Hope at Holly Cottage (30 page)

‘But … we can always be friends? I feel so guilty—’

‘Don’t be. You’ve freed me as well.’ And she encircled Anna in a warm embrace.

The bride and groom posed for photographs in the glorious August sunshine. Anna had never seen Ethel look as radiant as she did in her gauzy veil and ivory gown. She and Bert were made for each other. Ethel, a broad smile on her face, was lapping up the joy of her special day, but catching Anna’s eye, gave her a cheeky wink.

Anna grinned back and gave the thumbs up sign as Jack came over to her, leading Charlie by the hand. A warm tide lulled her in contentment as she smiled at them. Oh, she couldn’t be happier! After all that had happened, they had won through in the end. If only her parents had been there to know how happy she was with Jack. A vision of her mum, with the purple roses around her neck, flashed across Anna’s
mind. But they had all been bruised along the way. Her mum from her unfailing love for the man her dad had once been. Ethel, separated from Bert while he did his National Service. Poor Lady Ashcroft, forced to renounce the man she truly loved and now reduced to such a sorry state. Dear,
dearest
Queenie with her heartbreaking, lifelong secret. Carrie, with her scare over Jeffery’s health. And now Frankie, torn apart by sadness and regret.

And herself?

Life had been hard on her. But with Jack by her side, she felt she could climb mountains. He bent down to speak to her and she turned to him, her heart lurching at his closeness.

‘Can we make a date for this time next year?’ he whispered. ‘At the church in Tavistock?’

Anna blinked at him, and elation spiralled up inside her. His eyes held hers, soft and intense with love.

Oh, yes, her heart sang. And the world stood still.

As always, I should like to thank my agent and my publishers for their continued support. My gratitude also goes to Paul Rendell, Dartmoor guide and historian and editor of
The Dartmoor News
, who once again checked my manuscript for details on Dartmoor history. A huge thank you must go to Christine Barron, former theatre sister at Tavistock Hospital, for her information on Didworthy Sanatorium, to Dr Marshall Barr, founder of the Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre, for his information on the treatment of tuberculosis in the 1950s, and to my good friend, Sir Michael Willats for his input regarding vehicles of the time. Roger Paul of the Princetown History Club also contributed local facts for this novel, and Mr and Mrs Cribbett kindly shared their memories with me.

Readers who know Dartmoor well may recognise my model for Holly Cottage. The real building was condemned a few years earlier than in my book, but I have changed the date to suit my story. Happily, unlike some of the other buildings mentioned in the novel, the cottage survived by virtue of the fact that it was used as a pigsty by a local farmer but has now been restored to a residential dwelling.

My model for Ashcroft Hall might also be recognised, but I must point out most strongly that the Ashcrofts bear no resemblance whatsoever to the aristocratic family who lived there for a brief period.

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T
ANIA
C
ROSSE
was born in London but at a very young age she moved to Surrey, where her love of the countryside took root. She always enjoyed reading and has composed stories ever since she could hold a pen. After studying French literature at university, she devoted twenty years to bringing up her three children. But her passion for writing never left her and, side by side with her in-depth historical research, she began to pen her novels in earnest as her family grew up, focusing on Tavistock and the surrounding area of Dartmoor from Victorian times to the 1950s. Tania and her husband live partly in Berkshire and partly at their cottage on Dartmoor, where Tania retreats to write and absorb the atmosphere of the places that inspire her.

Lily’s Journey

Hope at Holly Cottage

LILY’S JOURNEY

When fifteen-year-old Lily Hayes loses her mother, she is forced to leave the bright lights of London to live with her estranged father in the wilds of Dartmoor. The dour Sidney Latham can be sullen and he has a temper on him, but Lily is determined to make the best of things. As Sidney’s gruff manner slowly thaws, Lily learns more about her family’s past. And discovers that some secrets are best left hidden.

Though Lily’s life has taken a dramatic turn for the worse, there are some things she is grateful for – the fact that she has met the handsome and charming Edwin Franfield being top of the list. But when tragedy strikes, a stranger with troubles of his own becomes her surprising saviour.

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