by Helene Young
‘No, we were friends, but what we shared was a belief that the two properties were linked, joined by the caves and the water that lies beneath them. She never wanted Arran Downs.’
‘I’m sorry for Ken, but I at least won’t have to deal with him again. Whatever the truth of Mum’s fall, all the evidence says he’d been pressuring her, exploiting her since Dad died.’ Felicity knew she would always feel she’d failed her mother at the eleventh hour.
Mitch was looking at her, his expression shadowed by the low light. ‘He’s history now, Lissie. It’s behind you. Time for a swim.’
‘But in the other pool, right.’
‘Okay, scaredy cat. But you’ll have to dive into this one at least once, just so you can feel yourself suspended in silk. It is the most amazing sensation.’ He headed off towards the tunnel again.
‘I may have to take your word on it,’ Felicity muttered.
‘We’ll see,’ he replied with a grin over his shoulder.
Back on the wooden deck Mitch unbuttoned his shirt. Felicity turned away, shy of the intimacy with a man she knew so well, but hadn’t seen naked since they were chasing chooks around in the rain. Fabric rustled and she heard the rasp of a zipper. Her fingers fumbled with her buttons.
‘I brought a towel so just leave your stuff on top of the pack.’ Mitch’s voice sounded deeper.
‘Thanks. I’ll just be a moment.’
There was no reply, but she felt the boards move under his tread as he walked to the edge. She slipped her shorts off and turned to the backpack just in time to glimpse him diving into the water, body stretched taut, all ropey muscles and long limbs. She hurriedly toed her shoes off and dropped her clothes. If she was quick, she might make it in before he surfaced. She made it to the edge of the platform just as he popped up. Here goes, she thought, launching into a dive.
The cold took her breath away. She watched the water part around her fingertips, tiny air bubbles skittering along her nails and skin. She’d forgotten the taste of it, like fresh air after a rainstorm. No salty sting for her eyes, but as she plunged deeper the water turned dark green and the surface receded. The bottom was so close, she swam further, reaching out, but it was still too far away. With a sudden jolt of panic she turned for the surface and kicked hard, her arms pulling her up, up to the tiniest glimmer of light where calloused hands grabbed her.
‘Bloody hell, you scared me. You vanished,’ Mitch croaked.
‘I’d forgotten that moment when the light fades and you can’t see which way is up.’ She was panting, treading water, one hand still in his, the other out for balance.
‘I was coming to get you. God, Lissie, my heart just about stopped.’
She wanted to laugh it off, but he looked so stricken. His hair was slicked down and water droplets clinging to his lashes. The blue of his eyes caught the light from one of the torches still resting on the edge. She placed her hand on his chest, right where his heart was pounding. His skin was cool, the hair springy and coarse. Hard muscles moved as he placed his hand on top.
‘Feels like it’s still beating to me,’ she said, meeting his eyes, the intensity in them stealing what breath she had.
‘It’s off the scale.’ He was kicking, keeping them both afloat, and his breathing had quickened. ‘The rock’s still there.’ He nodded to one side of the platform where a wide flat rock formed a natural step. Depending on the season it could be two metres under water. Today it was just above the surface. They swam to it and he pulled himself up first, then held out his hand. Her feet found the bottom and she pushed off as he hauled, pulling her on top of him.
They both laughed as they tried to disentangle themselves, but Felicity realised he’d made no effort to sit up and she was still lying along him.
‘Lissie, my Lissie,’ he murmured, smoothing her hair behind her ears. She shivered as his hand ran down to her shoulder, down to her back, settling on the flare of her waist. ‘I’m glad you’re here.’
‘And I’m glad you’re here too.’
‘You know how long I’ve waited for this?’
‘For what?’ she teased.
‘A mermaid. Are you nervous?’
‘About what?’
‘About this. Will it change everything?’
‘You too, huh.’ She went to roll clear, but he slid his hands lower, rested them on her hips.
‘I’d be a fool to think it won’t and I don’t want to lose you. I’d rather stay friends if being lovers will end in tears.’ He always could read her mind.
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ Felicity said, reaching out to brush water droplets from his cheek. ‘I’ve spent my life being cautious, taking the easy road, avoiding strife. It’s time I stepped off the edge.’
In many ways, Return to Roseglen is a story about growing old. Discuss in relation to each of the key characters in the novel.
What other central themes do you identify in the story?
Do you think Ivy was right to keep so much secret from her children? Why do you think she did so for such a long time?
Felicity might be described as being part of the ‘sandwich generation’ (people who care for elderly parents as well as their own children), all the while battling serious mid-life dramas of her own. In what ways was this such a challenging time for her?
Should Georgina have made more of an effort to make peace with her mother earlier?
Georgina described Ken’s actions towards Ivy as ‘abuse’. What do you think abusive behaviour looks like?
Discuss the setting of this rural novel, and its significance to this particular story – especially in relation to the underground caves.
The novel features two later-in-life romances. Is this a timely issue in our society?
Do you think Ken’s ‘punishment’ fitted his crime?
Why is it that sibling rivalry seems to come to the fore at times of family crisis?
In any given family, who do you think should take responsibility for an ageing parent’s finances, health and welfare?
What themes do you find in common between this novel and previous books by Helene Young?
Thank you for reading Return to Roseglen. Ivy’s story has had a long gestation and I appreciate the patience of so many readers who’ve written to me asking when it would be released. The themes are ones that are relevant to so many women and talking to friends and relatives just kept adding more pieces to the puzzle. The impact of menopause, of retirement, and of divorce on women’s wellbeing are issues we should talk about. So too is the distressing problem of elder abuse.
