The Secret of Summerhayes

The Secret of Summerhayes
Merryn Allingham

A war-torn summerA house fallen into ruinA family broken apart by scandal…Summer 1944: Bombed out by the blitz, Bethany Merston takes up a post as companion to elderly Alice Summer, last remaining inhabitant of the dilapidated and crumbling Summerhayes estate. Now a shadow of its former glory; most of the rooms have been shut up, the garden is overgrown and the whole place feels as unwelcoming as the family themselves.Struggling with the realities of war, Alice is plagued by anonymous letters and haunting visions of her old household. At first, Beth tries to convince her it’s all in her mind but soon starts to unravel the mysteries surrounding the aristocratic family’s past.An evocative and captivating tale, The Secret of Summerhayes tells of dark secrets, almost-forgotten scandals and a household teetering on the edge of ruin.

Also by Merryn Allingham (#ulink_a7c74260-9e29-5440-8575-07532dbcdff4)

The Crystal Cage

The Girl from Cobb Street

The Nurse’s War

Daisy’s Long Road Home

The Buttonmaker’s Daughter

MERRYN ALLINGHAM was born into an army family and spent her childhood on the move. Unsurprisingly, it gave her itchy feet and in her twenties she escaped from an unloved secretarial career to work as cabin crew and see the world. The arrival of marriage, children and cats meant a more settled life in the south of England where she’s lived ever since. It also gave her the opportunity to go back to ‘school’ and eventually teach at university.

Merryn has always loved books that bring the past to life, so when she began writing herself the novels had to be historical. She finds the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries fascinating eras to research and her first book, The Crystal Cage, had as its background the London of 1851. The Daisy’s War trilogy followed, set in India and London during the 1930s and 40s.

Her latest novels explore two pivotal moments in the history of Britain. The Buttonmaker’s Daughter is set in Sussex in the summer of 1914 as the First World War looms ever nearer and its sequel, The Secret of Summerhayes, thirty years later in the summer of 1944 when D-Day led to eventual victory in the Second World War. Along with the history, of course, there is plenty of mystery and romance to keep readers intrigued.

If you would like to keep in touch with Merryn, sign up for her newsletter at www.merrynallingham.com (http://www.merrynallingham.com)

Contents

Cover (#uc47d1b9d-47fa-52f1-85be-d5bf8bda2b2b)

Also by Merryn Allingham (#ulink_579f2ba0-125d-52f5-b568-8f00384f4edd)

About the Author (#u843dc84e-6eb7-5dd4-bacf-880097b01e35)

Title Page (#u586210b9-9059-558e-9f96-0ebcbe4ed926)

Chapter One (#ulink_3dd70b32-151c-5a9e-a108-20cb4ba817f8)

Chapter Two (#ulink_c09d8395-0ace-5485-b9aa-100126940357)

Chapter Three (#ulink_230128f0-1211-5709-8233-0f346e508427)

Chapter Four (#ulink_b1558f4a-930c-597a-914c-c444f7593f91)

Chapter Five (#ulink_86691283-bdfc-5b26-9159-592ca4cdb900)

Chapter Six (#ulink_ca8395aa-7236-5b70-af86-a58252746aed)

Chapter Seven (#ulink_88559168-ace3-541e-aecd-3058d6196a76)

Chapter Eight (#ulink_3254eac0-9b20-5495-ada5-7c4be692e203)

Chapter Nine (#ulink_14d01a13-d906-55af-821f-f94dc78f63cd)

Chapter Ten (#ulink_b39dd17a-b374-5b05-ba9f-d6ee4870501b)

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)

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)

Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)