Save Her, Abigail Osborne [ebook reader for surface pro txt] 📗

she yanks and yells, trying to escape the car. She hits Flora’s dad, trying in vain to wake him up.

‘Don’t let me die, Sophie,’ she pleads, tears coursing down her face.

‘I’m sorry. I can’t help you.’

I feel awful but I am resolute in my certainty that this is what should happen. That Flora needs to stay with me. That fate has engineered this situation to keep us together.

Realisation dawns. She knows that she is going to die. I can see it in her face. She is calm now. No longer panicking. Reaching around her neck she unhooks a necklace and pushes it through the gap. I walk forward and reach down to it. It is the necklace I have seen her wear since the first day I met her.

‘Give that to Flora,’ she sobs. Through the tears she fixes me with a piercing stare. ‘Promise me you will look after her. That you will keep her safe and always protect her.’

‘It’s what I am doing now. I will always look after her. You don’t have to worry, Mrs Harper. Flora is safe with me.’

I walk away to her screams of pain. When I glance back the entire car is burning. The screaming stops abruptly.

I grapple with my unconscious mother until she is out of the car and then I slap her hard. It is very satisfying. She drinks in my lies about her driving and running someone off the road. It sobers her up immediately. Who knew that was what it would take? She drives us home and tries to live with what she has done, whilst I focus on keeping my promise and always thanking fate for not taking away the only good thing in my life.

The memory dissipates and the bars on the windows come back into view.

You were safe with me. Until we got caught in the spider’s web of the Cavendish family. That was my fault, Flora. I will fix it, though. Cecelia will not look after you. She doesn’t care about you. I am the only one that loves you. Truly loves you. I’ve loved you since I met you when I was four years old. No prison in the world can break that bond. Someone will make a mistake. Someone will slip up and when they do, I’ll be free. I’ve already managed to increase the time the man who delivers my food spends at my door. It won’t be long until he feels compelled to help me. Then I’ll find you, Flora. I’ve spent my whole life loving you, keeping you safe. We will be together again.

THE END

Acknowledgements

There was a point where I honestly didn’t think this book would ever get written. But thanks to the support of some incredible people, it has.

This book is very much about the power of friendship. I’ve moved around a lot since I was a child and although it taught me how to make friends easily, I’ve struggled to keep hold of them. But thankfully I have managed to ensnare some unlucky people and persuaded them to stick around, and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.

As ever, I need to thank my best friend Elle. Without you in my life, I wouldn’t have got to this stage. I’d also like to thank Meggie, Nathan, Antony, Mike, Mark, and Jen for showing me what true, long-lasting friendship is so I could write about it and for all your kindness and support whilst I’ve been writing this book.

To Rachel, we met trying and failing to set-up a book club in Worcester, but I think we’d both agree we got a friendship out of it that more than makes up for it. Rachel, thanks for being my sounding board and for all those discussions on how to write about worms authentically. Jen Lucas – I know you don’t like hugs, so this is the next best way to demonstrate how indebted I am to you. Your support with this book has been amazing, thank you for listening to me ramble, for giving me constructive feedback, for going with me on a writing retreat and boosting my confidence when I needed it as well as some straight-talking when that was also needed. I’m looking forward to our next writing retreat, somewhere with fewer distractions next time! I’m very lucky to have you as a friend.

A huge thank you to Sara, the first person I had the courage to send the completed book to before publication. Your words gave me a confidence I cannot explain. I also want to say thanks to Joanne Beacham – also known as Alexa – you gave me the help and support to leave my job and go freelance. Without that, I would never have written this book, of that I am sure.

I’m also grateful to Kerry and Leann for your encouragement and support, you are two of the nicest people in the world and I feel lucky to have you as my family. Especially Kerry – who taught me how to cheat at board games.

It was through blogging about books that I started my journey to writing. I have had the privilege of meeting some wonderful book bloggers that love books just as much as me. I am lucky enough to call some of these people friends. I’d like to thank all book bloggers – your passion and support are underrated – and all my friends in the book world. But I’d also like to give a special mention to Sandie Bishop, Nicola Southall, Teresa Nikolic, Joanne Robertson, Alexina Golding, Sumaira Wilson and Heather Fitt.

Special thanks to Jane Flaherty and Linda Tyler for taking the time to help me with legal advice for this book. Another thank you to Linda Tugwell for entering my competition to have her name included in the book.

I would like to thank all of the team at Bloodhound Books for everything they have done to get this book to publication, my editor Clare, Tara,