Without the support of my agent, Clare Forster, and my publisher, Ali Watts, this story might never have been told. Ladies, I thank you for allowing me to explore the themes in Return to Roseglen. Your insights and compassion made the story stronger. Thank you to Elena Gomez for helping to strengthen the story and provide more focus. Thanks also to Catherine Hill for her eagle-eyed editing. To Lou Ryan and the rest of the Penguin team, thank you for continuing to support me and so many other Australian writers.
The research for this story took some interesting twists and the people who shared their experiences of family failures are too numerous to mention individually. But thank you for trusting me to shine a light on the abuse of our elderly and the issues women face in their middle years.
To Noreen Allen and her mum, thank you for your advice on pregnancy and the delivery of babies in North Queensland in the 1950s and 1960s. I’m sure many mothers and babies are grateful for having you as their midwives.
Thanks also to Marnie for advice on procedures in Cairns Base Hospital and for writerly support over so many years.
A huge thank you to James for flying me over Mount Mulligan. Named Ngarrabullgan by the Djungan people, its immense presence looms over the Atherton Tablelands and it was the inspiration for the caves and escarpment on Roseglen.
My sister, Bronwyn, is a completely biased one-woman cheering squad. Thank you for all that you do, especially when y
ou make me dig deeper. Twelve thousand kilometres is nothing between sisters!
To Graham, who’s endured a strange couple of years while Return to Roseglen was being written, thank you for always making me laugh when the clouds are gathering. If we have to weather storms there’s no one else I want by my side. May the sun never set on our adventures together.
About the Author
After twenty-eight years as an airline captain in Australia, Helene Young has swapped the sky for the sea to go in search of adventure with her husband aboard their sailing catamaran. The rural and remote places she visits, along with the fascinating people she meets, provide boundless inspiration for her novels. Her strong interest in both social justice and the complexity of human nature shapes the themes she explores. Her novels have won many awards including Romantic Book of the Year in Australia.
heleneyoung.com
Also by Helene Young
Burning Lies
Half Moon Bay
Safe Harbour
Northern Heat
ALSO BY HELENE YOUNG
Shortlisted for the RWA Romantic Book of the Year award and the ARRA Favourite Romantic Suspense award
Kaitlyn Scott is searching for the truth about her husband’s death, even if that means revisiting the most painful day of her life. But what she uncovers is a criminal willing to stop at nothing to keep his secret.
Ryan O’Donnell, an enigmatic undercover cop, is investigating arson attacks when he is drawn into Kaitlyn’s world. He tries to fight his attraction for her, hoping the case might put his own demons to rest, but it only threatens to push him over the edge. With Kaitlyn and Ryan on a collision course, the arsonist seizes the chance to settle some old scores. As the Atherton Tableland burns, the three of them are caught in a fiery dance of danger and desire, and not everyone will come out alive.
Winner of the ARRA Favourite Romantic Suspense award
Ellie Wilding has been running from her past, but when the residents of Half Moon Bay call for help she knows it’s finally time to return home. As an international photojournalist, she’s used to violence in war zones, but she’s shocked when it erupts in the sleepy hamlet on the north coast of New South Wales, threatening all she holds dear.
Battle-weary Nicholas Lawson walked away from his military career leaving unfinished business. In a coastal backwater, that decision returns to haunt him. He remembers all too vividly his last lethal assignment in Afghanistan when Ellie’s sister, Nina, was shot and killed. Ellie’s been in his dreams ever since, even if she doesn’t remember him . . .
As a storm rages and floodwaters rise, Ellie struggles to save her com-munity. But who can she trust? Nick Lawson, the dangerously attractive stranger with secrets, or an old friend who’s never let her down?
Winner of the ARRA Favourite Romantic Suspense award
When Darcy Fletcher drags a handsome sailor from a stricken yacht, she finds herself drawn into his mysterious world. Having saved his life, can she now rescue him from his dark past? Or will that endanger all she holds most dear?
Noah, keeper of the peace and guardian of the Banskia Cove secrets, can’t tell Darcy the real reason this man has washed up on their shores. If she understood the links between him and her own dysfunctional family, he’d lose her love for good.
As they take refuge in an old whaling station, only one thing is certain – by morning, no one will be the same again. Lies will surface. Hearts will break, and not all will find safe harbour.
Winner of the ARRA Favourite Romantic Suspense award
In steamy northern Queensland, Conor is rebuilding his shattered life. Working at Cooktown’s youth centre has given him the chance to make a difference again, and the opportunity to flirt with Dr Kristy Dark. The local GP is hiding her own secrets and struggling to raise her feisty teenage daughter alone.
When a severe cyclone menaces the coast, threatening to destroy everything in its path, tensions come to a head – and the weather is not the only danger. Cut off from the world and with her life on the line, Kristy will have to summon her courage and place her trust in Conor, or they’ll both lose someone they love.
MICHAEL JOSEPH
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First published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd 2018
Text copyright © Helene Young 2018
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All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Cover design by Louisa Maggio © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Cover photographs: Tea set and flowers (Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com); pillows (ben bryant/Shutterstock.com) / old blue paper texture (Grisha Bruev/ Shutterstock.com) / bright blue fabric texture (chainarong06/Shutterstock.com); table and chairs in garden (Inti St Clair/Getty Images)
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ISBN: 978-0-143-78775-4