The Bachelor
Page 39
Luca Baxter was indeed throwing up mightily. His mother Laura rushed over to him, while a nearby father made the mistake of asking Henry for a mop.
‘Do I look like a cleaner?’ Henry replied drily. His arrogance was much improved in recent years, but he hadn’t changed completely.
Tired suddenly, Flora pulled a chair into a quiet corner and sat down, watching the party. Looking around the barn she’d been forced to build – she still considered it damn ugly, although she had to admit it was useful on days like today, and at least it had good views – it struck her just how very strange and wonderful it was that this place was now her home, and these people her family.
Not just Henry and Cesca – who had stopped wailing and was now singing along lustily to The Wiggles’ rendition of ‘Banana Phone’ – but Barney and Eva and little Violet, too. Then there was Penny and Santiago, and the Clempsons, and the Baxters, and Max Bingley and Angela Cranley, and everyone who made the Swell Valley the special, magical place that it was. Today’s party, like every party at Hanborough, was a village affair. A valley affair. There truly was nowhere else on earth quite like it.
My children will grow up here, Flora thought, rubbing her belly gratefully.
Henry and I will grow old here.
It felt hard now to remember the angst-ridden, commitment-shy girl she’d been when she’d first arrived here. Still less to think of Henry as the ultimate bad-boy bachelor.
Hanborough had worked its magic on both of them.
Long, long may it last.
Acknowledgements
Thanks once again to the amazing team at Harper Collins and especially to my editors, Kimberley Young and Claire Palmer. Also to my wonderful agents, Hellie Ogden in London and Luke Janklow in New York, and to all at Janklow & Nesbit who have helped and guided me from the very beginning of my writing career and been there every step of the way. Finally thanks as always to my family, especially my children, Sefi, Zac, Theo and Summer. And to my husband Robin – thank you for our wonderful life.
The Bachelor is dedicated to my dear friend Sonya Walger, aka Nonny, who makes everything about living in LA just that little bit better. Thanks for saving my sanity so many times Nons. I hope you enjoy the book.
TB 2016
If you enjoyed this Swell Valley novel, click here to buy The Inheritance now and find out where it all began!
Tatiana Flint-Hamilton’s gilded cage is torn away when her estranged father dies. As the beloved family estate slips through Tati’s fingers, the portraits of her ancestors look down disapprovingly.
The new Lord of the Manor is just as ruthless as Tati. The old-world status of Furlings is everything the wealthy, self-made Brett Cranley has ever wanted. Luckily his wife Angela is the perfect homemaker, happy to fall into line with whatever Brett desires. Along with her two children, Furlings soon becomes Angela’s lifeline, a place she can finally belong. And one she’s not going to give up easily.
Losing everything has made Tati realise that her rightful inheritance is all that she now lives for… and she will do anything to get it back.
But the fate of Furlings lies in the hands of the villagers.
Let the Fittlescombe fireworks begin!
The Inheritance 9780007481385
The second book in the Swell Valley series by bestselling author Tilly Bagshawe
Nestled in a glorious patchwork of fields, surrounded by chocolate box villages, Wraggbottom farm means everything to Gabe and Laura Baxter. But love and tradition doesn’t pay the bills. Luckily, Laura has an idea that will share the secret of her happy (if sometimes muddy) country life: producing a reality show that will save the farm!
Until the interfering new vicar, ‘Call-me-Bill’ takes it upon himself to lead a protest against the show. Suddenly the village is divided; even Gabe is torn between his new found fame and his old, happy life.
With so much at stake for her village and her marriage, will Laura be able to weather the storm or will her big idea turn out to be her biggest mistake?
The Show 9780007481415
If you enjoyed this Tilly Bagshawe Swell Valley novel, why not try the Swell Valley short stories?
Welcome to Tilly Bagshawe’s Swell Valley, where the scandal is in a class of its own.
As ONE SUMMER’S AFTERNOON rolls around, the annual Fittlescombe vs Brockhurst cricket match is older than the Ashes, and every bit as hotly contested – and is more exclusive than the Buckingham Palace Summer Garden Party and more star-studded than Cartier Polo. The Fittlescombe team have their hopes pinned on local boy Will Nuttley, but 24 year-old Will has his heart set on winning back the love of his life, Emma Harwich. As the champagne goes on ice and the sandwiches are being cut, little do the Swell Valley residents know that Emma is intent on sleeping with the enemy, and it’s throwing Will into a spin…
ONE CHRISTMAS MORNING is not the time to get your heart broken… Dumped by the love of her life and in need of some time to recover, screenwriter Laura Tiverton retreats to the idyllic village of Fittlescombe where she used to spend time as a girl. Maybe lending her expertise to the annual nativity play will be just what she needs. But with two gorgeous men on the horizon and a disastrous night at the ball, on the night before Christmas, who will be able to persuade her that the show must go on?
Click here to buy now
About the Author
Tilly Bagshawe is the internationally bestselling author of fifteen previous novels.
A single mother at seventeen, Tilly won a place at Cambridge University and took her baby daughter with her. Now married to an American and a mother of four, Tilly and her family divide their time between the bright lights of Los Angeles and the peace and tranquillity of a sleepy Cotswold village.
Before her first book, Adored, became an international smash hit, Tilly had a successful career in the City. Later, as a journalist, she contributed regularly to the Sunday Times, Daily Mail and Evening Standard before turning her hand to novels, following in the footsteps of her sister Louise.
These days, whenever she’s not writing or on a plane, Tilly’s life mostly revolves around the school run, Boy Scouts and Peppa Pig.
To find out more about Tilly Bagshawe and her books, visit www.tillybagshawe.co.uk
Also by Tilly Bagshawe
Adored
Showdown
Do Not Disturb
Flawless
Fame
Scandalous
Friends & Rivals
The Swell Valley Series
One Summer’s Afternoon (Short Story)
One Christmas Morning (Short Story)
The Inheritance
The Show
Sidney Sheldon’s Mistress of the Game
Sidney Sheldon’s After the Darkness
Sidney Sheldon’s Angel of the Dark
Sidney Sheldon’s The Tides of Memory
Sidney Sheldon’s Chasing Tomorrow
Sidney Sheldon’s Reckless
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Tilly Bagshawe, The Bachelor