The Stolen Years

The Stolen Years
Fiona Hood-Stewart

Spanning three generations and a century of love, loss and longing, The Stolen Years is a stunning tale of secrets and betrayals, of an empire forged from the seeds of revenge…and the legacy that withstood it all.On the battlefields of World War I, twin brothers Gavin and Angus MacLeod are torn apart in one horrific instant that changes their lives forever. Believing his brother dead, a shattered, tormented Angus returns home to Scotland and takes his place as heir to the family title and husband to his brother's fiancée.But Gavin has survived. Believing he was betrayed by his twin, he creates a new identity for himself in America. And as he helms an elite china empire through decades of war and turbulence, peace and prosperity, he nurses a bitter obsession for revenge.Fate and one remarkable woman will unite the brothers' lives in astonishing unforeseen ways. Yet the children of these men will bear the sins of their fathers. And as the twenty-first century dawns, the secrets that have shaped their destinies will finally be revealed.

“Angus,” she gasped in amazement. “Is it really you?” Tears burst forth as she threw her arms around the stiff, motionless figure. Then, leaning back and holding his hands, she realized that his eyes were devoid of expression. “Angus.” She shook him anxiously. “Angus, it’s me, Flo. Say something, please.” She shook him again gently. Then another thought occurred. Gavin. Where was Gavin? She glanced around, as though expecting to see him among the group of men smoking and playing cards. Then she squeezed Angus’s hand once more.

“Angus, you’re all right now. You’re with me.” His eyes flickered and her heart leapt. “Oh, Angus, darling, please. Please come back. Please tell me where Gavin is,” she whispered, almost to herself.

“Dead.” The voice was flat.

She stared at him, then shook her head. “No. It can’t be. No.” She shook her head again, her hands gripping his sleeve savagely. “Not Gavin.” She began shaking, then laughed hysterically. “People like Gavin don’t get killed. They’re immortal.”

“It should have been me,” he whispered.

“A thrilling drama of passion and revenge, brilliantly set against the epic backdrop of the twentieth century.”

—Carla Neggers, bestselling author of The Carriage House

Also available from MIRA Books and

FIONA HOOD-STEWART

THE JOURNEY HOME

The Stolen Years

Fiona Hood-Stewart

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

As always, for my boys,

Sergio and Diego.

For Daddy,

in loving memory.

This book is dedicated to all the men and women

who gave their youth, their hopes and dreams

and all too often their lives in the name of freedom.

May we honor them by preserving their legacy.

F.H.S.

My deep gratification to David d’Albis for his untiring dedication in helping me research this manuscript.

To Jean d’Albis, of Limoges, France, for recounting events as they took place and for the documents he furnished me with.

Many thanks to Laure Kovats, Fran Garfunkel, Frances Lynch, Carter Parsley, Bonnie Skop,

Miranda Stecyk and Donald Maas, my agent, for all the help along the way.

Contents

Part One (#u5b11eecf-2fc4-5a74-9bb3-858e688fbcc4)

Chapter 1 (#uc9597875-f3bf-5a40-b824-f3660d44abae)

Chapter 2 (#ue762e3a5-a0aa-5412-84f9-34c78a8e18ed)

Chapter 3 (#u93fb7808-1fcf-5010-b8d2-4f6d69b435a9)

Chapter 4 (#u6b769620-b854-55bc-abfd-a3c2b074947c)

Chapter 5 (#uaf50b1c7-b764-56ff-ba32-eae87eb5892c)

Chapter 6 (#ubcc32c58-ba60-57d3-ad1a-164999847c8a)

Chapter 7 (#ub76b70cf-7f8c-5837-a55b-29f1ff8fe12f)

Chapter 8 (#u69dbd97e-809c-5f28-8223-48160f73b91f)

Chapter 9 (#u1de3f813-7e88-5194-b87a-5851aa20adf0)

Part Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)