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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

‘Mum will make an appearance soon,’ Morgan mused, her fingers tracing the window frame. ‘She’ll pop up like nothing has happened, wondering what all the fuss was about.’ She turned to Naomi before she could reply. ‘Can you drop me off in the village? I’d like to see Dawn. I need to clear the air.’

‘I’d prefer it if you stayed with me.’ Morgan’s colour was good, and she was back on her feet already, with nothing more than a bump on her head. All the same, Naomi had no intention of leaving her stepdaughter on her own, but would Petunia open up with another person around? ‘The doctor recommended bed rest. Maybe I should ring Petunia instead.’

‘She’ll never tell you over the phone,’ Morgan said. ‘Honestly, I’m fine. I’ll go back to bed when we come home.’

‘I guess it’s OK if you sit in the coffee shop with a hot drink. Just don’t wander off on your own.’

‘No chance, not after last time.’ Morgan gave her a knowing look. A smile broke out on her face. ‘I’m gonna get ready.’

‘Morgan?’ Naomi said, as she reached the door.

The young girl paused, her eyebrows arched in a question.

‘I like your hair.’ Naomi wanted to say that she was grateful they were building bridges. But it was early days, and they still had a long road ahead. ‘Didn’t it hurt?’ she asked. ‘The dye. Didn’t it sting your scalp when you stripped out the black colouring?’

‘Some things in life are worth the pain.’ Morgan winked before heading back to her room.

So that was why she wanted to go to the village. Morgan wanted to see Dawn again. Young love. Naomi smiled at the sentiment. Wait until Ed heard about all this. She turned back to her desk and pulled out the diary she had recovered from the loft. But the rest of the pages revealed obsessive note-taking about allergies and possible cures. Then there were fundraising plans, numerous recipes and to-do lists. Nothing like the outpouring of motherly concerns of before. Naomi traced her finger over the jagged edges where pages had been torn out. Was there something sinister going on here? She returned her attention to the television. Perhaps Petunia would part with the truth – expose Lloyd and those complicit in any wrongdoings to the world. The screen was paused on Grace, her face animated as she celebrated her birthday with a select number of friends. It was a bittersweet scene. Naomi would not leave her in limbo any longer. She was the only one who could do this. It was time to lay the Harper family to rest.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX