by Dianne Noble
‘And they kept coming undone, one after another, and hanging from the ceiling. It’s all nostalgia, love,’ she said gently. ‘It’s a longing for something that’s lost, didn’t in fact ever really exist.’
Portia’s face clouded. ‘It was a strange childhood, wasn’t it?’
Juliet nodded. ‘Rootless, really. Miranda did her best for us when we were kids, but ultimately, her life was all about herself.’
‘And now it’s all about Samir.’
Juliet stared at her, startled. ‘I hadn’t really thought about it like that. You’re right.’
‘I wonder if we’ll ever hear from her again. Why are you looking at me like that?’
She hesitated. ‘Well, I did email her…’
‘But she didn’t reply.’
‘No.’
‘Do I look all right?’ Portia asked anxiously as she smoothed her jacket, picked off a loose thread.
‘You look great. They’ll offer you the job on the spot. Nobody else will stand a chance.’
‘I hope you’re right.’ She smiled, a proper full-on smile which reached her eyes.
Juliet’s heart melted like butter over warm bread. Her sister had come back to her.
‘What about you?’ Portia put a hand on her arm. ‘Sleeping better?’
‘Much better.’ Jacob was still out there somewhere, God alone knew where, and at night the worries about him became more urgent, her fears greater, but they no longer paralysed her. She had been standing on the outside of happiness for far, far too long but these days, for the first time in years, she was able to take in deep, long breaths.
Handing Portia the polished leather briefcase, she said, ‘Go for it, knock them dead.’
‘I shall do just that.’ At the door she turned back. ‘Jules, do you ever think about Fatima and Halima?’
‘Of course I do. Often.’ Her eyes met Portia’s and she spoke firmly. ‘You mustn’t worry about them. They have each other. The way we do.’
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ABOUT DIANNE NOBLE
Dianne was born into a service family and at the tender age of seven found herself on the Dunera, a troopship, sailing for a three year posting to Singapore. So began a lifetime of wandering - and fifteen different schools. A teenager, living in Cyprus, before partition, when the country was swarming with handsome UN soldiers and then marriage to a Civil Engineer who whisked her away to the Arabian Gulf.
Most of the following years were spent as a single parent with an employment history which ranged from the British Embassy in Bahrain to a goods picker, complete with steel toe-capped boots, in an Argos warehouse. In between she earned her keep as a cashier in Barclays, a radio presenter, and a café proprietor on the sea front in Penzance.
Her travels have taken her to China, Egypt, Israel, Guatemala, Russia, Morocco, Belize, and, her favourite country, India. She keep copious notes wherever she goes to ensure her writing is always accurate and atmospheric. The life she has led ensures she has rich seams to mine for material.
She lives, when not travelling, in a small Leicestershire village. It is a happy life - reading and writing, fuelled by mugs of tea and interspersed with visits to the theatre.
Find Dianne online:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/dianneanoble
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dianneanoble1
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianne-noble-183a143a
Tirgearr Publishing – http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Noble_Dianne
OTHER BOOKS BY DIANNE NOBLE
OUTCAST
Released: March
ISBN: 9781311691910
Rose leaves her Cornwall café to search for her daughter in the sweltering slums of Kolkata, India. In the daily struggle for survival, she is often brought to her knees, but finds strength to overcome the poverty and disease, grows to love the Dalit community she helps. But then there are deaths, and she fears for her own safety. Her café at home is at risk of being torched, and finally, she has to make the terrible choice between her daughter and the Indian children.
A HUNDRED HANDS
Released: November
ISBN: 9781370663460
When her husband is arrested for paedophilia, Polly flees the censure of her village and travels to India. Heartbroken at the plight of children living on the Kolkata streets, she stays to help. She meets and falls in love with Finlay whose home is filled with abandoned infants. In a terrible twist, she fears history is about to repeat itself. Will she ever again see those she has grown to love?
OPPRESSION
Released: June 2017
ISBN: 9781370477159
Defying her controlling husband, Beth travels to Cairo to find 16 year old Layla who’s been forced into marriage. Layla is hiding in the City of the Dead and leading a group of women in rebellion against oppression. When Beth gets caught up, she’s rescued by Harry and falls in love. But what of her husband? Can Beth ever find peace and happiness? Will Layla's ideals of freedom ever be fulfilled?