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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

‘I’ll make friends with her,’ Dawn said. ‘Find out what’s going on.’ She folded her arms across her dungarees as she leaned against the wall.

‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea,’ Lloyd said. But as soon as he met Dawn’s gaze, he knew he had lost the battle. Her blue eyes were bright, her face fixed in determination. There would be no changing her mind. ‘All right,’ he said, admiring her drive. She wasn’t waiting for his approval, but he gave it anyway. ‘You know the drill. If outsiders start asking awkward questions, act dumb.’ Dawn was far from stupid. She had always been a curious soul. But sometimes inquisitive people got their fingers burnt.

Turning back to his laptop, he clicked on an image of Ed that he had taken from the internet. Edward Ward was a stout man of broad build who had a kind face.

‘He’s a Scottish film director.’ Lloyd raised his voice over the low chatter in the room. ‘But he mostly works in the US. It’s an old picture as he likes to stay out of the press.’ Lloyd paused to read the faces of the people before him. ‘Don’t get caught taking photos. Remember what happened the last time.’ He took in their guilty expressions as he recalled a time when one of the villagers had been confronted, camera in hand. ‘We don’t want a repeat of that.’

‘But we need to know who we’re dealing with . . .’ Wilfred, the village doctor, jabbed the air with a nicotine-stained finger. ‘These outsiders . . . they need to learn. They’re not welcome here. None of them are.’ His face darkened as the room temperature seemed to drop by several degrees.

‘Maybe so,’ Mike said, raising his hand like a four-year-old in class. ‘But their money will help our small economy. The church is in dire need of repairs, as is the school roof. This family aren’t badly off. The village needs an infusion of fresh blood.’

But Lloyd knew these were just platitudes. Mike was telling them what they wanted to hear. That way, they could believe in good conscience that he was a God-fearing man. At least Lloyd was upfront about it all. He didn’t want this family anywhere near his village. If he could put a force field around Nighbrook, he would.

‘You all know the drill,’ he continued. ‘Don’t be too familiar. Keep a close eye without being intrusive. Report back if they start asking questions, but don’t invade their personal space.’

‘And if they don’t keep their noses out?’ Reverend Humphries looked at him in earnest.

‘Well, then . . .’ A long sigh trailed from Lloyd’s lips. ‘We know what we have to do.’

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE