London, 1949. In the aftermath of the war, Angie Westwood thinks the hard times are behind her. But when her cousin, Jane, dies of heart failure at the tender age of twenty, leaving a three-year-old son and an unresolved mystery over his father's identity, her life changes beyond all expectations. Angie immediately adopts Danny and decides to bring him up as her own, but she is torn between a desire to trace his father - for the boy's sake - and her fear of losing him to this unknown man. Concerned about Danny's well-being, Angie takes him to visit John and Hettie Sawyer, whose farm she and Jane were evacuated to during the war. The moment they lay eyes on him it is immediately apparent to the Sawyers who Danny's father is. But should they share this news with Angie? For his identity will be the most enormous shock to her...
Whitechapel, London 1890. Queenie Bonner is only two when she is taken from her large family in the slums to a big house in the country. She is frightened and confused, begging to be taken back, but is told that this is now her home. She yearns for her nine brothers and sisters, especially Harry, who is her favourite. Albert and Mary Warrender rename her Eleanor and bring her up as their daughter. As time passes Eleanor forgets about her other family and loves Mary and Albert as her mother and father. But fifteen years later, when Mary dies, Albert tells her about the Bonners. With Albert's help, she sets about tracing her forgotten family. The search holds pleasure, distress and even danger as she discovers what has happened to her siblings over the years.
London 1899 Gertrude Melrose is preparing for a New Year party when her brother enters her room. She knows he wants money from her and refuses at once. She loves her brother but he is in with a disreputable crowd and losing heavily at the gaming tables. He has already gambled away his inheritance and she cannot allow him to do that with hers. A few days later the Melrose family is devastated when demands are made on them to settle Edward's huge debts. It will mean the loss of their house and almost everything they own. Edward is disowned by his father and banished from their lives.
After a traumatic past, life finally seems to be looking up for Hanna Foster. But war is on its way . . . London, 1938. Hanna and Jack Foster had been sent to an orphanage when their parents were killed in a train crash, but were separated when a couple adopted Jack. Bullied and treated like a slave, it soon became clear it was a dreadful mistake. In desperation, Jack takes his future into his own hands and runs away to join the merchant navy, while Hanna takes a job looking after two children. For a time, life seems good, but war is looming and threatens to take away everything Hanna holds dear . . .
An intelligent, slum-dwelling teenage girl takes drastic measures to survive when her father throws her out of her home, in this spellbinding historical saga Poplar, London, 1920. Fourteen-year-old Victoria Keats is horrified when her father demands that she go to work for wealthy Mr Preston – everyone knows why he takes young girls into his house. But her violent father, who’s never let her forget she’s not the son he wanted, won’t listen to her concerns – and when she stands up for herself, he throws her out of their dingy little house in the slums. Intelligent, book-loving Vicki vows to make her father regret this day; but she is all alone in the world. Despite her courage and quick wits, it seems likely she will starve – until two men, both complete strangers, provide her with no-strings-attached help. As Vicki’s life improves beyond all recognition, she can’t help but fixate on the mystery of these two good Samaritans: who were they? And why did they help her? She determines to find the men and thank them, but tracking them down may be harder – and more life-changing – than she thinks . . .
1856. Christine Banner is alone after her father's death, penniless but armed with an iron will. Determined to put London behind her and find a place to call home, her search takes her to the New Forest where she stumbles upon Lord Frenshaw's estate. Her skill at handling some of the large and difficult war horses bred there, shines through and captures his attention. However, when his son Harry returns from the Crimea, battle-scarred and short-tempered, Christine's future looks uncertain, and Harry may find that home is not the safe haven to which he hoped to return.In the face of grief, sadness and disappointment, Christine's intelligence and strength will be tested until she finds the place she can truly belong.
1919, London's East End. Robert Hunter is eagerly awaiting the return of his father from the war. Next door, Ruth Cooper's family are also preparing to welcome her dad, whose ship was lost at Jutland. After five years of separation and anxiety - and, for Bob, the worry of caring for his frail mother - emotions are running high for both young people. But Alf Hunter, who saw action in the trenches, returns a changed man, and when he takes to drink, Bob must put his own happiness on hold to support his family.
A heart-warming and uplifting tale' Sunday Express London, 1802. Major Harry Sterling has left behind his regiment following the death of his father and, in quick succession, his older brother. The responsibilities that come with being Duke of Ranliegh now fall to him, including marrying and siring an heir without delay. However, Harry finds himself distracted from looking for a wife when his soldier instincts lead him to a web of treachery and the possibility that his brother's death was no accident. As his investigation unfolds, so Harry's search for a wife continues ... surely the eldest Winslow girl, the wilful Isabella, wouldn't be right at all .
