A Winter Love Song Read online

  She heard Thomas’s voice below her window, and in the next moment he and his girlfriend, a local girl, came into sight, strolling arm in arm. Thomas was twenty-one years old now, and he had been courting his Esme for nearly two years. He had never even looked at another girl, in spite of the lassies buzzing around him like bees round a honeypot. And Esme adored him. But then why wouldn’t she? Bonnie thought with a smile. He was a lovely lad, inside and out.

  She watched them as they walked, and as he turned his head, laughing at something Esme had said, the resemblance to Franco was so strong it caused Bonnie to inhale sharply. She hadn’t thought about it for years, but like this, from a distance, the similarity was striking.

  She sat up straighter, causing little Betty to give a loud squawk of protest as the baby momentarily lost her grip on the nipple, before once more taking it into her mouth and sucking greedily.

  Along with the thought of Franco came her grandmother. Bonnie pictured Margarita in her mind, waiting for the curdling in her stomach of hate and resentment that always accompanied thoughts of her grandmother. And then one of the baby’s soft little hands opened and shut on her breast like a warm flower, and she gazed down at the new life in her arms. Outside in the vast open sky a flock of starlings were swooping and whirling, the sun touching their wings as they flew, free and living in the moment, and suddenly Bonnie realized this was her moment. Her moment to let the past go, to let the bitterness and hate and anger seep out of her. She didn’t want to hold on to it any more – that wasn’t the person she was now.

  ‘I forgive you, Grandma,’ she whispered softly. ‘Whether you want it or not, I forgive you.’

  Her gaze followed the birds in their joyful elation and she felt she was one with them. She had her life and it was precious, a life full of love. From somewhere outside the room she heard her name being called and her mouth lifted in a smile . . .

  Dancing in the Moonlight

  By Rita Bradshaw

  As her mother lies dying, twelve-year-old Lucy Fallow promises to look after her younger siblings and keep house for her father and two older brothers.

  Over the following years the Depression tightens its grip. Times are hard and Lucy’s situation is made more difficult by the ominous presence of Tom Crawford, the eldest son of her mother’s lifelong friend, who lives next door.

  Lucy’s growing friendship with Tom’s younger brother, Jacob, only fuels Tom’s obsession with her. He persuades Lucy’s father and brothers to work for him on the wrong side of the law as part of his plan to force Lucy to marry him.

  Tom sees Lucy and Jacob dancing together one night and a chain of heartbreaking events is set in motion. Torn apart from the boy she loves, Lucy wonders if she and Jacob will ever dance in the moonlight again . . .

  Beyond the Veil of Tears

  By Rita Bradshaw

  Fifteen-year-old Angeline Stewart is heartbroken when her beloved parents are killed in a coaching accident, leaving her an only child in the care of her uncle.

  Naive and innocent, Angeline is easy prey for the handsome and ruthless Oswald Golding. He is looking for a rich heiress to solve the money troubles his gambling and womanizing have caused.

  On her wedding night, Angeline enters a nightmare from which there is no awakening. Oswald proves to be more sadistic and violent than she could ever have imagined. When she finds out she is expecting a child, Angeline makes plans to run away and decides to take her chances fending for herself and her baby. But then tragedy strikes again . . .

  The Colours of Love

  By Rita Bradshaw

  England is at war, but nothing can dim land girl Esther Wynford’s happiness at marrying the love of her life – fighter pilot Monty Grant. But months later, on the birth of her daughter Joy, Esther’s world falls apart.

  Esther’s dying mother confesses to a dark secret that she has kept to herself for twenty years: Esther is not her natural daughter. Esther’s real mother was forced to give up her baby to an orphanage – and now Joy’s birth makes the reason for this clear, as Esther’s true parentage is revealed.

  Harshly rejected by Monty, and with the man Esther believed was her father breathing fire and damnation, she takes her precious baby and leaves everything and everyone she’s ever known, determined to fend for herself and her child. But her fight is just beginning . . .

  Snowflakes in the Wind

  By Rita Bradshaw

  It’s Christmas Eve 1920 when nine-year-old Abby Kirby’s family is ripped apart by a terrible tragedy. Leaving everything she’s ever known, Abby takes her younger brother and runs away to the tough existence of the Border farming community.

  Years pass. Abby becomes a beautiful young woman and falls in love, but her past haunts her, casting dark shadows. Furthermore, in the very place she’s taken refuge is someone who wishes her harm.

  With her heart broken, Abby decides to make a new life as a nurse. When the Second World War breaks out, she volunteers as a QA nurse and is sent overseas. However, life takes another unexpected and dangerous turn when she becomes a prisoner of the Japanese. It is then that Abby realizes that whatever has gone before is nothing compared to what lies ahead . . .

  A Winter Love Song

  Rita Bradshaw was born in Northamptonshire, where she still lives today. At the age of sixteen she met her husband – whom she considers her soulmate – and they have two daughters, a son and six grandchildren. Much to her delight, Rita’s first novel was accepted for publication and she has gone on to write many more successful novels since, including the number one bestseller Dancing in the Moonlight.

  As a committed Christian and passionate animal-lover her life is full, but she loves walking her dog, reading, eating out and visiting the cinema and theatre, as well as being involved in her church and animal welfare.

  BY RITA BRADSHAW

  Alone Beneath the Heaven

  Reach for Tomorrow

  Ragamuffin Angel

  The Stony Path

  The Urchin’s Song

  Candles in the Storm

  The Most Precious Thing

  Always I’ll Remember

  The Rainbow Years

  Skylarks at Sunset

  Above the Harvest Moon

  Eve and Her Sisters

  Gilding the Lily

  Born to Trouble

  Forever Yours

  Break of Dawn

  Dancing in the Moonlight

  Beyond the Veil of Tears

  The Colours of Love

  Snowflakes in the Wind

  A Winter Love Song

  Acknowledgements

  As ever, realms of research for this story, but special mention to:

  Fairfield Folk by Frances Brown

  Louisa’s Fairground Life and Beyond by Louisa M. Prestney

  Voices from the Fairground, Laisterdyke Local History Group

  Jungle Warfare by J. P. Cross

  Some Sunny Day: My Autobiography by Dame Vera Lynn

  War Diary, Marshall Cavendish Books

  First published 2017 by Macmillan

  This electronic edition published 2017 by Pan Books

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan

  20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-5098-2922-4

  Copyright © Rita Bradshaw 2017

  Design © www.blacksheep-uk.com

  Model © Colin Thomas

  Photos © Depositphotos

  The right of Rita Bradshaw to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this p
ublication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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