ready now.”

PRIVATE FRANCIS BLYTHE

MANCHESTER REGIMENT

22 OCTOBER 1917

AGE 25

LOST AWHILE AND FOUND AND LOVED

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

I SHOULD FIRSTLY, AND LOUDLY, THANK MY FANTASTIC AGENT, TERESA Chris, for believing in this story and championing it so fiercely. Teresa, your determination is a wonder to behold and I’m so very lucky to have you on my side.

I’ve been fortunate to have had the chance to work with editors at both Simon & Schuster and William Morrow. This crack team untangled my knots, pointed out my plot holes, breathed life into my characters, and knocked my wonky northern grammar into shape—and always with the greatest patience, thoughtfulness, and care. I’m indebted to Liz Stein, Jo Dickinson, Alice Rodgers, Emma Capron, and Sara-Jade Virtue.

Lastly, and mostly, thank you to Mum and Dad—for putting up with my away-with-the-fairies face and for never once telling me that it was time to get a proper job. X

P.S. Insights, Interviews & More . . .*

P.S. Insights, Interviews & More . . .*

About the Author

Meet Caroline Scott

About the Book

Q&A with Caroline Scott

Reading Group Guide

About the Author

About the Author

Meet Caroline Scott

CAROLINE SCOTT is a freelance writer and historian. After completing a Ph.D. in history at the University of Durham, she worked as a researcher in Belgium and France. She has a particular interest in the experience of women during the First World War, in the challenges faced by the returning soldier, and in the development of tourism and pilgrimage in the former conflict zones. Caroline lives in southwest France and is currently at work on her second novel. The Poppy Wife is partially inspired by her family history.

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About the Book

Q&A with Caroline Scott

Q: Like Edie and Harry, you’re from England. Do you have any British family members who fought in the Great War? Did they inspire any of the characters or the story in The Poppy Wife?