As World War II breaks out, four friends consider the changes that war will mean. Tomboyish Becky plans to join the ATS, her neighbours Bob and Jim the navy and army respectively. Only Becky's brother Will is left out of the excitement; because of a slight physical disability, he is forced to stay behind. As the friends are separated, their youthful enthusiasm is tempered by the grim newspaper headlines and their own experiences, and they will feel both joy and pain before the war is over.
London, 1940. The war is raging across Europe and twenty-three-year-old Grace is devastated by the loss of her husband, Brian, at Dunkirk after only a year of marriage. Her secretary job at a law firm keeps her mind from dwelling on her sorrow but when her boss, James, enlists in the air force Grace is left without work. Alongside her best friend, Helen, the two young women join the War Office in a move that will change their lives forever. As Grace throws herself into the war effort, she must find the courage and strength to start her life over and find love again.
1941, London. Sirens warn of danger as German bomber planes approach the city. Ever cautious, Kathy and her mother head immediately for the nearest public air raid shelter but are separated in the desperate scramble to safety. When the building is destroyed in a direct hit, it is a miracle Kathy survives, and before the night is through, she will suffer further loss as her home is reduced to rubble. Finding herself alone amid the chaos and ruins, Kathy is left with nothing but a burning fury towards those she holds responsible for her devastating loss and a determination to join the war effort. Assigned as a secretary to the enigmatic Commander Evans, Kathy throws herself into war work, gaining a reputation for her efficiency and thoroughness. But the commander has frequent unexplained absences, and Kathy longs to discover the secrets of his intelligence missions. Before the war is through, she will come face-to-face with the enemy, and will discover that the men behind the machines are perhaps not quite the monsters she was expecting.
London, 1900. Hester Stanmore watches in disbelief as the jury declares her attacker 'not guilty', and the courtroom erupts into chaos. The man in the dock is being congratulated as if he were a hero, but she has seen he madness in his eyes when he had attacked her and left her for dead. It was only Hester's strength that allowed her to survive. Hester was determined to bring him to justice, but what would happen now? As she endeavours to pick up the pieces of her life, Hester meets the mysterious Daniel Hansen, and perhaps she will find the happy ending she justly deserves .
As if everyday life in London's slums wasn't hard enough for Jane Roberts and her three children, the day that ne'er-do-well husband Bert walks out on his family as rent day draws near is a particularly dark time. In the wake of his desertion, the family pull together to find their way forward, and Jane takes the steps she needs to get a divorce and free them all from Bert in the future.With help from a neighbour who is not all she seems, a lucky break and fresh opportunities, the road ahead starts to look more promising. But will Bert wreck the new start the Roberts family have their sights set on?
A moving and uplifting tale set in 1920s London, for fans of Downton Abbey, Dilly Court, and Lesley Pearse November, 1929 Sixteen-year-old Eugenie Winford is looking forward to Christmas in her family's elegant Russell Square mansion. But shortly before the holidays her world is shattered when her father suddenly dies. Destitute and desperate to escape the marriage her mother has arranged to save them, Eugenie runs away, changing her name and disguising herself as a servant. Hiding in the rundown streets of Lambeth and struggling, like so many others, with poverty and hardship, she finds true kindness and even love. Yet little does Eugenie know she is hunted by her greedy blood relations - and a young man who hopes to save her . . . Who will find her first? And can she ever return to the life she had before, even if she wanted to? Praise for Beryl Matthews: 'A heartwarming and uplifting tale' Daily Express 'Catherine Cookson fans will love this' Woman's Own Previously published as A Change of Fortune
A spellbinding saga of family, trust, secrets . . . and love Hampshire 1850. Beth Langton has been running her large family estate for nine months now, after the death of her father. Under the watchful eyes of her godfather and guardian, Lord Edward Sharland, and an excellent estate manager, Henry Greenway, she is loving the work. After a week away with Henry buying cattle, terrible news is waiting for her on her return. The father of her best friend, Lady Helen Denton, has shot himself after running up gambling debts, leaving Helen destitute. Beth persuades Helen to come and live with her, although Helen is too proud to take charity and insists she work as a paid companion. The girls soon settle happily together, but further tragedy awaits. Beth is informed by a stranger that her beloved guardian, away on business, has died. The stranger claims to be Edward’s heir, making him her legal guardian – and he has the paperwork to prove it. But can they trust him? And should they?
London, 1920. The three Bentley children are used to fending for themselves. Their widowed mother has been forced to take a night job at Grant's clothing factory, and sees them only at breakfast and on Sundays. But at nearly eighteen, and with a job as a housemaid to help make ends meet, Dora is well able to look after her younger siblings Tom and Lily. Then one morning their mother fails to appear for breakfast, and when Dora is told by the gatekeeper at Grant's factory that no one by the name of Harriet Bentley has ever worked there, the children grow worried. They know their mother loves them, and cannot believe she would deliberately deceive them. With the help of a neighbour, a former policeman who was badly injured during the War, Dora and her siblings start to investigate
London, 1910. Lester Holdsworth is a brilliant pianist and his twin, Lillia, is a magnificent singer: they are destined for the stage. But their cruel father has other ideas for their future. Lester is sent to a military academy, while Lillia must marry Lord Dalton - a pompous friend of her father's. Yet their plans to defy their father's wishes are put on hold when war breaks out in 1914. Before long, Lester is flying planes for the Royal Flying Corps and Lillia is using her skills as a nurse to help those wounded at home, and then abroad. And both twins wait in hope, like the rest of Europe, for the war to end and the music to start again.
