Published by Avon
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2017
Copyright © Bella Osborne 2017
Cover design © Alex Allden 2017
Bella Osborne asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Ebook Edition © March 2017 ISBN: 9780008181017
Source ISBN: 9780008181024
Version: 2017-11-16
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ESCAPE TO WILLOW COTTAGE
‘Loved this book, so light-hearted and amusing’
‘A lovely read’
‘Oh what a little treasure this is! A cast of great characters, lovely Cotswold village and Beth trying to cope with the disaster she has bought’
‘Full of wit and charm’
‘Great characters who have quickly become established and rooted in my imagination. Very funny, but with deeper undercurrents woven in’
‘Loved the story, couldn’t put it down’
‘Absolutely loved this book, hooked from the start’
‘Three Words: Brilliant, Charming and Moving’
‘This is a wonderful read’
Table of Contents
What readers are saying about Escape to Willow Cottage
It was early and the hospital and ICU ward were still peaceful. Cormac and Rosemary had arrived looking slightly less weary having spent the night in a nearby hotel, although they were both quiet and subdued. Rosemary had a paperback with her and she began reading silently as Cormac scanned a newspaper. Carly was sitting at Fergus’s side scanning his music collection; she had been playing his music through the vibrating speaker all night. There had been no change in Fergus. Not a flicker of an eyelash or a twitch of a finger – nothing.
Carly let out a huge yawn; she was exhausted. Sooner or later she would have to accept that she needed to go home for a proper sleep in her own bed. Nobody had said as much but she was starting to realize that this was only day three of what could be very many days at his bedside. She didn’t want to think about it but she knew she had to. Everything had changed so suddenly – what was meant to have been one of the happiest times of her life had quickly become a nightmare. It was still unclear why some lout had smashed a bottle over Fergus’s head and she wondered if he had any idea of how quickly that action had changed so many lives.
Maybe it was the tiredness but she felt like a layer