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Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Anita Frank
  4. Note to Readers
  5. Dedication
  6. Part One
  7. Chapter One
  8. Chapter Two
  9. Chapter Three
  10. Chapter Four
  11. Chapter Five
  12. Chapter Six
  13. Chapter Seven
  14. Chapter Eight
  15. Chapter Nine
  16. Chapter Ten
  17. Chapter Eleven
  18. Chapter Twelve
  19. Chapter Thirteen
  20. Chapter Fourteen
  21. Chapter Fifteen
  22. Chapter Sixteen
  23. Chapter Seventeen
  24. Chapter Eighteen
  25. Chapter Nineteen
  26. Chapter Twenty
  27. Chapter Twenty-One
  28. Chapter Twenty-Two
  29. Chapter Twenty-Three
  30. Chapter Twenty-Four
  31. Chapter Twenty-Five
  32. Chapter Twenty-Six
  33. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Chapter Thirty-Four
  41. Chapter Thirty-Five
  42. Chapter Thirty-Six
  43. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  44. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  45. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  46. Chapter Forty
  47. Part Two
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Chapter Forty-Two
  50. Chapter Forty-Three
  51. Chapter Forty-Four
  52. Chapter Forty-Five
  53. Chapter Forty-Six
  54. Chapter Forty-Seven
  55. Chapter Forty-Eight
  56. Chapter Forty-Nine
  57. Chapter Fifty
  58. Chapter Fifty-One
  59. Chapter Fifty-Two
  60. Chapter Fifty-Three
  61. Chapter Fifty-Four
  62. Chapter Fifty-Five
  63. Chapter Fifty-Six
  64. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  65. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  66. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  67. Chapter Sixty
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. Extract
  70. Chapter One
  71. Chapter Two
  72. Chapter Three
  73. About the Publisher

She sneaks a glance at him as he walks beside her taking in the landscape, a hint of a smile on his face and a softness to his expression that reminds her, disturbingly, of bliss. He tips his head back to watch the buzzard lazing in slow circles above them, and then cranes his neck to look over the hedgerow into the field beyond.

‘More grazing gone,’ he comments.

‘We ended up ploughing under most of the pasture. The WarAg demanded it. The herd has had to survive on the bare minimum to make way for more crops,’ Gwen explains. It is safer to talk of the farm than of anything else, especially with Nora earwigging behind.

‘It must have been hard. All that change.’

‘Yes, well … there have been a lot of changes around here. We’ve just had to get used to them.’

‘I was so sorry to hear about your dad.’

To her surprise, Gwen’s throat clogs at his quietly conveyed sympathy. She is grateful that they have reached the farm gate, for she finds she is unable to respond.

They have barely crossed into the yard when Kip comes haring towards them, barking wildly, his tail oscillating through the air at a rate of knots. Jack’s face explodes with joy. He drops to his knees as the ecstatic creature bowls into him, licking and climbing and nuzzling and whimpering with unadulterated affection. Jack laughs with delight, mussing the animal’s thick fur, pulling a face as it slathers him with its tongue. Even Gwen finds a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

‘At least someone’s pleased to see you,’ Nora laughs, pointedly catching Gwen’s eye above the ecstatic reunion.

‘All right, lad, all right,’ Jack chuckles. He gently pushes the cavorting dog away and gets to his feet. He gazes up at the house.

Gwen observes his rapt expression and thinks of his covetous inspection of the land and suddenly it hits her: he has returned to lay claim to the farm – her farm – just as Gordon has returned to lay claim to her son. She is under attack on all sides and though once she might have considered Jack an ally, he is clearly an ally no more. The realisation knocks the breath from her body and she no longer cares about Nora’s suspicions, because Nora’s suspicions are right.

She is not pleased to see him. She is not pleased to see him at all.

Chapter Forty-Two