by Jenni Keer
Before Sheila got an opportunity to comment on any of the information she’d been bombarded with, Sandra continued, ‘Oh, and look, there’s Emily – my eldest. Another great success, but in a different way. She’s a full-time stay-at-home mum to my two beautiful granddaughters, with another one on the way in November, and I couldn’t be prouder…’
Sandra steered Sheila towards Emily, giving her husband a tinkly wave as they passed him deep in conversation with Jess’s new boyfriend – a car mechanic from the MOT centre in town. They were discussing what might be causing the rattle under the bonnet of his beloved BMW, but he paused to lift a hand to his wife and gave her a huge grin.
‘She’s parked outside, if you want to take a look? Little beauty – M535i, 1980 and I did all the work myself.’ The young man nodded enthusiastically, so Paul fished the keys from his suit trouser pocket. He was enjoying this party so much more than he’d thought he would.
Jess gave her friend a cheeky wink, and Lucy beamed back at her. They’d had the painful talk over two Danish pastries in The Teaspoon Café the week after Jess’s betrayal. It was silly, Lucy realised, to quarrel over a man, and Jess had cried such floods of apologetic tears that her pastry was soggy and inedible by the end of their talk. With Brenda gone, Lucy couldn’t bear to lose another friend, and so she did exactly as Brenda had bid everyone that last fateful night – she had been kind and would always continue to try her best to be so.
Lucy watched her nieces hiding underneath the pressed lined tablecloth of the buffet table, a whole bowl of cheesy puffs smuggled into their den, and smiled as she felt George kiss the top of her head. He slipped his arms about her waist as they stood at the side of the large dining room at Mortlake Hall and took a moment.
‘She’s here, you know. I can feel her,’ George said.
‘I know,’ said Lucy, and she reached for the silver locket. It had turned up the evening of Brenda’s funeral. Brenda had been right – it did have a way of appearing when it was needed. Popping the catch, she revealed the final words she’d discovered that night.
‘True love is the real magic.’
And fifty miles away, curled up on the sofa of number twenty-four Lancaster Road, Scratbag stretched out his front paws and sat up. He pricked up his tatty ears, turned his head in a south-westerly direction and let out a perfect meow.
Lucy Baker’s Dairy-Free Cherry Muffins
Ingredients (makes 9)
200g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
140g caster sugar
125ml sunflower oil
2 eggs
100ml water (you may need to add a little more if your mixture is too stiff)
100g cherries (stoned and halved if fresh)
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and place 9 cases in a muffin tin.
2. Toss the cherries in 1 tbsp of the self raising flour.
3. Sift the rest of the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then add the sugar and vanilla essence.
4. Lightly beat the eggs then add them, along with the oil and water to the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine.
5. Stir in the cherries then divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cases. (Reserve a few to place on top before cooking as they have a tendency to sink)
6. Bake in the centre of the oven for around 25-30 minutes until the muffins are golden and well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Leave the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the tin then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
The muffins will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container.
Acknowledgements
There are a whole host of people who have supported me and my writing dreams over the past few years. I may spend my days in isolation at the keyboard but I am surrounded by so many friends in real life that to name everyone individually would be impractical. Please know that each and every one of you has made a difference. The following are just some who deserve a special mention. To any I have forgotten – please forgive me.
Firstly, I would like to thank Victoria at Avon for championing my book and making my author dreams come true, but also the effervescent Katie, who so competently took over the reins as editor when Victoria moved on. You were both so enthusiastic about Lucy Baker’s story that it quite bowled me over. Also, thanks to my amazing agent, Louise Buckley, who gently guided me through some tricky moments.
Big thanks to Clare Horton and Paul Dye for donning their nursing and firefighter hats respectively, to help with research, and Sarah Cox – knitter extraordinaire – whose woolly Harry Hill inspired the Nicely Knitted Celebrities. Like Emily, I wouldn’t know which end of the needle to poke in the wool. Any mistakes in the research are mine and mine alone.
I would like to give a special shout-out to Sharon Teague, who got me up to speed on social media over the past few years, and supplied me with truly marvellous graphics to that end. She has patiently sat through various brainstorming sessions and let me bore her with entire story outlines. You deserve more wine, love – just the one bottle, mind.
To everyone in the Romantic Novelists’ Association, but particularly my two NWS readers, the sage and encouraging Heidi Swain and my virtual office buddy, Clare Marchant (who meets me every morning at 9 a.m. by the virtual water-cooler). To my fellow NWS member, Mary Anne Lewis – Siam Son, my friend. Your courage humbles me. And to my darling sister, Linda, for introducing me to the RNA in the first place, and for being the most brutal but totally stupendous beta reader.
To Jacqui Lawrence and Shirley Bearman for having such unstinting faith in me at the start of my journey, and to my darling husband, who can never remember the title of anything I’m working on, but has never once questioned why I want to write. And not forgetting Leo, my thirteen-year-old son, who insisted on reading his mum’s book and #totes loved it. Not my target audience but, hey, I’ll take it.
An extra special mention to the amazing Ann Warr-Wood, my neighbour and good friend, and my very own Brenda. I love you.
To each and every reader out there who has taken a chance on my debut novel – I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Please find me on social media and let me know what you think. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and you can help me learn.
And finally, Julie Harrington. She knows why.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After gaining a history degree, Jenni Keer embarked on a career in contract flooring before settling in the middle of the Suffolk countryside with her husband, an antique-restorer. She valiantly attempted to master the ancient art of housework but with four teenage boys in the house, it remains a mystery. Instead, she spends her time at the keyboard writing women’s fiction to combat the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere, with #blindcat Seymour by her side. She adores any excuse for fancy-dress, and is part of a disco formation dance team.
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
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22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3
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India
HarperCollins India
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Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
http://www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United State
s
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com