An Orphan’s Wish: The new, most heartwarming of christmas novels you will read in 2018

An Orphan’s Wish: The new, most heartwarming of christmas novels you will read in 2018
Molly Green

War rages, but the women and children of Liverpool’s Dr Barnardo’s Home cannot give up hope. What more could you wish for than a poignant, heart-warming saga to read this Christmas?LIVERPOOL, 1943Yorkshire is the place Lana has always called home, but it’s now filled with painful memories of her fiancé, Dickie, who was killed at sea. When she accepts the challenging position of headmistress at a school in Liverpool, she hopes a new beginning will help to mend her broken heart.A BATTLE TO FIGHTNot everyone at Bingham School is happy about her arrival but Lana throws herself into the role, teaching children from the local village and the nearby Dr Barnardo’s orphanage. She thrives in her work, but soon finds herself falling for a man who she would once have considered the enemy – and is torn between what she knows is right, and taking a risk that might see her lose everything.THE STRENGTH TO HOPEThere are children that desperately need her help, and Lana must fight for everyone’s happiness, as well as her own. But one young girl in particular shows her that there is a way through the darkness – because even when all seems lost, there is always a glimmer of hope to be found…

Copyright (#u55d91cfa-aeb5-5365-b6d5-01115efd9321)

Published by Avon an imprint of

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street,

London, SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018

Copyright © HarperCollins 2018

Cover photography © Head Design / Shutterstock 2018

Cover design © Head Design 2018

Molly Green 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.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008239008

Ebook Edition © November 2018 ISBN: 9780008239015

Version: 2018-10-23

Dedication (#u55d91cfa-aeb5-5365-b6d5-01115efd9321)

For the original Lana Ashwin, a glamorous dark-haired actress and one of my mother’s close friends who rented a flat in the same building in Kensington. She and her husband, actor Michael Ashwin, endured the London Blitz along with Mum and Dad.

To all Dr Barnardo’s children during the Second World War who were the inspiration for this series.

Lastly, to all the animals who were used in the war – they had no choice. If you haven’t been, do go and see the monument, Animals in War, on the edge of Hyde Park, London. It’s a powerful and moving tribute to the thousands of animals who suffered and died in service.

Table of Contents

Cover (#ub141db7c-30b4-5731-8a13-c0265f496e28)

Title Page (#u64f8e51a-100e-5771-900e-0f042db8adc6)

Copyright (#u9b0d21cc-7316-5198-a949-0ba6eec7e400)

Dedication (#u160b9753-e536-5c42-ad42-c9d8061f80b2)

Before … (#u0c98d131-cd56-5ea0-bb29-a4876fce884e)

Chapter One (#u84620048-50f5-581d-8eb2-a4e2ed6ae05f)

Chapter Two (#u1bafb276-9304-55bc-a7e9-ceb9a122070d)

Chapter Three (#u3f1683dd-d94d-542a-9b4c-94eaa429bc68)

Chapter Four (#u0604e674-82c5-5677-bffe-8f4d1278e3db)

Chapter Five (#u59ca57cd-50b8-583a-b989-af0cf7b3d543)

Chapter Six (#ua9c32836-b5f9-5fe9-a3a2-32d86e1abcea)

Chapter Seven (#u9d2112ef-ede3-5122-b18a-9ec679b0298d)

Chapter Eight (#ua4e8f70f-1b4a-54b8-9559-4b1a385facb8)

Chapter Nine (#u1437b450-0106-5591-99a5-0cf7e89dc990)

Chapter Ten (#ucf9d8eec-dbdb-5f1e-97a0-7c69cad9c317)

Chapter Eleven (#u214e8e56-0b7b-587d-89d7-7bfc024e3784)

Chapter Twelve (#u5cd5deae-ccb5-5e0c-bc9f-17d18cd8ea92)

Chapter Thirteen (#u7fbb324b-15e0-5495-bffa-32647debd299)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)