Riverflow
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Thanked me! As if he’d forgotten how I made things as difficult as I could for him – my word against his & all that. Activist breaking the terms of his bail versus helpful mate trying to make him see sense? It might even have worked too, if someone hadn’t (at last, congrats!!) thought to check the gig I was supposed to have been at when he was knocked off his bike. It all slid from there, sympathy shifted his way, & the publicity – which he claimed not to want! – even pushed the remaining fence-sitters in the village & beyond into the arms of their little Frack-Free Foxover clan. Helped by old Marjorie recovering a bit & making her opinion known.
Said he’d been prompted to send an olive branch – was he trying to be clever or what? Call me Noah ha ha – after the birth of their child. Do I give a fuck? They called her Hope, as if that’ll bring some answers.
Can’t see what’s so special about answers myself, though I’ve thought a lot about why I hated my big gawky cousin so much. It certainly wasn’t because I wanted anything he had.
Revenge – that old classic? But why? What did he ever do to me? Who knows. I’ve had the words ‘cold & calculating’ thrown at me often enough, but in truth it just came over me as I kept reading about the mutual fan club in the old man’s diary, & I wanted to hurt him, & hurt her because that was another way of getting to him, & once it got me in its grip…well, it was just part of the game.
Maybe that’s all it was. A game. A way of passing the time.
I still can’t believe it was that easy. So they’d been through a bad patch, but even so. They’re both intelligent people & you’d think they’d be sharper than that. Honestly, what chance have they got of finding their place in the world? They’ll just keep getting walked all over – no more than they deserve.
Though maybe I’m being unfair. After all, they’re there & I’m cut off from it all in here.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful as ever to all at Honno, especially Caroline Oakley and Helena Earnshaw, for their belief in my writing and hard work on my behalf.
I am indebted to the Hawthornden Foundation, and the late Drue Heinz, for the month I spent writing the second half of this novel at the beautiful and inspiring Hawthornden castle.
Special thanks to my friends Martine Bailey and Elaine Walker for invaluable feedback, insight and support at all stages of writing this novel and beyond. I would also like to thank my early readers, John Maskall, Clare Smith, Ann Stonehouse, John Stonestreet, Karen Johnson, Ed Layland, Trina Layland, Natalie Lloyd and James Layland, for their insights, comments and encouragement. Thanks to the Prime Writers and the family of Honno authors for long-standing friendship and support.
Ali Rashidbaigi provided helpful advice on the medical treatment of fractures and concussion. Any errors are, of course, all mine.
My gratitude to Richard Bentley for in-depth information and fascinating conversations about floods, water mills and all things riparian. Again, any errors are mine; I should note here that this is a work of fiction, and the last time this part of Shropshire was subject to the kind of spring rain and summer floods described in the novel was in 2007, although climate change means similar freak conditions are ever more likely. I have also moved the zone threatened by fracking a number of miles south towards the Severn and the fictional location of Foxover.
Last but not least, I give my heartfelt thanks to my family, especially my husband David, for everything.
ABOUT HONNO
Honno Welsh Women’s Press was set up in 1986 by a group of women who felt strongly that women in Wales needed wider opportunities to see their writing in print and to become involved in the publishing process. Our aim is to develop the writing talents of women in Wales, give them new and exciting opportunities to see their work published and often to give them their first ‘break’ as a writer. Honno is registered as a community co-operative. Any profit that Honno makes is invested in the publishing programme. Women from Wales and around the world have expressed their support for Honno. Each supporter has a vote at the Annual General Meeting. For more information and to buy our publications, please write to Honno at the address below, or visit our website: www.honno.co.uk
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First published in 2019 by Honno Press, ‘Ailsa Craig’, Heol y Cawl, Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, CF64 4AH
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Copyright: Alison Layland © 2019
The right of Alison Layland to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
The Author would like to stress that this is a work of fiction and no resemblance to any actual individual or institution is intended or implied.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Published with the financial support of the Welsh Books Council.
ISBN 978-1-909983-97-7 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-909983-98-4 (ebook)
Cover design: Graham Preston