London 1934 Amy Carter's great frustration is that at nearly fifteen she still can't read or write very well. She is intelligent, but has trouble with words. How is she going to survive when her father is hanged for murder and her mother dies, leaving her alone? Ben Scott, an artist she has met only once, finds her at this crucial time and takes her back to his landlady, who gives her a home. The people living in the house become her family, and, step-by-step, the past is put behind her. In 1939 she marries a young doctor, John Sterling, and her happiness is complete. Then war comes to tear her family apart. John is killed during an air raid, and Ben is reported missing. Is she destined to lose the two men she adores? And how many painful steps will it take to regain her happiness?
September, 1938. Britain is at war and Ruth Aspinall, a gifted pilot, is determined to join the Air Transport Auxiliary, an organisation of civilian pilots who ferry aircraft to wherever they're needed. Meanwhile over in America, siblings Jack and Lucy Nelson, both experienced pilots themselves, are keen to join too. After a perilous journey by sea, Jack is soon having his first experience of the London Blitz before being posted to White Waltham, where he quite literally bumps into Ruth and romance soon blossoms. On D-Day, Jack is sent to France to deliver a Spitfire, but he is declared missing in action after his plane fails to arrive. Heartbroken, Ruth must accept that the love of her life may never return . . .
October 1943. Nancy Dalton, working at the RAF base at Scampton in Lincolnshire, has been holding vigil for the Lancaster bomber pilots whose missions seem endless. But her watchfulness has not prevented her own pilot brother from failing to return. In the midst of mourning him, fresh recruits arrive to continue the war effort, among them charismatic Canadian Steve Allard. The months ahead will be long and hard, with danger a constant companion, and although both Steve and Nancy never intend to complicate wartime life with romance, their attraction becomes impossible to ignore.
All her short life, eleven-year-old Rose Webster has encountered closed doors. Growing up in the slums of London with her siblings, trying to avoid their violent, drunken father, Rose still has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and is sure she andher loved ones deserve a better life. Can she open the door and seize the chance to make something of herself? Told with humour, warmth and love, The Open Door is the first in a trilogy following the lives of Rose and her family. Beryl Matthews joined a writers' group when she retired five years ago and starting working on her own novel. The result was The Open Door, the inspiration for which came from her own mother's early life. Beryl is currently working on the second part of the trilogy of Rose Webster's life. She lives in Hampshire with her husband.
From the bestselling author of The Open Door comes a moving and uplifting story about a generation of young people living through World War II September, 1939. In the sleepy village of Roehampton, Annie Webster has finally found comfort for herself and her close-knit family, far from the poverty and hardships of their childhood in Bermondsey. Then, an announcement shatters their newfound peace. England is at war . . . As her brothers enlist for duty, Annie sacrifices her glamorous job in London for the urgent work of the WAAF, where women of all backgrounds pull together tirelessly for the war effort. Brave, resourceful and determined to do her bit for her country, Annie's intelligence and warmth singles her out for a daring new role . . . But as Annie quickly catches the eye of a dashing officer, will she ever find peace in her heart? And will Annie and her loved ones survive Britain's darkest hour? _______ 'A heartwarming and uplifting tale' Daily Express PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS WINGS OF THE MORNING
From the author of the bestselling debut THE OPEN DOOR comes a moving and uplifting story about a generation of young people living through World War II. When war breaks out Annie Webster and her closeknit family find themselves - along with everyone else in the country - thrust into a world of uncertainty, danger and despair. Her brothers join up, her sweetheart Paul becomes a fighter pilot, and Annie, desperate to help, finds herself in the WAAF, where her intelligence and warmth singles her out for a role more daring than she can ever have known. All the time, the Battle of Britain is raging in the skies above her. The country has never needed its young people more, but will Annie and her loved ones survive its darkest hour?
In this third and last part of the Webster family trilogy, Kate goes to London to follow her dream of becoming a photographer. Kate has a long journey to make before she is able to realise her dream and a lot of growing up to do on the way.
As if everyday life in London's slums wasn't hard enough for Jane Roberts and her three children, the day that ne'er-do-well husband Bert walks out on his family as rent day draws near is a particularly dark time. In the wake of his desertion, the family pull together to find their way forward, and Jane takes the steps she needs to get a divorce and free them all from Bert in the future.
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