The Honey Queen

The Honey Queen
Cathy Kelly

To discover the sweetest things in life, you sometimes have to lose your way…It’s easy to fall in love with the beautiful town of Redstone – the locals wave and chat to each other, the shops and cafes are full of cheerful hustle and bustle. And amidst all this activity, two women believe they are getting on just fine.Francesca’s boundless energy help her to take everything in her stride, including a husband who has lost his job and the unwelcome arrival of the menopause, which has kicked in – full throttle.Peggy has always been a restless spirit. But now, focused and approaching thirty, she has opened her own knitting shop on the town’s high street. It’s a dream come true, but she still feels adrift.When Australian-raised Lillie finally makes it back home to Ireland, she is drawn right into the heart of Redstone’s thriving community. But what she thought would be an ending is actually just a beginning; all of Lillie’s hard-earned wisdom will soon be called into play as she helps new friends navigate unchartered territory. . .

CATHY KELLY

The Honey Queen

For my family, John, Murray and Dylan.

For Mum, Lucy, Francis and all my beloved family, and

for the dear friends who are always there for me.

Thank you.

Table of Contents

Title Page (#u10985759-f817-59f4-8285-90415bd8af8c)

Dedication (#u63f0bc83-7fc2-5004-9651-a3b7b82a071c)

Part One (#uae049610-6348-55bf-bc22-5abcd4418197)

Prologue (#u3164c122-b723-518c-bf4b-d8f74925265b)

Chapter One (#u5f594c86-5a74-57ac-bcbf-1c0d9b5126f8)

Chapter Two (#u0043431b-f8d7-515e-aa03-f1e6e8aed261)

Chapter Three (#u4f49e7e5-8be4-596b-b1af-ee2d56f6f7bb)

Chapter Four (#u38fd7ecb-c04a-582a-b5bf-bb4a9368273c)

Chapter Five (#u91c59f1f-432a-5847-aeb9-dbe21e655515)

Part Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Six months later (#litres_trial_promo)

And now an extract from an interview with Cathy Kelly! (#litres_trial_promo)

By the Same Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Part One

The atmosphere of the bees and the hive is determined entirely by the mood and personality of the queen bee. A calm queen will result in a calm, peaceful and productive hive.

The Gentle Beekeeper, Iseult Cloud

Prologue

Lillie Maguire kept the letter tucked into the inside zipped compartment of her handbag, a battered beige one Sam had bought her in David Jones one Christmas. The handbag was as soft as butter from years of use, and coins would slip down in the places where the lining had split, but she didn’t care: it was a part of him.

She had so little left of Sam that she treasured what she did have: his pillow, which still had the faintest scent of his hair, the shirt he’d worn that last day going into hospital, the engagement ring with its tiny opal bought forty years before. And the David Jones bag with the ripped lining. These were her treasures.