Hush Hush (35 page)

‘He won’t like it,’
smiled Angela. ‘Shane’s not daft.’

But he went out again with
surprising compliance, promised all manner of bribes by Sadie.

‘She’s playing a
blinder,’ announced Conor, joining Angela on the balcony and
stretching his arms. ‘How much longer with the old quill and
parchment?’

Angela looked down at the
untouched cards. ‘Nearly cracked it.’

He sat down abruptly on the chair
vacated by Sadie.

‘You’re very strong
and silent this morning, Angela. I hope you’re not reneging on
your feelings less than twenty-four hours after declaring them. Is it
this?’ He swept a brawny arm across the panoramic view from the
balcony. ‘You’re afraid this setting might have duped you
into a romantic outburst that won’t stand the test of rainy
Mondays back in Wilmesbury?’

‘No, Conor, I’m not!’
she said firmly, and surprised him by springing out of her chair and
onto his lap. ‘I have no second thoughts about anything.’

‘So what did Sadie hang
around to have words about?’

‘Mysterious mother-daughter
stuff.’ She tapped his nose for nosiness.

‘Yeah, so I gathered, but
anything I should know about? She’s just shoved off with Shane
to give us a chance to have another heart-to-heart. Forewarned is
forearmed and all that.’

‘Suffice it to say that my
little confab with Ma has no bearing on what I told you in the
restaurant. It’s not all that hush-hush either, and I’ll
tell you when I’ve finished smoothing your ruffled feathers.’
She landed a quick kiss on his nose. ‘But you’ll have to
get used to me being strong and silent some mornings. I’m just
not the world’s best morning person. Think you can live with
it?’

His face softening with relief,
he tightened his arms around her. ‘I suppose I could give it a
try. Give us a kiss first to see if it’s worth it.’

His mouth swooped down on hers
without warning, his sun-thickened stubble tickling her. Grinning,
she kissed him back with hope, fervour and anticipation.

‘
Shall
we get
married?’ he asked eventually, almost lazily. ‘I assume
you realise I’d bought the new house for us, the odd family as
opposed to the odd couple.
You,
me, the child from hell and the mother who roamed the earth with the
dinosaurs, giving out to them 24-7 until they all volunteered for
extinction. What do you think?’

‘I
think you’re a cheeky bugger, having a go at my ma,’
replied Angela. ‘Kiss me again for a bit, help me make up my
mind.’

He
obliged her. He was spreading the vista of a shared future before
her. For now, she was content to lay her head on his broad shoulder
and contemplate the vision that shimmered and danced, close enough to
touch, in the morning unfolding around them.

Also by Gabrielle Mullarkey

Coming in Spring 2015

A
Tale of Two Sisters

Keep
up to date with Gabrielle by reading her blog at
www.gabriellemullarkey.co.uk

From
the bestselling author of The School Run

Katie is getting
married to Alec ... or is she?

Have you ever
wondered
‘
what if
…’
you had made a different decision in life? Would another choice have
taken you down a totally different path? Would life have been better
or worse?

In
Do You Take
This Man?
we follow Katie
’
s
two lives and find out what happens to her if she says
‘
I
do
’
and what happens
if she stands up her groom.

In many ways, Katie
’
s
two separate realities couldn
’
t
be further apart. But we also see how there are some people and
situations you can
’
t
avoid, and that perhaps some things are meant to happen whatever
choices you make in life.

In the tradition of
the classic film
Sliding Doors
,
Do You Take This Man?
will keep you gripped and guessing to the end!

Praise
for Sophie King:

‘
I
always look forward to reading the next Sophie King book.
’
Katie Fforde

‘
I
love curling up with a Sophie King book.
’
Trisha Ashley

Available as an ebook on
Amazon and Kobo from December 8th 2014.

The
Property of a Gentleman
…
a poignant and thrilling tale of intrigue, mystery and romance, set
in the dramatic landscape of England’s Lake District. From the
internationally bestselling author Catherine Gaskin.

Shortly
after her mother’s death in a Swiss plane crash, Jo Roswell is
sent from the London auction house where she works to the remote and
mysterious Thirlbeck – stately home of the Earl of Askew. Jo’s
task is to evaluate the house’s contents for a sale, but she
soon finds herself drawn into the complex lives of Thirlbeck’s
past and present inhabitants, each with their own secrets and
desires.

Robert
Birkett, the Earl of Askew, has returned to Thirlbeck after many
years abroad. A decorated war hero, he has also spent time in prison
after a fatal car accident for which he was blamed. Carlota, the
Spanish Condesa, is the Earl’s sophisticated yet possessive
companion.

Meanwhile,
Nat Birkett, a distant cousin of the earl, is the reluctant heir to
Thirlbeck. A local farmer, his passion is for the land rather than
titles and possessions. Following his wife’s mysterious demise
at Thirlbeck, he is also the single father of two young boys.

George
Tolson is Thirlbeck’s brooding keeper, who jealously guards the
property from unwelcome strangers. By Tolson’s side is Jessica,
his intelligent but fragile granddaughter, who must be protected from
herself.

During
her stay, Jo is absorbed by the tragic story of The Spanish Lady,
whose young life was cut short at Thirlbeck many centuries before.
She also encounters La Española, the brilliant diamond which,
according to legend, brings disaster to all who try to possess it.
And she is shocked to learn of her own mother’s connection to
Thirlbeck.

Jo
will struggle with difficult discoveries as she unlocks the puzzles
which link Thirlbeck’s past and present residents.

Now available as an ebook on
Amazon.

Learn
more about Catherine Gaskin and her other novels at
www.catherinegaskin.com

A poignant coming of age story
set in 1930s England, told with warmth and wit.

‘
Diana
Raymond is an observant, sensitive writer whose characters come
alive.’
The
Daily Telegraph

Seventeen year old Jessica Mayne
suddenly finds herself alone and unable to pay her rent, when a
chance discovery leads to help from unexpected quarters. A new life
beckons, while Jessica learns about past family secrets, and falls in
love for the first time, all under the shadow of the advancing war in
Europe.

Being Lily’s daughter has
never been easy. Jessica has long had to cope with her mother’s
fragile mental state, and a hand to mouth existence. When she finally
makes the decision to have her mother committed, Jessica must face an
uncertain future alone.

But there is the promise of a
different kind of life when Lily arrives at Huntersmeade, the home of
her estranged Aunt Imogen. It is here that she meets her dashing
cousin, Guy, and Deirdre, the wealthy young woman he is expected to
marry. Meanwhile, Imogen’s house-guest Aaron, a Polish Jew, has
a deeper understanding than the English youngsters of how the world
they know will soon change forever.

For Jessica, there will be
difficult lessons to learn about her family’s secrets, and how
falling in love for the first time can be a bitter-sweet experience
with far-reaching consequences.

Diana
Raymond was the author of 24 novels, theatre criticism and poems. She
was married to the celebrated novelist Ernest Raymond. Her most
popular novel
Lily’s
Daughter
is now reprinted in an ebook edition for the first time.

Now available as an ebook on
Amazon.

Find
out more about all of our great fiction at
www.greatstorieswithheart.com