In 2019 Grace’s memories from childhood are stirred by the sound of a melody. Her home in 1950’s England was a Spanish House. A house with secrets.
1920’s England…loveable, likeable Simon receives a letter on the eve of his twenty-first birthday. A letter that will change the course of his life.
Dainty, demure Olivia has so much to be thankful for: a doting husband, a beautiful house and a thriving business…but a nagging doubt. In the last years of the Roaring Twenties this doubt is compounded by the discovery of a discarded item.
Elise has known many harsh blows in her young life. Returning to her home in Madrid in 1922, she knows she must pick herself up and move on. Can she continue to live in this Spanish House? The arrival of a visitor creates a new dimension for her.
Spanish House Secrets is a story of love, life, loss, jealousy and forgiveness set in the twentieth century.
Purchase Links
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1915338875
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1915338875
Susan Gray lives with her husband in northeast England. She has a son and daughter, both married, two granddaughters and a grand dog. After a career in primary teaching, she embraced retirement fulfilling her ambition to travel, attend Wimbledon and write a novel.
She enjoys reading, walking, crafting, doing puzzles, catching up with friends over a coffee and being a gran. She has written several novels – Spanish House Secrets is the first to be published.
Social Media Links
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https://www.instagram.com/susangrayauthorhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/42479586
SPANISH HOUSE SECRETS (SUSAN GRAY) EXTRACT THE DECISION
The year is 1924. News of a devastating blow causes Simon to come to a decision. A decision he knows he has been procrastinating.
He froze. He stared indisbelief at the terminology ‘Yours sincerely’…How could she? It was impossible. He cast his mind back to their lovemaking. He thought of the long nights of intimacy they had shared. The hours they had spent holding each other, declaring their love for each other, gazing into one another’s eyes.
‘Yours sincerely’…it was unbelievable! Did their love mean nothing to her? All the talk about meeting him as her landlord – surely not. Oh Elise…Why? Why? Why…What’s happened? He continued to sit and stare at the letter. We could have met twice a year. Elise…I still love you. He was torturing himself. Eventually he made his way home in a daze.
That night he took the little musical box out of his drawer and opened it for the first time since arriving home last December. The perfume fragrance was still strong, arousing his senses…he wept…it was over…he sat staring at the box for ages. Slowly, he felt realisation sink in. It must only have been a holiday romance for Elise – a few weeks of enjoyment. He knew it meant far more to him. He sat for ages struggling to accept it.
Finally, he stood and put the little box away in the container Serena called his ‘Boy’s Junk’. Rubbish he could not part with – it sat on the top of his wardrobe. He knew what he must do…climbing into his bed he eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, spurred on by his decision, he left the house before the ladies came down for breakfast. He drove into town and walked around for about an hour. Then as the business day was beginning, he found a jewellery store. He was looking for a particular item and made a purchase. He then returned to Loftam. After parking the car, he made his way down the High Street into the side street where Olivia’s Hats was situated.
He knocked and went straight in. There was nothing unusual about Simon visiting at any time of the day. Olivia looked up from her work.
“Hello, you must have been away early this morning. We missed you at breakfast,” she remarked.
He did not respond. Olivia shook her head…I guess he’s in a mood, she thought.
Simon was wandering around looking at the stock, touching this, feeling that, looking at sketches. He was backing this business, so was perfectly within his rights to do this. He didn’t look at her, but just muttered, “I needed to do things in Newcastle, so I left early.”
He smiled…an empty smile, one Olivia was used to seeing. He was acting strangely, she sighed…he would leave soon.
“Olivia,” he asked in his pompous tone of voice, “could you spare me some time this afternoon?”
She stopped andlooked up from her work.
“Of course…is anything wrong?” she enquired tentatively. All sorts of possibilities were going through her mind.
“No, I’ll pick you up at the end of the High Street at two o’clock sharp,” he pronounced, turned and left the shop.
She put her work down and gazed after him. He was acting in a very peculiar manner. He was abrupt and offhand – he didn’t say hello or goodbye, he had delivered his message and left. Oh, Simon Guilder what is wrong with you now? Sometimes I think my patience with you will run out. Are you going to end our business arrangement? Are you going to move to Spain? On and on her mind ticked. She had three hours to wait to find out.
She couldn’t concentrate, so she picked up her belongings and locked the shop. She went along to Serena’s store – maybe she knew something. Serena was busy with a client. She waited a few minutes then decided to leave. She mouthed “See you tonight,” to her friend and left.
She decided to walk back up to The Gables. She possessed her own key. She ran the risk of bumping into Simon but if she did…well so be it. This was obviously something serious and she needed to calm herself. The house was empty. She paced the floor of her bedroom, then decided to have a bath and change clothes. If this was to be their ‘finale’ then she was going to look smart. It would also fill in some time. Two hours later she was back in her shop looking very smart – a trifle overdressed for her line ofwork.
She was waiting at the agreed place at the appointed time. When Simon arrived, she climbed into the front seat beside him. It was the first time she’d sat in the front – she was usually in the back with Serena. She felt nervous.
He greeted her with a big grin on his face. My, she thought, you’ve changed your demeanour since this morning.
“Hello Livvy,” he said. “You look amazing.” He was playing games with her. She was annoyed. Why was he calling her Livvy? She was used to him using her full name. She bristled, turned and faced him.
“Simon, please tell me what’s wrong, I’m concerned,” she said honestly.
“Nothing’s wrong, my dear,” he answered and started the car. They sat in silence as he drove out of the town to a part of Loftam she didn’t recognise. They turned into a leafy lane. It was flat with a ‘country’ feel to it. There were also lots of empty spaces. He drove slowly then stopped the car in front of a plot. He climbed out of the car, came around and opened the door for her…very strange, unless he was trying to be funny, which by the look on his face he was not. He was looking serious again. He didn’t wait for her to get out, just walked off and stood by the fence looking at the plot of grass…a small field.
She felt exasperated with him, but she got out and went to stand beside him. He didn’t speak and neither did she. Then he turned and looked at her.
“This, Livvy, is the place where I am going to build my Spanish House.”
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