My mother, Margaret, was the companion of a married man, and thats the man who fathered me. As far back as I can remember, we never...
Emily, but its freezing in the countryside in winter! Youll need a woodburning stove and lots of firewood! Mother, you grew up on a farm, youve...
The rain hammered the thatched roofs of Ashford as the funeral of Eleanor Harper slipped by in a gray hush. Frederick Harper stood beside the open...
13April2025 London Really, we need your help! You simply must help us! shouted my motherinlaw, Eleanor Whitaker, as she burst through the front door. I blinked,...
15March2025 I arrived home for dinner, the meal that Ethel had been preparing all evening. I needed to speak with her; the conversation ahead would not...
23October2025 London Tonight, after twentyone years of marriage, Eleanor turned to me with a halfsmile and said, James, you need to take another woman out for...
I found two little children in my garden, raised them as my own, and after fifteen years some strangers came to claim them. Emily, come quick!...
It is a memory that has lingered with me for years, a NewYears Eve that turned into a quiet rebellion. I had grown tired of my...
Andrew, put on your hat, son, its freezing outside! Leave it, Mum, if Im not turning into an icicle up in the Highlands, I wont be...
Mum, its bitter cold out there in winter! Youll need a woodburning stove and a heap of logs! Darling, youve always been a country girl. All...
Morning started just the way it always did. Andrew Sinclair woke up a minute before his alarm, like hed been...
Old letters When the postman finally stopped hoisting parcels up the stairs and began leaving newspapers and envelopes in the...
I still recall how James turned his back on a seaside holiday, all for the sake of saving a few...
Step back! he roared. I never vowed to marry you! And I dont even know whose baby this is. Maybe...
Emily was being way too clingy about helping around the house, so I gave her a gentle shove toward the...
Margaret, must I keep calling you Mrs. Whitaker? I asked, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. Explain...
26October2025 I can hardly believe Im writing this, but I need to get it out of my head before the...
I stopped ironing Jamess shirts the day he dismissed my work as just sitting at home. Come on, Emily, what...
James said he was off on a work trip, but I found his car parked outside my best friends flat....
The brides mother, Margaret Whitfield, slid me into the worst table with a sardonic smile. Know your place, she sneered....