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Back The Village Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PROLOGUE
  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. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Then later, Lloyd took her to one side, and said she was his special girl. She remembered the tickly feeling of his beard as he kissed her on the cheek and the strength of his arms as he gave her a tight hug. ‘You’re the most beautiful girl in the world,’ he said, as he let go of her. He had tears in his eyes. It felt good to have such a special friend. But her daddy didn’t feel the same way. Each time he came home, he and Mummy would argue over who had been to visit. Sometimes her mummy lied. Grace didn’t know why Daddy didn’t like Lloyd when he had been so kind to them. She lay back on her pillow, unable to find the will or the strength to get out of bed. Sometimes, at night, she would hear screaming. Mummy said it was the foxes crying. It was such a mournful sound. Turns out the forest wasn’t such a nice place after all.

She watched as Lloyd entered her bedroom, but Grace was unable to return his smile. Stroking her thinning hair, he asked if she needed anything. Grace rubbed her eyes, and the world came into focus in her darkened room.

‘It’s near on three o clock. Time you were getting up, little lady. I’ve got a present for you.’

‘You have?’ Grace felt stiff from sleeping curled up in a ball. She reached for the glass of water that was next to her bed.

‘Sure have,’ Lloyd said, helping her balance the glass. ‘And you’re going to love it. Let me get your wheelchair.’

But Grace was not so easily swayed as she grumbled about the cake she was no longer able to eat. Her life had become a prison and on days like today, she hated every second of it. She had long since been banned from sunlight, and restricted from mixing with other children her age. Now, she was barely allowed to eat. She had heard her parents talk about a feeding tube, should her allergies worsen. On shaky legs, she got out of bed and into the wheelchair.

But her concerns were forgotten as a sudden yap echoed in the hall. Grace craned her neck to stare at Lloyd.

‘A dog? You brought me a dog?’ Suddenly, her world changed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

‘Why aren’t you calling for backup?’ Naomi’s words were hollow with fear. She was sitting in Lloyd’s Land Rover, uncomfortable at their close proximity as his windscreen wipers battled to clear a fresh downpour of snow. Lloyd grunted a response, something about it being quicker this way.