Sarah’s Story: An emotional family saga that you won’t be able to put down
The third thrilling novel from the author of Ella’s Journey and Alice’s Secret, prepare to discover the truth about Sarah …Sarah dreams of a more exciting life… but will she get more than she bargained for?Sarah is lonely. Living in a small Yorkshire village with just her grandmother for company, she longs to be reunited with her mother and sisters in Manchester.When she meets the mysterious Joe Bancroft, she feels her luck might be changing. And, before long, Sarah’s married with a baby on the way.But Sarah’s hopes for a family home are dashed by Joe’s work, which takes him away from her for months at a time. And when tragedy strikes, Sarah is left more alone than ever.When all hope seems lost, can Sarah take charge and save her family?A heartwarming story of family and hope, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Carol Rivers.
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Sarahâs Story
Lynne Francis
Published by Avon, an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers
The News Building
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain in ebook format by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018
Copyright © Lynne Francis 2018
Cover design © Alison Groom 2018
Cover image © Shutterstock.com
Lynne Francis asserts the moral right to
be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Ebook Edition © August 2018 ISBN: 9780008244293
Version: 2018-06-07
To the Writing Matters group for all their encouragement and support.
Table of Contents
Part One: May â September 1874
Part Two: September 1874 â February 1875
Part Three: February â April 1875
Part Four: April â September 1875
Part Five: September 1875 â October 1877
Part Six: November 1877 â September 1881
Part Seven: September 1881 â August 1882
Sarah had watched the bird of prey awhile, shading her eyes against the midday sun. It was hunting from the edge of Tinkerâs Wood, scattering small birds from the hedgerows where they had taken refuge from the heat. The hedge-hawk had had no success so far, and she wondered at the energy it was expending, but it was patient. It returned to the shelter of the woodland canopy each time, waiting for the scattered birds to settle, then launched another attack. She didnât want it to succeed, but she couldnât tear her eyes away, either.
Just when she thought it must have given up and flown away without her noticing, it startled her by skimming up over the hedge, so close to where she was sitting that she could have sworn she saw the intent in its yellow eye as it swept past. There was a muffled squawk, a flurry of fine feathers and calls of alarm â and it was all over. The hawk sped off, taking its prey to a plucking post deep in the woods.
With a sigh and a shudder, Sarah jumped down from the wall where she had perched herself and shook out her skirts, craning her head back over her shoulder to check for any mossy stains. She tied her bonnet back in place over her curly brown hair which, in honour of the unusual warmth of the weather so early in May, was loosely caught up on top of her head rather than hanging halfway down her back, then she turned back to the track. Sheâd wasted enough time and the plants in her basket were beginning to wilt. Her grandmother would not be pleased. With the sun in her eyes, Sarah didnât notice the man until she was almost upon him. She cried out in shock and almost stumbled as she tried to avoid him.
His arm shot out and he held her in a firm grip. âWatch out for yoursen here, miss. âTis a rough track you tread and your ankles look a sight too dainty for it.â
Sarah, her heart beating fast at the close and unexpected encounter, felt her colour rise. It was wrong of the man to make a remark about her ankles, which in any case he couldnât have seen, encased as they were in sturdy, though patched, boots.
She made to shake him off but heâd already let go of her arm and stepped back to a respectful distance. He held both hands up, placatingly.
âI only thought to save you from a fall, miss. No offence.â
Now that she was no longer blinded by the sun she could see what manner of man he was. And she rather liked what she saw. He was barely taller than she was â unusual in itself as she was petite â wiry with dark curly hair and a deeply tanned face. His eyes shone bright blue and they seemed filled with an amused expression, while a smile played around his lips. She had no idea how she could read so much into a countenance, but she had the distinct impression that he was laughing at her.
